Fellowship on the Battleship

When you have a problem with someone talk to God – then talk to that person. * Take the initiative – set up a FACE to FACE meeting ASAP (minimize the spiritual damage) * In your discussion focus on feelings not facts (protect your relationship) * Admit your mistakes (check with someone who will tell you the truth) * Choose the attitude of Christ (are you an accuser, excuser or chooser?) * Cooperate (resist fighting, condemning, looking down-see Romans 14) * Strive for reconciliation (relationship) over resolution (problem).
If you are unable to work things out (remember the above may take some time), take another person with you and work through the above steps again.  Make every effort to work things out.
If you are unable to works things out, take the matter to your church leaders.
If still the brother or sister is unrepentant then treat them like ‘a pagan or corrupt tax-collector’ Matthew 18:17.
How is that?  Just like Jesus – He loved them and did everything he could to win their hearts for God.

VOTE?

VOTE? - We live in a country where we have the privilege of being able to vote for leaders in local and national government.  It is not an easy decision.  At times it may seem easier not to take on such a daunting responsibility, and simply not vote.  Though there is worldwide focus on the upcoming elections in the United States, we also have elections a few days later in New Zealand that will help determine the combination of political parties to form the next government.  Voting is a right we are afforded in Aotearoa.

When voting for a government as a Christian I am looking for leaders of character, integrity, humility, competence and generosity.  I am a Christian in an increasingly secular country.  It is a difficult decision that requires sincere prayer and commitment.

I pray everyday for our country.  My prayer is that every New Zealander can have the opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as the leader and controller of their life.  I also pray that God will give me the wisdom to vote responsibly in a time when our country needs God more than ever before.

Credit Crunch

CREDIT CRUNCH.  It is easier to get into debt than it is to get out.  In recent times credit has been recklessly available to most people despite their ability to pay back.  Greed has dug a hole in people’s pockets that has placed them in deep pits of debt.  Some of this turmoil has resulted in innocent people being financially jeopardized.  With the current worldwide financial upheaval impacting all of us, it can  become tempting to move away from God’s plan.

What can we do?  Let us keep God first in our finances: (i) by carefully planning our spending and saving.  (ii) Let’s keep giving because generosity protects us from greed.  (iii) Let us also faithfully repay our debts no matter how painful the process maybe.  (iv) Let me also say, don’t get caught up in the fast money trap and start looking at ‘too-good-to-be-true’ schemes or gambling.  Let us honour God with our finances.

Yes we are in a difficult time.  So even more than ever let us trust God to – as always - come through, even though it may not be in the way we would always hope for.  Let us support each other and our communities with wise financial advice and support.

Healthy M&Ms?!

Hi Everyone! Have you heard of M&Ms? - Memorise Scripture, Meditate Prayerfully, Maximise Nature and Minimise Media!

The Executive Committee met last Wednesday.  The committee received a progress report on our two main communication sources: the weekly NNZC Bulletin and Website.  Please note the new address www.nnzc.org.nz -  and its new look.

Ed Gallagher, Spiritual Growth Pastor for our NNZ Conference, presented a report on the Sabbath School and Small Groups resources he has developed.  These resources are now available on the website.

The committee discussed ongoing developments with regard to the implications of the new Charities Act.  Over the next 12 months, improvements in our systems for giving will take place.  These improvements are intended to ease the work of church treasurers and to allow our members and churches to benefit from the new tax rebate rate that is available for church financial contributors.

The financial position of the conference remains strong.  Thank you for your faithfulness in these difficult times.

We have recently heard from Luke and Amy Bapty who moved from our Union to the Greater Sydney Conference a couple of weeks ago.  They are both well and are settling into their new home.

David Wilson from Palmerston North has recently joined the Conference Treasury team as the Accountant in charge of the North New Zealand Conference accounts.

Mosaic Palmerston North!

MOSAIC Seventh-day Adventist Community Church formed as a church company last Sabbath in Palmerston North.  With the guidance of Pr Daniel Herrera(picture) and their leadership team they will launch their church plant at Queen Elizabeth College Hall on October 4.  Pr Daniel closed the formation service with the words that Mosaic use often, “The best is yet to come!”  Well done Palmerston North and congratulations to Mosaic - the fifth new church to start in North NZ this year!

COMMUNICATE communicate communicate.  We all agree on the importance of communication.  We all have our pet gripes regarding communication; for example, “Why don’t we ever hear anything from the conference?”  That of course is not you because you either read ‘The Bulletin’ on your church notice board or you receive it by email.  Could you please help me by getting as many people as you can to get ‘The Bulletin’ by email.  The Bulletin has fresh news, a spiritual word, memory verse, upcoming events and thoughts on church that I put in through my blog.  You can also link to the conference website for more – www.nnzc.org.nz

Waikato Regional

The Waikato Regional Sabbath at Hamilton Church was the best ever. It was standing room only with discussions overheard during the day that next year needs a much bigger venue. Prs Marty Luke and Mike Falzarano and their teams organized a great Sabbath that culminated with a top quality music program led by the Hamilton Eastside Church Choir (picture). Well done to the Waikato.

