Parents’ Blog (Page 5)
St John’s Kids, 14 March 2021
Sunday 14 March You can continue to access our digital services here and/or attend in-person at 10am or 5pm. This week we continue our current talk series. Read Jeremiah 15:10-21 in preparation. Jeremiah is feeling very sorry for himself in this passage – to the point of wishing he had never been born. He feels as though he has done what God asked of him, but that his message has been rejected and the people curse him for it. He feels…
St John’s Kids, 07 March 2021
Sunday 7 March This week we continue our talk series, looking at the book of Jeremiah. You can continue to access our digital services here and/or attend in-person at 10am or 5pm. The people of Judah had put their trust in the temple and the associated sacrifices and rituals. But outside of that system, they were overtly disobeying God in other areas of their lives. Are we sometimes guilty of attending church ‘religiously’ on Sundays and forgetting that a relationship with…
St John’s Kids, 28 February 2021
Sunday 28 February This week, we start a new talk series, looking at the book of Jeremiah. Quite often, children are referred to as the future of the church. While it is true that our young’uns are likely to outlive the current leadership of the church, referring to them only in terms of the future undermines their role in the present and can leave kids thinking that they need to wait before they are of any use to the church…
Camp Crave Night/Day!
Hey Parents, Our Camp Crave Night/Day is next Friday! Details: Friday 5th March 6.30 pm – 10 pm AND Saturday 6th March 10 am – 2 pm Years: 7-12 Location: St Johns Cost: $25 Due to the unpredictability of restrictions at this time, there is a possibility this event will be online – in that case, it will be a free event. If the event can go ahead in-person to cover the cost of dinner Friday and Lunch Saturday the event will…
St John’s Kids, 21 February 2021
Sunday 21 February Over the past couple of weeks, we have been looking at Songs of Joy in the Psalms – specifically singing for joy and sharing the joy. This week, our focus is on living with joy. I was reading this morning about the overview effect – the intense emotions and awareness that astronauts experience because of their unique perspective of the earth from space. It can be so overwhelming that some have built ‘awe-time’ into their schedule. Before…
Youth Unite IS ON THIS FRIDAY + Crave Night/Day
Hey Parents, Good News, with the ease of restrictions we can go ahead with Youth Unite Summer this Friday! In line with the new government restrictions coming in place this evening and advice from the Anglican Diocese (our church’s regional governing body), we are able to meet as a religious gathering, meeting the density quotient of 1 person per 2 sqm. Details: Friday 19th February Years 7-12 Meet at St John’s 6.30 pm We’ll then car-pool with masks on to Mill Park…
St John’s Kids, 14 February 2021
Sunday 14 February The Sad News is … There will be no in-person services this week. Melbourne is heading into 5 days of lockdown. While sad, I believe it is far preferable to have occasional short, sharp ‘circuit breakers’ than to end up back in 6+ months of lockdown. So, I give thanks to God for the lessons learnt last year and the leadership that we have. The Good News is … Our made-for-digital service is still up and running,…
Youth Unite + Camp Crave Night
Hey Parents, Our first Friday night youth event for 2021 Youth Unite Summer is coming fast! This is a chance to join youth from churches in our area for a time of worship, games, hanging out and learning more about God. Details: Friday 19th February Years 7-12 Meet at St Johns 6.30 pm (we’ll then car-pool Mill Park Baptist Church) Pick up St Johns 10 pm $5 entry Covid Safe measures will be in place for this event; registration, social distancing, and masks. Please RSVP here.…
St John’s Kids, 07 February 2021
Sunday 7 February You can access our digital services here or attend an in-person service at 10am or 5pm. If attending in person, please take the time to scan the QR Code on arrival and enter your details. Keeping electronic records is mandatory. As are masks again this week, for the whole service! Thank you for your willingness to adapt to changing regulations. This week we start a new talk series, looking at the Psalms and the topic of JOY.…
IMPORTANT UPDATE: St John’s Youth 2021
Hey Parents, This week’s parents’ blog is a very important update of what to expect for St John’s Youth activities in 2021. Please watch this video as Kirk (Associate Minister) chats to Andi (Youth Minister) to give you an update and let you know what you can expect: Off the back of doing online youth ministry in 2020, we have decided to trial a hybrid in-person/online youth ministry for Term 1 of 2021. To access the full document mentioned in…
St John’s Kids, 31 January 2021
Sunday 31 January You can continue to access our digital services here. We are no longer requiring pre-registration for our in-person services – 10am and 5pm. We do still need to maintain electronic records, so scan the QR Code on arrival and enter your details. This will take a few minutes the first time, as you need to register with a password, but will be simpler thereafter. St John’s Kids will be resuming in-person this week! We won’t start our teaching…
St John’s Youth 2021
Hey Parents, I hope you and your families have had a good start to 2021 and feel well-rested as you head back to school this week and next. Next week I will send you an in-depth video update on what to expect for St John’s Youth in 2021. If you are new to St John’s Youth it’s important that you register to help as we plan for Youth Life Groups. You can do so here. In the meantime, here are…
St John’s Kids, 24 January 2021
Sunday 24 January: Access our streamed services here. If you would like to attend our in person service at either 10am or 5pm please register your attendance here. Our St John’s Kids program will remain in recess during the holidays and will resume in-person with the school term. If you are attending in-person services with kids this week, the activity sheets provided in the blog will be available in physical form for you to collect when you arrive at church. However,…
