HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A BIG THANK YOU!

What a brilliant year for the church. Thank you for all that you have done. Bex and I and the boys want to wish you all a very Happy Christmas. May the sun shine long and brightly over the holidays and our barbeques cook for hours on end. We are here for Christmas Day and then we head off on holiday to Foxton Beach and Ohakune which we are really excited about. We are then speaking at a New Wine conference in Matamata in mid January which will be really fun. We are looking forward to catching up in the New Year.  Have a wonderful break. We will miss you all xxx

GLOWTASTIC!!!

Well done to all those who made Glow so utterly brilliant. I loved the whole thing.
To all the musicians, choirs, technical crew, production crew and creatives, what you produced was amazing! Well done church for inviting your friends in such large numbers. Already we have numerous stories of people who would not normally go to church being blown away by the event. So be encouraged. I am looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, the final Sunday service of the year….
Where has the year gone?!!!

Louise Rocked

Well I hope your Monday has been good and that you had a good weekend. We had a lovely picnic in the Domain with the boys on Friday night in the sunshine which was fun and then a great friend celebrated his fortieth on Saturday night which was awesome.

I hope my talk on death did not depress you too much on Sunday morning. But if you did not hear Louise Grant’s talk in the evening on singleness you missed a treat. It was actually relevant to all of us  as she spoke about insecurity and identity and following God. I would have a listen on line if I were you. Dave Atkinson’s talk the week before in the evening service was also wonderful.

I am really looking forward to the “Thank You To Our Troops” cinema night tonight in which we are thanking all of our volunteer team members who have made the church tick this year. You are all amazing! We are watching “Frist Grader” at Sylvia Park which looks great. Have a great week.

New Wine Leadership Retreat/ Well done Life Questions Team

Newt, Paul, Dino, Richard and I have been at a leadership retreat for the early part of this week. It was a fantastic couple of days with other church leaders from around New Zealand. I learnt masses: Newt has a lemon coloured suitcase, Richard’s mum is lovely, Paul snores and Dino packed more than all of us put together and dragged around with him the largest suitcase I have ever seen. What was in it Dino? Hair product? We also learnt masses from John and Annie Coles who are church leaders from the UK who have recently retired after 34 years of ministry.  They are fun and very godly people. We also made some great new friends with other leaders. Well done to New Wine and well done to Lydia Read who organized the whole thing.
Well done as well to all who invited friends to Life Questions last night. What a night! I can’t wait to see how the next few weeks go.
I am looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday when I am going to be speaking about death. Agony last week, death this week….thankfully this is the last one in the series☺

Life Questions, Glowbulous etc.

Don’t forget that Life Questions is starting next week with the banquet. This is the time to be thinking about who you can pull in to this great evening. I saw the team last night at our house at a training session that Bex was running and this is going to be awesome.

I am also absolutely delighted that Glow is a runner for this year again. How amazing! The final money came in at 5.20pm on the last deadline day. Maybe there is a lesson in here or certainly at least a question. Why is God never later or early? Anyway do put December 11th in your diaries now and get inviting all of your mates to come for the annual carol sing song by glow stick.
Also a big thanks and congratulations to the Glow team, not least James, Jo, Ren, Paul, Andy and Peter for your efforts. And a big thank you to all who have contributed.

I am looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday. I am speaking on the agony of life in the morning. Mmmmm it does not sound that tempting does it; but it is going to be great.

Not Long Now

Oh my gosh! I can’t believe that the RWC is nearly here. I am so excited. Go the AB’s!

Now, no one replied to my last post on defining the essence of the Kiwi. Thanks for nothing. Weetbix have however given me some inspiration. Our family has been endlessly munching through weetbix to get the World Cup All Black cards (We had a result this morning we finally got Dan Carter). This is what it said on the back of the box:

“The All Blacks are not just our heroes. They represent us a nation. They epitomize what it means to be a New Zealander. Taking on the world. Giving our all. Stopping for nothing. For no one. They take pride in wearing the black jersey. We take pride in getting behind them. Giving them the support they need to go above and beyond the call of duty. Because they are our team. They bring us together. They put us on the edge of our seats. They make us cheer. They make us cry. They make us who we are. They are New Zealanders. They are the All Blacks.”

Wow! I can feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. What do you make of this? Do you like this spiel?  Is anyone going to post anything? Mum?

By the way, I am starting a new and long series on life this Sunday morning. I hope it is going to be good. It is entitled "Precious People/ Beautiful Life" and I am going to think about what is to be human. What expectations we can have of life? What expectations we can have of God? I am hoping we are going to be in for lots of encouragement and surprises. We also have some Father's Day antics.

We’ll see what happens. Especially to the All Blacks!!!! May they win...

