THE COMBINED CHURCH OF AKAROA AND THE BAYS

Sunday 14 October 2018

9.30am St Peter’s

11.30 Duvauchelle

We welcome you all, parishioners and visitors, to our services this morning. We are really pleased to have you with us and hope that you will join us for morning tea in the lounge after the service.

TODAY’S PRAYER

God of the possible, and the impossible;

when we come to you with questions

and struggle with your answers,

grant us faith in believing as we await

the treasure from heaven,

which is your promise;

through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  Amen.

MIKE’S MESSAGE

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

We often turn to the Bible for comfort. When we are distressed and hurt we seek words of compassion from God. Hebrews 4:12-16 says that God’s Word (Logos) is “living and active” and sharper than a scalpel. God’s word cuts to the truth of who we are – often bringing to mind those things which are not congruent with Christian faith. Therefore, we should constantly read and listen to God’s word, and allow it to challenge and move us. It is the same Word that both comforts and challenges, judges and blesses us. Hebrews says that Jesus our high priest truly forgives us our sins because he has been tested in life in every human way – but without sinning. Therefore, he has deep compassion for us in our weaknesses.

I look forward to next Saturday’s Combined Church Fair – let us share God’s love to the community through it. Please note that next Sunday’s morning service is at 10.30am at St Luke’s, Little Akaloa, to celebrate their patronal festival. If you want transport to Little Akaloa and back, please phone Allison Craw (304 8708). On Sunday afternoon at 4.00pm there will be an evening service at St Peter’s, at which our Archdeacon Mark Barlow will be our guest preacher. Please bring a plate for light refreshments afterwards. Mark would love to hear how our combined church is going.

God bless!   Mike

FAIR – NEXT SATURDAY OCTOBER 20th

Please remember that we need contributions of special food, wine and toiletry items for the baskets to be raffled. These can be left in the marked box in the kitchen at St Peter’s. Other items for the fair can be left this week at Trinity. Please do not bring anything on the day – apart from home baking which will be most welcome on either Friday or early on Saturday, together with preserves, jams, chutneys, plants, flowers and vegetables. Our wonderful team will be on the job setting up and sorting items as from Thursday. If you would be happy to help with this or with selling raffle tickets, please phone Rachel (304 8920) or Carol (raffle – 304 8907). And please pray for fine weather on the day, lots of happy shoppers and a really successful fair in all ways! Please come and support this annual event, and bring your families, friends and neighbours!

CHRISTMAS SHOE BOX APPEAL:  Hopefully everyone who is able to do a shoebox or make a donation is able to bring their handiwork to church today – Sunday 14^th. Please place the boxes on the desk in the Vestry.   If you are not able to, please give me a call and I am happy to come and collect. We shall have a blessing ceremony of the boxes at St Peter’s during our Evening Worship on Sunday the 21st.   Many thanks to everyone who was able to participate. Chrissy 424 3592😊

FILM – ST PAUL

A capacity group filled the small cinema on Thursday morning to watch the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ”. It was an extremely powerful film, and we were all really pleased to have seen it. Several stayed on to have lunch afterwards, and we all agreed that it would be great to have more such occasions of getting together.

 ROSTERS

Rachel is putting together the rosters for Sunday and Christmas services in November and December. Please could you phone her (304 8920) to let her know which services you would be available to help at, and whether as welcomer, lay reader, reader, sides person, prayer leader, morning tea, projectionist or organist.

REPORT FROM THE COMBINED PARISH COUNCIL

Thursday afternoon’s CPC meeting considered a number of important matters. * A joint-venture children’s ministry for Akaroa is being discussed with Lincoln Baptist Church, and progress is good so far. If adopted, this would provide children’s ministry for Sunday services and an after-school group during the week. *The presentation of Vision18 to the congregation will be held on a Sunday in February, when things are not so busy.  *This year’s street appeal will be held as usual in December, with proceeds going to the relief of suffering in a crisis area of the world. *Our own congregation will be given the opportunity to contribute to the Christian World Service Christmas Appeal in the weeks leading up to Christmas. * Another Alpha Course will be held from February to April next year.

COMING UP THIS WEEK

Mon 15 Oct        10.00am Mainly Music – Trinity Hall

Wed 17 Oct     10.30am Prayer Group St Peter’s Lounge                                              11.00am Holy Communion

Thurs 18 Oct      5.00pm Vestry Meeting

Sat 20 Oct           11.00am Prayer Group – Duvauchelle

Sun 21 Oct       10.30am St Luke’s Festival – Little Akaloa

4.00pm St Peter’s Evening Service

Leader: Mike

Organist: Rachel               Projectionist: Ken

Prayers: Annette             Welcomers: Maryn and Graeme

Sidesperson: Allison        Readers: (see below)

Morning Tea; Pip and Sue

Readings: Morning 2 Tim 4:5-17 (Pip) Luke 10:1-9 (Simon)

Evening Isaiah 55 (Allison)

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COMING UP SOON

Mon 22 Oct    10.00am Mainly Music – Trinity Hall

Wed 24 Oct     10.30am Prayer Group St Peter’s Lounge                                           11.00am Holy Communion

Thurs 25 Oct   5.00pm Vestry Meeting

Sat 27 Oct       11.00am Prayer Group – Duvauchelle

Sun 28 Oct       9.30am Trinity – All Age Service

followed by Richard Randerson Seminar

Please note: the Pigeon Bay service has been cancelled to allow the Bay regulars to hear Richard Randerson.

 RICHARD RANDERSON SEMINAR

Bishop Richard Randerson returns on Sunday 28 October to preach at the 9.30 am service, and then to lead another of his stimulating seminars. This year’s seminar is entitled “Are we a Moral Nation? – a survey of poverty, inequality etc in NZ, the neo-liberal value set that is choking Gospel values, and what we can do about it”. Richard writes “As Kiwis we regard ourselves for the most part as honest, hard-working and caring people, and so we are. By global standards we rank highly as a nation that is comparatively free of corporate and political corruption. But how moral are we as a nation when 20% of our children live in poverty, housing need is at crisis levels, and we have the second highest rate of incarceration in the Western world?”

It sounds as if it will be another challenging seminar!

 THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

‘Railways and the Church have their critics, but both are the best way of getting a man to his destination’

Rev W Awdry – Author of Thomas the Tank Engine

CONTACTS

Vicar – Rev Michael Baker – phone 304 7051 padre_mike@hotmail.com

Presbyterian Contact – Ken Paulin – phone 304 7012  paulinakaroa@xtra.co.nz

Vicar’s Warden – John McKenzie – phone 304 8022  john.mckenzie@canterbury.ac.nz

People’s Warden –Annette Moore – phone 304 5190 annettemoore244@gmail.com

Deacon -Rev Chrissy Smith – phone 424 3592  chrissyakaroa@gmail.com

Newsletter – Kate Clare – phone 304 7228  kate.clare@outlook.com

Webpage – www.akaroachurches.co.nz Sermons are in this site

Bank A/c No for automatic payments:  02 0832 0014464 00