Pastor’s Message

Trust in uncertain times

Happy New Week, Everyone!

We’ve had a week filled with uncertainty regarding our future meeting space—but also glimpses of hope. For those who may not be fully up to date, here’s where things currently stand.

Our current lease agreement with Seven Oaks officially ends on Sunday, 3rd August 2025, with the expectation that we will be fully moved out by midnight. However, we’ve had positive contact with the Ministry of Education (the new owners of the site) this week, and there is now potential for us to remain at Seven Oaks. While nothing is confirmed yet, the door has not been closed, and we are continuing those conversations with hope and prayer.

As a backup, we’ve also been exploring other venues. Unfortunately, Oaklands School, who had previously agreed to host us, withdrew their offer late last week. Their reason was vague, and the interaction suggested an unwillingness to accommodate a church community.

Other nearby schools—Halswell School and Knight Stream School—are also not options: Halswell has a long-term tenancy in place, and Knight Stream has a blanket policy against hiring to religious organisations.

Community halls and other venues in the area are already booked or unsuitable. The Halswell Library is full, and the Halswell Hub (old library) is limited to a maximum of 40 people due to health and safety restrictions.

We are currently pursuing two main options:

1. Continuing to engage with the Ministry of Education in the hope of extending our stay at Seven Oaks.

2. Securing Prebbleton School as a temporary Sunday venue while we search for a more permanent location in the Halswell area. We know this is further for many of us and will impact our Sunday rhythm—but we may need to be flexible for a season.

In addition, Rowley Bible Chapel, who kindly opened their space for youth group on Thursday nights, has now let us know they plan to start their own program on that night. We will need to explore either a change of night or another location for our youth gatherings.

We know this season isn’t easy or straightforward. Things may shift quickly in the next few days, so we’ll keep you informed. Through it all, let’s hold onto this truth: HCC is not just our church—it is God’s Church. He is our provider, and this is the time to walk the talk—to trust Him in the unknown.

If we do end up moving this week… This Sunday may be our last service at Seven Oaks, and we will treat it as a day of celebration, no matter what. There may also be a lot of practical work to do after the service, including packing and moving gear into storage. Please come ready to lend a hand, and keep an eye out for a final update via email later this week.

Thank you for your prayers, faith, and flexibility in this season.

This week on the Pulpit.

Last week we listened to Zack speak to us through Daniel 6. The famous story of Daniel in the lions' den. He drew some encouraging parallels between Daniel and Jesus. Jesus was also put in a “tomb”/“den“” for what he believed in, and then he was taken out/rose on the third day. He also talked about the accusations of Daniel as well as the accusations of Jesus. If you ever wondered whether the Old Testament is relevant, Zack did a good job of reminding us that the New Testament was a fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies and parallels and that God does keep his commands. The final question Zack asked left me thinking, so I will leave it here for us to keep thinking about as well…

How can we live with a faith like Daniel's?

We are now done with the narrative part of Daniel as we move into the prophetic part. From Chapters 7-12, we will be diving into the prophetic part of Daniel. I am sure many of us have never read these, so we will be experiencing something new. If you have read this part of scripture, it will be a time to refresh and then draw parallels from Revelation as well. So, let’s buckle up this week as we dive into Daniel 7, the image of the 4 beasts, and what is called “The Little Horn.”

Community

Midwinter Christmas and quiz

Thank you everyone who participated and supported the dinner and quiz. It was a beautiful night of food, fun and fudging answers to the quiz. The Halswell Harriers took it all home.

Community

Youth and kids

This week at youth group, we had a reflection on gratitude and the importance of saying it, even when you have shown it. Here is the reflection in short…

• In ANY relationship, ingratitude is one of the things that hurts the most.

• The reason it hurts is because it’s the exact opposite of what we expect and what we deserve.

• Our hearts gravitate towards acceptance; they are repelled by rejection.

• Unexpressed gratitude may indicate an inflated view of self.

Here was the conclusion…

• Unexpressed gratitude communicates ingratitude.

• The gratitude you feel is felt by someone, but it is felt as ingratitude.

• Unexpressed gratitude is actually experienced as rejection.

On Sunday, our children also had the opportunity to share with us some insight regarding the Lord's Prayer. It was beautiful to watch but more inspiring to listen and learn. I learnt something new for sure regarding the Lord's Prayer. Here it is. If you would like a physical copy, and I think everyone should get one, we will have some available for you on Sunday.

Church Sundays

Baptism Sunday

This is still coming up. We have had some enquiries regarding the venue and date. Wherever we will be, there will be a baptism on Sunday, 31st Aug, and it will most likely be inside, not outside.

There will be a sign-up sheet for baptism this coming Sunday at church, so please write your name down if you would like to be baptised.

Community

As you may be aware, Alice’s father suddenly passed away. If you would like to support the McKessar’s, here are his funeral details.

Venue: St Nicholas Church, Barrington.

Saturday, 2nd August, 2pm

Community

E4 Camp

Since we are now in the second part of the year, here is something for you to think about regarding the summer.

E4 Summer Camp 15-18 January 2026

Where: Hanmer Springs

Why: Start the year inspired by God

HCC: We are using this camp as our church camp

Who: All ages. There will be kids, youth and adults activities

Great speakers and excellent study stream topics while the children are looked after as they learn.

There are early bird prices and very attractive family prices. Also, the sooner you commit, the sooner you can lock in your accommodation.

For more information see Richard Howe, or check out their Facebook page for more information.

Giving to HCC

Halswell Community Church

Account Number: 06-0601-0867216-00

Reference: Tithe/offering

Particulars: Your Name