Sunday 16^th June 2019

The Trinity

    Christianity adopted this complicated idea of God to attempt to understand the deep mystery of God in the context of the events and teaching of the Bible.   As the early Christians reflected on their experience of God they found light in the idea of the Trinity expressed as –

God the Father: revealed by the Old Testament to be Creator, Lord, Father and Judge.

God the Son: who had lived on earth amongst human beings revealing God in human life.

God the Holy Spirit: who spoke into their lives and filled them with new life and power. 

    The doctrine of the Trinity is not clearly and overtly expressed in scripture.  Jesus refers to the Father and to the Holy Spirit but Paul does not express a strong central theme of Trinity.  However it became central doctrine of the church.  The greatest row in the church centered on the Trinity.  In 1054 the great schism occurred between what was then the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern orthodox churches over a Latin word filoque which had been inserted by the Catholic Church into the Nicene Creed.  Up until that time the creed stated that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, and the Roman Catholic Church inserted the word filoque which means and from the Son.  This row has never been resolved!

    In recent times Trinitarian language has been criticized because it is sexist.  Other formulations of the Trinity have been expressed such as God: Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit, or God: Source, Christ, Friend, or God: Womb, Child, Mother.   However none of these metaphors have gained popular usage.  You might like to think of Trinitarian metaphors that explain your experience of God…..

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to you all this morning. After the service please come through to the Lounge for a cuppa and a time to talk.  

Foot Clinic TOMORROW 1-4pm in the Lounge.

Board of Managers meeting Wednesday 19^th June 7.30pm in the foyer.

Wednesday Walkers 19^th June: Meet Sue at the Bus Exchange at 9.30am (note time) for a town walk. Coffee at The Pantry at Ara. All welcome. Sonya 027 2533397.

Crafty Crafters: Meets on Thursdays in the Church lounge 10am-12noon. New faces are always welcome. $3 per session. Contact Lyndsey 388 1264 for more information.

Latest Preserves for Sale from Sue: Feijoas in rose wine $5; Walnuts $5; Quince Chutney $4; Quince Jelly $4. IOUs welcome!

Next Movie Night is Saturday July 6^th  (when we’ll show the adult movie “Green Book”), & then August 4^th 5.45pm at church – bring your takeaway tea (eg fish and chips) drinks provided. Movie starts at 6.15pm and finishes at 8pm.

Help fill the Pantry at Waltham Cottage: With the colder weather and the need for warm nourishing food, Adrienne suggests the following: Baked beans, breakfast cereal, tinned stews, tinned tuna, soups, jams, biscuits, pasta and noodles along with chickpeas and tinned tomatoes.

Everything you contribute is so gratefully received. Please keep it coming. Many thanks. Irene Gray, Session Clerk.

Court Theatre trip Thursday 19^th September 6.30pm to see “The Pink Hammer”, a Kiwi comedy. Money in a NAMED envelope to Sue Saunders please on or before Sunday 4^th August. Cost will be $49 & $37 for Community Services Card holders (please include a copy of each person’s card in in the envelope with the money). Names onto the clipboard in the foyer please.

MenzShed at St Martins: meets again on Monday July 1^st at 7.15pm to talk further.

South Brighton Voices present “From Bach to Boogie” NEXT Sunday 23 June 2pm HERE. Tickets $15 available from Lyndsey McKay. Come along and support the first concert in the church!

Christian Meditation

      a new group to promote good health and well being has started….

   Jesus often withdrew to places of stillness and solitude to re-orientate his life in God.  Early Christians practiced meditation.  Today this practice has often been ignored, yet passages like  “be still and know that I am God” attract us.  Spiritual teacher of our time Fr Thomas Keating said “silence is God’s language”.  A new group is starting with the aim of learning and practicing the art of Christian Meditation.  

 Christian Meditation is based on: stillness, silence and simplicity. The aim is to move closer to spiritual union with God by sitting quietly. To aid us in being still we are invited to repeat in silence the word “Maranatha” which means “come Lord”.  We come not asking for anything, or seeking to tell God anything, just wanting to be open to God. We are leaving busyness and self-consciousness aside to let God transform us deep to deep. Those who persevere will inevitably see the results in their lives in “the fruits of the spirit” (Galatians 5): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.   Christian meditation will promote good health and well being.

 Meditation does need to be regular, and it does require discipline.

