Leadership Greenhouses - 28 June 2026

Leadership Greenhouses - 28 June 2026

This Sunday, we begin a new three-week sermon series called Leadership Greenhouses. While the title might sound like a series just for church leaders, it's actually a series about discipleship, growth, and raising children of God. Using three parables from Mark's Gospel, we'll explore how Jesus creates environments where faith can grow and flourish. Just as a greenhouse provides the right conditions for plants to thrive, healthy discipleship requires purposeful nurturing. Before fruit appears above the surface, important work is happening beneath it. The soil must be prepared, seeds must be planted, and growth must be nurtured. Together, we'll discover what it looks like to prepare the soil of our hearts, plant seeds of faith in the lives of others, and participate in God's work of growing disciples who grow disciples. Whether you've been following Jesus for decades or are simply exploring faith, this series will encourage you to consider how God wants to grow you and use you in His Kingdom. Kaitlyn Phillips

Christ First - 21 June 2026

This can be a confronting reading. Jesus is preparing his disciples for their mission and the opposition that they will face. They should expect what happened to their teacher to happen to them. However, he wants to stress loyalty and courage and emphasise that trust in God is greater than any fear of people. The Jews needed that message particularly when Jerusalem had been destroyed and they found themselves in exile.    We may be called to sacrifice for Christ but when Christianity costs we are closer to the Fellowship of Christ and their sufferings and therefore the power of the resurrection becomes greater for us. The consequences of being disobedient to God’s will are far worse than any punishment for mankind.   Then there is the controversial statement “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” For us at a time where there have been 2 major conflicts in the Ukraine and the Middle East with an appalling lack of respect for the value of individual human lives by leaders and World War three only just being  averted for now by the common sense of the non-combatants refusing to become involved in the fighting, this is confronting. But this was a language that the Christians and Jews of the time would understand. The Jews believed that on the Day of the Lord God would break into history and cause disruption and the most challenging example is where family members turn against each other because of choosing God. Jesus is saying that His coming is the Day of the Lord (not a single day but a time period) and probably the worst scenario is when we must choose between Him and our closest ties on earth. It is due to a merciful God than most people do not have to face such an extreme choice. Nor do people in our society have to risk their lives. However, the point is clear. If you try to hoard your life, to preserve it, you will lose it; if you spend your life in obeying Jesus’ commands and serving others, then your life will be enriched.   Ian Olver Matthew 10: 24-39

Mission is for me - 14 June 2026

Psalm 67:2 sings, “May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere.” When you read the big picture of the whole Bible, from Genesis through to Revelation, one of the themes you will notice is that the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, were blessed by God to be a blessing to everyone else. At times they remembered this; many times they kept the blessing to themselves. Jesus came to release that blessing once and for all. As the entire world gathers around screens to cheer on their teams in the World Cup, we see in Psalm 67 a much smaller group of people gathered together to cheer on a future when the whole world will sing for joy—not because a round ball went into a net, but because: “ ... you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.” (Psalm 67:4) The ongoing work of mission in today’s church continues singing that same song of Psalm 67. We are all part of it. The apostle Paul was part of it too and reflected on his motives and strategy in Romans 15:16–22. If you were to write to a church community you had never met, describing the mission work, motivations, and strategies you have been involved with during your lifetime, what would you say? This Sunday we will hear from a number of different people and gain a bigger picture of what BCUC is involved in when it comes to mission. You might hear your own story, discover places to get involved, or notice gaps that God is calling you to step up and fill. Your brother in Christ, Benji

Mission in our community - 7 June 2026

What does it look like to do local mission? In 1 Thessalonians we see a church with an incredible story - a complete turnaround from serving idols to worshipping the true and living God. The gospel went deep into this church, transforming them from the inside out. As this church lived out authentic gospel shaped community, the good news rang out from them to others all around their region, and many more people came to know the true and living God as well. This church can help be an example to show us what it looks like to live out authentic gospel shaped community, that overflows so that the gospel flows out into our local community, even into those parts of our local community that not all of us can go out to ourselves (like our university campuses!). Lauren Hansen

Mission - 31 May 2026

Dear friends of BCUC, Anyone who has watched the cult classic film The Blues Brothers would know that the movies is about Jake and Elwood Blues who are “on a mission from God” to get the band back together and raise money for a church orphanage. Church mission is a word used by many people and can sometimes seem to mean almost everything the church does or very specifically, making new converts.  What then is mission?  I like to define it using our church’s motto ‘raising Children of God’ or discipleship. The wider Uniting Church has been drawn to the message of ‘reconciliation’ since its formation, drawing heavily from the words of the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth: "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself…. and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us"  (2 Corinthians 5:19). Reconciliation is the work of peacemaking, those that were friends, became enemies and are now reconciled into friendship once more. Our wider church’s mission, therefore, is making peace between God and others, between people and each other, and with all creation. Over the next three weeks we are going to explore ‘mission’: what is it, how can we participate in it locally and globally? I hope we will all learn much and be inspired into everyday action.  Your brother in Christ Benji