Kia tau ki a koutou te atawhai me te rangimarie o te Atua

願 父 神 所 賜 的 恩 惠 和 平 安 與 你 們 同 在

Grace and peace to you from God

NOTE FOR LCNZ PASTORS AND PARISH / CONGREGATIONAL SECRETARIES

Please cut and paste as much of this update into your regular weekly bulletins, newsletters, and parish magazines, and regularly invite people to subscribe to regular LCNZ UPDATES / President’s Page by going to www.enews.lca.org.au

BE STILL

During the closing service this coming Sunday at St Johns Halcombe, the ‘choir’ (Barbara, Anne, Heather, Julia, Dennis and me) will sing the first verse of the well-known song, Be Still and Know that I am God as a lead-in to our prayer time.

It’s not easy to be still when your church is closing … or when there’s a Convention to prepare for … or when the deadline for that assignment is getting ever closer … or when you’re still waiting for reports on earthquake damaged property … or when plans get mucked up by unexpected complications … or when the phone doesn’t stopping ringing and the ‘in-box’ keeps filling up faster than the ‘sent’ box … or when … or when …

I must admit that I’m struggling at the moment to be still; there’s just so much to do, and I’m the sort of person that thinks that if I slow down and maybe even come to a stand-still … well then, maybe things won’t get done.

Leanne and I both lead very full lives at the moment and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of time left to be still. However, in the midst of this busyness we made a decision at the beginning of the year to commit to regular weekly Home Group ministry. In the middle of all the demands of life that tell us whatever you do, don’t slow down and be still, we take an hour each Wednesday evening (make that 1½ - 2 allowing for travel), to be still in the presence of God, his Word, and with others who belong to him.

And guess what? As we drive home or farewell others who have come to our place, it never occurs to us that we’ve wasted our time by taking some time to be still with God.

As life got busier and more demanding for Martin Luther, he said the more time he needed to spend in prayer and with God.

So whatever it is that has your mind racing and your life at high-speed, slow down, stop even … be still and know that God is God.

• Heavenly Father, help me always to put my trust in you. Send Your Holy Spirit to calm my soul. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

CLOSING SERVICE - ST JOHNS HALCOMBE - SUNDAY 2nd JUNE

This Sunday we expect a congregation of between 150 and 200 people to gather at St Johns for the closing service of this congregation.

The remaining members have assisted me in wonderful ways to make sure that the closing service will be a time of thankfulness and gratitude to God who has richly blessed these people and this place since 1875. Part of the service involves the ‘carrying out’ of various items, furnishings, documents etc., and the gifting of some of these items to other congregations in the LCNZ.

In a similar rite during worship at Convention at Botany on the following Sunday (9th), St Johns last chairperson, Barbara Wishnowsky, will assist me in giving these gifts to pastors and delegates from other congregations in the LCNZ. In this act, the memory of God’s blessing will continue to live.

A wee reminder that there be a special ‘Thank Offering’ during the closing service to (1) acknowledge the blessing of God through this congregation over many years, and (2) to make money available for a new ministry somewhere else. Out of closure and ending, it is our hope that such an offering will help to bring renewal and new beginnings in another place. St Johns and Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) plan for this ‘Thank Offering” to support a ‘new start’ Village Bank project in Cambodia.

All pastors and congregations of the LCNZ have received information on this project and have been invited to gather a special offering or to make a special thank offering ‘donation’ to be placed on the offering plates on Sunday. Of course, anyone who attends the service is also invited to make their offering.

• Closing Service – 10.30am, 2nd June
• Pastor Harry Wendt – preacher
• The ‘Halcombe Lord’s Prayer’ will be sung after we leave the church
• Lunch – 1.00pm at the Halcombe School
• 'Walk of Faith’ First Edition – a journal produced by Anne Somerville (Te Punga)

PASTOR DAN WEISE

Friends, in my haste the other morning to get news of Pastor Dan Weise’s death to you, I think I failed to mention that he had served as pastor in the following LCNZ locations – the Manawatu, Hamilton and Tauranga.

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF HOPE - SUNDAY 16th JUNE

The current church building of St John's Lutheran Church Hope is celebrating its 100th year this year. There will be a morning of celebration on Sunday June 16th with a service and shared picnic lunch. The whanau at Hope are extending a warm invitation to all members and friends of the LCNZ, to join them for this great chance to thank God for all of his goodness. The service will start at 11:15am with lunch to start at 12:30pm.

Pastor Chris Janetzki writes – it would be great to have you come and join with us to celebrate the many years of blessings that this building has been.

MANAWATU CALL

Last Sunday after worship, the members of the Manawatu Lutheran Parish (St Lukes Palmerston North and Trinity Feilding) voted to extend a call to Pastor Rodger Russ – currently serving the Woodville Parish in Adelaide – to be their next pastor. I was quite overwhelmed by the positive and joyful tone of this meeting but wasn’t surprised. We had asked for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and we got it.

Please pray for Pastor Rodger as he considers this call, as we did on Sunday –

• Lord God Heavenly Father, we pray for Pastor Rodger, that he may be sensitive to your will and to our ministry needs and vision here at St Lukes in Palmerston North and Trinity Feilding as he considers submitting himself to our call and to the visitation of your Holy Spirit. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

CHURCH WORKERS CONFERENCE - 5th,6th,7th JUNE - HAMILTON

The Church Workers of the LCNZ gather in conference next week from Wednesday to Friday at St Matthew Hamilton. Our guests are Verena Johnson and Glen Schulz – the LCA’s lay-worker formation officers, and they will be making presentations on Team Ministry, Support Structures and Self Care. And Harry Wendt might pop in as well.

• Thank you Lord God for providing pastors and lay-workers to support and nurture us as we grow in faith in you. Amen.

LCNZ DISTRICT CONVENTION - 8th & 9th JUNE - BOTANY LUTHERAN CHURCH

The LCNZ family gets together for convention at the end of next week. We will meet under the LCA Synodical theme of Where Love Comes to Life to discuss, decide, report, pray, worship, debate, laugh, remember, celebrate etc. Here’s what you need to know –

• Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June at Botany Lutheran church, 150C Harris Road, East Tamaki, Auckland.
• LCA Guests include retiring President Dr Mike Semmler, Debbie Venz (LCA Business Manager), Colin and Ruth Hayter (Board for Missions), Pastor Brian Shek (LCA Asian Ministries Coordinator), Verena Johnson and Glen Schulz (Board for Lay Ministry), and John Henderson (Bishop Elect of the LCA).
• Handing over of the Halcombe gifts during Sunday morning worship.
• Plenty of remits to discuss and decisions to make with an aim of focusing the church on its mission, which is God’s mission – His love in Christ for the world.

We’ve been extremely busy here in the National Office, so apologies for the delay in getting the final copy of the Book of Reports out to pastors and delegates. These will be posted by ‘fast post’ tomorrow.

As we prepare to gather –

• Guide us, Lord, by your Holy Spirit, so that this synodical convention may promote your work among us and build up your holy church. Direct all our discussion and debate, so that we may discern your will for us and make right decisions on the matters before us. Keep our focus on your commands and promises to us, so that we may be bold in our mission to the people of this land. Make us ready to listen, slow to criticise, and willing to cooperate with each other, so that we may promote the unity which you have given us. Encourage and inspire us through this convention, so that we may be better equipped to serve you as your priestly people; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer. Amen.

Kia noho a Ihowa ki a koutou; the Lord be with you.

+MARK

Pastor Mark Whitfield BTh MSM

Bishop of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand / Pihopa o te Hāhi Rūtana o Aotearoa