RTCC NEWS
John 17:1-3
“After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.
And this is the way to have eternal life
to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
Easter 2025
It was a treasured time together as church family over the weekend. Thank you to all who came and celebrated the Risen Lord together. The Lord is RICH in MERCY.
We have Pre-Poll starting this week in the Church building. If you have Barister skills and could spare a couple of hours serving coffee/tea on any of the mornings this week (Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat), please contact Tim 0414510110 asap to discuss options.
Update on the House acquisition next door
You may have noticed that there is now a SOLD sign out the front of the house at 8 Richardson Road (next door to the church). I would love to be sharing that this is because we are the successful new owners, but sadly that is not the case. The market in Raymond Terrace seems to be quite hot at the moment and the Pastoral Team offered what we believed to be a fair and wise offer (above our original offer) but we were out bidded in a bidding war between several interested parties. While that is disappointing, the reality is we are at peace knowing we had brought it before the Lord and asked for His will to be done in this purchase.
We have been humbled with the generous response of our church family in looking into the purchase of this property. What now? The Pastoral TTeam will meet together to debrief the house purchase and will share with our church family any plans moving forward. If you have any questions, please feel welcome to talk to any of the Pastoral Team (Chris Thomas, Luke Kirkegard, Tim Blatch, Matthew Blanch and Aaron Daniell). The Lord is in control.
We invite you to join with us for the AGM which will be held after church on the 4th May. Lunch will be provided for those staying for the AGM. To confirm your attendance and to help with the catering, please follow the Link to register.
Our next prayer night is 27th April. Join us in joyful praise and petition.
You may have notice things getting a little… tight… lately at church gatherings. We thank the Lord for this, and ask that you be keeping the Pastoral Team in your prayer as we seek the Lord for direction moving forward. We would like to ask you for help as we consider some immediate opportunities before us.
* With things getting tighter in space around our church facilities, we are seeking the possibility of someone in our church family having the space to store the church bus - be it a garage/shed or carport. Our preference would be for the bus to be easily accessible in Raymond Terrace or possibly Medowie. If you have any space available, please contact Tim (0414510110) to discuss further. The space made available in the shed with the bus removed will allow better storage for equipment used by our Ministries throughout the week - freeing up room in our ministry space.
* On Sundays, some simple ways for our church family to care for others in consideration of our tight space are:
- Come a little earlier and sit towards the front, and sitting next to others to minimise any spare seats between you. This allows for anyone arriving late to easily find a seat towards the back, and reduces any perceived awkwardness. Of course, the front seats are the best seats in the house ;)
- Consider parking further away from the church to allow those more “senior” in our church or with any impairment to park in the car park or closer to the church building. Please also consider our neighbours by not parking over any driveways or too close to driveways. We also ask you to park only on the Church building side of the road along Geer Street (back of the church).
Finally, Romans 12 comes to my mind in this season of our church life. May we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, in awe of the Gospel playing out in our own lives and the opportunity to share that with those around us.
Love and care,
Tim.
Romans 12:1-18 (NLT)
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
Got questions?
Come and talk to any of the Pastoral Team in person or go to www.rtcc.org.au/connect with any questions.
Other contact details:
Admin - admin@rtcc.org.au
Tim - tim.blatch@rtcc.org.au or
ph 0414510110
Chris - chris.thomas@rtcc.org.au
Tithing/giving details: