www.saintjohnstoorak.org

Welcome to The Anglican parish of St John the Evangelist

86 Clendon Rd Toorak VIC 3142

PH 98261765

Vicar Archdeacon Dr

Bradly S Billings

our mission statement

What we have seen and heard we announce to you also, so that you will join us in the fellowship that we have with the Father and with his son Jesus

Christ. 1 John 1.3

St John’s Anglican Church

Toorak

30 September 2012

Eighteenth Sunday

after Pentecost

8am Holy Communion A Prayer Book for Australia 1995

10am Sung Eucharist A Prayer Book for Australia 1995

NOTICES

Diamond Jubilee High Tea Get your outfits ready for this glamorous and elegant occasion. Dust off your tiara, diamonds and pearls for our lavish Diamond Jubilee High Tea. Champagne, Door Prizes and Raffle, plus a wonderful musical program. Saturday 13 October at 3pm in the Buxton Hall. Tickets $50. This is an event not to be missed. Bookings now being taken by Sally in the office (9826 1765) or email enquires@saintjohnstoorak.org Payments must be received by Monday 8 October. Royal Memorabilia required We are planning a display at the upcoming Diamond Jubilee High Tea of Royal memorabilia celebrating the Queen's reign. If you have any items that you think would be suitable and are willing to lend them to us for this occasion please call Karen m 0401 517 893 or Brad on m 0421 638 950.

Back to Church Sunday Sunday 7th October - our guest will be Athol Guy of The Seekers. (10am service only) Back to Church Sunday is an opportunity for each and every one of us to invite a family member, a friend, a neighbour, or a colleague, to come “back to church.” It gives us all, together, a further opportunity to welcome visitors and guests. Invitation cards will be available soon. In the meantime, please consider using the Back to Church Sunday prayer (below) and see the information sheet in today’s pew slip for more details.

We thank you Lord that you created us and loved us more than we can ever know. Without you our lives would be lost, but through Jesus you have given us all things richly to enjoy – the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of life eternal. We pray that we and our church family will be bold in inviting our friends to Back to Church Sunday.

We also pray that all who come to church on that day, will be warmly welcomed and blessed with a desire to know you more. May this Back to Church Sunday be a day of celebration of your love for all people, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Organ recital David Brown (former Director of Music at St John’s) is giving an organ recital at St Paul’s Cathedral on Sunday 7th October at 5.15pm before the 6pm evensong.

Sunday October 14th The vicar will be absent on Sunday 14th October due to archdeaconry commitments. Assistant Priest Hilary will lead the morning services that day. Brad and Karen will be guests of the parish of St John's Bentleigh for their patronal festival.

CMS Link Missionaries On Sunday 21st October (8am and 10am services) we welcome link missionaries Andrew and Helen, with Jacqueline and Alyssa, for their first parish visit in three years. Andrew and Helen will speak about their ministry over the past three years at the point of the sermon on this day.

Confirmation Bishop Paul will lead a service of Confirmation at 5pm on Sunday 11th November at St John's, for a small group of girls from St Catherine's School. Expressions of interest from others considering Confirmation may be directed to the Vicar.

This Sunday: 30 Sept Eighteenth Sunday after

Pentecost (green) 8.00am - Holy Communion

A Prayer Book for Australia, p.119

Hymns: 152; 499; Gather 404 Esther 7.1-6, 9-10, 9.20-22 (T Craddock) Ps 124 James 5.12-20 (C Papageorge) Mark 9.38-50

Celebrant: Bradly Billings Preacher: Bradly Billings Intercessor: clergy

Next Sunday: 7 Oct Nineteenth Sunday after

Pentecost (green) 8.00am - Holy Communion

A Prayer Book for Australia, p.101

Hymns: 111; 93; 569 Job 1.1, 2.1-10 (C Papageorge ) Ps 26 Hebrews 1.1-4, 2.5-12 (B Mouritz) Mark 10.2-16

Celebrant: Bradly Billings Preacher: Bradly Billings Intercessor: Ted Mouritz

10.00am – Sung Eucharist & Baptism A Prayer Book for Australia, p.51 Hymns: 152; 430; 499; Gather 404

Esther 7.1-6, 9-10, 9.20-22 (H Nye) Ps 124 James 5.12-20 (M Moore) Mark 9.38-50 Anthem: How lovely are the messengers (Mendelssohn) Motet: De torrente (Handel)

Celebrant: Bradly Billings Preacher: Bradly Billings Intercessor: Keith Beecher

10.00am – Sung Eucharist & Baptism - Back to Church Sunday.

