MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR
Goodbye winter, roll on Father’s Day

Hello everyone,

Welcome to another week, the last one of August. It's nearly spring, but I have a feeling the effects of winter will linger for a while longer.

The winter bugs are still going round, affecting all ages, from children to parents to grandparents, but it's not as bad as last year. While we had people sick at various times, and while we have people with Covid-19 at the moment, the effects have not been as bad, and we are thankful to God because we spent a lot of time in prayer for protection over our families this winter period.

We now turn our attention to Father’s Day, which, by the way, gets its fame from Mother’s Day. (I have a feeling that it’s not a coincidence—fathers following mothers, I mean.) Here is a quick history lesson.

The “Mother’s Day” we celebrate today has its origins in the peace and reconciliation campaigns of the post-Civil War era. During the 1860s, an activist named Ann Reeves Jarvis encouraged a town in West Virginia to celebrate “Mother’s Work Days." An event that brought together the mothers of Confederate and Union soldiers. The town was very divided on this celebration, and it did not take off initially.

In 1908, Jarvis’s daughter, Anna Jarvis, wanted to honour her mother by making Mother’s Day a national holiday. Retailers, especially shop owners and flourists, saw great potential for profit in the holiday and embraced it, and Mother’s Day caught on right away.

In 1909, 45 states observed the day, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson approved a resolution that made the second Sunday in May a holiday in honour of “that tender, gentle army, the mothers of America.”

Springing from this, Sonora Smart Dodd of Washington wanted to honour her father, a Civil War veteran who had raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, which at the time was becoming established as a holiday. Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father. This is the usual Father’s Day date in many parts of the world currently. It became a national holiday in 1972, when US President Richard Nixon signed legislation designating the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day.

The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm, though perhaps because, as one florist explained, “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.”

There is no definitive explanation why Father's Day is celebrated in Australia and New Zealand on the first Sunday in September, though it is clear that the custom of the September date began in the mid-1930s.

An article in the Western Herald in 1964 said the day was officially designated as the first Sunday in September across the Commonwealth in 1964 and that the date was chosen for commercial reasons to distance it from other celebrations. This is similar to the date selected in Scandinavia, where November was also chosen to maximise its commercial value.

CHURCH SUNDAY

A dedication has been in the works…

This week, we have a special dedication for dads by the children. This will be at the end of the service.

Rumour has it that they have been practicing for months, so you do not want to miss this!!!

COMMUNITY

Youth Group and Cashmere Project

This term at Youth Group and Cashmere Project, we are going through the characteristics of animals that Proverbs mentions as important. Here is the chapter.

CONNECT
Prayer, Youth and Home Groups

We have a variety of home groups at HCC that cater for all.

Ladies home group
Meeting on Wednesday evenings.
Contact Paula for more info: [email protected]

Mens home group 
Meeting fortnightly on Thursday evenings.
Contact Richard for more info: [email protected]

Young professionals home group 
Meeting on Wednesday evenings.
Contact Anna for more info: [email protected]

Mums and bubs group
Meeting on Friday mornings, numbers depending
Contact Alice for more info: 0277662737

Prayer group 
Meeting on Tuesday evenings.
Contact Mato for more info: [email protected]

Youth group 
7pm on Thursday at Seven Oaks School.
Get in touch with our Youth workers Zac (0284038758) or Sinead (0224193096) for more details.

GIVING

If you would like to contribute to HCC

We really appreciate everyone who has been giving to HCC. It is because of your generosity that we continue to operate. So please know that we value each contribution and that we are grateful for each member individually.

You can contribute by either using the offering box at the entrance of the church or by giving online.

You can make a donation to:

S.B.S Bank Halswell Community Church

Account: 03-1369-0389284-00

Ref: Tithes and offering

Particulars: Your Name

CONNECT

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