We don’t often talk about finances, but they are part of church life. The provisional results for last year are now available and we will hopefully consider audited results at the Parish Annual General Meeting. As expected, there was a deficit last year and the Parish had to access some savings. The deficit, however, was…
Last year I wrote about the church and politics. I had quite some feedback, so I decided to read a book on the topic. It is called “To change the World” by James Davison Hunter. The book includes a lot of background analysis. In the modern period it looks mainly at the interaction between Christians…
Thank you to all those participating at the Future Directions Meeting last Sunday. Through the meeting we realised that we needed more prayer and more analysis, but were also clear that the process could not be drawn out. We want to be responsible stewards of what is entrusted to us. As we look into the…
We have recently completed a process to put together a Mission Action Plan. It gives us some sense of the actions the parish aims to be involved in over the next few years.
The Ash Wednesday service at St Silas has been postponed until a later date in Lent. The Knitting Group at 2:00pm on Monday, 15 February 2021, will go ahead with appropriate distancing. Musical Play at 10:00 am on Tuesday, 16 February 2021, will go ahead. By attending parents/caregivers clearly indicate to the co-ordinator of the programme that they understand that the programme…
The early missionaries to New Zealand were instrumental in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. They put the trust others had in them and their own skills to good use by working for the good of all people. At times the work they did was hard. Their motives were questioned by many, but they…
Many parishioners here look back over a considerable number of years at St Paul’s. Throughout that time they have gained many precious memories, have been fed in their faith, led in their path through life. This church has been a significant part of their life. Those who joined us more recently have hopefully developed some…
Early next year we will have a garage sale. We already have some items from an earlier effort to raise some funds on Trademe. However, more items are always welcome. While the garage sale is indeed a fund-raising opportunity, it is also an encouragement to think about some of the clutter we may have amassed…
The early church celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus regularly and over time this remembrance combined with the regular breaking of the bread to become what we now know as the Eucharist. Nevertheless, Passover provided the opportunity to more specifically remember the events surrounding the passion and resurrection of Jesus every year. Soon an…
Recently I watched the 2002 BBC documentary “The Century of the Self”. It traces the history of an idea that has become very important in our society. Indeed, the documentary suggests that in the 20th century it has come to dominate Western societies. It is the belief that the satisfaction of individual feelings and desires is our highest priority. This idea was…