Dear Border Church Family,
We hope you are all keeping safe in this wild weather. Please see below for some safety information and resources. This week we are having Online Church only due to safety concerns with the landfall of Tropical Cyclone Alfred expected early Saturday morning. Online streaming can be found on Pastor Brendan's personal Facebook page and on our Youtube Ministry page:
https://www.facebook.com/BrendanValiant
https://www.youtube.com/@WithGirdedSword/streams
Online Border Youth and Border Church this Week
Tonight, for Border Youth we were always going to run a pyjama movie night. We will be streaming this on Zoom tonight. This can be open for anyone, not just our regular Youth. We are going to watch the movie "The Prince of Egypt" and have a discussion about it afterwards. You can download Zoom on your mobile device through your app store or for your computer via the Zoom website.
The Zoom link to access the Watch Party is here - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82462855455
This week we continue our new series for the year on the letters to the Corinthians. Part one, focused on the first letter, is called "Cryptic Cross-Talk: Conflict and Controversy in a Cosmopolitan City". We finally start getting into the spicy issues facing the Corinthian congregation. The sixth chapter deals with an issue of open disputes being paraded before the wider community. Is it acceptable to take issues within the Church to the worldly courts? Under what circumstances might it be necessary? Paul speaks in this chapter about how Christians should be different from those around them.
Join us and even post questions on the links below:
https://www.facebook.com/BrendanValiant
https://www.youtube.com/@WithGirdedSword/streams
Our regular fellowship lunch is suspended this week as we will be online. Please make sure you check in with people from Church and from the community to see how they are going.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred Safety Information
A lot of people are anxious and stressed and we should take our fears, anxieties and worries to God. Please join us as we pray for our community from south Queensland and North NSW. Our largest prayers should be for there to be gaps between the rain and wind so that there is time for the water to make it out to the ocean and no flooding.
Even though we are already feeling its impact, the centre of TC Alfred is expected to make landfall in the early hours of Saturday morning (so essentially tonight). This is expected somewhere between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. As with all tropical cyclones, it will depower once it is over land and unable to maintain the low pressure required for sustaining its strength. It is projected to be an "ex-tropical cyclone" by 10am-1pm Saturday according to current forecasts.
SES has a current "Stay Indoors" advice for all in the Northern Rivers, including Tweed Shire, Byron Shire, Ballina Shire, etc. There have been evacuation orders for Fingal, Chinderah and Tumbulgum in our immediate area as precautions for either tidal or river flooding. If you or someone you know needs an evacuation centre, please consult this list:
https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/during-an-emergency/evacuation-centres
If anyone needs assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Pastors Brendan and Alina and we will direct you to services or come out and help if possible.
Other helpful links to keep aware can be found below, but please, don't obsess or worry too much.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR662.loop.shtml#skip
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-07/cyclone-alfred-wind-speeds-and-rainfall/105020014
News
Next week we will have a special guest speaker, Gavin Irvine, regional representative of the Southern Cross Association of Churches and pastor of Kingdom Life Church here in Tweed. We look forward to the message he has to share.
Over this year we will be exploring the two letters to the Corinthians. These two series will carry us through the rest of the year with other events and speakers throughout.
Give
You can contribute towards our community outreach in our tithes and offerings box or online through various options on our website at https://border.church/give
Weekly meetings
Wednesday Prayer Meeting
Prayer meetings are on Wednesdays at 3pm at 179 Botanical Circuit, Banora Point. Please message me or speak to Lorraine if you have any prayer requests we can add to our list. All are welcome to join as we pray for our community and upcoming projects.
Sealed & Revealed
Season 3, looking at the book of Daniel, have begun and will be every Monday at 7pm NSW Time.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81584149095
If you would like to catch up on previous studies in this series, recorded sessions can be found on the secret YouTube playlist here:
Bible Discovery Groups
For 2025, make it a resolution to begin or to join at least one Discovery Bible Reading Group. They are super simple to do and a great way to learn in community with others, especially those new to the Bible. You can get something out of this no matter what level you are at. We would love to show you how to lead one of these groups simply. Please let us know if you would like to start one.
Other worship opportunities
We run Alpha small groups on a regular basis and if you would like help hosting one for your friends or loved ones to discover Jesus and the basics of the Bible, please let us know.
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday at 9:30am (QLD) or 10:30am (NSW).
Blessings
love
Brendan, Alina, Victor and Erina