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MAY 09 MAGAZINE
C3WESTSIDE
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M A Y M E S S A G E C H E RY L W I N D L E A CHURCH OF INFLUENCE! We believe that God has given us a mandate to be a Church of influence sharing the love of Jesus to the community both here and beyond. What we’ve already achieved through God’s empowering and the amazing generosity of our members is wonderful. Many hundreds of lives have been transformed after walking through our doors and then with the production of the documentary 'Cinderella Children' which raised awareness of the orphans in Uganda, many funds have poured into helping these children get fed, educated and taught about the love of God.
Now with our newest project called Westside Care we are able to help disadvantaged people in our local community and our aim is to do much more in these areas. We have a vision to use what we have right now, which are the gifts and talents in our Church and to make a difference. Just as the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 we want to be faithful with what God has given us right now and not wait till we’re bigger, stronger, more gifted, talented or wealthier but to stretch out our hand right now in faith and see God anoint that.
Just as Jesus used the five loaves and two fish belonging to a child He can use us and what we have to offer, to influence the lives of others. So Westside, your journey has just begun so be prepared for miracles, blessings and the evidence of lives being transformed. What a privilege to be the Pastors of C3 Westside. Well done, good and faithful servants.
CHERYL WINDLE (C3 WESTSIDE SENIOR MINISTER)
S E RV I C E S &E V E N T S V I E W M AG A Z I N E C A L E N DA R F O R DAT E S
Church Services
Kids Church
The Hub Young Adults
Solid Youth
In the Auditorium
Church Ground Floor
Cafe Church in the Auditorium
Church Ground Floor
Sunday 10am and 6pm
Sunday 10am
Sunday 6pm fortnightly
Friday 7pm fortnightly
Wednesday Community
Community Groups
New Christians
Mums’ Meet
Wednesday 7:30pm
Brisbane City & Suburbs
Wed 7.30pm fortnightly
Thursday 9:30am
Every 4th Week
Fortnightly
At the home of Dan and Nichy
fortnightly
20 Bailey St, West End
cccw@cccwestside.org.au
(07) 3844 0575
www.cccwestside.org.au
O U R S T O R Y JOHN & JENNI BELL
JOHN SAYS: I have the good fortune of remembering the first time I saw Jen. I remember what she wore, what colors they were & that she was carrying a secret sorrow: her boyfriend. What he didn’t know was that she was rapidly slipping from his grasp, into mine. A lot happened after that & within a year it looked like we were going to become be a permanent fixture; then I got mixed up with religion. I was always getting mixed up with religion: Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Spiritualism, what-have-you, but this one was different, and it was set to mess up our lives completely.
We tried to work around it but it wouldn’t go. Even Jenni, a staunch agnostic, was aware that something quite powerful had got a hold of us, something she wanted no part of, so I decided we had to split up.
18 years later we were between churches & we bumped into Ps. Grant Windle, who was setting up a young church in Indooroopilly. We agreed to get on board and so began the most extraordinary 12 years of our lives.
Jenni was set to head back to Melbourne, to get me out of her hair; I rather dejectedly joined a church, and figured I would find a nice Christian girl and it would all be kosher.
Over these years we’ve been reminded again & again, through the rough & the smooth, how well we work together – on all levels.
God had other plans. Unbeknownst to me Jenni had had her own epiphany & we met once again, rather spectacularly.
It’s so good when you know you’ve found the right person - it saves a lot of time & heartbreak. As risky as it is, falling in love is the way to go for many of us, for a lot of reasons.
Our work within C3 Westside takes us into many places that we would otherwise be excluded from, and has led to some amazing friendships. There’s nothing like interpersonal relations to rub off the rough spots, and I had a few (and probably still do).
I ended up at the church John had been to, knowing I had to get things right with God, but not assuming I’d get back together with John.
To use a corny expression, we think we actually have God on our side.
