CALL TO WORSHIP
Let us rejoice, for a new day has dawned.
We know the beauty of God’s Creation and the wonder of
the human family.
We remember those whose love and example has shaped our lives; those whose loyalty and faithfulness has continued in times of difficulty as well as celebration.
We gather here to worship God, to give thanks and to reaffirm our commitment to God and the task we are called to.

HYMN: Sing Praise and Thanksgiving
Sing praise and thanksgiving, let all creatures living
now worship their maker with gladness and song;
all glory and honour we come to him bringing:
O praise to the Almighty,
sing praise to our God!

Our lives of his making he brings to their waking;
in darkness he held us in his gracious care,
now into the light we are called from our sleeping:
O praise to the Almighty,
sing praise to our God!

Lord, frame our desiring to do your requiring,
that unto your glory be all that we do;
and where we have faltered, give strength and give healing:
O praise to the Almighty,
sing praise to our God! © C.A. Gibson & M. Barclay (WOV)

OPENING PRAYERS & THE LORD’S PRAYER

TIME WITH THE CHILDREN ~ Gillian Cree

SONG: Go Tell Everyone God’s Spirit is in my heart,
He has called me and set me apart.
This is what I have to do,
what I have to do.

He sent me to give the Good News to the poor,
Tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more,
Tell blind people that they can see,
and set the downtrodden free.
And go tell everyone the news that the Kingdom of God has come,
And go tell everyone the news that the Kingdom of God has come.

And just as the Father sent me,
so I’m sending you out to be
My witnesses throughout the world,
the whole of the world.

Don’t worry what you have to say,
don’t worry because on that day
God’s Spirit will speak in your heart,
will speak in your heart.

READINGS:
Psalm 111: Praise for God’s Wonderful Works
Praise the Lord!
I will thank you O Lord with all my heart:
in the company of the upright, in their assembly.
Great are your works O Lord:
and to be studied by all who delight in them.
Your deeds are full of majesty and splendour:
and your righteousness endures for ever.
You have caused your marvellous acts to be remembered: you Lord are gracious and full of compassion.
You give food to those who fear you:
you keep your covenant always in mind. You have shown your people your power in action:
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of your hands are faithful and just:
and all your precepts are trustworthy.
They stand fast for ever and ever:
they are grounded in truth and justice. You sent redemption to your people,
you decreed your eternal covenant:
holy and awesome is your name.
The fear of you O Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
those who revere you have good understanding:
your praise shall endure for ever.
Mark 14: 3-9 Jeannette Beaumont

REFLECTION

A TIME OF QUIET

HYMN: Come, Celebrate the Women (Tune : Ellacombe)
Come, celebrate the women
who brought the Church to birth!
the gentle revolution
that shall transform the earth:
whose faith was salt and leaven,
whose hearts and minds were free,
and this was their direction –
to peace and unity.

The teachers, saints and mothers
who lived and died unsung
kept safe the gospel story
and taught it to the young;
the Christ child Mary cradled,
the living Word to be
was crucified for pleading
this peace and unity.

Daughters of the disciples,
you weave the story still,
the fabric of the future
with warmth and love and skill,
you make the bread of wholeness,
the wine of harmony –
and all shall share your feasting
in peace and unity! © Shirley Murray

THE OFFERING
God, we offer you our money and these gifts of food.
We offer you our gifts and skills.
We offer you the work of our hands and hearts in the wider community and beyond.
God, may we reflect in our work and in our lives the community we have found in the sharing of the loaf; and the presence we have known in the breaking of the bread, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

THE ORDINATION OF NEW ELDERS

Presentation

Preamble
There are different gifts,
but it is the same Spirit who gives them.
There are different ways of serving God,
but it is the same Lord who is served.
God works through different people in different ways,
but it is the same God whose purpose is at work in us all.
We are all given gifts by the Spirit to use for the common good.
We have the joy of using our gifts
as members of Christ’s Church,
which is his body continuing his ministry in the world today…

AN AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
We are not alone, we live in God’s world.
We believe in God: who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us. We are not alone.
Thanks be to God. (United Church of Canada, 1968)

Vows

Congregational Vows
Do you, the members of this congregation, accept Hilary and Barry as serving elders? We do

Will you encourage them and support them in this ministry, serving with them the one Lord Jesus Christ? We will

As members of this congregation will you encourage and support all leaders, surrounding them with your love, remembering them in prayer? We will

Signing of the Formula

Prayer

Aaronic Blessing: The Lord Bless You and Keep You (WOV 572)
The Lord bless you, and keep you:
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace. C/A

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

HYMN: Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You
Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you,
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
we are travellers on the road,
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear,
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping,
when you laugh, I’ll laugh with you,
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven,
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love, and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you,
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.

