SPREAD . issue one

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Mike’s Spiel

“I was in Plymouth, one of the UK’s major naval ports, when there was an absolutely massive American Aircraft carrier coming

in—it seemed to be double the length and breadth of anything else in the harbour! All

the decks were lined by sailors in their dress uniform. It was a very impressive sight—

each of these vessels have a crew of 6,000!

I felt the Lord say to me, ‘There are no passengers on that vessel—they all have a specific job to do. Do you

have a job to do or are you merely a passenger in the boat?’”

Barry Kissell

Hi guys, Welcome to our first edition of SPREAD, the new St Paul’s magazine. This will come out every other month and the basic aim is to have a place to tell each other the amazing stories of what God has been up to in us and through us, with a view to celebrating and being inspired. SPREAD, in conjunction with the new website, will also help us be better connected with one another and feel more informed about what is going on in our brilliant church.

As you know, for many years now our vision has been to bless the city of Auckland. We have consistently sought to be a positive and loving presence beyond ourselves. However, as I mentioned at the AGM, we need to hold our nerve, dig deeper and step out more and more if we are going to see and experience all that God wants to do through us. Together in this season, I am urging you to participate in two main ways. First, we all need to identify where our passions and gifts are so that we can join others and shape exactly how we love the city. Secondly, if we are to really make a difference in this way, then we need also to ensure that our base camp is strong and secure so that we can continually be encouraged, challenged and resourced to hold our nerve and press on. Hence the theme of this first edition of SPREAD is around our ‘P problem’—the issue of participation.

Over the next months, we will be talking about how we can spur each other on, and about jumping in at the deep end. To help us on this journey, we will be starting a four-week series from mid-May entitled “How To Change A City” followed by a three-week series on “Discipleship in the 21st Century”. Then I will explore how we can practically identify those areas in our life where we have passion, with a view to becoming transforming change agents for good.

And so do be encouraged. What a privilege it is to be a part of a church that God is blessing!

Mike

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The Life Course is a fun, easy and engaging way to introduce people to Jesus, faith and the church —it’s perfect for anyone asking the big curly questions in life or anyone new to St Paul’s. The course kicks off with an incredible ‘banquet’ and follows on with six more nights of dinner, conversation, stories and discussion… and often life-changing ones at that.

Last November, about 120 people joined us for the Life Course banquet, where the delish chicken cacciatore, choc brownie and great live music provided the perfect backdrop for discussing curly questions like “What was in that dip anyway?”, “If God is good, why is the world so messed up?” and “Why are there so many natural disasters?” It was a brilliant night all round and from there, about 80 people joined us for the remainder of the course.

Finally, for the Life course to go off, we always need a great team of people to run it. We’re nearly sorted for the May course, but are always needing to increase our pool of volunteers—if you can chat and host, cook, serve, wash up, dry up, clean, make things look pretty, create or sew, we would love to hear from you. Please email [email protected]

“I came with so many questions and now I have even more! But I can see more and more clearly how God can and does answer so many of them.”

“I love that St. Paul’s is actually open to hearing some of my questions. It’s such a buzz when your question is chosen.”

“I came each week for the food, stayed for the great chats and now I’m coming to church.”

“Awesome team. Fun, friendly and honest about how some questions just don’t have easy answers.”

“I feel like God has opened my eyes to a new reality.”

“Still searching…”

“I loved the life stories as they just grounded everything we were talking about.”

The Life Course Banquet · Wednesday 9 MayGet praying, have a think about the neighbours, mates, siblings, workmates you can invite along and let’s give God the best chance to minister to as many as possible. Bex will tell a bit of her story and invite you to submit your curly question. Over the six Wednesday evenings following on from the banquet, we’ll get stuck into the nitty gritty of those questions and ask you to consider some of ours… and of course, all over an amazing meal. Pick up some postcards from the Welcome Area at church.

The Life CourseA relaxed and low-key way for you and your mates to ask the tricky questions about life

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It’s often said that faith, like love, ‘is a verb’...and I tend to agree with this statement, or at least I agree with the sentiment. Don’t get me wrong—my reservations are not because I think faith doesn’t involve action (of course, like love, it certainly does), but because too often we don’t go any further than this, meaning we only scratch the surface on a word that is packed with theological meaning. In the New Testament, the Greek word ‘pistis’, which is often translated into the English word ‘faith’, is used to communicate a range of things. We usually understand ‘faith’ to mean that psychological/spiritual experience we have when, in the face of the extraordinary story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we find ourselves trusting this story to be true. In addition to the idea of ‘trust’, the New Testament also uses the word ‘pistis’ to mean faithfulness (i.e a person’s faithfulness or God’s faithfulness), the Gospel message (i.e the message of faith) or ‘the faith’, meaning the historical phenomena of Christianity.

