WHILE OUR CHURCH BUILDING IS REPAIRED WE ARE MEETING EACH SUNDAY AT THE MINERAL & LAPIDARY CLUB 11O WALTHAM RD (NEXT TO WALTHAM SCHOOL) AT 10AM.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU.

Sunday 28^th January 2018 10am

Notices:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea after the service. Many thanks to David Beaumont for leading today’s worship.

Foot Clinic TOMORROW 1-4pm at Beckenham Methodist. See Lyndsey McKay if you would like to join the volunteers who provide this service.

Wednesday Walkers: 31^st January. Meet 9.30am in Bishopdale Mall carpark in front of New World. Coffee at Café Vivo. All welcome. Please ensure you have adequate sun protection! Sue 960 7657.

Lenten Conversations…

During Lent 2018 there is an opportunity to gather with others to grow in our connection with God and one another.  We will gather every week for 4 weeks (4 sessions of approx. 90 mins, beginning from Monday Feb19th) for tea/coffee and a time to converse and learn with a focus theme.  Groups of up to 8 people will run on Monday evenings, Tuesday mornings, and Wednesday afternoons. (Some people find they can’t make every session). Our focus theme this year is Nurturing Spiritual Practices.  We are going to have some fun experimenting with different ways of connecting with God and discerning God’s voice in our lives.  Sign the sheet on the back table or send Dugald a message.   You are encouraged to invite a friend.

Court Theatre Group Booking: Thursday 5^th April 6.30pm “Easy Money” by Roger Hall. Cost $49 per person or $40 with a Community Services Card (photocopy of card details required). The seats selected are easily accessible for those with mobility issues. Numbers attending and money in NAMED envelope to Sue Saunders, or dropped in to the Parish Office, by Sunday 4^th March at the latest please. Sign up today!

Do you have an excess in your garden…. Bring the extra produce to church and share it with folk….  As God has been generous with you be generous with others.

Homemade jams, chutneys, sauces etc…

Please let Sue Saunders know what you would like and she will make them on request.

Crafty Crafters: Thursdays 10am – 12 noon at Beckenham Methodist. Bring along an unfinished craft, or come and learn a new one! $3 per session. All are welcome. Contact Beverley Hudson 384 7814 for further details.

Fundraiser for St Martins:

Handmade greeting cards for sale. $3 each.  All proceeds to St Martins Building fund.

Session Report…

Mission Discernment Group….(Elizabeth Penwell, Hilary Moore, Jill Grierson, Rob Meier, Warren Pettigrew, Carol Mechaelis, Irene Gray, Gillian Cree, Dugald Wilson) reported on their discussions so far as they work with Helen Clyde-Smith from the Presbytery.  They have been looking at three questions:

1. What is church?
2. What is our mission?
3. What is our context?

These questions do not have easy answers.  For example many see church primarily in terms of what happens on Sunday morning, but this is a very narrow point of view.  Church is about an encounter with Jesus and a commitment to making that encounter a source of life for all.  We notice that most of us struggle to define the mission of the church.  Often we refer to the pastoral mission and the good fellowship we find in church.  We easily forget the very foundation of mission is Jesus and his invitation to discover life in all its fullness.  We neglect the need to nurture the stories of Jesus in people’s hearts and the need to be active in reshaping the values and td ideals of the community we live in to reflect the teaching of Jesus.  We also note that we now live in a very different context to that when many of our church structures and practices were established.  We are working towards making some calls on naming some signposts that might guide us as we move forward into the very fluid world of 2018.

Repair and Rebuild of Church…. Further questions have been asked of the architect by the council consenting team.

Property….thank you to David Hodder for attending to the painting of the church office

Health and safety…. We reaffirmed the importance of the paper trail with any matter of health and safety that is noticed.  We keep a hazard register in the office.

Minister away….Dugald will be on leave from Sunday 28^th January until Sunday 11^th February.

WANTED: Photographs of Parish events – please email photos to the Office so we can keep a record of what’s happening around the parish.

14^th CHCH Boys’ Brigade

Boys’ Brigade is a fun filled Christian based programme for boys aged 5-19 years old.  We operate in three sections: Anchor 5-7 years, Team Adventure 8-10 years and Company Xtreme 11-19 years old.  Activities include crafts, games, camps, outdoor pursuits, leadership training, life skills and lots more. We meet on a Friday night at Beckenham Methodist Church Hall, 52 Martin Ave. New members welcome for 2018. Contact Stephen Gregory 337 2296 for more details or email him admin@14thbb.org.nz

WHILE OUR CHURCH BUILDING IS REPAIRED WE ARE MEETING EACH SUNDAY AT THE MINERAL & LAPIDARY CLUB 11O WALTHAM RD (NEXT TO WALTHAM SCHOOL) AT 10AM.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU.

