Dapto Anglican Church

The media events of the last couple of weeks have “crucified” one of Sydney’s high profile football personalities, Matthew Johns. His wife defended her husband, pointing out that he had really only wronged her. He had confessed to her 7 years ago and they had worked through it.

Our society’s standards have changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Sexuality at school is taught so that practises are “safe” not relational or ethical. Movies, TV and music portray all sorts of sexual behaviour which drastically overturn the standards of yesteryear.

The activities of groups of drunk men away from home have been questionable for many years. If society is saying we have had enough and wish to return to more Christian behavioural standards, then bring it on! My cynical view is that sponsorship money is at risk so someone has to take the fall for a culture that is way out of step with its Creator.

As for Matthew Johns, Jesus was crucified for his sin, just like ours.
Pray that his family finds a way through this crisis and that they also find a Saviour who puts the past to death.

Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister

Bulletin 24th January 2009 (PDF 2mb)

“This Budget is forged in the fire of the most challenging global economic conditions since the Great Depression.” Our National Treasurer was hardly the bearer of glad tidings on Tuesday night. Thankfully there was some compassionate treatment for single pensioners and first home buyers, but for many of us there wasn’t much good news (except if you like the idea of working for a few more years before retirement)!

This week has also been a hard week for many families in the Illawarra as a number of local companies reduced their workforce. How can we help???

Already our church has established links with employment agencies and Centrelink so that people can work their volunteer hours at Dapto Anglican Church. This month we are launching the first Dapto Anglican/McDonald’s recession busting dinner. Once a month on a Monday Night about 10 families will be invited to the dining room at McDonald’s for a night out. McDonalds are providing the food and we are providing the people. Jill Pearce is co-ordinating the first event which will see families from the Dapto Community invited alongside some Dapto Anglican Families. Please let the office know of any families we should invite in June.

Let me encourage you all to think about shopping locally. Many of Dapto’s businesses belong to locals. We will be sending a small gift and a letter of encouragement to our local businesses where I will assure them of our prayers and that our members will endeavour to support our local businesses wherever possible.

Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister

Bulletin 17th May 2009 (PDF 2mb)

About 10 years ago a French film star, Jeanne Moreau, was interviewed on “60 Minutes”.

In the introduction she was described as being as passionate about life off the screen as on it. However very early in the interview Jeanne said incredulously, “Passion is unseemly”. She went on; “Love is not passion”.

She explained that love and passion don’t go together. “Passion is demanding, passion is jealous, passion goes up and down but love is constant”. The apostle Paul would agree if 1 Corinthians 13 is anything to go by. In this great description of biblical love he basically teaches that love is not “feeling”, it is “being” for others. It is not an emotion it is service. It is not passive but active. It seeks good for others and forgets self.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Love must have a face. Often we see this sort of love in action when we witness a mother’s love for her child. The ultimate manifestation of love is seen in God. His love has a face. It is not some abstraction, it is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. He set His face towards Jerusalem to bear our sin and win forgiveness for us. His love was the greatest love and conquered all the enemies of love.

Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister

Bulletin 10th May, 2009 (PDF 1mb)

May Prayer Focus (PDF 83kb)

I read during the week that Mexico had cancelled all their weekend soccer games. They are trying to stop the spread of ‘swine flu’. All week there has been speculation concerning whether cases have been identified in Australia and New Zealand. Following close on the heels of a world financial crisis it is easy to long for the good old days when Australia felt a bit more insulated from the problems of the rest of the world.

It is a very good thing that God did not insulate himself from the troubles of this world. Jesus came down to personally deal with our fundamental problem. Our world is infected with disease and struggle because each person is infected by sin. He bore the outcome of our ”disease” so that we can enter heaven as “vaccinated” disciples.

As we enter into the world of the Biblical Judges over this next term, we will be challenged to stop following the attitudes of our world and to seek God and His ways. We can’t cut off our contact with the world but we can avoid being infected by its values.

Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister

Bulletin 5th May 2009 (PDF 1.1mb)