THE BLESSING

NOTICES:
A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea following the service.

CHRIS’ LAST SUNDAY 28TH JUNE: A lunch has been organised at the Cashmere Club at 12.30pm. $33 per head. Allison has the list available – please put your name on the list if you wish to attend. Payment to be made on the day at the Club. We hope as many as possible will be able to attend. The list will be available for the next four weeks or ring Allison 332 0554.

WEDNESDAY WALKERS 13th May: Meet 9.30am in the Heathcote Valley Inn carpark for a stroll around Heathcote. All are welcome. Anneke 328 7459.
.
CRAFTY CRAFTERS: Thursdays 10am – 12 noon in the Lounge. $3 per session. New faces are always welcome ?. Beverley 332 7786.

DEADLINE FOR COPY for “Messenger” is this Friday 15th May. Anneke (anneke.howie@gmail.com).

INVITATION TO A FAMILY GAMES NIGHT NEXT Sunday 17th May 5 – 7.30 p.m. Beckenham Church Lounge. Bring your own tea and a favourite game. Drinks provided. THIS EVENING IS FOR EVERYONE.

NEW READERS’ ROSTER available today – please check to see if there is one for you. Anna.

CEILIDH: Saturday 6th June 2015 St Martins School Hall 7 – 10.30pm.
Everyone is welcome. It will be a great night of fun, dance etc and the
Incredible Ceilidh Band have been invited to help musically and with the
dancing. Spread the word. Bring your family and friends, and cash to purchase jams and pickles for your pantry.
A very special fundraiser for the Link Building.
Tickets $15 each or $40 a family. See Anneke or Irene.

CARING & SHARING: Wednesday 27th May 2pm, Beckenham Methodist Lounge. We’d love to see everyone – old, young, even in between! Irene 332 7306.

FOOT CLINIC: Next Session Monday 15th June 1-4pm. Phone Judith 332 1577 to book.

INVITATION: The annual ecumenical service for the observance of the Week for Christian Unity is being held on Wednesday 20th May at 7pm at the Transitional Cathedral. All are most welcome to attend, and stay on for a cuppa afterwards.

BELLA’S BENEFIT BASH featuring the Jabulani Choir TOMORROW 7.30pm at Waltham School Hall (entrance off Hastings St East). Tickets available from Adrienne 942 2173. Entry by koha: Waged $15, Bring a friend $25, Unwaged $5.

PARISH OFFICE HOURS: Wed & Thurs 9am-12noon and Fri 9-11am. Phone 332 6192 or email stmartpresch@xtra.co.nz. Pop in and say hello – 7 Wilsons Rd (at the rear of the St Anne’s site near the sandpit).
Please ensure Anna has any notices by 9am Thursday each week.
Keep an eye on the website: www.stmartins.org.nz

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: Sun 10th Jill; Sat 16th Kim.

WELCOME AND NOTICES

GATHERING:
The days continue to shorten and the wind tosses the leaves.
Soon branches will be bare and the soil will harden with frost.
Soon there will be days when the sun struggles to warm the air. Yet we come in joy to worship, for Jesus the Christ, is our promise
of life transformed.
As creation rests in preparation for a new cycle of growth,
we come seeking new growth.
God of grace, God of companionship, move among us this day, that we may sense your purposes in the seasons of the year, and in the seasons of our lives. May we glimpse you in the faces of friends and strangers. May we hear your voice, may we sense your touch, in the encounters with one another.

HYMN: Our Life Has its Seasons
Our life has its seasons, and God has the reasons
why spring follows winter, and new leaves grow,
for there’s a connection with our resurrection
that flowers will bud after frost and snow,
so there’s never a time to stop believing
there’s never a time for hope to die,
there’s never a time to stop loving,
these three things go on.