Printed order of service

Hymns: 111; 93; 134; 569

Ezekiel 34.11-16 ( M Lincoln) Ps 26 Luke 15.1-7 Anthem: Amazing Grace (Trad) Motet: For the beauty of the earth (Rutter)

Celebrant: Bradly Billings Preacher: Bradly Billings Intercessor: clergy

5pm Evening Prayer 5pm The annual blessing of the Pets and Animals (Messy Church 4-6pm). No evening prayer today.

WORSHIP Director of Music - Professor Mel Waters

World & Nation: We pray for Anglican Christians working for peace in so many troubled parts of the world. The Church in Wales (Abp Barry Morgan); Mission Agencies of the Anglican Church of Australia; Christ Church Grammar School (Guy Mason, Principal); St John’s Diamond Creek & St Katherine’s, St Helena & St Michael’s Yarrambat (Di Nicolios, John Capper).

Those celebrating birthdays: Jane Anderson (Mon); Claire Beecher (Wed); Patricia Turnbull (Sat).

Those being married: Kent Winzer & Lisa Larkin; Ivan Lam & Dorothy Leung; Nick Bradfield & Zdravka Markus.

Those being baptised: Lucinda Haig.

For our link parish: Christ Church, Tallangatta, and for their vicar, Revd Canon Malcolm Halford.

For schools in the community Geelong Grammar School Toorak Campus (Glamorgan), Head of Campus Garry Pierson; St Catherine's School, Principal Sylvia Walton AO; CRE program and teachers at Toorak Primary School.

The Toorak Ecumenical Movement: Pray for our partner churches: St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Toorak Uniting Church, The Swedish Church.

For those who lead us in the Anglican Church: The Most Revd Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne The Right Revd Paul White, Bishop of the Southern Region.

For our CMS Link Missionaries: Andrew; Helen; Jacqueline and Alyssa.

For the sick and all in need: Sophie; Beverley Smith; Matthew; Phillip Treloar; Hazel Lord; John Saunders; Susan; Duncan Ansell; Jenny Williams; David; Ann Brewer; Pat; Alan.

For those in nursing homes and those who are house bound: Nan Milner; Randall Watt; Betty Blomfield; Lorna Mirfield; Dorothy Hughes; Marge Smith.

Give thanks for those whose Anniversary of death is this week:. Geoff Gellie; Bobby Polk, Dale Teasdale; Joyce McMullen; Bethany Moulding; Gwendoline Pithie; John Thomson; Sir Frederick Wiltshire; Rosemary Ironside; Andrew Lockwood; Paddy Carter; Harley Enniss; Eve Ffrench; Graham Jennings; Alexander Gillespie; Margaret Heath; Amy Holt; Robert Law-Smith; Marjorie Leviny; Diana Macindoe; Doris Scott; Jackson Symons; Ian Woodroffe; David Young; Mary Cranbourne; Marjorie Keech; Jane Robertson; George Fowle; Enid Gardiner; Shirley Hawthorn; Gordon Keech; Will Mcdougall; Ben Palmer; Jean-Paul Steiner; Vivienne Walshe.

Flowers by the Book are in loving memory of Ian Woodroffe.