E Ihowa Atua

It has been an enormous week for Bex and I as we became Kiwis on Monday night! We felt very excited and honoured as we swore our oath of allegiance before Len Brown in the Town Hall and sang the National Anthem.  And so here's a question for you as we get going on our Kiwi adventure: What lies at the heart of being a Kiwi? Help us out. See you Sunday.

Amazing "Theology Matters"

As this series ends on the book of Genesis a big well done to Newt. Everyone has loved what you have done. Here are just a few of the rave reviews I have received:

“Thanks for part 1 of Genesis tonight. Matt and I really enjoyed it, lots of food for thought and things to think and talk about. It was so great to get so much historical context around Genesis and the ancient world. It definitely changes how you read the bible and even in just tonight I've seen much more in that chapter than I have before. Looking forward to the next 4 installments! Thanks for all the prep and hard work you've so obviously put into it.”

"I’m more than happy to rave about the theology course. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Matthew has both a breadth and depth of knowledge that is so impressive! I’ve learned the answers to questions that I’ve wondered about for years. This, along with the desserts and coffees, and the company of likeminded people, combines to ensure this is one of the highlights of my week! Thanks Matthew and St Paul’s!"

"After a few theology sessions with Newt I'd now go out of my way to make sure I'm in the same room to hear whatever he has to say. It's inspiring to listen to someone who has obviously studied the Bible a great deal and eloquently suggests meaning upon meaning whilst remaining completely approachable. He challenges us to examine the text for what it is trying to say, rather than what we'd like it to say, putting into historic context. In the process he opens our eyes to the possibility that somewhere, beyond the horizon of our understanding, God is bringing his creation into perfect order, and prompts us to consider our role in His great story."

“So loving the course.... I go home with little gems every time.  Someone asked me a couple of weeks ago to tell them 3 things I had learnt ... I could have talked for hours...”

“The theology session last night was fantastic, thank you!”

“I’m thoroughly enjoying the theology course.  I’ve learned the answers to questions that I’ve wondered about for years. This is one of the highlights of my week!”

“The theology course has challenged me to examine the text for what it is trying to say, rather than what we'd like it to say. In the process it has opened my eyes to the fact that beyond the horizon of our understanding, God is bringing his creation into perfect order."

“The theology course has made the Bible come alive to a non-intellectual like myself...when you understand the history, the Greek, Hebrew language and lifestyles...it starts to make sense”

Make sure you book on to the next one!

Farewell Sir Paul

What an amazing time of worship at our services on Sunday morning! The presence of the God was so evident it was wonderful.

I have been saddened by the death of Sir Paul Reeves. I have just got back from his funeral at the Cathedral  which was a very wonderful occasion as was his tangi yesterday up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Paul was very kind to me when I first arrived in Auckland in 2004.  We had coffee a couple of times and he offered much needed support and wisdom at that time. He also took me on to the marae opposite the church as well as helping with our Easter services one year.

I don’t know about you but I am absolutely delighted that Chase Goodwin our new youth worker has started. Chase and Shinai (his wife) are great people and are going to considerably deepen our youth ministry here at St Paul’s. They are gifted, godly, fun and fresh! Watch this space.

Also don’t forget the Faith box session tonight with Ian and Mary Grant.  It is so brilliant having those guys inputting all of their experience and wisdom in to our families.

I am looking forward to seeing you this coming Sunday.

Amazing St Saviour's

I have to say that Mark Tiplady and I had an amazing time up north at St Saviour’s in Kaitaia. What a church! We were met at Kerikeri airport by Bill Heald, the Vicar there and David one of their Synod Representatives. They took us on an impromptu tour of the area between Kerikeri and Kaitaia. It was a very beautiful day and the region is stunning.  Over dinner in the church hall (an amazing array that included oysters, trifle and rice pudding and a whole load of other delicious things) their leadership team spoke about the church and some of the immediate issues they face in the future.  We also prayed together which was wonderful. We are seeking to deepen the relationship between St Paul’s and St Saviour’s in the future.

We then headed back to our accommodation at about 10pm in time to watch the highlights of the All Blacks game☺ Go the AB’s.

On Sunday morning we went to their pre- service prayer meeting which was very inspiring followed by the 9.30am service. It was a wonderful service with outstanding worship. I spoke about the importance of bearing fruit as we follow God and then we prayed for many of the people there. It was great to see how God spoke into people’s lives through us with words of life, hope and encouragement. As ever, I am sure that it was way more encouraging for us than it was for the people at St Saviour’s! We then hurried off back down to Kerikeri to jump on the plane bound for Auckland. Someone had made us a packed lunch consisting of raw snapper and paua. It was delicious.

Thank you to all those at St Saviour’s who made us feel so welcome.

Mud pools, amazing new team members and Kaitaia

I am happy to report that we had a great holiday down in Rotorua and no-one fell in to any boiling mud pools on this occasion and so that was a relief! 