There’s a time to be planting,
a time to be plucking,
a time to be laughing,
a time to weep,
a time to be building,
a time to be breaking,
a time to be waking,
a time to sleep,
but there’s never a time…

There’s a time to be hurting
a time to be healing,
a time to be saving,
a time to spend,
a time to be grieving,
a time to be dancing,
a time for beginning,
a time to end,
but there’s never a time… © Shirley Murray (AA)

PRAYER OF CONFESSION & THE LORD’S PRAYER

TIME WITH THE CHILDREN ~ Gillian Cree

SONG: Grow up Like Jesus {on screen}

READINGS: Acts 8: 26-40 Judith Mackay
John 15:1-8 Tony Beasley

SERMON: The Image of the Grapevine

A TIME OF QUIET

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

OFFERING
Let us dedicate ourselves to love … Good News of Jesus may be known.
Bless this offering that it may be used in your service.
Bless this bread and this wine, that through your Holy Spirit
they may be food and drink for the journey, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION & THE PEACE

HYMN: We Are Many, We Are One
We are many, we are one,
and the work of Christ is done
when we learn to live in true community,
as the stars that fill the night,
as a flock of birds in flight,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine;
as the branches of a tree,
as the waves upon the sea,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine.

All division is made whole
when we honour every soul,
find the life of God in every you and me,
as the fingers of a hand,
as the grains that form the sand,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine;
as the threads upon a loom,
as a field of flowers in bloom,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine.

We will join creation’s song,
make a world where all belong,
build as one in peace and loving harmony,
as the voices of a choir,
as the flames within a fire,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine;
as the snowflakes in the snow,
as the colours of a bow,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine. © Colin Gibson (FFS)

A PRAYER FOR EASTER-TIDE
God, every dawn is a new beginning… death is not the story.
New life breaks into the world: like tiny flowers pushing up through paving; like sunlight into the deepest cave.
Today the hope of the world shines everywhere.
Today the fruit and grain…for our commissioning, for our communion.
Today, God, you give again what you have always given from the beginning ~ life: that great mystery that can never be contained.
Today, as we eat … is the rising of us all.
God, this is food for the hungry and drink for the thirsty. We hope for the day when everyone in the whole of creation will have enough, where hunger, thirst, violence, will be barely a memory.
It is to live and work in the hope of that day … that you are with us.
You give us bread for new life, wine for celebration, each other for community, and yourself for our fulfilment. AMEN.

COMMUNION
As Jesus shared… that our lives might proclaim the mystery of faith.
Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.
Jesus Christ, the True Vine.

COMMUNION

PRAYER FOLLOWING COMMUNION

HYMN: For all Christ’s Friends (Tune: Sine Nomine WOV 384)
For all Christ’s friends whose lives this world have blessed,
who by their faith and actions Christ confessed,
we praise you Lord, their source of graciousness.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

You were their hope, their comfort, their delight;
you helped them grow in wisdom and in might;
in joy and pain you were their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Like them may we have Christ-like caring ways,
lives lived with wonder, tenderness and praise,
that we may live for others all our days.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

O great Communion spanning time and space,
beyond our wealth, our learning or our race,
we can be one in Jesus and his grace.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

They shall be one who value people’s worth,
One when they work for justice on the earth,
One when they love the Lord of all new birth,
Alleluia! Alleluia! © Bill Wallace (STSA)

THE BLESSING

NOTICES:
A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea following the service.

GUESS WHO IS COMING TO LUNCH 12.30pm TODAY: Those people participating, please collect your envelopes with instructions from Sonya.

NEXT SUNDAY: Induction and Ordination of two new Elders – Barry Moore & Hilary Moore.

FOOT CLINIC: TOMORROW 1-4pm. New helpers are always welcome. Contact Lyndsey 388 1264 for more information.

WEDNESDAY WALKERS 6th May: Meet 9.30am in Linden Grove, cnr Annex/Lincoln Roads. Park in Annex Rd. Coffee at Baptist Church Café, Lyttelton Street. All are welcome. Judith 332 1577.
.
CRAFTY CRAFTERS: Thursdays 10am – 12 noon in the Lounge. $3 per session. New faces are always welcome ?. Beverley 332 7786.

MEN’S GROUP Thursday 7th May 6pm at Merchiston, 75 St Martins Rd. Please bring a plate of food to share,and enjoy some fellowship. Our guest for the evening is our own Bob Kayes! All men welcome. Tony 374 6673.

