12th May 2022

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord! We are praying for you all but in particular those of you who have been unwell, isolated or are still traveling. Our hope is IN Christ and we pray that you are all being restored to full health, energy and are traveling safe. God’s richest blessing to all our church family and mission partners near and far.

The following is a brief update on all that we are working on together currently for your information and response ……. (we’ve done the brief overview stuff upfront. There’s a bit of background reading further on that some may want to scroll down for)

SUNDAY 15TH MAY – THIS WEEK we are thankful to God that Julie is back in the saddle after a time traveling up north with Gary and a further week or so recovering. We start our ‘INTIMACY’ series and Julie will build on some of the scriptural foundations that Graeme raised during his Mothers’ Day message, and she will reflect upon ‘Intimacy with Father God’. Engage with us if you can, face-to-face at the Augusta Street East Corrimal NSW HUB OR via live-stream if you can’t be physically present with us from 10am … (see our Facebook page and our YouTube Channel)

Brief Summary of Confirmed Upcoming Calendar Events so You Can Save Some Dates

Use our Contact Us page if you’d like to register for, or get more details about any of the following

  • Month of May Message Theme – ‘INTIMACY’ (Team)
    • 15th – ‘Intimacy with Father God’
    • 22nd – ‘Intimacy with Christ’s Body’
    • 29th – ‘Intimacy with the Lost’
  • Women’s Monday Fortnightly Study and Prayer (Julie)
    • 16th May – 10.30am @ the HUB
    • 30th May – 10.30am @ the HUB
  • General Bible Discussion (Beverley)
    • 18th May on the verandah at Judy’s place
    • 1st June on the verandah at Judy’s place
  • Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea (Annual Cancer Research Fundraiser)
    • Thursday 19th May across the road from the HUB at the Bond Residence – No. 12 Augusta St . Come when you can & leave when you must between 9am – 7pm. Have a cuppa, make a donation!
  • Federal Election Day
    • 21st May at a convenient Polling Booth near you
  • Scripture Board PIE DRIVE 2022
    • We’ll make the menu and order form available SOON for your annual pie orders, which will be taken up until about 10th June. As usual, if you can’t navigate the online form when it’s available, just let Heather know what your order is and we’ll do a church order or three – the drive will wrap up with Pie Pick Up scheduled from June 20th.
  • Illawarra Prayer Breakfast and Day of Thanks 2022
    • Friday 27th May 6.30am – 8.30am @ Shellharbour Civic Centre – Graeme has booked a table for us. To help him play OUR part in this Kingdom space, deposit your $40 into the Church Account (see details right margin) and identify your deposit with your name & IPB, OR, give your money to Heather. ONLY 9 of these cheaper early bird tickets so they’ll go fast.
    • This year’s award of thanks is to TEACHERS in our schools. We are offering gifts of thanks to teachers at Corrimal East Public School and Corrimal High School …. More details soon about how you can be involved
  • Blokes Bi-Monthly Hang-Out and Mutual Ministry Time
    • Tuesday 31st May from 6pm @ Rowles’ Residence in Mangerton – Mick will graciously smoke some meat for dinner – bookings essential so RSVP to Andrew if you know his contact details OR via our Contact Us page
  • Scripture Board ‘COFFEE & DESSERT NIGHT 2022
    • 7-9pm 8th June @ the Northern Illawarra (Bulli) Uniting Church Centre (more details soon)