I’m so glad God got me in time to have Him as the strength of our married life, especially through the challenges of parenting. We have needed His help many times, and I’m continually amazed at how, as we stick close to Him, our relationship keeps strengthening, and we ourselves keep growing. John is an incredible husband and father, and we’re good at supporting each other’s crazy creative ways.
JENNI SAYS: When we met, John had been ‘searching for truth’ for many years, down various paths, mainly in Eastern religions. Then he became a Christian…I had no interest in any of this, and expected him to get over it as usual. On holiday together in Brisbane, John began attending a church, and soon decided that we could not continue together because, though we were still very much in love, I still wasn’t interested in becoming a Christian, despite his persistent persuasion. After we split, I was set to head back to Melbourne when, in an op shop, looking for books to cheer myself up, I came across a little book called ‘God within us’ which I eventually decided to buy for John. Opening the first page, I read how we could find intimacy with God through Jesus…I can’t really explain what happened next – a sudden overwhelming realisation that God was real and wanted me to know Him closely.
However after some time, we did reunite, and eventually got married.
We love C3Westside, not only for the great teaching and training, but also for the amazing friendships with people who have added so much richness to our lives. JOHN & JENNI BELL (C3 WESTSIDE LAY PASTORS)
M Y B E S T L I F E TIM GIBBS I was brought up going to Sunday school with a Christian Mum and a non Christian Dad. By the time I was in grade ten I was over all the Christians I knew and I found that they would claim to be Christians at church but were just like everyone else outside of church. At the beginning of grade eleven I began to explore drugs and alcohol and continued down this path until my third year out of school. From 2002 till 2005 I studied at uni full time and travelled in my holidays. During this time I created my own world view based around what suited my lifestyle. It wasn’t until 2005 when I began to think outside my self and I began to realize that there was more to life than me. I always believe in truth and that our own subjective opinions did not make things right or wrong. So I began to search
for truth. I began looking at all mainstream religions and based purely on history and what each religion claimed Christianity had a point of difference. All other religions claimed that you could live righteously and that you could earn salvation. Where as Christianity claimed that we can’t live righteously but it is only because of Gods grace that we can be made righteous. That was the truth that began my Christian journey I began to go to Church again and learn about God and all the amazing things that he has done for people throughout the generations. In late 2005 I decided to follow Jesus and his teachings and haven’t looked back. The bible says that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. (John 8:32) I couldn’t agree more the truth has set me free from my selfish ways of thinking and it has given me a freedom from
the desires of this world. I have learnt that freedom isn’t doing what I want because I know now that quite often what I want isn’t what is best for me. But freedom comes from knowing what God wants and having the self control to follow his path. Since I have become a Christian God has put his love in my heart and has given me a passion for people. Although the Christian journey is not the easiest path it is the most exciting adventure I have ever undertaken. Looking back on my journey God has always been faithful to me and I am still challenged daily to commit my life to following Jesus and constantly need his thoughts and ways. I look forward to the future and know that God has a great plan for my life. TIM GIBBS (C3 WESTSIDE MEMBER)
V O L U N T E E R A WA R D CHRIS & KARLENE At Westside we are blessed to have so many people giving selflessly week in week out to ensure our Church is able to function as an important member of our community.
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This month we would like to honour two people in particular, Chris Reed and Karlene Ward. Chris and Karlene are vital members of our Stewards team and their dedication and tireless commitment reflects the character of our Church. Well done guys!! All the best with your up and coming wedding! Darryl O’Callaghan (C3 WESTSIDE General Manager)
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www.thefuturechurch.com.au What will the future church look like? How will the church respond to rapid and continuous change? What part will you play? Transition. Change. Potential pitfalls. Wise choices. Faith. Passion. These issues will be our focus. The Church is God’s answer for the future of this planet. This Conference will be a journey of exploring that future.
