Parish Newsletter 10 December 2017
The Combined Anglican and Presbyterian Churches of Akaroa & Banks Peninsula
Sunday 10th December – 9.30 am – Trinity
11.30 am – Duvauchelle
2nd Sunday in Advent
A warm welcome to parishioners and visitors alike.
Please join us for morning tea and fellowship in Trinity Hall following our service this morning.
THE COLLECT
God for whom we wait and watch,
you sent John the Baptist
to prepare for the coming of your Son;
give us courage to speak the truth
even to the point of suffering;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen
MIKE’S MESSAGE
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This time of the year can be a bit of a rush with all the Christmas shopping, extra baking, plans for holidays, decorating, gift-wrapping, and rounds of entertaining that happen. Even cherished family traditions can become burdensome when there is so much to juggle. May church be a space to ‘breathe’ and a chance to refocus on the sacred meaning of this time of year. Advent is a season of expectancy that culminates in the joyous celebration of God being with us in his Son Jesus. Let’s not expire from exhaustion and miss God’s presence!
Today we sadly farewell Denis and Jean O’Hara as they move to Rangiora. We thank them for all they have done over the years and wish them both our love and aroha. God bless! Mike
COMING UP THIS WEEK
Monday 11th December
10 am Final Mainly Music 2017 – Trinity
Wednesday 13th December
10.30 am Final Prayer Group 2017 – St Peter’s Lounge
11.00 am Final Holy Communion 2017 – St Peter’s Lounge
Thursday 14th December
5 pm Vestry Meeting – Chrissy’s Place
6 pm Vestry/Parish Council Pot Luck Dinner
Chrissy’s place
Saturday 16th December
11 am Final Prayer Group 2017 – Duvauchelle
Sunday 17th December
9.30 am Holy Communion – St Peter’s
7.30 pm Community Carols – Akaroa Playground
Leader: Mike
Lay Reader: Mary
Organist: Ann
Prayers: Phil
Sidesperson: Allison
Welcomers: Kath & Phoebe
Projection: Simon
Readers: Sarah & Phoebe
Morning Tea: Sarah & Rose
Readings: Isaiah 61: v1-4, 8-11 John 1: v6-8, 19-28
COMING UP SOON
Wednesday 20th Dec Holy Communion – Pompallier – 1.30 pm
Friday 22nd Dec Okains – Carol Service – 5 pm
Christmas Eve Trinity – Advent Carol Service – 9.30 am
Little Akaloa – Carol Service -5 pm
Le Bons Bay – Carol Service – 7 pm
St Peter’s – Midnight Service – 11 pm
Christmas Day Trinity – Family/Children’s Service – 9.30 am
Pigeon Bay – Carol Service – 10.30 am
Duvauchelle – Holy Communion – 11 am
Wainui Hall – Carol Service – 11 am
ANNUAL STREET APPEAL
This year our combined congregation’s street appeal will be in aid of children in Yemen. Right now, a child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen from preventable causes. Children die because they have no food to eat, because they have no clean water to drink, and because they don’t have access to basic medicines. A cholera epidemic has swept through the country leaving children at extreme risk. We will collect from 17th to 23rd December for the UNICEF Yemen Children’s Appeal. We will need collectors to be on duty after the Community Carols on Sunday evening 17th December, and outside the Four Square any time from Monday 18th to Saturday 23rd. Can you help? Please contact Rachel on 304 8920 if you can give any time to collecting. Last year we sent over $2,500 to help Syrian children. What can we do this year for the children of Yemen?
COMMUNITY CAROLS – SUNDAY 17th DECEMBER
Akaroa’s Community Carols will be held at the children’s playground (in front of Ma Maison restaurant)
on Sunday 17th December at 7.30 pm, straight after Christmas in the Park, at the same venue.
Please bring picnic chairs or blankets to sit on and enjoy an evening of carols accompanied by our own Silver Band.
POMPALLIER VILLA FOR SALE
Pompallier Village Trust has a villa available now for sale. Interested, or know someone who may be? Phone Kate Clare 304
FROZEN MEALS
We are delighted that many of our frozen meals have been delivered to those in need. Please remember that Christmas can be a very difficult time for some, so keep those donations of meals rolling in. We so appreciate the home-cooked and frozen supermarket meals to replenish our stock. Casseroles and soup can be put in ice cream containers (there is a supply next to the freezer). Please label them with contents and number of servings, and write the details in the notebook on the freezer. If you know of anyone who is unwell or under stress who would appreciate a cooked meal please contact Rachel on 304 8920
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM KATE – EMAIL ADDRESSES
Could those parishioners who have Vodafone, Paradise, Clear or IHug as their email provider, please let Kate know your new email address at: kate.clare@outlook.com
MONTHLY GROCERY DONATIONS
Please remember your grocery donations each month. If we all contributed one item per month we would have a wonderful amount to donate to Heartlands, for those in our community in need.
PRAYER GROUPS
Akaroa Prayer Group and Communion will finish on December 13th and resume on Wednesday 7th February. Duvauchelle Prayer Group will finish on December 16th and will resume on Saturday 10th February.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth — the very thing the whole story has been about.” — C.S. Lewis
CONTACTS
Vicar – Rev Michael Baker – phone 304 7051 or padre_mike@hotmail.com
Presbyterian Contact – Ken Paulin – phone 304 7012 or paulinakaroa@xtra.co.nz
Newsletter – Chrissy Smith – phone 424 3592 or chrissyakaroa@gmail.com
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Webpage – www.akaroachurches.
