The Olive and Vine is our new name and logo for the former Gallery Cafe.
The Olive
The olive tree and olive branch have been symbols of peace and reconciliation ever since the account of Noah’s flood. When the dove brought Noah “a plucked olive leaf in its beak,” the olive branch represented new life sprouting on the earth (Genesis 8:11). The promise of the dove’s olive branch was a new beginning for humanity, peace and reconciliation with God, renewal, and revival. Jesus on the night of his betrayal and arrest went to an olive grove to pray. Some of the oldest olive trees in the world still grow today in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.
The Vine
Jesus often spoke about vineyards and vines. In the Gospel of John Jesus refers to himself as the true vine and to his disciples as the branches.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:1-5
Always too late
Sunday 27th June 9.30am
It’s never too late to start.
It’s always too late to wait.
In the Gospel of Mark there are two related healing stories entwined together which illustrate both the pressure Jesus was under, his way of being present in the now and dealing with conflicting priorities.
The sequence starts with a “Come quickly” request. The leader of the synagogue’s daughter was at the point of death. Rapid intervention was needed. This story no sooner starts than it is interupted when a Mrs Nobody who has been suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years sees her chance to be healed. The rational person says if she’s been sick for 12 years then it can wait a bit longer. But Jesus lets himself be diverted from the urgent, time-critical task to attend to this chronic/could have waited task. By the time he is ready to continue the journey to the sick girl news comes via messengers that she has died. It’s too late! Don’t bother Jesus to come any further. But Jesus refuses to accept that it’s too late. He arrives at the house to find “people weeping and wailing loudly.” He sends everyone outside and announces that the girl is not dead, just sleeping. This announcement is greeted with laughter. These people know what dead is. Needless to say Jesus has the last laugh as he restores the young girl to life.
This is an important story for us all. There are many problems in our life which are chronic. They have dragged on for years. They are not killing us, but they impair our life, damage our relationships and should be fixed. But they are not urgent. They can always be put off as we attend to more urgent things. In Mark’s Gospel everything is urgent. In the very first few verses of the Gospel Mark quotes Jesus as saying, ‘The right time has come…” (Mark 1:14) So much of the conflict Jesus has with the authorities stems directly from this unyielding sense of urgency. Everything is urgent. Everything is “immediately”.
The other lie we tell ourselves is that it’s too late. Too late to change ourselves. Too late to heal that broken relationship. Too late to start again. Jesus comes to us when we are certain that hope is dead and says “No, it’s just sleeping.” When all hope is dead; when t’s too little, too late Jesus says “Little girl, little man, get up!”
Join us this Sunday as we explore the urgent and the important and being too late.
The live Zoom service will start at 9.30am with the “room” open for you to log-in to from 9.00am. Log-in, chat to others, be the church!
Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook
Click the link to join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93296678964?pwd=MXR2L0VPM2xyVjVTclJEQzhtanlSUT09
The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below.
Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964
Password: 491339
Morning Tea
Covid-19 restrictions have eased considerably and as long as we take a few precautions we should be able to have morning tea after the services and enjoy some face-to-face fellowship.
Final Service at Thomson Street Sunday 4th July
9.30am Worship Service at 7 Thomson St
10.30am Morning Tea in hall
11.30am Inspection of 115 Hogan St
12.30pm Lunch
1.15pm Music and singing
3.00pm Finish
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.
Our church needs your support.
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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