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    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 28 July 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we start a teaching series based on our St John’s Mission Statement… God gathers us to worship and grow our faith so we can live and share Christ’s hope for our world. If you want to get a head-start on the Scripture reading for this Sunday, it is Psalm 84 “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!...” Our children and young people will go out part-way during the service to their peer groups in the St John’s Centre. This week it’s Souper Sunday and Whanau Night – see details below. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... SOUPER SUNDAY This Sunday we have Souper Sunday lunch. You are warmly invited to share in a bowl of hot soup after the Morning Tea. You are welcome to bring a small plate of something sweet to share with our tea or coffee. Come and share in the warm fellowship, we’d love to see you. WHANAU NIGHT Join us for Whanau Night on Sunday 28 July 2024 at St Johns Centre. This family-friendly event focuses on "Restoring our Environment" (Toitu te Taio) with Heads-Hearts-Hands activities around environmental stewardship. This is an excellent opportunity for us as a church to build on our 'Care for Creation' series we've been experiencing on Sunday mornings. Please BYO picnic/food to share (who can bring the most environmentally friendly picnic?) NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP, SERVICE, AND SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT FOR YOUNG ADULTS St John’s Council invites expressions of interest from young adults in our congregation to join us for the duration of 2024. The aim is to: • build intergenerational relationships, increase Council diversity and reflect the perspectives of young adults across Council priorities and activities • share the expertise of Council members with young adults and in turn learn from them, thus enriching Council as a whole for the benefit of the church community • grow the pool of future church leaders through leadership development and service to our Lord Jesus Christ, the church, and our wider community. The Council has capacity to support 1-2 participants this year in activities such as one-to-one or small group mentoring sessions on topics such as leadership development, governance and spiritual discernment in our Presbyterian tradition. Council will tailor the activities and time commitment to the interests and availability of each participant. What this looks like and how much time participants spend is up to each individual. No prior knowledge of governance or leadership is needed. To find out more, please talk with Pamela Cohen or other Council members after church or send a text/email. There will be no obligation or pressure to proceed with an expression of interest. Council members: Pamela Cohen, Chair, St John’s Council Rev Allister Lane, Communication Committee Rob Anderson, Session Clerk Ross Chesney, Treasurer David Galt, Staffing Committee Mary Gibbs, Fellowship Committee Catherine Gibbs, Christian Education Committee Kevin Jeong, Outreach Committee David Wood, Property Committee ROYAL COMMISSION A letter was distributed earlier this week from the Assembly Executive Secretary about the report from the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. Royal Commission Report CARE FOR CREATION – LID RECYCLING HUB Bring your lids to Church each Sunday! As part of our care for creation together we have set up a lid recycling hub at St John’s in the City. Those lids that can’t go in with the curb-side recycling will be collected at Church and taken where they will be recycled. ✔️ Plastic hinge caps and screw caps lids (any colour) ✔️ Plastic milk bottle caps ✔️ Plastic contact lens packaging without foil ✔️ Yoghurt pot lids Only 2 & 5 please - clean and dry. CHURCH CAMP The Church Camp will run from Fri 20th Sept (evening) to Sun 22nd Sept (late morning) at the Paekakariki Holiday Park. To register click on this link and follow the prompts: Church Camp Any questions please ask Naomi or Allister Lane, or Hannah North. PRESBYTERY GATHERING August 17th 2024 in Palmerston North. Information and registration at the Presbytery Central website: http://www.presbyterycentral.org.nz/gathering/ FREE PUBLIC LECTURE Facebook Event Eventfinda Link For those who are super-keen, Prof Gaventa will offer a sit-down chat the next morning on Tuesday 20th August: What is it like to write a Bible commentary? Those who preach and teach will be interested to hear what is involved. This time will include lots of discussion. VENUE: the St John’s Centre Hall, starting with morning tea, 10.30 – 12:30pm ONLINE COURSE WITH MARTYN DAY Following the outstanding workshop series Martyn Day delivered at St John’s, he is taking registrations for his on-line course Give the Reason. This course is to help us understand the historical credibility of the Gospels and wider New Testament. This course ran last year for the first time and the feedback was positive, so it is being offered again in August. The course is run on Zoom so can be joined from anywhere. The details are available on this website, where you can also register your interest and get full course information sent to you: https://www.shv.nz/give-the-reason-course ORPHEUS CHOIR Performs Hayden’s Creation on 24 August. Discount tickets are available from Linda Van Milligan. https://orpheuschoir.org.nz/our-concerts/ CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA A third trip is planned to depart 27th November this year – serving, sharing, growing. Let Ino or Allister know if you’re interested. “Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.” Psalm 84:4 Allister

    • Church Camp
      • The Church Camp will run from Fri 20th Sept (evening) to Sun 22nd Sept (late morning) at the Paekakariki Holiday Park. To register click on this link and follow the prompts: Church Camp Any questions please ask Naomi or Allister Lane, or Hannah North.

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 21 July 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, Is it possible to take social distancing too far? Who are those we keep at a distance? This Sunday we hear a story of Jesus bringing back someone who had been kept far away from everyone. Our children and young people will go out part-way during the service to a combined Holiday Programme in the St John’s 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... CARE FOR CREATION – PRACTISING THE PRACTICE LID RECYCLING HUB Bring your lids to Church each Sunday! As part of our care for creation together we have set up a lid recycling hub at St John’s in the City. Those lids that can’t go in with the curb-side recycling will be collected at Church and taken where they will be recycled. ✔️ Plastic hinge caps and screw caps lids (any colour) ✔️ Plastic milk bottle caps ✔️ Plastic contact lens packaging without foil ✔️ Yoghurt pot lids Only 2 & 5 please - clean and dry. There are lots of fun ways to be practising the practice of Care for Creation in your household. Here is a link to an activity sheet: Activity Sheet INSURANCE With escalating insurance costs, the St John’s Session and Council have explored sustainable options. A significant amount of research has been done, and the recommendations brought to our Congregational, which were unanimously agreed to. The details are available on the St John’s website: https://www.stjohnsinthecity.org.nz/news FAREWELL CONCERT Before he departs to study music overseas, Benjamin Carter is giving a concert in appreciation of his St John’s Church family. Come and enjoy this concert as we wish Benjamin well for this exciting phase in his life. Sunday 21st July at 1pm in the Church. FELLOWSHIP GROUP The Annual General Meeting of St John’s Fellowship Group will be held in the St John’s Centre on Tuesday 23rd July 2024 commencing at 11am. The Rev Allister Lane will preside during the elections of officers. There will be a shared lunch following the meeting. PUBLIC LECTURE ‘Portraying the Invisible God: How Early Christian Artists Depicted Christ’ by Professor Robin Jensen. Tuesday July 23, 7.00 – 9.00pm Public Lecture, All Saints Church, 90 Hamilton Rd, Hataitai. In partnership with the Theology Programme at the University of Otago, Venn Centre for the Arts brings you a conversation evening with historian of Christian art and architecture Professor Robin Jensen. The New Testament refers to Christ as the image of the invisible God, but it never describes his physical appearance. Professor Robin Jensen will explore how early depictions of Jesus expressed Christian beliefs about his divine and human natures as well as his mission as healer, teacher, and saviour. Whether you’re a practicing artist, or fascinated by the arts, this event offers an excellent opportunity to explore some of the ancient dynamics of Christianity and art-making. WHANAU NIGHT Join us for Whanau Night on Sunday 28 July 2024 at St Johns Centre. This family-friendly event focuses on "Restoring our Environment" (Toitu te Taio) with Heads-Hearts-Hands activities around environmental stewardship. This is an excellent opportunity for us as a church to build on our 'Care for Creation' series we've been experiencing on Sunday mornings. Please BYO picnic/food to share (who can bring the most environmentally friendly picnic?) PRESBYTERY GATHERING August 17th 2024 in Palmerston North. Information and registration at the Presbytery Central website: http://www.presbyterycentral.org.nz/gathering/ FREE PUBLIC LECTURE Facebook Event Eventfinda Link For those who are super-keen, Prof Gaventa will offer a sit-down chat the next morning on Tuesday 20th August: What is it like to write a Bible commentary? Those who preach and teach will be interested to hear what is involved. This time will include lots of discussion. VENUE: the St John’s Centre Hall, starting with morning tea, 10.30 – 12:30pm ONLINE COURSE WITH MARTYN DAY Following the outstanding workshop series Martyn Day delivered at St John’s, he is taking registrations for his on-line course Give the Reason. This course is to help us understand the historical credibility of the Gospels and wider New Testament. This course ran last year for the first time and the feedback was positive, so it is being offered again in August. The course is run on Zoom so can be joined from anywhere. The details are available on this website, where you can also register your interest and get full course information sent to you: https://www.shv.nz/give-the-reason-course CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA “May we see glimpses of your grace, and may we seek to be a church that gladly works to bring your new community.” From the hymn O God, You Tell Us Of A Day by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 14 July 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we continue our four week series exploring the practice ‘Care for Creation’. Jesus talked about how God has created a world of abundant goodness “Look at the birds of the air… Consider the lilies of the field…” (Mark 6) The closer we stay to Jesus, the more we are part of the new economy of abundance in the world. Our children and young people can go straight to the combined Holiday Programme in the St John’s Centre at 10am, and we will all join together in the Church later for Communion. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... INSURANCE As the insurance landscape changes, the St John’s Session and Council have explored sustainable options for how we plan to mitigate any future risk. A significant amount of research has been done, and the recommendations brought to our Congregational Meeting last Sunday were unanimously agreed. The details are available on the St John’s website: https://www.stjohnsinthecity.org.nz/news DAILY BIBLE READING We continue to encourage one another in spiritual practices that grow our faith. 31 Days of Truth is a suggested resource for daily Bible reading from the Bible Society, which includes a reflection from Martyn Day, who recently lead the series of workshops on the Bible at St John’s. Could this be something you try in July? 31 Days of Truth DEATH & HONEY This contemporary theatre production was created to discuss life and loss, posing a reflective question for the viewer; Who is Death to you? From the existential incomprehensible unknown, to arguing about mugs of hot chocolate, Honey explores her relationship with Death and what it means to live in the face of mortality. Full details available below: Death & Honey FAREWELL CONCERT Before he departs to study music overseas, Benjamin Carter is giving a concert in appreciation of his St John’s Church family. Come and enjoy this concert as we wish Benjamin well for this exciting phase in his life. Sunday 21st July at 1pm in the Church. FELLOWSHIP GROUP The Annual General Meeting of St John’s Fellowship Group will be held in the St John’s Centre on Tuesday 23rd July 2024 commencing at 11am. The Rev Allister Lane will preside during the elections of officers. There will be a shared lunch following the meeting. PUBLIC LECTURE ‘Portraying the Invisible God: How Early Christian Artists Depicted Christ’ by Professor Robin Jensen. Tuesday July 23, 7.00 – 9.00pm Public Lecture, All Saints Church, 90 Hamilton Rd, Haitaitai. In partnership with the Theology Programme at the University of Otago, Venn Centre for the Arts brings you a conversation evening with historian of Christian art and architecture Professor Robin Jensen. The New Testament refers to Christ as the image of the invisible God, but it never describes his physical appearance. Professor Robin Jensen will explore how early depictions of Jesus expressed Christian beliefs about his divine and human natures as well as his mission as healer, teacher, and saviour. Whether you’re a practicing artist, or fascinated by the arts, this event offers an excellent opportunity to explore some of the ancient dynamics of Christianity and art-making. WHANAU NIGHT Our next Whanau Night is on Sunday 28 July. Come along to the St John’s Centre 5:00 – 6:30pm for some kai, connection and being community together. CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA ‘O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.’ Psalm 104 Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 7 July 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we continue our four week series exploring the practice ‘Care for Creation’. The book of Revelation describes ‘a new heaven and a new earth’… what does this promise about the restoration of creation? This continues our emphasis of putting our faith into practice, and will focus on our desire for knowing God more through intentional practices, relationships, and experiences. We will all gather in the Church at 10am and our young people will go out part-way to their peer groups. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... INSURANCE With escalating insurance costs, the St John’s Session and Council have explored sustainable options. A significant amount of research has been done and there are recommendations to bring for consideration by everyone at St John’s. Background information has been prepared in this easy to read guide: St John's Insurance Last Sunday there was a forum for consideration of the information and the opportunity discuss any questions about the recommendations. This Sunday there is a Congregational Meeting immediately following the service in the church, for all members to vote on the recommendations. LETTER FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The Moderator Right Rev Rose Luxford has published an update on The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. This can be read below: Letter from the Moderator DAILY BIBLE READING We continue to encourage one another in spiritual practices that grow our faith. 31 Days of Truth is a suggested resource for daily Bible reading from the Bible Society, which includes a reflection from Martyn Day, who recently lead the series of workshops on the Bible at St John’s. Could this be something you try in July? 31 Days of Truth DEATH & HONEY This contemporary theatre production was created to discuss life and loss, posing a reflective question for the viewer; Who is Death to you? From the existential incomprehensible unknown, to arguing about mugs of hot chocolate, Honey explores her relationship with Death and what it means to live in the face of mortality. Full details available below: Death & Honey PUBLIC LECTURE ‘Portraying the Invisible God: How Early Christian Artists Depicted Christ’ by Professor Robin Jensen. Tuesday July 23, 7.00 – 9.00pm Public Lecture, All Saints Church, 90 Hamilton Rd, Haitaitai. In partnership with the Theology Programme at the University of Otago, Venn Centre for the Arts brings you a conversation evening with historian of Christian art and architecture Professor Robin Jensen. The New Testament refers to Christ as the image of the invisible God, but it never describes his physical appearance. Professor Robin Jensen will explore how early depictions of Jesus expressed Christian beliefs about his divine and human natures as well as his mission as healer, teacher, and saviour. Whether you’re a practicing artist, or fascinated by the arts, this event offers an excellent opportunity to explore some of the ancient dynamics of Christianity and art-making. CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA ‘You are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season.’ Psalm 1 Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 30 June 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we continue our four week series exploring the practice ‘Care for Creation’. Should Christians be vegetarians? This continues our emphasis of putting our faith into practice, and will focus on our desire for knowing God more through intentional practices, relationships, and experiences. We will all gather in the Church at 10am and our young people will go out part-way to their peer groups. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... INSURANCE With escalating insurance costs, the St John’s Session and Council are exploring sustainable options. A significant amount of research has been done and there are some recommendations to bring for consideration by everyone at St John’s. Background information has been prepared in an easy-to-read guide (available on the St John’s website). This information is made available in advance of a forum on Sunday the 30th June in the St John’s Centre following the service. There will then be a Congregational Meeting the following week Sunday 7th July held in the church following the service, for all members to vote on a preferred option. SOUPER SUNDAY This Sunday is another opportunity to share a bowl of hot soup in our series of Souper Sunday lunches over winter. You are warmly invited to lunch in the St John’s Centre, following the Morning Tea and Forum about insurance. You are welcome to bring a small plate of something sweet to share with our tea or coffee. Come and share in the warm fellowship, we’d love to see you. LETTER FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The Moderator Right Rev Rose Luxford has published an update on The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. This can be read below: Letter from the Moderator DAILY BIBLE READING We continue to encourage one another in spiritual practices that grow our faith. 31 Days of Truth is a suggested resource for daily Bible reading from the Bible Society, which includes a reflection from Martyn Day, who recently lead the series of workshops on the Bible at St John’s. Could this be something you try in July? 31 Days of Truth CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA E-RECYCLING FUNDRAISER BOOK FAIR KARORI ‘You are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season.’ Psalm 1 Allister

