2013 april | may
APRIL | MAY 13 /// 1
words by Sharryn Westbrook
Back in 2003, Bear Grylls, the extreme adventurer, led a five member team across the North Atlantic Ocean in an inflatable rigid dinghy. They left Halifax, Nova Scotia, on July 31st, heading for John o’ Groats, Scotland, via the Labrador Sea and the Denmark Strait. 5 days into their expedition, they were barraged by a fierce storm, with 100 foot waves. With their satellite contact lost, the unrelenting pounding of the waves and having been at the mercy of the storm to the point of sheer exhaustion, and they literally feared for their lives. Fortunately they all survived. (You can read about this epic adventure in ‘Facing the Frozen Ocean’ by Bear Grylls). 2 /// APRIL | MAY 13
www.beargrylls.com
THROUGH THE STORMS
Not many of us will have to face physical storms of this kind, however in Matthew 7:25-27, Jesus said that we would all experience life’s storms, which come in many and varied forms. Trials and testing, trauma and temptation, opposition, illness, pressures at work, in relationships with finances or unemployment. Each have the potential to not only rock our boat but to sink it!
Fear is an unavoidable part of life, but that’s what’s so great about being a Christ follower; we do not have to face these fearful storms alone.
But all the water in the ocean cannot sink a boat; only the water that gets into the boat has the power to wreak havoc and sink us! Over the years I have experienced a number of fears myself - from a fear of confined spaces to panic attacks and other irrational fears, fears about preaching and a fear of doing something that might bring dishonour to the Lord. The six most common phobias it is said, that we all face are; fear of helplessness, fear of the future, fear of commitment, fear of failure, fear of loneliness and fear of death. Whatever you fear, you are not alone.
Each of us face trials, temptations, and even full on attacks from the enemy. Life is not easy, but in the midst of the storms David says, ‘My shield is God Most High … I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High’ (Psalms 7:10a,17). Fear is an unavoidable part of life, but that’s what’s so great about being a Christ follower; we do not have to face these fearful storms alone. Jesus is right there in the boat with us, and as the lyrics of the song say ‘... through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all’. Be encouraged; whatever storm currently threatens your boat, God sees, God knows and He has a plan. Trust Him. The question is: What water will you allow into your boat? The expression ‘do not be afraid’ appears in the Bible 366 times – one for every day of the year (including leap years!) APRIL | MAY 13 /// 3
CONTENTS p. 4
// fyi.
p. 6
// coming up
p. 8
// here to help
p. 10 // 50&better p. 10 // couples & families p. 11 // kids p. 12 // youth p. 13 // creative p. 14 // celebrating 100 years p. 17 // project: rescue badi p. 18 // journal readings p. 19 // april/may calendar
NEW FRIENDS & FOCUS MEETING DATES FOCUS MEETING ///////////////////// Monday 8th April @ 6.30pm Monday 7th May @ 6:30 NEW FRIENDS LUNCH ///////////// Sunday 14th April @ 12pm 4 /// APRIL | MAY 13
DISCOVERY COURSES We are so excited to announce the launch of our Discovery Courses. It’s a simple 3 step course that will enrich your understanding on Christ, the Church, and your Calling. What’s even better is that you don’t need to sign up, it’s completely free and will be conveniently held during our morning Celebration Services. We hope to see you soon!
LADieS,WE nEED YOU! We are looking for some fun chicks to be a part of a funny skit coming up at MCF. No acting skills required - we just need your ‘spirit fingers’. For more information, please see Jen du Toit.
