MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR
Getting dirty on the field

On Sunday, I was very encouraged to see/hear/listen to the congregation as we talked about the various aspects of church and gave some suggestions.

I was equally encouraged to see people putting up sticky notes that had been carefully thought through and had some very good feedback and even suggestions.

After the service, a number of people suggested that we keep the space open for longer. So instead of just doing it next week, we will also do the same exercise the next two weeks on May 25th and June 1. This then gives all of us some time to think through, pray and meditate on what a flourishing church looks like moving forward.

I would, however, request that we do one thing. Using a sports analogy. There are three types of people involved in a sports game.

1. Those who are outside the stadium and can hear the noise and shouting. They are marginally involved, and they have close proximity, but they are not in the vicinity of the action.

2. Those who are in the stadium, they can see what’s happening and know the sport, and they can comment/cheer/criticise/bemoan. They are part of the action, but they are not involved.

3. Those who are on the field/sidelines waiting to come onto the field. They are getting their hands dirty, they are bruised and sometimes injured, but they are in the action.

Push the analogy far enough, and it breaks down, but the message here is that at HCC, most of the members are in the third category. In the middle of what we are doing and feeling the encouragement/discouragement in equal measure. That has been my observation.

While we listen to everyone, we are a congregation that encourages community and embracing leadership at all levels. We encourage everyone to be willing to get their hands dirty and not just spectate. That way we all have helpful and God-centred ideas. Those on the periphery, both in the stands and away from the arena, do not fully understand the game.

So, while we give our very helpful suggestions, let's also be willing to stay in the arena, even when it seems unpredictable and messy. If you feel that you are in either category one or two, that's ok; we encourage you to come into category three.

It is thrilling, encouraging, disappointing and often unpredictable, and that’s where God does his best work, both in and through us.

Have a thrilling week,

Mato

CHURCH SUNDAYS

One more powerful talk to come…

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the three incredible women who have shared with us in the last two weeks. Isabelle laid the foundation by speaking both boldly and courageously about her experience of motherhood and family and finding God even in the mundane. I loved the statement, “We were created to create by the creator.”

Vernie and Alice shared their journeys both personally and vulnerably, and there was a sense of total reliance on God through uncertain times. Listening to both of them this last Sunday, I was struck by how the “power” does not come from within themselves. There was no self-made, do-it-yourself, or in-your-own-strength kind of attitude. There was a deep dependence and reliance on God.

This week we hear from Mari. She is currently the leader of “Headspace", a discipleship programme designed to help young people from high school take time to discover their God-given mission and God's call on their lives as well. Mari is married to John Slack, and they have two children, and they have been missionaries in both New Zealand and abroad. I look forward to hearing what God has to say through Mari.

On Sunday, June 1st, we are doing a “Pulpit Swap” with Michael Ried from Hoon Hay Presbyterian Church. He will be speaking at HCC, and I will be speaking at Hoon Hay Presbyterian Church.

CHURCH SUNDAYS

So, what’s next at HCC?

In the second week of June, we begin our next sermon series, “Resilience – Faith for Exiles”.

This one is based on the Old Testament book of Daniel, which is split into two.

1. A historical account of Daniel and his friends in a foreign land and how God worked through them in a foreign land. They would eventually rise up the ranks to become the highest officials.

2. An apocryphal/prophetic account of visions that God revealed to Daniel regarding the future. At first reading, it is very difficult to understand or comprehend all there is, yet we are probably living in some of those prophecies at the moment.

So as I always do, I encourage you to read Daniel. It's only 12 chapters. Take some time to write out your thoughts, actions, prayers and questions about this text, and see if they are answered/engaged with during the series. If not, please come and ask.

The reason we do this series is to help you interact with the scriptures more and more.

COMMUNITY

Children’s church and Big Night Out

We are in the middle of our “be-attitudes" series at Thursday night youth group. Every Thursday, we take one beatitude and dissect it and talk about its implications for us. This week, we are covering

Our Halswell Connections programme continues to grow. We meet at the Hub on a Friday from 3pm-5pm. While we are happy that this has started, please pray that this grows into a space where young people and their parents can find real transformation and an authentic community that leads them to the Lord.

We are still a long way from being fully established, but we are committed to staying the course and staying grounded in the Halswell area.

The Cashmere Project also continues to run on Friday lunchtimes at Cashmere High School. We have about 20 committed students, and while it has been both a challenge and a joy running that programme, there is definitely a potential for discipleship. Please pray that the Friday lunchtime “event” can be translated to real discipleship by encouraging the young people to attend youth group/youth group events.

Speaking of youth group events, we have the Big Night Out (BNO), our biannual outreach youth night, coming up on Thursday, June 12th.

We welcome Gracie and Daniel to our church family, and we continue to pray for all our other children.

As I mentioned on Sunday, the children's ministry is arguably the most important ministry in any church, and we at HCC take it as such. We are committed to coming alongside the parents to help Luke 2:52 become a reality in the lives of these children, so that just like Jesus, they will

CHURCH SUNDAYS

Our AGM is coming up

This is a time for us to reflect on what has happened in the last year and ask questions about what is happening in the future. This will happen on 15th June after the service. We will have a shared lunch on the day. All the reports will be available the week before the AGM.

COMMUNITY

A reminder of feedback Sundays

As mentioned, we will take another look at different departments and church and open them up for discussion. Here are the departments