COPY REQUIRED as from now for the next “Messenger”. Please send any articles, pictures, recipes, etc to Anneke (anneke.howie@gmail.com) or post to 5 Simeon Quay, Lyttelton, 8082. The deadline is Friday 15th May.

INVITATION TO A FAMILY GAMES NIGHT Sunday 17th May 5 – 7.30 p.m.
Beckenham Church Lounge. Bring your own tea and a favourite game. Drinks provided. THIS EVENING IS FOR EVERYONE.

CARING & SHARING: And you may have been thinking we were becoming ‘extinct’. Not likely. Let’s meet – Wednesday 27th May 2pm in the Beckenham Methodist Lounge. We’d love to see everyone – old, young, even in between!

STANDING WITH NEPAL: A fund-raising evening in support of Nepal following their devastating earthquake. Wednesday 6 May, 7.30pm, at Wainoni Methodist Church, Avonside Drive. Guest Speaker: Paddy Pawson from the Himalayan Trust, who recently worked in and visited mountain villages. A Koha will be taken for emergency relief.

CEILIDH(pronounced kale-ee)

‘A ceilidh is an informal social gathering with folk music, singing, dancing
and storytelling. This kind of gathering, which is popular in the Highlands
and Islands, is normally held in someone’s house. In the rest of Scotland, a
ceilidh is more of an organised evening of entertainment. Ceilidhs take place in hotels or halls hired for the evening and involve Scottish Country Dancing to music played usually on accordions and fiddles. Some dances are for couples and some for larger groups. The word is Gaelic.’
……. AND a Ceilidh is planned for Saturday 6th June 2015 in the St Martins School Hall 7 – 10.30pm.
Everyone is welcome. It will be a great night of fun, dance etc and the
Incredible Ceilidh Band have been invited to help musically and with the
dancing. Spread the word. Bring your family and friends.
A very special fundraiser for the Link Building.
Tickets $15 each or $40 a family are available from either Anneke or Irene.

BELLA’S BENEFIT BASH featuring the Jabulani Choir Monday 11th May 7.30pm at Waltham School Hall (entrance off Hastings St East). Tickets available from Adrienne at Waltham Community Cottage ph 942 2173. Suggested koha: Waged $15, Bring a friend $25, Unwaged $5. The proceeds from the concert are going towards a bucket list request – creating an Italian inspired courtyard in Isabella Kilkelly’s backyard
.
INVITATION: The annual ecumenical service for the observance of the Week for Christian Unity is being held on Wednesday 20th May at 7pm at the Transitional Cathedral. All are most welcome to attend, and stay on for a cuppa afterwards.

PARISH OFFICE HOURS: Wed & Thurs 9am-12noon and Fri 9-11am. Phone 332 6192 or email stmartpresch@xtra.co.nz. Pop in and say hello – 7 Wilsons Rd (at the rear of the St Anne’s site near the sandpit).
Please ensure Anna has any notices by 9am Thursday each week.
Keep an eye on the website: www.stmartins.org.nz

FIX-IT JOBS: Contact the Office if you need any help with little jobs around your property.

BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Thu 7th Lucy.

CALL TO WORSHIP:
Our help is in the name of the Lord
The maker of heaven and earth

God is our refuge and our stronghold
A timely help in trouble

HYMN: O Laughing Light (Tune: Christe Sanctorum WOV2)
O laughing Light, O first-born of creation,
Radiance of glory, light from light begotten,
God self-revealing, holy, bright and blessed:
You shine upon us.

Day’s light is fleeting, yours is light eternal;
We look to you, our light within the shadow.
We sing to you, Creator, Christ, and Spirit.
You shine before us.

Light of the world, O Jesus Christ, we bless you.
Giver of life and Child of God, we praise you.
Hear as the universe proclaims your glory!
You shine among us. © Sylvia G. Dunstan (CH4)

PRAYERS OF ADORATION, CONFESSION & SUPPLICATION

TIME WITH THE CHILDREN

HYMN: The Church is Wherever
The church is wherever God’s people are praising,
singing God’s goodness for joy on this day.
The Church is wherever disciples of Jesus
remember his story and walk in his way.

