23rd April 2025

NVBC
Apr 23
3 min read

23rd April 2025

Celebrating Easter Together

What a beautiful way to mark the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection together last weekend across our three Easter Services! It was particularly encouraging to see so many visitors join us across the weekend, and we're praying for the impact that experience will have on them. A special thank you to all who were involved in our Easter services in some way, as it was a true team effort and a beautifully God-honouring one at that.

Easter Sunday Baptism!

If you missed Easter Sunday morning, you missed Kara's baptism! She shared powerfully about God's work in her life, and how He brought her to salvation in more ways than one! Check it out here if you missed it:

From Travis

With a heart still full from a wonderful Easter weekend celebration, I am now on a week's annual leave. Coming at the end of our first term, it is also a great chance to look back over the year so far and be filled with thankfulness and celebration. And to have the first term culminate in our Easter celebrations and close with Kara's testimony and baptism, was the icing on the cake of a great few months together!!

I have been loving the ways we are committed to Pursuing Jesus and what he has for each of us throughout this year, and can't wait to see the ongoing outpouring of fruit as we continue to do so in the coming months together.

Next week I will be out of the office too, as I head to Melbourne for a leadership intensive. This year, with the support and encouragement of the board and elders I have accepted a nomination to be part of Arrow Leadership Program. Arrow is an invitation only program, where 24 Christian leaders from around Australia purposefully join together to be further equipped in their leadership journey with specialised training and Christ-centred formation across a year. Arrow's mission is to see leaders be led more by Jesus, lead more like Jesus and lead more to Jesus.

As you might guess, the program is a huge investment of time: with book reading lists, various leadership assessment tools, lots of online training, coaching and cohorts as well as three in-person residentials.

Engaging in Arrow is very much an overflow of my heart's desire to be the best pastor, leader and disciple I can be in order to love and serve our beautiful NVBC family well. It is also one of the ways that I am 'Pursuing' the ongoing transformation that I believe God has for me this year.

A big thank you to the Board and Elders for their support in this. I invite you all to feel free to ask me what I'm learning, encourage me if you see it making a positive difference across the year, and to cover the whole equipping experience in prayer. See you in Term 2!

News from Daniel Sze

Daniel will soon be welcoming four pastors and mission pioneers from Taiwan and Hong Kong who are passionate about supporting the Australian indigenous discipleship training. He has invited us to join him in doing this, at a dinner (Chinese banquet) on Sat 7 June in West Ryde. If you are interested in joining those of us representing NVBC at the dinner, please talk to Pastor Johnny.

Daniel is one of the NVBC-supported mission workers, working with Indigenous Church leaders in both regional and urban Australia. You can watch a 5-min summary of his work or ask Bob Gibson to tell you more about it. And look for Daniel’s prayer points in The Harvest.

Seniors Morning Tea

Thurs, 24th April, 10am

Join our seniors tomorrow for a great morning tea at Green View Cafe in Kincumber. It is always a lovely morning of chatting and connecting. Please RSVP to Wendy-Sue.

Working Bee

Come join the community and working bee fun as we beautify our church property, all ready for the beginning of term 2 and hosting the election. Even an hour or two would be a great help!

This Sunday

Can you believe it is the month of May next week? During May we will preach through this year's Mission Month series from Baptist Mission Australia: 'More Like Jesus'. Each week comes from the early chapters of Mark, and so this Sunday we'll lead up to it with a stand alone message from Mark's Gospel.

This Sunday Johnny will speak from Mark 1:14-15, 'What is the Good News?' at both services and kids packs will be available during the services.