Sunday 21^st January 2018 10am

 Notices:

Lenten Conversations…During Lent 2018 there is an opportunity to gather with others to grow in our connection with God and one another.  We will gather every week for 4 weeks (4 sessions of approx. 90 mins, beginning from Monday Feb19th) for tea/coffee and a time to converse and learn with a focus theme.  Groups of up to 8 people will run on Monday evenings, Tuesday mornings, and Wednesday afternoons. (Some people find they can’t make every session). Our focus theme this year is Nurturing Spiritual Practices.  We are going to have some fun experimenting with different ways of connecting with God and discerning God’s voice in our lives.  Sign the sheet on the back table or send Dugald a message.   You are encouraged to invite a friend.

 Do you have an excess in your garden…. Bring the extra produce to church and share it with folk….  As God has been generous with you be generous with others.

Wednesday Walkers: 24^th January. Meet at South Library 9.30am for an informal stroll.

Court Theatre Group Booking: Thursday 5^th April 6.30pm “Easy Money” by Roger Hall. Cost $49 per person or $40 with a Community Services Card (photocopy of card details required). The seats selected are easily accessible for those with mobility issues. Numbers attending and money in NAMED envelope to Sue Saunders, or dropped in to the Parish Office, by Sunday 4^th March at the latest please. Look out for the sign up sheet next week!

Crafty Crafters: Thursdays 10am – 12 noon at Beckenham Methodist. Bring along an unfinished craft, or come and learn a new one! $3 per session. All are welcome. Contact Beverley Hudson 384 7814 for further details.

Waltham Cottage re-opens Monday 22^nd January.

Shopping bags made by Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia…. When Dugald and Janet were visiting family recently they met Selina, a Muslim woman who has initiated with others a small project to help some of the thousands of Rohingya refugees that have flooded into Malaysia.  These refugees are stateless so they are people who officially don’t exist.  They cannot use health and educational facilities in Malaysia, and to survive must work illegally.  Selina has started a small business with a borrowed sewing machine to help some of the refugees make shopping bags.  These are available for sale at $10.00 each.

Citizens Advice Bureau Needs Volunteers: Training course starts in March. Volunteers answer queries on any matters from consumer rights, to family issues, tenancy and flatting problems, and more. To join the knowledgeable and caring team contact Christchurch Citizens Advice Bureau 0800 367 222 or manager@cabchch@gmail.com

 Assisted Suicide in New Zealand: Come and hear Dr Amanda Landers, a local palliative care doctor who works with people and their families/whanau facing life-limiting illness. She will give a short presentation about palliative care in New Zealand, the End of Life Choice Bill (as it stands now) and some of the implications for our society. Following the presentation, there will be time to write a submission to the Parliamentary Justice Committee.

Opawa Baptist Church 285 Wilsons Rd on Thursday 25^th January or Thursday 1^st February 7.30-8.30pm. For more information please email amandalanders1974@gmail.com

Fairfax Media/Stuff is rallying the community to get behind the Wasp Wipeout – an initiative to significantly reduce the wasp population in New Zealand at the country’s favourite recreational and tourism spots. Wasps are having a devastating impact on our native birds, bats, lizards and insects, exploiting the most valuable food sources of the forest and entirely altering New Zealand’s natural biodiversity.

These wasps are also a serious threat to people, delivering painful stings that can cause life-threatening allergic reactions and — in extreme cases — death.

The Campaign: We’ll be using Vespex, an extremely effective protein-based wasp bait (developed in New Zealand), and placing bait stations across the region. To do this, we’re leading a crowdfunding campaign – the more we can raise, the more bait stations we can put out and the greater chance we have of solving the wasp problem for good.

How to contribute:

See http://popshop.stuff.co.nz/campaigns/wasps  for details

World Day of Prayer: Observed on the first Friday in March each year, this is a worldwide movement of informed prayer involving people of many denominations and languages in more than 170 countries. Each year the service is written by women in a different country who share the hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, opportunities and needs, of their country. It affirms that informed prayer and prayerful action are inseparable.

