We thought we would give you an update about what has happened in regards to our building recently - which in short is not much!

As part of our MAP - Taking Flight process we were looking at some options of what could buildings be used for in this parish in the future and I am sure that has sparked some discussion and some ideas that might be floating around. There is really no limit to dreaming about what we could do with our buildings and what they could be used for.
Some examples include: restoring the brick building, demolishing the brick building and building a multi-purpose building, restoring the brick building exterior and modifying the interior as multi-purpose, building housing units on church land, creating a community hub for after-school clubs and social services, What are the social, spiritual, mental and physical needs in our community and how could we help meet them? How can we be good news in our community?

What dreams do you have?

The Diocese requires us to have a plan for mission in our area to be able to approve building projects so the MAP process is part of the first step regarding our mission here and what buildings would help us achieve that.

However, we're still a long way off making a decision on any future possibilities. Any big decision regarding any building requires a Special General Meeting.

The Brick Building
In July, we received a letter from the Council asking us for an engineering report  as they had identified that the building was potentially an earthquake risk. 
In working with the Diocese we provided the engineering report that was done a while ago (which subsequently meant we could not use the building).
Therefore you will see on the doors of the building there are now official notices from the council stating the risk of the building's earthquake rating. It also states on it that we have until 2 July 2037 to rectify the situation.

The Church Centre
Parish Council has spent quite a lot of time looking at the Parish Centre and how we keep it maintained for future use. It is coming up to 10 years next year since it was built and we would like to keep it functional and maintained so we do not end up with big bills all at once.
Therefore we have taken steps to get quotes to repaint the centre and we are putting together a Maintenance plan to make sure we are keeping up with the maintenance of all the elements of the building. For instance - when do we need to service all the doors and when should the floors be done?

Donations towards buildings
There has been some confusion recently over donations towards buildings. You are more than welcome to donate towards costs associated with our buildings. General donations towards buildings go into our general fund, where most of our expenses are paid from.

If you would like to donate towards the action required on the brick building, you are more than welcome to do this but please do recognise there is no decision on what that action would be. We cannot guarantee restoration or demolition at this stage. You can write 'Brick Building' on any of these donations.

Hope this is helpful and we look forward to more discussions on this in the near future.
Andrew Spence on behalf of the Co-Vicars and Wardens

Kia ora All Saints whānau,

Last week we finished up the meeting part of our MAP process. There were some really great comments about what people found helpful about the process:

"Appreciate the preparation and thought/prayer that has gone into the sessions."

"Sense of community, respectful of different opinions."

​"Being able to connect with each other in fellowship and be honest in a small group."

You can still view the results of the Congregational survey on the wall in the Gathering Space but we have now taken everything down to consolidate the answers to all the questions. The consolidated answers will then be viewed and discerned by the Co-Vicars. The Co-Vicar's will then put together a draft plan for Parish Council, who will then again discern that plan before we present it to the Parish at the November AGM. Thank you so much for everyone contributing to the process. It was a good turn out over the 5 weeks and we are so excited that people could be honest and discuss allk the issues openly.

This week is Fathers Day - so may we remember our Dad's this weekend. I am sure many of you will be reaching out, gathering or sharing some time together with your Father's this weekend. These of course come in many shapes, sizes and configurations!

The best example of a Father is in fact our God. Every Father's day I am reminded of the tale of two sons (Luke 15:11-32). The image of the father running towards the son who had gone off to squander everything his Dad had worked for and the lavishness of celebration when he returned. Then the image of the head of the feast, lowering himself to go outside and talk to the older brother who is bitter and twisted. It is an image of God going to his children where they are and showing huge generosity. May we be Dad's that are like our Father in Heaven.

On an entirely different note this week we begin our Mission month!
Rev. Amilie Paynter from Ohakune is bringing us the message this week.
This month is all about looking at what mission involves, what is mission and therefore what does it look like in different parts of the world including New Zealand. So enjoy looking at that in your house churches.

May God bless you this week!
Andrew Spence

Kia ora All Saints Whānau
 
This week we have our last week in our “A Kingdom of” series and is also a Central Gathering Sunday which will be an awesome opportunity for us all to gather in the room to celebrate, worship, pray and fellowship together.

During this series we have gone on a journey of unpacking the beatitudes and who is Jesus saying the Kingdom of God is for. Asking ourselves how can we live into these blessings and what does this all mean for our community here at All Saints Hataitai. Andy is going to be bringing us the final week in this series so I would really encourage you to come along and dig into that together. Remember that all our messages from this series are on our YouTube channel here.  

There has been a lot happening in the life of the parish over the last couple of months with our sermon series, Go Sundays and our MAP afternoons each Sunday where we have been looking at what is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it. It has been wonderful to see so many people engaging in this process and we are excited to see, once we pull all the data together, what is being said.

