Hi everyone,

This is Bella Cheesman, one of the young adults at our church. My brother Jack and I have been developing the idea of starting a church choir. Think in the vein of the flash mob choir that was performed during Coro’s 20th anniversary service.

The aim of this project is to form and develop intergenerational connections and encourage further fellowship in our community. There is no pressure or expectations on your singing abilities, all you need is a willingness to give it a go and to have fun together (ie: no previous choir experience is required!) We just want people who enjoy singing and worshipping our God and want to make new friendships. You can look forward to a casual, collaborative and highly encouraging atmosphere.

In terms of logistics, we propose fortnightly gatherings/practices on Monday or Thursday nights from 7:00-8:30pm in the chapel. We are thinking of working towards a showing of the song(s) that we prepare, perhaps during the Christmas season.

If you are interested, can you please fill out this Google RSVP form which includes the opportunity to make suggestions and ask any questions that you may have: https://forms.gle/VfgMCukoXYNGSFHG7

I am currently in my second year studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries majoring in Theatre and Performance. As part of my curriculum this year, I get the opportunity to facilitate a community engaged arts project and am excited to pitch this idea of starting a church choir to Coro. Jack and I would love to have you all involved as co-creators and we also hope that the choir would grow and continue into the future.

Jack and I have both had several years of choir and performance experience and know the positive impact that being a part of a choir has on community wellbeing and connections. Jack has music theory knowledge and an interest in arranging songs. I have had training at Uni in facilitating workshops and leadership and teaching experience throughout my life.

I hope you’re as excited about this as we are!

Blessings,

Bella and Jack Cheesman

Thank you to Simon for preparing this Lenten Series of Life Group Bible Studies on Lamentations. For each week there are some helpful thoughts, suggested readings and questions either for discussion in groups or for pondering on your own.

There are printed copies of each study on the Easter Resource Table at church - they are also available for download below:

- Study 1 - Lamentations intro

- Study 2 - How lonely sits the city (Lam 1)

- Study 3 - Where is bread and wine? (Lam 2)

- Study 4 - The Great Turning Point (Lam 3)

- Study 5 - How the gold has lost its lustre (Lam 4)

- Study 6 - A Prayer for Restoration (Lam 5)

As a church we are following Tim Chester’s 3-year Bible Reading Plan, taking us through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice. It’s in weekly chunks so there is no pressure if you happen to miss a day. It’s flexible and manageable. We've done it for the past 3 years and we're starting it again in 2022.

Developing a Bible reading habit can be challenging so we'd suggest doing it together. This way you'll not only read the Bible but also be able to share with others the insights you are gaining from the readings and be encouraged to keep going.

How to get involved:

- In person: Join a group 9.30am Saturdays from 15 January in the Ministry Centre for shared reading.

- Online: Join a WhatsApp group (text Cat Patrick on 0425 752 140);

- Life Groups: Get your Life Group involved and use the readings as the basis of your sharing each week;

- Solo: Read the set readings on your own and prayerfully journal your thoughts;

We'd love to have you join us!