The big news of the week is that we have a brand new Church Manager. Peter Cox started at the beginning of this week and we are very fortunate to have someone of Peter’s caliber and experience overseeing our operations. Welcome Peter!

David Goulstone finishes next week and so do thank him for all that he has done in the time he has been with us if you did not get the opportunity to do so after we interviewed him on Sunday. We are all going to miss David enormously.

I am also delighted that Mary Turner has joined the administrative team this week as well. Welcome Mary!

Do introduce yourselves to them and make them feel welcome.

It was great to be back last Sunday. Richard spoke very well in the morning as we opened our three week series entitled “Sent Together” on mission and community. I loved his challenge to find the one thing that gives us most life and do that. (So long as it is legal).

It was also great to have Bishop Ross here on Sunday night. Ross is a great support to us all and I was very grateful that in his busy schedule he was able to squeeze us in again. If you missed his talk on Sunday night on Phil 2:1-11 it is definitely worth listening to on the podcast. He gave a very illuminating and insightful talk on Jesus’ example of humility and service.

Newt is speaking this Sunday continuing on with the “Sent Together” series and has a great message up his sleeve. Although, I am feeling gutted because I am going to miss it.

However, I am excited because I am speaking up at St Saviours Anglican Church in Kaitaia this Sunday morning. Mark Tiplady and I are flying up on Saturday lunchtime. We are then spending Saturday night with their leadership team and we are going to be leading ministry in their Sunday morning service. We got together at lunchtime today to pray for our visit and feel that God is going to do some exciting stuff and so I will keep you posted.

I can’t wait to see you all a week on Sunday.

Where to from here?

Well tomorrow Bex, the boys and me are off to Rotor Vegas for a week on holiday and so we will miss being with you all this Sunday.  The boys are really excited. I am feeling slightly nervous as the last time we went down some years ago when Jack was a baby I managed to drive the buggy off a board walk into a steaming, sizzling mud hot pool a couple of meters below!  Thankfully we managed to rescue him!  The family has grown since then and we have had to borrow a Hilux as all of us no longer fit in to our car at the same time as our stuff. I will let you know how we go.

What about the church? This Sunday the Acts series is drawing to a close. At 12 weeks it has to be the longest series we have done in living memory! Newt is finishing it off this Sunday by looking at the whole Ananias and Sapphira episode! No doubt Newt will do an awesome job. I am definitely going to listen to the podcast on that one.

I have to say that the sense we all had from God back in March that we were all a bit sleepy as a church resonated with me personally. As we have gone through the book of Acts I have been very challenged as we have heard again the first disciples story. Their commitment to Jesus and to one another is truly inspirational.  I certainly feel more awake now and hope that you do!

Where to from here?  We are starting a new three-week series on mission and community life on 31 July.  This obviously builds on the Acts series and our commitment as a church to narrow our focus on to speaking about the love and transforming power of God as well as engaging in activities which demonstrate that love to those who don’t yet know him. A central aim of the series is to focus on our clusters at St Paul’s, and to explain again what they are for the benefit of all those who have yet to get a handle on them. Most exciting of all we are going to get the chance to hear of some of the amazing stuff they have recently been up to.  I am particularly excited that Bishop Ross is going to speaking at the 6.30pm on the day we kick off the series not least because one of the most vibrant clusters we have meets in the Cathedral.

Changing the subject slightly, I do want to say a big thank you to all of you who have been on the Life Course team this time whether as part of the kitchen crew or table leaders. This has been the best course that we have had for a long time and it has been great to see more people come to faith.  Well done everyone.

The Hilux calls… See you a week on Sunday

Great times

Bex and I really enjoyed having John Peter’s here from St Mary’s in London. Not only was it fun to see John again, I also thought he spoke really well and it was amazing to see what God did during the time of his visit. I particularly enjoyed the Monday night with all of the worship leaders and also the mid week Wednesday night meeting with you all.
We also loved spending time with Tim Giovanelli from Northside Baptist Church in Sydney. If you move to Australia or are just visiting Sydney Northside it is definitely worth a visit.
Thank you to all of you who came to the State of the Nation Address a week last Monday. It was very encouraging to hear how excited everyone is by the changes  amongst us and the narrowing of our focus. The evening was recorded and you can listen to it via a link on the front page of the website.

Welcome John and Tim!

Rev John Peters from St Mary’s London is with us this week. He lands in Auckland on Saturday morning and is going to be staying with Dino and Lucy. John is an old friend of ours and was instrumental in the renewal of St Pauls back in 2004 when Bex and I and a team from St Mary’s came over to set up the new services. John claims never to suffer from jet lag and so it will be interesting to see what state he is in when Bex and I have an early dinner with him on Saturday! He is speaking at the 9am, 11am and 6.30pm Sunday services on the 22nd and 29th May. He is a great speaker and gifted at releasing the ministry of the Spirit and so I encourage you all to come along. John is also going to be leading an evening of worship, teaching and ministry on Wednesday 25th May at 7.30pm in the church.

