Rev Guy BentonKia ora All Saints Whānau
Guy here this week. Growing up, I had a small book of Aesop fables. I have no idea where it came from, but I remember each fable being well-illustrated and straight to the point at my reading level. The one I remember the most is the hare and the tortoise; a message of slow and steady wins the race. Each fable brought about a new idea to think about: what was the hidden meaning behind the hare and the tortoise, the fox and the hedgehog? Always rooting for the underdog in the story. I think about this as our new series focuses on some of the Parables that Jesus shared with his followers and his disciples. If you have been around church long enough, you might have had the experience of a parable or parables being used to draw out a theme of do better, be better. But I love the way Jesus uses these stories to help us dig a little deeper into experiencing the tension between the old and the new as he brought about God's Kingdom here on earth as in heaven but also how these stories help us to understand the character of God and the lengths God went to to restore relationship with us. So, I encourage us, as we go through this series, to look and scratch the surface a little deeper to see how this is revealing to us a way to interact with and experience God coming into our world. Can we take off our lens that turns Jesus' words into a do better, try harder message and look through a lens of how this is opening our eyes to the lengths Christ went to for us? There is real power in the scriptures when we allow God to speak to us with vibrancy and truth. It can be revealing and challenging to us. One of the most powerful things is that the words of Jesus always bring about freedom, liberation, healing and unity with Christ. Let us dive deep together and hear the words of Jesus to us as an authentic community of Jesus followers who desire to see God's Kingdom here on earth as in heaven. Please remember to check out the notices this week to keep up to date with what is happening. We have house churches this Sunday, 4th August; If you are not in a house church please email me here and I can connect you with a House Church. Each Wednesday in August we have a wonderful series titled Belonging In This Land - Treaty Basics from a Christian Perspective. An opportunity for our faith community to explore the story of the Treaty of Waitangi over four sessions in August. Whether you know a lot or a little, let’s journey together. Brought to us by Common Grace Aotearoa in partnership with Karuwhā Trust and Te Manu Hononga - the Sir Paul Reeves Centre, we will hear from expert presenters, including Dean of Taranaki Cathedral Jay Ruka and former Anglican Archbishop David Moxon, to help you refresh or expand your knowledge. Please continue to pray for Andy and Emily as they prepare to transition towards the Peninsula Parish and all that God has in store for them; a reminder that their final Sunday is 1st Sept which will be a combined service with a lunch following as a way of celebrating and sending them out. Information about their installation at Mirimar is also in the newsletter. Yours in Christ, Rev. Emily SpenceKia ora All Saints whānau,
This week I've spent a couple of days at a church growth course which has been really encouraging. We have learnt together with mostly un-ordained people and a few clergy across the diocese about the importance of praying for growth, different types of growth, and little practical ways to share our faith with others, remembering that we confidently believe that a life with Jesus is so much better than a life without him. An accidental stand out moment was standing in the tennis courts at El Rancho in our pyjamas with the others staying overnight at 4:30am for a fire evacuation. We made jokes and grumbled just a little, someone suggested morning prayer (but was strangely unwilling to lead it at that hour of the morning!) and another didn't notice the buggy on the court so asked if we left our babies in the room so they didn't have to wake up (which would have been a very bold move, however tempting it felt given I had just resettled them). We were calm, standing in a circle all looking at each other, and I realised that regardless of how different our church services may look from one anothers', what sacraments we deem as most important, or how effective we each are at growing the Church, we each have a heart to love Jesus and draw others into the beauty of his kingdom. In these little human moments where we see who probably shouldn't have decided to wear a nightie or who cleverly brought slippers, we realise we are all God's children and all on the same mission and our differences in worship and mission styles don't seem so significant. I think this is helpful to remember about our parish too - we have many different styles of worship and mission amongst us, and many of us are passionate about different issues, and together we make up the body of Christ. The key is that we all seek and work towards growth, and listen to the still small voice of our God to guide us. So may God bless you this week, and put on your heart someone who doesn't yet know the love and compassion of our creator God, challenging you to speak and act out the faith which is growing within you. Blessings, Emily This month Parish Council met on the 17th July.
