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December 2011 E-News
Note: This is a combined news and prayer edition for December 2011 and January 2012. If you have any additional matters for consideration before the February 2012 edition please email the material to the ACC office. Thank you
1. December 2011 ACCatalyst (will be posted on-line by January 2012)
If you would like extra copies of the October or December editions of ACCatalyst please contact the office. They are both excellent editions to give to another church member as a helpful way of providing information about the ACC.
2. Rod James Visit to South-Eastern Queensland.
A report of Rod's tour and presentations in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and also at Banora Point will be in the February ACCatalyst. It is worth highlighting that Rod received coverage for one visit in a local newspaper: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2011/11/24/church-says-no-to-gay-marriage-uniting-mooloolaba/
THE Mooloolaba Uniting Church will host an event this weekend on "Why Gay Marriage is Not Good for Australia". Reverend Rod James, of South Australia, will be the speaker. Mr James said he would be explaining why "heterosexual marriage and family are vital for Australia". "It is a passionate issue for me because marriage is about family and is about the well-being of children," he said. ......
Rod's paper is now included on the ACC website: http://www.confessingcongregations.com/resources/item/yes-to-male-female-marriage/
3. Marriage
There has been considerable coverage of the ‘same-sex marriage' debate at the ALP conference and related issues. Thank you to all those people who signed the Marriage Petition. This was not in vain, and sent a strong message to the ALP conference and was a wonderful support to those ALP members who opposed the change. Continue to uphold them in prayer and if you are able to write and communicate your views to local members during 2012 that would be very appreciated.
4. Proofing Help
Are you very meticulous and can pick up sphelling and putcuation erros;,,, with ease?
ACC has a small team who help with proofing our Seeds for Harvest (Bob Imms devotional), ACCatalyst and our publications. It has been suggested that an extra person could be helpful, especially when some members are away or caught up with other activities. If you are interested please email the ACC office. (All proofing is done via email and using track changes).
5. Christmas Resources
There are a number of the ACC National Director's Christmas sermons on the website - search Christmas in the sermon section. http://www.confessingcongregations.com/resources/max-champion/
Also Rev. Ted Curnow has provided a new poem: Prepare Him Room: http://www.confessingcongregations.com/news-views/item/prepare-him-room/
Rev. Perry Smith has some devotional resources: http://www.confessingcongregations.com/resources/item/the-real-christmas/
6. Wesley Institute Seminar for 2012: Paul in Conversation, Ancient and Modern - Dr Michael Bird
The annual seminar will be held early in 2012. Please note in your diary now. A form will be sent to NSW and ACT members, but if any interstate member would like the registration form please contact the ACC office. Speaking of Dr Michael Bird's Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message, Professor Craig Keener writes: ‘Michael Bird is an amazingly prolific young Australian scholar ... In addition to a whole spate of published articles, he has outstanding monographs on Jesus and the Gentile Mission and saving righteousness in Paul under his belt. Now he has produced this primer on Paul, which immediately takes its place as the best, up-to-date introduction of this brevity available.'
Wesley Institute, Drummoyne: Saturday 11th February, 2012 (9.15 - 4.20 pm)
Early Bird Rate: $40 (by 23 January 2012); Pensioner/Student rate: $35
For more info call (02) 9819 8811; Email: info@wi.edu.au
7. Billy Graham Archives
More than 1,600 of Billy Graham's sermons dating back to 1949 are now available in audio format online.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) --
The sermons -- available at http://www.BillyGraham.org -- are categorized by year, location and topic.
See http://www.billygraham.org/audio-archives.asp
The messages include everything from Graham's famous Los Angeles crusade in 1949 to his comments at President Lyndon Johnson's 1973 funeral to his sermons in Baltimore and New Orleans in 2006.
8. ACC Office Closure
The ACC Office will be closed for the period: 24 December 2011 - 2 January 2012.
Messages will be checked (including email) and urgent matters attended to.
ACC NATIONAL PRAYER DIARY - December 2011 - January 2012
Prayer points for this month:
• Prayers for Max Champion, the Council members for their break and rest during January 2012.
• Wisdom for planning of events and arrangements, including Max Champion and the SA Committee for the National Conference and the ACC Officers for the face-to-face National Council meeting in March 2012.
• February 11: Wesley Institute Seminar - Drummoyne. ‘Paul in Conversation, Ancient and Modern'. A Conference with Dr Michael Bird.
• February 17: NSW ACC Executive Meeting - Wesley Mission.
• February 25: Reunion for those who attended the First Emerging Leaders Camp - Coromandel Valley: 4.30 pm. Speaker: Rev Simon Dent (Clare UC)
• Prayer for the Possibility of a Emerging Leaders Reunion Feb 25th 2012 4.30 pm,
• National Conference Planning 2012 Sept 13th 14th and 15th
• Prayers for the Australia Labor Party and Federal Parliament as the pressure grows to change the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman only.
• Pray for congregations as they prepare for Christmas.
• Pray for our children as they prepare to go on school holidays.
• Research is showing that traditional churches such as the Catholic Church, UCA and Anglican churches are continuing to decline. Christian Research Association found that traditional Uniting Church's across Australia have declined by 30% in the past 10 years, while numbers in the Catholic Church have dropped by 19%. We pray for revival in our churches.
• We pray for upcoming leaders within the ACC movement.
• We pray for Lupe and the ACC Youth.
• We pray for the ACC-Tonga movement in NSW and various members around Australia.
• We pray for our ecumenical relationships with other denominations
• We continue to pray for courage as we continue to confess Christ as Lord in the various councils of the UCA.
• We pray that the new year will indeed be filled with ‘new' things rather than a simple reshaping of the old.
• We continue to uphold Anne Weeks in our prayers.
• We pray for Anne Hibbard and the Uniting Prayer and Fasting. We pray also for Fatai Tapueluelu in her role on the ASC.
• We give thanks to God for all that has happened in 2011. We continue to surrender our lives into His hands that He may continue to use us for the building up of His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Happy Christmas and Happy New year to you all from the prayer network. Until we meet again in February 2012, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our ABBA Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit continue to be with you all, both now and forevermore. Amen.
Hedley Fihaki on behalf of the ACC's PrayerNet
Please remember Friday's as our National Day of Prayer and Fasting.
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