The Residents Committee exists to provide, promote and foster a Christ centred relaxed, stable, and peaceful atmosphere in the Ebenezer Christian Retirement Village for both Residents and Management.

Ebenezer News December/January/February 2018/2019

Ebenezer

Residents Committee

Legend of the Mistletoe Mistletoe is one of the most famous symbols of Christmas and also the most recognizable; it is the most sacred and magical plant in Christian folklore. The sprigs of this plant are extensively used in Christmas decorations

and it is also believed that the plant can protect the house from lightning and fire. This is why many people also leave the sprigs all the year round. There is also a traditional belief that mistletoe is a plant of peace and that a kiss under this plant ensures undying love and friendship. The belief that no lady standing under decorated mistletoe can refuse to be kissed is obviously a major attraction for young men. And a kiss under the mistle-toe is often interpreted as a proposal of marriage. Though most of these beliefs and superstitions are of pagan significance, they are still prevalent in all their glory; the legend of mistletoe being a widely celebrated one. Mistletoe is especially interesting botanically because it is a parasite - it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree and actually sends out roots that penetrate into the tree and take up nutrients. The Greeks and earlier peoples thought that it had mystical powers and down through the centuries it became associated with many folklore customs.

Airport kiss Bob was returning home

from a business trip. It

had been an exhausting

trip and he was not in a good mood. The airport's

Christmas musak was

getting him down, and

their decorations were tacky. As he queued at the check-in desk he day-

dreamed about the plastic mistletoe

hung over the luggage scale. Being in

a bad mood, he said to the woman at

the counter, "You know, even if I weren't married, I wouldn't kiss

you." That's not what it's there for,"

said the attendant. "It's so you can

kiss your luggage goodbye”.

Saturday 8 December 2018 5.30pm

Cost $25 pp BYO

Live Entertainment

Come and join in an evening of fellowship and fun

CHRISTMAS BLESSING

May the feet of God walk with you And his hand hold you tight May the eye of God rest you And His ear hear your cry May the smile of God be with you And His breath give you life May the child of God grow in you And His love bring you home.

New Year Prayer

Thank you Lord for giving me The brand new year ahead.

Help me live the way I should As each new day I tread. Give me gentle wisdom

That I might help a friend, Give me strength and courage

So a shoulder I might lend. The year ahead is empty,

Help me fill it with good things Each new day filled with joy

And happiness it brings. Amen

Christmas Message - Neale Burgess MP State Member for Hastings

I would like to take this opportunity to wish both Management and Residents at the Ebenezer

Christian Retirement Village, a safe and happy Christmas. I would like to thank you for your

continued support and I look forward to working with you in the New Year.

Christmas Celebration in our Community Hall on 20 December 2018 6.30pm

Gold coin donation Supper available

Guest artists Bestenbreur family

Dear fellow residents

Christmas is here again ! Santa seems to

come around quicker and quicker each

year. Perhaps technology has something

to do with it or is it just us getting older !

It is with regret that we inform you that both Denise (secretary) and

I have resigned from the Ebenezer Residents Committee. We so

enjoyed being of service to the village over the past few years but

we now want to be RE-TIRED and not tired ! Denise and I would

like to use this platform to thank the committee members for their

unselfish dedication to making life in the village a pleasurable

experience. We thank all the residents in the village for enriching

our lives and we hope that we have enriched yours too.

The Afternoon of Culture was a resounding success and we

know there are many hidden talents amongst our residents who

are urged to come forward and share them with the rest of the

village. This can be a most rewarding experience for both the

exhibitor and the residents.

Little ones from a local Early Learning Centre

will sing Christmas Carols at our Morning Tea on

Monday 3 December. You are urged to come.

The Editors (Brian & Denise) wish you all a blessed

Christmas. God bless you all.

