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Great Southern (WA) Emmaus Community
Newsletter #89 – December 2019
Christmas Edition
From the Community Lay Director The year has rushed by so very
quickly! The older I get, the faster time seems to go. Christmas is
almost upon us, and I hope that we will all be able to take some
time over the Christmas break to reflect on our Creator and His
marvellous grace. Talk 10 is called Discipleship, which is the
process of becoming the whole person God calls each of
us to be through our relationship with Jesus Christ. A disciple
embraces God’s highest purposes for their life – to grow in the
likeness of Christ for the sake of others. There are natural
qualities of a disciple: knows priority, has discipline, knows
reality, shows empathy, takes initiative, is generous. There are
and spiritual qualities: Faith, humility, hope and love. These
combined together mean that we are leaders – not by office or
position, but by the spiritual quality of the life we live and the
One we represent. We are challenged at the end of this talk by this
question: there are two kinds of people in the gospels: the crowds
– those who sought out Jesus, who were curious, but not committed;
and the disciples – those few who heard the call to follow and
committed their lives to him and put their faith into action. Which
one are we? I am a disciple, committed to following Him, regardless
of the circumstance. I echo the prayer of the apostle Paul in Phil
3:10 (MSG) - “I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know
Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner
in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.” At
the last Board meeting, the Board elected a new Community Lay
Director. I welcome Arthur Pederick to the role. Arthur has been
CLD previously, and I have admired the way that he ably led our
community and the Board. I learned many things watching him in that
role that I did my best to apply in my own tenure. I look forward
to his leadership once again as we step into the New Year. I hope
to see you all at the next gathering in January in Mt Barker – come
to catch up with old and new friends, share a meal together and be
encouraged in your Fourth days. After the gathering, the team
selection committee will meet to start the process of selecting
people to serve on the walks in August 2020. If you receive a call
asking you to serve on team, please consider prayerfully and answer
the call. Serving on team can be a tremendously rewarding
experience! I wish you a wonderful Christmas as you celebrate the
birth of our Lord. De colores, Paul.
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Newsletter #89 Page 2
From the Community Spiritual Director A post-script to my last
article. The new Board has been elected. It is good to see new
members added to those who continue. May the Spirit guide them in
all their deliberations. As I reported in October, I had been
unsuccessful, despite trying for the extra year in the role, to
find a replacement Community Spiritual Director. The Board asked me
to ask someone who has held the role in the past to take it on
again. This person did give it prayerful consideration but was not
led to do so. I pray that the new Board will have more success with
their corporate contacts. I did leave the Board with names of
possible Spiritual Directors for the 2020 Walks and pray that the
Selection Committee will have success with these people. If the
Lord brings to your mind suitable people who are seen as clergy and
have been on an Emmaus Walk or Castillo please forward their names
to a Board member. My time in the New Year will be taken up with
our home and half acre, various tasks in the 2 churches of which
Dianne and I are members, my role as Curator for the Yarloop
Workshops, which are beginning to be rebuilt as a tourist
destination, the Chairing of the Harvey Youth Council and our local
RSL of which I am an affiliate member. I pray that you will all
have a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour;
the coming of God amongst us. May we grow in our awareness that His
Spirit dwells in each of us. Remember that every blessing is in
Christ and He is counting on you.
De colores Allan 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 Gathering News Wagin
Gathering – Saturday 19th October There were many highlights of the
Community’s Gathering in Wagin on Saturday the 19th October. Fourth
Day Speaker, Dianne Wright, is a living, breathing example of why
we give ourselves to the Emmaus movement. She was a pilgrim on Walk
34 and gave convincing testimony to our loving God’s involvement in
her life. She has a growing, authentic faith, that gave persuasive
conviction that God has her life in his care. It hasn’t always been
so. Kindly friends, sowing love into her for years, saw the fruit
of their ministry in Diane’s confident spiritual growth during and
since the Walk. At the foot of the cross, Diane gave all her
worries and her past up to God
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Newsletter #89 Page 3
and walked away a lighter woman. Knowing God changes everything!
Thanks, Dianne for your beautiful honesty and authentic witness.
Thanks to these people who contributed to the Gathering: Music
leaders were Narrelle Parker and Jill Pilkington, SD Stephen van
Schalkwyk, MC Arthur Pederick, Kitchen oversight Robyn Webster, and
data projector Narelle Goodall. Mt Barker is the venue for our
summer Gathering. The date will be Saturday 18th January. If you
have any questions, please contact Robin Ditchburn on 0428 560 948.
Please bring a plate to share to the 12-noon luncheon, which will
be followed by the worship service and Fourth Day Speaker. The
Board meets at 10am on that day prior to lunch. The venue, for your
satnav, is the Mt Barker Baptist Church at 1 Lowood Road, Mt B.
2020 Calendar The Gathering Calendar will be released in the
Newsletter following the January meeting. On average, we meet
bi-monthly, ‘bending around’ the Team Training and the Walk
Weekends.
De colores Wendy Pederick (0429 171 676)
Gatherings Board & AGM News The changing of the Board: Each
year a few members need to step down, and new members are elected
at the AGM. Board members step down either due to personal
circumstances or because their term is fulfilled. We wish to thank
the following for their faithful service as Great Southern Board
Members:
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Newsletter #89 Page 4
Paul Mulroney (retiring CLD), Allan Ward (retiring CSD), Narelle
Goodall, John & Shirley Hopkins. May God bless them and keep
them as He takes them into a new chapter in their lives. And we
welcome: Arthur Pederick to the position of Community Lay Director
for 2020. And Eric Loughton, Tania Higgins, Peter Hanbury and Jan
Colbourne to the Board. We pray God’s strength and wisdom for them
in their service. With the exception of CLD & CSD, portfolios
are assigned each year in the January meeting. As Allan outlined in
his farewell report, we are still looking for a Community Spiritual
Director. If you have any ideas, please speak with Arthur Pederick
– phone 0427 350 351. Finance Matters Our bank balance is lower
than we would like. Many in the Community are doing it tough. A
higher number than usual of Pilgrims and Team utilized the ‘Walk
Fees Fund’ (formally known as the Pilgrim Fund) for the 2019 Walks.
