Sunday 11 April - 10am Pastor Fraser's Last Bendigo Service

Over the last two thousand years Christian people have received and handed on the message of Jesus’ victory over the grave. As this message has gone out, countless millions of people have experienced being turned back to God and having their sins forgiven; they have experienced the power of God to bring peace and healing in the midst of sometimes traumatic and seemingly hopeless situations.

This Sunday, as we hear again the message of Christ’s resurrection, we will receive power from God to turn away from despair, and we will receive the gift of peace with God and with each other.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10am for a service with Holy Communion. It will be Pastor Fraser’s last service at the congregation before he leaves to Adelaide, and there will be a farewell lunch following the service.

Holy Week Service Times and Message

Tuesday 30 March 7:30pm Psalms and Darkness

Thursday 1 April 7:30pm Maundy Thursday

Friday 2 April 9am Good Friday

Sunday 4 April 9am Easter Sunday – Note end of daylight savings

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

These simple words sum up the message of Easter.

In a world where death can seem to have the final word, Jesus lives. And because Jesus lives, human beings can live with hope – a hope that not even death can destroy.

For the last two millennia Christian people have been proclaiming the message of Easter. We have been making the claim that although Jesus died, his tomb is empty – and we have been inviting all people to test the historical evidence for this claim.

But more than this, for the last two millennia Christian people have been handing on the promise that God freely offers his mercy and forgiveness in Jesus. We have been inviting all people to share in the gifts that God has made available through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Christians today experience the power of the Easter message: as we receive the gift of forgiveness; as we trust that we our future is secure in God; as we grow in understanding that all people are important to God, we experience the joy and peace that comes from the fact that nothing - not even death - can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Our prayer this Easter is that God will bless all the people of Bendigo with peace as they relax and celebrate over these festive days.

God’s blessing to you all!

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday 28 March - 10am

For all the complexities of life, some simple questions can help us gain insight into where we stand spiritually: Do we want God’s help, or not? Do we want forgiveness from God, or not? Do we want God to help us to live well, or are we doing just fine on our own? The way we answer such spiritual questions will show itself in the ways we think, speak, and act in our everyday lives.

This Sunday we will hear a reading from the Bible that talks about the help that God gives – especially the help that God gives in forgiving our sins and protecting us from the assaults of evil. As we think through what this means, we will consider how God frees us to welcome him into our lives, and to share his mercy and peace with others.

This Sunday we will meet at 10am for a service with Holy Communion. We will be celebrating baptisms, a first communion, and a welcome into membership as part of the service.

God’s blessing to you all,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday 21 March - 9am

When we’ve hurt someone we love, sometimes saying ‘sorry’ doesn’t feel complete. Sometimes we want to show our apology with an action of generosity and devotion that assures the person we have hurt of our love and trust.

This Sunday we will be hearing about the generous act of devotion that a woman named Mary did for Jesus as he prepared to die on the cross. As we think through Mary’s action, we will consider how we too can show our devotion to God. We will also consider how God, in receiving us with love and generosity, frees us to be people who work at restoring relationships with people we have hurt.

Sunday 14 March - 10am

Some of the bitterest conflicts in life happen within families. It’s not uncommon to find, for example, two brothers who cannot be in each other’s company for more than a matter of minutes before a fight breaks out. Even at important occasions, such as weddings or funerals, we can feel tension as family members meet each other after years apart, and start up where the conflict last left off.

This week we will be hearing a parable that Jesus told about conflict within a family. As we think through the parable, we will consider how God softens our hearts by freely forgiving us, and welcoming us home. We will consider how God gives us the strength and the desire to be peacemakers in a world marked by conflict.

This week we will meet at 10am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 10:45am.

God bless you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday 7 March - 9am

When we see or hear that disaster has struck other people, we can sometimes wonder if they have somehow deserved it. Even if young children are caught up in a disaster, we can still be tempted to think that they are suffering because they belong to a community that is blameworthy in some way.

This week we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that deals with the way we interpret the suffering of others. As we listen to Jesus’ teaching, we will consider how God is calling us not to judge others, but to turn away from our own wrong actions. We will also consider how we can place our trust in God’s forgiveness, and so have the strength to be merciful when others suffer.

This Sunday we will meet at 9am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday 28 February -10am AGM Sunday

In life we often make conditional promises. So, for example, we promise to turn up to a sporting match on the condition that we get a go on the field; or we promise to work for someone on the condition that they pay us well and offer us good working conditions. Making conditional promises is a normal part of life, but God offers us something that is beyond the everyday.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about Abraham, to whom God made the unconditional promise that he would have many descendants who would live in the land God promised to give. As we think through this reading, we will consider the unconditional promises that God makes to us – especially the unconditional promises to forgive us, to receive us graciously, and to give us a future that not even death can destroy.

This Sunday we will meet at 10am for service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 10:45am.

God’s Blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Don't forget - Ash Wednesday 17 February 7:30pm

Sunday 21 February - 9am

Everyone knows what it’s like to be tempted, and everyone knows what it’s like to give in to temptation. In fact even in relatively unimportant matters – like having an extra helping of dessert – temptation can be so strong that we can feel powerless to resist. We can feel that no matter how strong our resolutions are, we will give in at the first challenge.

This Sunday we will be hearing the account of Jesus being tempted in the desert. As listen closely to this account, we will consider how Jesus stood firm in the face of strong temptation; we will consider how God gives us the strength to get up again when we fall; and we will consider how God helps us to do what is right when temptation comes our way.

This Sunday we will meet at 9am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday 14 February - 10am

We will be celebrating Transfiguration Sunday.

Sunday 7 February 9am - First Sunday

No matter how carefully we keep our financial records in order, an audit from the tax department can make us uneasy and a little anxious. Likewise, no matter how well we keep in shape, a visit to the doctor for a checkup can be an unpleasant and even daunting experience. But the prospect of having God closely scrutinize our lives - no matter how well we may have lived - can be the most threatening thing of all. It can be so threatening that we’d rather not even think about it; we’d rather avoid God completely.

This Sunday we will hear passages from the Bible that describe the terror people have experienced in meeting God face to face. As we think through these readings, we will consider how God comes to us not to condemn us, but to bring us healing and life in Christ Jesus; we will consider how we can joyfully welcome God into our lives.

This Sunday we will meet at 9am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday 31 January - 9am

One of the problems with the word ‘love’ is that it can mean so many things: we can speaking of love for ice cream, love for our country, love for golf, love for our family – and the list could go on.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that helps us understand what God’s love is like. We will hear that the love God has is kind, patient, gentle, and ready to forgive. As we think through this teaching, we will consider how God gives us the strength and the will to love ourselves and all people.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday 10 January - 10am

This Sunday we will be celebrating the Baptism of Jesus. The Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.