From the Chairman’s Desk

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

December 1 Wil van der Pol 4 Peter Bestenbreur 8 Jerry Moynihan 10 Bill Toner 18 Christine Flanagan

February 20 Jenny van Essen 27 Josie Woods 29 Barbara Burley

January 13 Claudette Keble

The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age Lucille Ball

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it P J O’Rourke

Elly Reyke emigrated with her parents in 1954 - met and married her husband in Frankston, She was blessed with 2 children but sadly lost her daughter to leukemia at the age of 17. Her son has blessed her with 2 beautiful grandsons. She played tennis in yesteryear.

LANGWARRIN

Langwarrin Discount Drug Store

Christmas Gift Stall is coming to Ebenezer Village on

Monday 3 December 2018 10am to 12pm

In the Ebenezer Community Hall Fantastic range of gifts from as low as $5

Free gift wrapping Cash & Credit Cards accepted

We look forward to seeing you all there

Langwarrin Discount Drug Store

PLEASE TAKE NOTE

Visitors are to park in the designated

Car Park near the entrance to our

Village or on your driveway.

No parking or driving is permitted on our lawns The speed limit in the Village is 5km/hr.

Please remind your visitors and/or carers accordingly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

A NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE

I’m walking into 2019 with a clean heart and mind.

If you owe me, don’t worry about it - you’re welcome.

If you have wronged me, it’s all good - lesson learned.

If you are angry with me, you’ve won - I’ve let it go.

If we aren’t speaking, it’s cool - I wish you well.

If I have wronged you, I apologise - it wasn’t intentional.

I am grateful for every experience that I received.

Life is too short for pent up anger, holding of grudges and extra stress

or pain

I WELCOME 2019

Remember, forgiving someone is for you,

not the other person. So don’t block your BLESSING

Make 2019 a year of positivity and a season of forgiveness.

Unit 20

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John McAllister Our gardener

We pray for those residents who are lonely and struggling with ill health. May God bless you, comfort you and keep you

Church of the Transfiguration Church

Message - Vicar Craig Verdouw Langwarrin Christian Reformed Church

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” – Matt 11:28-30 If there is one thing that is common to mankind, it is this: trouble. Whether trouble that is forced on us, or trouble we earn for ourselves. It can come through the body, by disease, and age, and environment. It can come by relationships, by arrogance, or pride, or misconceptions, or lies believed. It can come by circumstance, a prevailing of our own bad decisions or a prevailing of injustice against us. Yet there is an even more sinister evil at work here: when we see the results of our actions and troubles we have earned, we live into this identity. We believe we are by nature, unlovable; unfriendly; uncompassionate; judgmental; gossipers. Our troubles become our identity. But if there is one thing that we learn from Christ, it’s this: there is a worse type of trouble in existence. It’s one that all mankind earns by rebelling against the Father. We have no-one to blame for this than ourselves. But Hallelujah! What a Saviour! Christ Jesus stands forth and beams into our hearts the truth of his majesty and power and grace that leads us to the Father! In him we find rest, not first from our earthly troubles, but rest for our souls. Do we believe him? Do we believe Jesus when he lifts us up from our spiritual slum and says, ‘Come to me, I will give you rest’. Christ granted us rest by taking on our spiritual troubles for us – the Father laid on him the iniquity of us all, and it’s this vertical grace that is also able, should God permit it, to dissolve horizontal troubles. Grace changes thieves into honest men; harlots into saints; rebels into children of God. Grace changes the arrogant into the humble; the crude into the polite; the selfish into the selfless. Do you believe that God has done the work in you to make this happen?

You are what you are in Christ – no matter what the past has been! No matter

what you were like as a teenager. No matter your failings as a parent, or

friend, or partner, or employee, or employer! God’s children are absolutely,

completely, totally and utterly forgiven. Reconciled to God by the precious

blood of Jesus Christ. Christians are children! Heirs! Heirs with Christ! You,

friend, if you believe in Christ as the Saviour of sinners like you and me – you

are going to glory with Him! This is what matters. Not who we were or what

we did. We can now say with the Apostle Paul, ‘I am what I am by the grace

of God’. Shalom Craig

Our Visit to Warratina Lavender Farm

14 residents recently visited this beautiful lavender farm. After strolling amongst the fields of lavender, a delicious lunch was enjoyed in their Lavender Cottage Tea Room. Warratina Lavender Farm is situated 1 hour from Melbourne at the

foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in the beautiful Yarra Valley . It boasts no less than 10,000 plants. It is a family business who take much pride in producing homegrown lavender products of the highest quality. It was interesting to note that the lavender is still harvested by hand using the traditional sickle.

