All three services at CBC will be invited to join together in 21 days of prayer in the lead up to, and early days, of the Church Health Review – Tim Burns, the Senior Church Consultant, will be preaching at CBC on Sunday the 8th August.
Everyone at CBC will either receive a daily short reminder to pray (if they have a mobile phone), or will receive a weekly email/letter with the same reminder. The church leadership are keen to see everyone engaging with the process and to be seeking God’s will and plan for Carlingford Baptist Church as we embark on a new season together.
Church Wide Pastoral Care, Support & Encouragement – July 2021
Since the events of the past few weeks and the reintroduction of significant restrictions being placed on those who reside in the greater Sydney region, we find ourselves in a situation that echoes much of what we went through in 2020 – and we hoped would not be repeated.
The overall policy of “physical distancing” while fostering “social connection” raises genuine issues for Christian churches and a whole range of other community and religious groups. We are not alone in this. Regardless of any strategies we may implement, this season will test our resilience, and creativity, in the weeks ahead.
We are already seeing our services return to the “on-line” option. In addition we are finding an increase in “Zoom” meetings rather than the preferred method of meeting in person. Council meetings, interviews for the Youth & Young Adult Worker position and other necessary meetings that would normally be conducted face to face have all be conducted via Zoom over the last few days.
The uncertainty and isolation can lead to people feeling anxious – managing our anxiety will be crucial for our overall health. Whilst there is no “one size fits all” response to this there are some strategies we can all implement.
Look up – be aware that God is with you. “He is our strength and refuge”. Deliberately take the time to feed your soul during this time, rest in the Scriptures, look at reading some books you have overlooked in your bookshelf [anything by Richard Foster, Phillip Yancey, Eugene Peterson, Tom Wright will encourage and challenge you], try one of the many devotional Apps available [I use Lectio365 – which can be downloaded for free on your phone] which has a short morning and evening reflective devotion]
Look in – if you are feeling anxious [and that’s OK] ask yourself “what is it I am worried about?” Share your feelings with trusted friends or with one of the pastors or elders. Don’t let anxious thoughts define who you are during this time. “I’d say you’d do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best not the worst; the beautiful not the ugly; things the praise, not things to curse” Phil 4:8 The Message
Look out – Reach out to others to encourage them, to speak out life and truth. “Love one another” Be conscious of the Spirit’s prompting and act on it. Keep up regular connections with family and friends. If the Spirit prompts you to give someone a call, give them a call. Pray for those who you know may be vulnerable during this lockdown.
Be thankful – “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thess 5:18
The Pastoral Care Team – Joy, Margaret, Rachael, Dianne, Sid – are checking in with each other each week by Zoom and are making calls to see how individuals are going. Thanks to Dianne for her weekly prayer update!
Thank you and blessings to you as we journey together through this season … Pastor Sid
Please be aware that Church is closed for all services on Sunday due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Lockdown commences at 6pm Saturday 26 June and ends at midnight on Friday 9 July. We suggest you perhaps access one of the recorded services from the website https://www.carlingford-baptist.org/service-recordings/.
We are planning a service to livestream for next Sunday, 4 July, which will be live streamed over the internet. Please watch the website https://www.carlingford-baptist.org/ for notification of events and services.