Tim Giovanelli is also visiting us. Tim is a great guy and has become a good friend over the last few years despite being Australian. He is the Associate Pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Sydney, which is a very exciting church. He is coming to spend a week with us and hopefully be inspired and refreshed. As you know, I have been over to Northside a couple of times to visit them and have made many friends there. And so we are all in for a great week.

The Future of St Pauls: State of the Nation Address 30th May

At the beginning of March I returned from my study leave. You will recall at the AGM in my Vicar’s Report I spent some time reflecting on where St Paul’s had got to in its recent journey since Bex and my arrival in 2004. You will recall that I have felt (along with some of you) that as the church has grown in the last couple of years we had lost some of our “mojo”! I explained that this was normal for an organisation at our life stage and announced that we needed to do four things.

First, we need to refocus and sharpen our vision. Second, we need to address the internal organisational issues that often hamper organisations at our life stage. Third, we need to reality check our strategic desires against our resources as I felt we were trying to do too much with our available resources. Fourth, I mentioned that we need to narrow our focus on to the immediate priorities. As I closed I asked you to pray, be patient and keep going for it!  I also stated that I hoped that I would be able to report back on the process by the end of May.

To assist with this process I subsequently announced that Evan Williams, one of our congregation members, had agreed to help.

I am delighted that we have now completed the review and I want to invite you to come to the “The Future of St Paul’s : State of the Nation Address” on Monday 30th May at 7.00pm for refreshments (meeting starting at 7.30pm) in the Crypt. This is going to be a key and exciting evening for members of the church where I will set out our vision and priorities for the immediate future and explain what we have done internally to hopefully improve the church. Could you please put this date in your diary now? It will be great to see you there.

Hip Hip Hooray He's Dead?

What do you make of the death of Osama Bin Laden? I thought I would circulate this piece written by the Archbishops this week.

"Reflections at the time of the death of Osama bin Laden

The news of the demise of Osama bin Laden has been felt to bring a measure and a form of closure for thousands affected by the acts of terror over the past decade. It is crucial that the acts of terror in any form, including those masterminded by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, be challenged and overcome. 

However, the death of Osama bin Laden is no cause for gloating, or unthinking jubilation. The biblical record is clear in Ezekiel 18:32: “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live.”  We are therefore not called to relish the death of anyone. We are called to grieve the fact that turning and living was not chosen in the first place by Al Qaeda, who chose the way of death, but also to grieve all deadly spirals of violence and fear, hatred and prejudice with all
their various causes. 

Learning to find a way of understanding the causes of the way of violence and death can, by grace, lead to a measure of God given forgiveness of enemies, as the Gospel calls us to do: Matthew 5:43- 44, John 13:34, Luke 6:27-28, Romans 12:14, 1 Corinthians 4:12, Romans 12:17-21, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:9-10. We need insight under God, rather than vengeance. Vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30).  An eye for an eye (Matthew 5:38) and the whole world goes blind.
This means jingoism and enjoyment of the death of Osama bin Laden can find no place in Christian prayer or Christian thinking.  

We can do no better than end with the words of a Christian leader who gave his life for the cause of justice, freedom and abundant life for all people: "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."--Martin Luther King, Jr.

++Brown Turei
++David Moxon
Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia"

Does Love Win?

 I have just finished reading “Love Wins” by Rob Bell.  Just in case you don’t know Rob Bell, is a pastor from Mars Hill Church in Michigan. He has also written a number of books including Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality. He is also responsible for the brilliant Nooma videos that were released about five years ago.

Love Wins is his latest book. In it he explores heaven, hell and “the fate of every person who ever lived” (and so just a few small topics then!). The book has proved deeply controversial within Christian circles in the States and many American evangelicals are "not amused" with some of the content of Bell's book and have accused him of heresy on the grounds that he is a Universalist (unfairly in my opinion). In fact Bell denies that he is a Universalist on his web site.

So does Love Wins win?  The best review I have read of the book is a three part review written by our very own Andrew Shamy on the Compass website (http://www.compass.org.nz/conversations/) . This three part review is balanced and considered. Well done Andrew. (Incidentally Andrew opened our new preaching series on the book of Acts last Sunday with a superb talk which is worth listening to. (http://www.stpauls.org.nz/Growing/Talks.aspx))