Dianne Sika-Paotonu

A healthy outlook includes thinking beyond ourselves to others in need.  Over the past few days I have noticed the many ways that our churches are reaching out into New Zealand communities at the moment.  Some of these are public campaigns, personal witnessing opportunities, health programs, archaeology seminars, children’s programs, special Sabbaths, sermon series and financial seminars.  What is your church doing?  I would love to hear more of how a culture of reaching out is being cultivated in your church.  It is thrilling to see churches thinking beyond themselves.

I wish to pay tribute to a good friend of our conference, Pr Lindsay Sleight.  Pr Lindsay has been battling with cancer over the last two years.  Lindsay passed away last Thursday afternoon in New South Wales, Australia where he has been pastor of Gateway Church.  He was president of the South New Zealand Conference from 2001 – 2006.  He has had a positive and powerful impact on the church with his vision for the local church and his passion for people.  Please remember his wife Gayle and their teenage sons, Reuben, Jesse and Aaron in your prayers. Messages can be left for them at http://gatewaynsw.adventist.org.au

200 women attended this year’s Women’s Retreat at Tui Ridge Park.  Despite the heavy rain on Sunday morning the weekend was a huge success.  Marina Shearer’s presentations were highly appreciated and the fellowship, as always was a real delight.  Well done to Pr Kylie Ward (Director, Women’s Ministries) and her team.

Congratulation to Dianne Sika-Paotonu (picture above) of Wellington Church for her groundbreaking research into the development of designer vaccines for the treatment of cancer.  Dianne is a Malaghan Institute scientist who among her many ministries plays piano for church and co-leads the Adventist Students Association with her husband.  For her outstanding research she has won the Advancing Human Health and Wellbeing Category of the 2008 MacDiamid Young Scientist of the Year Award. 

Olympics/Independent Churches

Olympic Games 08. “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race.  Everyone runs; one wins.  Run to win.  All good athletes train hard.  They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades.  You’re after one that’s gold eternally.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 The Message

Independent Adventists.  There are various groups in the country who consider themselves Adventist, though choose to function independent of the official Seventh-day Adventist Church.  These groups vary in their core beliefs, practice, size and profile.

Last week the Samoan Independent SDA Church SISDAC featured on the TV1 consumer affairs program ‘Fair Go’.  Unfortunately it was because members of that organisation have allegedly been involved in unfair trading practices.  Fair Go, in the program, clearly stated that SISDAC is not connected to the official SDA church.  Fair Go in discussions with both North and South NZ conferences is committed to pursuing this matter; which is also occurring in other parts of the country.  There are also other so called ‘fundraising’ practices which are now being investigated.

What can we do?  (i) We must pray for our brothers and sisters in the independent groups.  (ii) Keep the doors of our churches open to them.  (iii) Be patient when we come under attack from them.  (iv) Confront any misrepresentation that they may bring to the name of the church by reporting their activities to the appropriate authorities.  (v) Clarify in your networks and community that SISDAC is not in anyway connected to the official church.

I will write to SISDAC and challenge their leaders to bring this matter under control.

God bless you.

Dreams

DREAMS

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen from snow

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken winged bird

that cannot fly

Hold fast to dreams

Langston Hughes

East Coast Regional

There were people who are brand-new to Adventism at the Hawkes Bay/Gisborne combined Sabbath last week.  This included one guest who was visiting for the very first time.  Many of the guests making their way into churches in the area are there as a result of Adventist radio and/or television programs in the region.  See the details for some of the programs on air in the sidebar.
Another highlight of the Regional Sabbath for the East Coast was the reports from the churches.  It was a blessing to hear of how churches are reaching and serving their communities.  Thank you to Pastors Frank Boniface, Giovani Stowers and their teams for a great Sabbath. (photo: Louise Ward & Bobbie Cameron of Napier Church Children's Ministries)

Remember?

WHEN I REMEMBER… Do you memorize Scripture regularly?
How well would you rate your memory out of 10?  I have at times (OK, often) had to apologize because I had forgotten to do something that I was asked to do.  You may know the feeling; panic....flurry ....too late... “Sorry, I forgot”.  I am constantly trying to improve my retention levels, however, I still find myself asking Tessa, as we drive out of our driveway, “Where are we going again?”
For as long as I can remember I have been learning memory verses and doctrinal texts.  It sure can be hard work; especially for my old brain.  I find myself forgetting texts and then re-discovering them again; only to have them disappear on me when I am trying to recall them.  Like most things, remembering Bible texts takes consistent effort.  Text memorization is a life skill: it never ends.  My old brain needs to keep learning.
God has created us with an amazing brain.  Studies vary greatly in their conclusions on the capacity of the human brain.  Most, however, agree that compared to computers, the brain has far superior ways of learning.  Recent studies of how the brain works has led to the development of an approach to teaching called ‘brain-based’ learning.  This approach takes advantage of the way our brains naturally learn.  By understanding how our brains learn we can enhance our ability to process, retain and make use of the information we receive.
Learning a text, remembering it for more than two days and then using it in my life is a great spiritual life skill.  It is one of the most thrilling experiences we can have.  Imagine, just like Jesus, you are tempted (or in any situation) and ‘pow!’ ancient words, holy words, power words, event-changing words, heart influencing words, life transforming words just burst out of your heart.
Do you memorize Scripture regularly?  Let’s start a revival - learn a new text today.
“When I remember that He died for me; rose again; ..coming back - I’ll never go back anymore.”