    • St John’s in the City Insurance
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau This special post gives you information and invitations. With escalating insurance costs, the St John’s Session and Council are exploring sustainable options. A significant amount of research has been done and there are some recommendations to bring for consideration by everyone at St John’s. Background information has been prepared in this easy to read guide: St John’s Insurance This information is made available in advance of a forum on Sunday the 30th June in the St John’s Centre following the service. You are invited to please submit any questions in advance to enquiries@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz There will then be a Congregational Meeting the following week Sunday 7th July held in the church following the service, for all members to vote on a preferred option. Yours in Christ Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 23 June 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we begin our four week series exploring the practice ‘Care for Creation’. How can we practice the care of creation as an act of worship? This continues our emphasis of putting our faith into practice, and will focus on our desire for knowing God more through intentional practices, relationships, and experiences. This Sunday we will worship as a community of all generations, with an intergenerational service all together in the church building. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... SCOTS COLLEGE JUNIOR SCHOOL SERVICE We have had visits from different houses of Scots College in recent weeks – but the Junior School at Scots does not have houses. So there is a special service for them and their families at 4pm this Sunday at St John’s in the City, with a Matariki theme. FELLOWSHIP GROUP Kay Webster, who was our guest Minister last October, will be the guest speaker at the next Fellowship Group meeting on Tuesday 25 June 2024 at 11.00am in the MacKenzie Room (note venue change). In her role as the Advanced Care Planning Coordinator with Age Concern, Kay has some insights for us on how to plan for our own later days to keep it simple for ourselves, our caregivers and our near and dear. INSURANCE With escalating insurance costs, the St John’s Session and Council are exploring sustainable options. A significant amount of research has been done and there are some recommendations to bring for consideration by everyone at St John’s. Background information will be made available in advance of a forum on Sunday the 30th June in the St John’s Centre following the service. Members will be invited to submit questions in advance. There will then be a Congregational Meeting the following week (7th July) held in the church following the service, for us all to vote on a preferred option. DUTY ROSTERS – SERVING OTHERS It’s time to prepare the rosters for serving in July - October. Please let Linda van Milligan know your availability for this season by 20 June. UPDATE ON CAFÉ All the residents of the Dixon Street Flats have been moved out – so what has happened to the regular Café St John’s has been part of…? Read all about the next phase of the Café here: St John's Café LETTER FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The Moderator Right Rev Rose Luxford has published an update on The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. This can be read below: Letter from the Moderator CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA IN GOOD COMPANY CONCERT E-RECYCLING FUNDRAISER BOOK FAIR KARORI MESSENGER NEWSLETTER Read our latest St John’s newsletter here: Messenger ‘You are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season.’ Psalm 1 Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 16 June 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday Martyn Day will preach on the Bible passage Luke 1:26-38 – which is about the birth of Jesus being announced to Mary! We would normally hear this part of the Gospel story just before Christmas – what will Martyn draw out of this passage for us this Sunday? Students, staff and families from Aitken House at Scots College will join us for worship, with students leading parts of our worship. The burning bush is a symbol of Aitken House. Our children have their peer group time, going out part-way through the service (after the Sung Blessing). Our youth will stay in for the full service this Sunday. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE This series of evening workshops with Martyn Day will give you a ‘toolkit’ to read the Bible, SO THAT you can know Jesus better. Sun 16th June - Can we trust the Gospels? Mon 17th June - Taking God’s Word for it Tue 18th June - Get into the Gospels! Wed 19th June - Lifting the lid on the book of Revelation 6:30 – 8:30pm in the St John’s Centre, on the corner of Dixon and Willis Streets Martyn Day pastors the South Harbour Vineyard Church in Auckland. A British export to NZ, Martyn is passionate about helping people to love, learn and live God’s Word. He is an outstanding communicator and this series will be of great interest to anyone curious about useful tools for reading the Bible. This series offers fresh understanding of the rich meaning in God’s Word available through classic interpretive techniques that ‘connect the dots’! Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417153395671117/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/understanding-the-bible-with-martyn-day/wellington ST JOHN’S QUIZ NIGHT – FRIDAY 14th JUNE FELLOWSHIP GROUP Kay Webster, who was our guest Minister last October, will be the guest speaker at the next Fellowship Group meeting on Tuesday 25 June 2024 at 11.00am in the Hall. In her role as the Advanced Care Planning Coordinator with Age Concern, Kay has some insights for us on how to plan for our own later days to keep it simple for ourselves, our caregivers and our near and dear. DUTY ROSTERS – SERVING OTHERS It’s time to prepare the rosters for serving in July - October. Please let Linda van Milligan know your availability for this season by 20 June. UPDATE ON CAFÉ All the residents of the Dixon Street Flats have been moved out – so what has happened to the regular Café St John’s has been part of…? Read all about the next phase of the Café here: St John's Café FOLLOW ME SERIES – CARE FOR CREATION How can we practice the care of creation as an act of worship? Over four weeks we will explore the practice of Care for Creation. This continues our emphasis of putting our faith into practice, and will focus on our desire for knowing God more through intentional practices, relationships, and experiences. We will be doing this as a community of all generations, starting with an intergenerational service on Sunday 23rd June. STUDENT STUDY SPACE A massive thank you to the big team of volunteers who were the ‘friendly face’ of us as a Church for students wanting a warm quiet space to study. Making this space available for the students in our city preparing for their exams was an experiment for us as part of our Vision to connect more with our neighbourhood – creating safe spaces to be, to belong, and to navigate the tough stuff. We continue to pray for those with exams, and that they may know the support of our community throughout the year, and for ‘all of life’. CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA MESSENGER NEWSLETTER Read our latest St John’s newsletter here: Messenger ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ - Mary Allister

