It’s official– Simon Chaplin is joining us full-time next year!. We all know and love Simon and so will recognise that this is a blessing from God. Parish Council has been quietly praying that this might be possible for some time.
Simon will have oversight of the children and youth at St Mark’s. This will include being responsible for our Kid’s spot at 10 am, Kid’s church, Kid’s Plus and Youth group, and the recruitment and training of leaders (meeting one to one with leaders). And we have many more ideas that Simon will help us with, for example a holiday camp for High Schoolers; a third service on Sunday afternoons (a family service with a light meal for the kids, which would be different to anything else we are doing, and aim to reach Rugby League and Nipper families); and Connect 09, involving a major door knocking campaign and everything else that goes with it. It will be truly excellent to have Simon to help in all these areas, to contact and connect with newcomers and start up new ministry groups, as we believe this is the strategy by which we will grow.
It is a significant expense employing any staff, and involves a certain amount of faith, yet parish council came to a unanimous decision to employ Simon. We have received some financial assistance towards this (a special reducing grant from South Sydney Regional Council), however we are seeking an increase in offertories as well. Most important is that we have a strong finish in 2008. Please review your giving now and give generously to this vital and strategic work! We have a $6,000 deficit which has crept up on us, and if we all take responsibility for it we can close the gap today. I am convinced more and more every day that our world needs to know about Jesus, and I am grieved at the ignorance of our Lord in our schools, workplaces, and media. I do see this as a beautiful answer to prayer– Jesus himself said- “the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest”. We are not a big church, but we have the almighty God on our side who is more willing to answer our prayers and bless than we are to ask. Praise God for this news and support it with all your heart. In His service, Andrew.