Safari is coming up!

Have your youth registered!?! If not, make sure to do it soon as it’s an opportunity too good to miss! The youth team are chasing registrations by Sunday, June 30th.

What makes SCPC’s week-long youth camp (Safari) so excellent? 18 months ago I read a biography of the prominent 20th century Christian leader, John Stott. It was an excellent read. It was super great to hear about his journey to faith. Significant in it was a camp run by Scripture Union in Britain. They seemed quite persuaded that a five-day camp was a brilliant forum to allow teenagers room to consider and think through the claims of Christ. I couldn’t believe it as I read it! I straight away thought of our five-day youth camp, Safari! So excited was I, that I took photos of the pages and sent it to two of our past MTS apprentices who had co-led the camp with me in the past with the caption “The special ingredients to Safari”!

So, I can’t wait to hear reports back from Safari 2024 and the way those special ingredients work like magic, fuelled by the word of God and the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit.

I understand that not everyone at SCPC is impacted by Safari and a good twenty percent may not really understand what all the fuss is about. But Cam and the youth team put in a huge amount of effort to make Safari happen.

So, can I encourage all of us to consider who from your Gospel Community is due to attend? Ask them how they are feeling about it? You might like to enquire with the family and see if they need financial support to get all their kids there.

Also, you might think about who in your street might be able to go… A few years ago, I tentatively door- knocked two families on our street about whether their teenagers would be interested. I had no idea what they would say and I expected the door to slam! But, it was much better than I expected. In fact, one of the teenagers in our street came. Similarly, have a listen to the shock John Stott experienced when he invited a friend. John, like me, expected a NO! But this was the response from his friend: I said straight away I would like to come. He told me later that he (John Stott) was quite overwhelmed by the response. I was the normal hard swearing school boy, I suppose, no faith at all… my parents occasionally taking me to church. John had prayed about this approach to me and had been fairly certain he would be rebuffed. [1]

This teenager went along to the camp, and there found Christ for himself. How cool is that!?!

Safari is coming up really soon, on July 13-17, with Safari Sunday on July 21. Please pray that even teenagers with messy lives would come and meet the faithful God.

Let me finish with the powerful conversion story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19:
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he
was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I
must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my
possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the
amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of
Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

SP
_____________________________________

[1] Dudley-Smith, John Stott: The making of a leader. (London: IVP, 1999), p102.

Our annual MTS info night is a cracker of a night!

It’s one of the most important nights of the year – because it’s our future. They say the gospel doesn’t die in a church overnight. It dies in a generation.

So, a night like this is a night that may only see fruit in 5 years’ time, or maybe longer. Does everyone there on a night like that have the time for it? I imagine at some point on Wednesday, probably everyone who attended thought “I’m not sure I have the energy to make tonight happen. I might not go!” I felt a bit that way myself, but as one of the hosts I needed to go. Yes, even on State of Origin night! QUEENSLANDER! [1]

But I am so pleased I went and was encouraged from God’s word in Matthew 6:25-34, and challenged about what the big goal for the Aussie dream is (earlier retirement!). Yet, it is just a mirage, always failing to bring the contentment, joy and security we dream of. So, we were encouraged by Pete B from Christ Community Church in Brisbane, to get a bigger vision for life.

This vision of life was extended by Carmel V [2] and Russ S [3] from MTS as they shared a little about their story of being disciple making disciples, who make disciples. IT was also an opportunity to refocus on the needs of the harvest [4] with sensible wisdom about what that might take emotionally, financially and relationally.

It was a really exciting night. Hence, the 2025 date is booked (with the provision to shift by a week to avoid Origin). In keeping with our desire to collaborate with Northern Rivers Churches [5], in 2025 we are off to Kyogle for MTS info night!

In twelve month’s time I reckon I’ll be equally busy, maybe more. But this night is one of the first nights I book into my Google calendar….
It is our future.
It is the Kingdom’s future.
It is the vision of our King.

To sign off, another verse for you to commit ‘off by heart’ is the key verse for MTS Australia and
SO critical to our heartbeat at SCPC:
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people
who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2

SP

____________________________________________

[1] Yes that’s right I grew up in South East Queensland and passionately support the Maroon’s Rugby League team.
[2] Carmel is the Events Coordinator for MTS and bravely shared her story of faith and growth as a disciple-maker.
[3] MTS Training Director.
[4] Matthew 9:35-38.
[5] Our gospel partner, Trent M from Alstonville Baptist Church, kindly hosted us on Wednesday night.

Food for Thought

Last Sunday was our Food for Thought event. In the morning there were 80 burgers eaten, 70 coffees sipped, over 250 donuts inhaled, 1 auction of Elvis Presley’s blue suede shoes, and lots of people who heard the gospel message of Jesus proclaimed! In the evening we held our gathering at Two Mates Brewery in South Lismore. This was a great opportunity to be in a public space as a church community and for those who came along to the event to be invited to meet Jesus. On Tuesday night, the first session of the Hope Explored series was conducted, with a varied mix of people attending. 

Please continue to reach out to, and pray, for those who came along on Sunday and Tuesday. You might like to have a follow up chat with someone you invited along, introduce them to a few members of your GC or perhaps consider who you might read Word 1-2-1 with. As Christians we have such a good (and urgent) message of hope through the one who died for us. 

Talk recordings 

Over the past year or so, some members of the staff team, along with Leadership Team, have been considering the value (or not) of continuing to post the bible talks publicly on the website, particularly in light of a growing antagonism towards Christianity in some sectors of society. We’ve decided to continue posting most talks online, to enable the gospel message to be shared and passed on as freely as possible. However, we’ve also decided that very rarely, it may be prudent not to post the occasional talk, depending on its subject matter. So please be aware of that going forwards. 

Content Warning

From this Sunday, we’ll be continuing our series in Genesis 12-25. There will be some potentially distressing content in some of the bible passages over the coming weeks (particularly Genesis 16-17 on June 2 and Genesis 18-19 on June 9). Some of the characters act in an ungodly and destructive way that is harmful to those in their family and community. It’s possible these stories could be triggering for some people. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing violence or abuse you can contact:

• 1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or chat on-line

• Presbyterian Conduct Protocol Unit (CPU): for notifications and advice on any matters of abuse. Call 9690 9325 or 0421 225 740

• Presbyterian Counselling Service: facilitating access to high quality professional Christian counselling. Call 1800 818 133 or email counselling@jerichoroad.org.au (NB This is a referral service and not a crisis service). 

Encouragement

As we continue in Genesis together I’m hopeful that God will use his word to assure us of his faithfulness in the mess of life, and to affirm to us both his great mercy and great justice. This week I saw a ‘gem’ I’d never noticed before in the book of Numbers 23:19-20 which highlights God’s trustworthiness in such sure terms, 

¹⁹ God is not human, that he should lie,

    not a human being, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act?

    Does he promise and not fulfill?

²⁰ I have received a command to bless;

    he has blessed, and I cannot change it.

JR