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When the British invaded Australia, they brought their economic system with them, prioritising competitive advantage and individual wealth over the care for the environment, social concern, and kinship priorities of our First Nations people. Capitalist ideals only grew through the gold rush, encouraging individualism and the belief that wealth belongs to those who find it.  Today, based on the global index of economic freedom, Australia is one of the most distinctly market-oriented cultures in the world. We talk about people as “human capital” or “human resources,” sometimes we describe our relationships as “transactional.” We say we do not have enough “bandwidth” or that we need to “recharge our batteries.” We go to counsellors to get some “tools” for our emotional toolkit. We look at others who make choices for profit and say they are “selling out.”  Our culture and language can sometimes frame our lives within economic principles – production, consumption, supply, demand, trades, and transactions.  We know that life is more than this, but how do we put that into action? A Message by Sam B

There is no ' I ' in TEAM, but as you have probably heard it said, there is an 'M' and an 'E'. While some date the birth of individualism as far back as 500 -1100 AD, the Renaissance in the 13-1400s and its celebration of human dignity and individual achievement certainly gave individualism fertile ground in which to grow. Alex de Tocqueville popularised the term in the mid-1800s while writing about his tour of North America. In 2000, Putnam's book 'Bowling Alone' used the increase in the number of people ten-pin bowling and the decrease in the number of organised bowling leagues as a metaphor for the diminishing of civic society. More people doing things- alone. Which begs the question - Are we better off alone, or better together? A Message by David Toscano

Technology changes. In the good old days, if you wanted to watch TV, camped out in your 1980s Mitsubishi Sigma on the side of the road somewhere between Melbourne and Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast, you needed technology like this portable Toshiba TV and a battery pack. Technology changes.  Now, if you wanted to do the same thing, you would just pull out your mobile phone, and chances are you could stream your favourite movie on demand. And while the screen size might not have changed too much, the technology behind it sure has.  Technology changes. But have you ever wondered how it changes us? A message by David Toscano

With a desire in the 1950s to settle an agreement about the fastest game bird, we now have the annual Guinness World Records, where we celebrate those who achieve record-breaking achievements and beat previous records. The hunger and thirst to be the best, individually or as a team, fuel passion and drive gambling business worldwide. AFL players are willing to risk brain injury like CTE and lay their lives on the line for player contracts and the hunger for a win. And so it is, each week we cheer our modern gladiators marching into the Colosseums of sport. We celebrate and cheer competitors who risk their health, even their lives, to break records and overcome human limitations. It is a good thing that it never happens to people like you and me. After all, we would never get sick, have a relationship broken or compromise like the gladiators we see in the media. Or would we? A message by David Toscano

One of my favourite things to do is to people watch. You know when you are in a café or at a train station, on a bus. And you just see people. People who all have their own concerns and their own lives. They are managing their families and talking to their friends, reading a book, scrolling on their phone. They are living their lives. And, as we know when people live their lives, there is great joy and deep sadness, there is stress and pain, and busyness and loneliness. We all have our own stuff, don’t we?  How will I pay that bill?  What does this diagnosis mean?  How will I manage to get everything done?  Am I raising my kids the right way?  Should I have done something differently?  What will it take to get a promotion?  What do I need to plan for someone’s birthday, or should I start thinking about Christmas gifts?  What are we doing for Christmas?  Sometimes it can feel like, with everything going on, we are just getting by. We make it through the week. We get here on a Sunday, and someone asks how we are and we say, fine.  We say, I’m here.  We say, I’m ok.  And we worship together and we learn and we feel cared for and we stop for a moment.  But by Sunday evening we begin to think about making it through to Friday night. Whether you are working or retired, whether you are busy or have lots of time – we can all feel, sometimes, like life is heavy and we are just getting by. But I don’t think that Jesus lived as though he was just getting by. I don’t think he died and was raised to life so that I could get by. Jesus said, I came that they might have life and live it… on the weekend? No – Live it to the full. But what does a fully lived life look like anyway? A message by Sam Barlow

All we've ever wanted is to look good naked Hope that someone can take it God save me rejection from my reflection I want perfection. Such are the lyrics of Robbie Williams' song ‘Bodies’. And while some of Robbie’s conclusions are different to what I believe, the yearning he expresses is one that I think cuts to the core of how we are created. In a world full of Facebook facades, Instagram influencers, and deep-fakes, what we want, what we yearn for, is to find someone in our life with whom we can be completely vulnerable – ‘warts and all,’ as the saying goes. And that, rather than facing rejection, in all of our imperfections, we hope that they can not only take us for who we are, but actually love us in our brokenness. Have you found that special someone in your life? If not, then stick around because I would love to show you how you can. A message by David T

