the junction

We’re back for 2010 with our first Big Gathering to be held this Sunday at our meeting place of choice - Doveton Neighbourhood Learning Centre.

Starting time is 10.30am as usual, more details will follow by email.

This year some of our Gatherings will not be held on the first Sunday as usual, due to clashing with school holidays or long weekends.

Some sad and challenging news about Carter our 7 year old.

For those who haven’t heard, Carter our 7 year old, has been diagnosed yesterday with “ALL” Leukaemia, he’s in the University of Chicago Hospital-children’s ward. He is receiving world class care, Community-our church has been outstanding in loving and helping us,

Carter is being very brave & in good spirits despite having had a blood transfusion and several serious procedures.

They’ve been gone over a month, but its still easy to not realise they aren’t around somewhere. After all, the Junction only gets together as a big group once a month and we always have a break in January, with many people taking holidays.

But the Hammonds have arrived and settled into their new home in Chicago and are settling in well from what I can tell.

How can I tell?

The Junction and friends braved the typical, unpredictable Melbourne weather to gather together at Crystal Brook Park at Cardinia Reservoir, to spend some last times with the Hammonds, before the leave on 9th December.

Disregarding both sun and rain, we took the opportunity to do what the Junction does so well - eat and share life.

We will bid a last farewell to the Hammonds at our gathering next Sunday, so be sure to join us there.

Dave Ferguson is the pastor from Chicago that the Hammonds will be working with. He visited Australia recently and we heard him speak at the Casey Combined Churches service, where the Hammonds were commissioned for their US endeavour. Here’s what I took away from his message.

Studies have shown that Christians are no more likely to help the homeless, than non-Christians.

At the Casey Combined Church Service last weekend, where the Hammonds were commissioned, a pastor from the Casey Pastor’s Network outlined some of the local missions work being done by local churches. So here’s some inspiration for us as we look to what we want the Junction to be doing.

Background first. The Casey Pastors Network has been running for 15 years and has 46 local churches connected to it. It also comprises the Casey Youth Network and the Casey Leaders Network.

Meals are a big mission field.

Wynand de Koch is the Principal of Tabor College and was our guest speaker at the November Gathering.

Growing up, Wynand believed that God was a grumpy old man, with strict rules, who could turn on you quickly, swallow you up for no good reason. It wasn’t a healthy view.

However, after hearing then Bishop Desmond Tutu speak, his whole world was shaken.

Steve started with the story of a missionary to the Masai warriors. When he asked them what they would do if they ever met God, one warrior replied that he would run his spear into this stomach.

We then talked about we would describe God.

I read this on Seth Godin’s blog a while ago and it resonated with me.

A few weeks ago, I was out walking our dog along the back fence line on one edge of our housing estate, when it started raining quite heavily. It was too far to run to find an entrance back into the estate, to find a place where I could find some shelter, so I stuck as close to the fence line as I could.