PRAYER NOTES

PASTORAL LETTER September 30th In life, in death, O Lord Abide with me! So wrote the Scottish Anglican, Henry Francis Lyte. His now famous hymn, almost always sung today to the haunting tune Eventide’ (composed by Henry Monk), was completed just weeks prior to Lyte’s death in 1847 of tuberculosis in the south of France. He is said to have recited the newly composed hymn during his last, emotional, sermon, in the Devonshire church where he was vicar. Lyte’s hymn is unquestionably a prayer to God, invoking (pleading) for the abiding presence of the Almighty in the midst of the trials of life, and as he neared the end of his own life. The words, and their real life context, make this a common funeral hymn, although genuine English football (soccer) fans (like your vicar) know that it is also sung by the crowd just prior to the kick off of the FA Cup Final each year. In our own nation, this hymn is frequently sung on Anzac Day, as part of a service of remembrance. I was reminded of Lyte’s wonderful hymn over the course of the past week as we welcomed through Holy Baptism no less than nine people in a single weekend (including two adult mothers, baptized with their respective children during the course of the 10am service last weekend). There were also weddings at St John’s on both the Saturday and Sunday of last weekend, as is quite normal at this time of year. In the midst of these celebrations, I was preparing two funerals, both for Monday, both involving the unexpected death’s of two much loved people, one in her fifties and one in his sixties. When a quiet moment finally arrived at on Monday I sat at my desk at home, reflecting prayerfully on the events of the past three days, with a glass of French red wine, and a collection of hymns by a Welsh men’s choir playing in the background. I couldn't help but pause and let the words of Henry Lyte’s hymn wash over me, and seep into my soul. In particular, the majestic last verse. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Like all of the baptized, I expect, I often take for granted the fundamentals of our Christian faith, which is the belief and the knowledge (through faith), that someone is there – in life, in death. We are not alone and never alone, in all of the joys and sorrows of life, and everything in between. There is nothing quite like a beginning or an ending to sharpen one’s focus on this. I’m thinking of the joy of a new birth – a literal one, such as the birth of a child, so often associated with baptism which in our tradition normally involves very young children; but also the new birth of faith symbolised by every baptism of any person of any age. A marriage too, is of course, a new beginning for the couple concerned and their families, and a time of great joy and celebration. Every birth, every baptism, every marriage, is (should be, must be) accompanied by celebration, and by joy. The child born, or baptized, or the couple being married, loom large in our thinking at that time – we celebrate with them, we are happy for them, we fuss over them, buy gifts for them, and wish them well in the journey that lies ahead. At the other side of every begin-ning is, of course, an ending. When a life ends, that person looms very large for those who knew and loved him or her. We celebrate their life, and give thanks for them, and that we knew and loved them – but our celebration and our thanksgiving is, rightly, tinged with sorrow and with sadness. As a priest of the church, and as vicar of a busy parish like St John’s, I sit with people most days who may be celebrating a birth, planning a marriage, or preparing to farewell a loved one. What a wonderful privilege it is, to communicate to people from all walks of life and at all stages of the journey of faith - through the provision of our sacred space, with its prayer-filled walls, and through the beauty of the ancient liturgy of the church, the music that accompanies it, and all that we do on these occasions - the fundamental reality of our faith that we all take for granted day by day. God is with you. In joy, and in sorrow. In life, and in death. And, because God is there, the Christian church is there for you too – in your need, in your joys, in our sorrows. The hymn writer, and priest, Henry Lyte, knew this, in a powerful and personal way. Even in the midst of his illness, and nearing death, his famous prayer, still sung widely today, was - In life, in death, O Lord Abide with me! The vicar

Forthcoming events notice

Sunday 7th October: Back to Church Sunday at 8am and 10am, with guest Athol Guy of The Seekers at 10am and

parish barbecue afterwards

Sunday 7th October: Messy Church from 4pm, with the Blessing of the Pets and Animals at 5pm

Sunday 13th October: Diamond Jubilee High Tea at 3pm,

Buxton Hall.

Sunday 4th November: Parish barbecue after the 10am service, Messy Church at 4pm

Sunday 11th November: Service of Remembrance with

RSL (10am)

Sunday 18th November: Annual Meeting of the Parish, following the 10am service

Sunday 25th November: Feast Day of Christ the King

Sunday 2nd December: Parish barbecue after the 10am

service, Messy Church at 4pm 7pm Ecumenical Advent Service at St Peter's.

Our vicar, Brad, will preach.

The Garden of Remembrance in full bloom The Garden of Remembrance at St John's looks beautiful, in full, early Spring bloom. Thanks and appreciation goes to Trevor Craddock, the garden's champion over many years, and those who have helped him maintain it. This photo was posted to the St John's Facebook page last week and received the highest number of likes (30) of any photos posted so far!

This week at St John’s Sunday 30 September Baptism of Lucinda Haig during the 10am service. Noon - Wedding of Kent Winzer & Lisa Larkin. 2.00pm - Wedding of Ivan Lam & Dorothy Leung. Thursday 4 October 11.00am - Holy Communion Saturday 6 October 3.00pm - Wedding of Nick Bradfield & Zdravka Markus.

Saint John’s Anglican Church, Toorak 86 Clendon Road Toorak 3142 Telephone : 9826 1765 Fax: 9826 4395 Email: enquiries@saintjohnstoorak.org Vicar Archdeacon Dr Bradly S Billings PH (mobile) 0421 638950 Email: vicar@saintjohnstoorak.org

Associate Priest Revd Hilary Roath associate@saintjohnstoorak.org

Director of Music & Organist Professor Mel Waters music@saintjohnstoorak.org

Marriage Ministry Co-ordinator Ms Gay Djumas marriagemin@saintjohnstoorak.org

Administration Mrs Sally Robertson

Prayer Chain Co-ordinator Mrs Annette Wilson 9822 8968 St John’s on-line Website: www.saintjohnstoorak.org