    • St John's Cafe
      • For 8 years a weekly Café has been run on the 10th floor community room of the Dixon Street Flats across the road from St John’s in the City. This has been led by Janie with a committed team of volunteers from St Johns, in partnership with Kainga Ora and our tenant neighbours. With the relocation of our neighbours from this site, for the refurbishment of their building, the St Johns volunteers want to maintain this missional work and so it has been decided to run a Café from our own St John’s Centre. This continues to be in collaboration with Kainga Ora, who advertise the Café to relocated residents. We decided to run the Café monthly, rather than weekly, providing a more substantial meal for those who come. Our first St John’s based Café was on 8th February 2024, and we were delighted to get a dozen people come along. Since then, our numbers have grown – this is significant as it is no longer just a walk across the road; people now come to our Café from Lyall bay, Newtown, Lower Hutt, Berhampore and of course the central city. We pray that more people will find this to be a welcoming space in the city as we remain committed to demonstrate Christ’s love with our neighbours by the sharing of food and company in a safe warm space to sit for a couple of hours. To extend the ministry of the Café, we are hoping that very soon we will receive food from Kaibosh Food Rescue which we can then allocate as food parcels for our friends to take home. If you would like to consider becoming part of our volunteer group, we would love to hear from you. And we ask everyone to please continue to pray for the growing of this outreach.

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 9 June 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, Is it possible Jesus didn’t like his own family very much…? Or is something more significant going on when he ignores his mother and brothers…? Our Bible reading this Sunday is Mark 3:31-35 Students, staff and families from Uttley House at Scots College will join us for worship. The red rose is a symbol of Uttley House. Our children can go straight to their peer group in the St John’s Centre at 10am, and we will all join together in the Church later for Communion. (We are encouraging the youth to join in the whole service from 10am, along with the students from Uttley House, but they can join with the St J’s Kids peer group from 10am if they prefer). 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... STUDENT STUDY SPACE This is exam season for university students, and we are creating a quiet space to study here at St John's in the City, to help students at this stressful time. The St John’s Centre will be open 10th-13th June, from 1 – 6pm. Thank you to the wonderful team of volunteers who are supervising this study space, as the ‘friendly face’ of the Church. Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1106742617432967/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/study-space/wellington Website post UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE This series of evening workshops with Martyn Day will give you a ‘toolkit’ to read the Bible, SO THAT you can know Jesus better. Sun 16th June - Can we trust the Gospels? Mon 17th June - Taking God’s Word for it Tue 18th June - Get into the Gospels! Wed 19th June - Lifting the lid on the book of Revelation 6:30 – 8:30pm in the St John’s Centre, on the corner of Dixon and Willis Streets Martyn Day pastors the South Harbour Vineyard Church in Auckland. A British export to NZ, Martyn is passionate about helping people to love, learn and live God’s Word. He is an outstanding communicator and this series will be of great interest to anyone curious about useful tools for reading the Bible. This series offers fresh understanding of the rich meaning in God’s Word available through classic interpretive techniques that ‘connect the dots’! Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417153395671117/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/understanding-the-bible-with-martyn-day/wellington ST JOHN’S QUIZ NIGHT – FRIDAY 14th JUNE DUTY ROSTERS – SERVING OTHERS It’s time to prepare the rosters for serving in July - October. Please let Linda van Milligan know your availability for this season by 20 June. CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA MESSENGER NEWSLETTER Read our latest St John’s newsletter here: Messenger “Follow me.” - Jesus Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 2 June 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, Jesus never flinches from those who sin, who are sick, …whose lives are falling apart. In fact, he seems drawn to reach out to them. How can we recognise Jesus meeting us in our own need? Our Bible reading this Sunday is Mark 2:1-17 Our children and youth have peer groups this Sunday during the second part of the service, going out after the Sung Blessing. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... STUDENT STUDY SPACE This week university students start their exam season. This is a time where having a quiet space to study can be difficult to find. We are reaching out to students to offer them a space here at St John's in the City, to help them get through this stressful time. The St John’s Centre will be open 4th-6th and 10th-13th June, from 1 – 6pm. Thank you to the wonderful team of volunteers who will be present to supervise this study space, and be the ‘friendly face’ of us as a Church. Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1106742617432967/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/study-space/wellington Website post UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE A series of evening workshops with Martyn Day. Mon 17th June - Taking God’s Word for it Tue 18th June - Get into the Gospels! Wed 19th June - Lifting the lid on the book of Revelation 6:30 – 8:30pm in the St John’s Centre, on the corner of Dixon and Willis Streets Martyn Day pastors the South Harbour Vineyard Church in Auckland. A British export to NZ, Martyn is passionate about helping people to love, learn and live God’s Word. He is an outstanding communicator and this series will be of great interest to anyone curious about useful tools for reading the Bible. This series offers fresh understanding of the rich meaning in God’s Word available through classic interpretive techniques that ‘connect the dots’! Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417153395671117/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/understanding-the-bible-with-martyn-day/wellington YOUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON CHILL SPACE ST JOHN’S QUIZ NIGHT – FRIDAY 14th JUNE CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA CHURCH CAMP We’re excited to let you know there's a church camp happening this year! It's at Paekakariki Holiday Park from Fri evening 20 Sept till Sunday 22 Sept. We’ll be aiming to keep costs down and you can choose to sleep in the lodge, pitch a tent or stay in an onsite cabin (more details will be available at a later stage.) (FYI - El Rancho/Forest Lakes and Kaitoke were booked for this date.) THANKS FROM DCM A HUGE thank you for the support that the St John’s volunteers offered to DCM as part of last Saturday’s Foodbank Appeal. DCM received 94 boxes of food, which was a great result – especially ahead of winter. We are thankful for the ongoing partnership to serve those with high needs in our city. MESSENGER NEWSLETTER Read our latest St John’s newsletter here: Messenger “Follow me.” - Jesus Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 26 May 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This weekend it is Trinity Sunday – and we will celebrate this mystery of God’s identity, and the profound importance of our experience sharing in this mystery. Our Bible reading is John 3:1-17 Students, staff and families from Fergusson House will join us for worship – and we will celebrate with them their 90th year as a House community. Our youth will stay in for the whole service, and our children will have their peer group time during the second part of the service, going out after the Sung Blessing. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... SOUPER SUNDAYS This Sunday is the first in our series of Souper Sunday lunches over winter. You are warmly invited to share in a bowl of hot soup after church on any of the following dates: May 26, June 30, July 28, August 25 You are welcome to bring a small plate of something sweet to share with our tea or coffee. Come and share in the warm fellowship, we’d love to see you. WHANAU NIGHT You are invited to Whanau Night THIS Sunday 26 May. Come along for some kai, connection and being community together. We are very grateful to our wonderful St J's Indonesian community who will be cooking for us on this special evening. Building on our 2024 theme of Restoration, this whanau night is all about 'restoring relationships'. We will have an all age bridge building game involving marshmallows before we split into heads/ hearts/ hands for some interactive group activities. No need to RSVP, just turn up, and please do invite your friends! FELLOWSHIP GROUP Pip Rea, director of community services of the Wellington City Mission will share with the news about Whaka Maru, their new building to house all of their community services at Oxford Terrace near the Basin Reserve. Fellowship Group will meet on 28th May at 11am in the Hall. STUDENT STUDY SPACE Next month university students start their exam season. This is a time where having a quiet space to study can be difficult to find. We are reaching out to students to offer them a space here at St John's in the City, to help them get through this stressful time. We will need some volunteers to help supervise this! We need a minimum of 2 people for 2 ½ hour time slots (1-3.30pm and 3.30-6pm) from the 4th-6th and 10th-13th June. We have WIFI available so if you want to work from church while providing supervision you are more than welcome. On Sunday there will be signup sheets available but if you want to get ahead of the rush of volunteers feel free to contact Hannah (h.north@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz) to sign up for your preferred day and time. Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1106742617432967/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/study-space/wellington Website UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE A series of evening workshops with Martyn Day. Sun 16th June - Can we trust the Gospels? Mon 17th June - Taking God’s Word for it Tue 18th June - Get into the Gospels! Wed 19th June - Lifting the lid on the book of Revelation 6:30 – 8:30pm in the St John’s Centre, on the corner of Dixon and Willis Streets Martyn Day pastors the South Harbour Vineyard Church in Auckland. A British export to NZ, Martyn is passionate about helping people to love, learn and live God’s Word. He is an outstanding communicator and this series will be of great interest to anyone curious about useful tools for reading the Bible. This series offers fresh understanding of the rich meaning in God’s Word available through classic interpretive techniques that ‘connect the dots’! Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417153395671117/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/understanding-the-bible-with-martyn-day/wellington YOUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON CHILL SPACE ST JOHN’S QUIZ NIGHT – FRIDAY 14th JUNE CROSS CULTURAL ENCOUNTER TRIP TO INDONESIA STUDY THEOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO The Theology Programme at the University of Otago offers many opportunities for the study of Theology, Biblical Studies, Church History, Ministry, and Pastoral Theology (including Chaplaincy). You can study either on-campus or across Aotearoa New Zealand through our distance study programme. We are committed to serving Christian communities throughout the country. Semester 2 starts on July 15th and new enrolments are due by June 25th. For details of papers go to: https://www.otago.ac.nz/theology/study/papers/ To enrol go to https://www.otago.ac.nz/study/enrolment/ To keep up to date, like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/theologyotago MESSENGER NEWSLETTER Read our latest St John’s newsletter here: Messenger The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Allister

