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 25^th February 2018 10am

 How do you read the Bible…For many people the Bible is just too hard. We don’t feel we have enough background to understand it. The strange thing is that books like Paul’s letters were written to uneducated folk and Paul expected they would make sense of the letter. The gospels were not written for academics.

One way of reading the Bible is to read a section and notice what phrase or words seem to stand out (touch your heart). There may be a phrase that simply invokes curiosity, or it may raise a question. You may empathise with a character. Take time to ponder what stands out and ask why it does. What is happening in your life that it may be speaking into. You may find it helpful to write this down. Maybe God is whispering to you in these ponderings, so be still and listen.

Another exercise you may find helpful is to read a Psalm and then use that a base to put it into your own words. Start with a Psalm you know well like Psalm 23 or Psalm 121. As you read the original and put it into your own words don’t be afraid to expand the Psalm with some comments about your own life. The Psalm can then become your prayer, and a vehicle through which God can whisper to you.

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

 Retiring Offering TODAY for CWS Cyclone Gita Appeal: Support Tongans to repair and replace water and food supplies lost in Cyclone Gita. Please fill in a form if you require a receipt for tax purposes.

Fireside Women’s Group meets this Tuesday 27^th February 7.30pm. Jill has invited us to her home and we welcome other women of the congregation to join us.  Enquiries: please phone Margaret 366 8936.

 Wednesday Walkers: 28^th February. Meet 9.30am in Bunyan St, west side of Waltham Park off Waltham Rd, (there is angle parking there) for a walk around the area. Coffee will be at the XCHC Café, 376 Wilsons Rd. All Welcome. Judith Mackay 332 1577.

World Day of Prayer Ecumenical Service this Friday 2^nd March 7.30pm at Beckenham Methodist Church. This year’s theme is “All God’s creation is very good!” The service has been prepared by the WDP committee, Suriname. All are welcome.

COMING UP: Parish Breakfast Sunday 18^th March 8.45am, brought to you by members of Session. Watch this space for more details.

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

 Crafty Crafters Craft Crawl to Hanmer Springs Thursday 29^th March leaving at 9.30am from Beckenham Methodist. Cost for the bus is $25 pp. We will visit craft shops in Culverden & Hanmer. Bring your togs if you want a swim! Please let Lyndsey McKay 388 1264 know if you would like to come along. Also being planned is joining a cruise to a Pacific island in winter – see Lyndsey if you are interested.

Lenten Conversations…During Lent there is an opportunity to gather with others to grow in our connection with God and one another.  We have two groups meeting: Monday night (7.30pm at Carol’s home) and Wednesday afternoon  (1.30pm at Allison’s home).   There are still a couple of spaces available.

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). Numbers attending and money in NAMED envelope to Sue Saunders, or dropped in to the Parish Office, by next Sunday 4^th March please.

Managers’ Report: 

Finances…we continue to “hold our own” financially, and are tracking well with our budget.

Manse…smoke alarms have been replaced.

Office…a first coat of paint has been applied, and cameras installed for security.

Health & Safety…if you notice any safety issues, please notify an office bearer.

Building Report: We have received consent from the Christchurch City Council to proceed with the church repairs. The consent process highlighted issues with the fire rating of the south wall, drainage, and an up to date Geotech report. With all fees paid the consent process has added another $40 000 to our rebuild cost which we had not budgeted for. (Advice we received was that we would not need a consent). We are exploring other avenues for raising capital. We are currently negotiating a contract with Simon Construction to undertake the repairs. Because this contract will be for over $500 000 it will need to be signed by the legal owners of the church building – the Presbyterian Church Property Trustees. We hope we can achieve this in the coming week. Simon can start again on site as soon as the contract is signed.

 The Easter Story: Fact or Fable? Study Course at Iona House, Aranui Thursday afternoons for six weeks, 2pm – 4pm, commencing 8^th March 2018. Facilitated by Charles Manning, Rodney Routledge & Sheena Dickson. It will be interactive. Email office.stgeorgesiona@gmail.comor ph 355 6601(leave a message) by 2^nd March to enrol.

Life Giving Habits in Lent: During Lent we will be highlighting life giving habits or disciplines that you may wish to experiment with.  These disciplines help us become more grounded and aware of God in our daily lives. 

Helen Keller became blind and deaf when only two years old.  She was blessed to have a teacher who realised that touch was the only way that she could connect and teach Helen.   Patiently day after day the teacher would spell the names of things they were experiencing on Helen’s hand.  For example, when she washed her hands in water the teacher would spell ‘water’ on Helen’s hand.  Helen’s world was very limited without sight and sound, and at first this strange ‘touching’ from another was meaningless.  But Helen slowly learned to recognise that the movements of touch on her hand were saying something.   They were ‘signs’ that helped explain what she was experiencing.  Finally she ‘got it’ – someone was communicating with her and teaching her, and from that day forward she never ceased to educate herself and expand her horizon.