There was a full agenda and this update is just to keep you in the loop around what Parish Council are doing. Building: We started the meeting with a hearty discussion around what the next steps in our Building Conversation look like. We have produced a report around all the answers from our Building Conversation #2. This will come out with a survey to complete so we can really get everyone's opinion on what should or shouldn't be done. Finance: We spent some considerable time looking at our finances. Which are looking reasonably healthy. Our giving is down on our expected budget by $3,104 but out expenses are also down by $16,199 on our expected budget. We are not sure yet whether these savings are long term but it is a reassuring place to be in the short-term. As part of finances we are pleased to announce that Joshua Butterfield is going to be helping John Little out as Assistant Treasurer. We also have accepted a quote to put some ground cover under the vicarage. Other Business: On other things we handled over the night: we are still awaiting the right person for our Children's worker role and we are seeking a quote to help us ensure that the stained glass windows are protected. If you have any questions please feel free to talk to one of our Parish Council members and they can update you further. Rev Andrew SpenceKia ora All Saints,
I have had many people ask me about the book I shared last week. They are great presents and a wonderful little series. You can see more about that here. I have found this Generosity series great for reorientating my mind and heart. I have had a great example of someone Generous in my life my father. He was always so generous with what he had, the way he valued people and with his time. It was a real example of how to use all I had for the good of others. The more I hear down this series the more I am reminded of the goodness of our God. He has given us everything for use and continually shows generosity to others. It is a great reminder to me that in all things God comes first and our hearts need to be thankful and content. This week I am away with AYM at our Stars Leadership programme. It is a chance to take year 12 and 13 students to a part of the Wellington Region and learn together about how to lead others. This week we are learning about running small groups. I thought how wonderful it was to be doing that on the week that as All Saints we are doing House Churches. I wanted to finish by reminding you of all the great things that are happening here at All Saints:
Hope you have a great weekend and see you soon! Mā te wā, Andrew Spence Rev. Summer BentonKia ora All Saints,
We are in our second week of giving month and recently I have found myself contemplating the difference between generosity that we see around us from good hearted people in the world, and generosity within the Kingdom. Everybody can be generous. Everybody can give to worthy causes and help their neighbours. In fact, I find the culture around us here to be particularly generous and loving. So, what sets us apart from the world in the way we are generous as the Body of Christ? The short answer is that there are probably many things we can notice in this space, but I want to briefly share about one element I’ve been contemplating. As Christians we are challenged to see all things as gifts from God and told not to store up our treasures on this earth. We have a children’s book of the parables at home and the story of the rich farmer paints a humorous picture of a man who keeps building bigger barns and then dies and doesn’t get to enjoy any of his wealth. But I would challenge that it’s not really about him missing out on the opportunity to enjoy his wealth. It’s about Jesus not wanting us to make our lives about what we have. God’s goodness and blessings come to us and we should be conduits of those blessings to the world. Sometimes this is about money and resources but sometimes it’s about the way we use our time or the way we use our talents. The world around us generally gives out of what is left over. If we have time, we donate that time to volunteer for a worthy cause. If we have extra money, we give to the poor. Sometimes we even make sacrifices in that giving but it’s still with the overall view of what’s ours is ours and we can give out of what we have. As followers of Jesus we give out of what we know Jesus offers. We give because we know there’s always enough and God’s view is larger than our own. This is a paradigm shift that is not easy and most of us will probably be working on it until we meet Jesus one day and then it all will make sense. But this is what each of us should strive for, and this is what we hope to strive for as a church. Let’s continue to push and pull each other closer to God and deeper into a life in God’s Kingdom. As we do so, we are likely to be amazed at what God can do through us and our generosity. Ngā Mihi, Summer |
Past News
October 2024
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contact90 Hamilton Road, Hataitai, Wellington, New Zealand
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