The New Church Newsletter
Hurstville Society September 2010
What Is the Church?
Excerpts from a sermon by Rev. Patrick A. Rose
What is the Church? As little children many of us may have thought of the church as being primarily
a building, a place in which we worshipped the Lord. As our minds grew older, we came to believe
that the church was the people who belong to it, a group who joined together in a common belief to
worship of the Lord. Only in adulthood can we come to see that this idea is also limited. The church
is more than the people who belong to it. It is the Lord alone who makes the church.
The Lord's presence and conjunction with people is the church, not the people themselves. It is vital
to realize that the church does not belong to us, that it is the Lord's. For if a person feels that he has
part ownership in the church, or that his relationship with the church is primarily so that it can serve
him, he makes a tragic mistake. He appropriates to himself what is the Lord's. It is so easy to forget
that the church really is the Lord's alone, yet, if the people of the church do not make the effort to
recognize that the church is the Lord's, then the church with them will die.
The church transcends its people. This does not mean that they are to be uninvolved. Though it
might at first seem contradictory, the Lord's church (which belongs to no person) has its specific
existence only in the individual mind. A member of the church must himself be a church, or there
would be no church in general. This is the very nature of the Lord's church or kingdom. The Lord
alone builds His kingdom, but He builds it within human minds.
The church is the Lord's presence, and though no person makes the Lord's presence, this presence
exists specifically in the human mind alone. People who wish to be of the church must therefore be
deeply involved. Not only must they dedicate time and energy to the Lord's work, but they must also
offer their minds as dwelling-places in which the Lord can be present. They must make it possible for
the Lord to establish His kingdom or church within their very thoughts and affections.
This may seem like a far and almost unreachable goal to us, with all our weaknesses and failings. Yet
to regard the Lord's entrance into our minds as an almost impossible dream of the distant future is
to ignore the reality that this can begin to happen now. Even now, we can make the effort to make
room for the Lord in our minds and lives. Every day we can read the Word, so that our knowledge of
the Lord may increase and so that our thoughts may regularly be turned toward spiritual things. And
every day we can strive, little by little, to rid ourselves of impure thoughts and evil actions. As we do
this, we are performing a use for the Lord's church.
Providing a spiritual dwelling-place for the Lord within our own minds requires dedication and effort.
But it is by no means an impossible sacrifice. We lose nothing by rejecting the things of self and
inviting the Lord into our minds. On the contrary, we receive countless, unimaginable heavenly
blessings. The task of regeneration, which is what this is, is not as difficult as we might imagine. For
in our temptations, the Lord fights for us.
The church is the Lord's. He governs it, and if He does not, then it is not truly the church. And if the
Lord is to govern the church, then each individual must allow the Lord to govern him. Without this,
the church, or the Lord's presence with humankind, will begin to fail. The church is indeed great, and
it truly transcends individual men and women. It is not our church, but the Lord's. Yet, for its
existence among us, the church depends upon those of us who will rise above ourselves to welcome
the King of heaven into our minds and hearts.
©2003 by Patrick A. Rose
The Joy Of Eternal Life
By Bill Hall
"In the life of the body all thoughts and actions should have reference to eternal life - the life after
death." Spiritual Diary, 2809. (Quoted by Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner in the front of his book, The Spiritual
World).
This statement has a great many ramifications. One striking implication is that what we think and do
during our lives is going to continue in eternal life. Immediately this brings to mind how vitally
important it is for us to change our thinking and acting when those thoughts and actions are not in
agreement with the Lord's Word.
Think how debilitating are anger, resentment and hatred when experienced in our lives. And think
how limiting and curtailing they would be if they continued in eternal life.
By understanding that all our thoughts and actions continue in eternal life we perceive how vital it is
for us to purge our lives from evil and falsity. We do this by living the truths of the Lord's Word.
