APRIL NEWSLETTER 2026

What a prayerful, inspiring and joyous Easter was experienced by everyone during Holy Week and Easter celebrations. The services were well attended and meant so much to many people with more involvement, wonderful music, sung responses and a feeling of true joy. Some have asked why Communion was given at Good Friday. The elements are set aside in the Tabernacle on Maudy Thursday and are used, already blessed, on Good Friday when consecration is not done. This service is the longer version for Good Friday and hence its inclusion. Thank you to Fr Ted for his ministering words to us all.

Redcliffe Floral and Art Festival is well underway with the theme ‘A Picture Paints 1000 Words’. This year the festival is focussing on visual art from five artists whose art journey has helped others with art as therapy and a different view of the world. These include working with ADHD children, domestic violence, mental and physical health survivors as well as looking at the world through the lens of a camera. Look out for the REDCLIFFE GUIDE June edition.

All floral installations will show past famous artists whose art changed the world and the world changed them. If you have any OLD FRAMES, especially larger ones, please could they be donated/borrowed for these displays. No pictures or glass, just the frames.

 If anyone has contacts with AGED CARE or RETIREMENT villages who take clients on visits and have transport, please contact LIZ PETERS 0400 844 946. North Lakes Seasons are already on board.

Thursday June 18 at 6pm is Opening Night with Bishop Sarah Plowman. Along with musical performances, invited guests, congregation and family members followed by refreshments on the deck it should be an excellent night.

Opening times for Friday June 19 and Saturday June 20 will be 10am till 4pm.

We always open later on the Sunday due to our Patronal Church Service with Bishop Sarah Plowman at 9:00am (the only service that day) which will be followed by a brief morning tea on the Deck.  From 11:00am the Festival will be opened with the Redcliffe Scottish Pipe band. During the day we are fortunate to have St Peter’s Band as well as an amazing Brass Quintet to entertain us, with closing time at 3:00pm.

We need $1 500 for FLOWERS to put on the amazing Festival that has a following far and wide for the last eight years, this is the ninth. Last year, the proceeds from the Festival were approximately $9 000. Flowers are the only major expense for a festival which could potentially pay for the rectory veranda rebuild. Visiting artists, jewellery and pottery exhibitors give donations from their proceeds, musicians and artists give freely of their time and efforts. There are no costs for the raffles and cards or the Opening Night refreshments. These are all donated.

There will be scone donation envelopes, nearer the time, as the café is so popular, raising approximately another $3 000, especially with the offering of a variety of soups, slices and cake. Please contact Dale Jarman (04231 79212) for details and for cooking, baking and volunteering on the festival days.

There will be plenty of opportunity to help in other ways too, as the PLANT STALL is the biggest fund-raising stall, at around $3 000. Please take the free pots on the table on the deck now to re-pot any cuttings and divided plants so they are established.

The week prior to the Festival commencing after the 9am Service June 14 we will need volunteers to relocate the furniture into Festival mode and during that week, to collect tents and raffles, erect the plants stall and other sundry jobs. Volunteer timetables will be out mid May for you to write your name on a slot suiting your availability.

There will be lots of seated volunteer jobs during the Festival such as selling of cards, raffle tickets and plants sales. Please see/contact Liz Peters on 04008 44649 liz.grant73@gmail.com  or add your name to the volunteer timetable. There is a lot of hard work in that week but it is definitely worth it to outreach to our local area and beyond.   It is a wonderfully happy festival, as so many of our returning and new visitors continually remark on its friendliness and delight.

The Rectory renovations have been completed (approx. $10 000) and painting of the veranda will also begin in approx.3 weeks. (awaiting quote). The residence has been photographed and is now up for rent. This will be a great help in securing funds. There will be a Working Bee from 8am on Saturday May 2 at 38 Baringa St, the rectory, to remove some items and give a clean over inside and out before Open days commence.

Thank you to the Thursday Friendship group who made Easter decorations with the Kindy class from Sesame Lane and to Vivienne who made crosses for our congregations over Easter.

Remember to contact your Care and Connect Team leader if you need help or clarification about parish services or events. We remember Colene and the families, in our prayers, after the loss and funeral of Gary.

 

Luke12:27   Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Sunday, April 26, 2026

O God,

whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people:

help us when we hear his voice

to know him who calls us each by name,

and to follow where he leads;

who with you and the Holy Spirit

lives and reigns, one God

for ever and ever. Amen.

