Grand Open Day on Saturday February 6, 11am-2pm

Dandenong Bible Education Centre, 118-120 Foster St, Dandenong

Theme: “New Beginnings”. There were many new beginnings in Bible times, starting with the creation of the world. Walk through time and discover other major beginnings through the Bible – in both Old and New Testaments. Finally, consider the future when there will be a renewed earth, with Jesus as king.

Open Day activities

Fun for the whole family!

• Bible-centred displays
• Expanded range of books, cards, DVDs and gift items for sale
• Special discounts on selected items
• Join the library and start borrowing
• Enjoy our bright new premises

If you are hungry:

• Free barbecue
• Free café – drinks and nibbles

For the kids:

• Mini jumping castle
• Craft activities and face painting
• Colouring competition
• Puppet shows at 12 noon and 1 pm
• Free balloons and showbags

What else?

• Relax and watch a DVD
• Stretch your brain with a Bible quiz
• Get answers to your Bible questions
• Discuss any Bible topic
• Free leaflets on a variety of Bible topics
• Bible courses start from Feb 8 – enrol now!

Coupons

Coupons are available from the PDF version of this newsletter.

New Year’s resolutions!

Have they come and gone? Have you made lots of promises and resolutions, only to break them during the first week of January? There is still time to make plans for the year and stick to them!

Here are some ideas:

Young children in the house?

• Pray simple prayers with them. If you don’t know how, ask us for advice! Keep prayers simple and in language the children can understand. Include praise to God, repentance for wrongdoings, thanks for God’s blessings and simple requests.
• Read the Bible with them. If you are not sure where to begin, look for interesting Bible stories that you may remember from your childhood – Noah’s ark (Gen 6-9), David and Goliath (1 Sam 17), Daniel in the lions’ den (Dan 6), Jonah, the birth of Jesus (Luke 2), miracles of Jesus and so on. We are happy to help with other ideas.
• Bring them to Bible Explorers (Sunday School) each Sunday. This is held from 11:30 - 12:30 each Sunday for 4-12 year old children. Now is a great time to start. January 31 is the first week of term.

Teens in the house?

• Spend time with them and show an interest in their activities.
• Discuss prayer with them – they may not want to pray aloud with you, but give them ideas (as above) for things they can pray about.
• Read the Bible with them. They may not want this at first, but applying lessons from the Bible to their everyday life is so helpful.
• Come with them to the New Life Class, held each Sunday from 11:30 - 12:30. Topics for February and March are noted below.

Adults in the house?

• Pray!
• Read the Bible every day. We have planners that are appropriate for beginners and also for those experienced in reading the Bible. A plan to follow is helpful for everyone.
• Read the enclosed Bible courses brochure and see which course(s) interest you. Enrol today!
• Don’t forget that the New Life Class is held each Sunday from 11:30 - 12:30.

Feeling lonely?

• Did you know that the Dandenong Bible Education Centre is normally open from 10am-2pm Monday to Friday?
• Did you know that Bible readings are held each weekday at around 12:45pm?
• Have you read the course brochure that is included with this newsletter to see which course(s) you would like to attend?
• Battle your loneliness with us at your side!

New Life Class

11:30–12:30 Sundays

January 31 – Why worship, and what is worship?
February 7 – How to get ready for Jesus‘ return
February 14 – Suffering: why does it happen and what does God do about it?
February 21 – Christian living: Using our tongue wisely
March 28 – FAQs: Frequently asked questions
March 7 – No class
March 14 – Being Christian when it isn’t “cool”
March 21 – Wealth, money and the prayer of Jabez
March 28 – What is grace?

Worried about the kids?

Sunday mornings available?

The world’s morals are going downhill – how will that affect your children? Teach them God’s way, the right way! We can help too. Enrol your 4-12 year old children in our Bible Explorers’ classes. In small, friendly classes the children learn many Bible stories and the way to apply these lessons in their lives. Craft, drama and songs reinforce the lessons too.

11:30 - 12:30 Sundays

Enrol now!

All our plans are “God willing”

What does Christmas mean to you?