Instead of holding on to resentment, the Lord gives us the freedom to let go of resentment even if
harmful actions have occurred. "Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Then Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up
to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" Matthew 18:21,22
To be filled with negative states about our fellow community members takes away all joy and
happiness. This is because we are then focussed on ourselves and not on the welfare and happiness
of our fellow citizens. In such a state we are not seeking to be useful to others but only seeking for
our own gain.
Compared to eternal life, our lives here on earth are but a brief encounter between good and evil. In
this earthly life the Lord gives us the freedom and the power to look to His Word and to live
according to His Word. When we do this, the Lord lifts our loves away from the degradation and
torment of hell to a life of joyful usefulness in heaven.
When we contemplate the life of heaven where the angels love the Lord first and foremost and love
others more than themselves, what can we do but strive with all our hearts and minds to be forever
free from the negative states of hell. And instead to live every moment of every day from a joyful
heart forever free from stress and strain as we follow the Lord's leading every second of our daily
lives.
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10;10)
Winter
by Norman Heldon
It is quite a few years ago that Rev Donald Rose was our pastor here in Hurstville. One of his sermons
is still bright in my memory. It was built on a passage from the Word (Mark 13: 18,19) that begins
"Pray that your flight be not in the winter." By our flight is meant our leaving this natural world for
the spiritual and we are warned that we ought not be in a state of faith without love; faith without
charity in other words, for that is a wintry state, far from a heavenly one.
Shakespeare had something to say about winter. In one of his sonnets, to his beloved of course, we
read, "How like a winter hath my absence been from thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year. What
freezings have I felt, what dark days seen".
Well, winter still has us in its grip as I write and despite the threat of Global Warming we have been
enduring very cold nights and early mornings. However we know that in a few weeks Spring will be
here, warm days, new growth, bright flowers.
Perhaps there is something good to be said about winter; maybe the soil needs that rest to prepare
for the growing season ahead. My encyclopaedia gives no help there.
Let's go back to the lesson of Rev Donald Rose's sermon and give thought to our regenerative state
as the years go by. Faith without charity is a wintry one; it is surely to be avoided.
Society Meeting 12th September
In our July newsletter our pastor Rev Robert Cooper posted the following notice. "A Hurstville
Society meeting will be held . . . . to discuss the vision of how Hurstville should collectively move
ahead. There is no fixed agenda but I anticipate a free-flow of ideas will ensue. It is a conversation
we need to have amongst ourselves to bring clarity and conviction. Come with ideas - nothing is off
the table until it is pushed." That meeting, set down for August, was postponed and is now
scheduled for Sunday 12th September. The need for the meeting still remains (everything Robert
said above still applies) though its focus will be somewhat different. Please read on.
In the last couple of weeks we have had important correspondence from both Bishop Brian
Keith and Rev David Lindrooth, Director of General Church Outreach. The bishop has conveyed the
exciting news that following a recent meeting of the Advisory Council he is now actively looking for
a new pastor who will hopefully be able to arrive in Hurstville next June/July. We may hear
something fairly soon!
The bishop would like to set up a line of two-way communication between himself and the society to
get a better feel for what the society needs. He mentioned that with the Durban Society in South
Africa he recently communicated with them in a meeting via a speaker phone. We could possibly do
a Skype call after/during our meeting on September 12th. In addition he has suggested a sub
committee may be formed to liaise with him.
Rev David Lindrooth would like to make a visit around the end of October. His schedule/agenda is
not worked out yet but given our need to re-examine our uses and future David Lindrooth may well
be able to assist in this and discuss how his office can support the church in Australia.
In the light of all this September 12th will be a very important meeting for the Hurstville Society. We
have had the disappointment of waiting many years for a full time pastor only to have him snatched
away. However Rev Robert Cooper was with us for two weeks sharing his dreams and inspiring us to
be excited about the future. He laid down a challenge. To refresh your memory, we have printed
part of Robert Cooper's New Church Day Address (see below). Robert also sent a paper entitled
"Ideas for the Hurstville New Church" (handed out at our April 2010 meeting) which can form a
starting point for discussions. Please ask for a copy if you need one.
