Vicars Letter - 7 July 2023

Kia ora All Saints whānau

This season that we are in here at All Saints has felt so encouraging to me (Guy) as your Vicar; I am profoundly impacted by how we are as a community leaning into the gospel series we are chewing through together. The sense that God is renewing our hearts toward the gospel and how that impacts our lives, the people and environment around us, and the role we all play. 

I have been thinking about the 5 Marks of Mission for the Anglican church 
(i) To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom;
(ii) To teach, baptise and nurture the new believers;
(iii) To respond to human needs by loving service;
(iv) To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation;
(v) To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

I have been thinking about these two marks of mission in light of our Go Sunday that is coming up on July 30th, I'm aware of our role in the Kingdom as Children of God, our role as guardians of this planet and creation, our roles as ambassadors for the Kingdom and proclaiming the Gospel or Good News. This month we have the opportunity to lean into both of these as we look to create space for our friends and family to come with us as we care for creation, develop and build relationships, and create space for wonder and questions about spirituality and God. Remembering from week one of our Gospel series, we discussed holding up Christ as the ultimate satisfaction to people's great game of spiritual seek and find. How are we actively holding Christ up for others to see? 

This week Summer is preaching to us on Gospel and Work. I have fielded many questions from you over the last several weeks about how we relate to people in our workplace. How to we bridge the gap between work and faith? How do I share Christ with my work colleagues? 
This week should be a cracker for those of you who are feeling the nudge of God in your workplace. (hopefully, that's a lot of you.)

On July 14th, we have our annual Matariki working bee. Click here for more details. There will be a more significant focus on outside and around the church property than inside, so please bring any gardening gear you might have. Things have been allowed to grow for a while. 

A reminder for those of you who are signed up for the Te Reo course which starts Wednesday July 12th 6pm in the All Saints Centre. 

See you all at our Central Gatherings this Sunday. ​

Ngā Mihi, 

Guy