ZACH mACH 2013: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED MCF is proud to support the 2013 ZACH MACH Adventure Challenge happening on Saturday 11th May. This race is held in memory of a greatly loved young man in the Mackay community, Zach Roberts, who tragically passed away in December last year. With major local sponsors getting behind such an event, the ZACH MACH will no doubt be a massive occassion in the community and we need your help to make it a success. If you would like to help in areas such as marshalling, handing our water to competitors and more, please see Peter Lister or email him at: plister@mccmky.qld.edu.au
m ay 1 8 - 1 9 100 year banquet dinner s at u r d ay 1 8 t h m ay
w it h s pec i a l g u est, Ja m es m ac ph ers o n
TI CKETS ON SALE N OW
P E N T E C O S T S U N D AY C E L E B R AT I O N s U N D AY 1 9 t h m ay
T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E AT I N F O D E S K F O R m o r e i n f o r m at i o n P L E A S E v i s i t www.mcf.org.au 4 9 6 3 1 1 5 5 | fa c e b o o k . c o m / m c f C H U R C H APRIL | MAY 13 /// 5
COMING UP We are privileged to have world-class guest ministry at MCF over the next two months. Check it out!
JAMES MACPHERSON Ps James Macpherson is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Christian Church, Townsville. He is a dynamic speaker and passionate about empowering people to be all that God has called them to be. We are excited to host James as our guest speaker for our 100 Year Celebrations between the 18th & 19th of May. It will be weekend you won’t want to miss!
SHANE WILLARD Shane is from Charleston, SC (USA) where he began working in full-time ministry as a youth pastor of a small church. With degrees in both clinical psychology and theology, Shane is known for being an informative, brilliant and humorous communicator. Shane is mentored by a pastor with rabbinical training, and teaches the context of the Scriptures from a Hebraic perspective. This perspective helps people to see God’s Word in a completely new way and leads them into a more intimate relationship with the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
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HERE TO HELP
words by Chris Campbell
I’m sure you have noticed the few changes around here lately. The introduction of Service Teams, Giving Envelopes, the Information Desk, and the use of video are just a sample of the steps the team has taken to improve the experience of MCF’s Celebration services. Jesus said he is not willing that any should perish, I don’t know about you but I want to make it as easy as possible for someone to say “YES!” to Jesus in our services or life groups. This is the real heart behind why we do what we do. The many studies done on how a person adapts and feels in a new setting or environment has shown that more information and instruction a person has at their disposal the more likely they are to relax and enjoy themselves in the new 8 /// APRIL | MAY 13
environment. This is why on the back of our Service Team shirts you would have seen “Here to Help” just a small way to let people know that help is around if they have any questions or require assistance. One other example of helping people to experience the presence of God is creating an atmosphere of faith and expectation, where ever there is a group of Christians I believe there should be an atmosphere of faith that something is about to happen! With this in mind, our Service Team is working hard on a Sunday to help people find a seat. This is a strategic move on the behalf of the Service Team to create a crowd effect and in doing so will go a long way to achieve the atmosphere in our meetings where it is easy for the new person sitting
beside you to say “YES!” to Jesus. You might say that’s all well and good for the new person but what about the people who have been here since birth! You have seen the new giving envelopes and video announcements that now loop pre and post service. This is to help keep you informed of what is coming up in the life of our family. Our new Giving Envelopes are simply to make your life easier. Just some pointers on their use: • Some areas of missions giving are tax deductible (Please feel free to call the office, if you would like more information about this). If you have a preference as to which mission’s ministry you would like to allocate your giving to, simply indicate in the mission’s line of the envelope. •
If you would like to receive a tax deductible receipt please place your name and details on the giving envelope. These will be issued at the end of June.
• Please note: Our expansion fund is not tax deductible. • Giving to another area? Simple. Please indicate on the envelope where you would like your funds allocated. All that’s left now is to simply enjoy today’s service! Thank you for your co-operation.
SHIRT ALERT! If you are no longer serving in a Service Team, please help us by returning your “Here to Help” volunteer shirt to the Info desk on a Sunday to go back into our stock for future team members. Thanks!