The new group is meeting here at St Martins Presbyterian Church, 43 St Martins Road, on Tuesday evenings at 7pm.  If you are interested come and see.  The group is not for experts, but for people interested in exploring a form of prayer that is much needed in our time.  Our aim is to meet weekly for those who can make it, but to also encourage a daily personal practice of mediation.

   For more information see  www.christianmeditationnz.org.nz &/or www.wccm.org

An Invitation from Cashmere Presbyterian to a Midwinter Feast … a ‘feast’ of music and a scrumptious Christmas dinner on Saturday 22^nd  June. Cost $25 per person.

Kids, friends and families most welcome to our fundraiser!

5.00pm pre-dinner drinks,

5.30pm carols in the church

6.30pm dinner, finishing about 8pm

For tickets please email the church office: cashmere.church@xtra.co.nz or ph 332 7129

“Christmas in New Zealand is such a summery busy thing, crowded with school break-ups and shopping and end-of-year rushing. We want to share with you a quieter, older moment, of carols by candlelight on a chilly night, warm drinks and relaxed fellowship. So many of our carols sing of winter cold, and light in the darkness. Come and experience a taste of tradition, jingle bells in the snow, and an echo of the original silent night.”

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to you all this morning. After the service please come through to the Lounge for a cuppa and a time to talk.  

Christian Meditation – a new group

 Jesus often withdrew to places of stillness and solitude to re-orientate his life in God.  Early Christians practiced mediation.  Today this practice has often been ignored, yet passages like  “be still and know that I am God” attract us.  Spiritual teacher of our time Fr Thomas Keating said “silence is God’s language”.  A new group is starting with the aim of learning and practicing the art of Christian Meditation.  

   Christian Meditation is based on: stillness, silence and simplicity. The aim is to move closer to union with God by sitting quietly. To aid us in being still we are invited to repeat in silence the word “Maranatha” which means “come Lord”.  We come in simplicity, not asking for anything, or seeking to tell God anything, just wanting to be open to God. We are leaving busyness and self-consciousness aside to let God transform us deep to deep. We’re not thinking about anything, spiritual or otherwise, just seeking to be in the presence of God and to be wholly present to God.  Those who persevere will inevitably see the results in their lives, “the fruits of the spirit” (Galatians 5): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

   Meditation does need to be regular, and it does require discipline.

The new group will meet for the first time at St Martins Presbyterian Church, 43 St Martins Road, THIS Tuesday June 11^th at 7pm.  If you are interested come and see.  The group is not for experts, but for people interested in exploring a form of prayer that is much needed in our time.  Our aim is to meet weekly for those who can make it, but to also encourage a daily personal practice of mediation.

   For more information make contact with Dugald at dugaldwil@gmail.com or go to www.christianmeditationnz.org.nz &/or www.wccm.org

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the Bacon Fundraiser. $598.61 was raised (this includes $56 of donations). Joan Macdonald.

Wednesday Walkers 12^th June: Meet 9.45am at South Library carpark. Coffee at Novel Café. All welcome. Sonya 027 2533397.

Crafty Crafters: Meets on Thursdays in the Church lounge 10am-12noon. New faces are always welcome. $3 per session. Contact Lyndsey 388 1264 for more information.

Latest Preserves for Sale from Sue: Feijoas in rose wine $5; Walnuts $5; Quince Chutney $4; Quince Jelly $4. IOUs welcome!

Next Movie Night is Saturday July 6^th  (when we’ll show the adult movie “Green Book”), & then August 4^th 5.45pm at church – bring your takeaway tea (eg fish and chips) drinks provided. Movie starts at 6.15pm and finishes at 8pm.

Help fill the Pantry at Waltham Cottage: With the colder weather and the need for warm nourishing food, Adrienne suggests the following:

Baked beans, breakfast cereal, tinned stews, tinned tuna, soups, jams, biscuits, pasta and noodles along with chickpeas and tinned tomatoes.

Everything you contribute is so gratefully received. Please keep it coming. Many thanks. Irene Gray, Session Clerk.

Court Theatre trip Thursday 19^th September 6.30pm to see “The Pink Hammer”, a Kiwi comedy. Money in a NAMED envelope to Sue Saunders please on or before Sunday 4^th August. Cost will be $49 & $37 for Community Services Card holders (please include a copy of each person’s card in in the envelope with the money). Names onto the clipboard in the foyer please.

South Brighton Voices present “From Bach to Boogie” Sunday 23 June 2pm HERE. Tickets $15 available from Lyndsey McKay. Come along and support the first concert in the church!

