As part of my devotions I have been reading ‘Praying through the psalms’ by Rev’d Yohanna Katanacho, a Palestinian Israeli evangelical. He has a fascinating personal story of growing up as a Palestinian in Israel, the struggles and the faith journey that was his, and his eventual conversion from atheist to Christian. One of the beautiful things about the psalms is that these are the songs of God’s people which have been collected from many centuries before Jesus. They are a treasure of poetry and prophecy, filled with the daily struggles and joys that we put into our own music now, but with the focus always on a life of faith. For me, using the psalms for my prayers throughout very difficult times of life has been a lifeline to the Lord. The psalmists are real about their pain, their struggles, their joys and their triumphs. To be able to read these eternal words in the midst of my own troubles and joys helps me to put words to my experience which have the weight of the word of God, and yet allow me to be a human being. We all know the words of Psalm 23, but the cry of ‘how long O Lord?’ in the midst of what seems like never ending trouble. The joy of ‘I will sing to God with all my strength’. The beauty of ‘My hope is in the Lord who made heaven and earth’. The comfort of ‘commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will act’. These words are also deserving of reading and sitting with on a daily basis as a guide to prayer. Yohanna Katanacho was in a terrible situation with war and destruction around him and his family. He needed to find a way to stabilise in the midst of the stress he was under, and as he sought a way to walk through those dark times and not falter, he went out to pray the psalms every morning and every evening, writing his responses in prayer in a journal. Why not take out a journal, read a psalm each day, and write down the response of your heart to the heart words of the psalmists? Perhaps speak out the words of the psalms as if they were your own prayer. If you search through them, you will find words which speak to your own situation, and in those words, I guarantee you will find the hope that will sustain, strengthen you, and even lead you to praise.
Janice
This Week
| SUNDAY: | Holy Communion, 8.45am |
| Family Service, 10.30am | |
| Board Games Afternoon, St Mark’s, 12 – 2pm | |
| MONDAY: | Prayer Group, St Marks, 9.00am – 10.00am |
| Contact: Janice | |
| Bible Study Group, St Marks, 4.00pm | |
| Contact: Kevin (0438 234 457) | |
| TUESDAY: | Zoom Prayer Meeting, 1.30pm |
| Contact John (0421 426 156) | |
| Zoom Bible Study Group, 7.00pm | |
| Contact Graeme (0490 664 843) | |
| WEDNESDAY: | Holy Communion, 10:00am |
| Bible Study Group St Mark’s,11.00am | |
| “Book of Esther” Contact Keith S (0419 551 082) | |
| Alwyn Bond Funeral, St Mark’s, 1.00pm | |
| (See notice on page 3 of pew sheet) | |
| THURSDAY: | Women’s Bible Study, St Mark’s, 9.30am |
| “Revelations” Contact Fay (0401 404 280) | |
| Men’s Coffee & Chat, Blackthorn Café, 10.00am | |
| Contact Steve (0437 984 679), Keith T (0413 319 327) | |
| or Kevin (0493 234 457) | |
| FRIDAY: | Janice’s DAY OFF |
| NEXT SUNDAY: | Holy Communion, 8.45am |
| Family Service, 10.30am |
Regular Worship Times
| SUNDAY: | 8.45am | Holy Communion |
| 10.30am | Family Worship with Children’s Ministry | |
| (Holy Communion – 1st Sundays) | ||
| 6.00pm | Healing Service – 1st Sundays | |
| WEDNESDAY: | 10.00am | Holy Communion |
Parish Contact Details
| Monitored contact points | 0493 280 691 |
| contact@stmarksdromana.org.au | |
| Parish Web Addresses | www.stmarksdromana.org.au |
| Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/stmarksdromana |
| Pastoral Care Coordinators | Kevin and Anne Cranwell (0438 234 457 Kevin) |
Notices:
Funeral Notice..
The funeral for Alwyn Bond will be on Wednesday 31st July at 1pm. The family have requested that we provide some refreshments and will make a donation for these. Alwyn was a member of this church for many years.
Op Shop…
We have had a notice in the pew sheet about our Op Shop for some time now. We are in real need of volunteers to assist us, especially on Fridays. At this stage the committee has decided to appeal for help once more, but without enough staff, the Op Shop cannot remain open on Friday mornings. At the moment Edna and Ellen are covering multiple shifts and we would like to relieve them of some of them. If you can spare some time to help, please see Edna South or another member of our Op Shop Committee: Vicki Brown, Lorraine Strickland, Richard Watson, Graeme and Cheryl King or Rev’d Janice. Thanks.
This Week’s Prayer Focus
In our country and the world:
- For those facing homelessness, hardship, anguish and despair amid rising costs.
- For all in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine.
- For families affected by violence.
- For those affected by natural disasters in around the world.
- For King Charles III, the UK and the Commonwealth.
- For peace and unity in countries around the World.
- For aid agencies such as “Save the Children”, Oxfam, CARE, UNICEF, World Vision.
In our community:
- For teachers and students.
- For doctors, nurses, paramedics, Coast Guard, the CFA & SES.
- For local community outreach groups such as the Dromana Community House and “Food for All”.
In our Diocese and beyond:
- For Archbishop Geoffrey Smith’s ministry as Primate of Australia.
- For Archbishop Philip Freier’s ministry in the Diocese of Melbourne.
- For the ministry of Bishop Paul Barker in the Jumbunna Region and for Archdeacon Helen Phillips in the Frankston Archdeaconry. Give thanks that Archdeacon Helen is now well and beginning to return to work.
- In our Deanery, we pray for the Parish of Parish of St George’s Red Hill and their Vicar Rev’d Fiona Goy.
- For the work of the Church Missionary Society and Wei-Han the Victorian Director.
- For Anna Radkovic our CMS Link Missionary.
- For Christian churches around the world to be free to worship and be witnesses of the love of God as shown through the coming of His Son.
In our Parish:
- For our leadership and ministry teams.
- For Rev’d Janice O’Gorman our Vicar.
- For the finances of our Parish.
- For our Parish, its people and those we reach out to every week.
- For the success of the new Family and Children’s Ministry.
- For the 9am at home prayer time for the Parish, Dromana & Mornington Peninsula.
- For our Op Shop staff and all who visit each week.
- For: family of Alwyn Bond, Maggie D, Joy, Harry, Jen, Bernice, Mike, Pat, Joan R, Chloe, Ted, Monica, Jessica, Audrey, Backy, Fred, Robert, Jan, David, Guy.
