Before we got into the Old Testament book of Judges on Sunday, I did something that wasn’t particularly controversial – I just gave a  presentation on ‘Christians and How They Should Vote’.  With the upcoming Australian Federal Election, like I said, nothing contorversial at all!  But it was all about the Christian worldview of politics and public policy.  After Sunday I got several comments from people that they found the presentation helpful, and as far as I can tell, no one’s left church yet because of what I said!  There were 6 points that I covered.  Here’s a summary:

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Throughout July and August at freshchurch we will be going through the Old Testament book of Judges. This is a book that tells the story of various leaders or ‘judges’, God sent to save Israel in a very dark time in their history. These men and women are a colourful bunch - brave yet sometimes scared, wise yet sometimes downright stupid, faithful to God yet sometimes worshipping false idols.  It’s the story of God who constantly sends a saviour, however imperfect they were. We’ll learn about how God sends a perfect saviour for us.

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The Brisbane GROW conference on Saturday 31 July is for women of any age and any stage. Registration costs $50 which includes morning tea and lunch.  We hope to have a lot of women from freshchurch there for the day. It will be a great time.  Reserve the date now! For more information, you can contact kirsty@freshchurch.net

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On Sundays we’re working our way through Luke’s Gospel. This Sunday we’ll be looking at the time when Jesus said the most radical and counter-cultural words ever spoken-  ’LOVE YOUR ENEMIES’.  Think about it….can you do this? Can you love the person who hates you and is out to destroy you? Is this an impossible thing? At Eatons Hill Presbyterian church on Sunday, this what we’ll be learning about together.  Come along and join us, and discover just how radical Jesus was, and how radical he wants his followers to be.

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Over this past weekend freshchurch has delivered copies of ‘The Essential Jesus’ to homes around Eatons Hill. If you yourself have received one, we do hope you take the time to have a read of this book which contains ‘Luke’s Gospel’ as found in the Bible.

We hear many opinions about Jesus, so why not go straight to the source and read this 1st century document and learn about this man who’s been shaping history for the last 2000 years. If you’d like to give any feedback, please do so.  Or if you’d like to investigate further by receiving more literature or by doing a short course about Jesus, please also do contact us. You can send an email to: andrew@freshchurch.net  You also might like to check out church for yourself. A perfect opportunity is our Blue Moon Sunday on 23 May.

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Last weekend, fathers from freshchurch took their sons away for a weekend away at Maleny.  Go-carts, bushwalking, sports, mucking around in the rain and in-door games were all part of the fun.  There was also a session for the men and boys to explore through the Old Testament book of Proverbs - looking at what it means to be a wise man who follows Jesus. It was a great time for all.

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“What really happened back then in the first century, in Jerusalem and around the lake of Galilee, that changed the shape of world history? Who is this figure that emerges from the past to have a profound impact on culture, ethics, politics and philosophy?”  These are the questions that the DVD course ’Life of Jesus’ explores.  Shot on location in Israel, this series of 6 episodes introduces us to what we know of the historical Jesus. 

In term 2, the freshchurch mid-week ‘growth groups’ will be going through ‘Life of Jesus’ and it promises to be a great 6 weeks.  This course is for anyone – whether they’ve been a follower of Jesus for 10 years, 10 days, or are in the process of investigating.  If you want to find out more about freshchruch or about the ‘Life of Jesus’ course that we’ll be running over April and May 2010, contact garnet@freshchurch.net

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Tonight we hung up our 4 metre banner to promote Easter at freshchurch.  If you drive along Eatons Crossing Road, Eatons Hill, you’ll be able to easily spot it out the front of the IGA shopping complex. The banner may be oh-so corny but the message of Easter is nothing but epic. Make your Easter weekend even more special and join us on Good Friday and Easter Sunday at 930am.

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Across Australia on 28 March a campaign is being run called ’Neighbour Day’. It’s a campaign being promoted by media outlets as well as the federal government.  In the words of Kevin Rudd ‘Neighbour Day’ is “an opportunity to make those connections with people in our local communities…Strong communities start with strong streets. Strong streets begin with neighbours who care and look out for each other.”  Check out the website www.neighbourday.org to learn more.  But at freshchurch we think this is a great idea. We want to grow followers of Jesus and we’re committed to serving our communities.  So why not build bridges to our own streets and be neighbourly to our neighbours!  Let’s have some fun in relationship with others! Over the next few weeks the plan is to share ideas amongst ourselves of what different people at church are doing over the whole weekend.  Where ever you are – over the weekend of 27-28 March, consider getting involved and do something with your neighbours.

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