A Minute with Mike
Pastor for the Next Generation
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Thursday 1 May, 2025
I love it when I hear people share about what has been happening in their life, and their experience of God in the midst of it all.
The powerful potential of a story or testimony shared with others, is the way in which it can encourage others and bring glory to God.
Earlier this year, we had the chance to hear a snapshot of the stories of a few people in the English services who were taking a step of faith in choosing to be baptised. It was so inspiring!
Those aren’t the only stories of God at work in and through this church community.
I’m continuing to hear stories about the fruit and blessing of individuals, families and households who are exploring the practice of Sabbath.
I’ve heard the story of someone who responded to one of the invitations to take a step of faith over Easter.
And I heard the story of someone who is continuing to witness to a friend of theirs who isn’t a Christian, but has questions about faith & Jesus.
Across our church community there are countless stories of people coming to faith, taking steps of faith, or maturing in their faith journey of following Jesus.
Whether it’s in our congregations, age-and-stage ministries, or community-focused outreach and care initiatives - the stories of God at work in and through us are remarkable.
The challenge though, is that sometimes we might not be aware of these stories, hear them, or feel like we have a story to tell.
Psalm 9:1 gives us some encouragement and an invitation with these words:
“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."(NIV)
As you read through the newsletter for this month, you’ll see and hear some stories which provide a snapshot of the many wonderful deeds that our Lord has done in our midst at SBC of late.
In view of them, I’d like to invite you to consider doing a few things in response:
1) Give thanks to God for them.
2) Look for opportunities to share stories of God at work with others. (i.e. “Did you hear how many people are doing ALPHA at the moment!?”)
3) Share some of YOUR story, with someone else.(“I’ve been praying about ________lately” or “I think God has been teaching me about ______or doing __________ in my life.”
So in this month to come, let’s keep telling stories of God’s wonderful deeds - with the intent that it might encourage others and glorify our God.
Mike Riddell
P.S. We’ve got some baptisms taking place in our English services on May 25. If you’re interest in exploring getting baptised yourself, head to this linkand let’s start a conversation!
What's happening this month?
May Missions Month
Every year in May we turn our attention to mission: to how we can be involved in seeing the good news of Jesus shared globally.
You'll see a couple of videos in services about May Missions Month, we'll pray for global mission, and in our English services we have sermon series called 'Lost and Found' running throughout May which is all about being shaped by God's heart for the lost.
We also have a 7 day prayer guide to help us focus our hearts on mission, and a set of reflection questions to help us ponder our own response to mission.
And this year, we also have a downloadable PDF with interviews and stories from some of our Members in Service about their journey to the mission field - how God called them, how they responded throughout the process, what the process involved and some of their reflections along the way.
You can access all of these resources and give to Baptism Mission Australia projects via the May Missions page, linked below.
Visit May Missions Page
Man Alive Action Night
May 15th, 7.15pm, Morack Golf Driving Range, $15
Come out for a fun night with other guys hitting golf balls, marvelling at the golfing talents of others (some better than others no doubt!) and enjoy chatting while others are hitting. All skill levels welcome!
Time: 7.15 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. start. Don't be late as the booking time begins right on 7.30 p.m. and ends right on 8.30 p.m. We have 7 bays booked for 1 hour each.
Registration: Please register via the link by no later than Tuesday 13/5/25. This is one event we need to know you are coming before the actual date!
What to bring:
If you have clubs, bring along 3 of them (not your putter but a driver). It would be great if you are willing to share your clubs with those who don't have any.
Some $$ for a drink or something to eat while you are on the range or after in the club house while sharing how good or bad you hit, with the AFL Thursday night game on in the background.
Prizes: Longest Drive, Worst Drive, Closest to the Pin and Best Happy Gilmore Effort.
More details and register via link below.
Register now
Karinya Counselling Workshop: Skills for Relationships
Come join us for an evening of learning and trying out new skills for your relationships. This event focuses on learning about your attachment style and improving your communication skills to deepen your connections with those around you. Whether you're looking to strengthen your romantic relationship, family bonds, or friendships, this event will provide you with valuable insights and practical tools. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your relationships! Karinya ran this workshop last year and it generated significant interest to run it again. This time we have included more practical activities and roleplays, to better equip you in putting new skills into practice.
Details
Wednesday, 21st May
7PM - 8:30PM
Syndal Baptist Church
$20/$30
Register Now
There will be two prayer quilts in the foyer this Sunday. Please pray for Kerryn and Doug any time and stop and tie a knot in their quilt when you are at church. The knot is a symbol of your prayer and seeing many knots encourages them. You can pray anywhere, any time. It doesn't have to be on Sunday when tying a knot. (We recognise that some people are not comfortable praying while in the busy environment where the quilts are out, so please don't let that stop you knotting!)
Kerryn Sabell was recently diagnosed with advanced cancer. She is 52 and will soon begin radiation and chemotherapy. Please pray for her pain to be managed well, for treatment to be effective and for parents Keith and Noeline as they provide support.
Doug Smith was involved in a serious car crash on April 10. He spent four days in hospital and has no memory of the incident. Doug has severe bruising to his left leg and right hand. He has been using a frame or crutches to walk and is beginning rehab.