    • St Johns messenger - May 2024
      • Faith is a verb. Over the season of Lent, leading up to Easter, we experienced a weekly series exploring Spiritual Practices. The goal we named is: to put our faith into practice. Spiritual Practices don’t reveal our innate holiness. And they do not score us ‘spiritual brownie points’ (at least not with God). Trying Spiritual Practices is about recognising the humble but profound desire to keep company with Jesus – the One who wants to be known – making space for Him in our lives. We do our part – and Jesus does his part. Our part is to offer ourselves lovingly, obediently, fully to Jesus. And Jesus meets us with the fulness of God – the One who lived the perfect human life and who died in order that we might know God and experience all God wants for us. Spiritual Practices don’t make us perfect, they enable us to enter the story as we keep company with the One who is perfect, and is ready to give to us all we need. David P. Gushee suggests a (rather comprehensive) list of what we may expect from our Spiritual Practices: …deepen our commitment to the narrative of the kingdom of God. …bind us more thoroughly to God the gracious Father and to Jesus the faithful Son. … connect us more closely with other brothers and sisters who also are giving their lives to the reign of God. …align our will with the will of God and the contours of God’s reign. …give us opportunity to participate in the coming of God’s reign… …alert us to Satan’s wiles and fortifies us for resistance in times of trial. …deepen our trust in God and our consequent willingness to take risks for the kingdom. …purify us of mixed allegiances that threaten our fidelity to God. …train our hearts to seek heavenly rather than earthly rewards. …keep us from investing ourselves in unworthy idols in quest of an illusory security. …keep us from cozying up to unjust earthly powers in order to protect ourselves. …aid our moral discernment and decision making process by establishing kingdom practices as the plumblines. …give us a sense of God’s presence and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives. …help us notice the gifts of God’s grace, the things that God does, the deliverance that God brings, in and around our daily lives. …give us deeply grateful hearts. In short: Spiritual Practices encourage us to anticipate God’s delivering grace to rain down upon the earth, and at the same time make the grateful choice to participate in that delivering grace ourselves, today and every day. Let us continue to encourage one another in our Spiritual Practices. “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” Hebrews 10:24-25 Allister Lane The Freedom to Sabbath We all have teachers that we believe should hold the title of ‘best teacher ever’. For me having a lecturer who literally wrote the book on Sabbath Keeping has to be the real MVP. In amongst deadlines and information overload Rev Dr Lynne Baab encouraged us to keep a weekly Sabbath. Like many, I was first introduced to the concept of Sabbath in Sunday School through the Ten Commandments. As a child, this looked like going to church on Sunday and not going to the shops. This was God’s rule and we should follow it. While this is a fine approach, my post-Baab approach has allowed me to explore the freedom God offers through Sabbath. It is freeing to take a break from all the things I must do. The work would be there again on Monday and there is no harm in leaving it for a while. I realize that even if I ceased from work the world wouldn’t fall apart. Sabbath keeping can free us from the absurd notion that it is our efforts that keep the world in motion. Instead, Sabbath requires us to humble ourselves and remember God as the sustainer of all life - including ours. One final lesson I recall from Lynne, if you can’t keep Sabbath for 24 hours try twelve. If twelve is too much try six, or three or even one. Sabbath can be one of the most freeing challenges, remember God’s got this. David Jackson Spiritual Practices I found this a very interesting and challenging series. Having recently left Wadestown Church after 54 years, I had let some of these practices slip, so it was good to be reminded. I wake very early these days and found that this was a good time to spend in prayer and reading the Bible. I tried a few of the recommended on-line Bible reading apps and finally settled on the one presented by the Rev. Nicky Gumble of Holy Trinity Church in London. Having been involved in Alpha in the past, I enjoyed his approach. There are always three readings, from Psalms, the Old and New Testaments, with commentaries and suggestions for prayer, and a thought for the day. During my quiet time God has shown me an area where I needed forgiveness. This was hard but wonderful and I praise God that I have been set free from the guilt that I had been carrying. I now find that these spiritual practices are making me more aware of opportunities to put my faith into practice. Opportunities to be more hospitable, more generous; to be more tolerant of people who can be annoying; and remembering the importance of intercessory prayer - and I am grateful to St John’s for the monthly Prayer Chain guides. I give thanks that I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and a wonderful family. But I also give thanks for this series on Spiritual Practices which has helped kick-start my journey with Jesus again. The Bible reading the app is called ‘The Bible with Nicky and Pippa’ https://bible.alpha.org/en/ This includes options for ‘Classic’, ‘Youth’, or ‘Express’. Heather Lane Reflection on Easter Camp Easter Camp. There is no better way to spend one’s Easter weekend than at the joys that is Easter Camp. Collaboration of different youth groups and fun activities in a very friendly environment made it an absolutely brilliant experience. The weather was wonderful, the people eager for fun and the food all round quite nice. I learnt quite a bit from Easter Camp: that I quite like croissants, that my greenstone necklace looks like a bowling pin and most importantly, an endless list of reasons never to miss a single Easter Camp. I cannot believe that I did not go previous years, and it really made the Easter weekend a worthwhile break from society and the city. I can’t wait for next Easter Camp, and nothing will stop me from going. The only downside was that I was exhausted the following week, but that’s a small price to pay for the pure enjoyment of Easter Camp. Nick Shaw Pre exam Supervised student study space at St Johns centre. We are pleased to update the congregation on the progress of the above programme. A small working group has been bringing this idea to reality. What is being offered? We are offering the student community of Wellington (with an emphasis on Victoria University in the first instance) a supervised student study space. Study spaces are at a premium at the University and the Central Public Library in Wellington is not available. We are offering quiet individual study spaces, and several spaces of group study, in a quiet, warm environment with Wifi provision. A “goodie” bag will be given to each student attending. Information about the life of St John’s will be available. This is a student outreach programme complimenting the recent growth and strengthening of the young adult programme at St John’s. The programme is innovative and experimental in nature – there is no guarantee of success – however we are going to “give it a go” – in a different terminology it would be called a proof of concept. When Week one - 1pm - 6pm Tuesday 4th Jun Wednesday 5th June Thursday 6th June Week Two - 1pm - 6pm Monday 10th June Tuesday 11th June Wednesday 12th June Thursday 13th June We need you if: You can spare a couple of hours to be with our student guests studying for their exams. You are licensed to drive a kettle for tea and coffee ! You can provide a warm smile of welcome and reflect the St John’s special vibe? If you work from home – you could choose to work from St John’s for a couple of hours during this time. You can publicise the programme through poster/pamphlet drop etc. Give your prayerful support to the programme. How do I express my interest? There will be signup sheets in the Church flyer in the preceding weeks of the programme. I need to know more. Working group members- Contact Hannah North, Samuel Allen, Janie Pack, Eldred Gilbert, Rev Allister Lane. Public Theology 16th – 19th June 2024 St John’s in the City The St John’s Outreach Committee are pleased to invite you to a series of public theology workshops Understanding the Bible with Martyn Day. This series runs over four back-to back evenings. The first workshop is for everyone – including those who may be skeptical about the claims about the Gospels. Offering credible reasons for why the Gospels can be trusted, the following three workshops build on this topic. Although each workshop will make sense and be worthwhile distinct from the other workshops in the series. More details on the series topics are Here. Martyn Day pastors the South Harbour Vineyard Church in Auckland and is a highly competent and engaging communicator. A British export to NZ, Martyn is passionate about helping people to love, learn and live God’s Word. He is the founder and author for Mariners, a growing set of online Bible reading resources (www.marinersnotes.org). He is also on the staff of Alpha New Zealand. He is married to Honor and they have two young adult sons. Martyn loves reading and nice cakes with cups of tea! Crazy fact about Martyn - in the early days of email 20 years ago, Martyn once taught a brain surgeon how to use email!

    • Study Space for Tertiary Students
      • Free study space during exams for tertiary students. In the St John's Centre on the corner of Dixon and Willis Streets. - Free Wi-Fi access. - Drinks and light snacks available. - Individual and collaborative study spaces. For any questions, or to register your interest: enquiries@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz -4-6 June 1-6pm -10-13 June 1-6pm Study Space - Wellington - Eventfinda

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 19 May 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost – the Birthday of the Church! Red is the recognised colour for Pentecost, so please come wearing something RED for the occasion: t-shirts, scarfs, hoodies, …even a red flower. The special choir will have musical offerings as we celebrate Pentecost. And students, staff and families from Glasgow House will join us for worship – the Scots students will set the example by wearing red on Sunday! Our youth will stay in for the whole service, and our children will have their peer group time during the second part of the service, going out after the Sung Blessing. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... COMBINED PENTECOST WORSHIP St John’s in the City is hosting the combined Pentecost service on Sunday 19th May at 7:00pm. At Advent it worked really well to share our denominational traditions that express meaning for our faith today – so, as the host, we will share something of our Presbyterian traditions. SOUPER SUNDAYS These lunches are back by popular demand! You are warmly invited to share in a bowl of hot soup after church on any of the following dates. May 26 June 30 July 28 August 25 You are welcome to bring a small plate of something sweet to share with our tea or coffee. Come and share in the warm fellowship, we’d love to see you. WHANAU NIGHT Our next Whanau Night is on Sunday 26 May. Come along for some kai, connection and being community together. We are very grateful to our wonderful St J's Indonesian community who will be cooking for us on this special evening. Building on our 2024 theme of Restoration, this whanau night is all about 'restoring relationships'. We will have an all age bridge building game involving marshmallows before we split into heads/ hearts/ hands for some interactive group activities. No need to RSVP, just turn up, and please do invite your friends! FELLOWSHIP GROUP Pip Rea, director of community services of the Wellington City Mission will share with the news about Whaka Maru, their new building to house all of their community services at Oxford Terrace near the Basin Reserve. Fellowship Group will meet on 28th May at 11am in the Hall. UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE A series of evening workshops with Martyn Day. Sun 16th June - Can we trust the Gospels? Mon 17th June - Taking God’s Word for it Tue 18th June - Get into the Gospels! Wed 19th June - Lifting the lid on the book of Revelation 6:30 – 8:30pm in the St John’s Centre, on the corner of Dixon and Willis Streets Martyn Day pastors the South Harbour Vineyard Church in Auckland. A British export to NZ, Martyn is passionate about helping people to love, learn and live God’s Word. He is an outstanding communicator and this series will be of great interest to anyone curious about useful tools for reading the Bible. This series offers fresh understanding of the rich meaning in God’s Word available through classic interpretive techniques that ‘connect the dots’! Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417153395671117/ Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/understanding-the-bible-with-martyn-day/wellington YOUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON CHILL SPACE ST JOHN’S QUIZ NIGHT – FRIDAY 14th JUNE STUDENT STUDY SPACE Next month university students start their exam season. This is a time where having a quiet space to study can be difficult to find. We are reaching out to students to offer them a space here at St John's in the City, to help them get through this stressful time. We will need some volunteers to help supervise this! We need a minimum of 2 people for 2 ½ hour time slots (1-3.30pm and 3.30-6pm) from the 4th-6th and 10th-13th June. We have WIFI available so if you want to work from church while providing supervision you are more than welcome. On Sunday there will be signup sheets available but if you want to get ahead of the rush of volunteers feel free to contact Hannah (h.north@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz) to sign up for your preferred day and time. The fiery presence of the Holy Spirit be with you. Allister

