voice april may a5

8/12/2019 Voice April May A5

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April / May 2014

New Homepage:

www.stpetersbythelake.org



Index

Voice Message - Pg. 2-3 St. Peter’s Child Care Jumble Sale - Pg. 5Bishop’s Post - Pg. 3-5 Co-Worker Training - Pg. 5-6

eQuip Retreat - Pg. 6-7

MessageDear Readers! The watchword for April is: “You will grieve, but your grief will turn tojoy.” John 16:20 The time of Lent is a time of reflection and thinking about what Jesus and

his disciples experienced on their way to Jerusalem. I would like to takeyou on this journey and just think of our lives as we reflect on this path of Jesus:- You will grieve , Jesus says to his disciples. He knows what lies ahead andthe disciples will go through difficult times. He prepares them and tellsthem that they will grieve, but their grieving will turn to joy. Jesus knows where we are in life and prepares us for whatever lies ahead. Your currentexperiences and what He is teaching you, is to prepare and take you where

he wants you to be. We need to be open and allow Him to teach and leadus and He will prepare us for our journey with Him.- The disciples often do not understand what Jesus is saying and why things needto happen. On our journey with Jesus we also experience things that we donot understand and we do not know why they happen. When we look atthe stories of the disciples and see them from our perspective, it is difficultto understand why they struggled to get it. It is easy to see it in the rightperspective from our view, where we know about Jesus death and

resurrection and what these words mean. When you journey with Jesus,allow Him to speak to you even if you do not understand things in yourlife at the moment. Trust Him and allow Him to determine what you do, where you go and how you do it. You will see that He is trustworthy and will allow you to grow and develop in faith as you face the challenges of everyday life and as you journey with Him.- Your grief will turn to joy . Jesus says these words to the disciples and they experienced this joy when He rose from the dead. When the living Lord

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reveals himself to us, He brings overwhelming joy, even in the face of thedifficulties we encounter. Jesus wants us to have life and live to the full andif we trust Him and allow Him to lead us, He will fill us with His joy. Realjoy fills our lives when we listen to Jesus and follow Him.

It is my prayer that you will take time for Jesus and see how He worked inthe life of His disciples. But also, that you experience how He works inyour life and increases your faith.ShalomEdwin Dedekind

Easter ProgramLenten Service 9 April 2014 18:00 Lent Wednesday Evening Service

Palm Sunday 13 April 2014 09:00 Liturgical Service with Children’sChurch

10.30 Contemporary Service with Holy Communion and Children’sChurch

Maundy Thursday 18:00 Service with Holy CommunionGood Friday 09:00 Meditative Service

12:00 Devotion in Church

15:00 Devotion in ChurchEaster Sunday 20 April 2014 06:00 Sunrise Service with breakfast and

Easter Egg Hunt09:00 Liturgical Service with Holy

Communion

"You are the salt of the earth" Mt 5, 13 April and May are two months with major events. Christians will be

remembering the suffering and death of Christ, and then celebrate his

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victory over death on Easter morning. Ascension Day on 29 May will againpass unnoticed by many Christians, since it is not listed in most calendarsand is a normal working day. However, we as Christians this year celebratethat Christ is King in the same month that a political party will celebrate

its victory in the elections. This should encourage us to make more of thisday.Our country is in dire need of Christians confessing that Christ is King -not only with their mouths, but with their whole lives!In the run up to the elections, many politicians will continue to makeempty promises, which they will conveniently forget soon afterwards.Once again many people will fall for these promises, and be moreembittered afterwards, when nothing happens.

For two thousand years Christians have been living with the statement of Jesus: You ARE the salt of the earth. When these words were writtendown in the gospel of Matthew, Christians were facing difficult times.Many had been imprisoned, some even killed.Still the writer penned down these words of Jesus, which challenge us notto withdraw into a protected, secluded Christian community, but rather tolive our lives as followers of Christ in this world. Our lives should not beempty promises, but testimonies to Christ the king, his powerful word, and

his healing, loving power. The elections are coming. Each one who can, should vote. In 450 BCPericles, the "mayor" of Athens stated: "If you do not participate in theaffairs of your city, you are not a silent, but a bad citizen" - This is not very different from Jesus' statement: When salt loses it's saltiness, it is useless"Let us not be useless citizens! We should carefully discern whom we votefor. Let us then also pray for those who are going to be elected, that they may become wise leaders.On Easter and Ascension Day we should raise our voice and "vote" forChrist, proclaim that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He did notseek his own advantage and pleasure, but gave his life to set us free. He didnot make empty promises to please the listeners. His words are active,powerful, life giving and life changing! We, as salt of the earth, are part of his movement and called to live andproclaim: Christ is Lord!

May this Lord guide, protect and bless us through the next two months!