Mathew Newton“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”

Martin Luther · 1483–1546

Theology BitesThinking a bit further on the connection between faith and participation

In this way, Christian faith is more than just an assent to certain theological facts, or the psychological/spiritual experience of ‘believing’ or ‘trusting’ in God. Faith is about a whole way of life—a pattern of living defined by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. This is what the Bible means by being “in Christ” or the phrase “participation in Christ”. Faith means responding not just with our hearts and minds, but with our bodies. It’s about being drawn into a world which is shaped by the story of Jesus, and learning to move, act and live in it, guided and animated by the Holy Spirit.

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PPraying the Long Game

15 years ago, I met Amanda. We were sailing on a voyage aboard the Spirit of New Zealand and at the time I had no idea what a big part of my life she would become. She was a farmer’s daughter from Maungamuka Bridge who had no interest in God and I was an elder’s daughter who grew up in Meadowbank. We were from different worlds but for some reason we clicked and from that day on we were best buds.

Early on, Amanda made it clear she was not interested in God and that faith was not ever going to be a topic of conversation. This was hard for me but I agreed and never talked about God with her unless she asked first.

Amanda, myself and some friends went away for Waitangi and we all talked a lot about God. Before heading home, I asked the others to pray for me and told Amanda she was welcome to join in. Amanda sat watching and listening from the other side of the room, and, as we started our “Amens”, she jumped up, ran over and started to pray for me! Her prayer was incredibly genuine and so heartfelt—there was no Christian jargon but pure desire for God to move in MY life. After praying for her for 15 years, she was suddenly praying for me—a dream come true! She then allowed us to pray for her too—it was incredible.

Amanda admits she is still not ready to make a decision for Christ herself but has seen the Christian faith and wants her child to grow up following Jesus. I’m so blessed to be able to see what God is doing in Amanda’s life and the journey Jesus is taking her on. It’s also a great reminder that God is pursuing His people, He is faithful to fulfil His promises and He is answering our prayers!

Julie Wagener

Participating in PrayerThere are lots of ways to give your prayer life a boost (and therefore your faith), whether through prayer groups and opportunities at church or out beyond our walls. These stories detail some amazing experiences of the power of prayer to change lives and usher in ‘everyday miracles’.

If you feel like your prayer life needs a bit of a shake up, perhaps you’d like to get practising regularly. Find out more about these groups by visiting www.stpauls.org.nz.SPPRAY · Meets weekly to pray for the church, leaders, programmes, community etc.Prayer Line · Responds to needs and prayer requests.Activate · Prophetic prayer on the streets.Baby Prayer Group · Praying for women to conceive.CORE/Small Groups · Connect with others to pray together.

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I started ‘Activate’ because I wanted to provide a place where Christians could learn to live the ‘naturally supernatural’ lifestyle. A lifestyle where they see people healed as they go about their everyday lives, where they hear God speak to them as they do everyday things and where they grow used to seeing people encountering God through signs, wonders and miracles. That’s the lifestyle that Jesus led and I’m convinced this is the primary way that the Kingdom of God spreads through a city and a nation. Activate gives believers a place outside of their comfort zone to practice moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And people that don’t know Jesus yet get to see that He is real, cares about them and can actually reveal himself in a tangible way to meet their need for healing, encouragement and care.

I am continually growing in my understanding of how He speaks to us. It’s often through a picture that I see in my mind, or I may hear a quiet voice very similar to my own thoughts. At times, it’s been quite a loud inner voice as well. I’ve had God speak to me through

Naturally SupernaturalBrendon Blade reflects on facing your fears, hearing from God and praying in public.

feeling something emotionally and physically to indicate what someone else is going through. I think as we walk with the Holy Spirit, we build a common understanding of the way He speaks to us individually and so we gain confidence in hearing Him in those ways.

When we hear Him, we then must choose to step out and take a risk to see if what we heard was Him. Say you see a picture in your mind of an ankle with a bandage on it. You ask the person if they have sprained their ankle and they say ‘yes’— you then grow in joy and confidence that God spoke to you, which in turn means you become more likely to take that risk again. And it’s amazing when God comes through with healing or a prophetic insight for someone who doesn’t know him yet—it’s so much more powerful for them to have an experience of God than to be told about God.

