2022 Newsletter

25/04/22

Hello friends of Burrill, it has been to long……… 

It’s been quite some time since we have released a friends of Burrill newsletter, we are attempting to try a blog to keep you, our friends, up to date with the happenings of Burrill Pines and The Mission. You may have noticed our new website and logo and may even have purchased some of our new merchandise. We are currently putting together some of the Burrill Pines history for our website, if you have any old photos please email them through to admin@burrillpines.com.au.

Well we have seen Fires, COVID19 and Floods which has been brutal in such a short period of time and challenging non the least, however, we still stand to serve the Lord! We still stand as an independent Mission since 1856 ‘To further the scriptural knowledge of Jesus Christ without reference to sectarian differences”. Praise be to God! We continue to give thanks for our friends in the faith who greatly encourage, help and support us here in the ministry here at Burrill Pines through prayers, gifts and their presence. Specifically we remember Rachel Horne and Grace Church Canberra, Andrew and Erin Iskander, Dennis and Jennifer Hine, The Woods Clan, Derek Sudbin and Steve McAfee, Peter and Jenny Lee, the Maroubra and Cross Roads Crew, The SUFM Brothers and Sisters and all those old salty campers whom come each Christmas and Easter and share in the fellowship and of course the many churches that come and use our facilities to advance the Word! We are grateful for you and thank God for each and every one of you who have contributed in many ways to the Mission here at Burrill Pines over the years.

We have many exciting things in pipeline at The Pines, we have submitted a DA for the renovation of the Conference Centre which we have been working on for the last two years. This comes with both excitement and its challenges, currently we are awaiting on hydraulic loads from our engineer as we seek councils permission to connect into the mains pressure sewer system (this is a conditional requirement as part of our D/A). This conditional requirement will require us to perform large civil works onsite in order to relocate and upgrade our existing sewer system which is currently a septic system. We plan to commence this once the D/A has been approved and as funds allow. This will be Step 1 in our approach to building the below upgrade for Lagoon Point Conference Centre.

Staff Blog Bio

Angelo and Sharon with their dog Suki

Angelo and Sharon Porcu joined Burrill Pines in September 2017 from Esperance, Western Australia, many of you will have met them already. Angelo has been supporting the ministry at Batemans’s Bay, Tuross, Narooma and Moruya with regular Preaching commitments. Angelo and Sharon both serve and attend church at the local St Martians Anglican Church in Ulladulla, currently they both lead a weekly men’s and women’s bible study. This Year Angelo and Sharon have started a family bible study to support and grow families in Gods word at Burrill Pines. Sharon cooks and serves dinner for all attending and then teachers the children from God’s word in the hall, while Angelo leads the parents through a study in the Word of God in the Chapel next door. Term 1 has seen the families studying the book of Colossians. Angelo and Sharon have felt led to serve in this regular gathering keeping young Christian families growing in God’s word on a fortnightly basis.

Angelo has been busy serving in our local RFS at Lake Tabourie which had a challenging 2021 season. He is a loved member of the brigade and a valued team member who is highly thought of. He has recently been asked to assist in some pastoral care matters within the brigade, I am told he is also asked to pray at the beginning of the teams monthly meetings. AS well as these Roles Angelo and Sharon help manage Lagoon Point at Burrill Pines.

For exercise Angelo attends the local gym and Sharon has been involved with a regular rowing group who patrol the early mornings on Burrill Lake. There son Matthew is a fully qualified Cheff and is currently studying part time in a psychology degree at Wollongong University. Their daughter Chiara is back from her overseas adventures as COVID19 pandamic brought her working abroad trip to a head, currently working remotely as a nurse in Katherine, North Territory.

There family has grown in 2022 with the addition of a pet guinea pig ‘Chelesta’ and a Canary to accompany their boarder Collie Suki.

About the Traps…

Just this summer past Angelo and I were walking through the camp ground before the summer period and noticed significant erosion along the North and North/Eastern boundary of the camp ground. A short conversation was had about this situation but not a lot could be done before the Christmas onslaught. As I constantly do at ‘The Pines’ I prayed about it and left it in the Lords hands, to our amazement and in His mercy our prayers were answered a couple of weeks later, please read below…

Burrill Pines Bush Care Group (BPBCG)

We are delighted to share with you the offer of a bush care project that is needed for our camp ground. This initiative has being stirred from our long time campers and friends of Burrill Pines Steve McAfee and Derek Sadubin. They have launched a go fund me page to support the campsite with water drainage improvements to reduce flooding of the campsites, fixing erosion issues and re-plant local species to help with regeneration of our campsite. As you can imagine Burrill Pines is a large venue requiring on going extensive maintenance managed by a small team trying to keep costs down for campers. We have a unique campground and wish to keep it at its best for the future generations to come. We really appreciate this assistance and support from Derek, Steve and the team!