Kaikohe Comes Through

Far North pastor, Frank Toa(pictured above) and his team ran an excellent Northern Regional in Kaikohe last Sabbath.  The regional included members from Te Kao, Kaeo, Kaikohe, Dargaville, Whangarei and Tikipunga was held in the Kaikohe War Memorial Hall.  Special music for the day  was presented by the ‘Day 7’ Men’s Choir from Auckland.  The day ended with strong support for the Adventist Book Centre display in the Kaikohe Church hall.

The New Zealand Pacific Union Conference NZPUC Executive Committee met for their mid year meetings last week at Head Office.  Reports from the territories included an inaugural report from Pitcairn Island, which is an attached territory to the NZPUC.  Pr Ray Codling, on furlough from Pitcairn, has been on the 70+ person population island for two years.  Amongst his many duties is the challenge of increasing numbers beyond the 30+ who attend church on Sabbath mornings.

A copy of the New Zealand Conference NNZC report to the NZPUC executive will be available with the next issue of the NNZC magazine ‘North Newz’.

Have a great week everyone.  Shalom

One of the many blessings of Adventist Education is “Week of Prayer”.  Our youngest son invited me to his school(South Auckland) ‘Week of Prayer’ two weeks ago.  He was eager for me to attend.  It was interactive, student-led, Christ-centred and applicable to every day life.  No wonder he was having such a great time.  To have a week of spiritual emphasis as part of his educational program has been one his school highlights this year.

Queen’s Birthday weekend in Rotorua saw the opening of the ‘All Power’ seminar at the Rotorua Convention Centre.  Supported by the Rotorua church, the ‘All Power Seminar’ presented by Leo Schreven attracted hundreds of guests.  The seminar, which ends June 16, has now moved to the Rotorua church.  The seminar has moved from motivational presentations to Bible teachings.  Please pray for our pastor in Rotorua Les Worsley and his team as they continue to ministry to the 200+ attenders.

Julene Duerksen-Kapao’s message on the Luke 15 trilogy at the Queen’s Brithday Youth Rally in Auckland was a highlight for many of the young people in attendance.  With great music from various youth groups her message of grace and discipleship was opened further for our youth.  Our youth ministries team also ran another successful basketball tournament on the same weekend. [my team made it to the Mens A final! OK we didn’t win but..]

May 19 Gisborne dedication / Tui Ridge Open day

Gisborne church dedicated their church building and opened their new hall last Sabbath.  It was a special day as friends and family from Australia and around New Zealand joined Pr Allan Brown and the Gisborne members to celebrate God’s greatness.  Special music was provided by Pr Dyason Kuresa and the Pakuranga church choir.  Pr Jerry Matthews (NZPacific Union President) presented the dedication message.  Gisborne Mayor, Mr Meng Foon, opened the service with words of appreciation and a testimony of his positive association with Adventists over the years.  Well done Gisborne!

Tui Ridge Park held an open day last Sunday for contractors who had worked on the recent developments there.  They also invited the neighbours for the afternoon tour, presentation and tea.  Andrew West (Tui Ridge Park Manager) and his team shared with the visitors the vision that we as a church have for the new development: a vision of being able to contribute well to the needs of the local and national community.

MAY 11 - Jeffery Pau / Taranaki Regional

Please remember Pastor Jeffery Pau in your prayers.  Pastor Jeffery is from Burma.  He is currently the pastor for Thames, Waihi and Te Aroha churches.  He has been unable to make contact with his family who live in Yangon, which is one of the areas affected by the recent devastating cyclone in Burma.  Email Jeffery at jefferypumpau@yahoo.com

The Taranaki churches gathered at Hawera church last Sabbath for their annual regional Sabbath.  Our pastors in the Taranaki are Paul Hopson pic. (New Plymouth) and Marliyn Pasione (Hawera, Stratford).  The principal for the New Plymouth school is Smiley Aiono.

A new evangelistic outreach began three weeks ago in New Plymouth.  ‘Soul Food’ is the name of a regular 5pm Sabbath program that uses a converted restaurant to make contact with the local community.  Church members have been busy preparing the facility, advertising the program and praying for their contacts.  For several years they have been running a soup kitchen in the area.  Paul Hopson reports that last Sabbath 25 people were attendance to enjoy the fellowship, hot drinks and a discussion on the reality of God.