Ordination/Appointment:
We are invited to come along next Tuesday evening at 7pm for a special service of ordination and appointment of Rev Jonathan Barb as Minister at Linwood Avenue Union Church, corner of Linwood Ave & Tilford St.

MenzShed at St Martins is underway.

A small steering team has been formed.  We’ll meet again on Monday July 1^st at 7.15pm to talk further.

Pentecost

For a first-century Jew, Pentecost was the fiftieth day after Passover. It was an agricultural festival. It was the day when farmers brought the first sheaf of wheat from the crop, and offered it to God, partly as a sign of gratitude and partly as a prayer that all the rest of the crop, too, would be safely gathered in. But, for the Jew, neither Passover nor Pentecost were simply agricultural festivals. These festivals awakened echoes of the great story which dominated the long memories of the Jewish people, the story of the Exodus from Egypt, when God fulfilled his promises to Abraham by rescuing his people. Passover was the time when the lambs were sacrificed, and the Israelites were saved from the avenging angel who slew the firstborn of the Egyptians. Off went the Israelites that very night, and passed through the Red Sea into the Sinai desert. Then, 50 days after Passover, they came to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the law. Pentecost, the fiftieth day, isn’t just about the ‘first fruits’, the sheaf which says the harvest has begun. It’s about God giving to his redeemed people the way of life by which they must now carry out his purposes.

Christians understand that at the Pentecost described in Acts 2 God is beginning a new journey as God’s people. Jesus has gone up into heaven in the ascension, and – so Luke wants us to understand – he is now coming down again, not with a written law carved on tablets of stone, but with the dynamic energy of the law, designed to be written on human hearts.

The wind and the fire are wild, untameable forces, and the experience of the wind rushing through the house with a great roar, and the fire coming to rest on each person present, must have been both terrifying and exhilarating. Of course, there are many times later in this book, as there are many times in the life of the church, when the spirit works softly and secretly, quietly transforming people’s lives and situations without any big noise or fuss.

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to you all this morning. After the service please come through to the Lounge for a cuppa and a time to talk.  

Crafty Crafters: Meets on Thursdays in the Church lounge 10am-12noon. New faces are always welcome. $3 per session. Contact Lyndsey 388 1264 for more information.

Men’s Group will meet on Thursday 6^th June at 6pm in the Church Lounge for a shared tea and chat time.    The speaker for the evening will be David Hodder talking about Predator Control.

All men welcome and we look forward to seeing you there.  Contact Tony 332 0554 if you have any queries.

MenzShed at St Martins is underway…. 35 blokes gathered last Monday and enthusiastically endorsed the setting up of a St Martins MenzShed.  A small steering team has been formed.  We’ll meet again on Monday July 1^st at 7.15pm to talk further.

Help fill the Pantry at Waltham Cottage: With the colder weather and the need for warm nourishing food, Adrienne suggests the following:

Baked beans, breakfast cereal, tinned stews, tinned tuna, soups, jams, biscuits, pasta and noodles along with chickpeas and tinned tomatoes.

Everything you contribute is so gratefully received.

Please keep it coming.  Many thanks. Irene Gray, Session Clerk.

Wednesday Walkers 5^th June: Meet 9.45am at the church.

Court Theatre trip Thursday 19^th September 6.30pm to see “The Pink Hammer”, a Kiwi comedy. Expressions of interest to Sue Saunders 960 7657 please. Cost will be c$49 & discount available for Super Gold Card holders.

Next Movie Nights are SaturdayJuly 6^th  (when we’ll show the adult movie “Green Book”), & then August 4^th 5.45pm at church – bring your takeaway tea (eg fish and chips) drinks provided. Movie starts at 6.15pm and finishes at 8pm.

Irene would like to thank you all for the love, prayers & support she has received following her accident. 

Christian Meditation – a new group

 Jesus often withdrew to places of stillness and solitude to re-orientate his life in God.  Early Christians practiced mediation.  Today this practice has often been ignored, yet passages like  “be still and know that I am God” attract us.  Spiritual teacher of our time Fr Thomas Keating said “silence is God’s language”.  A new group is starting with the aim of learning and practicing the art of Christian Meditation.  

