2013 june | july
JUNE | JULY 13 /// 1
PARDON ME BUT YOUR ATTITUDE IS SHOWING words by Sharryn Westbrook
One thing I detest is poor customer service, primarily because I have no point of reference for it. I do not understand the distain some shop assistants exemplify, as if I am interrupting them or causing an inconvenience by daring to expect service! I often walk away with the distinct impression they believe they’ve done me a favour! From time to time I have taken the opportunity to highlight to them, the power of my spending $, their role in providing customer service and my expectation as a consumer. (I know, some of you wish you could be a fly on the wall at such times!) Sadly, my rhetoric tends to fall on deaf ears. 2 /// JUNE | JULY 13
John Maxwell says “Attitude is really about how a person is. That overflows into how he acts”. With that in mind, the Bible says it this way: “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” and “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” Many people allow their emotions to dictate how they will respond or react to the people and circumstances around them, on any given day. They feel entitled to burn people with their words, their facial expressions (my favourite is the eye-rolling pouter!) or their attitude because they have ‘stuff going on’. Hello! Who doesn’t?! We are always responsible for our attitude.
... a negative attitude is like a disease that permeates our thinking and frames our world, confining and restricting us, spilling out onto those around us, often contaminating them. Attitude is not a small thing; attitude is everything. When it is positive and conducive to growth, it expands the mind to all sorts of possibilities and is infectious to others. However a negative attitude is like a disease that permeates our thinking and frames our world, confining and restricting us, spilling out onto those around us, often contaminating them. Charles Swindol writes:
“It is your attitude not your aptitude which determines your altitude” (unknown)
“The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we all have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact other people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you.... we are all in charge of our attitudes”. “It is your attitude not your aptitude which determines your altitude” (unknown) JUNE | JULY 13 /// 3
CONTENTS p. 4
// fyi.
p. 6
// coming up
p. 8
// mcf ministries
p. 16 // 100 year highlights p. 18 // journal readings p. 19 // calendar
NEW FRIENDS & FOCUS MEETING DATES FOCUS MEETING ///////////////////// Saturday 13th July @ 7pm with Steve Kennedy
DISCOVERY COURSES BACK on! Our Discovery Courses are starting back up in June! 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!
ZACH mACH 2013: THANKYOU The inaugural ZACH MACH Adventure Challenge was a huge success on Saturday 11th May. Thank you to all those who volunteered and contributed to make the day a huge success in our community. The 2014 ZACH MACH hopes to be even bigger and better! Keep an eye out for it!
UPCOMING TRAINING COURSES The Marriage Course /////////////// Friday Nights starting 12th July
Managing Your Money ///////////// NEW FRIENDS LUNCH ///////////// Sunday 16th June @ 12pm Sunday 21st July @ 12pm 4 /// JUNE | JULY 13
Friday nights starting 16th August To sign up or for more information please see the Information desk
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COMING UP We are privileged to have world-class guest ministry at MCF over the next two months. Check it out!
RAJU SUNDAS Pastor Raju Sundas is the Senior Pastor of Hosanna Church in Kathmandu, Nepal, and is also the man behind the Badi children rescue mission. Pastor Raju’s devotion to God’s call on his life and his heart behind rescuing, and adding value to the Badi people will inspire you. Don’t miss this incredible weekend!
STEVE KENNEDY We are excited to have Pastor Steve Kennedy join us at MCF. Pastor Steve Kennedy along with his wife Susie pastor Redland City Church. He is also the State Vice President of Australian Christian Churches. Pastor Steve is a funny, down-to-earth dynamic leader and communicatior who is passionate in championing the next generation of emerging leaders in our nation.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT PASTOR CHRIS OR KATIE CAMPBELL AT info@mcf.org.au
JUNE | JULY 13 /// 7
// 50 and better //
words by Pastor Jill Hyatt I missed my Church Family a lot while I was away for a whole month welcoming our new Granddaughter into the world, Ruby Jay Stevens born on the 17/04/13 ....do you think she looks like me? I am pleased to have caught up with my leaders to find that the Life Groups are not only doing well, but are thriving, inviting our new friends to join, and engaging in different community or social events. Once again as Mother’s Day approached we shopped for the DV shelters in town with the monies we have raised through donations that are from the church family usually around meal time on a Sunday night. Thank you to the ladies that helped prepare and wrap the gifts etc. When these bundles were delivered, the people in charge shared with us again how much these gifts mean to these mothers who find themselves in difficult circumstances. So thank you church you are a true blessing!