I now have this incredible freedom in that, wherever I go, I know that I can co-partner with God, see Him heal the sick, speak to people through prophetic words and release His love and power in really normal, everyday situations. The majority of people aren’t in church yet, but they are in supermarkets, malls and cafes and they all have needs that God wants to meet. As we realise who lives inside us and how He has given us everything we need to move in His power, then we will become more confident to take risks and we’ll be more amazed by what God does through us. The world is waiting for an authentic representation of the gospel that Jesus and the disciples lived out.

Brendon Blade

If you want to join Activate, check out the next event in the Diary on page 18.

I was incredibly nervous the first time I prayed for someone in public. I was standing in line in a bank and I overheard an elderly lady say she had hurt her back. I so wanted to pray for her but ended up back in my car. I wondered if people would think I was weird if I prayed for her right there in the bank or worse, what would happen if she didn’t get healed. I decided I would do it anyway, got out of the car, chickened out and got back in the car again! Finally I said to myself “If I am going to be the kind of man who sees the sick healed and who sees God touch people with his power, then I need to learn to pray for people in public.” I got back out of my car, walked into the bank and sat down next to the elderly lady. I got to pray for her and it was so much easier than I thought it would be.

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You may not have thought the words ‘overseas mission’ and ‘St Paul’s’ belong in the same sentence. But let us endear you to the children of Zambia through the eyes of one of our very own church members. Meet ‘Bee’ a.k.a Bridget Lawrence, a Kiwi who is currently based in Kasempa, Zambia, teaching at a school alongside Lucy Houtas’ mum! Small world huh? What’s more, Lucy’s parents actually founded the school. Intrigued? Read Bee’s story.

I got so clearly led into teaching (a long story), so it just came down to following what God had placed on my heart and praying every step of the way that got me to Africa. I really wanted to teach in a local school with local kids rather than an international school, and I applied to SIM (Serving in Mission). They referred me to Mukinge— a community that really needed a teacher and is a safe and very happy place to live. There is a lovely group of missionaries here serving in the local schools and hospital so it is a great place to go as a first time missionary.

Oh man—it is a wild ride! When I first arrived in Lusaka after two days on aeroplanes, everything and everyone looked SO different. I thought, “What have I done committing to a year here? I have made a big mistake!” But, since then I have LOVED it! Living in a different culture means life is full of moments of nervousness, being laughed at, laughing at differences, challenges and deep joy in moments of connection and community.

I really love the people here, hugs from the children, feeling like I am part of something so good, being able to teach the children openly about Jesus (which I couldn’t do in a public school in NZ), learning to have little conversations in the local language and a dear friendship with my kikaonde teacher. Out of necessity I have really learnt about trust in God—you have to when you are so out of your depth!

From time to time, I miss the people I love at home and the beach, but I have an NZ beach calendar to inspire me. I swear the Marmite here is actually Vegemite, but I hear even in NZ, you can’t get Marmite right now either!

If anyone would like to support me, there are lots of ways to do so. I would love prayer for me, the children and the community. Send me emails, letters. Lollies are a great encouragement when I am far away from home. Send craft resources that I can use in my art/Bible study with neighbourhood children. Or of course, there is always financial support!

I am thinking of you all at St Paul’s a lot. I read the weekly enews with joy and listen to podcasts which remind me so much of home.

Love to you all!Bee x

If you would like to support Bee in any of the ways listed above, or follow Bee’s progress on her blog, please contact [email protected].

I have wanted to go to Africa ever since I was a teenager sitting in church listening to the stories and seeing the photos of returning missionaries. I felt my heart so burning and knew I SO wanted to go to Africa one day and work. A few years later, it was so hard farewelling my brother on two trips to Tanzania when I desperately wanted to be the one getting on the plane!

Something So GoodBridget Lawrence discovers the deep joy of connection and community

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Journeying with God in the Far North

How and why did St Paul’s get involved with SaviourLife/St Saviour’s Kaitaia? Is it mere coincidence that their Vicar, Bill Heald, used to be the Vicar here at St Paul’s? Our very own People’s Warden, Dizz Bundy, shares how she, and therefore we, got involved with SaviourLife and where to from here.

Way back in 1996, my church back in the Old Country (UK), got itself a new vicar. His name was Ken and he was fresh off the boat from New Zealand, previously having been the vicar of St Saviour’s Kaitaia. Many years later, in 2009, James and I had shifted to NZ and bought a little place on the Hokianga Harbour. It took James going to Pak’n’Save for lightbulbs on a Maundy Thursday to meet a couple of their worship team worshipping in the car park, and we finally got ourselves off the tourist trail and up north to visit. So started our journey with God into the community of the Far North.