A very HOT story from the Sunday night Kitchen. words by the Hospitality Team Have you ever tried COOKING for a CROWD? The whole family enjoys sharing our Sunday evening meal together but a funny thing happened behind the scenes not long ago. Whilst converting a simple Chilli Con Carne recipe from 6 servings to 60, our biggest conundrum was, does that mean 10 x the chilli powder? Well it turned our spice ratio was probably too generous so we quickly Google’d how to take the heat out and turns out raw potatoes helps (who’d of thought) as well as dousing it with lots of sour cream. So if you don’t get a kick out of our sermons our Chilli Con Carne is bound to do it for you!!! APRIL | MAY 13 /// 9
// 50 and better // words by Pastor Jill Hyatt It is so good to see our 50’s and better reaching people and welcoming them home in our Celebration service’s on Sunday’s, and thriving in Life Groups as we enjoy doing life together. We currently have 6 running weekly and maybe even 7 by the time you read this article. We also can be seen demonstrating love through our service in Ministry Teams. We are quite active when it comes to being social; always having time for a good coffee, a stroll through the art gallery or even dinner and a show at the MECC. We love God, Love People. We have been through most of the tough stuff in life and have come out the other side perhaps a little wiser and with a testimony or three. Besides, in this decade we feel like 50 plus is the new 30 something!
// couples & families // words by Simon & Jacquie Stubbs Community was the drive of the early church in the book of Acts. People didn’t sell all their belongings because the church wanted them to be poor, they did so willingly because God drew them to this new community to do life together and relationship was the key to growth. This new community worked on the 10 /// APRIL | MAY 13
equality of its members through relationship rather than a structured hierarchy as with the Jews or Romans and that is what attracted people to this group before they heard of Christ. Once they heard of the work of Jesus it only added to their wanting to belong because this gave them purpose as well relationship. Likewise here at MCF we know that connection is essential to feeling part of a community. So over the next few weeks one or both of us will be in touch with you to ensure we do the best community for you. Because we absolutely 100 percent want you to feel connected.
KIDS WILL BE KIDS! // kids // words by Cheryl Greer Children will do and say the most embarrassing things when you least expect it. I remember when I was doing family day care I took my children to the shops and at one point as we were waiting in a shopping queue my son decided to declare nice and loud for all to hear, “Does that man have a baby in his tummy?” Another time he asked, “Why does that man have no hair?” Such sweet and innocent questions, but embarrassing for me! I remember smiling but going red in the face and then kneeling down to gently and quietly answer his question but also share with him there’s a reason we do not say things like that really loud! When my kids were growing up I have caught myself just about to say to one of them, “Stop acting like a child!” To which I
would realise, Ah, hello! They ARE a child! However as parents we have the awesome responsibility to raise and train our children - to discipline when needed - but more importantly, to love and encourage them. The reality is kids will be kids but we as parents have the choice on how we will respond.
... as parents we have the awesome responsibility to raise and train our children None of us are, or will ever be perfect parents but if we are, or are planning to be parents, we need all the help we can get! There is always a parent out there that has dealt with the same thing you are dealing with now. So I encourage you to make a choice to be a deliberate parent and find out everything you can about not only raising your children to become a great individual, but to be Christ-centred because God has a great hope and a future for them and we as parents are being used in His plan. APRIL | MAY 13 /// 11
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Creative. Thursday nights 6.30 AT Powerhouse APRIL | MAY 13 /// 13
words by Katharine MacDonald In May this year Mackay Christian Family Church is celebrating 100 years of the Pentecostal message being brought to Mackay and the birthing of the ministry that later became Mackay Assemblies Of God and then Mackay Christian Family. During all my research on Annie Dennis in the last few months, I have discovered that MCF was founded by a truly God-fearing, spirit14 /// APRIL | MAY 13
