What could be better at the start of the uni semester than soup… A lot of soup. About 100 Litres in fact!! Come to Unichurch and bring your friends for Souper Sunday!

Souper Sunday is happening before Unichurch on Sunday 1st August at 6pm.

Our missionaries who we support at HBC are part of our church family, even if we don’t get to see them face to face regularly! It’s a great privilege we have to be able to partner with them in their ministry and one of the best ways we can be supporting them is by praying for them!

You can click here to hear about the changes (again!) which the Taylors have gone through and their personal African safari! Click here to hear more about Kingsley Boxes questions about the existence of God. And click here to hear about Lyndal Webb’s adventures on Epi Island running literacy workshops…

vimeo page:  

Unichurch Ministry Expo

Sunday May 23

Starting after the service

But what is ministry?

Ministry is serving one another, following the pattern and command of Jesus. Jesus came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). After showing his disciples the full extent of his love (John 13:1) by washing their feet, he asked them “Do you understand what I have done for you?… If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:12-15).

This loving service can be expressed in many different ways according to the gifts and opportunities God has given us (see Romans 12:3-13, Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Galatians 6:9-10). Teaching, encouraging, administration, contributing to others needs, showing hospitality, speaking the truth in love… all of these things should be done, and should be done in love! (1 Corinthians 13)

The Unichurch Ministry Expo will give you an opportunity to find out how you could serve God through serving others. See you there!

WHAT? Women of Truth is an annual, day conference for Christian women in the Hunter region. This year we’ll be getting into Ephesians with Deb Earnshaw and learning about being ‘One in Christ’! Optional seminar topics include Unity in Christ, Evangelism in the Playground, Singleness, Feminism and more.

WHERE? Lambton High School Hall, Young Road.

WHEN? Saturday 29^th May, 9am - 4pm

WHY? It’s a rare and wonderful opportunity to dwell on God and his word with other women!

COST? (includes a delightful morning tea and lunch!)

Students: $20

Standard: $30

READY TO REGISTER? WANT MORE INFO? Go to www.womenoftruth.info/

Registrations will also be taken at 10AM, 5PM, Women’s Bible Study and Unichurch.

This Easter join HBC as we celebrate the victory Jesus won over sin and death through his death and resurrection on the cross almost 2000 years ago.

Join us for breakfast - 9am Broadmeadow McDonlads

Then our Big Friday combined church service - 10am Lambton High School

Followed by time spent together at the beach, each others houses, wherever!

Unichurch is running a 20:20 cricket match between the infamous ‘Jeso House’ and the rest of Unichurch. It’s starting at about 1pm at Smith Park in Hamilton (opposite the entertainment centre). There will be a BBQ with sausage sandwiches and drinks to purchase. We’d love you to join us for some relaxing spectator sport. There’s also plenty of room and play equipment for the kids.

See you tomorrow!

photo credit: RaeA

Hey Unichurchers,

Check this out…

YouTube page:  100m relay world record

Passing the Baton is a training course to get you started reading the Bible with another person. If you’ve ever benefited form 1 to 1 Bible reading, why not get trained to start meeting with someone else? Passing the Baton is good for first-timers and a great refresher for old-timers. I hope to see you there!

Here’s the skinny

Sunday 11th and 18th April

1-3pm

17 Turana Parade North Lambton

Register with Josh: 0431747370

p_reddy_03@hotmail.com

Every day, I drive past a ridiculously good-looking church. It’s in a nice suburb. The gardens are beautiful with lush flowers and beautifully maintained lawns. The best feature by far is the huge, circular stained-glass window above the entryway. Man, I love that church! (see pic below)

Most days when I drive past the ridiculously good-looking church, I wonder what it must be like to go to church there. I think, “If only HBC owned that church.” Never mind that it would be really expensive and effortful to keep the grounds. Ignore the fact it is too small for each of our congregations. Forget that the mortgage would be huge because of the suburb it is located in. I easily dismiss the fact that it would be very impractical for our youth and kids ministries. I just want that church building because it’s ridiculously good-looking!

