Kia ora All Saints.
Guy here this week. It has been such a privilege walking with you through this month of Misson here at All Saints. For the last two weeks, we have looked at why mission is core to who we are and the God we believe in, as well as touching on Local mission and, again, what we mean when we talk about mission. This week, I will be bringing in our Mission Action Plan (MAP), a process we went through here at All Saints last year, listening to God and trying to articulate what we are called to here in this community. If you want to remind yourself about our Misson Action Plan, click here. This is a reminder that we have our 9 am gathering this Sunday, and for many of us, we are in House Churches. So talk to your House Church leader about where and when you are meeting, and don't forget to bring some food to share. Something that I have been reflecting on, and that is cycling around in my heart, is this call bestowed upon us to go out and make disciples for the Kingdom. To share the good news, to raise up leaders, and to send them out to share with others. The call of a priest is to gather, equip and send. So, during Mission month, this is sounding louder than ever. I wonder what and who you feel like God is calling you to serve? And who is God calling you to serve with? A couple of exciting things are coming up in All Saints' life. Next week, the 24th Sept, we have our final week of Mission month with Jairus Robb coming from NZCMS to speak to us and the crew from Common Good, who have an exciting missional opportunity they are presenting and looking for people who are keen to invest in. Check your inboxes for more information on that one. October will bring us back to our Romans series we have been going through; there is also the 10th birthday of our Hall, our annual light party we host for the community, and of course, All Saints Day. Loads of things coming down the line. Make sure you don't miss out. Watch the newsletter for more information. Feel free to write us with any queries or comments. So thankful to each and everyone of you and for your commitment to the gospel. Ngā mihi, Guy Kia ora All Saints whānau,
Spring has sprung this week with some lovely sun! I (Emily) have been reflecting lately on what brings me joy, and whether my life reflects the joy I have in following Jesus, both for myself and for others looking at my life. I'm not saying my life always has to be sunshine and rainbows, but I do wonder if sometimes I dwell on the hard bits and forget to really enjoy the good bits, being present in those moments. My brain likes fresh starts, like new seasons, for starting something new like a new habit, otherwise my procrastination kicks in with vigour. So from this spring I've decided to check my attitude more frequently and really try to find joy in life through the busyness. So far I've sat in the sun, held my babies longer than they needed, made them giggle instead of doing more washing, and played card games far too late into the night. These are little but joyful things for me. I wonder what those things are for you? Another way of thinking is what draws you closer to the well of Jesus, where LIVING water comes from. What does it mean to truly live, not just exist? These are my thoughts for this week. As we gather for our central gatherings this Sunday, may we find joy in our family of Christ, in worshipping our Saviour, and in a good cup of coffee! And don't forget to pray for our teenagers and their leaders who are away at Rise Up Camp this weekend - may they encounter the risen Christ and be filled with the joy of the Spirit, encouraged that they are seen, loved, and enough. Kia ora All Saint Whanau
This week, All Saints is launching into September with Mission Month. A Month each year where we re up what role Mission plays amongst us, how Local and Global Mission play out amongst our community, and what exactly it is that All Saints mission is here in our community. It's all very exciting; I (Guy) am bringing the word for this week, which I'm looking forward to. Just a reminder that we have 9am and our House Churches this week, so some of us will be in the room together for traditional liturgy, and others will be gathering in a deeper way to dig into what part Mission plays amongst us. As I spend time thinking about who we are as a community and what Part Mission plays amongst us, I continue to be drawn to our call; in our relationship with an inherently missional God, of the Great Commission, which is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching. Matthew 28:16-20, This is huge! This week we said farewell to my Oma (Grandmother), who was my Step Oma (Step fathers mother); I remember them coming into my life as a small boy when my mother and Step Father met, not having grown up in a world with this God they held out to me I was intregued. This week, as I reflected on her life and her role in my world, she so embodied the Great Commission; she was faithful in the way she presented God and Jesus to me! She was steadfast in the way she would teach me about God's love, and consequently, I was introduced by some friends at school to a radical relationship with Jesus. Is our life geared towards living out the Great Commission? This was a question my friend Steve Maina used to ask. It's either yes or no, and if it's not, why not? I hope and pray that as we walk through Mission month together, we are profoundly struck by the role our Missional God plays in how we live out our lives in accordance with him! I just want to mihi to you all as we continue to grow together and serve together! God is doing wonderful things amongst us! Much love, Guy Kia ora All Saints.
