Whittlesea City Salvos in Mill Park, Victoria, Australia | Social service

Whittlesea City Salvos

Locality: Mill Park, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 3 9437 4900

Address: Cnr Morang Dr & Fred Hollows Way 3082 Mill Park, VIC, Australia

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25.01.2022 ‘No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son who has made him known.’ (John 1:18) During these four Sundays of Advent we have taken our time to read the o...pening verses of John’s Gospel. Each verse and each word is important. We have heard John emphasize words like: life, light, darkness, grace and truth. One word that seems to be missing from these verses is a word, however, that dominates the rest of John’s Gospel, and that is the word ‘love.’ So for our final candle this week we are going to light the candle of love. Let’s remind ourselves of the opening words of John’s Gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ When we come to the 18th verse in this first chapter, we read: ‘No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Sonwho has made him known.’ Putting the whole of these 18 verses together, John is saying that Christ, God’s only Son, has made God known. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we come to know God truly. And to know God truly is to know God as love. Many of us memorized John’s key verse when we were younger: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). Christmas is the time when we celebrate God’s love for our world. The whole of Jesus’ life expresses that love. We can see God’s love in action as Jesus speaks with a woman of different ethnicity at a well; when he gives sight to a man who had been born blind; or when he weeps at the sight of his friend Lazarus lying dead: ‘See how he loved Lazarus’ (John 11:35-36). However, when we come to the 13th chapter in John’s Gospel, we see Jesus expressing love to his close disciples. During a meal with his disciples, Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer robe, tied a towel around himself, and poured water into a basin. Then, one by one, he washed the dusty feet of his disciples. All of his disciplesincluding Peter and Judas. According to John’s Gospel Jesus is showing the full extent of his love (John 13:1). As he completes this task, he turns to his disciples saying, ‘So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet’ (John 13:14). The Word, full of grace and truth, girds himself with a towel and basin and washes the feet of his friends. Christmas is that time when we celebrate the gift of God’s love to our world. During this past year Salvationists have expressed the love of God in countless ways. You have washed the feet of the homeless in your neighbourhood. You have volunteered to help out in long term care homes. You have acted with love and integrity in places of employment. You have risked your own safety to help us care for others. May Christ, the Word, give each of you life, light, hope and love this Christmas. And let’s rejoice as we sing this favourite carol: Joy to the world! The Lord has come; Let earth receive her king, Let every heart prepare him room And heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns; Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love. (Isaac Watts, Song Book 113)

25.01.2022 Woohoo, so excited, Church is back tomorrow, at 9am, we have a few spots left, the 11am is fully booked. If you would like to attend the 9am, Please message Captain Susan Lamotte on this page

23.01.2022 More great pics of Harun’s Dedication, Harun’s Grandfather reading the Scripture - Major Balan, precious times.

23.01.2022 What an amazing night out for our Christmas breakup with our awesome Corps Leadership Team, so blessed to be doing ministry alongside these Godly leaders - Greater things are yet to come for Whittlesea City

23.01.2022 A thrill of Hope the weary world rejoices! Well today was our first combined congregation and boy was it wonderful to see our church family in person. Brother Darren spoke very passionately about Hope and what it means. "The Lord is good to the one that has hope in Him." Wow, did we feel the spirit today. Our candle of Hope was lit and will continue to burn strong. ... If your church family cannot gather then please feel free to come join ours in the interim. Just simply shoot us a Facebook message to be included on our COVID-19 Safe List for Sunday at 10am. May your week be blessed and filled with hope!

23.01.2022 Super excited for Sunday, Eric and Adlin are dedicating back to God their gorgeous boy Harun, God bless their precious family I love Dedication Services

22.01.2022 Monday Mindset! Do you ever feel discouraged? If so just remember to have Hope and trust that the Lord has His plan for you. #hope #TrustInTheLordAlways

21.01.2022 S.I.S.T.E.R.S. Christmas Break Up I know that this year has not turned out like we planned and I am praying that we can meet more that a couple of times next year. Date: Friday 11th December. Time: 7pm Venue: Captain Marie’s Quarters ... RSVP: 7th December This is just a catch up before Christmas with snacks, Christmas trivia/game and some Christmas fun. Note: please contact Captain Marie if you are coming (for numbers and catering purposes). Also if you need a lift, please let Captain Marie or Captain Susan know so that this can be arranged. See more