Please give generously to support their endeavours which all will benefit from visiting the site.

To find out more information and to go to the Go Fund me page please follow the link below.

https://gofundme.com/f/help-protect-burrill-pines-bush-campsite

Reflection:

Just recently Lauren and I had the pleasure of celebrating my son Lucas’s 9th birthday with a small party at our family home. It was a lovely brisk autumn evening, not a breath of wind in the air. I sat with a good friend chatting away on our back deck, we overlooked the yard watching the boys by the fire. I felt great joy watching Lucas and his mates laughing with excitement as they sat around the fire pit, telling jokes and enjoying one another’s company. I watched and observed the boys taking note how they related to one another and thought to myself, what a blessing! They’ll have such found memories of their childhood one day! I remember distinctively as a child on holidays living life for the fullness of each day, I didn’t have a care in the world, nor a regard of what tomorrow might bring, I was indestructible, living my best life!

As I watched the boys, a thought triggered in my mind, so I raised the question with my friend, “Mate, why is it that so many parents our age have walked away from the faith?” to which he nervously laughed. He paused, then replied in a sincere manner, “Nate, not all will make it, Narrow is the gate”. Although I knew in my heart, He was theologically correct, I still sat there uneasy in my seat as I considered the serious nature of his words. I mean, we all have friends who we have had great fellowship with in the past who perhaps no longer appear to be walking with the Lord, right? Or perhaps we have friends who seem to drop church often for a ‘better’ offer? Or is it us ourselves that drag our feet out of duty rather than delight? Do we think of our own Christian life as making the team and then perhaps watching from the sideline? not wanting to get involved…or losing heart to endure to the end…

Friends, life isn’t as we remember it, carefree, living life without a thought of what tomorrow may bring. In fact, life is quite the opposite is it not? Normally, it is more along the lines of waking up to survive the morning rush, getting kids off to school followed by rushing out the door to drop the remaining child at day care before they announce “Mum/Dad, I just wet myself”. Once the surprise is dealt with and morning routine is done, you finally arrive at work where the weight of the world is added to your shoulders… You pause to get lunch only to notice the clock reads 3pm, well, where did my day go? This is the moment you realise the children are going to be home from school soon… Instantly your surprise turns to panic, you rush back to your chair where you turbo type to finish your work in world record time and fly out the office door to pickup the kids and get them to there extra curricular activities Dance, swimming, soccer, cricket, gymnastics, nippers etc… The list goes on… Well perhaps not every day but you get the idea! 

Life is busy and, in its busyness, or in our business we rarely have time to reflect on the blessings given to us by the Lord. Friends, recently I was in church listening to a sermon on the 1st letter in Revelation, specifically, the letter in Chapter 2 to the Ephesian church. The Ephesians were doing everything right, I mean they were really the model church ticking every box, however, they had forgotten their first love! (Rev 2:4-5). Friends even for the most seasoned Christian the busyness of life, the relentless demands of work/family routine or perhaps the better offer could easily distract us from our first love! Can it not? The distractions of this world are endless and they do an amazing job of getting our attention. Friends, I implore you as a Brother in Christ, Do not forsake your first love! Do everything in your power to not forsake your first love! Please take the time, give thought, to when you first came to an understanding of the thirst-quenching taste of the Gospel, when you experienced that inexpressible joy of life in Jesus name, to be saved from the weight of sin and reborn into a new life in Christ. 

Friends if your anything like me, time is precious, however, priority is more pressing!  Has your bible been collecting dust on the shelf, or is it hard to remember when you last checked in with Jesus?  Excuses can be easy to find, often just masking the depth of the problem.  I would encourage you to make your first love your priority, finding the time to rekindle the joy found in this relationship.  You may have heard of the band Casting Crowns, they have a song, Slow fade, its lyrics go something like “Its a slow fade when you give yourself away, its a slow fade when black and white have turned to grey and thoughts invade, choices made, A price will be paid when you give yourself away, People never crumble in a day”

Friends this is so true, people never crumble in a day! Just as I have been reminded this Easter, I urge you as a brother in Christ to not forsake your fist love, Jesus. Use this moment to refocus your priorities on Christ in whom alone is our Salvation.

Food for thought…. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Hebrews 12: 1-3.

Friends, September this year marks 10years of service for Lauren and Myself at Burrill Pines for the Bush Missionary Society, we are tired and weary but not defeated! Everyday in Christs strength we remember our first Love and continue to look to the author and perfecter of our Faith, Jesus. Please continue to pray for us and the team at the Mission as we continue to serve in Christs strength, “To further the Scriptural knowledge of Jesus Christ without reference to sectarian differences.” 

Yours In Christ,

Nathan and Lauren, Angelo and Sharon, Amy, Sam, Glen