The Church is wherever God’s people are helping,
caring for neighbours in sickness and need.
The Church is wherever God’s people are sharing
the words of the Bible in gift and in deed. ©W. Jenkins (VU)

READINGS FROM SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 46 Jill Grierson
John 15: 9-17 Warren Pettigrew

SERMON: Difficult Connections Rev. Dr. John McKean

HYMN: God the Omnipotent (tune: Russia WOV89)
God the Omnipotent! King, who ordainest
Great winds thy clarions, lightnings thy sword:
Show forth thy pity on high where thou reignest;
Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

God the All-merciful! Earth hath forsaken
Meekness and mercy, and slighted thy word;
Bid not thy wrath in its terrors awaken;
Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

God the All-righteous One! We have defied thee;
Yet to eternity standeth thy word;
Falsehood and wrong shall not tarry beside thee;
Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

God the All-wise! By the fire of thy chastening,
Earth shall to freedom and truth be restored;
Through the thick darkness thy Kingdom is hastening;
Thou wilt give peace in thy time, O Lord.

So shall thy children, with thankful devotion,
Praise him who saved them from peril and sword,
Singing in chorus, from ocean to ocean,
Peace to the nations, and praise to the Lord. ©CH4

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

THE PEACE

OFFERING:
God, Creator, Saviour, Spirit Holy,
We give you thanks and praise;
And dedicate to you our thoughts, our words,
Our gifts, our deeds
The workings of our hands, the thinking of our minds
The loving of our hearts.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

HYMN: It is God who holds the nations (Tune: Vision WOV205i)
It is God who holds the nations in the hollow of his hand;
It is God whose light is shining in the darkness of the land;
It is God who builds the city on the rock and not on sand:
May the living God be praised!

It is God whose purpose summons us to use the present hour;
Who recalls us to our senses when a nation’s life turns sour;
In the discipline of freedom we shall know his saving power:
May the living God be praised!

When a thankful nation, looking back, has cause to celebrate
Those who win our admiration by their service to the state;
When self-giving is a measure of the greatness of the great:
May the living God be praised!

God reminds us every sunrise that the world is ours on lease –
For the sake of life tomorrow may our love for it increase;
May all people live together, share its riches, be at peace:
May the living God be praised!

BLESSING AND THREE-FOLD AMEN.

NOTICES:
A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea following the service.

BECKENHAM-ST MARTINS GUESS WHO IS COMING TO LUNCH EVENT: NEXT Sunday 3 May 12.30pm Last chance to sign up today!

FIRESIDE Tuesday 28th April 7.30pm at Joan Scott’s. Please bring along any family WW1 items or stories to share. All women are very welcome. Contact Margaret 366 8936 for details.

REMINDER: Celebration of 50th anniversary of ordination of women to ministry, and 60 years of women Elders Friday 8th May, Knox Centre.

WEDNESDAY WALKERS 29th April: Meet by the bridge in the Botanical Gardens off the carpark accessed from Rolleston Avenue, at 9.30am for a walk around the Garden. Coffee will be in the Museum Cafe. Note: Please phone Sonya 339 7038 if you are not on the Walkers email list for latest info on road closures in the area. Armagh St is closed. Gloucester St then right into Rolleston Ave, left into Gardens by Christ’s College recommended.
.
CRAFTY CRAFTERS: Thursdays 10am – 12 noon in the Lounge. $3 per session. New faces are always welcome ?. Beverley 332 7786.

MEN’S GROUP Thursday 7th May 6pm at Merchiston, 75 St Martins Rd. Please bring a plate of food to share,and enjoy some fellowship. Our guest for the evening is our own Bob Kayes! All men welcome. Tony 374 6673.

FOOT CLINIC: Monday 4th May 1-4pm. Bookings: Judith 332 1577.

Please ensure Anna has any notices by 9am Thursday each week. Email: stmartpresch@xtra.co.nz. Website: www.stmartins.org.nz

INVITATION TO A FAMILY GAMES NIGHT Sunday 17th May 5 – 7.30 p.m.
Beckenham Church Lounge. Bring your own tea and a favourite game. Drinks provided. THIS EVENING IS FOR EVERYONE.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: Sun 26th Rob M;Tue 28th Joan; Fri 1st Margaret.

WELCOME AND NOTICES: The Board of Managers’ Report

CALL TO WORSHIP:
We come this morning to celebrate the outreach of our congregation:
to recognise men and women of the parish who have taken up the challenge. In worship, we focus on God’s love in action, shown through God’s people. May we hear the voice of the Spirit encouraging us in the task of making God’s love visible in the community.

