Don's Blog

Hi all.

For our last display outside the church this advent we have Joseph and Mary, ‘the baby’ …… and the kombi van. As usual we have received many comments and people have written wonderful messages on our ‘Graffiti Board’. These displays have convinced me that we have been able to ‘make a connection’ with many who on a daily basis walk by our church.

I am especially grateful to the ‘volunteers’ who gave of their time and energy to help us. Without you it would not have been as successful as it has been. Your presence has meant that something has happened. If you had not been there it would have just been a ‘display’. My hope is that early in the New Year we will all get together and share some of our experiences.

I have received many Christmas Cards this year and two have been rather special. One is from a Wesley family, addressed to the Wesley Family, and me and shares how through a series of events they were led to worship with us. They share how they have enjoyed worshiping at Wesley mentioning especially the “magnificent music from the talented youngsters at UWA, the melodious and uplifting voice of the choir and the beauty of the church itself, not to mention the friendliness of the congregation”.

I must admit to feeling a little proud to read this…

The second card simply wished me ‘Seasons Greetings’ and came from Mohammad Agherdien the Muslim Imam from the Mirrabooka Mosque. (Mohammad took part in our inter-faith meeting earlier in the year) I felt rather humbled that Mohammed, someone from a different faith tradition, had taken time to pay his respects during our rather special season. It reminds me to remember their special seasons.

May Christmas be a time of blessing to you, your family and friends and to those around you.

Thanks for reading.
Don

Don's Blog

Hi all.
This week has seen another display outside the church – the shepherds have arrived.
It appears from comments made by those passing by that they are more interested in the dog than any thing else. However we are still receiving many positive comments and many take a serious look as they pass by.

Penny who had been ‘on duty’ with the shepherds display, had an interesting experience when she went across the road to get a newspaper. She was able to offer significant assistance to one of “the big issue gentlemen”. He went away a very happy man. It makes you wonder….. if she hadn’t been a volunteer on that day at that time….. who would have helped? As it turned out she was a real blessing to him.
We are now onto our third ‘Graffiti Board’.

I am off to a meeting with the Elders and Catherine Czerz our ‘Stations of the Cross’ Curator. She will be sharing with us the completed list of artists who are all presenting new works for our Stations of the Cross art exhibition for next year. It promises to be an even more exciting event than this year. As soon as I have the completed information I will pass it on.
Never a dull moment at Wesley!!!
Thanks for reading.
Don

TheDon's Blog

Hi all.

Highlights this week.

Story 1. As you are aware we have a display outside the church. Part of this event includes an ‘Angel’ handing out postcards about the display and our Christmas services. On Saturday a woman who had just landed in Perth from South Africa approached him looking for a supermarket and he began to give her directions for Woolworths but then decided it would be easier to take her there.

What he didn’t know was that before leaving South Africa she was told by her Minister that there was an Afrikaans service in one of the Perth churches. On arrival she looked around Perth but couldn’t find it however on the way to Woolworths she saw Trinity Church and noticed the sign advertising the Afrikaans’s service. As it happened the service was to be held on the following day. On Sunday when she arrived at the service Rev Chris Crause met her and asked how she found her way to Trinty.

She replied, ‘an Angel sent me!’

Story 2. Also as part of the display we have a ‘Graffiti Board’ and passers by have been encouraged to write a message for the City of Perth. One young woman wrote. ‘Christmas is a time of sharing with family”. After she had finished writing I asked her, ‘Is your family here in Perth’, to which she replied, “My mother lives here in Perth, and my father lives in New Zealand.’ We had a brief conversation about family and how hard it is sometimes when a family is separated. I found out that she spends one Christmas in Perth with her mother and the alternate Christmas with her father. My hope is that our brief conversation was an acknowledgment that for some Christmas is a hard time. My hope is that our brief conversation may have helped. You never know.

My feeling is there are more stories to come……..

Thanks for reading.
Don