filled, courageous and strong woman. Annie founded many churches that have gone from strength to strength and to this day are continuing to flourish. In 1913, Annie Smith travelled to Mackay from Melbourne after an outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the Good News Hall led by Sarah Jane Lancaster. Annie Smith was a tough, stalwart lady; a forceful woman, and a capable preacher of the Word. Charles Enticknap, an early well renowned Pentecostal minister and
author, labelled her a ‘zealot’ in one of his journals. Annie was a simple woman who only wore black to save money; she walked the streets of Mackay handing out tracts and pamphlets exalting the Lord and wore a hat that said “Prepare to Meet Thy God”. Annie was a great woman of God, and is credited with founding many churches in Queensland including Mackay, Ayr (1930), Bowen (1936), Proserpine (1943) and she also had a hand in the church in Townsville. I am confident that her ministry and the Pentecostal message that she carried was a vital foundation of many more ministries along the Queensland Coast. Annie travelled to our city, which I can imagine in 1913 was a wild place. The only way to get here was by boat, where you disembarked at Round or Flat Top and were ferried into Mackay via smaller boats along the Pioneer River. She stepped out in faith to preach the gospel to ‘the ends of her earth.’ Mackay would have been a dirt-streaked town, with cane and cattle as its main industry, filled with hard-faced, hard-working, hard-talking people, pioneering person; which in fact is what Annie Dennis was. She pioneered the Pentecostal movement in Mackay and as previously mentioned many other places along the north & tropical coast of Queensland. Annie survived the devastating 1918 cyclone in Mackay and continued to bring the message of God, Pentecost and hope to Mackay and its surrounding districts. She was instrumental in the purchasing of
the first property of our church in 1922 in Gregory Street, where an old shop was converted into a Manse upstairs with a prayer “tarrying room” and the meeting venue downstairs. Annie Smith, married a local man John Dennis and had only one child, who sadly passed away at 7 weeks. It was after this tragedy that Annie moved into full time ministry and started travelling to speak the Word of God along the coast, which was by no means an easy task. She left the Church at Mackay in great hands as she embarked on her missions journey to further spread the Pentecostal message, and in 1929 the Mackay Assemblies Of God was a founded under the covering of the Queensland Assemblies Of God. Many great Pastors and leaders have succeeded Annie in the leading of the church and it has gone from strength to strength, though there were also tough and stretching times. APRIL | MAY 13 /// 15
Annie Dennis passed away in 1952 and is buried at the Mackay Cemetery. Recently, Ps David, Sharryn & I visited her gravesite and decided that as a way of honouring her contribution to the formation of our church, we will take responsibility for the upkeep of her plot. We have struggled to find photos of the church building in Gregory Street, however we have uncovered some photos of the church property in Hamilton Street purchased in the 1960-70’s. When it outgrew these facilities, the church then moved to the Bona Vista Function Centre, a rented venue in Mount Pleasant and in the early 1990’s we made the move to the ‘Faith Centre’. 2012 was the year we relocated into these amazing current facilities of ‘Powerhouse’, the MCC Junior Campus Auditorium. This is not the end however, as we continue to look towards our future and all God has for us. We will keep dreaming bigger dreams, to reach more people, to establish more campuses and ventures, for His glory. This is our History, Our legacy, Our future. We as a church, continue to honour Annie Dennis and those who have gone before us in a greater way, by continuing to move forward in spreading the message of Jesus, His character and His love to ‘our ends of the earth’.
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Photos from top: Doug Moody, the oldest Mackay Pentecostal emeritus Pastor still alive today with Pastors David Westbrook and Tim Spark // An aerial shot of Mackay in the late 1920’s. // The Bona Vista site where MCF congregated in the 1980’s.
