Weekly reflections

A tangible expression…..In my experience, even the most well intentioned plans, if done without a clearly stated purpose, can have unplanned outcomes. Outcomes where many within the congregation can feel estranged from what is going on, and those actually involved can feel overwhelmed and exhausted. In the haste and passion for success, things get rushed, people left behind, and the only thing to truly flourish is a petri dish of confusion. The deacons meeting in August this year affirmed that the Read more…

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* View this email in your browser This week I’m producing the Sunday to Sunday. Belinda is away for a few days for her father’s funeral. Please continue to support and uplift in your prayers, Belinda’s mum, Alison, and Belinda, Aron and the whole family. As the theme for this week’s Sunday to Sunday, I’ve chosen to provide some of the background to the Listening, Learning and Listing Series. I hope it will help people understand something more of Read more…

I don’t know if you have ever wondered about this! Some of you – like me – have grown up in Baptist churches and regard the unique ways we operate as normal. Some of you are new to the Baptist movement and are attracted to a church structure that is less hierarchical, where the local church is self-governing and where freedom of conscience is emphasised. Some of you have just come and found a warm welcome here and stayed! Whatever Read more…

We’re driving down a dark and quiet street in the coastal town of Hahei, New Zealand, when Zach suddenly calls out, “What’s that on the road!” It’s a possum and in the split second it takes for the driver to react, rather than slowing down, Aron speeds up! “What are you doing?” three voices in the car cry. “They’re pests here,” he explains, accelerating even more. The possum stops and stands on its hind legs, staring down the car bearing Read more…

While Belinda is away….. I’m sending out this weeks Sunday to Sunday. I thought I might reflect further on a comment I made during last Sundays’ worship service. As part of the service we heard something of the story of Vincent Lingiari. Vincent was an Aboriginal stockman and land rights leader. We also listened to the song From Little Things Big Things Grow by Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly.  As part of my comments, I named prayer and unity as activities that may be seen as Read more…

“Can you speak my truth to the power in your communities?” This was the request that Mali, who I mentioned in Sunday’s sermon, made to Kirsty Robertson, the CEO of Caritas Australia, when Kirsty visited her village in Ethiopia two months ago. Mali had just returned from a trip to collect water that has taken her longer and further from her family as the drought in the Horn of Africa has worsened. It was originally a 40-minute return journey, then Read more…

We had wonderful weather on Sunday for the Spring High Tea at the manse and there was a wonderful variety of plates brought – from Kenyan maandazi to Aussie sausage sizzle, from delicious home-baked treats to delicious store-bought treats! It was a wonderful expression of the generosity and diversity of our congregation! It was significant too to mark this historic moment, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III (we could hear the 21 gun Read more…

This is what church bulletin announcements usually say. This or that event is happening – please bring a plate! And this is what we are saying about this coming Sunday (11September). Straight after the service, from 11am, we are having High Tea in the manse garden to celebrate the start of spring together. It looks like the weather will be lovely – no rain and a top of 16 degrees – so please come along and please bring a plate! Read more…

The ‘writing’ she is referring to is the implementation of the February 2021 Special Assembly motions requiring all Baptist churches to affirm on a 5-yearly basis the basic doctrines, objects and core values of the Association, and all ministers to affirm these annually. These motions have caused considerable disquiet –  for those who believe they are at variance with our Baptist values of freedom of conscience and the autonomy of the local church; for those who are concerned about what Read more…

I was reminded of another poem preparing last Sunday’s message! Did any of you read The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass Aged 37¾ – probably many years ago now? (Not to be confused with The Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend!) My family were very keen on Adrian Plass and read not only The Sacred Diary, but also The Horizontal Epistles of Andromeda Veal and The Theatrical Tapes of Leonard Thynn and other books of Plass’s poetry and other Read more…