WHAT IS CHURCH?

The purpose of this post is to encourage discussion about Church - what it is, who we are, why we do the crazy stuff we do. At this time of year I want to encourage questions and thoughts about Advent and its meaning. Please send in any thoughts, questions, ideas you have about the way we celebrate Advent so we can all deepen our understanding and get more out of this special season.

Don't be afraid to ask dumb questions - there's always someone else wanting to know the answer!

KIDS TAKE THE CHURCH

Kids Take The Church on April 29 was a great way to start term 2 for families of the parish.  Some of our kids have grown up with KTTC and are very much used to being able to lead worship and look after the various responsibilities associated with it.
Many of the children were involved in a 'dramatisation' of the Good Shepherd story which climaxed with a hair-raising high-speed chase through the sanctuary as a frisky lamb tried, unsuccessfully, to escape the clutches of a ferocious wolf.
A new addition to the KTTC format was the inaugural performance of the youth band.  Ably assisted by Caroline and Khumbo the teen musos did a great job in providing lively music to lift our worship.
Another wonderful addition to the day was the baptism of Emmy Morrison. Emmy and her family helped to make another great occasion as we welcomed her into the 'flock'.

SPY BBQ 2012

The Swan Parish Youth gathered for a BBQ on Friday 9th March.  Along with general chat, fun and plenty of food, they listened to a presentation from Ben and Chris on the National Young Christian Students Conference they attended in South Australia.  SPY will be participating in the national YCS campaign in support of youth refugees.
What a great group of young people.

STOPPING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Helena and Sarah enjoyed a spectacular High Tea at the Duxton Hotel on International Women's Day, Thursday March 8th.  The Tea was a fundraiser organised by the Women's Council For Domestic Violence.  Money raised goes to the Fund For Freedom which is a Fund to help women escaping domestic violence.
If a woman you know is experiencing Domestic Violence help can be sought from the 24-hour Women's DV Helpline. 9223 1188
There is also a Men's DV Helpline 9223 1199.

ALL SAINTS UNPLUGGED

Western Power gave an unlikely gift to the All Saints congregation on Sunday March 11th - they cut off the power! The power outage (for pole maintenance at the end of the road) meant that the church was very dark and so we decided to bring out the plastic chairs and worship outside.
This turned out to be a wonderful and refreshing change as we sat in the shade outside the church listening to the birds. There have been numerous requests to do this more often.

SUNDAY SCHOOL AT ALL SAINTS

The latest initiative for children in the Swan Parish is Sunday School at All Saints.  Its been running on the first Sunday of the month since last November.  The photos show what the kids got up to last Sunday (4th March).
Jillian organised and led the session assisted by Glenn and Toni.  Jillian writes: "This morning in Sunday School, we looked at the scripture 'Trusting God's Promise' and heard about God's promise to Abraham and Sarah. We discussed our names and their meanings and created acrostic poems using our first names. The children all did a wonderful job and some of their work is on display in the Cloisters. Next month we will learn how to make Palm Crosses for our Sunday School session on Palm Sunday."
You can also check this out on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/AllSaintsSundaySchool