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JOURNAL READINGS April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May Jud 11-2; Ps 50; 2 Cor 1 Jud 13-16; 2 Cor 2 Jud 17-18; Ps 89; 2 Cor 3 Jud 19-21; 2 Cor 4 Ruth 1-2; Ps 53-61; 2 Cor 5 Ruth 3-4; Ps 64-65; 2 Cor 6 1 Sam 1-2; Ps 66; 2 Cor 7 1 Sam 3-5; Ps 77; 2 Cor 8 1 Sam 6-7; Ps 72; 2 Cor 9 1 Sam 8-10; 2 Cor 10 1 Sam 11-12; 1 Chro 1; 2 Cor 11 1 Sam 13; 1 Chro 2-3; 2 Cor 12 1 Sam 14; 1 Chro 4; 2 Cor 13 1 Sam 15-16; 1 Chro 5; Matt 1 1 Sam 17; Ps 9; Matt 2 1 Sam 18; 1 Chr 6; Ps 11; Matt 3 1 Sam 19; 1 Chr 7; Ps 59; Matt 4 1 Sam 20-21; Ps 34; Matt 5 1 Sam 22; Ps 17, 35; Matt 6 1 Sam 23; Ps 31, 54; Matt 7 1 Sam 24; Ps 57-58; 1 Chr 8; Matt 8 1 Sam 25-26; Ps 63; Matt 9 1 Sam 27; Ps 141; 1 Chr 9; Matt 10 1 Sam 28-29; Ps 109; Matt 12 1 Sam 30-31; 1 Chr 10; Matt 12 2 Sam 1; Ps 140; Matt 13 2 Sam 2; 1 Chr 11; Ps 142; Matt 14 2 Sam 3; 1 Chr 12; Matt 15 2 Sam 4,5; Ps 139; Matt 16 2 Sam 6; 1 Chr 13; Ps 68; Matt 17
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
1 Ps 14-15; Ps 132; Matt 18 1 Ps 16; Ps 106; Matt 19 2 Sam 7; 1 Ps 17; Ps 2; Matt 20 2 Sam 8-9; 1 Ps 18; Matt 21 2 Sam 10; 1 Ps 19,20; Ps 20; Matt 22 2 Sam 11-12; Ps 51; Matt 23 2 Sam 13-14; Matt 24 2 Sam 15-16; Ps 32; Matt 25 2 Sam 17; Ps 71; Matt 26 2 Sam 18; Ps 56; Matt 27 2 Sam 19-20; Ps 55; Matt 28 2 Sam 21-23; 1 Thess 1 2 Sam 24; 1 Ps 21; Ps 30; 1 Thess 2 1 Ps 22-24; 1 Thess 3 1 Ps 25-27; 1 Thess 4 1 Kings 1; 1 Ps 28; Ps 91; 1 Thess 5 1 Kings 2; 1 Ps 29; Ps 95; 2 Thess 1 1 Kings 3; 2 Ps 1; Ps 78; 2 Thess 2 1 Kings 4-5; 2 Ps 2; Ps 101; 2 Thess 3 1 Kings 6; 2 Ps 3; Ps 97; Rom 1 1 Kings 7; 2 Ps 4; Ps 98; Rom 2 1 Kings 8; 2 Ps 5; Ps 99; Rom 3 2 Ps 6-7; Ps 135; Rom 4 1 Kings 9; 2 Ps 8; Ps 136; Rom 5 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Ps 9; Rom 6 Prov 1-3; Rom 7 Prov 4-6; Rom 8 Prov 7-9; Rom 9 Prov 10-12; Rom 10 Prov 13-15; Rom 11 Prov 16-18; Rom 12
APRIL / MAY CALENDAR April 7 8 14 21 28
Celebration Services // 9.30 & 6pm* Focus Leadership Meeting // 6.30pm Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm* // New Friends Lunch after AM service Celebration Services // 9:30am & 6pm* Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm*
May 5 6 12 18 19 26
Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm* Focus Leadership Meeting // 6:30pm Mother’s Day Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm* The 100 Year Banquet Celebration Special 100 Year Celebration Services // 9:30am & 6pm* Pentecost Sunday w/ special guest James Macpherson Celebration Services w/ special guest Shane Willard // 9:30am & 6pm*
* Join us at 5pm for Powerhouse Prayer!
MCF BANKING DETAILS Account number: 69481 8914 BSB: 084 792 Please label your transfer with the appropriate title so we can direct your money to the right area. eg. ‘tithes and offering’, ‘Leroy sponsorship’, or ‘missions’ etc. Cheques should be made payable to: Mackay Christian Family APRIL | MAY 13 /// 19
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.MCF.ORG.AU