ST PAULS LUTHERAN CHURCH GROVEDALE
SUNDAY 31st August 2014 12th Sunday after Pentecost
Welcome: A warm welcome is extended to all worshippers, especially any visitors who are spending time with us.
Pastor Tom Pietsch. Pastoral Assistant: Ron Bond Server: Michael Dillon
Email: stpauls.admin@bigpond.com
Phone: 5241 5141
Email: thomas.pietsch@stpaulsgrovedale.com.au
Services Today: 9.30 am Grovedale Service with HC
. 10.00 Sunday School
First Reading
TODAY’S READINGS
Jeremiah 15: 15-21 Jeremiah’s inner struggle p748
)Second Reading Romans12: 9-21 Living in love (p200)
Gospel Matthew: 16: 21-28 Jesus speaks about his death and discipleship (p25)
TODAY’S SERMO
Do we have a right to be happy? Does our new birth in Christ Jesus make us happier than other people? What is happiness? Today we’ll
be exploring these themes in God’s Word, and drawing out what Christ’s presence with us in worship means for us. For whoever would save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it
We welcome Jonathan Krause from Australian Lutheran World Service to our service today
Everyone is invited to join us for a shared lunch in the Community Centre following the service
THIS COMING WEEK
Mon 1st Sept Pastor Tom’s day off
Thurs 4th Sept 6.30 pm Young Adults Group
Tues 2nd Sept 10am Ladies Fellowship meets in St Pauls Com
Sat 6th Sept 9 am Coptic Divine Service
Centre. Please use entrance on Heyer’s Road. All ladies
3 pm Wedding of Chris Rudolph and Rebecca
welcome. Competition: something to do with Spring.
Wiggins at Deakin Lakehouse Chapel
5pm Confirmation
Sun 7th Sept 9.30 am Grovedale Service with Holy Communion
Wed 3rd Sept 12.30pm Private Confession and Absolution
10 00 am Sunday School
Pastoral Assistant:
Server:
Ushers & Greeters:
Kath Henschke
Bob Appleton
Maureen & Bob Barras
ROSTER for NEXT WEEK 31st August
Church Cleaning:
Grounds:
Morning Tea:
PowerPoint Operator
Bobbie Thornton, Kerry James, Kath Henschke
Ashley Bothe, Kendall Carnie, Luke Porra
Nola and Don Moore
Blake Dillon
Next Week’s Readings
7th September - 13th Sunday after Pentecost Father’s Day
First Reading
Ezekiel 33:7-11 God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman (p833)
Psalm119:33-40 (p612)
Second Reading Romans 13:8-14 The debt of love (p201)
Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 Steps towards reconciliation (p27)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Robin Mann is coming to Geelong for a sing-a-long and to share with us some of the new songs from the latest All Together Songbook on Sunday
October 5th at 5.30pm for Dinner (bring a plate to share) or 6.30pm for singing. To be held at St John’s Lutheran Church, 165 Yarra Stree. Entry?
Just a donations will be taken on the night
St Paul’s Community Lunch after the service today. This will follow Jonathan Krause’s talk to us about the work of Australian Lutheran World
Service. Ladies fellowship will be providing soup, sandwiches, and hot savouries. A gold coin donation will be taken; this money will be given to
Jonathan for the work of Lutheran World Service.
Save the Date: The Longest Lutheran Lunch will again be held this year at Araluen with all Geelong Lutheran parishes. Mark Sunday 26 October in
your diaries for this fun day, with more details to come in the next month.
Grandmothers against detention of refugee children will be holding their inaugural meeting at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, on 6 September at
2pm.
Music at the Basilica’s Psalmfest will be held at St Luke’s this Sunday at 3.00pm. Doctor Malcolm John, conductor, Brendon Lukin, organ,
Marianne Black and Allister Coz, cantors. Proceeds of this concert will go to Anam Cara House.
The Messenger for September/October, 2014 is due for distribution on Sunday 14 September. Articles and Reports need to be with Krista
Thomas by Wednesday 10 September. Phone: 0427 414 549 Email: busygirl1@optusnet.com.au
Title: Nurturing the Soul in Everyday Life: Lilydale Lutheran Church on 6 September. Speakers will share how gardening, reading well chosen
books, and music, nurtures their soul. Contact: Alison Boughens at boughens2@bigpond.com
Coptic Orthodox Service will be held at St Paul’s this coming Saturday, 6 September, from 9am-11am. It will be the first anniversary of their
congregation, and so the Coptic Bishop Suriel will come from Melbourne to celebrate the Divine Liturgy here. All are welcome to attend this
significant milestone, as we are honoured by Bishop Suriel’s presence in our midst.
A message from our friends, Ben, Jessie, Azari, Elijah, Jedidiah and Mary
Dear friends,
Thanks for your prayers! We are so blessed by the safe arrival of Mary Aradhana Hepner and having her as part of our family.