Personally, I have read a lot of Bell’s stuff and love his creative communication style and his ability to resonate with contemporary culture, which often is a challenge for us in the church. However, communication brilliance aside, having read many of Bell’s books I have wondered what some of the hype has been about as his theology is fairly mainstream (indeed Love Wins carries the endorsement of Eugene Peterson).  I have to say though that his latest offering contains passages of utter genius (particularly in the opening couple of chapters) which are very inspiring. Bell undoubtedly has a grand and majestic view of Christ.  As the book progressed, I found that a few passages became rather fuzzy and Bell’s train of thought was a bit hard to follow on a few occasions and one chapter seemed unrelated to his main topic. Yet, whilst a couple of paragraphs towards the end left me feeling a bit uncomfortable this is not a hideous and irresponsible book!  If I were you, I would grab a copy, read it, enjoy it and discuss the parts that unsettle you with your mates. Thrash it out and together you will grow in your faith.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! Wherever you are; whatever you are doing I hope you have a great day and time of celebration. We were on top of Mt Eden at dawn this morning which was really fun. The services today have been wonderful times of celebration. See you next Sunday

Cover it

As mentioned at the AGM we are well under way in an exciting process to sharpen our vision and priorities as we look to the future.  As part of this we are also seeking to clarify the staff team roles for the next phase. Evan Williams, a congregation member is helping us with this process and we are making great headway under his guidance. Evan was formerly the managing partner and chairman of Chapman Tripp and now focusses on private equity investments and so it is great to have his expertise in this process. I would appreciate it if you would pray for us as we do this. Please pray for God’s guidance and wisdom. As I said at the AGM we will be speaking about this more next month.  There is nothing sinister here!
I hope you all have a good weekend. I am not sure what Bex and I are up to but no doubt it will involve running around the park, chasing bikes, and stopping our youngest sticking his fingers in plug sockets.

AGM : FUNTASTIC!

Thank you to all of those who came to the AGM last Thursday. What a brilliant night! I loved having the opportunity to connect with many of you for the first time since coming back from study leave. I also loved hearing Dino and Paul’s reports and their reflections on arriving in New Zealand and how they are finding the church.  Murray, in his role as treasurer also did his normal outstanding job. Also a big thank you to all who worked hard behind the scenes to make the night such fun. If you missed the night, do please listen to my verbal report as it contains important information regarding the present season we are in as a church and what are priorities are for the immediate future. You can listen here (www.stpauls.org.nz/Growing/Talks/Listening.aspx). 

The week that was...

Let’s continue to keep all of the people of Christchurch in our prayers. I thought the service in Hagley Park in the city last Friday was a wonderful time of mourning, encouragement and hope. I thought Peter Beck’s (the Dean of the Christchurch Cathedral); comments that the service was one step of many in a long journey of healing and restoration were also very helpful.
I attended the Auckland service on Friday night at the museum in the Domain along with many of you. Both Len Brown and Bishop Ross spoke very well. I liked Ross’s threefold call to pray, financially give, and then go. He himself has been down there in his capacity as a volunteer fireman. We will be exploring whether now would be a good time to send a team of volunteers down to Christchurch. As you know, previous advice has been that sending such a team is premature.
Thank you to everyone who made the Homecoming Dance so much fun not least Jeremy White who organized the whole evening. R.E.S.P.E.C.T Jeremy. It went off! Thank you and well done!
Let's also be praying for all those in Japan and Libya who are also facing very challenging circumstances.
Please also do pray for Dino and I. We are presently airborne and heading for Sydney where we are doing a church leaders day for New Wine. Tonight we are leading a combined churches evening. We will let you know how we get on on Sunday. See you then.

You Are Amazing!

Well done everyone on a huge response to our Christchurch earthquake appeal the Sunday before last.

I am delighted to announce that we have raised nearly $25,000. As you know this will be sent to Grace Vineyard Church in Christchurch who are doing an amazing job in the city (see previous post).

Thank you so much for your generosity.

This Sunday we are continuing our series “Making It Happen” in which we are exploring how we might continue to impact Auckland and be a real source of love, encouragement and transformation. I also want to encourage you if you missed last week ‘s sermon to listen to it on line (www.stpauls.org.nz/Growing/Talks/Listening.aspx).  This talk will frame much of what we do this year. The feedback I have received is that this is a significant prophetic word for us as a church in this season.

Please also be praying for Dino and I as we prepare to go to Sydney next Thursday to do a New Wine Leaders day for church leaders. I will let you know how we get on.

Also, dont forget that Newt is in London doing a placement at a theological college there.

SEE YOU TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been doing some stretching and limbering up for the dance floor :) In fact, I dont dance I make shapes...

How Can We Begin To Respond To The Christchurch Earthquake? *

How might we respond to the earthquake in Christchurch? What is there to say?  How can we help? Was the earthquake an act of God?

Here are a few preliminary reflections which I hope will be useful. Of course we will all have more reflections over the coming months as we get our hearts and heads around what has happened.

First, at the risk of stating the obvious, the earthquake is an awful, terrible and extensive tragedy.

