5th November 2022

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s news update. Karen and I bring you greetings from Port Stephens (Banner Pic taken in June from our previous digs looking west up Port Stephens at sunset). We drove up on Wednesday, picked Karen’s Parents up from Newcastle Airport and parked ourselves in Shoal Bay for the first face to face catch up time with them for nearly two years. We’ll be home later today. Hope all of you, our church family here and elsewhere are experiencing the exceeding abundant peace and joy that flows from Father God. We pray in faith for those who are needing God’s healing grace and mercy at this time, and also for those coming and going for work or holidays or family time or a combination of all of those reasons. May you and yours experience God’s favour this week.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS SUNDAY 6th NOVEMBER – (see prayer points below re: International Day of Prayer)

THIS WEEK, Julie will share from God’s word, facilitating a safe space for our reflection and questions in week TWO of our month of messages aligning with the theme, ‘All You Need is Love’ (da da da daa daaaaaa), along with some specially prepared theme music from the worship team.

IF YOU ARE IN THE VICINITY ON SUNDAY, PLEASE DO JOIN US face to face at the Augusta Street Hub, OR if not possible, join us ONLINE via our Live-Stream from 10am THIS and EVERY SUNDAY … (see our Facebook page link OR our YouTube Channel for online access). OR later from about midday Sunday onward when you can view the live-stream recording on our YouTube Channel.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER – PLEASE stay home if you are feeling unwell AND let us know so we can be praying for you.

Calendar Updates

(Please use our Contact Us page if you’d like to register for, or get more details about the following)

  • EVERY THURSDAY MORNING 10-11am – We provide a support team to help distribute affordable grocery hampers out of a truck parked in the Car Park west side Fred Guest Park off Balgownie Road. If you could help every week, or fortnightly or monthly, please talk with Gary or Jacki – thank you!
    • ALSO, here is the link to the ordering site. A few of our contacts have made use of the access to affordable groceries in these more challenging economic times so maybe you’d like to see for yourself OR perhaps on behalf of someone you’d like to bless. You could order and pick up at our truck site on Thursdays, or you could organize with one of our lovely team listed above, to acquire your hamper(s). Anyway, here is the link to the Food for Life Shop. Make a choice, select the item and follow the prompts to customize and order.
  • General Bible Discussion (Beverley) Next opportunity will be 16th November at Judy’s place (on the verandah or inside with the heater if cold), (now the 1st and 3rd Wednesday’s of each month) Contact Beverley or Judy if you are thinking of coming to any given meeting.
  • Regular Hour of Prayer for the Churches of the Illawarra and the Salvation of Souls (Graeme) We will TRIAL Mt Keira Lookout park as a venue – 8am on the 2nd and 4th Fridays each month. NEXT PRAYER MEETING IS FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER as Graeme will be away at a National Leaders Meeting on October 28th (be patient please as we work this out)
  • NEXT Blokes Sharing and Ministry – Tuesday 6th December – Details TBA
  • Oct-Nov Sunday Weekly Preaching Theme with an Outward Focus towards ‘others’ will be ‘All You Need Is Love’ and will span the FOUR Sunday’s from October 30th to and including November 20th. As with ‘Outrageous Forgiveness’ in 2021, we will focus messages, creative and interactive presentations over the FOUR Sundays around the ‘All You Need Is Love’ theme. It’s been a busy couple of months, so, we will pursue this as the Lord leads us throughout the month.
  • HOPE Sunday 2022, 10am 27th November – Join us as we do our annual reflection and launch of church’s goals for the following year, and celebrate the 69th anniversary of the church’s ministry and witness, in the East Corrimal community. A Special Morning Tea will follow the gathering, so book your attendance in with Heather OR Carol ASAP.
  • Church Family Christmas Lunch – Sunday 4th December. We are trying to make the gathering followed by our lunch like a party where one things flows to the next. We want to celebrate our Lord just like his family would around a Christmas meal. More details soon BUT for now, be assured that if you can only make it for lunch and can’t join us from 10am, just bring whatever you’ve organized with Carol or Heather with you about 11.30am.
  • ‘Carols in the Street 2022’ – is scheduled as always for the second Sunday of December (11th). The street closure will occur from about 4pm – 8pm. We will gather on that Sunday (11th Dec) morning to PRAY and ALLOCATE tasks for this our annual Christmas Gift to the community and as such there will be NO REGULAR SUNDAY AM GATHERING that day. Here is the current guest list –
    • Our mate AMBER NICHOLS is booked in! She says hi and send her love to you all.
    • DESPINA is finishing her HSC exams and will let us know shortly.
    • TAMMY PRESTON (an internationally respected children’s ministry leader) will coordinate and present our CHILDREN’S SEGMENT – Tammy is a great mate and one of Australia’s apostolic leaders in the Kids’ mission and well-being space, with a heart for promoting inter-generational connections (collisions), as a key for individual life and community transformation. . We are so grateful for Tammy’s commitment to join us.
    • Our dear friend DENE BURTON is returning to produce sound and stage logistics for mates rates – Dene is such a special gift to us
    • There might be a surprise or two left as we finalize this year’s line up for THE ELASTIC BAND so please be in prayer for the Carols event, all that’s being prepared, and for a good reception from our neighbours (some new ones) who received the street closure confirmation letter this week – and primarily for a growing community response to and reception of the Gift of Jesus Christ, – the focus of our church’s gift to the neighbourhood on the second Sunday of December each year.
    • NB: Thanks to those of you who have taken the ‘Can you sponsor our Carols event?’ message and passed it on to people you know. We’ve seen support to the level of a few hundred dollars already coming in and this all helps us present the BEST gift we can whilst keeping the raw and authentic simplicity that our patrons appreciate and respond to each year. PLEASE LET US KNOW OF ANY OTHERS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED BY THE WEEK STARTING 7TH NOVEMBER SO WE CAN ENSURE EVERYONE CAN BE PROMOTED AS THEY WOULD LIKE. Thanks!

