Parish Clerk Allen Little 06 367 5900 Email: vision@inspire.net.nz

May 2018

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In our Church Year we often celebrate seasons of various kinds. We celebrate Church Calendar seasons – Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost – and Earth seasons – Autumn Harvest and Spring Flowers. You can probably think of church picnics you have enjoyed in the Summertime, and other happy ‘seasonal’ events. In a previous parish I knew someone who helped with Rest Home Services, and whenever it was her turn to lead she would every time suggest having a ‘Spring’ theme, or Winter, or Summer, depending on the time of year.

My propensity for using song title themes, while restrictive in its own way, does open up quite a wide variety of subjects beyond the seasons. I’ve never had any trouble finding religious themes in ordinary secular songs, in finding meaning and truth in novels, in comic books, in movies, in ordinary life. After all, Jesus illustrated great truths with reference to everyday coins, salt, and sparrows. When I was young our family went to church every week, and we were faithfully devoted to church life. Alongside this, in our family, we listened to pop music, we read comics, we went to the movies, and so for me there was never any incongruity between religion and ordinary life. However, there is one more aspect of popular culture that I was brought up with which even I struggle to relate to God’s wisdom! Dad took me to local football (soccer) matches and introduced me to British football. He taught me to support my local team, and I still dedicatedly follow the fortunes of Middles-brough, the nearest Football League team to our home town Whitby. At this time of year, every year, I have a great anxiety (discretely hidden from most people) about how Middlesbrough will end the current season. Last year my team was relegated from the Premier League. This year we might only just qualify for the play off games with an outside chance of winning promotion again. These are “worrying times” which I easily acknowledge are meaningless in the wider perspectives of war, peace, hunger, suffering, life and death. Following Jesus and following Middlesbrough are concepts which are indeed in different leagues. Nevertheless, when I get you to sing “Our Life Has Its Seasons”, you now might suspect that I could be thinking of the 2017/18 ‘Season’ which finishes in May! Rev Ian Boddy.

CONTACTS: Office Phone/Fax: 368 9392 87 Oxford Street Levin 5510 Email: levinuniting@xtra.co.nz

Minister Rev. Ian Boddy 06 368 8308 Email: jimboddy@xtra.co.nz

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Website www.levinuniting.church

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man died not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20: 26-28 In his grace, God has give us different gifts for doing certain things well, If your gift is serving others, serve them well. Romans 12: 6-7 … Choose today whom you will serve… But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24: 15

OUR LIFE HAS ITS SEASONS

Vote for us in May! The Sunday Evening Meal has been selected to be one of the 'Good in the Hood' recipients! At our own Levin Z petrol station. Voting starts on 1st May and we will be reminding folk to vote for our Meal!

$4,000 per station will be divided amongst the four successful groups, according to the number of customer votes they receive.

Tab, doing a challenge for his team. He has a chocolate biscuit on his forehead/face, and the challenge is to get it from his forehead to his mouth by just moving his face (no hands). He came second for his team.

NZLPA - New Zealand Lay Preachers Association Dr Emily Colgan, from Trinity College, will lead a Work-shop entitled "Re-Viewing Earth - Reading the Bible from an Ecological Perspective" - on Saturday 25 May, at Wesley Boadway Methodist Church, 264 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North. The day will start at 10.00am and end at 3.00pm. For more information, including how to register, contact John Thornley: by email: johngill@inspire.net.nz or by phone (06) 356-9681.

EASTER YOUTH CAMP

That was our little group from St Davids and LUC - in the background you'll see writing on the window, that was from the night before, one of our prayer stations - each person wrote on the window what skills they had they could do for God.

Members needed for Mission Resourcing Work Group If you are experienced in considering Applications for resource grants (financial or in-kind) then we'd like to hear from you. The Mission Resourcing Work Group will soon be

open for business, considering applications from faith communities for Presbytery resourcing. If you'd like to know more please contact the Presbytery office or download copies of the Mission Resourcing Guide and policies documents, from the Presbytery Central website

I don't mind taking a risk, as long as I know everything will turn out okay.