    • Understanding the Bible with Martyn Day
      • The St John’s Outreach Committee are pleased to invite you to a series of public theology workshops Understanding the Bible with Martyn Day. This series runs over four back-to back evenings. The first workshop is for everyone – including those who may be skeptical about the claims about the Gospels. Offering credible reasons for why the Gospels can be trusted, the following three workshops build on this topic. Although each workshop will make sense and be worthwhile distinct from the other workshops in the series. Martyn Day pastors the South Harbour Vineyard Church in Auckland and is a highly competent and engaging communicator. A British export to NZ, Martyn is passionate about helping people to love, learn and live God’s Word. He is the founder and author for Mariners, a growing set of online Bible reading resources (www.marinersnotes.org). He is also on the staff of Alpha New Zealand. He is married to Honor and they have two young adult sons. Martyn loves reading and nice cakes with cups of tea! Crazy fact about Martyn - in the early days of email 20 years ago, Martyn once taught a brain surgeon how to use email! Sunday 16th June, 6:30pm Can We Trust the Gospels? The Gospels function as our primary source about the life of Jesus - what He did and said. But can we trust them? Can we have confidence in their historical credibility? Starting with no prior assumptions about the Gospels, this workshop will allow us to explore three dimensions of research: • can we trust the original sources for the material? • can we trust the way the first stories of Jesus were passed on over the years? • can we trust the actual text of the Gospels as representing good history-writing? Interactive and wide-ranging, this workshop will get you thinking as you engage with historical material to form your own conclusions. Monday 17th June, 6:30pm Taking God’s Word for it How come different people can read the same Bible passage, but arrive at divergent interpretations of its meaning? How can we read the Bible well, in ways that lead us to interpret God’s life-giving Word with confidence? Interactive and thought-provoking, this workshop offers four practical tools with worked examples to help us interpret the Bible well, whether we’re reading it individually or in a group setting. Tuesday 18th June, 6:30pm Get into the Gospels! This highly interactive workshop offers a tool for getting much more from our study of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Following a short introduction on the background to these Gospels, the main section of the workshop will involve worked examples of stories from the life of Jesus. This workshop will assist the way you read the Gospels either individually or in a group setting, helping you see more of Jesus. Wednesday 19th June. 6:30pm Lifting the Lid – making sense of the book of Revelation Let’s face it, the book of Revelation is one of the hardest books in the Bible to understand! Reading Revelation can leave us scratching our heads, somewhat worried, or both! How do we make sense of this most remarkable book? Martyn Day spent two years teaching through the entire book of Revelation at his church, the South Harbour Vineyard in Auckland. He is the author of Lifting the Lid, a Bible-reading series on the book of Revelation, available from his Mariners website of Bible-reading resources (www.marinersnotes.org). Interactive and thought-provoking, with worked examples, this workshop will offer a toolkit for how to read the book of Revelation faithfully. Link to Facebook Event

