NOTICES:
A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Many thanks to Rev Dan Yeazel for leading our service today. Rev Chris Elliot will be with us next Sunday.
- If you remain uncomfortable about being in church where masks are no longer required, use @church via Zoom until you feel confident enough to be in church with or without a mask.
- If you’re unwell please stay at home, and use @ Church via Zoom.
Here’s our Zoom link –
Topic: St Martin’s Sunday Worship. To Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81508696154?pwd=cnErZFM5VG5OQVhsZkxYc0dxOHdvUT09
Meeting ID: 815 0869 6154
Passcode: 712158
PLEASE NOTE: The door code has been changed. Please see Anna for the new number.
Wednesday Walkers 9th August: Meet 9.30am in Ashgrove Tce near the entrance to Cashmere View Retirement Village for a walk around the area. Morning Tea in the Maple Lounge which is on the second floor of Ashgrove Apartments near where we live. All welcome. Joan Mac 022 081 4088 or Joan S. 021 144 2406
PARISH RECORDS: It is imperative that you contact the Parish Office if any of your contact details change eg new address, change of phone number, loss of landline, new email address.
Annual Reports are now due – if you convene a parish group, please email your report to Anna (stmartpresch@xtra.co.nz) before 20th August. Thanks.
INVITATION TO THE CONGREGATION: Monday 14th August 1.30pm. Being able to share time with other women of the congregation and their friends has always been one of Fireside’s aims but this month we invite everyone because it is a chance to learn more about Rev. Dan Yeazel, our interim moderator, who has kindly agreed to tell us about some of his life. Afternoon tea to follow. ALL are welcome. Margaret 366 8936.
This year Peace Sunday falls on Hiroshima Day, 6 August.
It also falls on a Sunday when the lectionary reading is
about Jacob wrestling with God on the eve of being
reunited with his brother, after years of discord and
disconnection.
This is a story that comes to us through the ages as such a
typical story of familial conflict. But within this story there
are also timeless messages about peace-making. God
stirring up a desire for reconciliation in Jacob, and both
Jacob and Esau responded to that with a heart-rending
reunion.
On this Peace Sunday 2023, it is interesting to reflect on
how often conflicts stem from the interactions that
happen in families. World War 1 is a stunning example. At
the time of the First World War, the rulers of the three
main protagonists – King George V of Great Britain and
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia on the one hand, and Kaiser
Wilhelm II of Germany on the other – were closely related,
their grandmother was Queen Victoria.
And the terrible war in Ukraine is between neighbouring
countries with many people who have family members on
each side of the border!
South Korea and North Korea are in a similar situation,
with family on both sides of the border. As we mark this
year the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Armistice
See the 2023 CWS Peace Sunday resources for
churches: Witness for Peace and slide.
Agreement which established a ceasefire but not a formal
end to the Korean War, we do so in the midst of a
renewed escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
One of the practical things we can call on our people to
do is to participate in the Global Day of Prayer for Peace
and Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula that is set
down for 13 August – see WCC resources for churches
here and here.
Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula are examples of
conflict on the international stage that can leave us
feeling powerless to change. However, it seems to me the
story of a down to earth conflict of two brothers, Jacob
and Esau, and their attempts at making peace are
actually empowering for us. The words of the song. “Let
there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”
resonate with me in this regard.
As we pray our lofty prayers for world peace this Sunday,
may we also reflect on how we attend to the conflicts in
our lives. That is certainly something that, with God’s
help, we can change for the better.
Right Rev Hamish Galloway
Moderator Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
moderator@presbyterian.org.nz
THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS
Monday 1.30pm Hillsborough-Heathcote WI (lounge) Jennifer
Tuesday 10am South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869
Tuesday 7.15pm Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007
Wednesday 9.30am Walking Group: Ashgrove Tce Joan
Thursday 10am Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730
Thursday 1.30pm Sit & Be Fit(church) Anneke 021 077 4065
Thursday 6pm Men’s Group (lounge) Rob
Friday 9.30am Sing & Sign (lounge) Becky 022 086 2211