Kia ora, All Saints

This week, I was reflecting on the power of the "family". Summer made a quick trip to America to surprise her mum (mom) for her 80th birthday, which was such a gift and joy to enable. Her being away meant that I was parenting solo for 5 days, which included playdates, sports and dance schedules, managing workload and some sickness, which meant a missed conference opportunity. 

There were so many facets to this, the joy of being able to take the load so one could go, the joy of spending one on one time with the kids, having fun, the challenge of getting people to where they need to be, the long days until you crash at night because its all you, being outnumbered, sacrificing things you might have been able to do because its just you, being lonely. 

These are not things set aside for someone whose husband or wife is away overseas; they creep into all our lives. 

This is where the power of the "family" comes in. A family is not just a Husband and a wife and 2.4 kids, it's a community of people who are willing to go beyond being guests or casual friends and really lean into each other's lives—creating space to truly be FAMILY. 

I love it when people offer to help out when Summer's away, because I think in the back of my mind, would you really be up for it? If I called you in the middle of a meltdown and said I need you to come and help.

What does it mean for us to be a family here at All Saints? Some of us are lucky to have our own nuclear family and maybe even an extended biological family locally, but what about our Holy singles? What about those who don't have a partner or kids? Those whose spouse isn't here? our widows? those whose families live a long, long way away, or we are not in a relationship with them for whatever reason. 

I love that as we explore our Big Picture series, we are seeing how intimate the relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is, and how that intimacy is passed on and expressed to us even amidst our distance. It's what draws us in. 

As we think about who we are doing life with, who we are family with, let us gather together and lean in both with vulnerability of life's challenges, but also as people who centre ourselves around God's word. The great story of redemption that climaxes in Jesus' resurrection and ascension points to the hope that one day all will be redeemed. 

Maybe our challenge is to lean into life a little deeper with someone we haven't, or with someone who God is putting on our heart. 

Just a reminder that we have a 9am central gathering this Sunday (Dennis Gordon is preaching on Genesis 3), and we have our House Churches in the centre. 

Much love, 

Kia ora, All Saints

It has been a great joy to chat with many of you this week about meeting and discussing the first week of our Big Picture series together. 

My heart is full of joy at our community going on a journey together to unpack God's unified story that leads to Jesus. We have spent the last two weeks looking at the first section, "The God who has a plan", which focused on the passage from Ephesians 1:1-14. The reason we have started here is so that as we go, we are able to continue to go back to that reminder that God has a plan, a plan to redeem the world through Jesus, a plan to flood heaven and earth together, where death and sin no longer reign. 

This week, as we gather in our bigger Central Gatherings, the sermon will centre around the week 2 text in our booklet from Genesis 1 and 3, "The God who made the world" We will be exploring how the world was made and what it was like and then the impact of the fall and sin upon the world and creation. 

I encourage you to read Genesis chapters 1 and 3 before coming on Sunday. Look through the booklet and start pondering the questions, specifically thinking about the world that God has created. 

I would also love to share with you that the Parish Council met on Wednesday, 17th June, as we do each month. This month, we spent some considerable time praying and then discussing how we would like to position ourselves in the future as we look towards growing as a parish. The discussion centered around two things that felt really important. To invest in the children, family and youth space specifically to disciple and raise the younger generation. Secondly, as a Parish, the collective passion to continue to live into a part of our DNA that has existed for a long time to Gather, Equip and Send people out, specifically thinking strategically about our leadership pipeline. This is a really Spirit-filled conversation that generated some real energy and excitement. 

Parish council would also like to report that over the first 5 months of this year, All Saints' giving is up considerably. Praise God!! and mihi to you all as we continue to lean in together! I've been pondering the thought after hearing testimony of others about what it means for us privately and corporately to change our mindset from, what must I give away to God has blessed me with all this that his anyway, " to " what do I need to keep and the rest I give away.

A reminder that we have both 9 am and 10:30 am Central Gatherings this Sunday. Invite your friends, gather your house churches and bible studies and let's worship together. 

Much love, 

Kia ora, All Saints

This Wednesday and Thursday, I was privileged to host 10 other clergy from around the country for 2 days. It was an incredibly inspiring time together as we shared about the joys and challenges of leading similar congregations around the province. One of the things that I walked away inspired by was the hope this group had at the way their congregations were full of hope for their communities by rooting themselves in biblical truths and person hope in Christ which in turn empowers them through the spirit to reach out for nothing more than to see people know the love of God through Christ! 

I felt inspired and excited by our journey together as a community to dive deeper into the bible! I was encouraged by the thought of our historic commitment to mission and commitment to biblical truths. 

I also found myself again retelling the story of how we go about House Churches here at All Saints, to which I found those asking were inspired to try similar things in their own congregations. 

This led me to reflect on the Hebrews passage 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Sometimes we can forget why we do what we do or how we got there. Let us continue to encourage each other and continue meeting together, reading and chewing over scripture, confessing together, repenting together and walking into freedom, rejoicing together. 

This Sunday we have 9am and House Churches. If you are coming to 9am, I will be following up on last week's sermon with some more depth. If you are going to a House Church, a reminder to read through Ephesians 1:1-14 and work through the booklet for week 1 as you come to your group on Sunday. 

If you are not in a House Church, please feel free to come to the All Saints center, where there will be a group meeting. 

For those of you asking about the Podcast I was listening to last week with John Lennox in it, please find that attached here. 

Much love, 

Kia ora, All Saints

I am really excited for us as a community to be launching into our new bible series titled "The Big Picture" This is a series that is going to take us all the way from now until Advent.

What is really stirring the excitement in me is that this is a powerful journey for us all, no matter how long we have been on the Jesus waka, through the overarching narrative of God's big story. 

We will trace our way through the Bible, taking in what God's big plan is, and all the different ways that plan has played out throughout history. I encourage you all to grab a booklet for deeper study with one another. If you are not in a bible study or House Church, there are options for you.
We have several groups that meet across the area, and we also have an inter-generational group that meets at the All Saints Centre each House Church Sunday for a deeper dive into the study together. Anyone is welcome to join this group; each week, the larger group divides up into smaller groups for the study time. 

If you haven't got a study guide yet, please either download one here or pick one up from church this Sunday. 

Our hope by walking through this study together is that we begin to under gird ourselves with the foundations of what a powerful and redemptive story we are a part of! How, at the end of the day, this is not about meeting standards and ticking boxes, but living a life that is laid down for and honoring the God of the universe who, from nothing and with total freedom, creates! US! for relationship! 

I look forward to joining you for worship this Sunday. 

Much love,