Sunday Afternoons - St Jude's in Parkville: 201105

Sunday 26th June - Craft afternoon (2:30-4:30pm)

A relaxed Sunday arvo of craft, chatting and afternoon tea. We'll meet in Stanway Alpha which has stacks of space, tables and powerpoints - so feel free to bring big craft (and even sewing machines!) as well as more detailed options. All crafty and non-crafty people welcome.

This is a kid-friendly craft event - we'll set aside a corner of the room for kids to sit with each other and bring craft (or get distracted and make cubby-houses, etc!).

Let Cat know (or add a comment) if you'd be willing to teach others some new skills on the afternoon.

Time: 2:30-4:30pm.

Sunday 19th June - Community BBQ (12:15pm)

An opportunity to connect with people in the local area and from St Jude's in Parkville. This month we've invited people who live in the streets surrounding our meeting space for a community BBQ, and hope that it will create a greater sense of community in the area.

Toasty sausages (on a cold day!); a warm space inside to eat; bikes, balls and other outdoor toys for kids to play with in the courtyard; relaxed time to be welcomed, make new friends and welcome others.

This month's BBQ is also part of Welcome to Australia:

"Between June 19 and 26, 2011, we'd like to say a big "Welcome to Australia" to asylum seekers, refugees, new arrivals and other migrants. We'd like you to throw a party in your home, street, office, sporting club or other community group to very publicly celebrate the beauty and depth that diversity adds to our nation. We'd like you to create opportunities for new and authentic friendships, for new and long-term Australians to share their stories and to be a part of cultivating a culture of welcome in this nation we now share as our common home."

Time: 12:15pm onwards.

Sunday 12th June - Bread-making workshop

Suzanne and Cat will share how they find time to make great-smelling, yum and low effort breads at home. We will have access to an oven on the day and will bake and eat some yummy bread.

Suzanne loves sour dough bread and makes baguettes throughout the year and pumpernickle bread in winter!

Cat makes bread for weekends, and tries to always avoid kneading. Her favourite home-made breads are a crusty half wholemeal/half white loaf, a crusty sourdough and bagels.

Time: 3-4pm

Sunday 5th June - Resurrection, atheism and evidence (2:30pm)

The world’s leading atheist, Richard Dawkins, claims to live his life by evidence. He says: ‘you believe something, good, now is there evidence for it?’ Dawkins claims that there is no good ‘evidence’ for belief in God.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, however, presents some difficulties for Dawkins’ position. If a resurrection happened, could this provide some evidence for the existence of a god? What does Dawkins make of the resurrection of Jesus? How does Jesus’ resurrection fit into Dawkins’ assessment of the ‘God hypothesis’? Is there good evidence for the resurrection of Jesus? Come to a stimulating and thought-provoking seminar as we investigate the resurrection of Jesus and modern atheism.

Time: 2:30-4pm (note changed time)

Rob Martin is the director of the City Bible Forum in Melbourne, a group asking the bigger questions with Australia’s city workers. Rob did his Honours thesis at theological college on the ‘new atheism,’ delving into the works and thoughts of popular authors such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris and is well qualified to speak on this topic.

Sunday 29th May - Missional brainstorming (3pm)

Over the previous months, we've thought about being a contextualised church. We want to engage with the strengths, weaknesses, values and fears of the culture around us, and especially the particular culture of the Inner North of Melbourne and nearer suburbs such as Brunswick.

This afternoon will refresh our thinking about Brunswick/Inner North/urban culture, deepen our understanding of St Jude's' vision and brainstorm some creative, crazy ideas. We'll finish by choosing some ideas and working out what plans we need to make them reality.

Come along to be encouraged and enthused for engaging with our local community, suggest and hear fun ideas, contribute to discussions and pray.

Time: 3pm - 4:30pm

Cat Patrick is the Community and Mission Minister at St Jude's in Parkville - which means she tries to stimulate our thinking about the community around us and how we can engage with local cultures.