   Christian Meditation is based on: stillness, silence and simplicity. The aim is to move closer to union with God by sitting quietly. To aid us in being still we are invited to repeat in silence the word “Maranatha” which means “come Lord”.  We come in simplicity, not asking for anything, or seeking to tell God anything, just wanting to be open to God. We are leaving busyness and self-consciousness aside to let God transform us deep to deep. We’re not thinking about anything, spiritual or otherwise, just seeking to be in the presence of God and to be wholly present to God.  Those who persevere will inevitably see the results in their lives, “the fruits of the spirit” (Galatians 5): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

   Meditation does need to be regular, and it does require discipline.

The new group will meet for the first time at St Martins Presbyterian Church, 43 St Martins Road, on Tuesday June 11^th at 7pm.  If you are interested come and see.  The group is not for experts, but for people interested in exploring a form of prayer that is much needed in our time.  Our aim is to meet weekly for those who can make it, but to also encourage a daily personal practice of mediation.

   For more information make contact with Dugald at dugaldwil@gmail.com or go to www.christianmeditationnz.org.nz &/or www.wccm.org

Weekly Peace Bell Meditation

Do you want a more loving and peaceful society?

Do you want a safer and more caring community?

Do you want acceptance and celebration of diversity, not hatred and violence?

There are many ways.

Come and pray/send positive intentions every Friday

for a more peaceful, caring and safe Christchurch.

If you are available for this type of group action join us in spirit or in actuality for 10 minutes focussed silence at 7.45am every Friday in Hagley Park at the Peace Bell (Botanic Gardens) in solidarity with our Muslim community.

A very warm welcome to you all this morning. After the service please come through to the Lounge for a cuppa and a time to talk.  Many thanks to Rev Hugh Perry for leading our worship.

Crafty Crafters: Meets on Thursdays in the Church lounge 10am-12noon. New faces are always welcome. $3 per session. Contact Lyndsey 388 1264 for more information.

Help fill the Pantry at Waltham Cottage:

‘Thank you’ for a super bumper lot of groceries that was contributed last week. It certainly helped fill some of the space in the cupboard. With the colder weather and the need for warm nourishing food, Adrienne suggests the following: Baked beans, breakfast cereal, tinned stews, tinned tuna, soups, jams, biscuits, pasta and noodles along with chickpeas and tinned tomatoes. Everything you contribute is so gratefully received. Please keep it coming.  Many thanks.

Irene Gray, Session Clerk.

Court Theatre trip Thursday 19^th September 6.30pm to see “The Pink Hammer”, a Kiwi comedy. Expressions of interest to Sue Saunders 960 7657 please. Cost will be c$49 & discount available for Super Gold Card holders.

Bacon Fundraiser: Joanwill be picking up the bacon tomorrow. All money owing must be handed to her TODAY please.

Wednesday Walkers 29^th May: Meet 9.30am at Elmwood Park in Heaton Street for a walk around the area. Coffee at McCafe in Merivale. All welcome. Judith Mackay 027 688 1861.

Fireside: Women are very welcome to join us at any meeting whether they come just occasionally or regularly.   Fireside is “the women’s group” of our church which usually meets on the last Tuesday evening of each month.   We plan to meet at 7.30pm on Tuesday 28th May in the Church Lounge at 43 St Martins Rd.  There will be some planning talk first before Joan and Joan tell us about their recent trip to Adelaide and Melbourne. Enquiries: Margaret ph 366 8936.

St Martins MenzShed based in the Community Building (Old SS Rooms at the back of our section).  We will have an initial meeting MONDAY 27^th MAY at 7.15pm to gauge interest in setting up a group to run a menzshed in this area and take the first steps to get this project moving.  Please tell blokes of the neighbourhood about this initiative that will provide a meeting place for men, and we hope will be a place where women will be invited to learn practical skills.

Movie Nights are being planned for NEXT SATURDAY June 1^st, then July 6^th, August 4^th 5.45pm at church – bring your takeaway tea (eg fish and chips) drinks provided, movie starts at 6.15pm and finish at 8pm. 

EcuAction…. The seminar this week was entitled Capitalism and Climate Change.  Charles Drace claimed there appears to be a link between climate change and neo-liberal policies adopted by governments from the 1970’s onward with less government control and free market policies.  Governments appear to be cautious about adopting policy that will reduce carbon emissions.  Most western economies (and others) are dependent on fossil fuel extraction or animal farming which produces greenhouse gases, and we are locked into these systems for economic survival.  There is however hope in the voices of our young people who are demanding change because they see more clearly the disastrous future that awaits the planet as we pay lip service to this issue. 