Perhaps I need to put aside my superficial ideals? Perhaps I need to learn what kind of building would be best for meeting HBC’s needs in spreading the gospel to Newcastle?

Our HBC Building Feasibility Committee has put good thought into what kind of building will meet HBC’s needs now and over the next 10 years. Next Wednesday night, after the HBC AGM, there will be a Q&A session about all things to do with the HBC building plans. I think that we (who care about where HBC is heading) should go along– it’s sure to be interesting and informative. Who knows, perhaps I’ll start looking around for other buildings that aren’t necessarily ridiculously good-looking but ridiculously purposeful for the gospel?!

The HBC AGM and Building Q&A sesh:

When: 7pm, Wednesday 31^st March, 2010

Where: 30 Warabrook Boulevard, WARABROOK (the Compassion Building)

Who: Everyone!

Here at Hunter Bible Church, each of our Growth Groups are rostered on to serve together at our Sunday meetings - as a team. It might sound like an odd way to roster things at church, but I’m convinced that its a really good way because:

Rostering individual people to help out with things like setup and packup can end up being quite unloving. Why is that?

1. it means that a few people have to bear a very large load.
2. It means there’s usually only ever just enough people on for a certain task - and so those few feel pressured.
3. And it can mean that some people find themselves rostered on to do things at church when they’re struggling spiritually, or not even sure if HBC is their church.

On the other hand, rostering our Growth Groups to share a task at church once every month or so provides a Christian context to help encourage people to serve Jesus when they’re rostered on. How do Groups do that?

1. It makes the amount and frequency of service more bearable because there are more people sharing the load. (Many hands make light chairs.)
2. There’s enough people in most Growth Groups for a few members to be able to opt-out one week if they need to. Groups can even suggest that one of their members needs to opt-out because they know where that person’s life is at.
3. As groups get to know and care for each other, they can take the opportunity to enjoy serving together - as a team. They can encourage each other to “do it” for Jesus, and see the big picture.

photo credit: Mat_B,  photo credit: zen,

Whether you’ve just joined us at Unichurch or been around for a while, there are lots of things happening this time of the year. I want to tell you about four events at Unichurch. They are all a little bit like train tickets…

The welcome dessert is a single train ticket. Come along if you’ve never been to one of these before. You’ll get to meet Greg, some regulars, find out about our church and share some delicious dessert. But just come once. It’s a single ticket. They are happening at my house on Monday nights during semester, starting 1st March. Call me (Geoff) for more info - 0435 126 121.

Growth groups are a yearly train ticket. At a growth group a bunch of people meet together one night a week to read the bible, pray, share food and look after each other. They are so good that you’ll want to come along for the year! They’re starting on 2nd March. To find out about these groups call Josh - 0431 747 370.

Life to the Full is a monthly train ticket. If you’re checking Jesus out, or have been on the church scene for a while but you’ve got questions about Jesus - then Life to the Full is for you. Every Tuesday night in March join us at a bowling club for a $5 gourmet dinner by a professional chef and check out what Jesus claims about life for your self. You can register here or for more info call James - 0421 159 581.

The last event if FORGE. FORGE is an unlimited family pass. When you buy this ticket your whole family gets unlimited travel on ferries, buses and trains. It’s amazing value! Likewise, the whole Unichurch family is going to FORGE. All the growth groups. Everyone will be there! At $75 it’s incredible value too. FORGE is jam-packed with food, music, talks, relaxing, making friends and so much more. Check out the web page for the flyer, video adds, more information or to register online.

Work out which tickets are for you and come along!

photo credit: swgn,  photo credit: atzu

But the best way to kick off your time at uni is to come along to Unichurch this Sunday at 6pm. Why?

Because there are loads of fantastic things about uni. But the best is the chance to rethink what you believe. And no question is more important than: What do you think about Jesus?

So this Sunday come along to Unichurch, make some new friends, enjoy some great music and grab Jesus by the scruff of the neck.

All of this, plus plate-fulls of free Ice cream!

We’ll see you there!