Stay In Touch

Father Ted Starr - Priest-in-Charge - 0451 929 180 - edward.starr@anglicanchurchsq.org.au

Mrs Liz Peters - Rector’s Warden - 0400 844 946

Mrs Gail Symons - People’s Warden - 0409 618 511

Mr Tony Hughes - People’s Warden - 0468 764 009

Zoom Church - 328 492 8300 - 548 747

Readings

for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:42-47

Psalm 23

1 Peter 2:1-10

John 10:1-10

Giving

Offering - 704 901 - 0000 0780

Building Fund - 704 901 - 0001 4767

Want to give in other ways? Cards are on sale at the back of the church.
Floral Festival Fundraising now begins. Your giving in the brown envelopes now go towards funding this important outreach ministry.

For Your Prayers

We ask of your goodness, Lord, to comfort and sustain all who in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity, and especially Shirley and Alan Kimber, Rosina, Alex, Ann, Lois, Barbara, Kevin, Helena, Ian, Uncle Peter, Chris, Bill Tattam, Jeff Byrne, Karne, Greg, Aaron, Joanne, Grace and Faith, Beryl Old, Fr David, and Nina. Please contact Fr Ted to be on this list. 

We also give thanks for those whose year’s mind occurs at this time, especially Allan Wells, Edmund Simon, and Bob and Ken Jones. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

Mission and Outreach

Meals for Woody Point Special School are starting again. Please label your meal with title, ingredients and date cooked, then freeze it, and bring it to church on Sunday. Meal containers are on the back table. Alternatively, give a monetary donation or supermarket gift card. For more information on both of these ministries, contact Elizabeth on 0404 080 861.

Barnabas Brekkie is on Saturday, 9 May to raise money for persecuted Christians in Ghana. Your parish needs you! Do you have a CostCo membership? Can you cook eggs and bacon, brew tea and coffee, wash dishes,or  move furniture? Contact Florine, Dale or Gail if so.

Working Bee at the rectory on Saturday, 2 May from 8am. We are almost there – please do come and help make this last leg of the race a joyful one.

Ministry During the Week

Mother’s Union meets at a new time: Third Wednesdays at 9am.

Thursday Fellowship: every first and third Thursday from 9:30am to 11:30am. All welcome for a cuppa and a chat. Bring your craft to work on or just enjoy the company.

Caring and Sharing: every fourth Wednesday after Holy Communion.

Talent Table: every last Sunday after each service.

Bible Study: Tuesdays at 9am and Thursdays at 7pm. All welcome; all materials supplied.

The Week Ahead

Tues, 28 Apr

8:00 am - Holy Communion

9:30 am - Bible Study

Wed, 29 Apr

10:00 am - Holy Communion for St Catherine of Siena, spiritual teacher (d. 1380)

Thu, 30 Apr

9:00 am - Growth Committee

7:00 pm - Bible Study

Sat, 02 May

8:00 am - Working Bee to get the rectory rent-ready (almost there!)

Sun, 03 May

8:00 am - Holy Communion for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Rectory Update

Wardens and Parish Council have been working hard behind the scenes for many months now getting the rectory rent-ready. A special thanks goes to Gail and Liz, for whom this has been the equivalent of working an extra part-time job on top of everything else.

You will notice that we have marked a working bee in the calendar – this is the last stretch, to clear out those last bits of dust and bits and pieces lying around the place, before tenants can move in. Your support in this will make this last job a cheerful one.

As well as this, the parish has gone above and beyond in their financial generosity. The huge investment that has gone into this building is obvious to see – even the real estate agent was impressed at the palatial offering we are putting on the rental market.

As your parish priest, I am thankful to God for you. Your faithful stewardship is to be commended.

Once the rectory goes on the rental market, new opportunities for ministry will become available. Please pray for God’s blessings on our next season of ministry. And God bless you all for getting to where we are.

Article 13: Of Works Before Justification

Works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-authors say) deserve grace of congruity: yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.