EATING TOGETHER It’s not about the eating but rather about the together, and having dinner at church on a Sunday night has changed the way we can connect. Invite someone to come and stay for dinner. The hospitably team deserves to be congratulated on consistently producing wonderful dinners every Sunday night. Thank you team and God Bless You MCF! 8 /// JUNE | JULY 13
MOVING FORWARD // couples & families // words by Simon & Jacquie Stubbs
I have heard it said that sometimes you don’t know how sick you are until you start getting better, especially if it has been a long slow developing sickness. You probably didn’t even notice it happening until one day you couldn’t get out of bed. Our spiritual and emotional lives can be like that - sometimes we wake up and it’s hard getting out of bed and you need a little help. Sometimes you just need help to take the next step. This is because if you stayed where you are it would be the same as going backwards. Imagine yourself standing in a river with the water constantly flowing past you and taking the very ground you are standing
on with it. You haven’t moved but everything underneath and around you is moving forward and away from you. Simon and I have been blessed to be a part of the Man to Man and Woman to Woman courses. It’s been such an a honour to walk with people as they take the next step in their relationship with God, their spouses, their families, and everyone they connect with. We have a confidence that God has a plan for each of us and these courses are tools that He uses to equip His army for the road ahead and help us keep moving forward!
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CHRISTCENTRED KIDS
// kids // words by Cheryl Greer
I am very excited that Kings Kids and KICK have their own separate programs again. YAY!! Caleb Bedville is leading the way in the KICK group for children in Years 4-7 and having an amazing, fun, relevant and Christ-filled morning with them. We would like to come alongside you as parents and encourage your children in having a healthy relationship with God. We do this by having a team that loves God and desires to serve Him in ministering to children, just as you minister to them at home. We teach your children verses out of 10 /// JUNE | JULY 13
the Bible that will help them now and in the future to live and speak God’s Word with power and authority in their lives. We also share stories out of the Bible just as Jesus always shared stories, so they can know how to live a Christ-centred life and to walk with authority and confidence knowing that Jesus is always with us; that He is our strength, that He is our provider, that we can always put our trust in Him. So please ask your children what verse we have shared with them each Sunday and encourage them to learn it during the week. You never know what miracle God will do when we use His Word with authority and power.
We also share stories out of the Bible just as Jesus always shared stories, so they can know how to live a Christ-centred life and to walk with authority and confidence knowing that Jesus is always with us Our children are very important and we want the very best for them. We want to ensure that they grow up with a healthy relationship with Christ so that our nation can have Christ focused police, nurses, doctors, teachers, politicians etc, and that God will be glorified and they will be blessed. Our children are our future; let’s invest as much as we can into them!
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CHANGE IS GOOD
words by Melissa Lloyd-Jones
Some people can’t stand change, I love it, I’m addicted to it. If there was a support group, I would have to join it! Change isn’t always fun and its easy to be overwhelmed by new decisions, new people and new arrangements in your life. As young adults, we seem to experience so much change and go through a lot of transitions in our lives. From single to in a relationship, to married, to a mum (or dad) or from a student to a broke student (University) to a full time job, to a full time parent or from living at home to living in a foreign country to… living at home again….! No matter what you are going through and what stage you are at, here are 4 thoughts that have helped me on bringing change into perspective. 12 /// JUNE | JULY 13
1. God’s got you here and He is ALWAYS good – You aren’t walking through this change alone. God will take you into and out of this season and here’s the good news… “He can’t fail you!” literally, cannot let you down! Even when it doesn’t feel successful, watch what God can do with excitement and expectation. He’s always good. Even when we don’t do so well, he works all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
2. Can I get a reign check?
God might have you in this place of change… but are you taking the wheel? I often get carried away with controlling things and then wonder why I’m so tired and hating the season I’m in.
