Sunday 11th October 2026 - Twentieth Sunday of Pentecost

REFLECTION: How Can I Live a Fruitful Life: Archbishop Ric Thorpe.

Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” Israel had

often been pictured as God’s vine, but one that failed to produce the fruit he

sought. Jesus is the true vine, the faithful Son in whom God’s purposes are

fulfilled.

His Father is the Gardener. He plants, tends and prunes. The future of God’s

Church does not finally rest upon bishops, clergy, synods, strategies,

schools, agencies or congregations. It rests in the hands of the Gardener.

Then Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” John repeats this

word, remain or abide, again and again. To remain is to make our home in

Christ. A branch has no life in itself; it receives life from the vine. In the

same way, Jesus’ words nourish us, his love becomes our home, and his

presence changes us from within.

HYMNS:

MP 723 We come as guests invited

Christ our hope in life and death

MP 924 Salvation belongs to our God

TIS 111 Praise to the Lord, the almighty

MISSION MOMENTS. Please remember our missionary link Lauren in

your prayers as he teaches English to refugees and runs a boys

club. Remember all missionaries around the world and pray for more

workers to train and become missionaries.

WEDNESDAY GROWTH GROUP We have just finished the studies

from the book of Revelation and we will be taking a break this Wednesday

before returning the following week to begin a series on the Psalms.

SPRINGTIME HIGH TEA: Thank you so, so much to all those who

contributed in any way to our Amazing High Tea last Saturday. It was a

lovely afternoon, of sharing and fellowship, enjoyed by all who attended.

We raised $3,102 which will go towards the general funds for the running of

our Church. Margo

NATIONAL CHRISTIAN LIFE SURVEY: We will be participating in

the NCLS this year. At the conclusion of next week's Sunday services, we

will be giving people time to complete the survey. If you handle technology

well, you can complete the survey at any time in the next 2 weeks by using

this link: https://mysurveys.ncls.org.au/start/attender?ccode=ANM50801 In

addition, we will have 75 paper surveys that you can fill in by hand at the

church. Please bring a pen.

FLOWERS IN CHURCH: Unfortunately we will not be able organise

memorial, anniversary or birthday flowers for the months of Sept & Oct.

We also are asking for enthusiastic helpers to arrange flowers from time to

time. This is a great way to serve God, and a lot of fun too. Please speak to

Naomi or Glenda if you are moved to do this."

ROB DEKLEYN: We are saddened by the sudden death of our dear brother

Rob DeKleyn. Please pray for Margaret and the family.

ELECTRONIC MONEY TRANSFERS TO ADF ACCOUNTS: When

transferring money to the Church ADF accounts electronically, sometimes

the 'confirmation of payee' function gives a warning that the account name

doesn't match the account number. The correct name should be St James’

Anglican Church DANDENONG. Note the apostrophe and capital letters.

Unfortunately that may be too long for the number of characters the banking

software allows. You can still make the payment if you get this warning. If

you are confident the BSB and account number are correct, scroll down and

click the 'continue with payment button'.

HOLY LAND CRAFTS: will be returning to St James’ on Sunday 18 the

of October. They will have their hand-crafted olive wood products on sale in

the Parish Centre after the service.

LAWN MOWING ROSTER 10th October – Rusty

READINGS FOR NEXT SUNDAY – 18th October: Exodus 33. 12-23;

Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1. 1-10; Matthew 22. 15-33

THIS WEEK WE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR: Nigel, Jen, Glen,

Sherene, Gloria, Ruth, Mike, Amy, Cecil, Beryl, Paul, Fabian, Marla, Tahlia,

Suzanne, Kurt, Kieran, Colin, & Mark.