Today’s Article is a tough one – tough to try and decode the old language, and then tough to accept once you have! It makes a bit more sense if we remember the last few Articles, which affirmed that we are justified (made right with) God by our faith in Christ, and nothing else, no matter how much good we do in our lives can be sufficient. This Article then comes in to make sure for certain that we are under no illusion: God wants us to love and trust him, and not to try and earn our way into his good graces. There is a way of looking at this as if it were a maths sum. It compares two different ways of looking at salvation:

Faith + Works = Salvation

Faith = Salvation + Works

Today’s Article rejects the first and affirms the second. It is talking about “works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit”. Once we have been saved, once God has opened our eyes to his wonderful love in Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection, we are given new hearts to love and serve God. And so it is at that point we have “the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit” and are able to do works that are “pleasant to God”. Without this work of God in our lives, anything we do, even with the best of intentions, “are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done”. Remember the sum: have faith in Christ, receive salvation, and be given good works to do. Without the first step of faith in Christ, there is no obedience to God, and so they are, by definition, works of disobedience against God. And therefore being works of disobedience against God, “we doubt not but they have the nature of sin”. I said this was a tough one. It might not make sense to our eyes – look at all the good things non-Christians do in the world! How could God be upset at that? I suppose if we remember who God is and who we are, it might make more sense. God has the power to do whatever he likes; no amount of good works by non-Christians can even come close to what good he can do. God doesn’t want it. What God does want is our love and trust: to place our faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. Then we can get on with loving one another with our good works, by his grace and in his power.

Third Sunday of Easter

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Gracious Father,

who in your great mercy made glad the disciples

with the sight of the risen Lord:

give us such awareness of his presence with us

that we may be strengthened and sustained

by his risen life,

and serve you continually

in righteousness and truth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Stay In Touch

Father Ted Starr - Priest-in-Charge - 0451 929 180 - edward.starr@anglicanchurchsq.org.au

Mrs Liz Peters - Rector’s Warden - 0400 844 946

Mrs Gail Symons - People’s Warden - 0409 618 511

Mr Tony Hughes - People’s Warden - 0468 764 009

Zoom Church - 328 492 8300 - 548 747


Readings

for the Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Psalm 116:1-4, 11-18

1 Peter 1:13-25

Matthew 28:8-15a

Giving

Offering - 704 901 - 0000 0780

Building Fund - 704 901 - 0001 4767

Want to give in other ways? Cards are on sale at the back of the church.
Floral Festival Fundraising now begins. Your giving in the brown envelopes now go towards funding this important outreach ministry.

For Your Prayers

We ask of your goodness, Lord, to comfort and sustain all who in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity, and especially Shirley and Alan Kimber, Rosina, Alex, Ann, Lois, Barbara, Kevin, Helena, Ian, Maggie, Uncle Peter, Chris, Bill Tattam, Jeff Byrne, Karne, Greg, Aaron, Joanne, Grace and Faith, Beryl Old, Fr David, and Nina. Please contact Fr Ted to be on this list. 

We also give thanks for those whose year’s mind occurs at this time, especially  Daphne Tasker. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

Mission and Outreach

Meals for Woody Point Special School are starting again. Please label your meal with title, ingredients and date cooked, then freeze it, and bring it to church on Sunday. Meal containers are on the back table. Alternatively, give a monetary donation or supermarket gift card. For more information on both of these ministries, contact Elizabeth on 0404 080 861.

Barnabas Brekkie is on Saturday, 9 May to raise money for persecuted Christians in Ghana. Your parish needs you! Do you have a CostCo membership? Can you cook eggs and bacon, brew tea and coffee, wash dishes,or  move furniture? Contact Florine, Dale or Gail if so.

ANZAC Day at Woody Point is an important date in the life of our church. Can you help prepare the day before? Can you help set up and pack down morning tea?  Phone Vera on 0405 452 771 to volunteer your help.

Ministry During the Week

Mother’s Union meets at a new time: Third Wednesdays at 9am.

Thursday Fellowship: every first and third Thursday from 9:30am to 11:30am. All welcome for a cuppa and a chat. Bring your craft to work on or just enjoy the company.

Caring and Sharing: every fourth Wednesday after Holy Communion.

Talent Table: every last Sunday after each service.

Bible Study: Tuesdays at 9am and Thursdays at 7pm. All welcome; all materials supplied.

The Week Ahead

Tues, 21 Apr

8:00 am - Holy Communion for St Anselm of Canterbury (d. 1109)

9:30 am - Bible Study

6:30 pm - Parish Council

Wed, 22 Apr

10:00 am - Holy Communion with Caring and Sharing

Thu, 23 Apr

7:00 pm - Bible Study

Sat, 25 Apr

7:00 am - Setup for ANZAC Day

8:30 am - ANZAC Day at Woody Point RSL (Oxley Ave, Apex Park) Refreshments by Ladies Guild

Sun, 26 Apr

7:00 am - Holy Communion for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (No Talent Table)

9:00 am - Holy Communion for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (No Talent Table)

Who is the Church of St Peter the Fisherman?

