Pastoral Letter 134
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and peace to you all.
Monday 19 September will be a solemn day in the United Kingdom and all around the world, with the Royal Funeral of Her Majesty’s, the Queen Elizabeth II, when she will be put into her final resting place. We thank God for her long life, dedication and unwavering service. We will miss her always dignified presence. Let us pay our respects and pray to the Lord seeking God’s peace and comfort for the nation, the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth Countries and the world. May she rest in peace.
Early morning on Tuesday, September 13, peaceful villages across Armenia’s South-Eastern border came under heavy fire. Overnight, thousands of families, including children and elderly people, were deprived of their right to live in freedom and forced to seek refuge in underground bunkers. These unprovoked attacks by Azerbaijan, since Tuesday, against the peaceful civilian population are inhumane and totally unacceptable. Please pray for the innocent victims, who have died or were injured. We do pray and hope that the international community speaks up and not keep silent.
Please remember in your prayers Ned Cholakyan, as he will have some medical procedures for his back pain, seeking God’s care and healing. We wish him well and quick recovery.
Be safe and well, continue to pray, remembering those who need care, support and love and let me know if any member of the congregation that you know of needs our help and prayers.
Tomorrow we will have our Combined Service with Lane Cove Uniting here at St. Andrew’s Longueville from 9:30 am, followed by Morning Tea, during which we will celebrate Father’s Day and then the Great Outback Fundraiser BBQ. The raised funds plus the plates of the day will be donated to the Frontier Services. The message will be delivered by Pastor Rick Johnson of Lane Cove Uniting.
If you will not be able to join us at our face-to-face service, you can worship with us at home. Please light a candle and follow the attached Order of Service.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray for the Royal Family, the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth Countries and the world as all mourn and grieve the loss of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II.
- Pray for the poor, the sick, the vulnerable, the struggling and the stressed.
- Pray for those who are unwell and struggling with different kinds of medical issues.
- Pray for Ned Cholakyan, as he will undergo a medical procedure on Monday.
- Pray for Armenia as the country is under attack and we have many casualties.
- Pray for world peace and ask for God’s blessings.
- Pray for and with the Sydney Central Coast Presbytery as it charters through challenging times.
Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.
Best Regards,
Krikor