This Sunday, after our morning service, we will be holding our first member’s meeting of the year. If you’ve had a chance to look at the paperwork, you’ll know it’s a bit of a reporting meeting with the Annual Ministry Report and the audited financials made available.

However, for Baptists, a member’s meeting is more than a business meeting. It’s also an opportunity to practice theology! We believe that the church is made up of believers in Jesus. This doesn’t mean that every single person who attends a service is necessarily a believer, but rather that the membership of a church is for those who have placed their faith in Jesus.

This is part of the reason why believer’s baptism is so important too – it identifies those who are committed to follow Jesus. Church membership is also, therefore, voluntary. This might not sound too controversial now, but when Baptists first appeared in the early 17^th century, it was! At that point in time, most people were born into a parish and were deemed to be part of the church due to the geography of the birth and the denomination of their parents. You didn’t have to do anything to be a member of a church; in fact, membership wouldn’t have made much sense. Those believers who voluntarily join together to form a church are to govern themselves. This picks up the importance of local church autonomy but also the idea that Baptists are congregationally governed.

While authority and leadership is often delegated to the pastoral team, Church Council, elders, or other leadership positions, we believe that every believer has been given the Spirit and that every member is, therefore, in a position to serve (for all have received gifts) and to help discern (for all have the Spirit). Thus, when we gather on Sunday at 11:30 we will be exercising our Baptist ecclesiology – what we believe about “the church”.

I hope you can join us as we both practice theology and deal with some of the business of the church!

Marc Rader | Senior Pastor

SUN 30 MAR: 9:30am - (2025 Theme) "Lives Changed by Jesus": A growing restfulness. (Bible passage: Isaiah 30:15-18) Preacher: Marc Rader. (Interview with Rachel Uhlman)

6:00pm - Same Message as in AM.

SUN 30 MAR 11:30AM - AGM2 - Onsite and Online

SUN 30 MAR: HopeDrive 1:30-3:30pm + All Services

SAT 12 APR: All-Church Working Bee

THU 17 APR: 7:00pm Tenebrae (+ Communion)

FRI 18 APR: 9:30AM Good Friday Service

SUN 20 APR: 9:30AM & 6PM Easter Sunday Service

You can access GBC Calendar on GBC Links - Go to the "Calendar" tab on the drop down menu in GBC Links or click here and log in.

This week's questions:

1.Joseph's dreams, Samuel's call, and Belshazzar's writing on the wall. How do you decide if it's God speaking or just your own fears and desires?
2. We have the cannon of Scripture and it is authoritative and complete and through this God speaks. Why seek experiences outside of this?
3.What does the prophetic word of God look like now compared to prophets in the bible?

Produced each Monday as a companion to the sermon series and includes a brief overview of the sermon with a series of activities to do together as a LifeGroup: Questions to ask, Prayers to pray, Practices to try, Biblical passages to read.

Every Monday you can access that week's LifeGroup Resource on LinkTree and also on GBC Links/LifeGroups/Resource Library.

For ZOOM - Click to join Zoom Here.

Contact: Marjy Robertson

marjy.robertson@gymeabaptist.org.au

Invite your friends and family to join one (or more) of our Easter Services - onsite or online.

You are invited to join us for a short but effective time of “zoom” prayer Thursday at 7:30pm. A 30 minute guided prayer led by one of our wonderful GBC Elders. You can join in using this link JOIN PRAYER ZOOM or using the Meeting ID: 919 1693 5880 Passcode: f603j2. We look forward to spending this time together in prayer.

HopeDrive is on this Sunday (30 March) 1:30pm-3:30pm - The Team will be awaiting your arrival in GBC driveway for HopeDrive's drive-thru drop-off.

Alternatively, you can bring your pre-packaged grocery donations to Sunday's Service on March 30.

Click to view shopping list of required items.

There are so many people in our community needing basic food items; please consider adding 1-2 items from the shopping list into your trolley this weekend to help us fill the Hopefield pantry. Please also keep use by dates in mind so we give our best to those in need.

Alternatively,  give financially via Hopefield's website (link below) to supply fresh meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables.

Thank you for being big-hearted and others-focused in partnering with Hopefield in this wonderful ministry.

From little things, big things grow!

We are in need of someone to supervise a couple of children under 5 at Hopefield Kirrawee to allow their parent to attend a Hopefield program. You will need to have a current WWCC and be Safe Church compliant.

The program will take place: Wednesday 10:30am-1:30pm - April, 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, May 14, 28, June 11, 25.

If you are available on one, a few or all those dates and keen to assist please email Keely, Community Hub Program Lead, Hopefield or phone Janet at the Hopefield office - 9545 0299.

Our Support Services Staff are in need of an iPhone. (We have the paid sim - just need a refurbished mobile phone ready to use with no locked screen).

If you have a phone you can give to Hopefield please contact Karen at Hopefield's office by email.

Thank you!