The HOPE Project Mission Situation Reports (Sit-Reps)

HOPE4Kids ANNUAL AWARENESS & FUNDRAISER IS DONE FOR 2022 – During the coming week, we will finalize accounts and once we get some guidance from our beneficiary families, distribute about $3200 between our FOUR (4) ‘HOPE4Kids’ recipients, towards research and or advanced medications etc. THANK YOU – THANK YOU – THANK YOU!!!! We are so thankful to God for people’s generous hearts, giving in so many diverse and dynamic ways. You can also keep up with the final 2022 ‘process stories’ about our KIDS and the campaign as they appear during the coming week or two on the HOPE4Kids Facebook Group. If you’d like to read the H4K backstory (updated regularly with the latest), visit our website’s ‘HOPE4Kids’ page.

COVENANT PARTNER CAMPAIGN – (see Previous news updates for a lot more detail) As an outworking of this year’s AGM, the Management Team has asked the ministers to encourage all of our recent church family members, who would like to be committed to journeying with us in the mission God has called us to, to prayerfully consider signing up as official Covenant Partners. You can find out more about why this is important to us as a church family by downloading an e-copy of the Covenant Partnership Introduction and EOI from our website’s FAQ page HERE. We have made the paper work more readily available at the Hub’s Reception area. Sincere thanks to those of you who have taken advantage of this opportunity already. PLEASE chat with Heather as soon as possible if you would like to check to see if you are already a Covenant Partner OR if you are relatively new and you are sure you’d like to go straight to the sign up step. PLEASE NOTE that the Codes / Agreement forms are ONLY available from Heather, either face to face or via the secretary email.

PODCASTS / SERMONS / STUDY GUIDE OUTLINES – THANKS to all who have given us positive feedback about the publishing of content over recent weeks on our HOPE Podcast Station.