This year’s service has been prepared by the women of Suriname. Our local service is at Beckenham Methodist Church on Friday 2 March at 7.30pm

WHILE OUR CHURCH BUILDING IS REPAIRED WE ARE MEETING EACH SUNDAY AT THE MINERAL & LAPIDARY CLUB 11O WALTHAM RD (NEXT TO WALTHAM SCHOOL) AT 10AM.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU.

Wishing you all a very happy and blessed Christmas

 On Sunday 24^th December our service is at 7pm.

Christmas & January Services will be combined with Beckenham Methodist. 

Christmas Day 9.30am at Beckenham Methodist, Malcolm Ave

Sunday 31^st Dec 10am at MLC, 110 Waltham Rd

Sunday Jan 7^th 10am at Beckenham Methodist, Malcolm Ave

Sunday Jan 14^th 10am at MLC, 110 Waltham Rd

2018 Restart Dates:

Wednesday Walkers:10^th January at South Library.

Home Share Plus Tuesday 16^th January

Crafty Crafters Thursday 18^th January

 The Parish Office is closed until 9am Thursday 18^th January.

CWS Christmas Appeal: You are invited to give a Christmas Gift that honours Jesus and will be used to help others help themselves. Return your appeal envelope to church by January 14^th. Do remember to include your address to receive a tax receipt, and to acknowledge our parish of St Martins Presbyterian.

WHILE OUR CHURCH BUILDING IS REPAIRED WE ARE MEETING EACH SUNDAY AT THE MINERAL & LAPIDARY CLUB 11O WALTHAM RD (NEXT TO WALTHAM SCHOOL) AT 10AM.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU.

Sunday 17 December 2017

Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent and light our candles of Hope, Peace, and Joy

 Our worship will focus on Christmas Music

 Lighting of the candle of Joy:Lighting the Advent Candle of Joy

In the lighting of this third Advent candle we make space within ourselves to hear again the voice of Jesus, the voice of joy.  Too often we live with put downs, we feel guilty, and we do not celebrate our humanity.  Too often we think poorly of ourselves, and others, and we fail to live with a sense of joy that comes from accepting ourselves just as we are.  We even picture God as a joyless God who is incapable of delight.  Jesus opened our eyes to God who knows our human frailties and delights in us as we are, and invites us to delight in and appreciate the wonder and joy of life.  Joy is the way of Jesus.

Light the candle.

We light the candle of joy.

May it light the way for us

as we make joy our story.

Notices: A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea after the service.

NEXT Sunday 24^th December, there is one service only at 7pm.

Christmas & January Services will be combined with Beckenham Methodist.

Christmas Day 9.30am at BMC Sunday 31^st Dec here at the MLC

Sunday Jan 7^th at BMC

Sunday Jan 14^th here at MLC.

Community Carol Singing TODAY 6pm at Opawa Community Church, Aynsley Tce. Everyone welcome!

2018 Restart Dates:

Wednesday Walkers:10^th January at South Library.

Home Share Plus Tuesday 16^th January

Crafty Crafters Thursday 18^th January

 The Parish Office will be closed from 11am on Friday 22^nd December until 9am Thursday 18^th January.

Report for Managers Dec 2017

1. We still have no consent for the rebuild so all work on site has stopped.  Clearly the CCC are being much tighter in how they regulate.  The consent was lodged in October, and the CCC responded with a list of questions, largely around fire regs.  The latest issue is that our geotech report completed in 2011 is now considered out of date and has to be revised.  Our architect tells us this will hopefully be completed by Christmas. It would seem unlikely work will resume before February at the earliest.  Managers are writing to the architect expressing our disappointment.
2. We note the church will have a carpet tile flooring.  (There has been discussion about having a ‘harder’ timber floor to allow more active activities like dancing and exercise.)  If anyone has a strong view or insight on this matter please speak to a building team member.
3. Alarm System…. Warren Pettigrew is installing a camera system to protect the site and the office.  If there is an issue we now hope to get pictures of the culprits.  Even better would be that possible intruders see cameras and go elsewhere.  When the church is completed this system will be expanded.
4. Vegetation was removed by David Hodder and crew from the southern boundary to allow a drainlayer to gain access to replace drains.
5. We are thankful to those who have led fund raising efforts, selling bacon, organising Ceilidhs, and running a Christmas goodies stall.
6. Finances…. Our treasurer Joan Macdonald reports we are just holding our own in terms of our day to day operation.
7. Looking ahead… the office exterior will be painted shortly; a manse inspection will take place every three months as this is a rental property.