Welcome to worship, and may this Easter season bring you a new sense of the joy of the resurrection.

We are an Anglican church in the Diocese of Southern Queensland, a comprehensive diocese that contains many different expressions of Anglican Christianity.

We pray that our expression of Anglican Christianity was a means for your own spiritual nourishment.

If you would like to know more about what we do here, please take this pew sheet home with you, as well as a bookmark and information postcard. You are more than welcome to contact the parish priest, Father Ted, at any time using the contact details provided.

If you are experiencing any life events, such as endings, beginnings, or changes, there are many ways to bring the ancient traditions of the Church into your life. Father Ted is always happy to hear from you.

If you would like to learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible, or how Anglicanism might fit your spirituality, please get in touch.

Article 12: Of Good Works

Albeit that Good Works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's Judgement; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith; insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.

After a heady Holy Week and kick-off to the Easter Season with no less than two baptisms in the one service, we return to our reflection through the 39 Articles of Religion. And today we have a corker: what good does good works do? We already know that it is by our faith we are made right with God (or to be more specific, our faith takes Christ’s work on the cross and applies its benefit to us). So, what’s the point of being good boys and girls? Well, we touched on this in our Bible Study groups recently. There, we had three options: either we cower under the effort of trying to make God happy with what we do (or else!); or, we reject the idea of pleasing God altogether and just do whatever makes us happy; or we do what we can to make God happy simply because he loves us and asks us to. Today’s Article affirms much the same (it was in Romans 7 if you want to read further).

For the purpose of some personal reflection, it might be helpful to take what this Article affirms and turn it into a little self-questionnaire. 

How is my faith at the moment?

How are my good works?

Look at how the Article places them. We are firstly justified by our faith in the objective and finished work of Christ. Have I got that groundwork laid? May I return to it again: it is the eternal gospel of God, and has endless treasures buried within.

Once that faith is fanned into a flame within me, where does it want to go? Read Luke 6:43-45. Jesus talks about people, their heart, and what they do and say as if they were trees bearing fruit. What does my faith in Christ want to bring out in me?

Lastly, consider the comfort in all of this. If I did not have saving faith in Christ and what he has done for me, I could not “endure the severity of God’s Judgement”. Yet I have just gone through the process of reflecting on my faith and following where it was leading me. Therefore, I must have saving faith – Christ’s work on the cross was indeed for me!

Second Sunday of Easter with Holy Baptism

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Almighty God,

whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life

of all who put their trust in him:

raise us, we pray, from the death of sin

to the life of righteousness;

that we may ever seek the things which are above,

where he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen.


Stay In Touch

Father Ted Starr - Priest-in-Charge - 0451 929 180 - edward.starr@anglicanchurchsq.org.au

Mrs Liz Peters - Rector’s Warden - 0400 844 946

Mrs Gail Symons - People’s Warden - 0409 618 511

Mr Tony Hughes - People’s Warden - 0468 764 009

Zoom Church - 328 492 8300 - 548 747


Readings

for the Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

Psalm 16

1 Peter 1:1-12

John 20:19-31

Giving

Offering - 704 901 - 0000 0780

Building Fund - 704 901 - 0001 4767

Want to give in other ways? Cards are on sale at the back of the church.
Floral Festival Fundraising now begins. Your giving in the brown envelopes now go towards funding this important outreach ministry.

For Your Prayers

We ask of your goodness, Lord, to comfort and sustain all who in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity, and especially Shirley and Alan Kimber, Rosina, Alex, Ann, Lois, Barbara, Helena, Ian, Maggie, Uncle Peter, Chris, Bill Tattam, Jeff Byrne, Karne, Greg, Aaron, Joanne, Grace and Faith, Beryl Old, Fr David, and Nina. Please contact Fr Ted to be on this list. 

We also give thanks for those whose year’s mind occurs at this time, especially Dorothy Hiscox and Brian Jones. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

Mission and Outreach

Meals for Woody Point Special School are starting again. Please label your meal with title, ingredients and date cooked, then freeze it, and bring it to church on Sunday. Meal containers are on the back table. Alternatively, give a monetary donation or supermarket gift card. For more information on both of these ministries, contact Elizabeth on 0404 080 861.