A small voice inside my head says “… Uh, Mel? Can I get a reign check?, who’s in control here sister girl? I got you here… let me take the wheel…”
3. Am I still loving people in this season? – When I was in Malaysia in 2010 on a missions internship, I was so homesick for the first month after Ps Tim, Ps Kat and Jen du Toit left, I would cry every day and restrain myself from calling Ps Denise to tell her to ring the organisation to let me go home. I had 6 months of the internship left and I was determined not to do it! One day this thought came into my head “are you still loving people in this season?” I then chose every day to throw myself into the culture, the people and the season after all loving God and loving people is what life is all about. Choose to deliberately love God and deliberately love people in each season.
4. Laugh – Find a friend, have a laugh. This is my favourite thought and probably why I’m such good friends with Ps Jill Hyatt (she’s always good for a laugh even in hard times). You can either laugh or cry in your season, I always choose to laugh, I choose to laugh at how frustrated I am and how out of my control I feel my life is. Matthew 6:27 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” Worrying is actually proven to be toxic to your body. Have a laugh, laugh it out, find a friend, hire a funny movie, Youtube a comedian or hang out with Hannah Weir… either way have a good laugh!
GRAB YOUR CALENDAR AND DON'T MISS THESE EVENTS! JUNE 20TH Morning Tea with Special Guest John Morgan. RSVP for catering purposes by Saturday 15th June 2013
FRIDAY 26TH JULY SAVE THE DATE!!! Winter Camp Out, more details to come! Check out facebook.com/MCfYAYF and stay connected!
JUNE | JULY 13 /// 13
WHAT JUSTIN BIEBER TAUGHT ME ABOUT WORSHIP.
words by Jen du Toit
A couple of weeks ago my husband Jacques and I were forced by our house-mate to watch the movie-documentary about Justin Bieber and his journey to fame and international notoriety. I say, “forced” because neither of us are “Beliebers”. Despite our prejudice, it didn’t take a lot of convincing for us to realize this kid was more than a pretty face – he sadly was disgustingly talented. Towards the end of the documentary, Justin is about to conclude his massive show in one of New York’s most prestigious entertainment venues the, Madison Square Garden, with his most famous song, “Baby”. We watch in bewilderment as the packed out venue go into a frenzy and it becomes a sensory overload. Fireworks are exploding, dancers and musicians are going ballistic, and the fans are screaming and 14 /// JUNE | JULY 13
crying of course! It’s pandemonium! Before we can even blink and take everything in, the song’s finished, Justin goes backstage, his team congratulate him and the credits start rolling. And his fans? Well they’re left to continue weeping, wailing, flailing over this prepubescent boy and his songs, and as funny and slightly disturbing it was witnessing this, for those girls and fans it was a real experience, touching real emotions. When Jacques and I switched the TV off, we were left a little disturbed that a human could get that kind of worship and affirmation AND affect people to reach such intense emotions. But it reminded us that music is a powerful vehicle that doesn’t just affect our ears, but it can affect our souls. It can make us cry,
smile, angry, dance, shout, the list goes on. Our conclusion is that music is not merely a physical experience but a spiritual vehicle. In fact it would be crazy to say music isn’t a spiritual vehicle. From religion to politics, to national anthems to education, music has played a HUGE, if not has been THE vehicle to ingrain ideologies, identity, theories, catch phrases to people groups, nations, and generations. Something this powerful cannot be simply seen as something man manufactured – it was designed by the Divine Creator. This thought reminded us that there’s an enemy whose job prior to getting booted from heaven was leading heaven to worship the one and Only God. “It” (who doesn’t deserve to be named) was mad enough to think that he deserved higher praise than God. So here’s the situation, if this punk understands the power of music and how it was created in order that we could worship God and no one else, wouldn’t it make sense that his sole aim is to direct people to glorify something else other than God? Can someone say, “Insert Justin Bieber here”? So what am I saying? Justin Bieber is the devil? The sarcastic side of me says, “Yes he is! Run away!”, but that’s unfortunately not my point. My point is, be reminded that if people can cry and wail and go ape over a guy like Justin Bieber who didn’t save anyone from eternal death and give eternal life, how much more should we lift up our Saviour when we
Creative. Thursday nights 6.30 AT Powerhouse
express our worship through music! Don’t see it as Christian karaoke because it’s far from that! It’s a chance to remind the enemy who truly deserves the utmost praise, glory and honour – the KING of KINGS! Sure I’m grateful for talented singers and musicians, but I reckon if those artists understood the true power of using their gifts to lift up their Saviour’s name and not their own, I think you’d find the world would not be affected with good music but more importantly the world start colliding with their Creator. JUNE | JULY 13 /// 15
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a big thanks t to make this we
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ear highlights
to all who helped an unforgettable eekend!