Hi folks. For those of you who don’t know, I’m the youth pastor at St David’s Presbyterian Church in Palmerston North. This year we decided to take a few of our young people to Easter Camp, and as we are only a small group I invited some of the youth from Levin Uniting Church. So, Tab and Jack Tausi came along with us. Easter camp was held at El Rancho, Waikanae, and was full of fun, music, games and learning—there were 155 of us there. Each night we had a worship session, with a live band and great music. Following worship, Matt Chamberlin spoke to us—he’s a great speaker. He had a wonderful message about what it means to be a Chris-tian, and how the Easter story relates to us. He gave us food for thought and topics to discuss as we broke into small groups to talk about it. It was great to share this time with Tab and Jack, and get to know them better. The theme for Easter Camp was Survivor—like the TV show—where the kids and some leaders broke into groups, and competed to be the last standing. Each group participated in various challenges to get points, and to ulti-mately win. Tab took on the challenge for his team of getting a chocolate biscuit from his forehead to his mouth, just by moving his face (no hands), and he came second for his team! And Jack, who was in the same team as Tab, participated in the scavenger hunt challenge. There were some wonderful moments throughout the weekend. On Saturday night we broke into small groups and quietly went around different prayer stations—there were a lot of them. They included: selecting a playing card, and the card you chose related to a list of who or what to pray for; writing what you want to be forgiven for in the sand; writing on the glass doors in chalk pen what skills you believe you can offer God; cutting out a news-paper clipping and writing on it a prayer for the people in it; from a picture of lemmings in a tree, where do you see your Christian walk (you probably need to see this to understand); and many more great interactive prayer options. After that, we went out to the bonfire and sat around talking. Bright and early on Sunday morning we had a dawn service around the ashes of the bonfire, and Rev. Peter McKenzie took the service. After several late nights there were a lot of blurry eyed young people standing around in the brisk morning air, but it was a lovely experience and well worth getting up early. It was a great experience for our young people, and I believe they came away with a better understanding of what it means to be a Christian, as well as making some new friends. Polly Pyefinch

This month’s Parish Council began with a visit from Mr Ian Harris, Co-Superintendent of the Lower North Island Synod for the purpose of reflecting on Ministry Matters. Over recent weeks we have been occupied drawing up our Parish Profile which is used in the Methodist Station-ing Process. Recently funeral Services were held for Rev Lew Bowen and Mr Peter McKenzie both of whom were good and faithful members of the Church over many years and are remembered with fondness. There was discussion around the Evening Meal and maters related including the number of young people attending. Parish Council decided to make a room available on a shared basis for the group once it could be organised. The need for safety and wellbeing was noted and necessary Police checks are required. . It was noted that the last day for Ian’s Ministry with us is Sunday 29th July before he becomes full time in the Manawatu. Allen Little Parish Clerk

PARISH COUNCIL APRIL 2018

Are we failing or thriving? A personal reflection by Allen Little

For the past two decades the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development (FASICLD) in partnership with Into Thy Word Ministries have been in careful, steadfast research in quest of "why so many churches are failing." I have been thinking about Levin Uniting Parish and asking myself are we failing or thriving?

To many God's marvellous Church has become culturally irrelevant and even distant from its prime purpose of knowing Him, growing in Him, and worshipping Him by making disciples! This is evidenced by what is going on in our culture and in the wider church. The Schaeffer Institute noted “many churches and denominational groups are growing such as the Calvary Chapel, Assemblies of God, and other Evangelical churches. Many "so called" Evange-lists are seen on TV, living lavish lifestyles while preaching a message which does not conform to how the average person lives….! Many people are disillusioned by the seemingly powerful televangelists. Here in Levin its our daily witness;, how we live and interact with others, is what’s taken on board by the wider public.

In our community why are people below age sixty underrepresented in Church? Could it be we have lost contact or alienated people. Have persons who grew up in our church been treated with contempt and insolence by the very church they thought would love and care for them. These are difficult questions which we need to think through as we move forward. My reading indicates churches fail because we place our needs and desires over the Lord's. It is His Church and we are His people. Let our focus be on the things of God and not our own selfish materi-alistic wants and desires. We are called to a higher purpose. We are not called to ourselves. Ministry is a dangerous thing because we are before a Holy God. Yes we have grace, but we have responsibility too!