To ease the burden, the Board is proposing an on-going Fundraiser
in 2020. A team, coordinated by Kevin Gale, will supply and sell
firewood. We are hoping enough people will get involved so that a
firewood stockpile would be available in a variety of areas around
our Great Southern Community. To get involved or if you have any
questions, please contact Kevin Gale – Phone 0429 985 129 or email:
[email protected] We are looking for help:
• Supplying the wood. For example, you have a paddock to clear
and/or have the tools & time to fetch/cut wood.
• Local area coordinator: caring for the stockpile in your area,
advertising to the general public as the firewood is available for
sale to anyone who needs it (not just GrS Community members).
• Delivery. For customers unable to collect it. Look out for
more information in future Newsletters. 2020 Walks Men’s Walk:
Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 August Women’s Walk: Thursday 20 to Sunday
23 August It is not too early to start signing up Pilgrims. What
better way to encourage the LDs as they form the teams with early
Pilgrim numbers. There is an application form attached to the
Newsletter. Or if you need more – please see the Community’s
website or contact Caroline – email:
[email protected] The Team Selection Committee
will meet following the January Gathering and the Walk Lay
Directors will start their phone calls soon after. If you would
like to serve on the Conference Room Team, please let Caroline know
and she will put forward your name to at the meeting.
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Database Details We want to keep in touch! Please ring or text
or email Caroline Mulroney to check your details. Phone: 0458 209
032 Email: [email protected] We, as a Community,
are on a campaign to ensure our database is as accurate as
possible. You may receive a call from your Walk’s Lay Director or
Table Leader to check your details. We appreciate you taking the
call and ensuring that the information we have is up-to-date. From
the WebMaster Hi Everyone, The new Emmaus Australia website is up
and running! You can access it here: https://www.emmaus.org.au You
can access the prayer vigil from the main page, and also read new
and events for Emmaus Australia. The individual community websites
are still under construction, so the temporary one for Great
Southern is still in place. You can access it from the National
Website > Communities > Great Southern, or you can click on
this link: https://mail.logicaldevelopments.com.au/gse/ The
National Webmaster will be working with all communities to migrate
our information over to the new site in the coming months. De
colores, Paul. Perth News Team formation is under way for Perth
Emmaus Walks 2020. The Walk Lay Directors - Neal Leggo and Cathy
O'Dea are making their calls. Please pray for them & the teams.
Walk #67 Thursday 14 to Sunday 17 May - Men's Walk #68 Friday 29
May to Monday 1 June - Women's (Trialling a long weekend!) If you
have a pilgrim in mind that that would be better suited to the
Perth area and/or dates, or you would like to serve in the Perth
Community – please contact: Julie Marshall (CLD) on 0414 432 130
The next Perth Gathering: Saturday 15 February 2020. Kalamunda
Uniting Church. (7 Health Road, Kalamunda.) Starts: 7pm.
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REUNIONGROUPS&AGAPEOFGREATSOUTHERN(WA)EMMAUSCOMMUNITY
• BOYUPBRIDGETOWNBLOOMERS:JanLarkin97653066•
KOJIKRAFTERSNarelleGoodall98341046•
PLANTAGENETVINEYARDChrisButler0497023107•
WAGINWONDERSLynPike–98612351•
WHEATBELTWALKERS(MERREDIN)SalMarais90415685•
WOKALUPDianneWard0427770104
2019 Board with their Portfolios Board Position Name Email Phone
Perth Board Rep John Eva [email protected] 0487 777 415 CMD Mike
& Shannon Frost [email protected] 0428 982 274
Candle Lighting Kevin Gale & Allan Langelaan
[email protected] [email protected]
0429 985 129 K 9851 1715 A
Secretary Narelle Goodall [email protected] 0429 341 072
Treasurer Steve Higgins [email protected] 9041 5080 Prayer
Vigil Shirley Hopkins [email protected] 0439 908 289 S
Community Health John & Shirley Hopkins [email protected]
0407 195 631 J Agape Bethwyn Langelaan [email protected] 9851
1715 Registrar/Database & Newsletter Caroline Mulroney
[email protected] 0458 209 032 CLD & Website
Paul Mulroney [email protected] 0409 681 615
Property & Entertainment Arthur Pederick
[email protected] 0427 350 351 Team Training &
Gatherings Wendy Pederick [email protected] 0429 171 676
CSD Allan Ward [email protected] 0427 770 103 Walk Support Dianne
Ward [email protected] 0427 770 104 Note: Steve is kindly
maintaining the financial records as a non-Board member. Please
uphold Your Board and LDs in prayer; we always appreciate your
intercession.
Contributions can be made to: Great Southern (WA) Emmaus
Community
BSB: 036123 Account Number: 358859 Reference: Walk Fee Fund
Or contact Mr Steve Higgins for further information at
([email protected])
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In this issue:
• Next Gathering: Saturday 18 Jan. Mt Barker Baptist Church. •
Christmas Greetings
*Is your address correct? If you have previously received the
Emmaus Newsletter via email, please contact Caroline Mulroney
to update your details.
Newsletter for: Great Southern (WA) Emmaus Community CA Mulroney
86 Coolgardie Street BENTLEY WA 6102
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