I say this at the outset as we need to avoid falling in to the common first response to chronic events in our lives, which is to deny or minimilise them. Let’s be clear: the loss of life, the devastation, the calamity of what has happened is unbelievable, mind-boggling, and overwhelming. I suspect, that many of us, when we became aware of the horror of the Christchurch earthquake “… sat down and wept.” ((like Nehemiah on hearing of the destruction of Jerusalem (Neh 1:4)).  And Bex and I have had tears in our eyes as we have watched the coverage in the news, and heard of all those who have lost their lives, or lost loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods and their city.

We want to express our deepest sadness and sympathy to all of you who have lost friends and family in Christchurch.  St Paul’s will do all we can to support you; our pastoral care team is primed and ready to care for anyone and everyone whether they come to the church or not.

As well as avoiding denial, we also need to avoid the second common response to chronic events in our own lives which is hopelessness. Do please hold on to hope. The most amazing thing about being a Christian is that Jesus is able to heal and restore hopeless and broken lives. He knows what it is to experience profound suffering and darkness. He knows what it is to experience death. And as we begin Lent this week we of course prepare ourselves and remember the darkness and tragedy of Good Friday. But we must still hold on to hope. Good Friday is not the end of the story. At Easter we are reminded again that the darkness is reversed in resurrection life: life out of death, hope out of despair, a future when it looked like it was all over.

And so come to Jesus. Let him comfort you and heal you. Let him walk with you through the confusion, anxiety, pain and loss or whatever it is you are feeling. Be true to yourself and your feelings. There is no right or wrong. And don’t feel guilty if you are not feeling much or very little or you are finding it hard to engage with the earthquake or feeling guilty because you live in Auckland and you are not feeling as affected as others.  Feel what you feel. Know the welcome, embrace and healing of Jesus. And don’t condemn yourselves.

It is also important not to blame God for what has happened, or to walk away from his love and care. I liked what the Dean of Christchurch Cathedral, Peter Beck said: “This was not an act of God, it was the earth doing what the earth does.” Whist it is important to reflect on what has happened, don’t try at this stage to discern a specific and clear cut meaning in the earthquake as some have tried to do. We live in a broken world. Darkness and devastation are an unfortunate part of our human experience this side of heaven. We walk with God in faith and confidence but also in deep mystery for much of the time.

Second, God will bring order out of the chaos in Christchurch

Faced with the chaotic piles of rubble that used to be buildings; the distorted, uneven tarmac that used to be a smooth road; the twisted and deformed girders that used to support massive structures, it is easy to question whether any future order will emerge out of the present chaos in Christchurch. Yet the God we worship specialises in bringing order of out chaos. He always has. He is.  He always will this side of heaven. We tend to assume Genesis 1 is an account of an explosion of creative goodness out of nothing. Actually God brings order out of chaos, not order out of nothing. Hence verse Gen 1: 1-2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And so God’s creative work then starts with an initial surge of dark, watery chaos. The Spirit of God hovers above the chaos desiring to bring order and life. That is what the Holy Spirit does with chaos. So despite that tragedy, despite the chaos, have hope. God will bring order out of the chaos. God can lighten the present darkness in Christchurch.

Third, God’s ordering of Christchurch’s chaos will take time

That is not to say that the restoration of Christchurch will happen immediately or instantaneously. There is much debate over how Christchurch will be rebuilt, whether the city will be relocated and where the funding will come from. But whatever the outcome to these important questions, it is clear the ordering and restoration of Christchurch will take a very long time.

It took time to bring order out of the chaos at creation. In fact the creation accounts speaks of a gradual process of creation. On the first day God creates light and separates the light from the darkness (Gen 1:3-5). On the second day God distinguishes the chaotic waters from the sky and creates evening and morning (Gen 1: 6-8). On the third day the dry land is separated from the water and he creates land with vegetation and seas (Genesis 1:9-13) and so on. So the creation was not immediate or instantaneous. God’s restoration is always a process over time. Think of the 400 years that the Israelites were in captivity in Egypt or the 40 years the Israelites wandered around the dessert.

Yet whilst the city will take years and possibly even decades to restore, it is clear that God is already bringing great good out of the darkness in Christchurch. A real sense of community has emerged as neighbors have rallied and helped one another out. And the numerous stories of people supporting and encouraging one another and offering help are deeply moving as we see people at their very best.  I have been particularly moved by Grace Vineyard’s response in the city under the leadership of David and Lis MacGregor They have set up help centers in the Eastern suburbs which is one of the areas most affected by the earthquake. They are distributing food, drinking water, clothes, cleaning products, toiletries and candles from the centres. They have also established a special relief center in conjunction with the police. Grace has also organised large teams of people who are helping people clear up their properties, as well as establishing a school.

What are we doing at St Paul’s?

As a church we will be doing all we can to support the people in Christchurch in the coming weeks and months. It is early days and many of the opportunities for our input have yet to emerge. However, for the moment we are:

Firstly, seeking to support everyone here who has been affected by the earthquake as best as we can.

Mathew Newton and Paul Ashman in conjunction with Phil Halstead and the pastoral care team are spearheading this initiative.