Very few people are born with Helen’s handicap but do we really see and hear.  God may be whispering all around us and we don’t notice or make no sense of it.  We each are unique individuals who have different ways of ‘noticing’ God, so during Lent 2018 we will highlight different spiritual disciplines that might help us, like Helen, learn to hear and see the whispering of God in our lives.

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 18^th February 2018 10am First Sunday in Lent

 Lenten Conversations…During Lent there is an opportunity to gather with others to grow in our connection with God and one another.  We have two groups meeting beginning this week on Monday night (7.30pm at Janet and Dugald’s home), and Wednesday afternoon  (1.30pm at Jeannette and David’s home).   There are still a couple of spaces available.

 Life Giving Habits in Lent: During Lent we will be highlighting life giving habits or disciplines that you may wish to experiment with.  These disciplines help us become more grounded and aware of God in our daily lives. 

Helen Keller became blind and deaf when only two years old.  She was blessed to have a teacher who realised that touch was the only way that she could connect and teach Helen.   Patiently day after day the teacher would spell the names of things they were experiencing on Helen’s hand.  For example, when she washed her hands in water the teacher would spell ‘water’ on Helen’s hand.  Helen’s world was very limited without sight and sound, and at first this strange ‘touching’ from another was meaningless.  But Helen slowly learned to recognise that the movements of touch on her hand were saying something.   They were ‘signs’ that helped explain what she was experiencing.  Finally she ‘got it’ – someone was communicating with her and teaching her, and from that day forward she never ceased to educate herself and expand her horizon.

Very few people are born with Helen’s handicap but do we really see and hear.  God may be whispering all around us and we don’t notice or make no sense of it.  We each are unique individuals who have different ways of ‘noticing’ God, so during Lent 2018 we will highlight different spiritual disciplines that might help us, like Helen, learn to hear and see the whispering of God in our lives.

Keeping a Journal… A journal can be kept in an exercise book, on your computer, or a specially purposed diary.  The main thing is that it is kept private and it is not for anyone else’s eyes, other than yourself and God.  It is somewhere where you can express yourself with uncensored honesty, and reflectively process some of what is happening in your life.

How often you write (or draw) is up to you but setting a regular committed pattern is important.  You might start weekly or if there is time more frequently.  It is helpful to find a quiet uninterrupted spot to use your journal for at least 15 minutes at a time.

What distinguishes a journal from a diary of events is that the emphasis is on exploring your own inner world.  Note the things that have somehow been significant for you.  When have you been most at peace and why do you think this so?  When have you been least at peace and why might this be?  When did you feel most alive and when did you feel least alive?  Why was this?  What delighted you and what upset you?  Start with what happened in the significant ‘event’ and what you felt or thought.  What might God be whispering to you through these happenings?  You can write about dreams, worries, failures, confusions, doubts, sadnesses and joys … anything that you think is significant in your life.

From time to time (maybe every three months, but at least yearly) read back over your journal and look for themes that come up regularly and persistently.  What is God saying to you in these things?

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

The Easter Story: Fact or Fable? Study Course at Iona House, Aranui

Why was the long-promised Messiah Jesus brutally executed on a crude Roman Cross? What was the early apostles’ experience of Jesus post the Crucifixion? Was Jesus physically raised from the dead? These two seminal events of the Christian tradition will be examined in the light of the latest research and biblical scholarship, especially the Jesus Seminar. The Easter events, their place in history and their relevance for today will also be noted.

Thursday afternoons for six weeks, 2pm – 4pm, commencing 8^th March 2018. Facilitated by Charles Manning, Rodney Routledge & Sheena Dickson. It will be interactive.

To enrol, email office.stgeorgesiona@gmail.com or ph 355 6601 to leave a message by 2^nd March.

Deadline for the next ‘Messenger’ is THIS Friday 23^rd February. Email contributions to anneke.howie@gmail.com please.

 Wednesday Walkers: 21^st February. Meet 9.30am in Bunyan St, west side of Waltham Park off Waltham Rd, (there is angle parking there) for a walk around the area. Coffee will be at the XCHC Café, 376 Wilsons Rd. All Welcome. Judith Mackay 332 1577.

Board of Managers’ meeting this Wednesday 21^st February 7.30pm at Merchiston.

 World Day of Prayer Ecumenical Service Friday 2^nd March 7.30pm at Beckenham Methodist Church. This year’s theme is “All God’s creation is very good!” The service has been prepared by the WDP committee, Suriname. All are welcome.

