25th June 2025

Spend time in God's Presence this week

from Johnny

Throughout the scriptures, we read about the presence of God. God is present in the Garden of Eden, walking in the cool of the day in Genesis 3:8. God is clearly with Abraham (Gen 21:22), Isaac (Gen 26:28), Jacob (Gen 30:27) and Joseph (Gen 39:3) in a repeated refrain throughout the book of Genesis.

But it is not until Exodus that God dwells with his people - in the sanctuary or Tabernacle:

Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)

God's covenantal love for His people is best expressed in his desire to dwell among them. And the right response to the presence of God is worship - which is the word for all of the activities that took place in the sanctuary (and which we will unpack on Sunday morning).

In John 1:14, we read,

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

And that word dwelling is linked to the word in the for tabernacle in the Greek translation of the Old Testament: eskēnōsen. He pitched his tabernacle among us. Just as God dwelled among His people in the tabernacle, so in Jesus, God chose to dwell among us in a new way: as 'Word become flesh'.

And now God is present with us by His Spirit, the Spirit of Christ who lives in us, by whom we can know God's love for us in a way that the Israelites at Mount Sinai couldn't dream of:

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:16)

I encourage you this week, spend time with God's presence - spend time with Him in your home; spend time with Him in the world He has made; spend time with Him amongst His people; and spend time with Him in worship.

Community Building: Men's Walking Group

There are so many wonderful things that happen organically and unseen in the life of any church, and ours is no exception. One of the good news stories is of a weekly men's walking group that tackle a health walk at Terrigal before connecting and chatting over morning tea together. Made up of current and former NVBC friends, this rhythm is a valued highlight in their lives, giving space for the sharing of life and friendship (and a well earned morning tea treat!).

As our church community continues to grow, and as we continue to welcome more and more people in our church family, we are very aware of the importance of such opportunities to nurture friendships and deepen a sense of community among us.

We encourage you to be inspired by the men's walking group, and find ways and opportunities to intentionally cultivate meaningful and spiritual friendships within and beyond our church community.

Keen to Serve at PM?

If you missed last Sunday night we put the call out for ways to get involved in serving and helping our PM Service continue to develop and grow. From supper, to welcoming, to helping with chair setup/pack up, hosting, kids ministry, music and AV/PA there are loads of ways to find your place to serve.

If you are keen or would just like to know more about what's involved, please chat to any of our pastors. You can also pop your name down on the whiteboard this Sunday night or fill in our serve with us form.

Seniors Service

Thursday 26 June

Our monthly communion service with hymns, prayer and testimony is this Thursday. Come along to connect, be blessed and be encouraged as Noel and Alma share their story.

This Sunday

This Sunday AM Johnny will continue our Exodus series, looking at God's instructions for the creation of the Tabernacle.

This Sunday PM we have set the night aside for an extended time of worship and prayer! All are welcome and there will be some interactive stations appropriate for older kids too.

Baptism Service

We are exciting for our next Baptism Service which is coming up soon! Mark it in your diaries, and speak to any of our pastoral team if you would like to explore being baptised as a sign of your faith in Jesus.

Young Adults Retreat

1-3 August

A group of young adults from NVBC are rego'd and keen to go together to the Soul Survivor Young Adults Retreat in August. If you are a young adult, it'd be great to have you join them!

For details on this or any of our upcoming events, please visit our whatson page

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