Secondly, we are collating any offers of free accommodation that any of you have to house any of those affected by the earthquake.

In fact the Diocese of Auckland is doing an outstanding job of being the coordination point between all of the Anglican churches in Auckland with Christchurch.

Thirdly, today we are taking a financial collection to give to Christchurch.

As I am sure you are aware from the news, the main request from agencies right now is for financial assistance. Whilst I am sure that many of you will have already sent money, today we are going to be taking a collection for the city. We will be sending this to Dave MacGregor down at Grace Vineyard Church to support their relief efforts in the city.

Fourthly, we have explored the idea of sending a team of people down to Christchurch to assist with their efforts.

However the feedback we have received at this stage is that this will not be particularly helpful as volunteers will need to be housed and fed and drive themselves around, which is easier said than done.  However, we will be keeping options under review over the coming weeks and months.  I know many of you are feeling helpless and would like to offer more than you presently are. Be assured that in the next months there will be ample opportunity to get involved in one way or another. I also know that some of you have already gone down to Christchurch to help friends and relatives clear up.

Fifthly, we have opened the church building during the week at lunch times for us as a church and any member of the public to find peace or solace and the opportunity to have some prayer if needed.

We would love the church to be open all of the time but unfortunately we have had problems with theft and vandalism in the past. However, we are presently considering how best we can address this issue.

Sixthly, we are praying for all of those in Christchurch, and friends and families who have been affected by the earthquake.

Our monthly prayer meeting will have Christchurch as its focus.

Bex and I are so glad that we are back home in New Zealand at this time rather than stuck overseas so that we can be with you all.

(* With thanks and acknowledgement to Steve Graham, Dean of Laidlaw College, Christchurch for his excellent article “What God Is Saying To Christchurch: "Recovery” from which the ideas in this sermon were drawn.)

Back with all guns blazing?

Well guys it is so good to be back home with you all and I am enjoying getting back in to my stride at St Pauls. I feel that I have been away for ages even though I have only been on study leave for six weeks. Please bear with me. I have about 500 emails to get through and so will take a while to catch up.

Looking back, the highlight for me was my time in the States at the beginning of the year with a group of about 12 pastors from around the world. The other big highlight was my time spent with Dave and Liz MacGregor from Grace Vineyard in Christchurch a couple of weeks ago. Grace is a wonderful church and Dave and Liz are very inspirational people.

As my time drew to a close, I had planned to come back with all guns blazing and fill you in on everything but then the earthquake in Christchurch happened.

I don’t know about you but the deep tragedy of the earthquake seems to make such an approach inappropriate right now (although over the coming weeks I will fill you in on my time away).

Actually the earthquake has really affected me. Bex and I were on holiday up north when it happened and we have been watching the news and reading newspapers with our eyes full of tears as we have been reading of all of those in Christchurch who have lost their lives, homes and city.

I want to extend my sadness and deep condolences to all of you who have lost friends and family down there. As a church we will do all we can to support you and our pastoral care team is primed and ready to care of you in whatever way they can.

As you know, many people in the city are presently continuing to struggle on in very difficult circumstances having lost their homes, water supply, electricity supply or businesses.

As a church we will also be doing all we can to support the people in Christchurch in the coming weeks and months.

As I am sure you are aware from the news, the main request from agencies right now is for financial assistance. Whilst I am sure that many of you will have already sent money this coming Sunday morning we are going to be taking a collection for the city. We will be sending this to Dave MacGregor down at Grace Vineyard Church to support their relief efforts in the city.

Their response has been utterly amazing. They have set up help centers in the East side of the city which has been one of the areas most affected by the earthquake and they are distributing food, drinking water, clothes, cleaning products, toiletries and candles from these. They have also established a special relief center in conjunction with the police. They have also organised large teams of people who are helping people clear up their properties.

We are also exploring the idea of sending a team of people down to assist with their efforts although at this stage the feedback we are getting is that this may not be the best time particularly as volunteers will need to house, feed and drive themselves around which is easier said than done.  Of course, the affects of the earthquake are going to continue for many months and years and we have been advised that sending such a team in the future will be more helpful than right now.

For those of us in Auckland, please note that we have opened the church at lunchtimes for all those who want to pray or find solace. Also, if you have accommodation that you would like to offer those affected by the earthquake do let the office know as we are collecting information for the Diocese Of Auckland who are coordinating and organising these offers on behalf of the Anglican churches in Auckland.

We will also be praying for all those in Christchurch at our monthly prayer meeting on Monday night and so do please come along. We must not underestimate the power of prayer. Let's also be praying for all those who are grieving and struggling at this time.

Bex and I are so glad that we are back home in New Zealand at this time rather than stuck overseas so that we can be with you all.

