Dear Friends,

Earlier, I read this quote by Martin Luther King: “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.” This quote encapsulates the idea of maintaining a resilient and optimistic spirit in the face of setbacks, emphasizing that while difficulties are inevitable, they do not diminish the ultimate possibility of a better future.

This Sunday marks my first anniversary since my appointment to Baulkham Hills. 365 days full of labor and sweat, which also required endurance and perseverance from me. I was raised not to complain, but just to do what I was called to complete. To be honest, the road is still very long and there will be times of challenges ahead.

St Paul’s quote: “Hope does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5) gives me courage because it explains that this kind of hope, unlike secular wishes, does not fail because it is grounded in the enduring love of God, which is made available to believers through the Holy Spirit. This Christian hope is a confident expectation of future realities, sustained by God’s faithfulness even amidst suffering and challenges.

Let us pray for one another that we may not be tempted to give
up prematurely and run away from the responsibilities.

After the completion of the financial audit report for 2024/2025, I now want to publish it. The report has already been sent by email, and a hard copy is attached to the noticeboard. Overall, we can say that financially we have survived the year 2024/2025 well. We have bridged the large deficit of 2023/2024 and even made a profit. This is also necessary, as we still must pay off the purchase of the carpet and the debts that have been accumulated over the past eight years. We are moving in the right direction and are on the way to financial stability. At this point I would like to thank the Finance Committee for their support and guidance.

Perhaps you can still remember the recent parish census. Steve Harrison has now evaluated, categorized and interpreted the data. The report gives us reason for hope. The parish has grown in the last 10 years. Almost every second new arrival is from overseas. Our parish has thus become very multicultural. Our parish will also benefit from this. At the same time, we face major challenges. The parish is still largely financed by parishioners over 60. The other challenge is the fact that the age group 16-35 is underrepresented in our parish. There are many reasons for this. Therefore, it is important that we focus on adolescents and young adults. For this purpose, we have now launched the youth program “Faith in the Future” led by Zali Turner and Adam Chioatto. You can find more details in this bulletin.