20.01.2022 Great to worship together for the first time since 15th March! Hallelujah!

20.01.2022 Wow, this is amazing, coming together in the Kingdom of God

17.01.2022 What a great day at Church, 45 today, so good to be back together. Mark 2-1-12. Having Ethan been carried like in the Bible story, then thanking all our Volunters for helping at Shield Appeal Collecting, great time of worship and sharing the word of God. We also prayed over 4 prayer quilts. God is good and great things are happening in the community at Whittlesea City Salvos

17.01.2022 Christmas Day Service @9.30am, come and worship together Merry ChristmasChristmas Day Service @9.30am, come and worship together Merry Christmas

17.01.2022 Life (Part 1) Advent Reflections with General Brian Peddle Greetings! With this devotional we come now to the Season of Advent. These next four Sundays he...lp the church to prepare for the Advent of Christ, the Coming of Christ into our world. For these Sundays of Advent we are going to focus our attention on the opening verses of the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John begins with a strong affirmation: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life’ (John 1:1-4). In the 17th verse John’s Gospel finally identifies the Word: He is ‘Jesus Christ.’ Let’s make sure we hear this: ‘In the beginning was the Word, Jesus Christ. The Word, Jesus Christ, is with God. The Word, Jesus Christ, was God.’ John proclaims that this person of the Trinity is involved in creating galaxies, oceans, continents, plants and people. ‘All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.’ These opening phrases also express the conviction that, ‘what has come into being in him was life’ Later in John’s Gospel Jesus will say that he has ‘come that people may have life, and that they may have it abundantly’ (John 10:10). Throughout John’s Gospel we watch as the Word creates life in all its fullness. We watch Jesus give sight to the blind, strength to the lame, and food to the hungry. And one of the ways Jesus creates life is with his words. His words are life-giving. As Jesus engaged in his mission of salvation, there came a moment when some disciples turned away from him. So Jesus asked his twelve disciples if they too wished to go away. Peter responded by saying, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life’ (John 6:68). Your words are life giving. This first candle of Advent is the Candle of Life. Words can be life-giving, but as we know too well, words can also destroy. I’m sure you share my concern that far too many young people in our world are damaged by words. Far too many young people are put down with words; they are demeaned; they are discouraged rather than encouraged. Cyber-bullying damages for too many young people in our time. Hate-filled messages are given anonymously and destroy young people. The significance of these opening verses in John’s Gospel is that the Word who is with God and who is God, communicates personally. Jesus does not hide behind anonymous texts. Christ’s words are public words, expressed with his name behind them. His words are life-giving. As we move through these Sundays of Advent, may we examine our words carefully, and pray that our words may also be life-giving. The Salvationist world has long enjoyed the songs of Generals Gowan and Larsson. Let the words of this song also be life-giving, and send us into these weeks of Advent: He came to give us life in all its fulness, He came to make the blind to see, He came to banish death and doubt and darkness, He came to set His people free. He liberating love imparted, He taught men once again to smile; He came to bind the brokenhearted, And God and man to reconcile. He came to give us life in all its fullness, He came to make the blind to see, He came to banish death and doubt and darkness, He came to set His people free. (Song Book 139)

