This is just a final note for the year to let you know about two things:

1. No Service this Sunday 29th December

Due to our venues being closed we will not be meeting for our usual services this Sunday. Instead we will be having our annual church picnic. Please join us at William's Park, Days bay from 11am. BYO food and drinks. There is a cafe in the park that will be open if you would like to buy something when you get there.

2. Please join us at Equip Conference for the night sessions

Next week a number of us will be heading to the Equip Conference at Forest Lakes in Otaki. Even if you haven't registered, everyone is welcome to join for the evening sessions. We expect that they will begin at 7:30pm on Monday to Thursday nights.

Last weekend COVID made its annual visit to our house to remind us again that as much as we think we make our plans, really we aren't as in control as we would like to be. A nice lesson in humility and dependance on God in the lead up to the Christmas season!

This meant that we tuned into the live-stream for church on Sunday and there were two things that struck me from the service that I have been reflecting on this week.

!! NO 10am CITY CHURCH SERVICE 1 Dec !!
 

Te Whaea is holding their graduations this weekend which means that we are unable to use the venue for our 10am City Church this coming Sunday.

It is weeks like this where it is good to remind ourselves why it is important to keep gathering together, even when it is inconvenient.

Stick and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me!'

It was a line that was often repeated across the playground at primary school. It was seen as the ultimate comeback to anyone who was saying nasty things about you.

As clever and comforting as we thought it might be in the school yard, it actually couldn't be further from the truth. Many of us still bear the significant and even debilitating scars of harsh and abusive words long after any physical trauma has healed. […]

How do you measure the gestation time for a new church? It’s been… 

5 months since the launch team started meeting.
14 months since we set a launch date. 
2 years since we sat down and planned a timeline.
5 years since our family packed up our lives and moved to Aotearoa for a church planting internship.  […]