Pastor’s Message

Mental wellbeing

This is Aotearoa Mental Health Awareness Week. This is the annual campaign that works to help people understand what boosts their wellbeing and improves mental health. Surprisingly, it's been running it since 1993 (when not many people wanted to talk publicly about mental health).

According to Mental Health Awareness Week organisers, the theme this year is “Top Up Together”, encouraging you to connect with others as you bring the Five Ways to Wellbeing into your daily life. This year, it is shining a light on the collective aspect of the Top Up campaign, as recent research shows that a shared, community-based approach to wellbeing delivers the most sustained, long-term benefits.

Not surprisingly, social connection is crucial for our wellbeing. It brings purpose and a sense of belonging to our lives, helps us feel valued, and makes us happier and more secure. Evidence shows that activities involving social interactions like volunteering, shared learning, physical activity, cultural practices, and community events consistently have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing.

What does not come as a surprise is that everything that is mentioned as good mental health practice is what scripture encourages us to do in order to find true fulfilment. I think of the words of Jesus to his disciples.

While I agree that mental health awareness is important, and we are right to focus on it, I am convinced now more than ever that the answer to this crisis is going back to scripture and being willing to put it into practice. That’s the first step in death to self. Giving up the idea that we can run our lives and that we have all the answers.

I am not a psychologist, but I am reasonably confident that it is our efforts of advancing the “kingdom without a king” that lead us down unhelpful paths and affect our mental health. Practise giving up your will, and be willing to lean into God's direction for your life.

Have a mentally healthy week,

Mato.

Church Sundays

Coming up on Sunday

We are in the last week of James this week.

James has already explained to us three characteristics of a mature Christian: 

• Is patient in trials (Chapter 1)

• Practises the truth (Chapter 2)

• Has power over their tongue (Chapter 3)

REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR WEEK 2.

We titled the series “Dead Faith” because there are many things that a dead faith cannot do. We need to be conscious about these things in order to keep our faith alive: 

• Dead faith can't SEE – because sometimes our faith is only visible in our trials 

• Dead faith can't TOUCH – sometimes our faith is only believable in our actions. 

• Dead faith can't SPEAK – sometimes our faith is only transferable in our words. 

• Dead faith can't TASTE – sometimes our faith is only desirable in our humility

This week, we conclude by talking about taste.

Taste is a powerful experience: the average person has 10,000 taste buds that are replaced every two weeks.  

There are primarily four taste sensations: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Anna would say chocolate is in its own category. Can you imagine a world without chocolate?  

These taste sensations are scattered about your tongue in different areas of concentration: 

• Sweet – mostly in the tip or the front of your tongue. 

• Sour – mostly on the middle side of your tongue.

• Salty – mostly on the front side and back side of your tongue.

• Bitter – mostly on the back of your tongue.

So, here is the weird question of the week. How do you taste? 

Reflection Questions from James 3

There is a HEAD (Think) question, a HEART (Feel) question and a HANDS (Act) question.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

 v 3-6 James uses the examples of a bit in a horse’s mouth and a rudder on a ship to describe the impact our tongue can have on our lives. How have you seen someone’s life affected by their speech? Has there been a time that your life (work, a relationship, etc.) has been affected by your speech? Whether spoken or written? 

v 9-12 Have you paid attention lately to your speech? Is there a disconnect between your praise to God and how you interact with others? What aspect of your speech is God inviting you to change? How are you representing your faith through your speech to your spouse, your children, your coworkers, or on social media? 

v 13-18 When/where do you find yourself being drawn into the ‘wisdom’ of this world?

Prayer:


God, give us the wisdom that comes from heaven! Your wisdom is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. God, may we be peacemakers who sow in peace that we may raise a harvest of righteousness. Amen.

Church Sundays

Next sermon series: Blueprint

Next week, we begin a new series called “BLUEPRINT” that will run until the 1st week of December. We are studying the book of ACTS of the Apostles.

If you look at the corner of your phone, you will see a little indicator or a network symbol on your phone (like 4G or 5G). The higher the G, the faster the connection to your mobile network. Over the past 40 years, each G (generation) introduced a new thing on our phones.

1G gave us sound (let us talk to each other), 2G gave us text (let us send messages), 3G introduced the mobile web and gave us access to the internet, and 4G made everything almost 10 times faster.  Each subsequent G; refers to a specific minimum speed, connectivity and reliability.

Now we have 5G. The fastest 4G modem does 2 gigabits per second – 5Gs can do 20 gigs per second (10 times) with an almost zero latency rate (the delay between sending and receiving information between devices) in almost real-time (it's like going from streaming one Netflix movie to streaming 400 movies at a go!). 

5G has totally redefined how devices connect to the Internet and to each other. Mobile phones have gone from 1G to 5G.

But I suggest to us that the church began as a 5G church. Over the years, it has unfortunately gone back to 4G, 3G, 2G … and even 1G. 

Our ability to connect with the Internet (God) and with other devices (each other) has declined over time; our connectivity with one another and reliability in accomplishing God’s Mission are wanting. God is calling us back as a church … to be 5G again … For the next 7 Sundays, I would like to consider what the 5G church looked like and did. This will be through the book of Acts, where we see the church beginning as a movement that gathered around a mission.

Youth and kids

Youth group is back this week. Our focus will be the seven “I AM” statements, especially as we support our seniors during this exam period. Please pray for our youth leaders, as well as our youth.

Term 4 represents endings as well as new beginnings, and it can be very disruptive. We usually hope that the youth group represents a safe and constant space for all these feelings and experiences to be brought before the feet of Jesus and get an even bigger and better perspective of who he is.

Community

Community

Have you signed up for E4 Camp?

E4 Summer Camp 15-18 January 2026

For more information see Richard or Zack, or check out the camp Facebook page.

HCC giving details

Halswell Community Church

Account Number: 06-0601-0867216-00

Reference: Tithe/Offering

Particulars: Your Name