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The State of Divorce... & Marriage - Week of Sunday 8 May Dear everyone,
Thursday’s edition of The Press reported that in 2009, the marriage rate in
NZ was 13.2 per 1000 unmarried adult Kiwis – down from 16 per 1000 in 1999, while in 1974, New Zealanders were tying
the knot at a rate of 39.2 per 1000. The good news was that divorce numbers also fell in 2009, with the divorce rate
of
10.2 the lowest since 1980. There were 8737 divorces in 2009, nearly a 1000 fewer than in 2008! The director of the Petersgate
Counselling Centre in Christchurch, Struan Duthie, said people were less likely to get married as they now had more choice.
"People in the post-modern era are looking for alternatives," Duthie said. "They don't see it as sinful
to live with their partner any more. "More and more people are in de facto relationships and when they break up, they're
not recorded as divorces." I (Andrew) wonder if we are seeing a further collapse in a godly institution. This is the
world we are raising our children in. Romans 12: 2 says do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind. God has a better way for relationships than the Kiwi way. To hear more about it parents are invited to meet
with us tomorrow night to discuss Raising Godly Children and on 24 May teens are invited to Godly Relationships (see
details inside). Now, to provide hope and inspiration Ray and
Fiona McMurdo will celebrate 25 years of marriage by renewing
their vows at a brief ceremony to be held at St John’s 11.45 next
Sunday 16 May.
God bless
Andrew
1:27 pm nzst
Week of Sunday 2nd May -New Staff PositionsDear everyone
Today we have pleasure in announcing the creation of two new paid staff positions, Pastoral
Care Coordinator and the Small Groups Director (see inside). From Ephesians 4:12 we see that the task of parish leadership
is to “equip the saints for works of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”. This is a complex
and
ongoing task requiring a multitude of spiritual gifts, starting with the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher
(v11).
These new staff members will be an integral part of this equipping and building up. They will not be doing
the works of ministry rather, alongside the other paid staff and lay leaders, helping you to do the works of ministry. Please
pray that God will provide us with the right people for these tasks, that might even be you!
God bless,
Andrew
8:43 pm nzst
Week of of Sunday 18th AprilDear everyone
Today as we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus we remember in our services
those who have served their country in times of conflict and particularly those who have laid down their lives for our freedom.
In the death of so many young men and women we are reminded that this life is very brief. Deep within
most of us is a
sense of wanting to make a difference while we have time. Therefore, let us focus our lives on the cause of Christ’s
kingdom and do all wecan to bring others into the joy of a new life in Christ.
How is the E100 bible reading going
for you? I have enjoyed reading afresh from Genesis and noticed some things I hadn’t seen before. We have sold 120 of
the companion guides. It is marvellous to think of so many all reading God’s word
simultaneously. Make sure you
get the best of the programme by participating in a small group during the campaign. Don’t forget our major training
event for the year - the Mission of God Intensive course next Friday evening and Saturday. This is open to anyone but all
leaders are expected to attend. Please register at the office.
God bless,
Andrew
6:31 pm nzst
Welcome as we celebrate 150 years of Anglican LifeWelcome to you all as we celebrate 150 years of Anglican Life in this parish. We particularly welcome and acknowledge
Victoria, our Bishop, as she leads us today in this service of celebration, baptism, confirmation and renewal. One hundred
and fifty years of glorifying God and growing his kingdom is a significant milestone. As we give thanks for the past it is
fitting that our focus today is on those new to the faith and the young committing themselves to a life of service. Today
we join with them in committing ourselves to our parish mission - INVITING people to meet Jesus, FORMING them to become like
him, SENDING people out to extend his kingdom and SERVING a broken world.
On this special day I would like
to bring to your attention our parish Ministry Internships. Designed to help form those gifted for leadership this 10 hour
per week commitment for a year is suitable for those exploring a ministry leadership vocation, students taking a gap year,
or parishioners of any age serious about discovering their purpose in life. There are brochures at the back of our churches.
Please see me if this interests you.
Celebrate and enjoy!
Andrew
Tramping
Trip 6-9 January
The Harper Pass. A serious but not difficult trip. Contact Andrew if interested.
8:45 pm nzdt
Strategic planning Hi everyone,
Over the last few months your vestry has been hard at work seeking God in the
discipline of strategic planning so that we may see more of God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. We are still
working on this and will let you about our decisions soon. What we have agreed upon for now is that it is time to rebrand
our parish and to renew our parish mission statement. To that end, we have decided last week to adopt the new diocesan brand
- Anglican Life. Furthermore we have agreed upon the four word descriptor Inviting Forming Sending Serving as summarizing
our mission. Each of these four words represents a major part of our life and mission. To expand on these four imperatives
our mission statement is therefore
Inviting people to met Jesus, Forming them to become like him, Sending
people out to extend his kingdom, and Serving a broken world.
When the graphic design work is completed
we will replace the current blue water drop logo with Anglican Life Rangiora and redo all our documents and signage. In the
mean time the work of inviting comes to the fore with the Back to Church Sunday and the Alpha course to follow up. By now
you should have decided who to invite back to church and issued your invitation. Remember to pray the special prayer daily
for that person.
In Christ, Andrew.
11:02 pm nzst
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