“Taste and See that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8)

I wonder if you ever noticed just how much food plays a big part in the story of the bible. 

• The first words of God to humans are an invitation to eat (Gen 2:16)
• The first disaster in the Bible is over forbidden food (Gen 3:6)
• Before he died, Jesus’ shared a last-meal with his disciples (Matt 26:20)
• And one picture of the Bible’s hope for the future is of a massive, joyful feast! (Matt 22:1)

Meals and food together with others are often how relationships are fostered and grow. I know for myself, some of my favourite times are when I am sitting down over a meal with friends and family. 

Are you strong?

How would you answer that question (I’m thinking here about inner strength, not physical strength!)? My instinct is to answer: no way... Maybe it’s my Kiwi tendency to talk myself down. Or perhaps it’s from all the times I struggle to flee from sin and pursue godliness.

But since studying 1 John early this year, this simple verse in chapter 2 has challenged some of my thinking.

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14).

What if being at church every Sunday was the default?

How often would you guess you make it to church? Go on, actually have a guess! Most of us have a rough sense: pretty often, most Sundays, unless something gets in the way.

Recently I looked through our attendance patterns, and it challenged that impression a little. Only about 30% of people who call City on a Hill home make it to church three out of four Sundays (this used to be the standard definition of regular attendance).

How important do you really think kids’ ministry is?

I wonder if, for many of us, we think about it primarily as having a future focus.

We teach children Bible stories, Christian values and knowledge about Jesus, hoping that one day, when they’re older, they’ll make the faith their own.

We do this now, but we’re expecting the real response to come later.

We even say, “They’re the future of the church.”

But what if that’s only half the picture?

Many of you will already know that we are currently looking to add another pastor to our staff team. We are asking God to provide the right person for the role of leading Hutt Church and overseeing Membership across all of City on a Hill.

Over the past few years, God has been very kind to us. More people are joining us, our congregations are growing, new people are coming to faith in Jesus, others are taking steps forward in faith, and there are more opportunities for ministry than we can currently pursue. The growth of Hutt Church in particular, alongside the continuing ministry of City and Night, has made it increasingly clear that we need to grow our ministry team for the years ahead.