Other Things Happening Worthy of Note

  • HOPE COLLEGE Presents ….. ‘Winter Workshops’ 2022 – Friday’s WEEKLY 7.30am – 8.45am Face-to-Face at the Augusta Street HUB AND Repeated WEEKLY 5pm to 6.15pm Tuesdays (after the Friday session) ….. ZOOM COACHING ONLY BY APPOINTMENT …. The 12 week term will consist of
    • 4 Weeks of ‘Biblical Foundations for The HOPE Project Revelation‘
      • Friday 7.30am 20th May (repeated Tuesday 5pm 24th May)
      • Friday 7.30am 3rd June (repeated Tuesday 5pm 7th June)
      • Friday 7.30am 10th June (repeated Tuesday 5pm 14th June)
      • Friday 7.30am 17th June (repeated Tuesday 5pm 21st June)
  • TERM BREAK
    • 8 Weeks of ‘Discipling and Multiplying no-name Disciples’.
      • Friday 7.30am 1st July (repeated Tuesday 5pm 5th July)
      • Friday 7.30am 8th July (repeated Tuesday 5pm 12th July)
      • Friday 7.30am 15th July (repeated Tuesday 5pm 19th July)
      • Friday 7.30am 22nd July (repeated Tuesday 5pm 26th July)
      • Friday 7.30am 29th July (repeated Tuesday 5pm 2nd August)
      • Friday 7.30am 5th August (repeated Tuesday 5pm 9th August)
      • Friday 7.30am 12th August (repeated Tuesday 5pm 16th August)
      • Friday 7.30am 19th August (repeated Tuesday 5pm 23rd August)
  • REGISTER YOUR INTEREST BY EMAILING the Secretary if you know the email address OR use the College Contact Page. More opportunities to gather the harvest around the word soon.
  • HOPE COLLEGE ORGANIZATION – Tuesday’s WEEKLY 9.15am – 10.30am – Graeme is available on Tuesdays weekly for chats about College study, subject matter, assessment advice, interest and enrollment issues etc. This will happen AT THE HUB or IN HIS ZOOM ROOM. Drop by the Hub OR click on this online ZOOM ROOM LINK anytime between 9.15am and 10.30am on Tuesdays.
    • IMPORTANT COLLEGE NOTICE: If you would like to be added to the EMAIL LIST to receive the regular College organization and news update ‘HOPE HERALD’ so you don’t miss out on anything in the equipping space, use our College Contact Page to provide us your email address. THIS INCLUDES ACCESS TO TEACHING CONTENT VIA SUBJECT SESSION NOTES, VIDEOS OR PODCASTS. We CAN’T provide these resources in the Public Arena BUT you CAN have access if you register to receive the ‘HOPE HERALD’ news update. Thank you!
  • The Sanctuary Illawarra – Our southern hub church continues to plough and sow with online and face-to-face engagement opportunities. Stay tuned to their their YouTube channel and or Facebook page for updates as they come to hand. Pray for these ‘Backyard Missionaries’ AND give The Sanctuary connection details to anyone you know in the Southern Illawarra that would benefit from the ministry of this Targeted Mission HUB, particularly re. their Soul Recovery ALL Addictions weekly meeting 8pm Monday’s at Central Church Hall, 4 Fitzwilliam Street Port Kembla.
  • Heaven’s Embassy, Christ’s Ambassadors’, Hosts, Carers and more …… – Father God has blessed us with a wonderful facilitating leadership team, a bunch of people keen to serve, nurture, disciple and support our church family in order to ensure we can pursue well, this mission God has called us to. The team is maturing well and between now and the end of June we will be sharpening our ministry engagement and entry points; training up welcoming hosts, pastoral carers and more as a crucial ‘Heaven’s Embassy’ strategy, designed primarily to ‘strengthen our stakes so we can lengthen our ropes (Isaiah 54)’ during this season we have recognized as the ‘seed of sustainability’. At the recent HOPE College Introductory Workshop, Graeme described the ‘Heaven’s Embassy’ Revelation that we here at Corrimal Community Church are praying and working for Jesus to build, as follows ……