16.01.2022 Here is this week's devotional thought. Watch the video or read below! ‘Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tab...ernacle.’ (Exodus 40:34) With this devotional we conclude our reflections on the Book of Exodus. It’s a remarkable story of God’s ways with humanity made in his image. As Exodus begins, Israel is oppressed by a tyrannical Pharaoh; when the Book ends they live in freedom. As Exodus begins they are building cities for Pharaoh; when the Book comes to a close Israel is building a tabernacle in which to worship God. In the 29th chapter of Exodus, God says, ‘I will dwell among the Israelites, and I will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them’ (Exodus 29:45-46). The tabernacle is a dwelling place for God, the Creator of the universe. Israel knows, and we know, that the Creator of galaxies cannot be confined in a humanly constructed tabernacle. But in grace God chooses a dwelling place to meet with those whom he has liberated from slavery. The Book of Exodus emphasizes that the tabernacle is constructed in full obedience to God’s instructions. And yet human understanding and skillful hands also contribute to its construction (see Exodus 36:1). The tabernacle is built not out of compulsion but with glad and willing hearts. The 35th chapter of Exodus tells us that ‘All the Israelite men and women, whose hearts made them willing to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses, brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord’ (Exodus 35:29). In contrast to the forced labour of Pharaoh’s taskmasters, the Israelites construct this holy tabernacle in freedom. They have begun to understand something of God’s saving grace, and freely respond to it. The final chapter in Exodus notes that when the work of constructing the tabernacle was finished, ‘the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle’ (Exodus 40:34). The glory of God filled this tabernacle constructed by human hands in the wilderness. Central to this story in Exodus is the person named Moses. Drawn from the River Nile as a child, raised in the privileges of Egyptian royalty, Moses chooses to identify with his own people, the Hebrews. Forced to flee for his life, Moses encounters God at a burning bush. There he learns that God has a purpose for his life, a calling. This calling means confronting oppressive power; it means leading a stubborn people; it includes face-to-face conversations with God; and it requires the courage to intercede with God for the sake of his people. God knew what he was doing. God knew Moses by name. God knew this man’s character, and trusted Moses. After forty years in the wilderness, the Book of Deuteronomy tells the story as Israel is about to enter the land of promise. In its final chapter, we read that God takes Moses to an elevated place and shows him that future. Then God said to Moses, ‘This is the land I promised. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross over into it’ (Deuteronomy 34:4). Moses saw God’s future, but he was not to travel that future himself. Moses faced a boundary. In the Book of the Psalms there is only one Psalm that is attributed to Moses, and that is Psalm 90. Let’s imagine Moses standing at the top of Mount Nebo, facing this boundary, and praying the concluding words of this 90th Psalm. Listen carefully to the prayer of this Psalm: May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17) Moses entrusted his work to God. He prayed that God would take the work of his hands and establish it, that God would confirm it, and serve the greater purposes of God. Like Moses, each of us will come to a boundary where we can no longer continue with the work of our calling. There will be many reasons for this. But this does not mean that our work comes to an end. With Moses we place our work in God’s hands and ask this liberating God to establish it, confirm it, and give our work his blessing. Let us all trust God to confirm the work of our hands. Amen!

15.01.2022 Christmas Blessings

12.01.2022 Listen at https://soundcloud.com//devotionals-from-general-brian-ped Watch below Read here ‘I will sing to the Lord for he has become my salvation.’ (...Exodus 15:1-2) In recent weeks we have entered the story of Exodus found in the Bible. It begins with a people suffering under Pharaoh’s oppressive policies. But God intimately knows Israel’s suffering and begins his work of salvation. God calls a displaced shepherd named Moses to return to Egypt, and to lead his people out of their oppression. Finally, after various confrontations with Pharaoh, Moses and the people of Israel are instructed by God to leave. Pharaoh catches up to them at the Red Sea, but God acts. The Creator unleashes the forces of his created world: water, wind, dry land, all contribute to the liberation of these slaves. As a result of this deliverance, the people of Israel ‘believed in the Lord, and in his servant Moses’ (Exodus 4:31). Once free of the threat of their oppressors, Israel does something quite remarkable. The Book of Exodus says, ‘Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriouslyand he has become my salvation’ (Exodus 15:1-2). Upon achieving their freedom, one of the first things Israel does is to praise God in song. Amen! Each Sunday Salvationists gather to sing our praises to God for his salvation. True, these days our voices are somewhat muted because we cannot gather together. But this pandemic does not diminish our praises to God for his liberation. Singing has been an important part of liberation movements in our world. Singing accompanied the Freedom Movement South Africa. And singing was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. Singing opposed the racism of the principalities and powers of the day. Music does this. Music carries forward the steadfast love and justice of God. Salvationists have a rich legacy in our music, especially in our Song Book. These songs enfold us within our praises to God over the years. Yes, there is always need to bring the creativity of new songs into our praises of God. Our music, our singing together, praises God and opposes the oppressions of our day. We sing to the Lord for he has become our salvation. As I read the 15th chapter in Exodus, I am struck by the many images of God in this song of praise. God is a warrior (verse 3), God is a shepherd that guides (verse 13), God is a farmer that plants his people in the new land (verse 17), and in the 19th chapter of Exodus God says to Israel, ‘You have seen how I bore you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself’ (Exodus 19:4). God is like a mother eagle that pushes her offspring out of the nest in order to fly. A personal word to those who lead worship within The Salvation Army: When you plan worship for your people over a period of time, how do you seek to capture the many images for God in the Bible? Yes, there is room for contemporary images, as long as they resonate truthfully with God disclosed in scripture. But depth in our worship will come as we explore the different images for God in the Bible, the God of our salvation. I notice, too, that this song in chapter 15 is both personal and communal. Verse 2 sings, ‘The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation,’ while the 13th verse sings, ‘In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed.’ Personal and Communal. It’s important, as well, to notice that this song in Exodus 15 is sung by both men and women. While it begins with a reference to Moses, it concludes with his sister, Miriam. She takes a good Salvation Army tambourine in her hand, invites the other women to join her, and together with tambourine and dance they sing to the Lord, ‘for he has triumphed gloriously’ (Exodus 15:20-21). Our corporate worship calls us to join together women, men and children and sing praises to the God of our salvation. As our Salvationist community gathers around the world, in different nations, languages, cultures and expressions of music, our songs praise the Liberating God we love. May it be so Amen!