Barnabas Brekkie is on Saturday, 9 May to raise money for persecuted Christians in Ghana. Your parish needs you! Do you have a CostCo membership? Can you cook eggs and bacon, brew tea and coffee, wash dishes,or  move furniture? Contact Florine, Dale or Gail if so.

ANZAC Day at Woody Point is an important date in the life of our church. Can you help prepare the day before? Can you help set up and pack down morning tea?  Phone Vera on 0405 452 771 to volunteer your help.

Ministry During the Week

Mother’s Union meets at a new time: Third Wednesdays at 9am. Please note: MU this month will be at 11:30am for a social at Over There Cafe. All welcome.

Thursday Fellowship: every first and third Thursday from 9:30am to 11:30am. All welcome for a cuppa and a chat. Bring your craft to work on or just enjoy the company.

Caring and Sharing: every fourth Wednesday from 11am.

Talent Table: every last Sunday after each service.

Bible Study: Tuesdays at 9am and Thursdays at 7pm. All materials supplied.

The Week Ahead

Tues, 14 Apr

8:00 am - Holy Communion

9:30 am - Bible Study

Wed, 15 Apr

10:00 am - Holy Communion

11:30am - Mother’s Union Social at Over There Cafe

Thu, 16 Apr

9:30 am - Friendship and Craft Group

7:00 pm - Bible Study

Fri, 17 Apr

10:30 am - Ministry with Beaumont Aged Care

Sun, 19 Apr

7:00 am - Holy Communion for the Third Sunday of Easter

9:00 am - Holy Communion for the Third Sunday of Easter

Who is the Church of St Peter the Fisherman?

Welcome to worship, and may this Easter season bring you a new sense of the joy of the resurrection.

We are an Anglican church in the Diocese of Southern Queensland, a comprehensive diocese that contains many different expressions of Anglican Christianity.

We pray that our expression of Anglican Christianity was a means for your own spiritual nourishment.

If you would like to know more about what we do here, please take this pew sheet home with you, as well as a bookmark and information postcard. You are more than welcome to contact the parish priest, Father Ted, at any time using the contact details provided.

If you are experiencing any life events, such as endings, beginnings, or changes, there are many ways to bring the ancient traditions of the Church into your life. Father Ted is always happy to hear from you.

If you would like to learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible, or how Anglicanism might fit your spirituality, please get in touch.

What is Baptism?

Today we welcomed the two newest members of the Kingdom of God in Holy Baptism. As an inititation rite, baptism can seem a bit outside the norm compared to, say, an Australian Citizenship Ceremony. But once you get a bit of idea of what it is all about, I am sure you will agree it is far more exciting! Firstly, we call baptism a “sacrament”. According to our Anglican Articles of Religion,”there are two sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel”: Baptism and Holy Communion. So, a sacrament is something that Christ has done, and has commanded us to continue. We are both obeying our Lord, as well as following in his footsteps – I think it is about as close to Jesus we can get on this side of eternity! Another thing to think about with regards to sacraments is that there are two parts: the part you can see, and the part you cannot. This definition comes from St Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), which we affirm in our catechism, who said that “sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace”. So in a sacrament you have the “outward and visible”, which in baptism is the water. Alongside and at the same time, you also have the “inward and spiritual”. I suppose that leads us to our next question: the outward is obvious (water, bread and wine), but what is the inward and spiritual ? Note the word “grace”: “Grace is God’s favour towards us, unearned and undeserved; by grace God forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, stirs our hearts, and strengthens our wills.” In other words, grace is the free gift from God to us. In baptism, the grace we receive is admittance into the covenant people of God. God made a covenant with humanity – a covenant being a binding promise – completely by himself. That promise is everlasting life in his presence, showered with his love and blessing. In baptism we therefore enter into that covenant. Of course, one cannot just go through the motions and expect salvation – this is a loving relationship we are entering into, not an economic contract. But baptism is the sacrament – the outward and visible sign of that inward and spiritual grace. This also leads into the reason why we baptise infants and those who cannot make a profession of faith on their own. (Some Christian denominations will not baptise without that public declaration.) It is because God first loved us, and brought us into his covenant when we were still dead in our sins, that we baptise others in this way. 1 John 4:10 reads “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” In baptism we celebrate God’s great love towards us, and our loving response to God.