WHILE OUR CHURCH BUILDING IS REPAIRED WE ARE MEETING EACH SUNDAY AT THE MINERAL & LAPIDARY CLUB 11O WALTHAM RD (NEXT TO WALTHAM SCHOOL) AT 10AM.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU.
WORSHIP FOCUS: Reign of Christ. This morning’s worship service has been prepared by our study group.
We remember in our prayers this day all those affected by Monday’s earthquake in North Canterbury, for the victims, the injured, the displaced, all those who work in disaster relief.
NOTICES
Notes from the Session Meeting
Temporary Office – to be moved 10.30am Thursday 24 November. The office will then be fitted out. Thanks to Tony Beasley and Warren Pettigrew.
October Breakfast – went really well. It was agreed to hold these regularly in 2017 with parish groups responsible for organising. 19 March Men’s Group 21 May Young People 20 August 15 October
New Venue for Worship – is working well. Please be aware that it is a transition to start attending a new venue and if you know of someone who might like to come, offer to bring them for their first time.
Education: Look out for showings of the video Te Rongopai – The beginnings of Christianity in New Zealand after worship on Jan 29th and Feb 5th next year in preparation for Waitangi Day. This excellent video tells us that Christianity had a very important part to play in the history of our nation and in particular with the relationship between Maori and Pakeha.
Look out also for Lenten Study Groups in Lent 2017.
Mission – Tanzanian Lunch enjoyed by those who participated with about $900 total raised. That is a great result. Thanks to Barb and others involved.
Worship – We will be uniting with Beckenham Methodist for services on Christmas day and in January 2017.
2017 Fundraising Calendars – only a handful left! Contact the Office. $20.
Garage Sale on site at 43 St Martins Rd Saturday 10th Dec 9am – 12 noon.
Donations of books, plants, kitchenware, china, hardware and furniture very welcome. Volunteers to run a sausage sizzle needed also. If you can help with sorting on the Thursday & Friday mornings, please add your name to the list on Irene’s clipboard. See Irene if you can help on the day too.
Did You Know?: Offerings can be paid by direct debit – see Joan Macdonald for details.
Wednesday Walkers 23rd November: Meet 9.30am on the corner of Gloucester St & Woodham Rd. We will have a walk through the Red-zone (PLEASE WEAR CLOSED SHOES) and finish with coffee at the Crossroad Cafe. All welcome. Anneke 328 7459.
Crafty Crafters
Thursdays 10am – 12 noon at Beckenham Methodist Lounge. $3. This is a very friendly group and new faces are always welcome. Lyndsey McKay
Christmas Gifts for Waltham Cottage
Gifts for Men, Women, Teenage boys and girls and smaller children. Toiletries, clothing, toys, stationery, smellies, books…all the things that you like to receive at Christmas. Please DO NOT wrap the gifts as they are carefully chosen for each individual. Donations of wrapping, paper and cards are also very welcome.
The box will be under the Christmas tree from next Sunday 27 until 11th December. Home baked goodies could also be received on the 11th
Thank you for supporting Adrienne and the Cottage staff as they make Christmas a happy time for so many families.
Rod Donald Memorial Lecture: Creating Sustainable Urban Communities: Lessons for rebuilding Christchurch’s Communities presented by Simon Kingham UC Professor of Geography. Sunday 27th November 2016 4.30 – 6.00pm at The Atrium, Netball Centre, Hagley Ave. All welcome. Entry by koha.
To reserve a seat please contact:chchgreens@greens.org.nz
The Risingholme Singers are presenting Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, on Saturday 3 December in St Michael and All Angels Church, Oxford Terrace, at 7.00 pm. This will be a stunning concert, accompanied by harp. Tickets $15 from John Shanks.
My friends in the Alpine Presbytery.
This last Monday, in the early hours of the morning, our lives were once again shaken by the earthquakes in North Canterbury and the Kaikoura coast. At present we are unable to make physical contact with people in Waiau, Kaikoura and parts of the Awatere Flaxbourne parish.
On your behalf I have been in contact with each of the Ministers in the parishes badly affected by the earthquake and aftershocks offering our support and prayers. At present Kaikoura is isolated from the rest of New Zealand, and the Rev Dawn Daunauda, of the Awatere Flaxbourne Co-Operating parish, informs me that she is unable to travel to offer pastoral support to the people in Flaxbourne and the Kekerangu areas. My experience tells me that the damage to homes and property, plus the isolation and aftershocks will place great pressure on relationships as people struggle to cope with everyday tasks.
Within the next week, when needs becomes clearer and we are able to receive advice from those on the ground in the affected areas, the Presbytery Council will advise you of how we can all best assist. With so many at General Assembly in Dunedin and communications with the Rev Alistair McNaughton in Kaikoura intermittent, we are restricted in our normal decision making processes. However this does not stop us spiritually supporting each other through prayer and providing as much human love and support as we are able to in the current circumstances. Please remember in your prayers those affected by the devastation affecting those in North Canterbury (who have already been suffering the effects of a two and a half year long drought) and Marlborough. Please also pray for those in the lower North Island who also have been affected.
PS: Please also remember in prayer those at General Assembly in Dunedin.
David
Moderator
Alpine Presbytery
We have sent greetings from St Martin’s and the assurance of our thoughts and prayers to Presbyterian parishes in the quake affected areas. Some responses have been:
From the Rev Nancy Jean Whithead at Amberley and Cheviot….
Thank you for the greetings, prayers and thoughts from St. Martin’s. They are much appreciated.
On the whole things are OK. Our people in Cheviot, who all live in the village or Gore Bay, say there has been minor damage but nothing that they can’t deal with. It is the area immediately north – Parnassus, Conways Flat and Spotswood where things are not good. Far worse than Cheviot is Waiau – part of Amuri Parish. Houses have been destroyed and there is no power, water or cellphone coverage. A number of our people have family there and the Amberley Probus group is organising baking etc. to go up there soon.
From Helen Clyde Smith at Hanmer….
I am pleased to inform you that there have been no reports of significant damage to property or injury to any person in Hanmer Springs. As with most areas around the central points of the earthquake lots of broken and damaged falling items from shelves etc. Nothing too significant. The road in is now fully cleared but only open one way as a precaution from aftershocks causing further slips. Trucks have been allowed to go over the bridge. So Hanmer Springs is in good heart and getting on with it.
Sadly this is not the case for our neighbours with Rotherham to Waiau and all surrounding area very impacted so I am sure the Amuri co-operating parish will need support. A number of houses and buildings destroyed with land damage and road issues in the Waiau district.
Contact with the St Paul’s parish in Kaikoura has been intermittent but they have been working hard to provide meals for tourists and support for each other. They have even been organizing movies at the church to provide light relief.
Dugald