Our involvement with SaviourLife varies —we can be there every fortnight and then not at all for months. Every visit, we ask what we can bring with us or do for them while we are there. We have spoken in their services, led times of ministry, spent time with the leadership, facilitated their attendance at GLOW and mobilised the community here at St Paul’s to assist where and when needed.

Our relationships with the congregation feel unusually deep, given the physical distance between us ordinarily. Being part of any event or service there is to see God in action. The church is possibly one of the most diverse congregations we have seen, which is beautiful, messy, challenging and inspiring all at the same time. They are a real blessing to their local community and their love of God shines through all they do.

Our involvement in SaviourLife has been a great reminder of how God works, how some of the most random pieces of our lives come together to glorify Him and that kingdom life is both attractive and scary at the same time. I remain challenged on what “church” means, through the diversity of SaviourLife and the commitment they have to one another and their community. And I love that we, a church of plenty, is helping to strengthen the work of a church with such limited resources, both financial, human and physical.

Dizz Bundy

The Vicar of St Saviour’s, Bill Heald, welcomes all involvement and visits from members of St Paul’s. Please get in contact, pay them a visit, bless them in any way you feel led, or drop Dizz a line at [email protected] if you would love to help but aren’t sure how

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Sheer is the women’s ministry at St Paul’s and my name is Louise Grant. I started off helping with decorations at Sheer last year and, as last October, I am now running Sheer!

I felt God led me into this…..the wild idea of putting my hand up for the job felt good, despite my already-crazy schedule, and I knew I wanted to do it. Years ago, through a leadership course, I concluded that I was passionate about seeing women released into their calling and set free from the things that hold them back from living a full and exciting life with God. I didn’t hear God say in a booming voice ‘Lou, you need to run Sheer’ but it felt right in my heart.

Sheer uniquely provides the opportunity for women to feel safe and open up about some of our challenges. As we do, we see God move in these areas. At our recent ‘Mind, Body, Soul, Spirit’ event, I spoke on the topic of shame and used an example from my own life - by bringing some of the hard stuff of life into the light, God will set us free, minister, heal and give us the opportunity to be transformed.

Running Sheer has been amazing. By getting involved, I have an opportunity to hear awesome stories of what God has done through Sheer events. One girl told me she hadn’t spoken in tongues for years. She went up for prayer at the last Sheer event, God turned up and she excitedly shared how the experience would change her life. I love stories of God’s goodness and faithfulness and I’m now in a great position to hear them!

I have been coming to St Paul’s for the last 6 years but it’s only in the last 2 years that I feel like I belong and am connected. This finally happened as I started to get involved. I started going to the SPRAY meetings, the pastoral care evenings, joining Marketplace, going to the AGMs. St Paul’s is my home and by being involved, I

feel like I have a say in what happens in our church community. My mother always said ‘You have to be in to win’ and it’s very true!

‘Sheer’ the LoveLou Grant explains how she came to make space in her hectic schedule to lead Sheer

Louise Poole shares her thoughts on Sheer: ‘Mind, Body, Soul, Spirit’

“It took ‘Sheer’ guts’ to drag myself along to the women’s event on Saturday. I am a busy, professional, independent mum and did not relish the idea of giving up my Saturday morning. But when Lou said that it was a ‘women’s event for women who hate women’s events’, I sucked it up and went.

Who would know that I would not only enjoy going, but also meet some amazing women? I met a lovely young lady who not only loved the Sunday evening service because of its scriptural content, but she was studying to be a forensic scientist. One of the other women was a hand therapist (who knew they existed!?) and I met another Mum who was doing a sterling job of holding a blended family together.

The key message I got from the event is ‘by taking baby steps, I can make a difference in my life’. Whether is it setting a goal of spending one minute a day with God... or doing crunches in the ads of my favorite TV program. Angelika suggested meditating and running at the same time and, as a multitasker, that really appealed. My favorite quote of the day was “If it is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.” This allowed me to think about dropping some of the stupidly high expectations I have of myself.

And of course being lavished with asparagus rolls and light fluffy scones with jam and cream was just heavenly. Well done to Lou and all of the ladies who pulled this event together.”

