Kia ora, All Saints

It's great to be back in Hataitai and amongst you all again. Our family had a wonderful time away with friends. We spent time amongst the mountains skiing, we fellowshipped together, and we had the privilege of spending time with a young person we had spent some time with many years ago, which was such a gift. The bit we love the most is the stories of adventure we all come back with, which usually start with "Do you remember when ...... happened". 

One thing that happened while we were away was that between the families a couple of our youngers not only developed and grew in confidence in their skiing but also their confidence to go up and down the Tbar (a type of lift) on their own for the first time, which lead to an opportunity to ride the gondola (main lift) by themselves (there were parents at the top and bottom roaming around). My dad heart was on one hand nervous and worried, and then on the other hand absolutely full of pride and joy for them as they tried new things and gained independence. 

This, I think, is a small snapshot of our community here at All Saints, what does it look like to create spaces of discipleship and growth in our faith with one another (the skiing bit), and then what does it look like to develop and grow our leadership, apostolic, reaching out in confidence (riding the chairlift independently)? I have had several conversations this week about what it means for us as a church to have our pathways of discipleship, leadership, and taking groups of people on a journey of faith and adventure, from groups like youth group and children's church to missional communities and House Churches, or more evangelistic like Alpha or Mainly Music. 

I spent Wednesday at a Laidlaw College Leaders day here in Wellington and the overall theme was about spaces of renewal, the things that keep popping through are having prayer as your engine room, being brave to be out in your community and not afraid to present yourself as a jesus follower and sharing how thats changed your life, and doing it with others with the intention of passing the faith along. 

Someone on the way presented the idea that it feels like it's starting to rain, you know that moment before a downpour when you start to feel the rain. The sense is that renewal is coming and that it's starting to rain. 

Where are you seeing God at work amongst you? I know I'm hearing loads of stories in our parish of God at work, through Alpha, Mainly Music, overseas families, financial, and loads more. 

A reminder that we have our AED Quiz fundraiser this Saturday, 30th August. Use this as a Go Sunday option to bring a friend along and get involved.

Love in Christ

Kia ora, All Saints

This week, my family and I are on holiday together in the South Island, adventuring and skiing. Each year during this time, we make a conscious effort to take time together to do things we love together and create moments of adventure and wonder. Summer grew up skiing and I grew up by the beach. I never knew a person was a mountain person or a beach person until I met Summer, I just assumed people were both because when you grow up in New Zealand, you aren't far from either, so you didn't really have to pick. 

Every time we get away to the mountains, I am always struck by the greatness of them! It's really one of those moments where I stand there and say "OH MY GOD!" like really, My God has made this! How can one look at this and not stand in awe of the creator? 
Its closely followed by how thankful I am to be able to experience the wonder, the awe, the beauty, the intricacy of it all. 

This week, Tricia Hendry will be preaching at 9 am on the T of our ACTS Prayer Model, Thanksgiving. We are now really starting to build a model of prayer that is tangible and practical. Spending time praying prayers of adoration, as Rebekah talked about last week, prayers of tidying our house, or prayers of confession. This week will be about prayers of thanksgiving. 

Interacting with God around the things we are thankful for. So I pose to you a question leading into the weekend, and for you to bring to your prayer partners this weekend and the following week. What are the things your are thankful to the Lord for? People? Moments? Healing? Strength in times of suffering? Opportunity? Relationship? Challenge? Love? 

Come this Sunday, either to 9 am or your House Church, ready to add another bit of scaffolding to our deepening prayer lives, crying out for the spirit of God to move amongst us. 

As I mentioned above, Summer, the kids, and I are away from the 16th to the 24th of August. If you need anything during that time, please reach out to Cassandra or Chris Worsley via email. Cassandra and Chris 

Love in Christ

Kia ora, All Saints

I am writing to you from Australia. I have been here for the last 3 days attending the 2025 Exponential church planting conference with others from around the Wellington Diocese. It has been a fruitful time together, listening to the different speakers and workshop presenters, as well as time spent connecting with one another and asking what God is saying to us and what we are going to do about it.

Something that has really stood out to me, and there have been many, has been the renewed press to make prayer the priority. On Sunday, I set the challenge for us to find a partner or a couple of other people to check in daily with one another to see how our daily 5 minutes or more of prayer, specifically prayer of adoration, have been going, and what we are noticing. I have had a couple of people who we have been checking in with daily, and it's very powerful! On one hand I am having to carve out the time to pray, which has meant my prayer life is becoming deeper and more disciplined, I am also excited to hear from my prayer partners each day about how their time of prayer is going, I have had messages of wonder, excitement, discovering God in the suffering like never before, the power of relationship and holding one another in prayer daily. I would love to hear how others are finding the challenge of daily accountability in prayer with others is going. Please reach out and let me know. 

There is much I could say, and I'm sure that it will flow through conversations and the pulpit going forward, but God has been good, and let us never forget that there are no silver bullets except prayer and the good news of Jesus Christ that brings us into full unity with Christ and redeems our lives. 

I am home tomorrow evening, and I'm excited to see you all Sunday. 

We have both Central Gatherings this week at 9 am and 10:30 am. Bring friends, let's worship together and go out together. 

Love in Christ