SOLID YOUTH
held upstairs in the gallery
8 AND 22 MAY AT 7PM 20 Bailey street, west end
ABOUT
Anyone between the ages of 12-18 (and going to High School) is welcome to come along. We have music, food and an awesome crew! We can even arrange to have someone swing by and pick you up if you need a ride. We can’t wait to see you and a friend at the next event!
CONTACT
TOM WINDLE - Youth Pastor m 0411 826 761 e tom@cccwestside.org.au
THE HUB
YOUNG ADULTS CAFE CHURCH
10 & 24 MAY AT 6PM 20 bailey street, west end
ABOUT
It’s an exciting new concept and a whole new way of doing church. We are creating a young adults happening, a meeting place where the church opens up and invites the community in! It’s an artistic inter-action of live music, live painting, DJs, short film, dance, trivia, snooker, arcade games and so much more.
CONTACT
JESSICA LUMBY - YOUNG ADULTS PASTOR p (07) 3844 0575 e jessica@cccwestside.org.au
3 MAY AT 6PM
ENCOUNTER HOLY SPIRIT SERVICE COME AND EXPERIENCE THE Tangible PRESENCE OF GOD
I WEST END.
Photography Competition Judged at The Hub 19 th July 6pm THEME “What you love about West End” Details - Anyone can enter this contest, not just photographers. - Photos can be taken on mobiles, i-phones, digital/film camera. - You can photoshop/use effect/filter etc - Entrants must attend the night - Free entry to competition - Deadline for uploading photos 15th July - www.iheartwestend.blogspot.com. Upload your photos here Prizes - 1st place - $300 - Runner up – 2x Southbank Cinema Tickets, - Peoples Choice – Lomo Image Fusion Split-Cam Judging criteria - Which picture best encapsulates the theme “What you love about West End”. - Which photo is the most entertaining/eye-catching.
Mother's Day
C H U R C H S E R V I C E 1 0 th m AY at 1 0 A M
Pastor Brian Andrew
GUEST SPEAKER
Mark Blackmore SPECIAL SONG PERFORMANCE
Lunch + G ift
Every mum will receive a free Mother's Day luncheon from the C3 Westside Cafe along with a beautiful rose to show our appreciation.
2 0 B a i l e y S t r e e t , We s t E n d events@cccwestside.org.au
Over 30s
Saturday 30th of May at 3pm Victoria Golf on Herston Rd, Herston darryl@cccwestside.org.au
Over 30s is designed to provide an ‘inclusive’ social environment for members of the Church and their friends. It is primarily focused on families, married couples and singles over the age of 30 but is by no means exclusive to that age group. Hosted events are aimed at providing a great forum for people to interact, build new friendships and to have a great time!
Mini Golf Tea up at 3pm
& The Caddy Shack For coffee & cake afterwards
To register or enquire about this event please contact darryl@cccwestside.org.au (07) 3844 0575
31 MAY 6PM SERVICE
WATERBAPTISM We must differentiate water baptism spoken of in the Scriptures and christening of infant baptism. In the Scriptures, water baptism is a 'believer's baptism' not a baby's baptism. It was the act of a believer or person who had made a conscious choice to follow christ. Infant baptism is a church tradition and there is nothing wrong with it, and whilst the scriptures do speak of infant dedication - only adults were water baptised in the scriptures. In acts 2:37 Peter Said, "repent and be baptised". Repent means to turn to God and away from sin, but how can a baby possibly do this? If you were christened as a baby, that's fine,
but now that you are a Christian by your own choice, the Bible teaches us to be water baptised as believer. So what is water baptism? When you have a bath you cleanse you entire body. Baptism is like a cleansing of your inner spiritual life from your entire past before you received Jesus. God washes away your past sins. The word 'baptise' means to bury by immersion. The very word indicates that baptism means to be fully immersed in water. This is backed up in Romans 6:4 where paul says, "we are 'buried with Him' by baptism". This is the reason why we full immerse people when we baptise them.
