Kia ora, All Saints

I write to you on my last day before heading away on leave with Summer and the kids. Each year we head down south to explore the mountains and other parts of Aotearoa together. It is always such a gift of a time. From several points of view, one being that it's refreshing for us all to be together in an intentional way, for which I am incredibly grateful; two, I am always so profoundly proud of this community and the strength of lay leadership and serving that holds worship and teaching. prayer and community. 

This week we are exploring "The God who Rescues Israel" - looking specifically at Exodus 12. Powerfully, we look at the way God continues in his story to rescue and redeem his people for relationship! As we have explored through Abraham how God makes promises, we now see the way that God is spurred to action in rescuing his people that he is in relationship with. 

What does it look like for you to think about how God has kept promises in your life? Maybe you are reflecting on a sense that God hasn't kept his promises with you or for you and your family! These are questions people all have that are beautifully unpacked through Scripture. 

I am praying for you all as I head away. If you require any assistance during the next 10 days, please do not hesitate to reach out to Cassandra or the Wardens. 

A reminder that this weekend, the 2nd of August, we have Central Gatherings; the following weekend, on the 9th of August, we have 9am and House Churches. 

Much love, 

Kia ora All Saints,
 
I've had the great privilege recently of serving on the Alpha team helping with tech & other things, and of course, taking in the Alpha videos so far, along with the discussion, which is also very stimulating. In parallel, a work friend who couldn't make it watched the video online with me.

Wow!

At the same time, I've also been reading through Acts, with the CBD Bible Study which grew out of our Lent group & meets each Tuesday lunchtime. (And yes, we'd love you to join us at the Anglican Centre 12-1pm Tuesdays - let Guy or myself know!). The latter part of Acts follows Paul's Missionary journeys - filled with announcing the good news in synagogues & local places of prayer to Jews, then later to Gentiles in meeting houses and marketplaces, then to Governors and Kings, with many coming to faith, but also opposition arising, and narrow escapes. Paul was always contextualising his delivery to the mindset of his hearers, but always staying true to the good news of Jesus.

It's like reading a masterclass in sharing Jesus with people!

I couldn't help thinking - what I'm doing seems so small compared to Paul..

I've been praying for a number of people a long time, some of these I've had significant conversations with, and yes, one of them is coming along to Alpha, and that's great. 
But Paul's call was much more intense, his output much higher, not to mention the many miracles accompanying his words...

I found myself asking God - what's going on here?

And I felt like God was showing me that we are all gifted and blessed differently. But what's the same is being true to what He asks us to do - not to what He asked Paul or anyone else to do... The faith and the obedience God asks for are still the same.
 
Over this last week we've continued our Big Picture series, looking at Exodus 12 & God's continuing plan to rescue His people Israel, staying faithful to His promises to Abraham (in Genesis 12). Abraham believed the Lord (and His promises to him), and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham then continued to trust and have faith in God, following what God showed him to do.
 
Trust & faith, and obedience to God
It's the same for Abraham
It's the same for Paul
It's the same for us.
And it's at the heart of the Kingdom of God that He calls us to invite others into as well.
 
May the peace and love of God be with you,
 
Chris W

Kia ora, All Saints

I have been reading over and over again the passage from last Sunday, Genesis 12, about Abram and God's call upon his life. I keep coming back to it thinking about the radical nature of this moment. God is spurred to act for the sake of humanity; Abram responds. I keep thinking about the situation and family Abram is a part of! I wonder if there was a question along the way of "Why me, Lord?" If you are anything like me, I'm sure you ask that question. I keep chewing over the fact that Abram doesn't have it all together, but he keeps returning to the Lord in his brokenness, and the Lord continues to use him! Piece by piece, the Lord breaks him down; potential deal after potential deal, the Lord breaks him down until Abram realises that it's the presence of God that matters the most above all else! And that it is from that place that the world is radically changed. 

I have also been captivated by the hope in these promises that are fulfilled in Jesus and the hope of these promises to ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus coming again in this world! COME LORD JESUS! 

A couple of points to make coming up. 

1. 9am and House Churches this Sunday 26th July. Week 4 in the Big Picture series. If you are not in a House Church and would like to journey alongside others, you are welcome to come along to the All Saints Centre at 10:30 to join in with others, as we have several smaller groups who meet here. You can also email me for more information on other groups that might be more in your geographical location or similar life stage. 

2. August 1st-August 10th: The Benton Family will be away on Holiday together. Each year I take two Sundays off in a row, and for the last several years it has been during this time. As a family, we deeply appreciate being able to get away, take a deep breath, and be restored and recharged. - During this time, if there is a need that arises, please feel free to reach out to Cassandra or the Wardens via email. 