It may also be useful to remember the words of Rev Julian Duckworth's Resurrection address for
Robert (see August Newsletter): " . . . I don't think it was ever God's actual plan to whisk Rob out of
things, . . . from Hurstville, from family, from his ministry. Not God's plan. . . . . But yes, it is still His
providence because God provides for every eventuality, even this one, and down the track, we may
well see more of it than we can right now. And we could well discover that Rob has continued his
ministry here in deeper ways still, bringing out things in us that we might have simply left for him to
do as our Minister (emphasis added). And that is up to us and God, not Rob. Rob's the signpost."
Here are some thoughts to get started:
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Ask ourselves, if we get new people coming to church what exactly do we have to offer them
as a society? What do we think they might be looking for?
What changes to our current schedule of services/classes should we be looking at? Different
types of services organised by different people? Different times/places. (e.g classes in
homes).
Providing for Sunday School children
Reaching out to a worthy cause (e.g. some groups/societies in Australia support the Loving
Arms Mission)
Social activities
Hopefully out of this meeting and further discussions between ourselves, the Bishop and Rev David
Lindrooth, a clearer vision of where the Society is heading can emerge.
In addition Bishop Brian Keith has previously indicated he is likely to visit during the first six months
of next year and would like advice on when a good time might be for this to occur. Please consider
dates that would be good and dates that should be avoided.
Extracts from New Church Day Address 2010
by Rev Robert Cooper
. . . When I reflected on what I could say today, I was in a quandary - should I look back and talk
about the past four years, or should I be prospective, and give an outline of things to come? You'll be
glad to hear that I'm looking forward - the past hasn't been terribly kind to Hurstville, so our gaze
can only rest on the future.
And if there is any kind of thread to this address, it is the 'discomfort of change.' Organizationally, we
are only just waking up from a torpor, induced by a long pastoral absence swept occasionally by a
revolving door of visitors. We have forgotten the promise of growth; I'm not sure that we would
recognize success - but we must plan for it.
. . . When success comes, it will change the face of our Society - and a semblance of that face is in
the suburb of Hurstville itself - it is Asian, it is brown, it speaks other languages and has a different
cuisine. The start, and discomforting feature of change, is that we will be a minority in our own yard.
If you harboured any hope of church and heaven as an all-white country club, you need to disabuse
yourself of that thought right now - didn't I tell you of the many gates?
And if you thought that we were an extension of Bryn Athyn forget that notion. The new financial
and cultural realities are this - that everyone needs to stand on their own feet. Hurstville (and for
that matter Australia), are not colonies, but countries - we have our own idiom, our own integrity,
our own sense of self, our own way of doing things - the Australian way.
. . . It is the discomfort of change, and its necessity which gives us the impulse to act, because who
we are and what we do is of concern to the Lord; it is not enough to lie in our stupor. . . .
. . . The changes ahead of us are many, and the immediate pain may be real - but let's count the
blessings. We will be a lamp to the feet of many rather than hiding our light under a bushel, we will
be invigorated by variety and not stagnate in clan culture, we can rely and trust in others rather than
live the fallacy of self-reliance, we can live our lives in hopeful prospect rather than the memory of
halcyon days long past.
I pray that my ministry here will bring the blessing of change - we cannot continue as we are. And
the Lord will not leave us in discomfort - the New Jerusalem will descend and He will wipe away
every tear in our eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no
more pain, for the former things will pass away.
Friday Tea and Class - 17th September
This month at our Friday dinner and class on 17th September we are going to take a look at the
next Journey Program and experience a sample of the program. After watching an introductory video
we will read and study together the sample material. If we decide to do the program as a group we
also have the opportunity to join in with either of the two worldwide launch dates on 3rd October
2010 or 30th January 2011. A bonus is that this program also includes sermon material and Sunday
School projects for a number of different age groups.
The following information is reproduced from the General Church website at:
http://www.newchurch.org/materials/programs/pause
What is the Pause Spiritual Growth Program?
