Vicars Letter - 14 July 2023

Kia ora All Saints whānau,

Our life at present is a little bit hectic. When the twins arrived we needed a new bedroom. We were content with putting two kids together in a room but when the twins came it became a little more difficult, so we are renovating our home.

The process is quite disturbing in terms of our life in our house:
- ripping off walls and linings
- wires exposed
- walls put up and framed up for checking
- gear being repositioned in our house constantly
- then parts will be put back together and we can put things back together slowly.

I am struck by this process up alongside our Gospel series at present. In lots of ways my faith is bring stripped, leaving some areas exposed, we are putting up some framing and moving things around and then we are slowly reframing the new house. My faith has been challenged, my faith has been shifted ever so slightly and hopefully we are slowly reframing things again. If you have followed along, are you finding the same process happening within yourself?

In a wider context the Church at present (at least in developed nations) is also needing to do some shifting and reframing - how to be a place that still offers God and community to our nation, neighbourhood and neighbours when it seems they have run after other things to provide for them and have found them to be lacking also.

Right now God does seem to be moving again in our nation. People are reporting that more and more conversations with God are open to what Christianity has to offer, more and more people are wanting life and support like we offer in the church. Just the other day Emily was in a conversation where the other person was so struck by the support we have and life that we live, even with twins!

This is the great thing about the Gospel - it is Good news. Literally as a translation of the greek word 'euangelion' (Gospel) and also because God offers us all the same thing as always, freedom, liberation and grace!

So as we ask our friends to come plant trees, as we finish off this gospel series and as we pray for more conversations about Spirituality and God, may we remember that this is good news and something that people actually desire but don't know where to find.

See you at the Matariki Working Bee - today (Friday) 2pm.

Ma te atua koutou e manaaki
Andrew Spence