Sunday 27 July 2025

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

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us today. Please join us for morning tea following the service.

We pray for the Linscott family as they mourn the death of Viv’s father Peter Anderson, whose memorial service was held here last week. Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord, and light perpetual shine upon him.

NEW TIME for Meditation Group – during the winter months this will be at 4.15pm each Monday.

Wednesday Walkers 30 July: meet 9.30am at Homebase carpark,199 Marshlands Rd for a walk around the area and then have coffee at Esquire which is just near the corner of Homebase and Marshlands Rd. Barbara & Alan 021 142 7668 or 021 1263801. All welcome.

Annual Reports are now due. If you convene a parish group, please email a report to the Parish Office by 17th August. The AGM is on 21st September.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) Emily 022 094 1492

Monday 4.15pm           Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10.30am         South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Tuesday 7-9pm             Mums n Tums (lounge) Livvy 027 327 6369

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: Marshlands Barbara 021 142 7668

Wednesday 7-9pm       Cantabile Choir (lounge) Rose 027 254 0586

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065

Friday 10-11am             U3A meeting (church) Joy 337 2393

Friday 11.15am             Mums n Tums (lounge) Livvy 027 327 6369

“Being Green” ~ from Fern:

Ways people are making ‘green choices’ around the world – and in New Zealand – a good news spin to the green message – we are not alone in the world.

  • We have been burning fossil fuels on international flights recently and sleeping in a number of different hotel rooms and this is where we have noticed small green changes. When I was a child and Dad went ‘away for work’ he would return with the empty individual cereal packets which we fought over and played with, so it is a family tradition to collect these souvenirs! Or, in other words, a family tradition never to throw away ‘anything which might be useful’.  Since then, hotels introduced little containers of shampoo, body wash and hand lotion. These were found in abundance on the West Coast during the big clean up after the Fox River flood. You will remember hearing about this in 2019 – it took until 2022 to clean up and cost over $3 million. Well, we have noticed that in most places we stayed, these liquids are now in refillable bottles and Budapest was the only place that had these presents for our grandchildren.
  • However, in Vietnam we managed to collect lots of toothbrushes and combs… some bamboo and some plastic. Plenty for all the grandchildren.
  • In Amsterdam the focus was on shoes—giveaway shoehorns and polishing cloths—and early in the morning here we saw lots of litter on the streets but being rapidly cleaned up.
  • In Hong Kong they offered the toothbrushes, combs, hairnets, sewing kits etc but from the main desk for $5US as part of their green ethic. We were given disposable slippers [in Budapest too] possibly because of the swimming pool.
  • Hong Kong had ‘reverse vending machines’ where you could feed clean plastic bottles [with lids] into a machine and either receive a credit or donate it to charity. We saw a number of people scouring the streets for bottles to return. The plastic is used again and again in a closed loop, helping to preserve precious resources.

Anyway—we are not the only place in the world trying to make a difference and cut back on plastic waste.

Sunday 20 July 2025

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

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us today. Please join us for morning tea following the service.

We give thanks for the long life of Barbara Simmonds, who died on 11th July, aged 96. Rest eternal grant unto her, O Lord, and light perpetual shine upon her. Her funeral will be here on Friday 25th July at 1.30pm.

Items are now being sought for the next edition of the ‘Messenger’. Please send any contributions to Sally & Charlotte (hooty@xtra.co.nz). The deadline is TODAY 20 July. Thank you.

Fireside meeting on Monday 21st July from 2pm at Merchiston, 75 St Martins Rd (please note change of venue).  We welcome women of the congregation to join us to hear Fern talk about some of their recent travels before we share afternoon tea and have a chance to chat with each other. Margaret 336 8936.

Wednesday Walkers 23 July: meet 9.30am at The Birdwood Cafe cnr Birdwood & Malcolm Ave for a walk around the Beckenham area.  Coffee at the Café. All welcome. Beth 027 651 8333.

Men’s Group Thursday 24th July Prawindra Mukhia will speak on sustainability following a potluck tea at 6pm. Also there is a combined meeting with the MenzShed on Monday 4th August starting at 4:30pm with a presentation on the importance of exercise, then pizza and salad tea, followed by talk from GP on men’s health. Rob C 384 4320.

Annual Reports are now due. If you convene a parish group, please email a report to the Parish Office by 17th August. The AGM is on 21st September.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

Next Movie afternoon Saturday 26th July, 2pm in the church lounge. Come and see “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”, described as a ” winning combination of romance and satire” based on the book of the same name. All are welcome.

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) Emily 022 094 1492

Monday 2pm                  Fireside @ Merchiston Margaret 366 8936

Monday 2pm                  Memorial Service

Monday 4.15pm           Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10.30am         South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Tuesday 7-9pm             Mums n Tums (lounge) Livvy 027 327 6369

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: Beckenham Beth 027 651 8333

Wednesday 7-9pm       Cantabile Choir (lounge) Rose 027 254 0586

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 384 4320

Friday 11.15am             Mums n Tums (lounge) Livvy 027 327 6369

Friday 1.30pm               Funeral of Barbara Simmonds

Saturday 2pm                Movie afternoon (lounge)

Sunday 13th July 2025

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

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us today, and many thanks to Rev Alan Webster for leading our worship. Please join us for morning tea following the service.

Annual Reports are now due. If you convene a parish group, please email a report to the Parish Office by 17th August. The AGM is on 21st September.