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Roll Up Your Sleeves… “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love” Mother Theresa · 1910–1997

“We have been attending St Paul’s for a few years now, and have found Sunday hosting a great way to help out and get to know more people—it’s good fun, it’s easy and, as well as being trusted with the offering bags, we get into great conversations with the congregation, visitors, children and the church staff. It gives us a sense of belonging. Hospitality is such a Jesus thing, and if it was only out of ‘duty’ that we were hosts, that’s not really showing God’s love to the depth it should be”. · Mark & Noelle Farrell

“We have found that a rewarding, interesting and satisfying way of giving back to the church is being Sunday hosts. It is a way to get connected with St Paul’s people through greeting at the door, and the serving of tea and coffee. It is also great to being part of welcoming people into a place where they can meet with God.”Harry & Jane McDowellTo join the Hosting team, please visit www.stpauls.org.nz >> Relating >> Helping

“I decided to volunteer my services in Tots as I felt it was a good way to give back to the church, get to know people and I know that church programmes are more effective with helpers. The programme is set out with lots of detail and the expectations are clear, so it’s easy to know what to do, and I am only rostered on once a month. It is such an honour to be able to be involved with the kids and see their knowledge of Jesus grow.” · Jaimee Webb

“It is a blast helping out in Kid’s Club—I get to see what the kids are experiencing on a Sunday, I have fun and I am pleased to be able to help in a practical way. I nearly always find that I am encouraged and learn something too —it is often the simplicity of the message, the truth that I appreciate most. Sometimes there is a sense that the Holy Spirit has been right there beside us, helping out every

step of the way. Other times you see true conviction in the heart of a particular child and realise that God has been at work on that day.” Cara Maria

“My wife and I really wanted to get planted in church and be a part of St Pauls. We didn’t want to be just receivers as “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Last year some time there was a call for volunteers and so we signed up. Even though we don’t have children ourselves yet, I am a high school teacher so felt I would be most useful with kids, as I enjoy their energy and enthusiasm. Each time I am rostered on, I am continually reminded to come as a child to God. It is great to see the children become more confident in their faith and seeing them link what they are learning about God to their everyday life is inspiring.” · Jonathan (& Jess) RiddellTo volunteer in Children’s Church, please visit www.stpauls.org.nz >> Relating >> Helping

“Leading the Baby Prayer Group evolved naturally out of my own broken journey of life, pregnancy and recurrent miscarriage. My two young boys are both heaven-sent, miraculous proof of the power of prayer and the faith of other women sown into my life. The opportunity to then hear the stories of others on the same rough and tumble rollercoaster of disappointment, isolation and disbelief, and then to be able to pray for them, is both an honour and a privilege. God comes through for us time after time —healing our wounds, assuaging our grief, strengthening our resolve, restoring us to wholeness and ushering in miracle after miracle, baby after baby. It’s a mind-blowing honour to witness God’s miraculous power firsthand and tell the amazing stories of what He has done.” Louise GilesNext Baby Prayer Night is on Wednesday 16 May. For more info, please visit www.stpauls.org.nz >> Growing >> Prayer >> Praying for Babies.

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Theology at St Pauls How to Read the Bible 7pm · Church

Ministry at St Pauls Forgiveness Matters 7pm · Church

Man to Man 7pm · Meeting Room

SPPRAY 6:45am

Mainly Music 10am · Crypt

Fuel

Bunker Social

Fuel

Dedication of Father Prebble’s Plaque 11am · Church

Core Social

Activate 7pm · Grey Lynn Community Centre

Vestry Day Away

Bunker Social Core Social


SPPRAY 6:45am


SPPRAY 6:45am


SPPRAY 6:45am


SPPRAY 6:45am


The Life Course Banquet 7pm · Church

Man to Man 7pm · Meeting Room

The Life Course 7pm · Crypt

Man to Man 7pm · Church Offices

Baby Prayer Group 7:30pm · Sanctuary





Space 10am · Crypt

Fuel

Sunday Services Introducing Jesus 9 · 11 · 3:30 · 6:30

Core · Deeper 5pm

Space 10am · Crypt

Pastoral Care 7pm · Church

Sunday Services How to Change a City 9 · 11 · 3:30 · 6:30

Space 10am · Crypt

Sunday Services Watoto Childrens Choir 9 · 11 · 3:30 · 6:30

Core · Deeper 5pm

Space 10am · Crypt








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Space 10am · Crypt

Exploring Prayer 7:30pm

Space 10am · Crypt

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Core · Deeper 5pm


The Life Course Weekend Away

Sunday Services Discipleship in the 21st Century 9 · 11 · 3:30 · 6:30

Core · Deeper 5pm

Sunday Services Discipleship in the 21st Century 9 · 11 · 3:30 · 6:30

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Marriage Preparation 7pm · Crypt




June

The next Marriage Preparation Course starts on Tuesday 5 June.

Numbers are strictly limited so to reserve your place, please go to stpauls.org.nz and click on Growing >> Courses >> Marriage Prep and register now! If you know an engaged couple who would benefit from this course, please pass it on.

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stpaulswww.stpauls.org.nz

SPREAD . issue one

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Transcript of SPREAD . issue one