Our baptism declares your faith, shares in Christ's burial and resurrection, symbolizes your death to your old life, and announces your new life in Christ. It is also a celebration of your inclusion in God's family. Your baptism is a symbolic act of a spiritual truth. It is an outward act that signifies an inward condition that you received when you where born again. It's an act of obedience to God that testifies of genuine repentance and faith.
Would you like to be Water Baptised? If you would like a full copy of "What is Water Baptism?" then please email - darryl@cccwestside.org.au.
COMMUNITY GROUPS
COMMUNITY GROUP WEEK (Venues at www.cccwestside.org.au) Meeting all over the city every 2 weeks in houses, apartments and cafes. These are smaller group settings where people gather informally over food and drink, pray together and discuss the previous Sunday's message to the church. They are on most nights of the designated weeks and you can attend as many as you like. A great way of getting to know people in the church and bring your friends to.
WEDNESDAY COMMUNITY
INTERACTIVE BIBLE TEACHING (20 Bailey Street West End 7.30pm) Every 4th week all the ‘Community Groups’ come together for ‘Wednesday Night Community’ – though everybody in the church is most welcome. The format is simple – Cafe styled bible study - tea and coffee sitting around tables and lounges, great interaction, acoustic worship followed by verse-by-verse bible teaching and discussions too.
Mums’ Meet MOTHERS OF PRE-SCHOOLERS
About the group
You are invited to a place designed specifically for you, a mother of preschoolers. Here you’ll experience authentic community, mothering support, personal growth and spiritual hope, all to help you be the best mum possible. When mums meet, their children are lovingly cared for in our KIDS-Care environment, which is designed to meet their needs with activities that encourage social inter-action. So don’t miss the opportunity to get out of the house and have a great morning!
May 7and 21
9.30am 20 BAILEY ST, WEST END
$5
TEA, COFFEE & BABY-SITTING PROVIDED
Contact cheryl@cccwestside.org.au
“..children are a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior... Blessed is the man who has is quiver full of them” Psalm 127:3-5 (NIV paraphrased) Many a night at 2am I have pondered on this one! Blessed? Are you sure? Really God, does my quiver have to be THIS full and become that way in such a short space of time?? I have heard children, particularly multiples, described as a ‘hard happiness’. To be sure, the little blessings come with a whole lot of work attached, but as with anything good in life, the joy you get out of it is appreciated in proportion to the amount of sacrifice put in. One day recently, as the first winter flu of the year was making its mark on our house (making its mark? who am I kidding, burning a path with the intensity of a thousand suns, showing no discrimination or consideration to NORMAL sleep patterns, whatever that is, I can’t quite remember), my youngest decided to throw a few days of vomiting into the mix (pardon the pun). After the first day of cleaning up vomit from many hard and soft surfaces, I reverted to my Nazi-like concern for my family eating a nutritious, vege-full meal, which really only fully rears its head during such bouts of sickness. So even though fish and chips would have been a lot easier after the preceding day, I militantly begin cooking a vegetarian stir fried noodle dish, getting the warm-and-fuzzies about how I am nourishing my children and combatting the onslaught of disease with a vitamin-rich meal. The thing I failed to take notice of as I daydreamed about
healthy children thanking me for my vision and sacrifice, was that I had placed a new, large jar of chopped garlic too close to the edge of the bench. I think you can see where this is heading. After cleaning up disgusting smelling substances all day, here I was on my hands and knees, cleaning up an even viler smelling substance , its impossibly tiny pieces spread up to 4 metres away in every direction. The jar must have landed at such an angle that its contents were even projectiled vertically, as we discovered one week later....”what’s that strange whitish lump stuck to the top of the fridge?”. Hmmm. Was God trying to teach me a lesson in humility?! Or perhaps just that you really do have to be able to laugh at yourself and even your children in order to be consciously aware of the blessings in our care. Sometimes its very much a decision too, to look past what has been given up to see what has been gained-arrows in our hand poised to make their mark on us and on our world.