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

 Crafty Crafters Craft Crawl to Hanmer Springs Thursday 29^th March leaving at 9.30am from Beckenham Methodist. Cost for the bus is $25 pp. We will visit craft shops in Culverden & Hanmer. Bring your togs if you want a swim! Please let Lyndsey McKay 388 1264 know if you would like to come along.

Also being planned is joining a cruise to a Pacific island in winter – see Lyndsey if you are interested.

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

 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!

CWS Cyclone Gita Appeal: Support Tongans to repair and replace water and food supplies lost in Cyclone Gita. Here’s how you can donate:

• Go to cws.org.nz/donate
• Direct Deposit – Christian World Service Account: 06 0817 0318646 00, ref: Tonga
• Phone 0800 74 73 72 with your credit card

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 11^th February 2018 10am

Notices: A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea. Many thanks to Rev Lyndsey McKay for leading today’s worship.

Articles are now due for the next ‘Messenger’. Email contributions to anneke.howie@gmail.com please. Deadline is Friday 23^rd  February.

 Wednesday Walkers: 14^th February. Meet 9.30am by footbridge near old Info Centre, Botanic Gardens to walk around Nth Hayley Park. Coffee at Museum Café and maybe afterwards folk might like to have a look at the National Geographic photographs. Rosalie 021 239 5005

ASH WEDNESDAY Service      14^th February 7.30pm at St Anne’s Anglican Church, 7 Wilsons Rd. All are welcome.

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.

Crafty Crafters Craft Crawl to Hanmer Springs Thursday 29^th March leaving at 9.30am from Beckenham Methodist. Cost for the bus is $25 pp. Bring your togs if you want a swim! Please let Lyndsey McKay know if you would like to come along.

Also being planned is joining a cruise around the islands in winter – see Lyndsey if you are interested.

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

 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!

Homemade jams, chutneys, sauces etc…Please let Sue Saunders know what you would like and she will make them on request.

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

Moderator’s Waitangi Day Message
Ko taku reo taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria
My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul

The whole point of the Treaty, as I see it, was to form a partnership between two peoples – a partnership which valued the culture of each fully and equally. What formed the basis of this agreement was a deep understanding that each culture had significant taonga (treasures) to offer a combined people.

One of the fundamental treasures of each culture was, without doubt, the language. Yet today – despite the fact that it is an official language of this country and despite the fact that the government has supported spending on the development of Te reo within a Maori context – the language remains unknown by the majority of New Zealanders. This is a huge loss, both to the personal development of all New Zealanders and, indeed, to our nation.
The one thing that will forever be unique about this country is Te reo Maori. No other nation can ever lay claim to that. Furthermore Te reo remains the very best pathway to the treasures of Maori, and therefore to true partnership.

This Waitangi Day, as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, I call for this language to be placed on the same footing as English in our education system and to become the true possession of everyone who is a citizen of this country. It is not just those who identify as Maori who should have to work to preserve this treasure. This is the birth-right of everyone who calls themselves a New Zealander – a citizen of Aotearoa, and it should be treated as such, I believe.

Many countries teach multiple languages from the start of school. Many teach more than two. It is not a hard thing, but it is the right thing to do, so I call upon the new government of this land to honour the Treaty in this way and to give Te Reo Maori the same resources we give to teaching English. In doing so, this will make the language what it truly is: the legacy of a Treaty between two peoples who desired to become stronger not through conflict, but by sharing their treasures.

We are weaker than we should be because we do not truly hold this treasure. Let us correct this today and more fully resource every educational institute in this country to teach and to speak this wonderful language.
In the name and for the glory of Christ

Richard Dawson

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.

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 4^th February 2018 10am

Notices:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea. Many thanks to Rev Alan Webster for leading today’s worship.

Minister away….Dugald is on leave until Sunday 11^th February.

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.

Wednesday Walkers: 7^th February Meet 9.30am on the corner of Bower Avenue and New Brighton Road for a walk along the river with an excursion into the red zone before returning to the Urban Corner Café for coffee.  Alan and Barbara.

ASH WEDNESDAY Service      14^th February 7.30pm at St Anne’s Anglican Church, 7 Wilsons Rd. All are welcome.

Articles are now due for the next ‘Messenger’. Email contributions to anneke.howie@gmail.com please. Deadline is Friday 23^rd  February.

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.

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

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!

Homemade jams, chutneys, sauces etc…

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

Fundraiser for St Martins:

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

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 on Friday nights at Beckenham Methodist Church Hall, 52 Martin Ave. Contact Stephen Gregory 337 2296 for more details or email him admin@14thbb.org.nz