3. Alpha 2026 Starts Sunday! - July 26th | 4:30-6:30pm All Saints Hall. 

Much love, 

Kia ora, All Saints,

As I have been reflecting on this Sunday's reading from Genesis 12, I have been amazed by the courage of Abram's response to God. God says to him, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you."  God did not give him a map or a detailed and well-laid-out plan; there was no guarantee of comfort. This was simply an invitation to trust and follow. Abram's response is equally simple – He just went.

The story of Abram reminds me that faith is often more about taking the next step than seeing the whole journey ahead. We hesitate sometimes because we want certainty. We want to plan and control the course of what lies ahead. We want to know where we are going, how things will unfold, and whether we have what it takes. Yet God calls Abram into a relationship of trust before He reveals the details.

As I look around our parish community, I see many examples of people who have taken such steps of faith. Whether it is moving countries or cities to come here to New Zealand or Wellington, or being part of this church and community and serving in ministry, welcoming newcomers, praying for others, investing in children and young people, or simply showing up faithfully week after week, these acts of obedience help build God's kingdom among us. Often, we only see the significance of these steps in hindsight.

One of the most significant things in Genesis 12 is God's promise to Abram that he would be blessed in order to be a blessing. God's call was never solely for Abram's benefit. Through him, God intended to bless all nations. The same is true for us today. We are recipients of God's grace, love, and mercy so that we might share those gifts generously with others.

As we continue to discern God's calling for All Saints, I believe we are being invited to ask not only, "What is God doing in my life?" but also, "How is God calling me to participate in His mission?" Faith is not simply about believing; it is about responding.

This week, I invite each of us to prayerfully identify one step of faith that God may be asking us to take.

It might be:

• Inviting a friend, neighbour, or family member to church and Alpha course
• Joining a house church or small group.
• Offering to serve in a ministry where help is needed.
• Reaching out to someone who is lonely or struggling.
• Setting aside time each day to pray and listen for God's guidance
  

Like Abram, we may not know exactly where that step will lead. But we can trust the God who calls us. The life of faith is not built on having all the answers; it is built on walking with the One who does.

May we be a people who respond with courage, generosity, and trust, saying together: "Lord, where you lead, we will follow."

Grace and peace,
Cassandra Mesa

Hi all, my name is Anaiwan, and I am the Youth Pastor for the Junior and Senior Youth Groups. This term has been so awesome for us as a team. The end of term 2 is when we really started to find our rhythm for the year and connect as God's people.

For Juniors this term we have been looking at how to pray. We have been following the Origins 24/7 Prayer course. It has taken us through the P.R.A.Y.E.R acronym. Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yes, Endure and Repeat. One of the really exciting parts of this course is the prayer exercises that we get to run. For our last content night, the prayer activity was to write one prayer on a piece of paper that seems impossible, ask God for help, and then store them for 6 months before reading them and seeing how God worked through our prayers. We currently have these saved in our youth cupboard ready to be opened in Term 4.

We have also had a bit of fun. Attached are some photos of the cakes we made during one of our fun nights. The young people were given the themes, Aliens, Pirates and Minecraft.

For Seniors, we have been working through The Bible Project’s “Sermon on the Mount" series. Our young people have really enjoyed this series. Not only does it have amazing visuals, but it also offers plenty of opportunities to dig into deep theological discussions. One of the favourite conversations I've been a part of is what does it look like to be generous. We were comparing Mr Beast and ourselves when we give homeless people food. We talked a lot about the differences between the situations and the importance of the heart posture of our actions.

Another highlight of the term was the Quiz/gameshow night we ran on the last night of term. The boys' team took home the win with only a one point difference (98-97).

We have a combined seed-planting night, youth group fundraiser, and some refugee house setup planned for next term, and we are just so excited.

To end, I wanted to share a story of God working in our space. Recently we had Rise Up camp. One of the senior leaders, Caleb, wanted to run some evening prayers on the last night. For our boys, we felt that we wanted to challenge them with some uncomfortable prayer. At around 11 pm we took them down to the lake and sat in silence for 5 minutes before reading some of Matthew. We took another 5 minutes of silence. Caleb read out loud The Lord's Prayer, slowly, line by line. We sat in silence as a group; when you felt ready, you were to leave  in silence before making your way back to the cabins for bed.

Over the whole camp, but particularly at this moment, I was reminded of how it feels to be a part of the wider church community. I felt incredibly humbled watching how Caleb ran and held a space of such peace and quiet.

Blessings
Anaiwan Ojala