I always feel the presence of Jesus in every cell group meeting.
I fell in love to Jesus and I wanted to know Him more and more personally. That was my main reason to join Holy Trinity Community (HTC) Melbourne District. Through this community I am grateful to be able to grow in my faith, hope and love.
Three years I have been a member of St. Mary’s cell group and I know that this was not a coincidence.
I knew about HTC since years ago as I frequented Lembah Karmel (The Carmelite Valley – TN) in Cikanyere, West Java, Indonesia, to go to a retreat or a mass. However, I had not been interested to become a member of the cell group. My reason being I was not ready to commit just as yet. Not only because of my job, but I was also involved in several ministries.
Until one time, in a retreat for beginners in Lembah Karmel, I came to know about the existence of HTC in Melbourne. I rejoiced then as I was going to get married and follow my husband to live in Melbourne.
I arrived in Melbourne in 2015 and only after seven month later that I was invited into a cell group meeting by Shirley Tsom a.k.a. Aleng and Maria Lie. Yet, with the same reason that I could not commit to it, I could not come to the cell group meeting. However, Aleng had never once been absent to send the invitation to the cell group meeting that was held monthly at that time. Although I could not come, I kept praying that Jesus Himself would bring me into the community so I could become closer to Him.
Finally, after I became ready to commit, in September 2017, I came to the St. Mary’s cell group meeting and joined as a member of the HTC until now. So, as I said, I knew it was not a coincidence that I was in HTC.
Loving Jesus More
The biggest benefit that I gained as a cell group member is that I love Jesus more and more and always long to share His love to others.
In the cell group I learned a lot from the teachings and the experiences of faith of the other cell group members that opened my mind and my heart for the salvation of God. I also learned to lead prayers and praise and worship, to give a teaching and to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.
Through the cell group, my deepest yearning to serve in the ministries and to bring people to know Jesus is fulfilled. Together with the members of St. Mary’s cell group, we serve in Tetum (National language of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste) masses, funeral masses, cleaning duties in the church as well as adoration service in St Peter Chanel’s church Dear Park. The adoration service had only been held once before it was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the HTC I met fellow believers in the community who were full of love and had the heart of a servant. The care, aids and opportunities to serve given by the brothers and sisters in HTC to me and St. Mary’s cell group was truly a blessing. I really felt the purity and sincerity of their love.
Not a Coincidence
I always feel the presence of Jesus in every cell group meeting. This is what makes me yearn to come to the meetings. Although, occasionally it was only me and the host come to the meeting.
Once I came to the cell group meeting and discovered that there were only me and the host. However, we waited for another friend who had been an irregular to the meetings as she had just had a baby. It turned out that the teaching for that day was an answer from God for our new-parent friend. She was truly strengthened and went home full of joy.
That incident confirmed my faith that Jesus is always present in our cell group meetings. There is no cell group meeting that happens as a coincidence. I believe that every cell group activity is a part of God’s plan to greet, to embrace, to rebuke, to teach, to strengthen, to change, to form and to use us, His lambs.
So, if you are looking for a Catholic community and want to make Jesus as the centre of your life, don’t hesitate to join the HTC.