In our AM Church service we continue our overview of God’s involvement [The Story] with humankind from creation to the present day as we’re reminded of the purpose and relevance of the Ten Commandments. I know that many people struggle with the concept of a God who has rules and regulations which He says are to be obeyed. But rules are necessary! Think about it… every day we get in a car and drive to work or school, or wherever… we follow countless rules and we’re all very thankful other road users are too! No one says: “Surely, road rules are not necessary.” Following road rules is not a recipe for ruining our trips in a car, they’re given to us to ensure we get to our destination safely. Think of God’s Ten Command-ments as our road rules for life to ensure we get to our eternal destiny safely. The Story#5 – New Commandments and a New Covenant.

In our Kidz Church Service they too will focus on God’s Ten Commandments as their teaching program follows the same themes as AM Church. You are welcome to join them for worship – I assure you, you will be blessed as you see a packed Youth Shed of children bring worship to God.

We rejoice with Pioneer Community Church (church plant we are supporting) in Mackay as their new Pastor Renier Van Der Klashorst led the service for the first time on the 29th of April. Please continue to support them in your prayer time and today you have the opportunity to give through the second offering towards the gospel work being done through the Mackay church

Colin Inglis attends our church and he is passionate about mission work in Thailand. Colin will be heading to Thailand in August this year and would like to take a team along with him for around 2 weeks, the cost is approximately $1,500 and there will be opportunity to do ministry with other Christians, help Thai students and Thais in need. Colin says if you have faith in Christ, a heart for people and a valid passport then this is a great opportunity to put your faith into action and make a difference. Please contact him on 0414 388 134 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You will hear more in the near future.

I am guessing that a lot of you grew up thinking about the Bible the way I did. I am guessing that a lot of you went to Sunday School or Catechism and learnt about the Bible the way I did. I learnt, whether implicitly or explicitly, that the Bible is God’s instruction manual; filled with rules to keep and examples to follow. If you had of asked me, I could have told you all about the stories in the Bible; Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath and Daniel in the lion’s den. I could have told you that we should obey God like Noah did, trust God like David did and be daring and brave like Daniel was. But now I realise that, while all of these lessons may be true and good, they actually miss the point of what the Bible is all about.

You see, it is entirely possible to read and study the Bible, to memorize parts of the Bible while missing the very point of the Bible! In other words, it is possible to read the stories and miss the Story. This is what happened to two of Jesus disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24.

Term 2 for 2012 starts! Isn’t it amazing how fast time goes? Let me remind you to register for our Wednesday Ministry Night classes starting 2 May. The five classes being offered include: Love & Respect (relationships); CAP Money (budgeting); Pro-Faith (for teens); Church History; & The Course of Your Life (Christian living).

As a church we have a number of ministries extending love and help to the less privileged living in under resourced places – Eg. Burma – New Life Orphanage; Solomon Islands – Bethesda Mission; India – our adopted village Perumalpatti. As well as those, we also support Compassion in their vision to release children from poverty. This Sunday morning in AM Church we have the opportunity to hear more about their ministry – we have the privilege of meeting Andrew Murray (Compassion’s relations manager) and Miss Michelle Tolentino from the Philippines who is a graduate of Compassion’s Leadership Development Program. I know you will be blessed and encouraged in hearing Michelle’s story of God’s love and power. Today’s second offering will be for Compassion – please use this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those so desperately needing out help.