The HOPE Project is simply a vehicle for INTENTIONALLY and PRO-ACTIVELY representing the culture of Heaven OR the Kingdom of God ‘on Earth as it IS in heaven’.
Here are some of this week’s stories …
HOPE College is HERE
During the week we became an official provider of accredited competency based training approved to offer TWO nationally recognized qualifications.
BSB42015 Cert IV in Leadership and Management
BSB51915 Diploma in Leadership and Management.
Our ‘HOPE College’ will be a campus of ‘Christian Leaders Training Academy’ and the framework we will operate with is one that Graeme has been working towards with partner Jason Potter for a couple of decades. Jason, who developed and coordinated local church based ministry training for the Australian College of Ministries, has done the logistical leg work, creating the appropriate connections etc. and now we are ready to start equipping our volunteers with tools that will enable participants to be trained as missionaries and community leaders right here whilst enabling them to apply for any job that requires a Cert IV or Dip in Leadership and Management.
God’s timing is always perfect. PLEASE PRAY with us as we advertise to Year 12 students in our local High Schools to seek out any potential missionary trainee who would like to receive a scholarship for their Year 13 or Gap Year that will open the doors for us to explore youth and young adult’s ministry in our focus communities.
Talk with Graeme if you’d like to help make a scholarship possible … thank you
Not Just Another BBQ
On Friday, Graeme joined with Combined Northern Illawarra Churches Christian Education Board Chair John Armour and endorsed Scripture Teacher Leanne Begg to provide a free BBQ Brekky for Year 11 Students at Corrimal High School prior to the start of their exams for 2017. It was an amazing 90mins of connection and interaction with students and staff alike with many comments about how glad the school is to have such an excellent scripture teacher and the caring support of the churches. CHS is a school that is desperate to rise up and we have an opportunity to help create kingdom spaces where that can occur and be accelerated. There is a genuine ‘heart’ openness to Jesus and so we need to PRAY for the school, the students, their families, the staff and we also need to PRAY that God would keep showing us how we can play OUR part.
Sing Choirs of Angels
On Thursday we commenced a campaign to recruit Years 4, 5 and 6 children from Corrimal East Public School who might like to sing in our ‘HOPE Children’s Choir’. The idea is to see if we can find a half a dozen or so ‘singers’ from our neighbourhood that Karen and Graeme can work with after school once a week from the beginning of Term 4 towards performing Christmas musical items as part of our annual ‘Carols on the Lawn’ scheduled for Sunday 10th December. PLEASE PRAY for the recruiting message to find a way into the hands of children and their parents over the next 3 or 4 weeks in such a way that there might be an enthusiastic response from those that God has prepared to join with us for this exciting journey. PRAY for the school to be open to it and helpful in spreading the news. PRAY that this small opportunity might open bigger doors of connection with our local school and the community. PRAY that Karen especially will have great rapport with children who respond and that come December we see another safe space within which Kingdom truth and values can be shared so hearts are transformed.
Here’s the Link to What’s Happening at the HUB this week
http://corrimalcommunitychurch.com.au/blog/9-uncategorised/7-click-here
What DID Jesus actually DO?
Each week between now and Christmas we will explore a Chapter of Mark’s gospel together for the sole purpose of discovering what Jesus DID (not what we think He did) so we can take what we learn and put it into ACTION; demonstrating the Kingdom of God in our everyday circumstances and relationships – just like Jesus did.
Here is Graeme’s summary from Mark Chapter TWO. Don’t forget to find someone to share YOUR discoveries with and pray together with for outcomes that represent something ‘ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN’.
Mark Chapter Two (What did Jesus actually DO?)
- Jesus didn’t forsake or ignore His home. He intentionally engaged with His home community, no matter how challenging that can be. (vs 1)
- Jesus PREACHED (i.e. represented the living word of God) as priority. The WORD made flesh and DWELT on earth. (vs 2)
- Jesus was always on the lookout for FAITH. (vs 5)
- Jesus forgave SINS. In the name of Jesus people’s sins can be and are forgiven. IN Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. (vs 5)
- Jesus’ spirit was attuned to what was happening around Him. He could discern and hear hearts. He could do this because of His ONE ness with the Father. Where Jesus was, the immediate presence and discernment of God was also. (vs 8)
- Jesus didn’t ignore or despise genuine seeking. Every ‘kingdom come’ space was an opportunity to re-align; re-connect people to the reality of heaven (vs 9)
- Jesus didn’t just NOT ignore, He acted and was a conduit a vessel for the compassion and power of God. He didn’t just describe the kingdom, He DID the kingdom. (vs 10-11)
- Jesus healed holistically. It wasn’t just good news for health it was GOOD NEWS that transforms life completely. The healed man’s public walk out changes his heart and others’ hearts. (vs 11)
- Jesus proactively sought to teach IN SITU, where he was whenever He was there. The gospel transforms by engagement. AS He walked, he engaged. He saw God as he journeyed and imparted in the hallways and traffic flow areas more than in the halls and designated spaces. (vs 13-14)
- Jesus found faith as He walked and talked. He saw it in a despised person and sealed that person’s positive response to actually follow over a meal WITH him, IN his safe space. (vs 14)
- Jesus never hid from the uncomfortable, He just engaged openly and trusted God (vs 15)
- Jesus shared Kingdom truth with ALL seekers, however veiled the question (vs 15)
- Jesus takes all opportunities to re-affirm and stay ON TASK (vs 16-17)
- (vs 18-22 see any Sunday 10Sep17 message notes)
- Jesus DID as the Spirit led however it impacted religious observance. He ate SO he could engage the NON-kingdom culture (vs 23-27)
More next week ….