CWS Christmas Appeal: You are invited to give a Christmas Gift that honours Jesus and will be used to help others help themselves. Return your appeal envelope to church by January 14^th. Do remember to include your address to receive a tax receipt, and to acknowledge our parish of St Martins Presbyterian.

WHILE OUR CHURCH BUILDING IS REPAIRED WE ARE MEETING EACH SUNDAY AT THE MINERAL & LAPIDARY CLUB 11O WALTHAM RD (NEXT TO WALTHAM SCHOOL) AT 10AM.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU.

 Sunday 10^th December 2017

Advent 2

A Children’s Christmas Celebration

Welcome: Birthdays and Notices – Wayne

Karakia:  Adam

Call to Worship led by Gillian and Ellen: Living God as your people here in Aotearoa, we gather in this time of expectation.  With Simeon and Anna and the saints through the ages we wait and we hope, for the unfurling of your promise.

(Light the first Advent Candle)

We hear God’s call to us: Kia Kaha, be strong.

And so we look forward in hope for the coming Christ Child.                       Emmanuel God with us. Amen.

Lighting the 2^nd Advent Candle: We light the candle of peace.

May it light the way for us as we make peace our story.

Bible Reading: Luke Chapter 2 – Ellen

This Advent we wait and watch for God.                                                          For God is coming and God has something to say.

God has spoken to our heads and our hearts. Now let us respond in prayer with hopeful hands.

Oh God of Hope, we are so used to thinking of you holding us in your hands, But Simeon and Anna held you in theirs. We remember that you and your hope came to us small and fragile.

Help us to hold hope gently.

Space/Silence

We confess we want everything to happen straight away, but you are building a world to last forever and are prepared to take the time to do it right.

Help us to be patient and let hope grow.

Space/Silence

There are many who are fragile and weak, many who can be cut down by unkindness and injustice. Yet your hope is planted in these very lives.

Help us to guard the hopeless that hope might appear.

Space/Silence

In our waiting and our watching, hold onto us God as we hold onto hope. Amen.

Notices:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea after the service. Many thanks to our young people for leading today’s service, and Wayne & Gillian!

 Today is your final opportunity to donate gifts for Waltham Cottage. Thank you to those who have already done so.

Foot Clinic TOMORROW 1-4pm in the Lounge at Beckenham Methodist. Contact Lyndsey 388 1264 for details.

Board of Managers meeting THIS Wednesday 13^th 7.30pm at Merchiston.

PLEASE NOTE:On Sunday 24^th December, there is one service only at 7pm. 

Christmas & January Services

will be combined with Beckenham Methodist.

Christmas Day 9.30am at BMC Sunday 31^st Dec here at the MLC

 Sunday Jan 7^th at BMC

Sunday Jan 14^th here at MLC.

Home Share Plus finishes for the year on Tuesday 12^th December, and will resume on Tuesday 16^th January 2018.

The Walking Group are celebrating the end of the year with a trip to Akaroa this Wednesday.

Crafty Crafters Thursdays 10am-12 noon at Beckenham Methodist. $3 per session. Last session for the year this week on the 14^th December, and will resume on 18^th January 2018. Contact Beverley 384 7814 for further details.

 Prayer Request Book: Requests for prayer may be made through the office, minister, or by filling in a request in a book that will be available at worship. It is helpful if those prayed for indicate specifically what they would like the congregation to pray for.

South Brighton Voices bring you “Christmas Memories” TODAY 2pm at Wainoni Methodist Church. Tickets $10, available at the door.

Christmas for the City~ A Festive Event for everyone. THIS Saturday 16^th 4-9pm at Ara City Campus, 130 Madras St. Free entry.

Fundraiser for St Martins:Handmade greeting cards for sale. $3 each.  All proceeds to St Martins Building fund.

A big thank you to the bakers and buyers for the Christmas Stall last Sunday. $629 has been banked into the Building Fund with another $110 in IOUs still to come. Joan Macdonald.

Community Carol Singing Sunday 17^th December 6pm at Opawa Community Church, Aynsley Tce. BBQ sausages and refreshments available from 5.30pm. Everyone welcome!

Christian World Service – Christmas Appeal.  You are invited to give a Christmas Gift that honours Jesus and will be used to help others help themselves.  With your parish newsletter you will receive an appeal envelope.  This can be returned to church before mid January or posted directly to CWS.  You can also donate online at christmasappeal.org.nz, but do remember to include your address to get a tax receipt, and to acknowledge our parish of St Martins Presbyterian.