Jim Consedine spoke from a faith perspective and drew our attention to modern prophet Thomas Berry who said: “The industrial economy is not sustainable.  It is a failing system.  It is closing down the planet in its most basic modes of functioning.”  Jim reminded us that much of our thinking about economies fails to take into account natural processes and the gift of the earth and its resources.  We need to consider human wellbeing and the wellbeing of the natural world alongside company profits.  He also championed Pope Francis and his encyclicals, particularly Laudate Si (On the Care of our Common Home).  Nature can not be regarded as something separate from ourselves, nor as a mere setting in which we live.  Pope Francis encourages us to build an integrated ecology.

Next Thursday Kathleen Gallagher speaks on Climate Change and Water. 5.30 -7.00pm at Knox Church, Bealey Ave.

An evening with John Bell….Five of us from St Martins  joined with others to sing with John Bell and hear some of his wise insights into the importance of singing which links us with God.  John is a member of the Iona Community in Scotland and believes singing is good for our souls.  Too often we have been told we can’t sing so we don’t.  We often feel we have to hit the right notes and do it well, when letting it flow from our hearts is what is needed.  Much of the singing we did together was without accompaniment.  The melodies were often quite simple, but we discovered music unlocks places deep within.

Session Report:

Session noted with thanks the retirement of June Service as our morning tea coordinator….thanks June for  organising and facilitating this ministry!

A 24 page report from General Assembly concerning Euthanasia is available.  If you would like a copy please contact Dugald or the office.

We thanked the St Mark’s/St Anne’s Anglican Parish and Beckenham Methodist Church for their generous gifts to celebrate our return to the church.

Conditions of use contracts have been drawn up for hiring the church complex.  The Session also approved an alcohol policy.

We expect we still have a final bill to pay of approx. $36,000 to the contractors and can report we have money in hand to pay this.

We are slowly building up usage of the complex with regular users now being Sit and Keep Fit, Craft group, Foot Clinic, and a decision by South Elder care to return to the complex when it is secure with fencing. 

A newcomers form has been drawn up and placed in the foyer which we invite newcomers to fill in.   This will give us information to prepare a nametag and facilitate delivery of a newsletter.  We have asked Heather Crew, Janet Dunn, Ken Austin, and Jill Grierson to be people who welcome newcomers, but of course this is something we all need to work at. 

David Beaumont has retired from leading services at Archer Home.  Thank you David for your ministry there.

Dugald will receive the gold card in August this year and is looking to retire early in 2020.  The Presbytery will be approached with a view to setting up a ministry settlement board.

Session will appoint a Child Safety Protection Officer by 1 August.

A proposal to hold a regular afternoon communion service especially for seniors is being examined to see if there would be sufficent interest.

St Martins Meditation Group….  We plan to initiate a group that would learn and practice mediation together.   We will have an initial planning meeting for those interested on Tuesday June 11th at 7.00pm. 

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to you all this morning. After the service please come through to the Lounge for a cuppa and a time to talk.

Pathways is a friendship and study group in our congregation which is growing together in faith.  It meets monthly on a Saturday morning for about 90 minutes and this month will begin looking at a series of 5 studies looking at relationships.  We will look at family relationships, church relationships, relating to strangers, broken relationships and how they might be mended, and our relationship with God. 

Members of the group say this is a really good group to belong to and journey with.  It is gentle, relaxed, friendly, and at our level.

If you would be interested in popping along to check out the group this month would be a good time to do this as they start a new series.  Talk to Peggy Cree, Hilary Moore, Elizabeth Penwell, Sue Saunders, Jill Grierson, Margaret Shanks, Alice Shanks or Rob Connell for more information or join us THIS Saturday 25^th May at 10am.

Church Cleaning: Every three weeks, the facilities will be cleaned commercially by Moonlighters Cleaning. We are seeking volunteers from the congregation (men and women!) to clean the church plant in the intervening weeks. Please add your name to the list on the clipboard in the foyer if you can help. A list of duties required is also available. Thank you to those who have already volunteered.

Crafty Crafters: Meets on Thursdays in the Church lounge 10am-12noon. New faces are always welcome. $3 per session. Contact Lyndsey 388 1264 for more information.

Family Movie Night Friday 24^th May 7pm at Opawa Community Church, cnr

Opawa Rd & Aynsley Tce. This month’s movie is “Robots”. Free entry; drinks & nibbles for sale. All welcome.