Christchurch Earthquake Disaster

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Christchurch following another devastating earthquake today.  I sincerely hope that all of your family and friends are safe.  Do please contact Mathew Newton at the church if you need any pastoral assistance in respect of the earthquake (Bex and I are up north). And let’s be praying for all those who have lost loved ones and are coming to terms with what has happened. We will as a church be exploring how we can offer practical help over the coming days.

Final stop Oihi Bay

Well I am counting down the days now. It is not long before I come back to St Paul’s. It has been great bumping in to some of you around the place this week.
Bex and I had a great lunch with Paul and Thaya on Monday. It’s so good to have them with us. They are going to be fantastic (Although lets be honest Paul’s “Sun in” hair has a touch of Orangutan about it! Sorry Paul!).
We are on holiday next week. We are staying very near Oihi Bay. I have been reading a lot of Kiwi history over the last weeks and obviously for the church this is a significant place as it is where Samuel Marsden preached the first sermon in New Zealand on Christmas Day 1814. There is a great account of this momentous event in one of the books that I have just read called “Bible and Treaty” by Keith Newman that was published last year. It’s a great read and tells the story of the first missionaries contact with the Maori.
For now, I am going to feed my youngest son, who along with a bit of Weetbix and banana, likes to eat his Ricies (about 30) one at a time. I am not joking. Every breakfast time is a great lesson in patience!
Then Bex and I have put today aside to discuss this year at St Paul's and pray for the church.

Amazing Grace

Bex and I have just spent the day with Dave and Liz MacGregor and all their team down at Grace Vineyard  Church in Christchurch. I got down to Christchurch last Saturday and attended all of the Sunday services. They were absolutely wonderful. Great worship and sense of the presence of God. It has been fantastic spending a lot of time with Dave as well over the last few days who has passed on a lot of wisdom from his experience and practical tips too.  He and Liz are great people.
Bex and I also had a drink with Alan and Sandra Jamieson from Spreydon Baptist Church last night. It was great fun and very helpful catching up with them. Spreydon is another really exciting church.
I can't wait to spend time with the boys when I get back as I have not seen a great deal of them for weeks. They want me to take them on a “man’s camping trip” and so that is what we will do. I am feeling a bit nervous. The last time I went camping about twenty years ago was a disaster. I bought a really cheap tent. I was chuffed because it was such a great bargain. I pulled it out of my rucksack half way up Mt Kenya on the snow line and to my horror realized it was a toddlers tent designed for the back garden. It was too small for even me to get inside. Oh dear. Please pray for us!
I can’t wait to be back at St Paul’s in just over two weeks. It will be so good to see everyone again. I am praying for you and asking that this year would be a fantastic year for everyone.

Loving being home

A belated Happy New Year to all the crew at St Paul’s!  Have you managed to honour your New Year resolutions or have they gone out of the window already like mine? Oh well. I hope you had a great Christmas and summer break.  I hear that the weather has been amazing bar the last few days.

I have been running around the UK since the New Year like a headless chicken meeting all sorts of people which has been very inspirational and fun. Looking back, it seems ages since Bex and I hopped on to the plane post Glow to spend Christmas with our families. Yes, England is officially freezing. And yes it did snow much to the boys delight. And I was reminded that in the bitter English cold all fashion sensitivities go out of the window and so I have been walking around London with a flat tweed cap on, thick cardigan and running trainers (I have knackered my foot although I wont bore you with the details) and no one bats an eyelid!

In the New Year I headed to the US for a week’s “learning community” with a guy called Mike Breen with ten church leaders from around the world (Denmark, UK, US etc.). That was a great week of learning from one another and comparing notes. We were based in South Carolina which I had never been to before. I ate green fried tomatoes (I thought they were an invention of Dr Suess but no…) and grits.  The tomatoes were great… The grits? Mmmm….(Incidentally one guy, an American pastor, had just come back from a course on what to do if a gunman comes in during a service and starts firing.  I now know what to do and it involves throwing your bible at the man, running out as fast as you can in a zig zag fashion whilst others “swarm the shooter”).

I then spent a couple of weeks in London.  It feels like I have met every church leader there! It was great to see John Peters from St Mary’s who is coming out to St Paul's later on this year and also a whole load of others including: the Bishop of London, Nicky Gumbel, David MacInnes to name but a few. Lots of inspiration and exciting ideas. More to follow.

Another highlight as well was my time in Dublin with Rob Jones who some of you may have remember. He was on placement with us about four years ago with his wife Dilys. He has just planted a church in Dublin which is very exciting. We talked as he showed me his church and the city. I loved Dublin.

It was great to end my time in the UK with a day with Rich and Kath, Amelie and Zach. It was great to see their church in Worcester which is amazing and hear all they have done and plan to do. They were on great form and all send their love.

I landed this morning and it is great to be back home in sunny NZ. Christchurch next week with Dave Macgregor from Grace Vineyard.

I will keep you posted.