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JOURNAL READINGS June 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
July Prov 19-21; Rom 13 Prov 22-24; Rom 14 Prov 25-27; Rom 15 Prov 28-29; Ps 60; Rom 16 Prov 30-31; Ps 33; Eph 1 Ecc 1-3; Ps 45; Eph 2 Ecc 4-6; Ps 18; Eph 3 Ecc 7-9; Eph 4 Ecc 10-12; Ps 94; Eph 5 SongofS 1-4; Eph 6 SongofS 5-8; Phil 1 1 Kings 12; 2 Chron 10-11; Phil 2 1 Kings 13, 14; 2 Chron 12; Phil 3 1 Kings 15; 2 Chron 13-14; Phil 4 1 Kings 16; 2 Chron 15-16; Col 1 1 Kings 17-19; Col 2 1 Kings 20-21; 2 Chron 17; Col 3 1 Kings 22; 2 Chron 18, 19; Col 4 2 Kings 1-3; Ps 82; 1 Tim 1 2 Kings 4-5; Ps 83; 1 Tim 2 2 Kings 6-7; 2 Chron 20; 1 Tim 3 2 Kings 8-9; 2 Chron 21; 1 Tim 4 2 Kings 10; 2 Chron 22-23; 1 Tim 5 2 Kings 11-12; 2 Chron 24; 1 Tim 6 Joel 1-3; 2 Tim 1 Jonah 1-4; 2 Tim 2 2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chron 25; 2 Tim 3 Amos 1-3; Ps 80; 2 Tim 4 Amos 4-6; Ps 85; Titus 1 Amos 7-9; Ps 104; Titus 2
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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
Is 1-3; Titus 3 Is 4-5; Ps 115,116; Jude Is 6-7; 2 Chron 26-27; Phile 2 Kings 15-16; Hosea 1; Heb 1 Hosea 2-5; Heb 2 Hosea 6-9; Heb 3 Hosea 10-12; Ps 73; Heb 4 Hosea 13-14; Ps 100, 102; Heb 5 Micah 1-4; Heb 6 Micah 5-7; Heb 7 Is 8-10; Heb 8 Is 11-14; Heb 9 Is 15-18; Heb 10 Is 19-21; Heb 11 Is 22-24; Heb 12 Is 25-28; Heb 13 Is 29-31; James 1 Is 32-35; James 2 2 Kings 17; 2 Chron 28; Ps 46; James 3 2 Chron 29-31; James 4 2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chron 32; James 5 Is 36-37; Ps 76; 1 Pet 1 2 Kings 20; Is 38-39; Ps 75; 1 Pet 2 Is 40-42; 1 Pet 3 Is 43-45; 1 Pet 4 Is 46-49; 1 Pet 5 Is 50-52; Ps 92; 2 Pet 1 Is 53-56; 2 Pet 2 Is 57-59; Ps 103; 2 Pet 3 Is 60-62; John 1 Is 63-64; Ps 107; John 2
JUNE / JULY CALENDAR June 2 9 13 16 20-23 23 30
9:30am Celebration service // w/ special guest Bob Mann 6pm* Celebration service // Water Baptism Party Celebration Services // 9:30am & 6pm* Dare to Dream Women’s Event // @ New Life Church // 7pm Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm* // New Friends Lunch after AM service Revolution Youth Winter Camp 9:30am Celebration service // 6pm* Celebration service // w/ special guest John Morgan Celebration Services w/ special guest Raju Sundas // 9:30am & 6pm*
July 7 Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm* 13 Focus Meeting // w/ special guest Steve Kennedy // 7pm 14 Celebration Services w/ special guest Steve Kennedy // 9:30am & 6pm* 21 Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm* // New Friends Lunch after AM service 27 Mackay Christian College Open Day // 3pm - 7pm 28 Celebration Services // 9.30am & 6pm* 31 Whitsunday Regional Meeting @ MCF // 7pm * 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’, ‘Badi sponsorship’, or ‘missions’ etc. Cheques should be made payable to: Mackay Christian Family JUNE | JULY 13 /// 19
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.MCF.ORG.AU