Welcome to Waranga Uniting Churches
On having structures fit for purpose – New Wine in New Wineskins
Sunday 25th July 9.30am On Zoom
Our service this Sunday will be only on Zoom as Victoria is still in lockdown. The infection numbers are coming down, so hopefully lockdown will end soon, but in the meantime jump on Zoom or watch the service on Facebook. This is a time for strengthening community, looking after each other and staying spiritually strong, so feed your soul, meet and greet your church community this Sunday.
The starting place for our reflection and worship service comes from a very short parable that Jesus told in answer to being challenged about his perceived disrespect for the norms and conventions of established religion. He said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” This single sentence was important enough for three of the gospels to record it. Much of its meaning is obscure if we don’t understand how wine ferments and matures, which I’m sure some of us do! But it also requires us to understand that the wineskins referred to are not the skins of the grapes, but an animal skin flask.
This opens up a discussion on the wine and its containers or to step away from the metaphor the relationship between the faith, life and activity of the church (wine) and its organisational structure and buildings (containers). The implication from the parable is that the container needs to be fit for purpose or else both the wine and the container is lost or broken. In Mark’s gospel, immediately after this parable Jesus has another run in with the authorities about Sabbath observance; a key institution of Judaism; to which Jesus says “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.” That is, we are not here to serve the needs of the organisation, the institutions are here to serve and facilitate our faith and needs. As we move into our new premises at Tatura let us never forget these buildings are not the church, we are the church. These are the buildings in which the church meets and we celebrate them for the opportunities they create. May they be fit for purpose and nurture the good wine of faith and service.
ABC Radio Shepparton
Matt Dowling interviews Brian Spencer. Monday 5th July.
First Service at Hogan Street 11th July
9.30am Worship Service
10.30am Morning Tea
11.30am Music and singing
12.30pm Lunch
1.30pm Finish
Read more: Our journey to the Olive and Vine at Hogan Street.
Find our more: Five Special Services to Celebrate our move to Hogan Street.
Through Live streaming
Watch the service here on Facebook
Watch the recorded service later
Facebook records the service and it will be available to watch later or share with others in your family and friendship circle.
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Please consider donating your offering online via the button below
or by direct bank transfer:
Account name:
Waranga Uniting Churches.
Bendigo Bank:
BSB 633-000
Account No:162 446 371.
Rather stay anonymous?
We understand that you may prefer to remain anonymous. It may have been a while since you went to church, maybe you’ve never been to church and are just curious. We understand that you don’t want to be hassled just because you were curious.
If you want to remain anonymous there are four ways you can do it.
- Choose the “Join without video” option. You will be able to see, hear (and talk if you want to)
- Your name also appears in the bottom left of their picture in Zoom. This name will be the one you entered at sign-up. At any time in the meeting you can right-mouse click on your name and change or delete it.
- You can choose to attend via the Livestream option.
- You can watch the recorded service later on the website
About us
The Waranga Uniting Churches comprise congregations from the towns of Colbinabbin, Murchison, Rushworth, and Tatura.
You are welcome to join us at any of our worship services or activities.
Many faces… Many places… Many forms
Our congregations throughout the district are caring communities to which all people can belong.
Some of our congregations may be a tiny community of a dozen people, but they are warm vibrant and alive.
They have many faces. There are older people and young, families and single people, people of one culture or many.
While our congregations can be different, each aims to embrace all people… to unite them with each other and with God. This is expressed in part by our having an open table for Holy Communion, to which all baptised people are invited, welcoming children for baptism and being willing to marry those who are divorced.
We are by no means perfect, but we know that God loves us as we are and as we grow. Our congregations are communities in which people seek to follow Jesus, learn about God, share their faith, care for each other, serve the local community, and seek to live faithfully and with real joy. This is the kind of engaging church to which we belong.
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