Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 20 October 2024

Kia ora St John’s whānau,
 
This Sunday we hear Jesus explain how we can be truly great. Our scripture reading is Mark 10:35-45

We will all gather for worship in the Church at 10am. Our young people will go out of the service part-way to their peer groups. 
At the conclusion of the service we have our AGM (see details below), and then we will all share Morning Tea together afterward.

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If you can’t gather in the city, and you want to join the worship service via Zoom, here are the details to access the live-stream:
 
Zoom Meeting ID: 370 260 759
Passcode: worship
 
The link to join the Zoom worship service is below.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/370260759?pwd=b2ZkajZ5d28rTy9EN1VKZDJUM3N4dz09
 
If using your phone: dial 04 886 0026 (Meeting ID: 370 260 759#, Passcode: 1560107#)

This is the link to the printable Service Sheet:

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT…

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The St John’s in the City AGM is after the morning service this Sunday (20th Oct) in the church. The Annual Report is available to read below.

And is also on the St John’s website.

In preparation of the AGM, please read the Agenda, Minutes from last year and the budget for the coming year, available below.

No one is excluded from the AGM, but we realise it may not be very engaging for younger people! So, young people will stay on in their peer groups during the AGM. However, the older youth who have been Confirmed (and are therefore Members of the church) are encouraged to join the AGM. And if parents wish to have their children join them for the AGM, they have the option of going to collect their children from their peer group in the Centre.

NEW ELDERS

Eldership in the Presbyterian Church is a recognised role whereby a person commits themselves to spiritual leadership and care within a congregation, in the strength of the Holy Spirit. The nature of leadership is what the church understands as ‘servant leadership’ and it always seeks peace and unity. It is a consultative and collaborative style of leadership that pursues the welfare of the church into the future. Elders also undertake pastoral care by fostering relationships as part of our shared ‘priesthood of all believers’ and to help them discern God’s will in their leadership responsibilities.
The St John’s Session is pleased to recommend four names for prayerful consideration by St John’s members for ordination and induction to eldership. And notice is hereby given for the recommendation by Session to elect Hannah North, Neil Dodgson, Ross Perrin and Samuel Allen as elders at the Annual General Meeting after the morning service this Sunday (20th Oct).
Here are brief biographical summaries on each person…
 
Hannah North moved to Wellington a year and a half ago and jumped into ministry and the life of St John’s with two feet to be fully engaged. She is the Youth and Families Pastor at St John’s and works hard to create intergenerational connections. She has a passion to share the love of Christ with young people and a passion for the wider church to work well as a body with different gifts. Hannah has also spent time this year as the Assistant Chaplain at Scots College and is studying theology.
 
Neil Dodgson has been worshipping regularly at St John’s since 2016, when he moved back from the UK with Catherine and Rebekah. His connection with the church goes back further, as his mother-in-law, Mary, has been here for many years and Rebekah was dedicated at St John’s in 2004. Neil is an ordained elder in the United Reformed Church in the UK (a church formed from the merger, in 1972, of Congregational and Presbyterian churches of England and Wales). Neil plays in the worship band, helps lead the Young Adults group, is a member of the Thursday evening house group, and has occasionally led worship. He works at Victoria University where he is both Dean of Graduate Research and a professor in the Faculty of Engineering.
 
Ross Perrin is from the UK where he brought up under the Church of England. He originally moved to New Zealand for a short stint in 2011/12 with his wife Kirsty, and was part of the St John's community at the time. Then in 2021, they moved here permanently with their three kids - Jack, Ena and Seth. Ross has a finance background, working for the government at the Environmental Protection Authority.
 
Samuel Allen has been worshipping at St John's with his family since he was a baby. Samuel has grown up in St John's and is involved with the Youth Group as a volunteer leader, and is expanding his involvement in the life of the church via Council and the Property Committee. Samuel has a background and enthusiasm for the sciences, currently working at Scots College as their full-time Science Technician.

STUDENT STUDY SPACE

With University exams happening we have offered students space to study at St John’s – as an alternative to the packed library and other crowded spaces.
Two rooms in the St John’s Centre have been available this week 1 – 6pm, and will also be available Monday 21st October.
Thank you to all who have been committed to offer this to our students in the neighbourhood.
 

Help spread the word by sharing the Facebook event:

CHILD PROTECTION AND ETHICAL PRACTICE

As a Church community we are committed to keeping young people safe. This commitment includes supporting all our leaders with up-to-date training to work together and follow safe practices.
The Safety WOF training is conducted regularly for all those who serve our ministry with young people. This Sunday (20th Oct, after the St John’s Annual General Meeting) Hannah North will run this training from 1pm to 6pm.
If you have any further questions or would like more information, please contact Hannah North.

WELLINGTON HERITAGE FESTIVAL

As part of the Wellington Heritage Festival our church building will be open for visitors to come and visit.
The open days are:
Saturday 26 October
Sunday   27 October
Monday    28 October (Labour Day)
Saturday   2 November
The church will be open on these days from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm
We require people to host during the times that the church is open.
The 'shifts' will be from 11:00 until 1:30 and 1:30 until 4:00.
If you can assist at any time, it will be greatly appreciated.
Please see Robert Anderson if you can help out.
 
We have three free tickets available for Sacred Spaces of Wellington walking tours. The upcoming Wellington Heritage Week includes three guided walks through Wellington's spiritual history. One of the walks will visit St John's on Saturday 2 November. 
In recognition of St John's participation, the organisers have provided us with three free tickets for the walking tours. These are for any of the three walks on Friday 1 November and Saturday 2 November. For more details about the walking tours: 

Those who are interested in receiving a free ticket should contact Pamela Cohen by 5pm Sunday, 20 October, indicating which walk you prefer. We will draw names out of a hat if more than three tickets are requested. 

WHANAU NIGHT 3rd NOV

Join us for a fun-filled Whanau Night: Games Edition!
Sunday, 3 November, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM in the St John’s Centre.
Gather your family and friends for an evening of board games and intergenerational bonding. We'll have tables set up and a variety of games to enjoy together. It's the perfect opportunity to connect together, invite your friends in a relaxed, playful atmosphere.
Food will be provided, but we need your help! If you're willing and able to volunteer to cook for this event, please contact Antonia.

FAITH THINKING

To register for this event click HERE:

MOVIE FUNDRAISER

Rating: PG, Run time: 103 minutes

Get your tickets HERE:

CHRISTMAS CHOIR

Anyone who likes to sing is invited to join our special choir for Advent and Christmas services. Rehearsals will begin on November 10th after the morning service until 12.30pm each Sunday. They will be held in the Chapel. For more information please see our Music Director, Eleanor Carter.

CREATION CARE TIP

Many supermarkets are collection points for soft plastics to be recycled. Check out your nearest collection point below:

‘O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.’ (Psalm 104:24)
 Mā te wā
Allister