Current Content includes ……

  • Graeme’s TWELVE new HOPE Devotional reflections that coincide with this ‘SEED for Sustainability’ season. The WRITTEN ONLY versions (along with the podcast link) are available via our web site’s listing of published devotions by date HERE … NB: Due to being away with Karen’s family this week, Graeme will make sure he gets TWO devotions delivered to inboxes and available on the Podcast Station BY NEXT THURSDAY 10TH NOVEMBER. Thanks for your patience!
  • Julie presenting the prophetic word the Lord gave her in August which she preached on the same month. If you are interested in accessing this, we have uploaded Julie’s Prophetic Word Podcast HERE and the written out version of the prophetic word is available on our Sermon Notes etc. website page HERE. Julie has recommended that if you are planning to listen to this particular podcast, it would help to have a printed or visible electronic version of the prophetic word in front of you as she speaks to the context and biblical bases in the podcast which is about 25 minutes in length.
  • There are a couple of sermons from earlier in the year …… more soon, and we’ll add the outlines for the current preaching season ASAP.
  • Here is the link to the HOPE Podcast Station so you can take a look around.
  • Graeme has also uploaded his Sermon Note Summary from his ‘Fullness IS Equipping’ series to date.
  • THE HOPE COLLEGE PODCAST STATION WILL BE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED VERY SOON!!!

Weekly Pastoral Prayer Update

NB: We leave prayer points up until we either hear about resolutions OR thank God for answers etc. so …