Wednesday Walkers 22^nd May: Meet 9.30am at the Bus Exchange by Lichfield/Colombo corner. Coffee venue TBC. All welcome. Sonya 027 253 3397.

Bacon Fundraiser: Joanwill be picking up the bacon on Monday 27th May. It would be appreciated if the money owing could be handed in next Sunday please.

EcuAction Seminar Report

This week Colin Meurk spoke about Climate Change and plants.  He reminded us that we will see significant loss of plant and animal life with the latest UN report saying a million species will go extinct by 2050.  As habitat warms and changes in other ways many species will not adapt quickly enough while other species will thrive.  He supports declaring a climate change emergency.  Colin was particularly keen for Christchurch to recognise the wonderful diversity of life found in our city and to declare our city a National Park City as London has done.  He wants to encourage initiatives that help people link more strongly with nature.  He also encourages the growth of native flora and fauna and taking pride in our unique heritage rather than importing plants for our gardens and city spaces.

Fr Frank Kelly spoke from a faith perspective and reminded us of our responsibility as outlined in Genesis 1 to be caretakers and trustees of the earth.  We do not own the earth, God does.  He also commended Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si. (Praise be to You) This is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle “on care for our common home”. In it, the Pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take “swift and unified global action”.

Next Thursday at 5.30pm Charles Drace speaks on Climate Change and Capitalism.

Session Report:

Session noted with thanks the retirement of June Service as our morning tea coordinator….thanks June for  organising and facilitating this ministry!

A 24 page report from General Assembly concerning Euthanasia is available.  If you would like a copy please contact Dugald or the office.

We thanked the St Mark’s/St Anne’s Anglican Parish and Beckenham Methodist Church for their generous gifts to celebrate our return to the church.

Conditions of use contracts have been drawn up for hiring the church complex.  The Session also approved an alcohol policy.

We expect we still have a final bill to pay of approx. $36,000 to the contractors and can report we have money in hand to pay this.

We are slowly building up usage of the complex with regular users now being Sit and Keep Fit, Craft group, Foot Clinic, and a decision by South Elder care to return to the complex when it is secure with fencing. 

A newcomers form has been drawn up and placed in the foyer which we invite newcomers to fill in.   This will give us information to prepare a nametag and facilitate delivery of a newsletter.  We have asked Heather Crew, Janet Dunn, Ken Austin, and Jill Grierson to be people who welcome newcomers, but of course this is something we all need to work at. 

David Beaumont has retired from leading services at Archer Home.  Thank you David for your ministry there.

Dugald will receive the gold card in August this year and is looking to retire early in 2020.  The Presbytery will be approached with a view to setting up a ministry settlement board.

Session will appoint a Child Safety Protection Officer by 1 August.

A proposal to hold a regular afternoon communion service especially for seniors is being examined to see if there would be sufficent interest.

St Martins MenzShed based in the Community Building (Old SS Rooms at the back of our section).  We will have an initial meeting on a Monday May 27^th at 7.15pm to gauge interest in setting up a group to run a menzshed in this area and take the first steps to get this project moving.  Please tell blokes of the neighbourhood about this initiative that will provide a meeting place for men, and we hope will be a place where women will be invited to learn practical skills.

St Martins Meditation Group….  We plan to initiate a group that would learn and practice mediation together.   We will have an initial planning meeting for those interested on Tuesday June 11th at 7.00pm.  This is a group for beginners and explorers.  The group would meet in the church complex every week for to practice meditation for 20 minutes and to for a short learning time.   Stillness is a way to hear and know God more closely in our lives.  It is anticipated this will be an ecumenical group using mediation techniques as outlined by the World Community for Christian Meditation.  See www.wccm.org

Movie Nights are being planned forJune 1^st, July 6^th, August 4^th 5.45pm at church – bring your takeaway tea (eg fish and chips) drinks provided, movie starts at 6.15pm and finish at 8pm.  Possible movies on offer:  Paddington, Green Book,  Moana. 

Paddington is a family movie that also has serious messages of the wonders and importance of hospitality.  It is partly animated, but is a fun movie that will bring a smile to your face as Paddington Bear is accepted into the Brown family home in London after travelling there from deepest Peru. 

Green Book is a recently released and widely acclaimed adults movie. It is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama set in 1962.  The film is inspired by the true story of a tour of the deep south by an African American classical and jazz pianist and his white Italian American driver.