Guy here. I have just returned from a week down south with the family, plus two other families! It was action-packed with four days of skiing, and the rest were filled with resting and some exploration of central Otago; we filled our tank with the wonder of creation and friendship with others. Summer and I both remarked on the way back home how excited we were to get back involved, connect with everyone, and crack back into what God calls us into here in our patch of the Kingdom. This coming Sunday, we are together in the room with our 9am and 10:30am Central Gatherings; Emily is back in the pulpit with the fourth week in our Romans series! If you have missed one or two, feel free to check this out here. We also have a special week next week with Aunty Hazel's 100th Birthday on Tuesday and a special Midweek service and morning tea on Wednesday, 30th of August. You are invited to join us on Wednesday at 10am for our midweek service and morning tea to celebrate 100 years of Aunty Hazel. We are wrapping up our first eight weeks of beginner Te Reo Maori classes at All Saints. We are planning our next steps in Intermediate level classes. There is a limited number of places on this course level, so if you want to loop in at the Intermediate level, please email me here and let me know your interest. We will continue to meet on Wednesdays 6-7pm (start date not confirmed) If you are interested in being involved in an eight week beginner course, you heard good things, or you feel like now is the right time to be involved, then email me here to let me know your interest. As Andy said last week, September is our Mission Month, where we lean into our Mission, the role of local and global Mission amongst us, how Mission isn't a side of fries in our call as disciples but it is core to who we are and what God is calling us to. We have a range of speakers from Clergy to NZCMS and others. We will hear updates from Missionaries that we are intimately connected with here and globally. Finally, following Mission Month and our Romans series, we have our next Go Sunday coming up at the end of October, which is our annual Light Party for our local community, an alternative to Halloween; this is always a massive event that gets us deep into the heart of the community, to connect, build relationships, be visible, and let people know we exist. Opportunities to engage in this missional outreach include hosting and running an activity, event hosts, sausage sizzle, bouncy castle, dishes / tidying, etc. So get together with your House Church or Prayer Group and work out how you want to serve together, maybe one or two different things, Pray about who you are inviting along with you to either help out or participate. I am thankful to be working this patch of the Kingdom with you all as we push and pull each other closer to Jesus. Aku Mihi, Guy Kia ora All Saints whānau,
I have heard great things about last weeks service run by the youth group. Rebekah preaching was a highlight for many. It is funny how these events have unintended results. For instance, young people asking about Baptism and young people wanting to come to church more often. So great to see this and a great chance to celebrate. Again God is moving and whats excellent is it has nothing to do with me! This week we continue our series looking at Romans and hopefully by now you have seen that Paul is communicating that the Gospel is for everyone because everyone is guilty of sin. This week we start to see what the answer God had for this fact and how he rescued us all from this entrapment. So what is the gospel and why should we care about this for our friends? Come this Sunday and find out or head along to a house church and discover together what this gospel is together. September brings for us Mission Month and so this will be an exciting chance to look at how mission plays such an important part here. From supporting overseas, to local mission and our part to play in it - we will take a focus here on all mission that we are involved in. May you have a blessed week. Andrew Spence |
Past News
May 2024
|
contact90 Hamilton Road, Hataitai, Wellington, New Zealand
You can phone the office on: (04) 971 2142 General enquiries: admin@allsaints.org.nz Enquiries about hiring the centre: centre@allsaints.org.nz Sign up to our weekly news © 2021 Anglican-Methodist Parish of Hataitai-Kilbirnie
|
|