    • ‘Heaven’s Embassy’ is a revelation we received as a church, that helps us describe what we’d like our HUB, HQ or Base Camp to look and act like, i.e., a place (the hearts of a bunch of Jesus followers) that provide a safe place, a refuge for citizens seeking something that looks like heaven).  E.g. the Australian Embassy, is ACTUALLY Australia inside its boundaries on whatever piece of land in whatever country it is situated. Heaven’s Embassy therefore should represent all of heaven – that is, people should actually engage with heaven whenever they encounter us.’
    • My unswerving belief is that in order to be shaped more like a ‘Heaven’s Embassy’ our regular meetings should be more authentically the gathering of a mission company, designed to nurture and care for soldiers so they can be either supported in long-term discipleship and care, encouraged to continue supporting other disciples, and/or restored to the front line as soon as they are ready. This is what a Base Camp does and in every climbing endeavour, there are TWO Base Camps, one back at HQ or ‘home’ and the other at the base of or gateway to, the mission field. We NEED both and so we are asking for God’s help every day so that Jesus helps us build both – His church. (GH – 2022)
  • As such, the Management Team and Senior Minister’s Group are working to refine Graeme’s schedule to maximize his time leading the church into its mission both in kingdom collaboration responsibilities, as well as equipping and discipling IN NEW Harvest fields, and you can probably see from the above news update, that this is shaping up, and Graeme’s schedule is shifting focus appropriately.
    • What we are talking about is our serving people, sharing the responsibility for ensuring that what we have attained IN Christ is consolidated whilst remaining a launching pad for what God wants to do next. To achieve consolidation, we will make it easier to book appointments with all of our key leaders soon, but for now, this link is the best way to book time with Graeme as his time is becoming more refined by the purpose and need. So …. open the link, choose a date (little calendar picture top right), click on an available time (these will be obvious), fill in your name and contact stuff, and in the content box note a venue and a reason for the meeting (some are listed or you could use your own). Submit and Graeme gets an email and a process to confirm with you. The link is now visible at the bottom of any personal email you receive from him AND it exists as a QR Code on the back of his business card, a number of which are available on the reception desk or you could ask Heather or one of her fabulous Hub Hosts for help. Scan the code on the business card and his appointment options open up.
    • This process will enable Graeme to better respond to any needs AND direct some people to other Leaders that will be able to help more effectively and time sensitively than he can, when that’s required.

