The Gift of Pain 

Last Monday, our dear sister, Vivienne O'Sullivan went home to be with Jesus. Viv was a woman greatly loved by many, and a common thread in people's comments highlighted she was a compassionate and kind lady who uplifted people around her. No one knows that more than her husband Peter. So we mourn and give thanks for a dear member of our church family, and we pray for God's comfort for Peter and all his family. 

This is not the first time we have been through this as a church, and unfortunately it won't be the last. Over the last eight years we have farewelled five people from our church family who have died earlier than we would have liked. We have been through numerous seasons of mourning together as a result. On top of this is the loss many have experienced in their own families and among their friends. We have experienced a lot of pain as a small community.

As I reflected on this during the week, it occurred to me we have also experienced a powerful unity as a church over the years. It came to me in a fresh way that it's not only our vision to build that has formed this, but also our pain. While we don't choose pain and would prefer not to face loss, when we go through it connected into a community of faith, it deepens relationships and bonds. Maybe that's because pain brings the most important things into perspective, and as a result we tend not to sweat the small stuff. 

I have seen people in our church family experience such deep pain in our journey. Yet I have also seen this deeper love that is shared. An example is Peter O'Sullivan's connect group that includes Ros, Scott and Sandy, all who have experienced the loss of a spouse. These are friends who have not isolated in their pain, but walked together through it.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

It's worth reading the verses that follow to get the full picture, but Paul is writing to the church in Corinth who have suffered. And he is teaching that the suffering is not wasted when we use the comfort we have received from God, to comfort others. Jesus' church is his body, and the body heals itself. Much like a finger that is cut off a hand, if it is sown back on, it heals as the rest of the body's blood flows through it. That is how Jesus designed his church to work, as a comforting and healing body. 

So church family. Thankyou for the unity and love that endures, and the comfort and support that is shared. Thankyou for staying connected when life hurts, and for how God has worked through you to bring comfort and healing to others. We are mourning again, but not without hope and not without comfort. May we soon open the doors of the new building, as a place where many come and experience comfort through Jesus' body, a comfort we learned through painful seasons that has also grown us to love and trust Jesus more. 

In this way pain is a gift. 

Love Marty

 

FROM THE PASTOR

This week it's a joy to have Rev David Elvery coming to preach at our gathered service and live stream. David is the Director of Pastoral Services in our movement. His message on Sunday has formed the theme for week four of our twelve weeks of prayer - think big, start small. Jesus specializes in using the smallest of things, to pull off extraordinary Kingdom movements. All that’s required of us is faith in Jesus, expressed through placing the little we have in his hands. 

As a church we are not newcomers to big challenges that make us feel small. Our call to build was always something of a size, that without God, would be destined to fail. Yet the church have responded much like Joshua and Caleb did in the wilderness. When the other ten spies brought back a report that the giants in the land were too big to overcome, these two said no way, the Lord will give them into our hands. 

Fear can cause you to retreat, or it can motivate you to put your faith in God, and advance.  

David was in a similar position when up against Goliath. The Israelite army were afraid, thinking the giant was too big to bring down. David looked at God, picked up some stones and thought, he is too big to miss! It's always a matter of perspective whether the giant blocks out the sun, or the Son of God overshadows the giants.  

As we move closer to completion day, we could feel pretty small as a church compared to the challenge we are facing. Our debt is growing larger with each drawdown, and will reach $4 million by the end of December. Yet our weekly budget goal of $10,000 is showing a shortfall against our actual 'year to date' weekly giving. 

We also face the challenge of additional costs associated with our sewer line connection. It has been a large battle to gain approval to connect on our neighbouring landfill site, but God is mighty and we praise him for overcoming. However, the conditions of approval have come with some unexpected and unforeseeable costs. 

So with the giants of our budget goal and building completion costs ahead of us, how will we respond? 

First with thanksgiving. We can be so grateful to God for his amazing provision to date. 

We have raised almost $100,000 in addition to the initial $1 million breaking ground goal. Also, in our chair appeal we have bought the first 90 of the 420 chairs we need. God continues to provide beyond our budget giving, and its making a big difference. 

Even this week, someone from outside The Grove bought two chairs. And in the last couple of months, two others who love The Grove and our vision but don’t attend, gave $5,000 to Called to Build. 

The list of God's provision could fill a book, but with these in mind, how will we respond to the challenges ahead? 

As we have in the past, we will not allow fear to make us retreat, but let faith in God motivate us to advance. We might feel small, and wonder what difference each of us can really make? But Jesus is reminding us this weekend that he specialises in doing a lot with a little. Mustard seeds, yeast, loaves and fishes become large trees, and enough food for big crowds. Our call is to simply respond to what the Lord calls each of us to do. May we all pray and ask God what part he wants us to play.

I am so grateful to God for the faith of the body of Christ at The Grove. For all the Joshua’s and Caleb’s and Esther’s, who have not shrunk back in fear, but have embraced the challenges and ran into the battle. Who have been prepared to sacrifice much for the sake of Jesus and his Kingdom advancement. What a privilege this is to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, unified in faith and calling. To love and worship our great risen King. And to soon experience the unspeakable joy of witnessing the awesome work Jesus is about to do.

Faith and courage everyone, because our mighty God is with us, and for us, and is building his church. 

God bless you!

Marty

Our vision at Mainly Music each week is “to make Jesus visible – through our lives, through our words, through our actions, through our prayers. We seek to build deliberate friendships with families who attend.”  Over the past 5 years we’ve had over 70 families from the community and church come through the Mainly Music doors. Some have stayed only a short time, and some have been with us since the beginning as they continue with their third child!

We are in the ministry of sowing God-seeds and it’s been exciting to see what God it doing with those seeds years down the track. One of our team members has been accosted by a Ferny Grove High student who saw the Mainly Music shirt and remembered with fondness when she went to a Mainly Music at another church when she was young. Some of our Mainly Music kids are now coming to Grove Kids. We’ve had families come to church and our Christmas and Easter events and it’s wonderful to catch up with past Mainly music kids at our local Pancake Breakky.

God has blessed us with such amazing provision over these past 5 years – free child-proof fencing; a grant to buy a play fort; low-cost room hire at the Bowls Club when we’ve had to move; a matching low-cost hall hire at the Community Hall due to Covid room allowances. We’ve also been blessed with an amazing team – gifted people have come on board the team throughout these past 5 years just in the right season. He has truly provided everything we have needed.

We look forward to seeing what God has in store for Mainly Music in the new building. Our current families keep asking for building updates and are just as excited for the new building as we are!

It’s been a wonderful journey these past 5 years. On behalf of the current Mainly Music team – Kate Robson, Katherine Johansen, Glenys Reid and Jenny Wong we truly do ‘give thanks to our Lord with all our hears and tell of His wonderful deeds!’

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