I (Guy) had a zoom call this week with Bree Mills who is part of Micro Churches Australia and is speaking at Wellington Dio Family Camp coming up this year, we were talking about what it looks like here at All Saints to solidify and grow our house church network, I found myself getting really excited by what we are seeing in the parish with regard to the missional DNA that is being established within our church family. There are a bunch of ideas that are being kicked around with ways to meet people in the community and build teams around reaching out to them. This is hugely exciting as we journey together as a parish and what makes up our DNA and who we are. Over the last few weeks during our MAP sessions we have looked at the early church in Acts, I think there is an incredible overlay with who and what we are in our present life of the parish. As we gather like we do both in homes and centrally, as we break bread together, as we share things in common together and seeing the Lord add to our numbers. What does it look like as an authentic community of Jesus centred people to go out to where our friends, family and neighbours are to build relationship and share the good news seeing them come to know Christ! Lets be bold for Jesus.

Just a reminder that this week there are a few things on the cards you can get involved in.
​
Saturday is Bishop Ellies farewell at the cathedral from 3-5pm
Sunday morning is our Central Gatherings 9 and 10:30am
Sunday afternoon is our final MAP session 3-5pm
 
There is also a bunch of things for you to scroll through in our sections throughout this newsletter so jump in and have a look.

We look forward to spending time with you and are so proud of each and everyone of you and the way that you represent the kingdom.

Much love and blessings,
Guy

PS as an aside we had our first afterschool hangs back this term after battling with winter bugs and I was again surprised at the way word gets around between friends as a place to hang out and be connected. Keep praying! 

Kia ora All Saints whānau,
 
Last Friday, Guy and the girls picked me up at work on and we headed to El Rancho in Waikanae for a one day/one night retreat with All Saints’ staff and Parish Council. To be honest, I was a bit exhausted and brain dead after a full day of seeing clients. But when we arrived, we walked into a room full of people, committed with us to bringing about God’s Kingdom in our community, and I was instantly energised.
                                                                                          
On Friday night we drank mocktails and played SingStar (think competitive karaoke). And on Saturday we sat around tables, seeking to hear God’s voice and discern together what God might be saying to us all. In my experience, there are few greater feelings than collaborating with others about Kingdom work.
 
Despite having to pack and unpack a car full of gear to be able to take our kids away for a measly 24 hours, I arrived home on Saturday night full of life and energy, and with a renewed excitement to move forward with the mission God has given us.
 
Part of what we did on Saturday was to review 2022 thus far and consider how we are doing with the goal we set of focusing on the value of ‘Missional Living’. It was a great chance to reflect and realise all that God has done amongst us. Here are just a few of the things we have seen:
 

• We have a thriving group of young adults (several of whom were with us on our night away) who are passionate about making Jesus known to our community.
• We have a naturally emerging space after school on Thursdays where parents and kids are walking over from Kilbirnie school to gather in the centre, eat cheese toasties, and just be with one another forming relationship.
• Our kids are so excited about the spaces of community (like Thursday afternoons) being created that they’re gossiping about them on the playground and kids are going home asking their parents if they can come along.
• As a church whānau we are going out and serving alongside our local community to show them what Jesus’ love looks like and let them know we are here and we care.

 
I think it’s easy to let life happen and sort of forget or not realise the ways in which God’s Spirit is moving. And that’s one of the reasons we are called to be family together. We would never be able to do it all alone; we would lose energy, get discouraged, and give up. But when we go on the journey together those things lose power over us.
 
In our sermon series, “A Kingdom of…”, we have found ourselves in quite a few discussions about how to be right in our relationships with others and with ourselves because that’s what God’s Kingdom is about. As we carry on through the rest of the year I want to lay down that challenge once again. We, as a parish, have committed to pushing outward, but as we do that, let’s take inventory and see if there are ways we can strengthen the example of Jesus that we are offering to our community.
 
Let’s make peace with one another, true peace. Let’s be merciful with one another. Let’s hunger and thirst for righteousness together and bring about God’s Kingdom to those around us.
 
In love,
Summer

​Kia ora All Saints whānau,

It definitely feels like we're in winter - although I'm glad we've escaped the sub-zero temperatures some of the South Island has had. I'm so grateful I can stay indoors and have been thinking of those whose work or living situation puts them in the midst of this weather. I also know of many people in metaphorical bad weather at present and have been praying for you, whether your situation is known to me or not.

This week I've been reflecting on who Jesus is to me, and who he is for our Parish at this point in time. For me personally, Jesus has always been my hope. Hope for myself, those around me, and the world; situations I can't control and those I can but of which I do a poor job. It is so heartening to be reminded that my ministry and work in the world is God's work, with which I have the privilege of joining in, not my own work which I have to strive for to earn my place. My hope is in God, not my own abilities.

The question of who Jesus is at this point in time for our Parish is an intriguing one. I have been so pleased to see many of you at our Mission Action Plan (MAP) sessions and have been enjoying hearing your hopes and dreams for this community. It is great to see what is important to each of you and to see both encouragements and challenges put to the church as it stands at present. There are two more sessions (skipping this weekend) and I really encourage you to come along. Also, have a think on this question for yourself - who is Jesus for our Parish, in our context, right now? If Jesus arrived at our gatherings, what would he say? (Of course Jesus is already there and with us always, but sometimes I find it helpful to picture him physically walking in and seeing his human expressions and body language.) Where would he sit? Who would he chat with? If you have thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.

Good bless, stay warm in all senses of the word.

Emily Spence