HYMN: Every Day I will Offer You
Every day I will offer you,
loving God, my heart and mind,
every way I discover you
in the work your hand has signed;
help me see I’m your image, and
you have dreamed what I might be,
every day in your Spirit,
I’ll find the love and energy!

Every day I will look to Christ,
and give thanks for wine and bread
through the pain and the emptiness
where your world cries to be fed;
help me see I can work for change,
and wherever I might be,
every day in your Spirit,
I’ll find the love and energy!

Every day I will take your word,
answer your compassion’s claim,
celebrate every sign of hope,
every deed done in your name;
help me see you are always there,
and your light can shine through me,
every day in your Spirit,
I’ll find the love and energy! © Shirley Murray (AA)
OPENING PRAYERS

STORY TIME: The Giving Tree

INTRODUCTION TO and THE READINGS
Exodus 3: 1-12 Irene Gray
Acts 16: 1-3a; 11-15 Lindsay Day
HYMN: Will You Come and Follow me © WGRG, The Iona Community (VU)
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

Christ, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same?
In your company I’ll go where your love and footsteps show.
this I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.

Volunteers’ Reflections:
Sarah-Jayne Hawkins
Lindsay Day

HYMN: In Loving Partnership (Tune: Church Triumphant WOV 1)
In loving partnership we come,
seeking, O God, your will to do.
Our prayers and actions now receive;
we freely offer them to you.

We are the hands and feet of Christ,
serving by grace each other’s need.
We dare to risk and sacrifice
with truthful word and faithful deed.

Loving community we seek;
your hope and strength within us move.
The poor and rich, the strong and weak
are brought together in your love.

In loving partnership, O God,
help us your future to proclaim.
Justice and peace be our desire,
we humbly pray in Jesus’ name. © Desert Flower Music (VU)

Fern Wakefield

Awards for Those Who Serve

THE OFFERING:
Gracious God, we give you thanks for the many gifts you give; and for the many people who touch our lives.
Today as we celebrate those who give their time and skills to serve the outreach of this congregation, we bring this food and money for your blessing. May these gifts be used, not only to build us up, but to show your love in action to others, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

HYMN: Take My Gifts
Take my gifts and let me love you,
God who first of all loved me,
gave me light and food and shelter,
gave me life and set me free.
Now, because your love has touched me,
I have love to give away;
now the bread of love is rising,
loaves of love to multiply!

Take the fruit that I have gathered
from the tree your Spirit sowed,
harvest of your own compassion,
juice that makes the wine of God;
spiced with humour, laced with laughter-
flavour of the Jesus life,
tang of risk and new adventure,
taste and zest beyond belief.

Take whatever I can offer-
gifts that I have yet to find,
skills that I am slow to sharpen,
talents of the hand and mind,
things made beautiful for others
in the place where I must be:
take my gifts and let me love you,
God who first of all loved me. © Shirley Murray (AA)

WE GREET ONE ANOTHER
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER

HYMN: We Sing a Love (Tune: Woodlands WOV 109)
We sing a love that sets all people free,
that blows like wind, that burns like scorching flame,
enfolds like earth, springs up like water clear:
come, living love, live in our hearts today.

We sing a love that seeks another’s good,
that longs to serve and not to count the cost,
a love that, yielding, finds itself made new:
come, caring love, live in our hearts today.

We sing a love, unflinching, unafraid
to be itself, despite another’s scorn,
a love that stands alone and undismayed:
come strengthening love, live in our hearts today.

We sing a love that, wandering, will not rest
until it finds its way, its home, its source,
through joy and sadness pressing on refreshed:
come, pilgrim love, live in our hearts today. © Stainer & Bell (CH4)

THE BLESSING

NOTICES:
A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea following the service.

Congregational Meeting TODAY after Morning Worship to receive the nominations of Barry Moore and Hilary Moore for election as Elders; and to elect four members to the Ministry Settlement Board. Bruce Hudson, Session Clerk.

ALPINE PRESBYTERY meets Friday 8th & Saturday 9th May. On Friday evening the 50th anniversary of the Ordination of women to ministry will be celebrated, along with 60 years of women ordained as Elders. Women Elders are warmly invited to attend.

WEDNESDAY WALKERS 22nd April: Meet 9.30am in the main Riccarton Bush car park off Kahu Road. Coffee at Riccarton House. If you have any queries please phone Barbara and Alan 337 6202.
.
CRAFTY CRAFTERS: Thursdays 10am – 12 noon in the Lounge. $3 per session. New faces are always welcome ?. Beverley 332 7786.