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Yours in Christ,Horst Müller

News from the Church:

After the coll-time of Pastor Udo Lütge ended, Wartburg congregationelected him as their new pastor. He was inducted on 16 March. May Godbless him and the congregation, as well as the KZN youth work, for whichhe has a 25% post.Mrs Lotte Engblom, who, together with her husband Austin, had beencaring for our theological students at our Church's training centre inPietermaritzburg from 1979 to 1990 passed away on 26 February, aged 92. We thank God for all the good things that the Church received through

her. The Church's brass festival is planned for 11 May in New Germany. May it be a blessed, joyous occasion. I encourage you to join in!Pastor Olaf Gieseke from East Rand Parish married Tintswalo Khosa. Wecongratulate them. May God richly bless the couple!

St. Peter’s Child Care Jumble Sale - 7th June at St. Peter’s by the LakePlease donate adult and children’s cloths, shoes, accessories, bric and brac,toys, books, etc. all in good condition. Please bring before the 30.5.2014. You can also donate a cake for the coffee bar. Please contact Julietta if you

can help on the day, or for any other quarries: 071 503 9619

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Co-worker Training for 2014 We have a program to train co-workers in the ELCSA(NT) that is working very well. It is to prepare people for working in our congregations, eg. tohold devotions, learn more about the Bible, our Lutheran understanding

of scripture, and perhaps even to become a lay preacher in our church. Would you like to take part in the following training:1 to 3 August Weekend in Pietermaritzburg - Lutheran Theology Foundation- Homiletics Foundation (Preparing a devotion)- Liturgy Advanced (Role of Music & Songs)- Christian Education2 August at St Peters in Pretoria

- Lutheran Theology Foundation- Homiletics Foundation- Lutheran Theology Plus (Ecumenism - Lutheran understanding

of Church)- Counselling 6 September at Kelvin/Midrand- Bible Foundation13 September at Kempton Park - Lutheran Theology Advanced- Homiletics Advanced- Bible Plus- Counselling If you need more information please contact Liselotte Knöcklein at: 011979 7137 or [email protected].

eQuip Retreat in Hermannsburg“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1,14). As weembarked on the first eQuip retreat after Christmas, we started off reflecting onthese words. We reflected on the wonderful fact that in Christ God came to us. In

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the Old Testament, as in allother religions, the challenge ison mankind to make its

way to God. But in ChristGod comes to us. This is Hisnew beginning, the new creation, His New Testament!

Jesus comes into this world.He does not isolate himself.He celebrates with the people,laughs, cries, is angered by evil.God enters this worldcompletely.

When he greets his disciples athis ascension, he does not bidthem farewell, but rather says:“I am with you always, till the end of times!” (Mt 28,20)

As eQuip met in the lush and green Hermannsburg, we also reflected on this world,and what it means for us as Christians to belong to Christ (being not of this world)

whilst at the same time saying yes to this World and the people that we live with(being in this world). All too easily we Christians dissolve ourselves into this world,being just like every body else. Alternatively many devout Christians distance

themselves from the world, isolate themselves in an attempt to keep their faith andlive pure and undefiled.In John 17 Jesus prays for his disciples - and for us, the Christians. He prays that we

will be able to live this tension of being in, but not of, this world. For three years hehad been preparing his disciples for this, teaching them what it means to be afollower of Christ. This training does not stop with Ascension. Rather, Jesus sendsthe Holy Spirit, who continues the training, who teaches us and reminds us of what

Jesus has taught. (John 14, 26) To be a Christian means to be with Christ IN this world. Our words, deeds and

attitude show that God made a new start in Christ, that he is present in our midstas Saviour of the World. Just as the Father has sent him, he sends us! (John 20, 21) With kind regards,

The next eQuip Retreat will be from the 2nd to the 7th January 2014 inHermannsburg. Diarise it and come along.

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Congregational Council

Sindi Koyana Chairperson 083 390 0699Karsten Müller Treasurer 083 376 3315

Markus Heise Evangelism 083 259 8340Innocentia Tjale Children’s Church & Young Adults 079 964 0070Eloise Knoetze Counselling 083 222 1609

Joseph Mainama Property 083 459 1472 Tutu Zwane Organisation 082 454 1030Louis Thom Social Ministries 083 779 9398

Andrew Falkson Youth Pastor 082 320 4556

Edwin Dedekind Pastor 083 324 7505

Secretary: Shelley Styger 072 429 4039Secretaries Office Hours: 8 am to 1 pm

Address Physical Address

P.O. Box 72207Parkview2122

43 Lower Park DriveEntrance in Ennis Road (2nd gate)Parkview

Contact DetailsPhone: 011 646 1308Fax: 086 605 5617Email: [email protected]

Homepage: www.stpetersbythelake.org.za

Banking Details Acc. Name: St. Peter’s by the LakeBank: Standard BankBranch: Rosebank

Acc. No.: 001948962

Branch Code: 004205

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voice april may a5

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