| Sunday, December 18 2011 | |
 |
'Repeat the Sounding Joy' (Greg Britt/Elgregoe) |
 |
Korean Faith Community (Guang Taek Jung) |
 |
Pizza Church |
 |
'What Child is This?' (Alan Jamieson) |
 |
in recess |
WELCOME
Welcome to our services today. This morning Elgregoe will be leading in his unique way, and this evening I will preach about “What Child is this?” for the last of our Advent messages before Christmas Day.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to you, your family and friends to our Christmas Eve services. 5pm and 7pm services are repeats, with a family-friendly theme, 9pm is a carol service and 11pm will include communion this year. All offerings at these services (apart from those in Spreydon envelopes) will go to the TEAR Fund Christmas appeal, rescuing women and children in poverty. On Christmas Day Grace Vineyard will be leading a 9am service.
I’m excited about the mix of creative installations around our buildings this year. Out in the container on the footpath is a large diorama of the shepherd’s hut as the angels arrive, in the Auditorium is the Grotto, and in the Gym is a display of mini dioramas, made by you all, expressing glimpses of joy for you this Christmas season.
For the two Sundays after Christmas we will be looking at the 12 days of the Christmas journey. I am really hoping that by Christmas Day there will be downloadable daily readings on this topic available on our website at www.spreydon.org.nz.
On the Sundays of January 15, 22 and 29 Rob Kilpatrick from World Vision Australia will be preaching at all services.
Please have a good break this summer. We are all more tired than we realise and need some time to step back, recuperate, relax and renew ourselves. I am especially keen that we take time for renewing our connection with the God who joined us in our humanity on that first Christmas. If you are having holiday space enjoy this wonderful world that God has made, enjoy being with family and friends, enjoy swimming in the sea and eating Christmas cake. Enjoy the BBQs and long summer evenings. Enjoy some sleep-ins in the tent and early nights with a good book.
Grace and Peace,
Alan
SERVICES DECEMBER/JANUARY
Saturday Dec 24
5&7pm ‘Joy to the World’ (Alan Jamieson)
9pm ‘O Holy Night’ (Murray Robertson)
11pm Midnight mass (Alan Jamieson)
Sunday Dec 25
9am Family service (Grace Vineyard)
Sunday Jan 1
10am ‘12 days of Christmas’ (Alan Jamieson)
Sunday Jan 8
10am ‘12 days of Christmas’ (Alan Jamieson)
Sunday Jan 15
10am (Rob Kilpatrick)
7pm (Rob Kilpatrick)
Sunday Jan 22
9 & 11am (Rob Kilpatrick)
7pm (Rob Kilpatrick)
Sunday Jan 29
9 & 11am (Rob Kilpatrick)
7pm (Rob Kilpatrick)
STARTING DATES FOR 2012
78th Ave first week in Feb – see website
Café Sundays Jan 29
Café weekdays Jan 24
Divorce Care Feb 2
English Tuesdays Feb 14
English Fridays Feb 17
Eternity Feb 5
Explorers Jan 22
Keep Active Jan 30
KFC Jan 8
Kidz Alive Feb 5
Music & Movement Feb 8
Pizza church Jan 22
Play group Feb 7
Play gym Feb 9
Preschool Jan 16
Ricecube Feb 3
Safari Feb 5
SHARP after school Feb 1
SHARP holiday programme Jan 23-31
Single Mums Jan 30
Starfish Jan 22
STARS Saturdays to be announced
SYC first week in February – see website
Tuesday Christian Fellowship Feb 7
2012 BUDGET
This year the church giving and budget have been very encouraging. Thanks to your generosity, at the end of November this year giving has been $31,000 ahead of budget, and $80,000 ahead of the same period last year. Giving to Global Mission reached the promised amount and we have together promised $411,000 for Global Mission support in the coming year. Expenditure is on budget for this financial year.
The Leadership Team and Elders would like to bring to your awareness some issues surrounding the budget for the next financial year. Currently there is a $147,000 projected increase in expenditure over last year’s budget. The extra cost has come from:
• including provision for $75,000 of long term maintenance and repairs
• doubling our budgeted insurance costs - (we don’t have clear figure yet)
• continuation of the 2010 2.4% cost of living increase to wages and salary
• picking up the cost of some staff time that was previously volunteered
After these four expenses that we cannot do much about there is a budget increase of $30 000 (or 2% of budget).
You will see the bulk of the increase is for long-term maintenance and repair of buildings and technical equipment. In the past we generally have not included large long-term maintenance items in budgets. However we believe it is time to do this, as there are significant repairs required that we can’t put off.
The work being undertaken on the auditorium and foyer this summer is being paid for by the rent we are receiving from Grace Vineyard's insurance company.
We understand these are difficult financial times for many people and we are not intending to launch any finance drives or appeals. We simply want to raise awareness, be transparent with the process, and trust the Lord for provision. We think this reflects the balance of prudence and faith for this stage of the journey, and would greatly appreciate your prayer.
LOOKING INTO 2012
Next year we want to continue to develop our local communities. We now have nine fledgling communities underway. This has been an exciting move this year; especially considering all the interruptions and ‘events’ of the year. I am increasingly convinced that to relationally strengthen our whole church the best possible thing we can do is to be part of these grass-roots, highly relational local communities where we can share a bit of life-together and encourage each other in our Christian faith. But I am equally convinced that these local communities are powerful agents of mission and evangelism and as we pray together and care for those around us God opens up ways for us to be part of what God is doing. Of course to do this well we need strong links with our community ministries to bring specialised programmes and skills, our church ministries to bring discipleship to youth, children, shape worship services and bring us together around shared focuses e.g. global mission. Perhaps over the summer period you might like to pray and think about how you connect with the church in a face-to-face, hands-on way. Maybe there is a local community or a community or church-based ministry that you could become part of. In many ways next year is a new start - what might be new for you?
Part of looking to the new will be taking time as a church to pray, dream and discern where God is leading us in the next chapter. We have a sense that God is opening up new possibilities and we want to have time together next year to explore our vision and direction for the next chapter (think 5 + years). In post-earthquake Christchurch it seems the south west could grow substantially and we want to be part of providing ministries, discipleship and worship in this growing area. Over recent months we have been having conversations with a number of key groups about becoming one church on more-than-one site - what is being called a ‘multi-site church’. An exciting possibility is the potential availability of a large block of land in the heart of the new south-west developments. Next year we want to share more about these possibilities and pray and dream together. We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we launch into the New Year and reflect on new exciting possibilities.