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:26 We have to be on guard against the erosion of biblical values and damage to our beliefs and biblical

mind set (Psalm 123:3; Mark 4:19)! Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by

every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14-16

What the children learnt on Sunday 15th April How the seed grew into a tree and how we can grow as people and Christians. we can grow by ... what things help us grow, I note they have written - love, encouragement, praise. Relating this to growing as a Christian, we could add, "going to church, reading the bible, talking about faith messages... and many more. Jesus says that faith is the size of a mustard seed and that is all you need.

But we are running out of people able to provide it!

People Needed Please ring Helen H on 368 8169 if you can help

Date Time What Where

Thursday 3rd 10am Women's Fellowship Gilmour Lounge

Saturday 5th 8am-11.30am Monthly Market Hall complex

Sunday 6th 10am Communion Church

Tuesday 8th 1.30pm Women's Fellowship Gilmour Lounge

Sunday 13th 10am Nurses Day Church

Tuesday 14th By 2pm Newsletter material Due Into the Office

Wed 16th 7pm Parish Council Gilmour Lounge

Tuesday 22nd 7.30pm Women’s Fellowship Gilmour Lounge

Thursday 25th 9am Newsletter Team Gilmour Lounge

Levin Uniting Parish What’s coming up

May DOOR DUTY: 6th & 13th—Maurice & Faye Waldrom 20th & 27th David Emmott & ?? This only works if people put their hands up!

Cuppa Time after Worship for May: 6th Helen & Paul Kirkby 13th Shirley Welch/ Yvonne Symonds 20th Eileen & Doug Bolitho 27th Rosemary McKay/ Elizabeth Harris June 3rd Helen Hutchings/Murray Easton

May 2018

WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP NOTICES FOR MAY

Giving last 5 weeks: Budgeted: $719.80 Adults attended 25 March $509.00 1st April $684.50 8th April $1056.40 15th April $825.70 22nd April $547.30 Total Budgeted: $3,599.00 Total Received: $3,622.90 Over:$23.90 The budgeted amount was included in this years budget that you approved at the AGM. The automat-ic payments have its own budgeted amount & is not included in this figure. Only the envelope/open combined Levin/Waitarere given amounts. Please consider changing to an automatic payment—this is a constant amount, especially if you are unable to attend church every week. Thank you to those who have done this. Morning T.C.F: (Tea, Coffee & Fellowship)

Meet on Thursday 3rd at 11am in the Gilmour Lounge. Shared lunch Afternoon Group: Meet on Tuesday 8th at 1.30pm in the Wesley Lounge. Evening Group: Meet on Tuesday 22nd at 7.30pm in the Gilmour Lounge.

Can you spare 1/2 hour on Sunday Evenings? From 5.45pm the community evening meal is served and we need people to help to do this. Talk to Jack or Maurice. Thank you This is EVERY SUNDAY we would love to see you.

Every

Sunday

10am Worship

4.30pm Lifepoint

6pm Community

Meal

7pm Service

Levin &

Waitarere

Gilmour Lge

Hall

Hall

Every

Tuesday

12pm Prayer with

Jack

Wesley

Lounge

Every

Thursday

7.30pm Choir

Practice

Gilmour

Lounge

If you know of someone who is not well, PLEASE let the office know! I will get someone to get in contact

Prayer Chain: If you would like someone to be added to the Prayer

chain, please let Elizabeth in the office know.

Would you like to be part of the Prayer Chain? Contact the office for more info.

Top Hymns for Old Folks 1.) Precious Lord, Take My Hand . . . And Help Me Up 2.) It Is Well with My Soul . . . But My Knees Hurt 3.) Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seeing 4.) Just a Slower Walk with Thee 5.) Count Your Many Birthdays, Name Them One by One 6.) Go Tell It on the Mountain . . . But Speak Up 7.) Give Me the Old Timers' Religion 8.) Blessed Insurance 9.) Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah . . . I've Forgotten Where I Parked

SERVICES FOR MAY

6th— Communion Rev. Bob Eyles

13th—Nurses Day Various. Ian at Waitarere 10am

20th Rev. Robert Allen

27th Rev Ian Boddy

We all love our Cuppa after church