It’s that time of year! The time when it’s hard to find a parking spot at the shopping centre. The time when you are trying to think what on earth you should buy for that aunt or friend who seems to have everything. If you have school children, it’s the time when there are break-ups, parties, concerts and end-of-year reports. It’s the time when you ‘bake and take’ food to various places. Is it a time you enjoy and look forward to, or is it a time you endure, waiting for January to come so you can recover, and work out how to pay the credit card bills?

Take some time this Christmas to think about the baby who was born in a stable and placed in a manger, the one who will be king over the whole earth. If you enjoy singing why not get together with friends to sing some Christmas carols, or read the story of the wise men visiting Jesus in Matthew 2 or the shepherds’ visit in Luke 2. There is so much more to Christmas than tinsel and presents. Include Jesus now!

Holiday hours

The Dandenong Bible Education Centre shop and library will close for the Christmas holidays on Thursday December 24 at 2pm. It is planned to reopen on Monday January 18 at 10am. During the holiday break, classes will continue to run on Sundays.

Gift idea

Don’t forget gift vouchers are for sale at the Bible Education Centre. Buy them for your friends and let them choose their own presents from our range of books and gift items.

Christmas – the birth of new hope

This fascinating two-night course explores the intriguing background to some of the traditions of Christmas. It sheds some light on the true story as told in the Bible, and its phenomenal impact on the world. Attending this course would be a great way to find true meaning and encouragement amid the festive blur.

What? 2-night course
When? Thursdays, December 10 & 17
Time? 8:00pm - 9:15pm

New Life Class

11.30–12.30 Sundays

December 6 – What does the world need from God: Justice or mercy?
December 13 – Israel - chosen or rejected?
December 20 – Who was John the Baptist?
December 27 – Faith, hope and love

Christmas Eve service

Join with us in a special Christmas worship service and celebration. Remember the birth of Jesus before starting Christmas day. Christmas can be so much more than presents and parties. It can be a time to remember that a little baby was born in very humble circumstances to a young virgin. From these small beginnings came one who will be the king of the whole world, and who is the son of the Almighty God. If Jesus hadn’t been born, we would have no hope for life everlasting. But he was born, he did live a sinless life and he did die for those who would believe in him. So think of his humble beginnings at this Christmas worship service.

What? Christmas worship service
When? Thursday, December 24
Time? 7:00pm

Tree of Knowledge

Please view the PDF version of this file to see this section of the newsletter

Did you know?

Christmas carols and children’s Bible storybooks talk of the “Three Wise Men” who visited baby Jesus. Did you know that the Bible record doesn’t say how many wise men visited?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
Matthew 2:1-2

These wise men (called “Magi” in some versions) brought three gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh - which has suggested to some people that there were three wise men.

As well as this, the wise men visited Mary, Joseph and Jesus in a house, not in the stable where he was born some time earlier (Matthew 2:11).

All our plans are “God willing”

Great holiday reading! “Exploring the Bible” by H. A. Whittaker

This book is available in the library for loan or can be purchased second hand for $3.

In the preface the author writes, “A strong appeal is made here to readers not to be content to be always spoon-fed in Bible instruction. If these chapters do not send readers back to the Book to explore and study and think for themselves, they have failed utterly in their aim.”

So here is a book which is intended to help the reader to find ways that will help in the study of the Bible. The author does not aim to tell the reader what to do with the Bible, or what to think about the Bible. Rather, he wishes to show a number of different ways that the reader can study the Bible to help them to learn more detail of God’s message to mankind. The author encourages the Bible reader to read with care and also to look for similar passages in different parts of the Bible to gain a fuller understanding of the part being read. He speaks of the symbolic language in some sections of the Bible, the parables and miracles in other parts. There is a chapter on using a concordance, to help in your hunt for a particular word throughout the Bible, and another chapter on using your imagination to fill out the details of Bible passages.

These and many other helpful ideas are packed into this small paperback book with under 150 pages. So if you are looking for something small and thought provoking to read over the Christmas period, this could be the book for you!

Remember this book is available in the library and also as a second hand book, so come and visit us soon for a copy.