Rose Oxenford (C3 Westside Member)
Rose Oxenford.Wife of Geoff and just celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Mother of Isabella (6yrs); Joseph and Carmen (twins 3yrs); and Noah (6 months) and a celebrated mother to all at C3 Westside.
93 yr old widow, Norma James, had no idea what she was in for when 15 young people from C3 Westside arrived on her doorstep one Saturday morning armed with shovels, wheelbarrows, elbow grease and heavy duty mould remover. Norma has lived in her current home for 90 of her 93 years and has spent a large portion of that time alone. As age and infirmity set in Norma became unable to perform the small everyday tasks we each take for granted, resulting in her home and garden falling into disrepair. That was, of course, until Westside Care turned up to: •R emove the dead plants from Norma’s front garden and replace them with new trees and flowers; •C lear rubbish from the side of her house and weed this newly cleared area; • Wash her kitchen from floor to ceiling, and
WESTSIDE CARE
•S crub a considerable amount of mould from ceilings around the home. All in all everyone had a great time and we are already planning the next one. TOM WINDLE (C3 WESTSIDE YOUTH PASTOR)
WESTSIDECARE
K I D S C H U R C H NEW FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT
Well, just in case you haven’t heard the news; our Kids Church is currently undergoing some major renovations. We’re only a few weeks away from unveiling our exciting new facilities and programs which no doubt will have the Kids clambering over each other to get to. Darryl O’Callaghan (C3 WESTSIDE General Manager)
P A R E N T S & B A B I E S CHURCH FACILITIES
Parents As well as Kids Church and Crèche we also have a couple of additional facilities for parents during services. These facilities can be just the trick for those moments when your ‘little one’ becomes restless. All these areas are air-conditioned for your comfort.
Mothers’ Room Our Mothers’ Room provides a peaceful environment for nursing mothers and is located in the Gallery just outside the main Auditorium. For your convenience a broadcast of the church service is displayed on a monitor located in the Mothers’room, which allows you to still be very much a part of the programme. Tea and coffee are available in the room.
Babies’ Sleeping Room Our babies’ room provides a tranquil environment for babies to sleep during services. It has several portacots and a change table available for your use.
Parents’ Area The Gallery also provides a live video broadcast of the service which parents can view while caring for their child.
N E W C H R I S T I A N S 6 WEEK COURSE
Everybody who completes this 6 week course will receive a beautiful leather bound bible This 6 week course is designed for those who are new to the Christian Faith to discuss and learn about the fundamental building blocks of Christianity to ensure a solid foundation. It’s fun and relaxed and all are welcome. The ‘New Christians’ course meets fortnightly on a Wednesday 7:30pm at the home of New Christians leaders: Dan and Nichy. Anyone can attend, there’s no need to register - just simply turn up on the night. For further information about attending this course, please contact the church office (07) 3844 0575
DAN NOTT & NICHY BANCROFT (C3 WESTSIDE NEW CHRISTIAN LEADERS)
F E A T U R E D I T E M (DVD) CHURCH THE DEFINITIVE CASE
Church - The Definitive Case so many opinions! so much history! so many struggles!
$25
Get the answers: Whose idea was it? How did church begin and what did it really look like? What is the local church and what is not? Why do we do church? Do we need church to be christians? Purchase To purchase this product order from the church sales counter or email the office - cccw@cccwestside.org.au Pastor Ben Windle (LIFEPLACE SENIOR PASTOR)
PASTOR BEN WINDLE
Copies available from C3 Westside.
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RISE & BUILD JUNE 09/10 B u ild in g F u n d Pled ge Da y W E E K O F B R E A K T H R O U G H J U LY 8 NI ghts of Breakth rou gh C h u r c h YO U N G A D U LT S C O N F E R E N C E 7 & 8 A U G The F uture Ch u rc h