If you or someone you know would like a prayer quilt, please contact Rosie rmerrigan@sb.org.au .
Quilts do not need to be made public if you'd prefer privacy. You are welcome to request them for friends and neighbours as long as we can confirm their agreement.
I've prayed!
Support Foodbank as they support others
Our Community Care Foodbank provides struggling locals with pantry items they need. Every month you are invited to purchase and donate certain items the Foodbank requires.
This month's items are:
Packets of Toilet paper
Small Canned Fruit (Peaches/Pears/Two Fruits) (410g)
Jam
Peanut Butter
You can drop your grocery items in the shopping trolley near the doors on High Street Road entrance, in the East Fellowship area for our Mandarin & Cantonese congregations or at the church office during the week between 9.30am-4.30pm.
We thankyou for your ongoing prayer and support of this vital ministry.
Name tags for English morning servicesOver the next few weeks, in our English morning services, we will be phasing out the laying out of name tags at the Connect Desk.
Everyone is still very welcome to wear a name tag if you would like, but in that case, we would love for you to take responsibility for your own name tag by taking it home and bringing it back with you the following week. We are still happy to print new name tags for anyone who would like one, either now or at some stage in the future. If that's you, please see Mandy Stark (Discipleship and Connection Pastor) or email her at mstark@sb,org,au and she will organise one for you.
But for now, please collect your name tag from the Connect Desk over the next few weeks. Any name tags remaining after Sunday 11 May will not be available to be collected. Thank you!
Applications for Membership
When someone applies to become an official member at Syndal Baptist Church, we communicate this to the church for two weeks. If there is any reason the membership should not be approved please contact Chris Danes via cdanes@sb.org.au with any concerns.
The following people have applied for membership:
Jess Harrison
Clay Webb
Ash and Janet Halford
Apply for Membership
What's been happening recently?
Easter at Syndal
We had a great time celebrating Easter together across our various services and congregations.
There were 2 baptisms in the Cantonese Congregation on Easter Sunday, and 6 baptisms in the Mandarin Congregation as well. It was wonderful having members of our different congregations and generations staying after our Easter Sunday services to enjoy food, drink and activities together.
A huge 'thank you' to everyone who served over the Easter weekend - whether on stage or behind the scenes, in big ways or little ways - it all made a difference and made our Easter events possible.
Here are a few photos from across the weekend.
Green Tip of the Month
This month's Green Tip comes from Sustainability Victoria:
Green tip, courtesy of Sustainability Victoria
"Choosing food that is in season reduces the demand for produce that's out of season, supports local farming and businesses, and reduces transportation and refrigeration associated with the food (food miles). For the freshest, most nutritional produce, buy food that was grown or made locally."
Congregation Spotlight
Cantonese Congregation
With Hans Chow, Associate Pastor for Cantonese Congregation
What has been happening in your congregation recently?We were very pleased to have had 198 people attend our Good Friday Service, and 357 attend our Easter Morning Services. It was especially encouraging to be able to witness two Baptisms on Easter Sunday.
We have also just finished our 'Home Alpha' group, with 9 out of 10 responding to the invitation to follow Jesus.
Where have you seen God at work?We had the biggest Home Alpha ever! What was really amazing was the way God provided for this. One brother opened his newly bought big house for the group to run in, and because of this bigger house, God provided a bigger number of attendees!
What have you got coming up in the next few months?We have a new core group organisation which will help lead the church into a more missional goal.
How can we be praying for your congregation?Please keep praying for our 5 pm services. We are thinking of making some changes to the status quo. Pray for our use of the Practicing the Way material, and our theme of Missional Discipleship for this year.
Sunday Service Information
This Sunday
Series: Lost and Found
Sermon: God's Heart for the Lost
Preacher: Mike Riddell
People have a lot of different perceptions of God – that he’s angry or distant. That he’s irrelevant or old-fashioned. But some of the most striking pictures Jesus shared of the Father is that he’s searching. He’s searching for the lost.
Why is that so important and what does it mean for us today?
In this first week of our ‘Lost and Found’ series, Mike Riddell will help us get to know this God who seeks the lost.
Coming Up
Sunday 11th May
Series: Lost and Found
Sermon: I Once Was Lost
Preacher: Bill Brown
For many of us, the words ‘I once was lost, but now am found’ represent our own story in one way or another. In this message, Bill Brown will help us reflect on the significance of this truth and how it can change the trajectory of our lives into the future.
Sunday 18th May
Series: Lost and Found
Sermon: Lost in Plain Sight
Preacher: Micah Evans
When we look at our lives and people around us, what do we see?
Maybe a better question is, ‘what does God see?’.
In this third week of the ‘Lost and Found’ series, Micah Evans will help us consider our everyday lives through God’s eyes to help us recognise opportunities we may otherwise miss.
Sunday 25th May
Series: Lost in Plain Sight
Sermon: Lost World
Preacher: Chris Danes
When God looks at our world, what does he see? What does he want to see? What role does he want us to play in that vision?
In this final week of our ‘Lost and Found’ series, Chris Danes will help us consider God’s big picture for this world he created and explore our part in God’s plan.
Giving Update
Week ending: 28/4/2025
Weekly target: $48,627
This week actual: $46,164 (95% of budget)
Year to date actual: $722,562 (87% of budget)
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