Trinity Presbyterian Church Newsletter
Dear friends ALAN’S LETTER:
Those who follow the Robert Murray McCheyne iv. Realize that education is now a battlefield
Calendar would be reading (as I write) the book v. Reject the notion of neutrality – it leads to a
of Judges in their devotions. The recurring theme denial of truth.
of Judges, repeated no less than five times, is ‘In
vi. Develop a Christian world-view because Jesus
those days Israel had no king, everyone did as
Christ is the solution to the world’s problems.
he saw fit.’
That may well be an apt description of our times Some may see this as alarmist. But it is realistic.
– a crisis of leadership amidst social confusion. Some may see is as triumphalistic. However,
Whether it’s cabinet ministers buying exhorbitant it is Christ who is unique, not the West nor his
motor cars, an independent judiciary under threat, followers.
violent protests against poor service delivery or
national sports administrators fighting ‘turf wars’, Almost fifty years ago Harold McMillan delivered
the whole spectrum of society is impacted. his ‘winds of change’ speech in Cape Town. If
he were alive today he would echo the words of
As Christian believers we ‘long for a better country the prophet Hosea in Chapter Eight verse seven:
– a heavenly one’ (Hebrews 11:16). Whilst we ‘They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind’. But
endeavour to be good citizens acting as ‘salt and Hosea also says something else about sowing in
light’ in a fallen world, we know that no amount of Chapter Ten verse Twelve ‘Sow for yourselves
modifying a flawed system will usher in Utopia. A righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and
healthy society is like a three-legged stool: you break up your unploughed ground; for it is time to
need a good economic order, you need a stable seek the Lord, until he comes’.
political order, but you also need a good moral
and spiritual order. Today all three are under
As Christians we are neither naive optimists nor
threat. Little wonder the stool feels rickety.
despondent pessimists. We are realists who
TriniTy exercise faith. “We are confident that our God
Presbyterian Recently I came across a six point manifesto
ChurCh does reign and that Jesus Christ is victorious
which gives one pause for thought. Here it is:
A Congregation of the Uniting over sin, death and all the forces of the evil one”.
Presbyterian Church in Southern i. Realize the great heritage that Christianity has We have received the gift of hope, grounded in
Africa afforded Western civilization. the promises of God in Scripture, and affirmed by
459 Lovers Walk • Lynnwood • Pretoria ii. Admit that an unfounded bias has arisen the witness of the Spirit in our hearts.
Tel: (012) 348 9469 • Fax: (012) 348 6622 against analysis from a Christian perspective.
e-mail:admin@trinity.org.za iii. Acknowledge that the Bible does not teach us Until next time,
to abandon the world but rather impact it with a Your minister and friend,
Christian vision. Alan.
Trinity Presbyterian Church Newsletter
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Imagine this. A car speeds through a suburb and bears down on a 23 Aug – The Place of Music and Singing
toddler on a tricycle in the middle of the road. There’s no way the 30 Aug – The Purpose of Christian Worship Services
car can avoid the child, and the toddler can’t get out of the way. A
6 Sept – Understanding the Lord’s Suppe
pedestrian assesses the scene, leaps into the path of the car, pushes
the child aside and bears the full brunt of the accident. At the hospital Each topic is a stand-alone sermon, so don’t be discouraged if you are
the sad announcement is “dead on arrival”. Asked for comment the not able to be there on every Sunday during the series.
child’s mother says “He must have been out of his mind”.
Special times of prayer have been arranged during this time. Hopefully
You and I know that the last part of that scenario is totally wrong. We one of these times will suit you. Everyone is welcome to attend.
know how grateful that mother was that the life of her child had been
saved. And you and I who were in the same bad place, with Satan’s Friday mornings at 06h30 in the Chapel, starting on
steamroller of sin bearing down upon us to flatten us and squeeze the Friday 31st July
breath out of us, have been grabbed out of harm’s way by Jesus, who Sunday mornings, at 09h00 in Alan’s office, starting
died in our place. What else can we feel than the most profound and Sunday 2nd August
abiding gratitude to Jesus?
This time of corporate prayer, in addition to your individual prayers,
will be an invaluable part of our focus on worship - an essential and
And this is why we worship Him. We worship Him because He saved
wonderful aspect of our Christian faith.
us from spiritual death, brought us into a right relationship with God,
and guarantees that in Him we shall live forever. And when we come
to worship, this is what draws us – a sense of profound and never- “LIVING PRAISE” LADIES’ WEEKEND
ending gratitude for the most special gift of all: eternal life in Jesus Our dear friends at Willows Methodist Church have regularly joined
Christ. Shakespeare wrote that it is sharper than a serpent’s tooth to us at our Trinity Ladies’ Retreats. Now they have organised one and
have an ungrateful child, and how it must pain the Father when we fail have graciously extended an invitation to all of us to attend. It will be
to give thanks from the bottom of our hearts for what He has done for at the Good Shepherd Retreat Centre near Hartebeespoort Dam from
us in Jesus. Like the wise men in Bethlehem let us always kneel and 21 – 23 August.
adore Him – the Lord is His Name. The speaker will be our own Lynne Visser – you know that blessings
Dr Huw Davies. will flow!
Worship Series Please contact Jean Ramage for more information:
Session is very excited about our series of sermons on Worship which Tel: (w) 012-802 0634
begins on 2nd August and continues until 6th September. (F) 012-802 0635
Here are the topics: ramagej@firstinternational.co.za
2 Aug – The Foundations of Christian Worship
9 Aug – The Nature of Christian Worship Whether you will be attending or not, please remember Lynne in
her preparation and this retreat weekend – God always honours the
16 Aug – The End of Religion
prayers of His daughters.
Trinity Presbyterian Church Newsletter
YOUTH ACTIVITES have started up again after the
School and University holidays.
Sunday School for all age groups during Sunday morning service at Be sure to diarise our TRINITY CAMP: 11th until 13th September.
09h45 Details will follow very shortly.
Informal Service on Sunday Evening at 18h30 TECHNICAL UPDATE
We have a new addition to the sound system in the church. Amazing,
hi-tech headsets are now available for you. They are wireless and
Friday afternoons: have a range of approximately1 00 meters. So they will be helpful for
16h30 JUMP for Grades 4 - 7 a variety of reasons: whether as an aid to hearing better as you sit in
18h00 Youth for Grades 8 - 11 church or as you take your child outside to play, you will still be able to
hear what is being said in the church. The sound is also relayed very
Tuesdays clearly to the Mothers’ Room and the Chapel!
18h00 Matrics and Students
TRINITY CAFÉ AND CHRISTMAS MARKET
The Trinity courtyard continues to hum when Café Trinity is open on
Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10h00 – 14h00. It is a place of
fellowship and good food so if you haven’t tried it yet, don’t delay. Even
in this cold weather, visitors have found a warm sunny patch, and the
Café has rugs for you if there is a sneaky breeze.
And here is a special invitation for the 18th and 19th
November.
Everyone is invited to bring their arts and crafts or other items to a
Christmas Market that will run while the Café is open. This is a very
early notice, but we know that some items need a lot of time to plan
and make. There will be no cost to set up a table, and each person
will be responsible for organizing their own table, security, financial
requirements, etc. Tables will be allocated on a first come first served “Trinity recently enjoyed a visit from Dr Ron Peters, Professor at
basis, so give Ilse a call on 012 348 9469 or Sally on 012 348 9326 if Pittsburg Seminary, USA. The song ”this little light of mine, I’m gonna
you would like to reserve one. let it shine” will serve as a reminder of his powerful message to us.”