  • 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!
  • Thirdly each week we pray for the New Season of Mission Effort – We thank you for the first ‘7 years of planting and re-aligning to heaven’ and now we pray for the FIRST PHASE of the time we are referring to as ‘The SEED of Sustainability’ (2022-23). and the outworking of the current Spring 2022 strategic plan. PLEASE PRAY AS WE PREPARE (Pre-Prayer).
  • 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) – we will endeavour to seek updates on all of the following, particularly those points that we’ve been praying for these last few weeks – not always simple, so thanks for your patience.
    • Lord we continue to thank you that Christian had a successful ‘keyhole’ appendectomy. We thank you Lord that all has gone well and we continue to pray for peace and good health in the coming days as the recovery gets underway. You are Sovereign Father God.
    • Father in heaven we pray for Maree’s daughter Leah’s marriage. We don’t know the situation but we’ve been asked to pray for Your intervention Lord, that the devil would not have his way. We pray your love, peace and grace to surround Leah, Nick, Poppy and Willow.
    • Lord, we continue praying for Linda’s sister Shirley who contracted a coughing virus last week which isn’t a good thing in the aftermath of heart surgery. We ask that you intervene and heal completely in Jesus name.
    • Lord Jesus, we ask again for your intervention of care and realignment for Jacob who is struggling with addiction and the damaging impact this has on his life and the lives of those closest to him. Lord we ask for restoring grace for this great young bloke as he breaks free from these chains in Your consistent and lasting strength. We pray for wisdom for the medical professionals in the health unit monitoring Jake’s recovery, we pray that the rehab opportunity in Wagga Wagga opens up, and Father God, we are praying in faith for wisdom, health, stamina, peace and guidance for Jono and Nicky as they care for Jacob.
    • Lord, we ask for refreshing and awakening to Your will and purpose continuing on from the spiritual retreat that Jono has engaged this past week. We are also praying for complete healing in Jono’s body, particularly the hernia that has been an issue for some time now, and a few other issues that are being checked out. Restore full health Lord, and great stamina. Provide Jono and Nicky both with refreshing rest in the midst of the daily battle, and we ask for Your abundant grace for Jono at a chaplaincy job interview coming up.
    • Father we thank you for answered prayer for our mate Kylie. We thank You for her recovery. Continue to be her peace right now Lord!
    • Heavenly Father, we continue to pray for our little mate Zarah, who fell off some equipment and fractured/broke her upper arm. Lord, we ask for a quick and complete realignment and for peace, strength and patience for Zarah, Georgia, Caleb and Stellah as she mends.
    • Lord we pray complete healing and freedom from any sickness for Dot’s 6 year old great grand daughter in hospital having tests recently.
    • Father we continue to pray for Judy’s sister Debbie who continues to deal with some historical health issues. We Praise You Lord for the great news that the new tests have ruled out further serious things. We pray healing for Debbie and peace and strength for the family.
    • Lord, please grant wisdom and clarity …….. and replenishing sleep for Jo in the aftermath of her arthroscopic procedure. We continue to pray for complete healing, and strength for Joe as he cares for her.
    • Lord we are continuing to pray for Maree’s friend Margaret who is experiencing extreme pain in her jaw (unrelated to teeth). Whilst waiting for a facial specialist we pray for complete healing for Margaret.
    • Father in heaven we also continue to pray for Maree’s friend Marion’s brother Peter who has been diagnosed recently with bone cancer and the outlook in human terms is not good. Peter also has autism so please pray for him, Marion and the family, for God’s love, healing, strength and mercy as they negotiate the path before them.
    • We continue to be thankful Lord for Beverley’s health and pray that you’d help her work through the occasional nuances in the healing process.
    • We also pray Lord for Cozzie who is engaging with the Hyratt’s and the Sanctuary outreach. He has a bunch of health problems associated with a life time of smoking and recent drug use. We pray that you would help this man help himself and we pray your strength for Jono and Nicky as they reach out in support, for Jono’s mate Greg also.
    • Father, we are praying for Kylie this weekend as she helps her uncle who has potential kidney and heart issues care for her aunt who fell recently and broke her pelvis in a couple of places. We pray for your healing touch and best process outcomes.
    • Lord Jesus we pray for Karen’s Mum’s close friend Elaine whose health needs a mighty touch from You.
    • Lord God, we continue to pray for Alex’s brother Rab (in Perth WA), who have both undergone serious life saving surgeries recently. We pray for their families and thank God for continued good reports.
    • Father, we pray for our Gwen who was admitted to the hospital’s medical ward a few weeks ago. We pray for complete healing and peace and strength for Nancy, Jason and the whole family. We also pray that Gwen will receive help for some everyday domestic needs. We thank you that Gwen and Jason were able to join with us last Sunday.
    • Please keep praying for our friend Marie and her family as she continues to recover from some serious health challenges. We praise God for her recent positive move to a Residential Care Home, Doug’s decision to move with her, and the contentment they are experiencing. We pray for some family concerns in the context of the whole move.
    • We are praying also for our friend Audrey who continues to deal with some health challenges. Lord, we pray for patience and strength as things tend to feel worse before they improve after recently completed treatment regimes. We pray for health and peace for her, her family and her friends, and a fresh revelation of Your love for Audrey.
    • We thank you Lord that Christine continues to improve after her broken toe and the recent bout of the migraines she’s been having. We pray for her as her Mum has needed increased care of late. We thank you that Christine has been able to re-connect with the gathering.
