Keppel Anglican Newsletter

For those known to us

Lorraine, Marion, Bill Carmichael, John Quaife, Mary Peacock, Rene West, Graham McCamley, Barry Tennent, Del Winkelmann, John Provan, Anita Suthers, June Waymouth, Danny Daffey, Marcus Belot, Rebecca van Diem, John, Fay & Arthur Weston, Coralyn Johansen, Max, Marzley Baldwin, Jean McKinnon.

Have you ever asked yourself what ‘truth’ is? It’s a question Jesus was famously asked 2000 years ago. Philosophers through the ages have asked this question. We may not wake up every morning thinking about truth, but we use truth to help us make decisions every day. Truth is fundamental to our lives.

Take food as an example. I eat food because I have learnt that if I don’t eat, my body hurts. I have learnt a truth, that I need food to survive, so I eat regularly.

As another example, consider your bank accounts. You put your money in a bank account. Sometimes it might even earn interest. I expect you keep your money with that bank because you trust that bank to look after your money. Your truth is that you believe your bank is trustworthy.

What about truths that are even more important? Who is God? What is he like? Where do we get our information about God? Do we decide for ourselves what God thinks and what God is like? Do we only believe what we were taught about God as children? If not, who do we trust to teach us about God?

In the Anglican Church our beliefs are defined by our Book of Common Prayer, Creeds and Articles of Religion (page 476 in the APBA). Article 6 states, and I have modernised the language, ‘Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation: so that whatever is not in Holy Scripture and whatever cannot be proved by Holy Scripture, is not to be required of anyone…’. It then lists all the books we have in our Bibles and calls them Holy Scripture. So, Anglicans believe the Bible is truth. It’s a bold statement.

As Christians in the Anglican tradition, the Bible is our truth and shows us right from wrong, good from bad, what is from God and what is not from God. But some might say, “I don’t believe this part of the Bible”. We might ask them how they decided which parts to believe? To do this they would have found a new source of truth, apart from the Bible. Whatever they used to decide that part of the Bible is not truth, has become their new source of truth.

So, if the Bible is not true and trustworthy, where do we find truth about:

1.     Jesus and his salvation?

2.     Our understanding of God and his purposes?

3.     How to live a life that pleases God?

When we decide the Bible is not the source of our truth, then we have decided that we know a greater truth. In doing this, we have made ourselves the judge of truth.

In our lives, we trust our banks with our money. But who do we trust with our life? Who do we trust with our eternity? Have we decided that the Bible is our truth about God, salvation and eternal life? The Bible speaks of itself like this,

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Psalm 119:160

Alternatively, have you decided on a different truth? You might decide some parts of the Bible are true and other parts are not. Or, you might formulate your own truth with parts from different places: from your parents, from other religions and from your own experience. If so, how do you know you have the truth?

Whatever you decide is your truth, as you put your faith in that truth, as you live your life according to that truth, my hope is that the God whom you are following is the Almighty God who created all things, and not a God that you have designed for yourself.

As Christians in the Anglican tradition, we believe the Bible is God’s truth for everyone, that it contains all we need to receive salvation, that it has all we need to know God, and that it shows how to live a life that pleases God. As the Bible says,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Let me encourage you to put your trust in the truth of the Bible. For only there you will find confidence for today and eternity, only there will you see Jesus reveal the truth about himself, and only there does God promise to speak as you read his Word.

Grace and peace.

Rob

Monday 7pm with Di and Danny (2nd & 4th)

Wednesday 9.00am with Lyn at Emu Park

Wednesday 7:30pm with Rob

Thursday 7:30pm with Rob

Friday 1.30pm with Colleen at the Chapel (2nd & 4th)  

Sunday 11am with Rob after Church (new group)

To join a CONNECT group, please contact our office.

Daily Office

8.30am Tues at St James Church and 8am Wed via Zoom.

Time: This is a recurring meeting - Meet anytime.

Join Zoom Meeting on

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/74049606265?pwd=cXByaVova2lNNUVUZ01vbG5SeUpoZz09

Meeting ID: 740 4960 6265

Passcode: 3aezi3

All that happens in our parish is funded entirely by the generosity of our community. During this time it is helpful to give via 

electronic means. Giving can be done in 3 ways:

1. ANFIN Parish Direct form mailed to ANFIN to set up electronic transfers
2. Direct transfer can occur via your bank
3. Traditional offertory envelope at church

Account name: 

Anglican Parish of Keppel

BOQ BSB: 124180   

Account: 21415102

Offering Plate:

Note; we can no longer pass the offering plate in the middle of the service, but you will be able to leave your envelope or cash gift in the bowl as you enter the church. 

Everyone (especially children, teenagers and adults) from both our churches are invited for a lunch at St James Church (Yeppoon).

We’ll eat (in a covid safe way), Philip will share about how we as a church can work to reach the children and teenagers in our shire with the life saving awesome Good news of life through Jesus.

We’ll pray for the children and teenagers in our area.

We’ll think through the next steps for how we can together being involved in this ministry.

RSVP to the office (including any dietary needs).

office@keppelanglican.org

BCA Boxes:

Thank you for all who returned boxes for counting for September. If you were unable to return this time, please do not worry as they can be returned at the next box opening. 

Any queries, please contact Lyndall 0418392303.

CQFirst Gazette

The Diocesan Newsletter

Prayer diary 2020/21

Anglican Church seeks input from survivors of domestic and family violence

People who have experienced violence from an intimate partner (or domestic violence) and who also have a current or previous link with the Anglican Church are being invited to contribute to a research project to help improve the Church’s policy and practices.

“Our Church is committed to supporting safe, loving homes and safe churches.

However, we recognise that domestic and family violence is a serious and widespread problem, with enormous individual and community impacts and social costs – and that the Church is not immune. Our Church seeks to improve how we to respond to these difficult issues” Reverend Tracy Lauersen, Convenor of the

Family Violence Working Group, Anglican Church of Australia.

The invitation to take part in this research is open to current attenders of Anglican churches as well as those who no longer attend. An anonymous online survey contains questions about demographics (such as age and gender), personal

experiences of intimate partner violence and ways in which the Anglican Church featured in your story.

surveys.ncls.org.au/NAFVP/experience

A small number of people will also be selected for in depth face to face interviews.

The Anglican Family Violence Working Group has engaged NCLS Research to undertake the research which is titled the National Anglican Family Violence Project. There are three studies that make up the project. More information can be found online:

About the Family Violence Working Group: anglican.org.au/our-work/family-violence/

About the Project: ncls.org.au/research/NAFVP

GUEST SPEAKER — GARY MILLAR

In a world where men are told to “Man Up” but they don’t know what that means, and they actually feel more like a “Man Down” or “Man Overboard”, it’s hard to know how to live the good life.

At CQMC20, we’ll consider what it means to live well and die well as God’s man in a challenging world as we look at Paul’s second letter to his young friend Timothy.

In this letter, Paul speaks man to man and tells Timothy to ‘man up’! 

He urges him to stick to the gospel, put in hard yards for Jesus every day, get over his insecurity and live to please God alone. Paul warns him that living for Jesus will never be easy, but that it is always worth it, because the gospel is the only real hope for men (and women) in this world. 

It will be a day of straight talking, upfront honesty and above all, a great reminder of the fact that God has already given us everything we need to be godly men in our challenging world.