Happy New Year friends. This is our first E News for the year and I hope 2023 is going to be a blessed and adventurous year for you all, full of new and exciting things.
I will be off to Samoa on Tuesday next week for a couple of weeks holiday. Our family will be installing matai (chief) titles on members of my family in my father’s village of Faletagaloa, Savaii. Afterwards we will head back to Apia on the island of Upolu for a holiday (I hope). I’m already in high demand even before I leave so I hope there will be some time to get some rest and relaxation before I return back to Aotearoa, New Zealand.
2023 for me is to be a time of new friendships and new adventures. I’m in the process of buying a small campervan for me and my dogs to go on little adventures on my days off. It is so hard to travel these days if you have dogs, but if we have our own accommodation on wheels there should be more opportunities and hopefully very few limitations.
John 10:10 Jesus says, I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly. That is my wish for us all this year, that we will live our lives in abundance in terms of our relationships with our loved ones, our families and friends. If you think this will be a struggle for you then make this a goal and a hope for 2023. Abundance is not a monetary term, it is about having relationships that are fulfilling and satisfying that meet you where you are at. In order to be surrounded by positive people and a hopeful outlook, we need to be honest with the state of our physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being so that people can be aware and available to meet us in our time of need, and that we will also be able to make ourselves available to do the same. So often we bottle things up and keep our vulnerability to ourselves and in the process push others away. How can we help if we do not know? This can be so hard for us to share and let go of. Let’s hope we can make 2023 a year for building bridges and reconciliation. So what does this abundance and fullness look for you this year?
Have you ever thought of volunteering to facilitate a group at St. Andrew’s? Exploring Faith, which happens on the first Sunday of every month after coffee, is now looking for someone to facilitate this group. If you think this is something you might like to do, please let me know before March. One possible suggestion or idea for exploring faith might be to do with “what does it mean for us to be a progressive church? What does this look like for you?”
Our Worship Committee, which came into existence during the ministerial vacancy, has had a few members retire due to work commitments so it is a little sparse in representation. How can the worship committee be more effective in the life our church this year? What would you like to see happen? Is this something you might be interested in? We will look at things like the St. Andrew’s prayer and other matters pertaining to our worship as matters arise. Be good to have at least another 2 people to join us.
Have a blessed fortnight, see you in a couple of weeks.
You can read the full E-News here: http://mailchi.mp/d70ee1e1d06d/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-9278867
