Vicars Letter 12th September 2025

Rev Guy Benton

Kia ora, All Saints

Writing hasn't always been a thing I have loved to do, Talking and chatting another thing all together, or have ever been good at at, arguably i'm still not, but over the last several years it has always been a treat to sit down each week and think of you all, ponder and pray over writing to you all, or those of you who read this letter, and what to share.

This week, I sat down to plan the next few weeks at All Saints, leading up to the end of the year. After Mission Month, what teaching series will we tackle? What will Advent and then Christmas look like?

Our next series, following Mission Month, will focus on Cultivating a Life of Prayer. We will examine Paul's letters to the Corinthians and Ephesians, taking another step in cultivating a deeper, more disciplined life of prayer.

It's in this study that I was struck by the privilege of writing to you each week, reflecting on who we are as a community and where we need to be challenged and disciplined. Our hunger for the Spirit of God in our lives, our passion for the power of the gospel and its transformative impact, our desire for justice and peace, and our love for traditional elements that help us each week to orient back to a greater story. Our need to cultivate a deeper prayer life in our own lives and together, continually diving deeper into scripture, both individually and collectively, on a daily, weekly, and annual basis. Rooting out the sin amongst us that gets between ourselves and God, and one another, these things are hard to grapple with. The pain of multiplying house churches; pray for us as we seek to do this well.

It is each week that I sit here as your vicar and think through each of us as a community and how we continue to orient ourselves back to God and live as faithfully according to his ways as we can, seeking above all to glorify his name.

A couple of logistical things from me.

1. Both services in the center this week at 9 and 10:30, with our second week of Mission Month, thanks to NZCMS.
2. Parish Camp is coming up fast, and registrations close on 14th Sept. You can sign up for the whole weekend or just for the day on Saturday. Saturday will feature two morning sessions, followed by free time after lunch, and a dinner together, culminating in an evening session from 7-9.
3. Would you consider sponsoring someone to go to camp? There are a handful of people who are able to come to camp, but finances are a struggle. We never want anyone to miss out! If you feel a prompt to sponsor one or more people, please email [email protected] to let me know. The cost for one adult is $190
4. I (Guy) am away in India with others from around Wellington (info can't be posted online) - This is part of a partnership regarding work that pertains to our current series here at All Saints. See me in person if you would like more information, or come along on Sunday.

Much love,