Birthdays have a funny way of making you look in two directions at once. You look back at photos, memories, moments you forgot you’d forgotten. And you look forward, wondering what the next season might hold.

Last week, as I was preparing for our Birthday Service, I ended up flicking through some photos from our very first Sunday in 2015. We were small, chaotic and full of optimism. Ten years on, the hairlines have changed, the kids have grown, and somehow Adele still looks exactly the same.

But the thing that hasn’t changed is why we’re here as a church.

Yesterday I had some minor COVID PTSD as I joined a Zoom call with ministry apprentices from all over New Zealand. We gathered online for the last time this year to reflect, share, and pray together. It was such a joy to hear from other apprentices, some finishing up and making plans for study, others only a year in and reflecting on how they’ve grown so far. We also heard from future ministry apprentices who will be starting in the new year, sharing their hopes and fears about beginning their apprenticeship.