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 12 May 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, How do we decide if the testimony of a witness is reliable? The Bible tells us “If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater.” (1 John 5:9) What is the ‘testimony of God’? We will explore this together on Sunday as we worship together at 10am, celebrating the holy meal of Communion. All our young people can go straight to their peer groups in the St John’s Centre at 10am, and we will all come together in the Church later for Communion. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service The Minister is pleased to be back this Sunday after his successful abdominal surgery – here is an un-doctored photo of me with my family, proving all is well! A COVENANT OF RECONCILIATION - DR ALISTAIR REESE At this special event, historian and public theologian Dr Alistair Reese will help us to understand how the Treaty is he tatau pounamu—a covenant pathway of reconciliation. He will consider the history and context of this foundational document, including the role of the Church in its shape and interpretation. And he will weigh, with us, how best to respond—how best to honour the Treaty now. Tuesday 14th May, 7pm-9pm at St John’s in the City. Register here: COMBINED PENTECOST WORSHIP St John’s in the City is hosting the combined Pentecost service on Sunday 19th May at 7:00pm. At Advent it worked really well to share our denominational traditions that express meaning for our faith today – so, as the host, we will share something of our Presbyterian traditions. DCM FOODBANK APPEAL DCM have a Food bank appeal on Saturday 25th May. We want to help by having volunteers from St John's collection donations at the designated supermarket. To join in, please contact Carolyn Goudswaard. SOUPER SUNDAYS These lunches are back by popular demand! You are warmly invited to share in a bowl of hot soup after church on any of the following dates. May 26 June 30 July 28 August 25 You are welcome to bring a small plate of something sweet to share with our tea or coffee. Come and share in the warm fellowship, we’d love to see you. YOUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON CHILL SPACE STUDENT STUDY SPACE Next month university students start their exam season. This is a time where having a quiet space to study can be difficult to find. We are reaching out to students to offer them a space here at St John's in the City, to help them get through this stressful time. We will need some volunteers to help supervise this! We need a minimum of 2 people for 2 ½ hour time slots (1-3.30pm and 3.30-6pm) from the 4th-6th and 10th-13th June. We have WIFI available so if you want to work from church while providing supervision you are more than welcome. On Sunday there will be signup sheets available but if you want to get ahead of the rush of volunteers feel free to contact Hannah (h.north@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz) to sign up for your preferred day and time. THE SEND VOICES IN THE WIND CONCERT FOR SALE If you felt like a home with an ‘ecclesiastical’ feel, this property is now available for sale: https://www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential/sections-for-sale/auction-4696289985.htm The Peace of the Spirit of Christ be with you Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 5 May 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This weekend we meet together as usual on Sunday to worship at 10am. If you want to read the Bible readings before Sunday, they are: 1 John 5:1-6 Acts 10:44-48 John:15:9-12 St J's Kids will be happening again this Sunday, going out partway through the service. The Youth will remain in the service. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… CULTS, CHRISTIANITY, AND CONVERSATIONS You may be aware that the Shincheonji Cult is actively trying to recruit church leaders, congregants, and also targeting University students. This is a dangerous cult which isolates people from community, and twists Scripture to suit its purposes. Laidlaw Bible College has a workshop on Friday 3 May, 7pm at Wellington Central Baptist Church which will be informative and supportive. You can find out more or register here. LAIDLAW THEOLOGY TASTER On Saturday 4th May, 10:00-12:30, a team from the Laidlaw Bible College Theology faculty are hosting a morning of mini workshops at Ramsey House, to give a taste of what study at Laidlaw is like. They will be doing an intro to the Hebrew language, a peek into the Old Testament world through the Laws of Eshunna and the Law of Moses, a glimpse into Pasifika theology, and a session on Missions. Whilst the campuses are in Christchurch and Auckland, they have a multitude of courses available by distance learning. The workshops will be followed by a light lunch and time to chat. You can find out more or register here. A COVENANT OF RECONCILIATION - DR ALISTAIR REESE At this special event, historian and public theologian Dr Alistair Reese will help us to understand how the Treaty is he tatau pounamu—a covenant pathway of reconciliation. He will consider the history and context of this foundational document, including the role of the Church in its shape and interpretation. And he will weigh, with us, how best to respond—how best to honour the Treaty now. Tuesday 14th May, 7pm-9pm at St John’s in the City. Register here: FESTIVAL SINGERS CONCERT The Festival Singers’ have two upcoming concerts, which celebrate all things sea-related, from sea shanties to some of the best music of the English choral tradition, including works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Sumsion. Come hear a glorious half-hour’s selection of the programme at 12:45pm on Friday 10 May 2024 in the superb acoustic of the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul on Molesworth Street. Entry by koha – thank you. Or come to our exquisite full-length evening concert right by the sea, St. Christopher’s Church, corner of Ventnor and Forres Streets, Seatoun at 7:00pm on Saturday 11 May 2024. Tickets are $25 for one person or $20 each for two or more people. Children 18 years and under enter free with an accompanying adult. You can book for our Saturday night concert on Eventbrite here: Cash door sales will also be available. (Sorry no EFTPOS) Get ready to be swept away – we can’t wait to see you there! DCM FOODBANK APPEAL DCM have a Food bank appeal on Saturday 25th May. We want to help by having volunteers from St John's. To join in, please contact Carolyn Goudswaard. SOUPER SUNDAYS These lunches are back by popular demand! You are warmly invited to share in a bowl of hot soup after church on any of the following dates. May 26 June 30 July 28 August 25 You are welcome to bring a small plate of something sweet to share with our tea or coffee. Come and share in the warm fellowship, we’d love to see you. YOUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON CHILL SPACE The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 28 April 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This weekend we meet together as usual on Sunday to worship at 10am. If you want to read the Bible reading before Sunday, it is: Genesis 21:8-21 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… ANZAC DAY CONCERT The Zimbelstern Foundation is delighted to invite you to a concert being given by International Concert Organist Paul Rosoman. Paul will present a programme showcasing works which reflect the importance of ANZAC day. People whose politics, beliefs and aspirations are widely different can share a genuine sorrow at the loss of so many lives in war, and a real respect for those who have endured warfare on behalf of the country we live in. The programme includes works by Bach, Buxtehude, Parry and Dupre. 'The Spirit of ANZAC is at St Mary of the Angels Church on Thursday April 25th at 2.00pm and entry is free. CULTS, CHRISTIANITY, AND CONVERSATIONS You may be aware that the Shincheonji Cult is actively trying to recruit church leaders, congregants, and also targeting University students. This is a dangerous cult which isolates people from community, and twists Scripture to suit its purposes. Laidlaw Bible College has a workshop on Friday 3 May, 7pm at Wellington Central Baptist Church which will be informative and supportive. You can find out more or register here. LAIDLAW THEOLOGY TASTER On Saturday 4th May, 10:00-12:30, a team from the Laidlaw Bible College Theology faculty are hosting a morning of mini workshops at Ramsey House, to give a taste of what study at Laidlaw is like. They will be doing an intro to the Hebrew language, a peek into the Old Testament world through the Laws of Eshunna and the Law of Moses, a glimpse into Pasifika theology, and a session on Missions. Whilst the campuses are in Christchurch and Auckland, they have a multitude of courses available by distance learning. The workshops will be followed by a light lunch and time to chat. You can find out more or register here. A COVENANT OF RECONCILIATION - DR ALISTAIR REESE At this special event, historian and public theologian Dr Alistair Reese will help us to understand how the Treaty is he tatau pounamu—a covenant pathway of reconciliation. He will consider the history and context of this foundational document, including the role of the Church in its shape and interpretation. And he will weigh, with us, how best to respond—how best to honour the Treaty now. Tuesday 14th May, 7pm-9pm at St John’s in the City. Register here: CRAFT & COFFEE GROUP The group formerly named ‘Stitchers’ is henceforth to be known as ‘Craft and Coffee’. In other words, your craft doesn’t have to be made up of stitches. Also, a couple of our members have decided they would be available to mend clothes for people in the congregation. So, if your pants have a hole, if your cardigan/jersey needs help, if you have a dress that needs shortening, or a shirt that has lost some buttons, these can be fixed. Please see Lesley or Judi with your problem and they will ascertain whether they can fix your problem. JOB VACANCIES AT TSCF (TERTIARY STUDENTS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP) Wellington Team Leader – leading the ministry amongst students at Victoria University, Massey University, Te Pūkenga and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. The Team Leader is responsible for a small team of staff and volunteers in the region and also plays a role on the National Leadership Team of TSCF. Associate Staff (Volunteer) – supporting our student ministry to develop mission and ministry among tertiary students and advise and mentor student leaders in the TSCF campus groups. Please contact Wilma at personnel@tscf.org.nz for more information. The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 21 April 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This weekend we meet together as usual on Sunday to worship at 10am. If you want to read the Bible readings before Sunday, they are: 2 Samuel 11:1 Song of Songs 5:10-16 Matthew 25:31-46 For our young people there will be a combined holiday programme, starting part-way through the service. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… FELLOWSHIP GROUP The next meeting will be on Tuesday 23rd April, two days before ANZAC Day. The guest speaker is Andrew Brown, the General Manager of RSA Support Services. You are welcome to come and join in at 11am in the St John’s Centre Hall. ORPHEUS CHOIR CONCERT - THE ARMED MAN ANZAC DAY CONCERT The Zimbelstern Foundation is delighted to invite you to a concert being given by International Concert Organist Paul Rosoman. Paul will present a programme showcasing works which reflect the importance of ANZAC day. People whose politics, beliefs and aspirations are widely different can share a genuine sorrow at the loss of so many lives in war, and a real respect for those who have endured warfare on behalf of the country we live in. The programme includes works by Bach, Buxtehude, Parry and Dupre. 'The Spirit of ANZAC is at St Mary of the Angels Church on Thursday April 25th at 2.00pm and entry is free. CRAFT & COFFEE GROUP The group formerly named ‘Stitchers’ is henceforth to be known as ‘Craft and Coffee’. In other words, your craft doesn’t have to be made up of stitches. Also, a couple of our members have decided they would be available to mend clothes for people in the congregation. So, if your pants have a hole, if your cardigan/jersey needs help, if you have a dress that needs shortening, or a shirt that has lost some buttons, these can be fixed. Please see Lesley or Judi with your problem and they will ascertain whether they can fix your problem. JOB VACANCIES AT TSCF (TERTIARY STUDENTS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP) Wellington Team Leader – leading the ministry amongst students at Victoria University, Massey University, Te Pūkenga and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. The Team Leader is responsible for a small team of staff and volunteers in the region and also plays a role on the National Leadership Team of TSCF. Associate Staff (Volunteer) – supporting our student ministry to develop mission and ministry among tertiary students and advise and mentor student leaders in the TSCF campus groups. Please contact Wilma at personnel@tscf.org.nz for more information. The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 14 April 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking” (Matthew 11:19) Looking at Jesus’ attitude to food, what is the theology and ethics of eating food? A defining practice of our faith together has food at the centre: we celebrate the holy meal of Communion this Sunday. All our young people can go straight to a combined Holiday Programme in the St John’s Centre at 10am, and we will all come together in the Church later for Communion. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… FELLOWSHIP GROUP The next meeting will be on Tuesday 23rd April, two days before ANZAC Day. The guest speaker is Andrew Brown, the General Manager of RSA Support Services. You are welcome to come and join in at 11am in the St John’s Centre Hall. SCHOOL HOLIDAYS Looking ahead to the middle Sunday of the School Holidays (21st April) there will be another combined Holiday Programme for our youth and children, going out part-way through the service. ORPHEUS CHOIR CONCERT - THE ARMED MAN JOB VACANCIES AT TSCF (TERTIARY STUDENTS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP) Wellington Team Leader – leading the ministry amongst students at Victoria University, Massey University, Te Pūkenga and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. The Team Leader is responsible for a small team of staff and volunteers in the region and also plays a role on the National Leadership Team of TSCF. Associate Staff (Volunteer) – supporting our student ministry to develop mission and ministry among tertiary students and advise and mentor student leaders in the TSCF campus groups. Please contact Wilma at personnel@tscf.org.nz for more information. The Peace of the Risen Christ be with you Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 7 April 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, Easter has brought hope in a way that opens up a new and different kind of world. We celebrate this hope together this Sunday as we accept the peace that Jesus gives us by his presence. We hear the story of Peter being reconciled back into relationship with Jesus – another sort of ‘Beach Clean Up’! We will all gather in the Church at 10am and our young people will go out part-way to their peer groups. 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 Sheet: Order of Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… BEACH CLEAN UP This Sunday, following the morning service (and Morning Tea) we will be having a beach cleanup and picnic. Starting from the St John's site, those who are able will be walking to Oriental Bay and picking up rubbish as we walk down. We will have a picnic on the beach and spend some time with each other. Please bring warm clothes and covered shoes. This is a way to engage with each other, have a bit of fun and be actively engaged in God's creation by being good stewards. We will provide you with rubbish bags, gloves and you have the option to wear one of our amazingly bright St John’s t-shirts. MINISTRY ASSISTANT POSITION With our Youth Pastor Hannah North seconded for part of her time each week doing chaplaincy at Scots College, we are needing support for the Youth & Families Ministry during the week and on Sundays. Our St John’s Vision is encouraging us to focus on being intergenerational, having safe spaces for people to belong, being flexible and responsive, with an open-minded and positive culture. We are inviting applications from those who have a passion and aptitude for supporting our ministry in a part-time paid capacity, complementing the work of the dedicated volunteer teams who have the call to serve God and God’s people. Please contact the St John’s Office for more information, including the position description. Applications are due to the Office by Wednesday 10th April. The Peace of the Risen Christ be with you Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - Easter 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This weekend is the most holy in the Christian year, as we again enter the story of how Jesus Christ has interrupted evil, hatred and even death. Good Friday Service at 10am After our worship we share Hot Cross buns in the St John’s Centre. Easter Sunday Service at 10am After our worship we have Morning Tea in the St John’s Centre. Many of our young people will be away at Easter Camp this weekend. Therefore, there will be no peer groups on Good Friday, but there will be a peer group time for children on Easter Sunday – including eggs! 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: Good Friday Service Easter Sunday Service Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… YOUTH EASTER CAMP We pray for all our young people at the Easter Camp this weekend. May they encounter God and come to a fresh understanding of the love given for them, hearing the call to follow Jesus. TREASURER’S UPDATE End of Tax Year on 31 March The end of the financial year for tax rebates for donations is 31 March 2024. If you are thinking of making additional donations and gain the 33% tax rebate in the 2024 tax year, please ensure it is deposited in St John’s BNZ account by 31 March 2024 to be included in your tax receipt. St John’s bank account number is 02-0500-0021908-000 Congregational giving year to date At the AGM on 29 October 2023, it was reported that congregational giving was 10% below budget, even though the budget had been set at a realistic level achieved in previous years. For the year to date, giving is 12% below budget. The following graph shows monthly giving compared with budget. BEACH CLEAN UP On the 7th of April following the morning service we will be having a beach cleanup and picnic. Starting from the St John's site, those who are able will be walking to Oriental Bay and picking up rubbish as we walk down. We will have a picnic on the beach and spend some time with each other. Please bring warm clothes and covered shoes. This is a way to engage with each other, have a bit of fun and be actively engaged in God's creation by being good stewards. We will provide you with rubbish bags, gloves and you have the option to wear one of our amazingly bright St John’s t-shirts. A&J ANNUAL APPEAL Our goal was to generate additional giving of $6,000 through this annual appeal to support the ongoing work of our friends A & J. The total we have given this month is $6,547. That’s on top of the Outreach Committee commitment of $4,000 each year and the further matching dollar for dollar all additional donations up to $2,500 per year. As well as regular giving by a number of supporters throughout the year. Further gifts of support are welcome – as are your ongoing prayers for them. INSTRUMENTS NEEDED TO PRAISE GOD Our Youth Band has new members and looking to expand the range of instrumentation. A bass guitar has been generously loaned, and we are still seeking: a keyboard …and a banjo. We are delighted that an acoustic guitar has been donated for the Sunday morning Music Group! If you may be able to donate an instrument, please contact the St John’s Office. Rose Luxford, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, encourages us to connect with the deep meaning of Easter… The resurrection event of Easter is not just something we remember as a past event, it is a continuing reality which gives us hope today. We live in a world that is in real need of a sense of hope. Individuals, communities, countries alike. There are many who are feeling disconnected, isolated, overwhelmed with the pressures around them and the polarization of society. The Easter narrative has something important to offer in this space. A word of hope into situations of despair. A promise of reintegration after brokenness. A sense of ‘gathering in’ as opposed to separating out. Relationship with the Risen Christ who connects with us on this journey of life and holds out the promise of fullness of life. In Christ all things are made new. The Peace of the Risen Christ be with you Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 24 March 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday, as we enter Holy Week leading us to Easter. We will also conclude our Lent series exploring Spiritual Practices that sustain and grow our faith. We will all gather in the Church at 10am, with our Special Choir singing to start our worship. Our young people and leaders will go out part-way through the service to their peer groups. And afterward we have Morning Tea and a fundraising BBQ. 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: Printable Service Sheet Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… SPIRITUAL PRACTICES SERIES – FOLLOW ME Over the six weeks of Lent we are exploring 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 God. We are examining specific practices of Engaging with Scripture, Prayer, Self-examination, and Sabbath. But also consider many other spiritual practices that have helped Christians around the world. You can access lots of resources for the Spiritual Practices we’ve been exploring, Here: https://www.stjohnsinthecity.org.nz/news SUPPORT FOR OUR YOUTH Sausage Sizzle Easter Fundraiser: We have six amazing adults who are giving up their Easter Holiday to help support our youth group at Easter Camp. We want to help support them to get to Easter Camp and as part of that we are hoping to raise $500 to pay for some of their registration. To do this we will be hosting ‘blind bag sausage sizzles’. You'll take a beautifully decorated small paper bag and give whatever you want to give for your sausage. Any extra that we raise will go towards subsidising those youth attending the camp. This will be this Sunday after church in the St John's Courtyard. Old Towels: Do you have an old towel that's sitting in your cupboard or in the boot of your car? The youth group would love to take it off your hands! During Easter Camp Hannah is running the prayer stations which is a really powerful time to connect deeper with God. For one of the stations, Hannah needs bits of cloth to wipe people's faces. The dream is to recycle old towels that are no longer needed and cut them so that we would have enough for everyone. There will be a box available in the foyer on Sunday for you to leave your towel, give your towel to Hannah or drop them off at the office during the week. WHANAU NIGHT Whanau Night is back for 2024! The theme for this year is Restoration. The first Whanau Night event this year is at the Southern Cross Garden Bar, Sunday 24 March 5:00-6.30pm ($5 koha). A chance to connect, share and be a community together. No need to RSVP, just turn up, and invite your friends! HOLY WEEK Sunday 24th March Scots College Easter Service at 4pm Whanau Night at the Southern Cross 5pm Tuesday 26th March Fellowship Group Easter Service at 11am Friday 29th March Good Friday Service at 10am Sunday 31st March Easter Sunday Service at 10am TREASURER’S UPDATE End of Tax Year on 31 March The end of the financial year for tax rebates for donations is 31 March 2024. If you are thinking of making additional donations and gain the 33% tax rebate in the 2024 tax year, please ensure it is deposited in St John’s BNZ account by 31 March 2024 to be included in your tax receipt. St John’s bank account number is 02-0500-0021908-000 Congregational giving year to date At the AGM on 29 October 2023, it was reported that congregational giving was 10% below budget, even though the budget had been set at a realistic level achieved in previous years. For the year to date, giving is 12% below budget. The following graph shows monthly giving compared with budget. BEACH CLEAN UP INSTRUMENTS NEEDED TO PRAISE GOD Our Youth Band has new members and looking to expand the range of instrumentation. A bass guitar has been generously loaned, and we are still seeking: a keyboard …and a banjo! Also, we are looking for a regular acoustic guitar for the Sunday morning Music Group. If you may be able to donate an instrument, please contact the St John’s Office. Rose Luxford, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, encourages us to connect with the deep meaning of Easter… The resurrection event of Easter is not just something we remember as a past event, it is a continuing reality which gives us hope today. We live in a world that is in real need of a sense of hope. Individuals, communities, countries alike. There are many who are feeling disconnected, isolated, overwhelmed with the pressures around them and the polarization of society. The Easter narrative has something important to offer in this space. A word of hope into situations of despair. A promise of reintegration after brokenness. A sense of ‘gathering in’ as opposed to separating out. Relationship with the Risen Christ who connects with us on this journey of life and holds out the promise of fullness of life. In Christ all things are made new. Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 17 March 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we delve into the fourth and final specific spiritual practice in our series over Lent: Sabbath. There are lots and lots of Spiritual Practices Christians find useful for ‘keeping company’ with God, and we are sampling some together in order to help each of us find something that sustains and grows our faith. For this Sunday’s service we will all gather in the Church at 10am and our young people will go out part-way to their peer groups. And afterward we have Morning Tea, a fundraising BBQ and a Newcomers Lunch (details below). 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: Printable Service Sheet Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… SPIRITUAL PRACTICES SERIES – FOLLOW ME Over the six weeks of Lent we are exploring 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 God. We are examining specific practices of Engaging with Scripture, Prayer, Self-examination, and Sabbath. But also consider many other spiritual practices that have helped Christians around the world. You can access lots of resources for the Spiritual Practices we’ve been exploring, Here. https://www.stjohnsinthecity.org.nz/news INSTRUMENTS NEEDED TO PRAISE GOD Our Youth Band has new members and looking to expand the range of instrumentation. A bass guitar has been generously loaned, and we are still seeking: a keyboard …and a banjo! Also, we are looking for a regular acoustic guitar for the Sunday morning Music Group. If you may be able to donate an instrument, please contact the St John’s Office. A&J ANNUAL APPEAL FOR MISSION SUNDAY 17TH MARCH The St John’s Outreach Committee encourages everyone to be part of the spiritual and practical support for A&J (a St John’s couple working overseas), by praying regularly and contributing financially to their work with poor migrant workers. A&J speak eight languages between them, so can talk to these migrant workers often in their own language. A&J are not paid a salary for bringing hope to these people . Instead, they raise most of the money that they need to live themselves. On Sunday 17th March there will be a Retiring Offering (making a donation in the foyer after the service). The Outreach Committee is committed to give $4,000 each year and matches dollar for dollar all additional donations up to $2,500 per year. We hope to generate additional giving of $6,000 through this annual appeal. If you would rather use internet banking, then use the normal bank account number and put AandJ in the reference. NEWCOMERS LUNCH If you've started worshipping with the St John’s whānau in the 12 months, we would love you to be part of an informal but special occasion to welcome you to the church family with a free lunch on Sunday 17th March – after morning tea. With pizza (and sweets) you can find out more about the St John’s Vision and Mission from our Minister Allister Lane and the elders. We encourage you, and will support you, to find ways to share your gifts and deepen your place of belonging at St John’s. For catering purposes, please let us know you are planning to come along – with a simple “I’ll be there’ to enquiries@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz TREASURER’S UPDATE End of Tax Year on 31 March The end of the financial year for tax rebates for donations is 31 March 2024. If you are thinking of making additional donations and gain the 33% tax rebate in the 2024 tax year, please ensure it is deposited in St John’s BNZ account by 31 March 2024 to be included in your tax receipt. St John’s bank account number is 02-0500-0021908-000 Congregational giving year to date At the AGM on 29 October 2023, it was reported that congregational giving was 10% below budget, even though the budget had been set at a realistic level achieved in previous years. For the year to date, giving is 12% below budget. The following graph shows monthly giving compared with budget. WHANAU NIGHT Whanau Night is back for 2024! The theme for this year is Restoration. The first Whanau Night event this year is at the Southern Cross Garden Bar, Sunday 24 March 5:00-6.30pm ($5 koha). A chance to connect, share and be a community together. No need to RSVP, just turn up, and invite your friends! SUPPORT FOR OUR YOUTH Sausage Sizzle Easter Fundraiser: We have six amazing adults who are giving up their Easter Holiday to help support our youth group at Easter Camp. We want to help support them to get to Easter Camp and as part of that we are hoping to raise $500 to pay for some of their registration. To do this we will be hosting 2 blind envelope sausage sizzles. You'll take a beautifully decorated envelope and give whatever you want to give for your sausage. Any extra that we raise will go towards subsidising those youth attending the camp. This will be on the 17th and 24th of March after church in the St John's Courtyard. Old Towels: Do you have an old towel that's sitting in your cupboard or in the boot of your car? The youth group would love to take it off your hands! During Easter Camp Hannah is running the prayer stations which is a really powerful time to connect deeper with God. For one of the stations, Hannah needs bits of cloth to wipe people's faces. The dream is to recycle old towels that are no longer needed and cut them so that we would have enough for everyone. There will be a box available in the foyer on Sunday for you to leave your towel, give your towel to Hannah or drop them off at the office during the week. PUBLIC THEOLOGY EVENTS Dr Luke Barnes: Why does the universe appear fine-tuned for life? https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/events/2024/03/public-lecture-by-dr-luke-barnes 6pm, Monday 18 March, Hugh Mackenzie HM104, 28 Kelburn Parade Dr Zachary Ardern: Is there any purpose to evolution? https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/events/2024/03/public-lecture-by-dr-zachary-ardern 6pm, Tuesday 19 March, Hugh Mackenzie HM104, 28 Kelburn Parade “God receives us just as we are and accepts our prayers just as they are. In the same way that a small child cannot draw a bad picture so a child of God cannot offer a bad prayer.” Prayer by Richard Foster (this book is available from the St John’s Library) Allister

