September 30, 2013 Leave a comment Hi Everyone, September Catalyst is all ready to go! We have stories about a new church plant in WA, some advice for Christian fiction writers, stories from the Reformed Theological College, and some prayers from generations past. Our hope is that you’ll be encouraged by what you read, and the the Lord in His grace will drive you deeper into living to the glory of Jesus his Son. Get your copy by clicking on this link And don’t forget: you can print copies off for those who do not have access to a computer or...

Hi everyone, It seems that over the last few days there have been some issues with the June Catalyst file. Thanks to Rihet Oosthuizen for alerting us to the issue. This has now repaired and everything seems to be working just fine! You can download it here Dave Groenenboom - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location:Barossa Valley Way,Lyndoch,Australia Like this: Like Loading... Original author: davidgroenenboom

Hi Catalyst friends, In the next issue of Catalyst I would like to run some articles about how Pastoral Care is being done in your church. The emphasis in these articles should be on pastoral care which flows from biblical values and which effectively leads people toward maturity in Christ (see Col 1:28-29). I’d love to hear from you if you know of someone I could approach to write a short article. I’d really love to hear from you if you want to write something yourself! I’d also love to hear form you if you have a particularly engaging pastoral experience...

Hi everyone, June Catalyst is ready for download. There are great stories about mission in Burma, about training events held in various states, and plenty of other news about good things happening in CRCA Congregations all around Australia and in overseas mission contexts Get your copy by clicking on this link. And don’t forget: you can print copies off for those who do not have access to a computer or internet. Catalyst is formatted for A4, so it’s just a matter of sending it through to your printer! Happy reading, folks – and as always – happy to have your feedback!...

New community coming to expression at Transit Dressed in scruffy clothes, with long ungroomed hair and carrying what looks like their life’s belongings in large backpacks, the men stand out from the usual white collar crowd. As commuters disembark from the 4.30pm train at Narre Warren Railway Station on their journey home, they cannot help but notice the group of men. Rather than hanging around the station, this group of men walk cheerfully and with a sense of purpose toward a factory across the carpark. As they draw close, the men call out a friendly hello to an older gentleman and...

I recently heard from someone who had visited a nearby CRCA church and had picked up a recent issue of Catalyst there. He wondered why he had not seen Catalyst at his own church, which also happened to be a CRCA congregation. There may be a number of things happening here. Whatever the reason, here’s how we let people know about new issues and other Catalyst updates: • An email is generated to all who have subscribed on the Catalyst blog. • An email is sent through the CRCA email network (the ‘Bulletins’ list). • Catalyst’s Facebook page is updated •...

CATALYST March is out! The next edition of CRCA Catalyst has been released and is ready for download here. This new edition discusses the following Three recently ordained CRCA Pastors share their varied paths toward ministryWe visit Narre Warren’s Transit Soup Kitchen, and observe how they are bringing Jesus to the least, the last, and the lostWe look at the RTC’s Fan The Flame conference, and see how it works to clarify people’s expectations about study for ministry and missionJoe Vermeulen writes about Cyber Bullying, and what we can do about it We encourage you to view and download the latest...

October 23, 2012 Leave a comment This week, CRCA Catalyst presents Cyber Bullying – a special article prepared by Pastor Joe Vermeulen. Joe is Pastor at Grace CRC on Perth’s north side, and a member of the Committee for Social Responsibility in CRCA CLassis WA. Cyber Bullying is more common than we realise. Indeed, most catalyst readers will have observed some Cyber Bullying, even if only in a passive sense. As followers of Jesus, we are called to transform our interactions on the internet, and have those interactions reflect and express the sort of world that God delights in. Our prayer...

October 17, 2012 1 Comment Wondering how to comment or interact with CRCA Catalyst? I have already written something up on that a few months ago, and you can read about it here. Keep in mind that as the weeks go by, I will post key articles as stand alone pieces, allowing for closer interaction and comment. You can use these re-posts to inform your prayer life and family or home group discussion. Please make use of the comment facility: it is a terrific way to maintain conversation about the various topics and issues raised in each edition of Catalyst. Further,...

Thanks Dave for putting together an informative and encouraging read in this issue of Catalyst. The spread of topics is well-balanced with local and overseas testimonies of God’s grace at work through our denomination in several important programs. I appreciated and affirm Murray’s assessment of Jack deVries’ valuable role in the denomination. It’s not a easy job, but Jack does it with love, grace, energy and a focus on God’s glory. I also want to commend Kevin and Machi Rietvelt for their long years of faithful service to the Lord in Solomon Islands Mission, which for them is quickly coming to...

August 15, 2012 Leave a comment Ever wondered what your church’s ‘ministry share’ actually achieves? Is it really just a ‘church tax’? It may be time to think again. Tony Deenick tells us why… [This material is being circulated so local churches and pastors can encourage their members to give generously to the CRCA Deficit Reduction Appeal, which is being held this coming Sunday, August 19, in many CRCA congregations - DG] As individual churches there are often things we would like to do which we can’t afford or can’t easily do on our own. Alternatively, we may simply want to do...