(Well, what did you expect from a church?)
We are old people and young, artists, people with disabilities, lawyers and plumbers, activists and accountants who have been captured by, and caught up in God’s Dream for the world and God’s purpose for our lives, that we see revealed in this Jesus.
Maybe we are a church for those who don’t like ‘church’. A church for those who don’t want to play religious games or be entertained but on a good day, desire to live the love that God has shown us.
WEEKLY UPDATE – May 8
To all members and visitors of the Westcity community. Here’s an overview of what’s happening at Westcity over the next few weeks…
Westcity Pneuma Retreat – Registrations Now Open
Making space to encounter the Spirit
Pneuma spirit, wind
Date: Friday June 11 (from 6pm) to Saturday June 12 (until 4.30pm), 2021
Where: Anapana Ridge Retreat Center, 35 GILCHRIST Road, Lesmurdie, WA
Cost: $122 Friday night and Saturday (includes accommodation and meals)
Registration is now open: 23 places only, so register HERE now to avoid disappointment
John 8:3 (EXP)
The wind, the spirit, blows where it wants to and you hear the sound of it but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going. It is the same with every person who is born of the Spirit. We cannot comprehend or control the Spirit, but we experience his effect.
The Bible says a lot about waiting expectantly for God, so we want to set aside a time and a space to be filled again by His Spirit. We think that He will meet us in that space in surprising and wonderful ways, and that we will feel more deeply connected to Him, our faith and wider communities when He does.
Mother’s Day and Hamlin Fistula Foundation
On Sunday May 9 we come together to celebrate Mother’s Day with gratitude for all our mothers and those with a mothering heart. At the same time, we think about mothers less fortunate than us. For a number of years, we have been committed supporters of the Hamlin Fistula Foundation. So, here’s a brief intro to the work of the Foundation and below is a link to their website which includes a message from its founder, Dr Catherine Hamlin, who died last year.
Ethiopia is a country where due to famine, social issues and lack of childbirth professionals, mothers either die in childbirth or are left with internal injuries making them outcasts of their community. No woman should have to suffer the pain and indignity of a fistula. With more Hamlin midwives and access to corrective surgery, they don’t have to.
The Hamlin Fistula Foundation has helped over 60,000 women with lifesaving and life-altering surgery. Each operation costs around $700 and restores women’s dignity and place in her community. Each year, Westcity’s Mother’s Day campaign aims to offer surgery to 6 women. About $4,000.
Join with us as we continue to support the legacy left by the devoted work of Catherine Hamlin and the Hamlin Fistula Foundation. This year rather than taking up an offering in person during our Sunday service, we are inviting our church community to make a donation direct via the Hamlin website on or before Mother’s Day.
Children Joining in For Church Worship
All children are now joining their families in church for the worship part of the Sunday service, and then they will be invited to go out to Kids Church (or creche), with the Kid’s Church Leaders (Kathleen, Theo or Nina and the other Kids Church team members), while the offering is being taken.
Parents will need to please sign your children in at the Kids Church desk or creche room when you first arrive at church, before you head into the chapel. You will also need to sign them out at the end of the service, at the Kids Church desk or creche room, when you pick your children up.
Morning Prayer – Join Us on Zoom
Part of community life at Westcity is to gather together to be with Jesus through prayer and scripture reading each morning.
Join us on zoom, every morning from 7am – 7:30am (Monday – Friday). The zoom password is ‘prayer’.
Upcoming Sunday Youth Dates: May 9, May 30, June 13 & June 27. More info on The Hub.
Next Friday Youth – May 21, from 7 – 8.30pm. More info on The Hub.
Weekend Services & Sunday Podcasts
From April 11, we begin our theme “The New Way: Sermon on the Mount 2021″. You can scroll down this homepage for an outline of what we will be covering in our Sunday sermons or to listen to any of our Sunday podcasts.
You can also listen on: Westcity Church Podcasts on Apple Podcasts
‘Deep Calls to Deep’ – New App
Phil has invited everyone to join in on using this new App, over the coming weeks. Deep Calls to Deep is a 46-day journey into the mystery of the cross that begins in Holy Week and ends on Ascension Day (but it is suitable for any time of the year). Readings, quotes and reflections for every day make this a feast of theological reflection and fuel for prayer, especially for those who already find themselves in stormy seas. You can download it here:
Deep calls to Deep – Easter on the App Store (apple.com)
Community Life at Westcity
The word ‘life’ in our community life title is an acronym for Love, Inclusion, Faith, Everyone.
We love gathering on a Sunday, but we see our discipleship journey together as something so much more. It’s also the spaces in between each Sunday where we get to live out our faith in Jesus with one another.
Whether we are meeting for a coffee, studying the bible together in a home church, sharing meals, praying in the morning on zoom or the myriad of other gatherings that take place throughout the week, we see this as being a part of living out our vision of loving God, loving people and following Jesus.
If you’d like more information and invitations on how you can get more engaged and connected in Community Life at Westcity, or to join a Home Church or even find out more about hosting or leading one then don’t hesitate to contact us via the website. You can also check out our website for an update on the leaders, locations and times of our current Home Churches.
Love and blessings,
Phil and the Westcity Team
