Berry Kids’ Club

Berry Kids Club is a part of children’s ministry of Berry Presbyterian church since 2015. Berry Kids Club is an engaging and fun program which aims to teach children about Jesus and following him & provide a safe environment in which children can easily build friendships and connections with others.

The details for the Kids club are following,

Where: Berry Presbyterian church hall

When: the 2^nd and 4^th Friday each month (sometimes the 5^th Friday too)

Time: 3.15-5 pm

Who: Kindergarten to Year 6 (currently around 35 students gathered each time). Many of the children walk from Berry Public School with Pastor Isaac and other adults to the hall.

Why: We have play activities, afternoon tea, a Bible talk, craft and discussion times, dancing, music and games.

Our expectations for the children are to learn from the Bible and respect each other and the adults; care for one another; be kind; ask for help when needed; use manners and be considerate, patient and use appropriate words; to listen and participate in the Bible talks.

We are Covid safe and encourage the children to regularly wash their hands and use sanitiser as well. All our adult leaders and helpers have Working with Children and Child Protection qualifications. All maintain safe practices and cleaning before, during and after each afternoon. Afternoon tea is served on individual plates, by the helpers. The children are encouraged to sit with others to socialise. It is a wonderful time for us to have fellowship with each other.

If you have any questions, please contact either:

Isaac Jung on 0405 139 031 or email: Isaac.jung@hotmail.com or

Sue Skinner on 0419 634 365 or email: sueskinner83@gmail.com

Discipleship Training (DT)

The Lord Jesus set an example of Discipleship Training during His earthly ministry. When He was beginning His public ministry, the first thing He did was to choose disciples, calling them and spending time interacting with them and teaching them in a variety of situations about further ministry that was to come. Unlike traditional and contemporary leaders, He did not wait for disciples to come to Him, but took the initiative and searched for those who suited His purpose.

Biblical discipleship begins when we accept the truth “to God, one soul is precious”. When Jesus gave the command ‘to make disciples’ (Matthew 28:19), He had undoubtedly foreseen that His disciples would include not only the twelve but also many who would become God’s people through them. Thus, Matthew is teaching that all believers, whether they are pastors or parishioners, must always remain as disciples of Jesus. As He said to His disciples “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38). Jesus’ exhortation presupposed that His disciples were motivated by their concern to see the lost brought in to His kingdom, when they pray for more workers. The new convert is to be transformed and nurtured along in the Christian faith, and the mature Christian is to develop his or her gifts to serve others both in the church and community.  We should not forget that we follow Jesus in faithful obedience.

Upon these teachings and commands of Jesus, the goals of the “Biblical Discipleship” project are two-pronged.

There are broad goals which explain why it is worthwhile to equip people to become disciples of Jesus through 10 weeks discipleship training program. These aim to impart the philosophy of Christian doctrine and practice.

– To equip people with the vision, knowledge, skills and attitudes to grow in faith

– To train them and develop an understanding of the Bible in how to be leaders of church ministry.

– To impart a vision for the ministry of the church to think through long term, an expansive strategy of how the church can contribute to winning the world for Christ.

And there are specific goals for the trainees concerning the skills and understanding they will need to acquire in order to grow in their Christian faith and to be equipped for the church ministry through the personal mentorship.

DT Application Form

Men’s Fellowship

(Second and Forth Saturdays of each month)

Purpose:

The purpose for Scot’s Men’s fellowship is to seek to give men the opportunity to grow in Christian faith and to strengthen the community through regular gatherings. It is important that the church encourages men to fellowship together and to serve one another as a part of the mission of the church.

Goal:

• One way to achieve our purpose in Men’s Fellowship could be the use of visiting speakers and volunteers from within our church community to help us understand how Christian faith impacts on their lives at work and home. There are many specialist groups of Christians who are interested in ‘everyday Christianity’ and in the relevance of their faith to the work they do. Inviting such people to speak on a regular basis would provide a good reason for inviting their non-Christian friends to hear them.
• Various activities can be selected by the members and can change when it is required.
• The men can discuss or share anything related about themselves or any subject that comes to mind.
• Men’s fellowship is to provide a safe and welcoming location where men can come and meet together.

The contact person: Max Ingall (4464 2123)

Pastoral Care Team (PCT)

 Purpose:

The purpose of Berry Presbyterian Church Pastoral Care Team (SPCT) framework is to help people live life in all its fullness, according to the example of Jesus. Pastoral care involves strengthening, comforting, encouraging and urging believers to live a life of faith that is pleasing to God.

 Goal:

PCT is committed to the belief that God loves us all unconditionally and seeks to reflect that love in its care for others as God’s Word commands. Pastoral care happens when Christians help others whether by listening, responding, praying and providing caring support. PCT recognises that both formal (e.g. Sunday worship gathering) and informal pastoral care (Weekly gathering) is equally important and both have spiritual significance.

 Mission:

PCT, each consisting of an elder and a female leader, has been given responsibility for caring for a third each of the congregation (three cell groups: where people can work together to develop friendships, are supported, prayed for and encouraged in their faith). They meet with the minister every four weeks for evaluating the previous ministries and follow up the task to look out for their members. They participate in visiting people in hospital and nursing homes, and they keep in touch with people who don’t attend regularly via letter, card or email.

Each leader is given the names of people for whom they are to care for over the next four weeks and the group evaluates their contacts at the following meeting. This is of great assistance to the minister as he seeks to care for the members in his church in the following week.

PCT responds to those with special needs due to illnesses, hospitalisations, bereavements, family pressures and other issues.

• Wednesday Fellowship Group: PCT invites those who recently join in to the congregation for a morning tea