It was a time of fellowship and friendship as we praised God at Somerville Park in Eastwood.

Blessed with perfect weather over 160 people from each of our services (8.00am, 9.45am and 6pm) came to praise God in the outdoors.  Music for the service was provided by our rocking OneHeart band and the bread used for communion was damper that had been hand made by the children.

Worshipers honored God’s creation by creating a collage of items from nature.

The service was followed by morning tea then a BBQ lunch, and games including sack and oranges, tug-o-war and a jumping castle.

“This event was a wonderful way to celebrate in the spirit of Psalm 148, which is about all Creation praising the Creator” said Rev Kent Crawford. “When we worship together we acknowledge that God is sounding a note throughout all Creation and we recalibrate our lives in reference to that starting note. In Jesus we have been shown the fullness of the life lived in response to God’s majesty and grace.”

In Kent’s sermon he shared with us the story of St Francis of Assisi who while in prayer heard a voice say, “Go, Francis, and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin.” Francis took this message very literally at first and gave up all he had (including some of his father’s possessions) to repair local churches that were falling down.  He soon realised that God’s house was actually the “whole inhabited earth”. Francis saw that God’s household consisted not only of dilapidated church buildings, but it also included the poor, the creatures of the earth, the afflicted; every-one and every-thing.

We reflected on these ideas by joining in song together to sing the hymn ‘All creatures of our God and King’ which is based upon the 800 year old "Canticle of the Sun" by St. Francis.

To download a printable version click here.