    • We thank you Lord for our sister Dot who sends her love to you all and we keep praying for her general health and well-being.
    • We thank God and keep praying for Evelyn’s complete recovery. We are thankful God and inspired by her progress.
    • We are praying for Maree’s friend Gail who has a suspicious nodule on her thyroid gland. We pray for God’s miraculous healing supernaturally through the surgeon – guide them in whatever they do. Lord bring hope, peace and healing to Gail and all who love and care for her.
  • Please Keep Praying for these Brothers and sisters and situations –
    • We pray healing for members of our family who are each dealing with a variety of ongoing health issues currently, including those still experiencing cold and flu symptoms and or respiratory infections. We thank you for recent full recoveries and Lord for your protection over other family members of these precious folk, in particular for Julie and Gary who haven’t been in great health in recent weeks.
    • We continue to pray for Harry, Joy and Greg, Tom, Elsie and Carolyn’s family, Tim.
    • We pray too, for the needs of other friends who connect with us in various ways across the frontier. Laura, Stuart, Alex, Dennis, Peter, Kirsty, Jean and Ken.
    • We pray thanks to God for the work of the Northern Illawarra Scripture Board and for answered prayer. 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 for our scripture teachers as they insert themselves back into their school communities for Term 4. We pray for Graeme and the Board as they prepare for the final 2022 organization and mission monitoring meeting scheduled for THIS Monday 7th November.
    • We continue praying for Murray and Julie and the Food for Life Community Care team as they work tirelessly to provide affordable groceries to people trying to make ends meet across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. We pray for Murray in the aftermath of a melanoma removal and the impact this and ensuing niggly health challenges has for his wife and mission partner Julie and the Kids, with Julie running the FFL Service currently. We pray for our support team who work with the hamper truck on Thursday mornings. (Gary, Christine, Beverley, Ken, Jacki, Denise, John, Margaret, Maggie and Alex)
    • We pray for the people doing it tough that our Food for Life volunteers come across weekly when they serve hampers off the truck. (see Gary’s reflection in Sit-Reps above)
    • We continue to petition our Lord Jesus for Heaven’s answers to the needs of so many who are struggling in the current economic climate and or have lost significantly (again and again) in these repeated floods and cold weather snaps up and down the east coast.
    • 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 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.
    • We have been asked to pray with Lionel Rattenbury (Hope Church – Helensburgh) as he and a team engage people with dire need in the Port Kembla CBD. We pray for all efforts in this space, including Gordon and Port Kembla Baptist – particularly as he and a kingdom team engage with the people west side of King Street Warrawong, Brian and Hope Street (Baptist Care), James Dargin and the Aboriginal Outreach, The Foundery, YWAM and more. Lord, hear our prayers!
  • 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 and ongoing. LORD HAVE MERCY and prevail on key players to bring this conflict to a close.
    • We pray for ongoing health issues around the world and ask for Your intervention Lord, bringing about your purposes in response to these things rather than feeble human control efforts. LORD HAVE MERCY on those affected and those working out what’s happening, and those working closely with those affected.
    • Please pray for the people who are hungry and helpless.
    • We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and that all people will find the home that you Lord have prepared for them, whatever political maneuvering around the world. You are sovereign Lord, no one else.
    • ***** IT IS THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH – THIS SUNDAY 6TH NOVEMBER …… In 1960, around 70 percent of Church was white, Western and middle class. Today, around 80 percent of the Church is coloured, non-Western and poor. This is not because the Western Church is collapsing – albeit challenged, struggling, entitled. Rather, it is because the Church in the non-Western world is exploding. The result has been the creation of a truly global Christianity – something unique among the world’s religions. God is fulfilling his promises; Jesus Christ is building his Church.
    • Pray for the church (under persecution in many of these countries mentioned below) that they along with World Aid organizations will be able to be God’s effective hands and feet in that desperate scenario. We pray particularly for the church in China now that the forces that repress the church have been entrenched. Lord God you are sovereign in this growing unrest. HAVE MERCY!
    • 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 the escalation of the persecution against Christian ministries in Uganda and the focus on recent converts from Islam. Also for the unrest and unease continuing in Myanmar, also ongoing concerns in Afghanistan, the senseless violent attacks on people on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Togo and Ghana, Kenya, pending genocide in predominantly Christian Papua (Indonesia), Eritrea, Burkina-Faso (particularly in the East where Jihadists seem hell bent on eradicating Christian facilitated education), Algeria and Indonesia, Nigeria (particularly for recent savage attacks on churches and renewed calls by IS to attack Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Shi’ite places of worship across Africa and Asia), India, Iran, Egypt, the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and this week our prayer call is for continued and lasting peace along the North-Eastern Syrian border with Turkey (and Syria in general)
    • PLEASE add any concern you have for our world HERE and pray LORD HAVE MERCY!
  • For other general weekly prayer points for our mission effort (incl. The Sanctuary and other churches/leaders in our kingdom patch, check out Mission Prayer Points on our website news and journals page.
  • 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.
  • Thank you for continuing to uphold each other and the lives and circumstances of our partners everywhere, in life-empowering prayer.

Love & blessings
Graeme for The Team