St John’s Kids, 17 January 2021
Good News … We start in-person services this week! Head here for more info and to register for in-person attendance at either 10am or 5pm. Bad News … Actually, there isn’t any bad news because we are keeping our digital services running too. So, if you are not ready/able to join in-person, you can continue to connect with us digitally. WIN/WIN! Our St John’s Kids program will remain in recess during the holidays and will resume with the school term.…
St John’s Kids, 10 January 2021
Sunday 10 January: Access our streamed services here. This week’s reading and talk include one of my favourite miracles. We can fall into the trap of thinking that all of Jesus’ miracles were pretty much the same – conducted in public with one word or touch, to ease the pain of individuals, and to demonstrate Jesus’ power over nature, illness or even death. But this time, Jesus leads a blind man away from his village and the miracle is conducted in…
St John’s Kids – 03 January 2021
Happy New Year everyone! 2020 was full of unforeseen challenges and tough times for many. It’s quite natural to be relieved that the year is behind us and a brand new, fresh start, lies before us. I pray that as we transition into the new year, we don’t automatically reset to the pre-COVID busyness, but that we can reassess our activities and embrace the lessons that we’ve learnt from lockdown. I doubt anyone wants to return to the remote…
St John’s Kids, 25-27 December 2020
Merry Christmas everyone! At the end of what has been a tumultuous year, in which we’ve all had to face many unforeseen challenges, I pray that we can still our hearts and reflect on all that God has done for us this year, always, forever. However you celebrate this season, may God fill you with great joy and peace as you trust in him, and experience overflowing hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) Christmas Services: All…
St John’s Kids – 20 December 2020
Sunday 20 December: Access our streamed services here. This week is the fourth Sunday of Advent – the season in the lead up to Christmas, when we prepare for the coming of Jesus. In our services, we have been lighting a candle each week to remind us that Jesus brings light into the world. Today we light the fourth candle, LOVE. We worship a God of love. He shows his love through his plans for our lives and all that he…
St John’s Kids – 13 December 2020
This week is the third Sunday of Advent – the season in the lead up to Christmas, when we prepare for the coming of Jesus. In our services, we have been lighting a candle each week to remind us that Jesus brings light into the world. For those of you who have created an advent wreath at home, light the third candle, JOY, this week. (If you have used coloured candles, this is the pink/rose one.) Discuss together what you…
St John’s Kids – 06 December 2020
SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER Save the Date: Sunday 13 December, Stars in the Shire – Community Carols service, 6:30pm live on YouTube. Find more details about all our Christmas services here. And … We will be having an IN-PERSON social get-together for our St John’s Kids families! Sunday 20 December, Anthony Beale Reserve Playground, 277 St Helena Road. Some of the St John’s Kids team will be there from 11:30am-3:30pm with Christmas activity packs for the kids. Come for lunch…
St John’s Kids – 29 November 2020
SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER Today’s Services: Access our streamed services here. Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the season leading up to Christmas, when we prepare for the coming of Jesus. We light a candle each week to remind us that Jesus brings light into the world. This week we light the candle of HOPE. We can have hope because the bible assures us that God is faithful and will keep his promises. We celebrate the truth of God’s promises in…
RSVP to our final Youth Event for 2020!
Hey parents, In just 1 week we will be having a waist up formal for our final youth event of the year! We’ll be meeting outside in Diamond Creek to hang-out, eat pizza and play some (socially distanced ;P) games before heading up Chute Street to enjoy the special Light Walk being set up by the Diamond Creek Traders! What is a waist up formal? We’ve been doing a lot of ZOOM-ing this year, and let’s face it while there are a fair…
St John’s Kids – 22 November 2020
SUNDAY 22 NOVEMBER Today’s Services: Access our streamed services here. Today we start a new series of talks, looking at Hebrews 11 and the topic of Faith. Parents, have a chat with your kids about what they think faith is. Usually, we believe something because we have seen it. It is very human to want some proof before we place our trust in someone or something. Faith though, is believing first and then seeing results. One of the principles of faith…
Final Youth Event for 2020!
Hey Parents, Our final Youth Event: Waist Up Formal for 2020 is coming up very soon! What is a waist up formal? We’ve been doing a lot of ZOOM-ing this year, and let’s face it while there are a fair few downsides, wearing whatever you want on your bottom half has been one big win! To commemorate our year of ZOOM-ing we’re going to wear formal attire on top and comfy clothes down below! (Think track pants, PJ’s, those ugly…
St John’s Kids – 15 November 2020
SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER Today’s Services: Access our streamed services here. Today is our annual Thanksgiving Day. We are celebrating the 153rd anniversary of St John’s Diamond Creek and all that God has done for us in the past year. Although it is wonderful to set aside a particular day to honour God as a church group, thanksgiving is not something we should save only for special occasions. God wants us to be a people of gratitude every day of the…