God encourages: ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ (Galatians 6:9). ‘Goodness’ is the character of our God. Coming to Him, He remakes us in His image. A distinctive feature of disciples is that we ‘shine as lights’ by our goodness. As Jesus says: ‘let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ (Matt 5:16). God calls us to lives of obvious ‘goodness’.  

I shared last Sunday of Fabiola. A wealthy convert to Christ in the 4^th Century, Fabiola is a key figure in establishing what we take for granted – hospitals that serve all the sick. She sold her vast estates to establish hospitals, and personally did the works of caring for the most needy. Jerome wrote of Fabiola:  

“Often did she carry on her own shoulders persons infected with jaundice or with filth. Often too did she wash away the matter discharged from wounds which others, even though men, could not bear to look at. She gave food to her patients with her own hand, and moistened the scarce breathing lips of the dying with sips of liquid.” 

I was recently reminded of her story at an Anglicare event. Anglicare are a key partner in helping us not grow ‘weary of doing good’. They are a distinct and highlighted partner at our 7pm congregation – but our work with them is parish-wide. Anglicare’s goal ‘is not simply to meet the needs of today, but to address the systematic problems that produced them, and play a key role in shaping a more equitable future.’ This goal is playing out in 4 strategic areas:  

• Supporting families in and through crisis.
  Eg: Creating Foster Circles. A model that engages the local church in supporting foster carers – so they don’t burn out as they care for vulnerable children. 
  
• Addressing entrenched disadvantage.
  Eg: personal: residential programmes to support people transitioning from unstable living conditions to long-term housing – covering basic life skills like budgeting. 
  Eg: property: churches re-working their property in partnership, to provide much needed housing. 
  
• Wellbeing of older Australians.
  Eg: the ‘Older persons Wellbeing Networks’ training older Australians to become supportive mentors for their peers, overcoming the problem of social isolation in a way that can been ‘scaled’ in coming years. 
  
• A faithful presence, through chaplaincy. 
  Where Church Pastors often spend the majority of their time with congregants, most people chaplains support are not church goers. They bring Christ in word and deed to various communities (eg: hospitals and prisons). They are a non-anxious presence in deeply unsettling places.

Our church is already working with Anglicare in good deeds that glorify our Father. Our Community Pantry (on Mondays, fortnightly in Corrimal) and English Classes (Tuesdays in Wollongong) enable us to meet commons goals of reaching others for Christ. Establishing Jess Luy as Bellambi’s Community Chaplain is already yielding fruit in people wanting to know Christ. More opportunities exist. Keep praying that God might energise us by His grace to do good. 

In Him, 

Mark Smith 
Senior Minister | Congregational Pastor 8am, 10am, 5pm & 7pm