Pause is a seven-week program where participants are invited to work individually, in small groups,
and with a New Church congregation or an online community on spiritual growth. Each week will
focus on different ways to strengthen our relationships through personal spiritual growth work. The
spiritual growth program has three main components: worshipping together on Sunday or listening
to a sermon online; participating in a small group for discussion, sharing and support; and individual
daily reading. There is power in working together as a committed group to accomplish a goal.
How often do we find ourselves at the end of the day without having put the focus on our spiritual
lives that we had intended? We want to look to God, we want to live an active spiritual life, and yet
the days slide away without us making those things a priority. Slow down and make your spiritual life
a priority.
The 5th New Church Journey Program, Pause: Make Space for God, provides tools to support
purposefully building our relationship with God throughout our daily lives. It will be introduced in
October 2010.
In the teachings for the New Church we learn that:
"The acknowledgment and worship of the Lord, and the reading of the Word, cause the presence of
the Lord; but these two together with a life according to His commandments effect conjunction with
Him." (Apocalypse Revealed 796)
Think about the power in that statement. The Lord is telling us the equation that results in being in
His presence, and from that, being connected with Him.
The Lord invites us to welcome His presence into every area of our lives. As we discover ways of
integrating more purposeful times of doing our part, we will experience the energizing, healing,
strengthening power of the Lord. When we are doing these things, we can look forward to and
expect a powerful connection with our Creator. We can experience the presence of the Lord.
Pause focuses on tools to help us read and apply the teachings of the Word in our daily lives. By
filling ourselves with ideas and insights from the Word and applying them in our lives, we can feel a
closer connection with God.
Small Groups are a key component of this program because they foster a sense of community by
providing a place to talk about the concepts discussed in the Pause workbook. Within Small Groups,
participants will be given a chance to get to know others, talk about concepts in the daily readings
and insights from the Sunday message, and receive support in the application of these tools to daily
life. If you don't live in the proximity of a New Church congregation that is running the program, we
encourage you to gather together some friends or family members and create a small group in your
home.
Work Day - 19th September
It is quite a while since we had a Work Day but with Spring upon us it is a good time to tidy things up.
There will be plenty to do both inside and outside. Bring a picnic lunch and stay on after church for
whatever time you can spare.
News Notes
Angela Heldon and Callista Barritt have completed six weeks volunteering their assistance in the
Loving Arms Mission Orphanage in Kenya helping look after the 50+ children. Rev Khalid Obiri
Rangi sent a most appreciative message expressing his gratitude for their help. Callista and Angela
have now safely arrived in Togo and are staying with Rev Ayi for a week. It has been most exciting
for all of them (Ayi included) to meet up once again.
Owen and Margaret Heldon recently enjoyed a weekend away visiting friends. Many thanks to Cliff
Adamou and others for organizing a church service for the children in the church grounds.
Birthdays
Happy Birthday to Owen Heldon (6th), Carolyn Heldon (8th), Klaire Horner (9th), Sylvia
Hicks (13th), Karen Evans (13th), Jeffrey Heldon (15th), Phillipa Horner (15th), Phillip Walsh (29th)
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes happiness. It is not attained through selfgratification but through felicity to a worthy purpose." (Helen Keller)
"A person's knowing much counts for nothing if he does not live in accordance with what he knows."
(Arcana Coelestia 1100 Emanuel Swedenborg)
September 2010 Calendar of Events
Note: All events are located at the church at 22 Dudley St, Penshurst 2222 (off Hillcrest Ave) unless
otherwise stated. Contact the Hurstville New Church on (02) 9580 1589 for more information or
email us [email protected]
All are welcome and refreshments are served after church each Sunday.
Sunday
5th September
10 00 a.m. Worship
Sunday
12th September
10 00 a.m. Worship
followed by Society Meeting
Friday
17th September
7 00 p.m. Dinner and Class
(Pause - Make Space for God)
Sunday
19th September
10 00 a.m. Worship
followed by Work Day
Sunday
26th September
10 00 a.m. Worship
followed by Property Trust AGM