Friday Hangs in Term 2
In early July, 42 youth and 13 leaders headed up to the Collaroy Centre for Camp Engage! This was a great and exciting opportunity for our youth to spend extended time in fellowship and God’s Word together. The topic we looked at this year was called Defining God- which involved seeing how God reveals Himself to us in His Word as Triune, unchanging, just and loving. I prepared most of these talks from my Currarong Mission last year which got cut short due to COVID, and so it was a great privilege being able to adapt it for Engage this year. Jaison and I gave two talks each.
Here are a few highlights below!
- We learnt that God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Spirit which should unite God’s people as one (John 14 and 17)
- We saw how God is unchanging in His character, plans and commitment to His people which means that He’s worthy of all our trust (Eph 1)
- It was a great joy to see our youth grapple with God’s word, particularly on these topics and grow in their understanding and love of who God is
- 2 of our youth responded to wanting to follow and commit to Jesus as Lord and Saviour! Please pray that God would help them to persevere in their faith and for wisdom in following them up well
I was particularly encouraged by our team of leaders who served the youth so well. They worked incredibly hard to have gospel conversations, teach God’s Word faithfully and run the program with enthusiasm. The team served in loving unity and were excellent models for our youth so please thank God for their service!
I was reminded over this weekend of the great privilege it is to serve God in this capacity, seeing the joy of the gospel within our Engage ministry.
Leadership Training Day & Leadership Pipeline
In June, St John’s ran a Leader’s Training Day to equip our leaders to think about our leadership pipeline. This was a great opportunity for the leaders at St John’s to gather together and learn about the importance of raising up leaders at church so that ministries could be run effectively.
It was a really humbling time for myself in particular to see the different areas which we need to improve on and keep caring well for our own leaders. One reflection I had was to ensure I carved out space to think about the big picture of the ministries I was involved in, in thinking about who to train and care for, as I felt that it was really easy to get caught up in the normal day to day of ministry. A realisation I had about myself was how easily I could be discouraged in not feeling like I’ve done a ‘good enough job’ or felt ‘incompetent’ at something. It was important to remember that this was an area which I could be growing into and that it takes time to improve.
Please pray that God would help us to keep raising up leaders in the areas of youth ministry and care well for them for the sake of the Kingdom!
Taking Some Leave
I took some annual leave in the last week of July. I was really thankful to God for this time of rest. It was a great time being able to catch up with gospel partners, with old high school/primary friends and visit Kath’s growth group and church. You can thank God for a particular conversation I had with one of my primary friends’ girlfriends. God provided an opportunity to share the gospel with her and also have an open conversation about abortion and what Christians believe about it.
Prayer Points
- Please pray that God would help our Engage Team to keep serving His people faithfully over the course of the year
- Pray for wisdom on where to go for a student ministry position in 2023
- Pray that God would help me to keep a close watch on my life and doctrine
- Please pray that God would provide Kath and I with wisdom as we seek to make decisions for the future that honour God and one another
The Marsden Fund 