12.01.2022 Verse: Psalm 94:22 ‘But the LORD has become my Fortress, and my God the Rock in Whom I take refuge.’ - We can grow and develop our dependency on the Lord.... - Each day we can trust Him again and rely on Him in a greater way. - He wants to become your Fortress, your Stronghold, and your Refuge. - He is waiting for us to trust in Him with all our hearts. PRAYER: Lord, I choose to lean on You and to depend on Your wisdom and understanding for my situation. Help me not to rely on my own ideas and opinions, but cause me to run to You, my Fortress, and my Refuge. Amen. Have a great weekend.

12.01.2022 Emmanuel Has Come Words & Music: Nicola Poore Add to your YouTube playlists: https://youtu.be/CoIVS_UY7wc Download resources: https://my.salvos.org.au//resour/4-emmanuel-has-come/2061/

09.01.2022 Today we celebrated the dedication of Harun Jeyaseelan. A special service with Harun's grandparents and sisters Hannah and Harsha taking part. Harun was also welcomed to the First Steps Program of The Salvation Army. God bless this beautiful family.

08.01.2022 Tuesday Thought-Day! You need just ask HIM for help and know we are here for you in the name of the Lord. Be blessed.... #ThankYouLord #fearnot #tuesdaythoughtday

06.01.2022 Monday Mindset! In line with Cpt Susan's message yesterday do you Dare to be a Daniel? Remember these words as you go about your week. #bestrong #fearnot #becourageous #godhasyourback

05.01.2022 It was great to be Celebrating Christmas in person at Whittlesea City Salvos today with our Carol Service! Thanks to everyone who organised and participated to make this such a special afternoon.

04.01.2022 Our 9.00am meeting - first back after lockdown. Lovely to be worshipping together. Greater things!!

04.01.2022 Verse: Exodus 33:11 'The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.' - There is a depth to our relationship with God that we have yet to discover.... - There are far greater dimensions for us still to pursue and experience. - The Lord desires that His presence would be a living reality in our lives. - Do not hold back, press on, and press into more of God. PRAYER: Lord, I desire to have a greater and an even more meaningful relationship with You, my Lord, and my Saviour. May the reality of Your face, and the reality of Your presence, be something that is a growing and living dimension, in my heart and in my soul. Amen.

03.01.2022 Would really love your help

03.01.2022 Dare to be a Daniel! Wow what a wonderful first day back at at Whittlesea City Corps. Captain Susan spoke beautifully, reminding us that God always has a higher purpose for us. We also farewelled Jacinta and Willow which we pray for a happy future. They will be missed and always welcome! ... Watch this space! With the latest restriction announcements it looks like we may be able to have 1 service next Sunday combining both congregations. We will continue to pray.