    • Spiritual Practices
      • Summary of resources for Spiritual Practices Rule of Faith chart for personal and household use for identifying and committing to spiritual practices that you currently do and want to try. Rule of Faith Chart YouVersion Daily Bible reading and devotion app 'Make Space for What Matters: 5 Spiritual Habits for Lent'. Check it out Here, or however you download your apps. Make Space for What Matters Daily Bible reading plan ‘Every Day With Christ’ to read the whole Bible in a year. This is a BIG commitment, requiring much stamina. If you are starting the practice of daily Bible reading, there are better resources available – like the one above. Daily Bible reading Living the Lectionary: A daily devotion on the lessons from the revised common lectionary. If you appreciate artwork as a way to help you draw closer to God, this daily blog is another suggested resource for daily spiritual practice. (NB: it runs one day behind) Living the Lectionary G.K. Chesterton has written about the inconsistencies of materialism, everyday miracles, idealism and child-like openness to the possibility of a greater reality, in Chapter 4 ‘The Ethics of Elfland’ in his book ‘Orthodoxy’. There are many other books in the St John’s Library that are available to borrow. Orthodoxy The Examen is sometimes referred to as ‘examination of consciousness’. I was popularised by Ignatius of Loyola, in the Sixteenth Century (1491 – 1556). This spiritual practice is a practical way of reviewing our experiences encouraging us to pay attention to the promptings of God that we may have missed, including the times we were less than Christ-like. This grants us an opportunity to receive again the grace of Jesus. The Examen helps us become more aware of what is going on inside us – one day at a time. Here’s an easy alliteration to remember the process of Examen 4 R’s Replay - What happened today? Rejoice - Where did I feel grace today? Where was God particularly present? Return to God - Where did I feel emotional today? What truth might God be leading you to through your emotions? Reboot –ask for God’s help. And continue to listen. Here is a written guide to use: The Examen And a different version of The Examen as an audio guide: Examen Audio Guide Breath Prayer is a way of praying (drawing nearer to God) linked to our rhythms of breathing. God is like oxygen for our soul. Breath prayer reminds us that each breath we are given is God’s gift and that God’s Spirit is nearer to us than our own breath. 1) Breathe in: identifying your desire, in as few words as possible. 2) Breathe out: using a biblical name/image of God. To identify your desire, try answering this question from God: “What do you need today?” Use a name/image of God you are comfortable with. Perhaps one you use regularly, or one that suits your prayer today. Examples: "Come - Holy Spirit" “Peace – Jesus” "Protect us - Good Shepherd"