A fun afternoon on cup eve....champagne, games, sweeps, and barbecue completing the day. As usual many helpers made light work of the setting up, cooking, salad making, serving and cleaning up. THANK YOU to all and to Theresia for all of her organising. Marianne’s grandsons, Mitchell and Jordon were a delightful addition to the team, with their assistance and antics. Tickets for the sweeps were in high demand from Marie and Marlene - a total of three sweeps being sold. The lucky winners were :- Sweep 1: Wayne. 1st. Jerry 2nd. Anna. 3rd Sweep 2: Jordon 1st. Maureen D. 2nd. Wayne 3rd. Sweep 3: Helen . 1st. Maureen D. 2nd. Helen 3rd.

2018

Editors - Brian & Denise Krull

AFTERNOON of CULTURE The artistic skills of 3 of our residents was shared in an afternoon of culture recently. Rosemary displayed her beautiful works of art and both Coby and Janny read some of their fantastic poems. Their interest in

Poetry started way back in 1989 when they enrolled for a Creative Writing course

at Dandenong TAFE. Their poetry appears in several anthologies and also in

a coffee table book entitled ‘Reflections of Melbourne’.

About 3 years ago Rosemary enrolled at U3A to develop her drawing skills after-

which she started painting. Her subjects vary from portraits, still life to landscapes

AMAZING IMAGES OF SPRING IN EBENEZER VILLAGE

Azalea mollis Tim & Anja (45)

Leucospermum Henk (22)

Azalea - 2 colours on same bush - Brian & Marie (59)

Leucospermun Pincushion Len & Claudette (3)

Gazania Ebenezer Gold Carpark flower box

Cytisus - roadside garden to top units

Protea cynaroides King Protea (16)

YOU CAN’T OUTSMART THE OLDIES

The rain was pouring down. There standing in front of a big puddle outside the pub was an old Irishman, drenched, holding a stick, with a piece of string dangling in the water. A passer-by stopped and asked, "What are you doing?" "Fishing" replied the old man. Feeling sorry for the old man, the gent says,

"Come in out of the rain and have a drink with me." In the warmth of the pub, as they sip their whiskies, the gentleman, being a bit of a smart ass, cannot resist asking, "So how many have you caught today ?"

"You're the eighth", says the old man.

Be Connected is an Australia wide initiative empowering all Australians to thrive in a digital world.

Online learning resources as well as a Network of community partners are offered on the Be Connected website. Langwarrin Men’s Shed is a registered Net-work partner who will offer in-person support to our

village residents so you can develop your digital skills and confidence.

Residents listening intently to one of the course leaders delivering the Introduction to Be Connected.

True story This is from a friend who just had all her bank accounts emptied after she paid a taxi driver with her debit card. She wanted to pay with her credit card but he asked for another method because he didn’t want to pay the 4% visa fee.

Received some great advice from the police today that I want to share. Whenever you are asked to use debit instead of credit for whatever reason, first fully enter in a wrong PIN. If it is counterfeit machine it will pseudo process the payment and produce a receipt. An authentic machine will reject the PIN and request a try again’ of some sort. Help spread the word as the police tell me this type of fraud is becoming increasingly prevalent’

Liberace in Concert Ebenezer Hall 2018 Our annual concert, held in August was enjoyed by all who attended. A varied program offered something for everyone.

A number of guest artists graced our stage and a most enjoyable evening was had by all. Coby Hill

Janny-Brouwer

Rosemary Vine