Don Dowling's Blog

Don's Blog

Hi all. It's good to be back from a very refreshing holiday.

My most vivid memory from the last four weeks was stopping by the roadside somewhere on the way to Hyden. It was quiet and as we looked at the paddocks, the crops looked great, beautiful and green. I was reminded of Psalm 23 “He makes me lie down in green pastures”. Both Kay and I were amazed at the peacefulness and wide-open spaces.

However there was a downside. We came across many salt affected areas and when we drove into many towns there were very few people around. The local banks, chemists, bakers and butchers are gone. The signs on many churches say, ‘No worship this Sunday’. I guess while the country was a very peaceful place in which to be, it was hard to see the lack of people and services, the normal community things that we take for granted.

Over the past week we have enjoyed being involved in the visit of the President of the Uniting Church, Rev Alistair MacRae. He presented great information regarding the things that he was seeing in the wider church and we can be encouraged and proud of the events and activities that the Uniting Church is doing both locally and nationally.

So now it is back to work and I am looking forward to the advent activities happening outside a church. Please see below for the details.

Calling all volunteers.

During the four weeks of Advent, leading up to Christmas, Wesley Church will be presenting a number of events and art installations outside the church. Jane Nicholas who is helping us present these events and displays.

The Theme is; “Who’s Coming?”

Our aim is to present challenging and engaging events that offer people the opportunity to reflect on and be blessed by the Christmas season.

Crucial to our presentations will be volunteers. We need people who could offer a block of two hours, or more, either during the week, or the weekend. We are looking for two types of volunteers. Firstly, those who would be willing offer a physical presence as a kind of general security for the displays. Secondly we are looking for people willing to engage in conversations with those who pass by and may want to know more.

If you would like to donate some of your time we would love to hear from you.

In the first instance you could e-mail or contact the office to let them know of your availability. Rev. Lee Edwards is coordinating the times and list and I am happy to pass on your name to her if you are interested.

Thanks for reading.

Don