FIRESIDE Tuesday 28th April 7.30pm at Joan’s. More information next week.

MEN’S GROUP Thursday 7th May 6pm at Merchiston. Details next week!

ANZAC Day Service: An invitation has been extended by the Vicar and Churchwardens of the Anglican Parish of Opawa-St Martins to join them at St Anne’s Anglican Church, 7 Wilsons Rd, on Saturday 25th April at 10am. Morning tea will follow the service. Everyone is welcome to attend.

FOOT CLINIC: Next session Monday 4th May 1-4pm. Ph Judith 332 1577 to book.

Please ensure Anna has any notices by 9am Thursday each week.

Beckenham-St Martins Guess Who is Coming to Lunch Event
Sunday 3 May 12.30pm
Hope you will join us for this opportunity to get to know each other better.
Guests pay $5 to the Host to cover expenses. Hosts are asked to provide a simple lunch and can indicate how many Guests they would like.
Feel free to put your name on both the Host and the Guest list if you are happy to be either. Lists will be in the Lounge.
Guests will be handed an envelope with directions to their Host’s home at the morning service on 3 May.

RECOGNISING OUR VOLUNTEERS 19th April 2015

CARING & SHARING Wednesday once a month
Irene Gray, Joan Scott, Barbara Simmonds, Fern Wakefield.

COFFEE & CHAT Tuesday/Wednesday weekly
Aubrey McLeod, Audrey Dunnachie.

CRAFTY CRAFTERS Thursday weekly
Beverley Hudson, Audrey Dunnachie, Lyndsey McKay.

FOOT PAMPERING Monday every 6th week
Joan Averis, Allison Blackler, Sarah-Jayne Hawkins, Anneke Howie, Beverley & Bruce Hudson, Audrey Dunnachie, Judith Mackay, Sonya & David Hodder, Jim Maunsell, Lyndsey McKay.

WALKING GROUP Wednesday weekly
June Service, Judith Mackay, Sonya Hodder.

KNITTING GROUP (Beckenham Primary School) 2nd/3rd term Wednesdays
Beverley Hudson, Lyn Steele, Deirdre McKean, Jill Grierson, Elizabeth Penwell, Lyndsey McKay.
Crafty Crafters: Joy Rajma, Jessie Tilbury, Vicky Fraser.

GARDEN TO THE PLATE (St Martins Primary School) Tuesdays
Beverley Hudson, Lyndsey McKay, Lindsay Day.

FUN DAY & NEIGHBOURHOOD BBQs
Elizabeth & Gilly Penwell, Sonya & David Hodder, Barbara & Rob Meier, Hilary & Barry Moore, Alice Shanks, Warren Pettigrew, Bruce Hudson, Aubrey McLeod, Lyndsey McKay.

READING RECOVERY PROGRAMME (Phillipstown School & Glenelg)
Allison Blackler, Margaret Shanks, Fern Wakefield, Joan Scott, Beryl Prentice.

SIT AND BE FIT Thursday weekly: Anneke Howie

WALTHAM COMMUNITY COTTAGE: Fern Wakefield

INDOOR BOWLS Tuesday weekly: Bruce Hudson

WELCOME AND NOTICES
CALL TO WORSHIP:
The Easter resurrection is a sign
that the love of God is stronger than death,
that Christ’s power is never diminished.
The Easter resurrection is a sign
that our hope in him can take us to the end of life
and in a mysterious way beyond.

Come, let us praise the risen Christ.

HYMN: Christ is Alive! Let Christians Sing (Tune: Truro WOV 33)
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.

Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
but saving, healing, here and now,
and touching every place and time.

In every insult, rift, and war,
where colour, scorn or wealth divide,
Christ suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, where even hope has died.

Women and men, in age and youth,
can feel the Spirit, hear the call,
and find the way, the life, the truth,
revealed in Jesus, freed for all.

Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise. © Hope Publishing (CH 4)
OPENING PRAYER & THE LORD’S PRAYER – SUNG

TIME WITH THE CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION TO THE READINGS

READINGS: Acts 4: 32-35 Gwendoline Cleland
Psalm 133 Gwendoline Cleland
John 20: 19-31 Martin Cleland

HYMN: As We Walked Home at Close of Day (Tune: Angelus WOV 169)
As we walked home at close of day,
a stranger joined us on our way.
He heard us speak of one who’d gone,
and when we stopped, he carried on.