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 10 March 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we delve into the third specific spiritual practice in our series over Lent: Self-Examination. There are lots and lots of Spiritual Practices Christians find useful for ‘keeping company’ with God, and we are sampling some together in order to help each of us find something that sustains and grows our faith. A spiritual practice is any intentional activity, relationship or experience that creates space for us to keep company with God and transforms us in the process. We celebrate the holy meal of Communion this Sunday and so young people and their leaders go straight to their peer groups in the St John’s Centre at 10am, and we will all come together in the Church later for Communion. 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: Printable Service Sheet Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… SPIRITUAL PRACTICES SERIES – FOLLOW ME Over the six weeks of Lent we are exploring 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 God. We are examining specific practices of Engaging with Scripture, Prayer, Self-examination, and Sabbath. But also consider many other spiritual practices that have helped Christians around the world. We are all using a Rule of Faith chart for personal use in identifying and committing to spiritual practices that you currently do and want to try. We will have printed copies available for you again this Sunday. A digital version is available below. Rule of Life Chart Here are some suggested resources for trying some Spiritual Practices: YouVersion Daily Bible reading and devotion app 'Make Space for What Matters: 5 Spiritual Habits for Lent'. Check it out Here, or however you download your apps. YouVersion: Make Space for What Matters Living the Lectionary: A daily devotion on the lessons from the revised common lectionary. If you appreciate artwork as a way to help you draw closer to God, this daily blog is another suggested resource for daily spiritual practice. NB: it runs one day behind. Daily Blog INSTRUMENTS NEEDED TO PRAISE GOD Our Youth Band has new members and looking to expand the range of instrumentation. A bass guitar has been generously loaned, and we are still seeking a keyboard. Also, we are looking for a regular acoustic guitar for the Sunday morning Music Group. If you may be able to donate an instrument, please contact the St John’s Office. A&J ANNUAL APPEAL FOR MISSION SUNDAY 17TH MARCH The St John’s Outreach Committee encourages everyone to be part of the spiritual and practical support for A&J (a St John’s couple working overseas), by praying regularly and contributing financially to their work with poor migrant workers. A&J speak eight languages between them, so can talk to these migrant workers often in their own language. A&J are not paid a salary for bringing hope to these people . Instead, they raise most of the money that they need to live themselves. On Sunday 17th March there will be a Retiring Offering (making a donation in the foyer after the service). The Outreach Committee is committed to give $4,000 each year and matches dollar for dollar all additional donations up to $2,500 per year. We hope to generate additional giving of $6,000 through this annual appeal. If you would rather use internet banking, then use the normal bank account number and put AandJ in the reference. NEWCOMERS LUNCH f you've started worshipping with the St John’s whānau in the last 12 months, we would love you to be part of an informal but special occasion to welcome you to the church family with a free lunch on Sunday 17th March – after morning tea. With pizza (and sweets) you can find out more about the St John’s Vision and Mission from our Minister Allister lane and the elders. We encourage you, and will support you, to find ways to share your gifts and deepen your place of belonging at St John’s. For catering purposes, please let us know you are planning to come along – with a simple “I’ll be there’ to enquiries@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz WHANAU NIGHT Whanau Night is back for 2024! The theme for this year is Restoration. The first Whanau Night event this year is at the Southern Cross Garden Bar, Sunday 24 March 5:00-6.30pm ($5 koha). A chance to connect, share and be a community together. No need to RSVP, just turn up, and invite your friends! MEMBERSHIP “God gathers us to worship and grow our faith so we can live and share Christ’s hope for our world” Do you worship at St John’s and feel a sense of belonging? We invite you to deepen your experience and take a step of faith to commit to the journey together. We strongly believe God calls you, and each of us, to be part of the community of faith. We are more than a ‘club’ – we are the Body of Christ, committed to participation, growth, journeying, contribution and sharing. To find out more about what we love about Membership, please talk to the Minister, an elder or the St John’s Office. SUPPORT FOR OUR YOUTH Sausage Sizzle Easter Fundraiser: We have six amazing adults who are giving up their Easter Holiday to help support our youth group at Easter Camp. We want to help support them to get to Easter Camp and as part of that we are hoping to raise $500 to pay for some of their registration. To do this we will be hosting 2 blind envelope sausage sizzles. You'll take a beautifully decorated envelope and give whatever you want to give for your sausage. Any extra that we raise will go towards subsidising those youth attending the camp. This will be on the 17th and 24th of March after church in the St John's Courtyard. Old Towels: Do you have an old towel that's sitting in your cupboard or in the boot of your car? The youth group would love to take it off your hands! During Easter Camp Hannah is running the prayer stations which is a really powerful time to connect deeper with God. For one of the stations, Hannah needs bits of cloth to wipe people's faces. The dream is to recycle old towels that are no longer needed and cut them so that we would have enough for everyone. There will be a box available in the foyer on Sunday for you to leave your towel, give your towel to Hannah or drop them off at the office during the week. “God receives us just as we are and accepts our prayers just as they are. In the same way that a small child cannot draw a bad picture so a child of God cannot offer a bad prayer.” Prayer by Richard Foster (this book is available from the St John’s Library) Allister

    • Weekly Bulletin: Staying connected as a church - 3 March 2024
      • Kia ora St John’s whānau, This Sunday we delve into the second specific spiritual practice in our series over Lent: PRAYER. There are lots and lots of Spiritual Practices Christians find useful for ‘keeping company’ with God, and we will be sampling some together in order to help each of us find something that sustains and grows our faith. A spiritual practice is any intentional activity, relationship or experience that creates space for us to keep company with God and transforms us in the process. Like any practice, we learn how to do it better as we practice it more and achieve more meaningful results through repetition. We adjust and learn over time. Drawing near to God is a lifelong practice. Spiritual practices help in our journey. For this Sunday’s service we will all gather in the Church at 10am and our young people will go out part-way to their peer groups. And we will all share Morning Tea together afterward. 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: Printable Service Sheet Link to Zoom Service OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… 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 God. We will examine specific practices of Engaging with Scripture, 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 me (the Minister, Allister Lane) know if you would be willing to share something of your own experience for the sake of encouraging others. We are all using a Rule of Faith chart for personal use in identifying and committing to spiritual practices that you currently do and want to try. We will have printed copies available for you again this Sunday. A digital version is available below. Rule of Life Chart Here are some suggested resources for trying some Spiritual Practices: YouVersion Daily Bible reading and devotion app 'Make Space for What Matters: 5 Spiritual Habits for Lent'. Check it out Here, or however you download your apps. YouVersion: Make Space for What Matters Daily Bible reading plan ‘Every Day With Christ’ to read the whole Bible in a year available Here. (this is a BIG commitment, requiring much stamina. If you are starting the practice of daily Bible reading, there are better resources available – like the one above) Every Day With Christ THE GATHERING SATURDAY 9th MARCH This Presbytery Gathering day is about getting together with others who in the wider church who serve God and ‘keep the congregation going’. Lots of us are involved in the mechanics of church life and might be interested in the ideas of others serving in similar ways. This is a totally worthwhile day – sharing helpful practical ideas and resources, as well as seeking inspiration. Speakers include Geoff New, Craig Donaldson, Mo Morgan, and Andrew Nicol. We have a group of elders going from St John’s for the day, and we will be carpooling – so let the Minister Allister Lane know if you want to join in the road trip! For more details and registration go to: www.presbyterycentral.org.nz/presbytery-gathering-march-9-2024/ SPECIAL CHOIR EASTER You are invited to sing as part of a Special Choir in the 10am services on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The rehearsals are the preceding three Sundays (3rd, 10th and 17th March) from 11.15am - 12.15pm in the Chapel. Please contact our Music Director Eleanor Carter for more information, the music repertoire, and to confirm your involvement. INSTRUMENTS NEEDED TO PRAISE GOD Our Youth Band has new members and looking to expand the range of instrumentation. A bass guitar has been generously loaned, and we are still seeking a keyboard. Also, we are looking for a regular acoustic guitar for the Sunday morning Music Group. If you may be able to donate an instrument, please contact the St John’s Office. A&J ANNUAL APPEAL FOR MISSION SUNDAY 17TH MARCH The St John’s Outreach Committee encourages everyone to be part of the spiritual and practical support for A&J (a St John’s couple working overseas), by praying regularly and contributing financially to their work with poor migrant workers. A&J speak eight languages between them, so can talk to these migrant workers often in their own language. A&J are not paid a salary for bringing hope to these people . Instead, they raise most of the money that they need to live themselves. On Sunday 17th March there will be a Retiring Offering (making a donation in the foyer after the service). The Outreach Committee is committed to give $4,000 each year and matches dollar for dollar all additional donations up to $2,500 per year. We hope to generate additional giving of $6,000 through this annual appeal. If you would rather use internet banking, then use the normal bank account number and put AandJ in the reference. NEWCOMERS LUNCH If you've started worshipping with the St John’s whānau in the 12 months, we would love to have the occasion to welcome you to the church family with free lunch on Sunday 17th March after morning tea. This is an informal gathering with pizza (and sweets) where you can find out more about the St John’s Vision and Mission from our Minister Allister lane and the elders. We would love to encourage you to share your gifts and deepen your place of belonging at St John’s. For catering purposes, please let us know you are planning to come along. See you then! WHANAU NIGHT Whanau Night is back for 2024! The theme for this year is Restoration. The first Whanau Night event this year is at the Southern Cross Garden Bar, Sunday 24 March 5:00-6.30pm ($5 koha). A chance to connect, share and be a community together. No need to RSVP, just turn up, and invite your friends! MEMBERSHIP “God gathers us to worship and grow our faith so we can live and share Christ’s hope for our world” Do you worship at St John’s and feel a sense of belonging? We invite you to deepen your experience and take a step of faith to commit to the journey together. We strongly believe God calls you, and each of us, to be part of the community of faith. We are more than a ‘club’ – we are the Body of Christ, committed to participation, growth, journeying, contribution and sharing. To find out more about what we love about Membership, please talk to the Minister, an elder or the St John’s Office. May God’s Spirit continue to help us make space to ‘keep company’ with God. Allister

    • EASTER - Come & Join Us
      • Good Friday 29 Mar 2024, 10:00am Easter Sunday 31 Mar 2024, 10:00am Come and join us as we enter into these holy days of Christ's death and resurrection. All are welcome as we tell the story and experience the presence of God's grace with us, in our unity with the Church all around the world.

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