God is a Father.  He counts His children.  Some of His first words with man were, “Where are you?” to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God knew where Adam and Eve were hiding and what they had done, but he calls to them and seeks their presence.  He had been caring for them like a father all along.  God desired to have a relationship with Adam and Eve and spend time with them in an intimate friendship. God is very personal.   All throughout the Bible we see a God that responds to people.  We have received God’s spirit where He has adopted us as His own children. Today we will delve into the loving chase or as one pastor termed it, ‘the hound of Heaven’ dynamic where God takes the first step toward a relationship with His children. A message by Janet

As followers of Jesus, we believe that we can have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  Being close to God means we communicate with Him – speaking to Him but also listening. And it is the second half of our conversation with God that can often feel uncertain –  Does God speak to everyone and if He does then how do we hear His voice? How can we know it is God and not our own subconscious? And what language can we use for our experience that doesn’t make us sound crazy? A message by Samantha Barlow

Junk mail. It fills our letterboxes and email inboxes; it comes as text messages and even robo-advertising or phone calls at dinner time. So, we hang up the phone, block the mobile number, or move the email to the junk mail folder or the letterbox contents to the recycle bin. And get ready, ‘case we have a state election coming up – so Effie - brace yourself. But when it comes to our praying, have you ever considered that God might have a junk mailbox? And how do we keep our prayers out of junk mail?

When we speak to God, it is instant. He hears us. And we believe that our God is powerful and willing to act for good.  So, why does it sometimes feel like he is ghosting us or that His response is significantly delayed, especially when he appears to answer other prayers immediately? Does God sometimes have a hard time hearing us, is he indecisive? or is he up to something else entirely? A message by Sam Barlow

Charles Spurgeon was once asked, what was more important – praying or reading the Bible?  The response was brilliant: He asked, "What’s more important – breathing in or breathing out?" You can’t do one without the other.  Oswald Chambers said this about prayer: “Prayer is the vital breath of the Christian; not the thing that makes him alive, but the evidence that he is alive.” Simply stated, we are commanded to pray.  Jesus modelled the kind of prayer life we should strive to emulate. He made it clear that certain Jewish religious leaders were abusing the act and intent of prayer to the Lord, labelling them hypocrites.  This morning we will examine the difference between private and public prayer, and how what Jesus taught His disciples still applies to all believers today. A Message by Janet Dougherty

When we are in the midst of the messiness of life; when we are down in the hole, who is on the outside listening to our cries?  And is that one who hears our cries one ready with a rope to haul us out of the hole, or one who jumps into the hole with us, ready to lead us out again, no matter how long it takes? A message by David Bone Can Christians Pray To The Holy Spirit? | Ask NT Wright Anything https://youtu.be/Zk6jTdu1akA?si=bluzexn16lsBQKVZ

There is a difference, isn't there? One moment you are going about your day, and then the phone rings. And then you see the number. Depending on what you see, your response will vary. Because there is a difference. For some, you recognise their number; their name comes up on your phone screen, and you are happy to talk to them. For others, it is a number you don't recognise, or 'Private number' or even worse 'Suspected scam' appears on a glowing red screen. Does your finger go to the answer or reject icon, or do you allow it to ring through to your voicemail box? Let's face it- there is a difference in the way we respond to a call, depending on our relationship with the caller. But have you ever wondered about how God responds to a non-believer praying? What is the response to someone cold calling God? A message by David Toscano

What if prayer isn’t a last resort, but a way of becoming more honest, grounded and open to help? This message explores why prayer matters — not as religious performance, but as a deeply human practice of relationship, trust and learning to live with purpose. A message by Sam Barlow

When Mary and I were newlyweds and back in the day of the tape answering machines, I would record funny messages, sometimes in the voice of Yogi Bear or other characters. But the one that got me most caught out was when I recorded the message: "Hello. hello, can you hear me? Hello. Sorry I can't hear you, please leave a message after the beep." Only to have a dear older lady from the church ask if we had been having problems with our phone, as she had been trying to call me all week without success.  But when it comes to prayer, we can find ourselves in a similar predicament. We can wonder- Is there anyone there?  Yet according to the Guardian, "one in five adults pray despite saying they are not religious. " Perhaps you may fit into that group?  Today, we begin our services called Prayer 101 as we look at the topic: Is anyone there? A message by David Toscano