“Why wander further without light?
Please stay with us this troubled night.
We’ve shared the truth of how we feel
and now would like to share a meal.”

We sat to eat our simple spread,
then watched the stranger take the bread;
and, as he said the blessing prayer,
we knew that someone else was there.

No stranger he; it was our eyes
which failed to see, in stranger’s guise,
the Lord who, risen from the dead,
met us when ready to be fed. © WGRG Iona Community (VU)

SERMON: Easter, an open-ended future

A TIME OF QUIET

THE OFFERING:
God, here is the work of our hands and minds.
Here is the love of our hearts.
Here is our desire to make a better world.
Bless this offering of money, of food, of ourselves,
that our gifts might join the gifts of all your Church,
to help show your love in action in your world. Amen.

HYMN: Christ Has Risen (Tune: Blaenwern WOV 165ii)
Christ has risen while earth slumbered,
Christ has risen where hope died,
as he said and as he promised,
as we doubted and denied.
Let the moon embrace the blessing;
let the sun sustain the cheer;
let the world confirm the rumour,
Christ is risen, God is here!

Christ has risen for the people
whom he loved and died to save;
Christ has risen for the women
bringing flowers to grace his grave.
Christ has risen for disciples
huddled in an upstairs room.
He whose word inspired creation
is not silenced by the tomb.

Christ has risen, and for ever
lives to challenge, and to change
all whose lives are messed or mangled,
all who find religion strange.
Christ is risen. Christ is present,
making us what he has been –
evidence of transformation
in which God is known and seen. © WGRG, The Iona Community (CH4)

WE GREET ONE ANOTHER

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
HYMN: We Are An Easter People
We are an Easter people,
ours is an Easter faith,
the yeast is rising in our hearts,
our wine has vintage taste.
Christ is risen,
Christ is risen,
risen in our lives.

We are an Easter people,
ours is an Easter faith,
our tears are freed to flow and heal
our shattered hopes and hearts

We are an Easter people,
ours is an Easter faith,
our fears have died, we rise to dream,
to love, to dance, to live. © Bill Wallace (AA)

THE BLESSING

Beckenham-St Martins Guess Who is Coming to Lunch Event
Sunday 3 May 12.30pm
Hope you will join us for this opportunity to get to know each other better.
Guests pay $5 to the Host to cover expenses. Hosts are asked to provide a simple lunch and can indicate how many Guests they would like.
Feel free to put your name on both the Host and the Guest list if you are happy to be either. Lists will be in the Lounge.
Guests will be handed an envelope with directions to their Host’s home at the morning service on 3 May.

NOTICES:
A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for morning tea following the service.

Congregational Meeting NEXT Sunday 19th April after Morning Worship to receive the nominations of Barry Moore and Hilary Moore for election as Elders. The second business of the meeting is in regard to the election of four members to the Ministry Settlement Board. You must be present to vote. Bruce Hudson, Session Clerk.
The congregation is invited to make written nominations for the election of four congregational members to the Ministry Settlement Board. Nomination forms and accompanying information are available at the front of the church. Place in a sealed envelope and put in the box or deliver to Anna at the Office. Nominations close Wednesday 15th April.

ALPINE PRESBYTERY meets Friday 8th & Saturday 9th May. On Friday evening the 50th anniversary of the Ordination of women to ministry will be celebrated, along with 60 years of women ordained as Elders. Women Elders are warmly invited to attend.

WEDNESDAY WALKERS 15th April: Meet 9.30am Opawa Mall carpark, Hawford Rd. Coffee at Opawa Bakery & Cafe. Leader: Fay.

BOARD OF MANAGERS meeting Wednesday 15th April 7.30pm.

CRAFTY CRAFTERS: Thursdays 10am – 12 noon in the Lounge. $3 per session. New faces are always welcome ?. Beverley 332 7786.

ANZAC Day Service: An invitation has been extended by the Vicar and Churchwardens of the Anglican Parish of Opawa-St Martins to join them at St Anne’s Anglican Church, 7 Wilsons Rd, on Saturday 25th April at 10am. Morning tea will follow the service. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Please ensure Anna has any notices by 9am Thursday each week.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: Mon 13th John E; Thu 16th Mavis.