Weekly Pastoral Prayer Update (designed to spread points for prayer out for the week)

  • Firstly, we are THANKFUL for all the answered prayers that often go unnoticed. Thank you, Lord, for Your faithfulness.
  • Secondly, each and EVERY week we pray for each other and our brothers and sisters representing the Illawarra region’s body of Christ through other local churches who meet around us. And as Jesus prayed 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. We know this is a season when we will need to be combat ready and so we pray for each other that we would stand firm in the victory Christ won for us … AND that the Lord will add daily, those who are BEING SAVED! We particularly pray for the upcoming Illawarra Prayer Breakfast, that the churches of the Illawarra might be ‘In ONE-ness accord’.
  • Thirdly each week we pray for the New Season of Mission Effort – we pray for the continued outworking of the 2021 commissioning as your servants work out with you, each calling, metron and scope of mission. (see also mission prayer points) – We thank you for the catalyst to our Pillar of ‘PREPARE’ that Brian and Nola’s ministry with us brought recently.
  • Fourthly, here following are the MOST RECENT prayer requests that we have been given permission to share across our praying network … (please talk directly with the source of the request if you want more info)
    • June’s son and our mate Craig Blanch – for a good medical test results and June’s friend Mim for her recovery after an accident and subsequent surgery.
    • Gary and Julie – we praise you Lord for Your healing work in their lives. We continue to pray also for their daughter Jemma recovering from surgery.
    • Jono’s Dad Richard – we praise you Lord for answered prayer and we continue to uphold Richard and his whole family, and for Jono’s physical health at this time, particularly as he engages a new part-time work schedule to complement his church planting work.
    • Jono’s friends Steve and Kiz, particularly as Steve’s Mum is in the twilight of her life.
    • Gwen’s full recovery. We pray for peace for her children and Jason in particular. We thank you Lord that Gwen was well enough to join us last Sunday which enabled us to celebrate her 90th birthday with her.
    • Ken and Beverley Boots’ daughter Rachael dealing with exhaustion and other life and work related issues having been at the front-line at Gold Coast Hospital these last couple of years.
    • The Shea family – previously involved at CCC. Praying for peace and hope for Eric and the family after June’s passing recently. Graeme reports that Andrew and Cathryn would like to pass on their thankfulness for our prayers and expressed love and care.
    • For Christine seeking prayer for wisdom and strength for her and her two sisters and the aged care consultants helping them care for their Mum in her own home, also for her family members who have been inundated with water during recent rains and their daughter with a broken arm. It was lovely to share personally with Christine on Sunday.
    • John and Margaret grieving the loss of a close family friend.
  • Please Keep Praying for these Brothers and sisters and situations –
    • We continue praying for Murray and Julie and the Food for Life Community Care team as they think strategically about ways to streamline travel between pick up locations etc.
    • We pray for the people doing it tough that our Food for Life volunteers come across weekly when they serve hampers off the truck; in particular we pray for Mich Grey at this time.
    • We continue to petition our Lord Jesus for Heaven’s answers to the needs of so many who have lost significantly in these floods up and down the east coast.
    • Please pray for God’s will to be done in and through the upcoming election and not the will of lobbying people with agendas that only interpret what God should do. Let us pray for a holy and righteous outcome in this federal election. Let’s prayerfully hold governing authorities to a heavenly standard and an integrity that flows from living out and seeking God’s kingdom rule of human hearts and not the rule of the kingdom of this world (Romans 13 and 14)
    • For all of the wonderful people connected with our church family as we stand together during this new season of the battle for souls. We thank God for His encouragement, His healing touch and His mercy, grace and protection.
    • We pray for Dot and her family, Maree and Jacki and their families.
    • We pray healing for Maggie and Alex who are dealing with a variety of health issues currently.
    • We continue to pray for Harry, Joy and Greg, Elsie and Carolyn’s family, Julie B and particularly her Mum and for Kylie and her family and friends’ needs.
    • We pray for complete healing from COVID symptoms for John, Beverley, Nick, Diana, Christian, and others affected across our network.
    • Grant Wilson (Kiama Baptist Minister) whom Graeme saw recently. He is now back at home in Kiama and has started a minor regime of work. Pray for his continued good recovery, his family and the church as they deal with challenges in this time of transition. Grant has asked to pray that he has more grace for the long haul.
    • We pray thanks to God for the work of the Northern Illawarra Scripture Board and for answered prayer in the aftermath of the 9th May meeting, where significant changes in teaching and preparations for a couple of big fund raisers were discussed and worked up as a plan. We pray that we are empowered to play our part in this kingdom advancing work as it increases across the northern Illawarra churches network.
    • We pray both thanks to you God and ask for exceeding abundant blessings on all the new people who are determining whether or not to partner with us in the mission You have called us to.
    • We also pray with thankfulness for the wonderful and consistent giving and investment that our family and partners offer to enable this mission to thrive.
  • The World needs our Faithful Prayers –
    • We continue to pray for people in the Ukraine and Russia, for peace, for unity, for a sense of purpose together for the future, instead of the divide and the misdirection that seems evident currently. LORD HAVE MERCY!
    • We pray for this hepatitis outbreak around the world and ask for You intervention Lord, bringing about a speedy restoration of health. LORD HAVE MERCY on those affected and those working out what’s happening.
    • We pray for anyone who is in peril in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Please pray for the people who are hungry and helpless. Pray for the church (under persecution) that they along with World Aid organizations will be able to be God’s effective hands and feet in that desperate scenario.
    • Pray for the people in many other countries who are dealing with political, religious and military unrest and or are being subjected to violence and persecution; in particular this week we pray for Kenya, Myanmar, Papua (Indonesia), Eritrea, Burkina-Faso (particularly in the East where Jihadists seem hell bent on eradicating Christian facilitated education), Algeria and Indonesia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
    • PLEASE add any concern you have for our world HERE and pray LORD HAVE MERCY!
  • Of course if you have any thing you feel confident to ask us to SHARE in prayer for, please call, send a text or email Gary Padwick if you know his contact details, otherwise via our Contact Us page. We can help connect you and Gary will faithfully engage our prayer-network (please be patient as he gets back into a home routine and fully recovers from his health issues).
  • Thank you for continuing to uphold each other and the lives and circumstances of our partners everywhere in life-empowering prayer.

Love and Blessings, the CCC Hope Project Communications Team