Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 28 January 2024
Kia ora St John’s whānau,
Welcome back to those who have had a summer break.
The Minister is back, and the St John’s Office is open again!
This Sunday we will be examining a ritual we have at St John’s that starts and concludes our gathered worship together. What is this ritual? And how does this help us inhabit God’s truth and guide our lives?
All young people will be invited to go out part-way through the service for a combined Holiday Programme in the Centre.
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.
If using your phone: dial 04 886 0026 (Meeting ID: 370 260 759#, Passcode: 1560107#)
This is the link to the printable Service Sheets:
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT…
CWS CHRISTMAS APPEAL
As part of our Christmas giving we dedicated our offering of money on Christmas Day to Christian World Service (CWS) whose annual appeal has been working to Share Food.
The total cash offering we passed on to CWS was $1222.40. This excludes those who gave by credit card and direct transfer.
Our collective offering helps small-scale farmers learn how to grow food and improve their livelihoods in these very challenging times. We continue to pray for all those who will be helped by this sharing of our gifts.
GIVING ISN’T JUST SOMETHING WE DO AT CHRISTMAS
To continue God’s mission at St John’s we have budgeted for an overall increase in congregational giving of 10% for the coming year, and are asking one another to discern God’s guidance for our personal/household giving.
Giving by regular bank transfer expresses an ongoing commitment to be part of our mission and ministry, and details for setting that up are available on the ‘Donations’ page of the website: https://www.stjohnsinthecity.org.nz/donate
If you are already giving regularly, you may want to decide if your giving can change to reflect our goal. We know it is hard times for many, so if you are already giving what you are able, please know it is deeply valued.
YOUTH BAND
Our Youth Band has new members and is looking to expand the range of instrumentation. We are seeking a keyboard and a bass guitar. If you may be able to donate an instrument, please contact the St John’s Office.
SERVING ON GOVERNANCE BOARDS
There are currently two opportunities for nominations to positions serving in governance roles for two community-facing organisations that work closely with St John’s.
The BGI Board – the Boys’ and Girls’ Institute is located in the top floors above the St John’s Office and their mission is to stand with young people to build great communities and help them to live meaningful lives. https://www.bgi.org.nz/
The DCM Board – Downtown Community Ministries was co-founded by St John’s to serve those in our city with high and complex needs. https://www.dcm.org.nz/
We are inviting expressions of interest in these opportunities by Friday 9th February. Please speak to the Minister, Allister; The Session Clerk, Rob Anderson; or the Chair of Council, Pamela Cohen.
SPECIAL DATES
Sunday 11th February - Kick-off of Peer Groups with courtyard celebrations
Tuesday 13th February - Shrove Tuesday Pancake Breakfast
Wednesday 14th February - Ash Wednesday Combined Service at St Mary of the Angels with the Imposition of Ashes
Sunday 18th February - First Sunday of Lent
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES SERIES – FOLLOW ME
Over the six weeks of Lent we will explore Spiritual Practices. This continues our emphasis of putting our faith into practice, and will focus on our desire for more of God through intentional practices, relationships, and experiences that gave us space in our lives to ‘keep company’ with Jesus.
We will examine specific practices of Bible reading, Prayer, Self-examination, and Sabbath. But also consider many other spiritual practices that have helped Christians around the world.
Perhaps you have found a spiritual practice particularly helpful in putting your faith into practice, and you would be able to share this with our church whanau? Please let Allister Lane know if you would be willing to share something of your own experience for the sake of encouraging others.
May God’s Spirit continue to help us make space to ‘keep company’ with Jesus.
Allister