Wednesday Walkers 16 July: meet 9.30am near She Café Malt House, Colombo Street in Beckenham where we will have coffee. All welcome Sonya 027 253 3397.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

Next Movie afternoon Peter is enthused about the movies and will show the next one on Saturday 26th July, 2pm in the church lounge. Come and see “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”, described as a ” winning combination of romance and satire” based on the book of the same name. Dr Fred Jones, a scientist at the Dept of Fisheries, has his life thrown into turmoil when a fly fishing obsessed Yemeni Sheikh dreams of introducing salmon to the wadis of Yemen. The British Government seizes on the idea and appoints Dr Fred to oversee the project. One he thinks is mad. However, he is won over by the Sheikh and his representative Harriet.  Thus Fred begins a journey of self-discovery and late blooming love.

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) Emily 022 094 1492

Monday 1.30pm            U3A focus group (lounge) Richard 022 533 5444

Monday 7.15pm           Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10.30am         South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: Beckenham Sonya 027 253 3397

Wednesday 7-9pm       Cantabile Choir (lounge) Rose 027 254 0586

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065

Thursday 5-11pm          Private function (lounge)

Saturday 4-11pm          Private function (whole complex)

Prayer (inspired by Luke 10: 25-37)

God of love, give us a deep love for you,

so that we can see the world as you see it,

feel the compassion you feel,

and be a people whose lives mediate your love to others.

So open our eyes that we might see what the Good Samaritan saw.

Grant us the insight to see the need in others,

the wisdom to know what to do, and the will to do it.

And so we pray for all those, who in many and various ways,

have been stripped, beaten and left for dead.

We pray for children who must grow up

in the most awful of circumstances,

especially for those starved of love, or food, or shelter or security.

May they receive the future you have planned for them.

We pray for those we might cross the road to avoid.

Who have been excluded socially because of their race,

their financial status, or their history.

May the dignity that is theirs be restored to them.

We pray for those whose need we would rather not face up to,

because it requires action of us,

those who suffer atrocities because of war, unjust trade rules,

or oppressive governments.

May the world receive a true picture of their suffering

and the factors that cause it, that justice may be done.

Open our eyes, that we might not cross the road from human need.

Give us a deep love for you,

that we might see your love at work in this world,

and that we might Go and do likewise.

From Baptist Union of Great Britain website

Sunday 6 July 2025

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

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us today. Please join us for morning tea following the service.

We give thanks for the life of former parishioner David Ritchie Tait, who died on 1st July, aged 85. We pray for Marilyn and the family as they mourn. Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him.

Items are now being sought for the next edition of the ‘Messenger’. Please send any contributions to Sally & Charlotte (hooty@xtra.co.nz) by 20 July. Thank you.

Annual Reports are now due. If you convene a parish group, please email a report to the Parish Office by 17th August. The AGM is on 21st September.

Wednesday Walkers 9 July: meet 9.30am at the corner of St Albans Park,  top end of Barbadoes St. We will walk round the area and then have coffee at Ris’tretto Cafe which is just across the road at 670 Barbadoes St. Barbara & Alan 021 142 7668 or 021 1263801.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

Next Movie afternoon Peter is enthused about the movies and will show the next one on Saturday 26th July, 2pm in the church lounge. Come and see “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”, described as a ” winning combination of romance and satire” based on the book of the same name. Dr Fred Jones, a scientist at the Dept of Fisheries, has his life thrown into turmoil when a fly fishing obsessed Yemeni Sheikh dreams of introducing salmon to the wadis of Yemen. The British Government seizes on the idea and appoints Dr Fred to oversee the project. One he thinks is mad. However, he is won over by the Sheikh and his representative Harriet.  Thus Fred begins a journey of self-discovery and late blooming love.

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS:

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) Emily 022 094 1492

Monday 7.15pm           Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10.30am         South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: St Albans Alan 021 126 3801

Wednesday 7-9pm       Cantabile Choir (lounge) Rose 027 254 0586

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065

Sunday 29 June 2025

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

NOTICES:

The Parish Council is delighted to announce the appointment of Rev Nardia Sandison as Interim Moderator for St Martins and stated supply minister until February 2026. This is 0.75 FTE role, which means she will lead worship three Sundays a month.

Volunteer Recognition Awards: Congratulations to Janette Morris who has received an award from Volunteering Canterbury for her work at Whareora House of Life, and also to Dugald Wilson who received an award for his work at Sister Eveleen Retreat House.

Opawaho Heathcote River Traps Sunday 29 June 1-3pm St Martins School, Albert Tce. Build and take home your own backyard rat tunnel trap. Rats thrive along rivers – let’s protect our native wildlife together! Bring gloves and a hammer – everything else is provided.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

Wednesday Walkers 2 July: meet 9.30am in Mona Vale carpark for a walk around Riccarton. Coffee at Dux Dine Café. All welcome Janette 021 075 6780

Next Movie afternoon Peter is enthused about the movies and will show the next one on Saturday 26th July, 2pm in the church lounge. Come and see “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”, described as a ” winning combination of romance and satire” based on the book of the same name. Dr Fred Jones, a scientist at the Dept of Fisheries, has his life thrown into turmoil when a fly fishing obsessed Yemeni Sheikh dreams of introducing salmon to the wadis of Yemen. The British Government seizes on the idea and appoints Dr Fred to oversee the project. One he thinks is mad. However, he is won over by the Sheikh and his representative Harriet.  Thus Fred begins a journey of self-discovery and late blooming love.

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) Emily 022 094 1492

Monday 7.15pm           Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10.30am         South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Wednesday 9.30am      Port Hills U3A (whole complex) Joy 337 2393

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: Riccarton Janette 021 075 6780

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065