She is a content and healthy baby, loved by the whole family. Jessie was induced the week before the due date following higher than healthy liver
function results. In Nepal it can be a challenge for us understanding the seriousness of the prognosis by the local doctors. How serious was
Jessie’s liver result and was induction really necessary or was it a blanket precautionary measure? If it was so serious, why did we wait half a day
for Ben to collect the 1L of precautionary blood, and then wait until the standard induction time of 6am the next morning? Though these things were
at times frustrating and concerning, we were thankful for being educated with an understanding of the miracle of childbirth, unlike many of the local
women who anticipate just horrendous pain to get through. For them, having no medical knowledge means no options but what the doctor says.
This lack of understanding and intervention also results in a high number of inductions and caesarean births. We were thankful Mary’s birth was
natural and, in the end, relatively straight forward.
There is always anticipation on many levels with birth; how, when, and at what cost to mum? A few weeks before birth, Jessie was
reading Isaiah 45 and felt God reassuring her through this. That he would go before her and be with her through both the challenges and joys. She
felt him remind her that she is called and equipped for the task of being a mother, and that God would continue to give her what was needed to get
through it whether it went according to her personal hopes and plans or not. Mary came on the first day of the week, and the first day of the month
(Sun 1st June 2014), an encouraging picture of God making all things new.
Below are some things that we have learnt from Mary’s birth…
These days you need your own ‘cold box’ to collect blood from the blood bank, but a Tupperware style container will do, if for some reason
the hospital does not give you one and you don’t have your own with you.
“Sutnus” (literally “sleep please”) can actually mean lie down. Literally I would hear “The doctor is coming, please sleep everybody! Aren’t
you having pain? Please sleep.” At first, I thought they were making a joke.
Just because the nurse agrees that standing uses gravity to help move the baby down, doesn’t mean she thinks you should stand during
contractions. It seems pain is best taken lying down.
Heavily pregnant women in labour can in fact climb over the end of a hospital bed to get on the trolley to take them in for a C section.
Being told, or asked your opinion about medical procedures being done to you is a Western luxury, not a global right.
Use local cultural expectations to your advantage. “I need to speak to my husband first” is heard as “I need to ask my husband’s
permission” In reality, I just wanted to talk with him!
Not having enough people to staff the private delivery room means only 6 nurses can attend Mary’s birth in the main delivery room where
we are actually the only patients.
We finally received instructions for the medication left in our hospital room when Jed was born. This time the same medication was
handed to me in the corridor on the way to our room 10 minutes after Mary’s birth. Perhaps not the best time to be passing on such important
information.
It is never too early for Nepali’s to try to hold a stranger’s foreign baby. Within 15 mins of Mary’s birth, on our way to the ward a young
woman went to take Mary from Ben’s arms. Ben wasn’t persuaded, thankfully.
A private bathroom doesn’t include a bath, or in fact even a shower, but does include a cold tap in the wall high enough for Mary to shower
under it, if she were so inclined.
Thanks for all you do,
Ben, Jessie, Azari, Elijah, Jedidiah and Mary Hepner.
PRAYER POINTS:
For the work of Australian Lutheran World Service, and for the world’s poor. For Christians in Iraq and the Middle East.
For all people
caught in war, and for peace in Iraq, Syria and the Ukraine.
For Chris Rudolph and Rebecca Wiggins, to be married at Deakin Lakehouse
Chapel by Pastor Tom on Saturday.
For Ben and Jessie Hepner and their children. For those who are in need: Cliff Rossack,
Howard Lehmann, Lorraine Schaper, Clarice Gaulke, Marion Kosseck, and Prathap.
For member’s o Hamilton and Pastor David Wear, Pastor
Richard Taylor, Pastor Bill Fry (retired) and Pastor Paul Heyne (LOA)
Congregations: Cavendish, Coleraine and Hamilton
For students at Good Shepherd College and Principal Les Seiffert and Staff For Good Shepherd Early Childhood Services Director Jane Miethke
For residents at Eventide Lutheran Homes and CEO Trevor Godenzi and Staff
Lutheran Hospital Chaplains: Please contact Pastor Tom on 5241 5141 or one of the Deacons for Geelong hospital visits: To contact Pastor Tom in emergency
after no answer at the office, please call one of the Deacons who will contact pastor.
Ron Bond 5243 3833
Jeanette Pelchen 0419 138 329
Steve Burger 0407 840 712
Ashley Bothe 5222 8198
Angie Gerischer 5243 7738
Kath Henschke 5250 2031
For Melbourne Hospitals call Pastor Gordon Wegener ph. 0412 200 946 the metropolitan chaplain
NOTE: If you would like a visit while in hospital please make sure you write “Lutheran” in the religion question, because this is the only place to write your
denominational affiliation.
BIRTHDAYS
September 1 Bobby Thornton
September 3 Taylor Hunt Happy 30th
September 6 Nathan Henschke
Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating a birthday!