When Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc in Hawke’s Bay last month, the Napier-Hastings Tongan Methodist congregation swiftly undertook the task of feeding and supporting dozens of horticultural seasonal workers adversely affected by the ensuing deluge. The tale of a life-saving hero has emerged from the debris of the killer flood.

The extraordinary flood event Auckland, Northland and Coromandel experienced on the night of 27 January was caused by rainfall that was literally off-the-chart. Over 24 hours, 249 mm of rain fell; well above the previous record of 161.8 mm.

On Saturday 18 February current and former members of the Ashburton Methodist parish, community and MCNZ church leaders, project contractors, and people from the wider Connexion gathered in the refurbished Baring Square Centre to celebrate the conclusion of a renovation project that has been more than a decade in the planning, execution, and delivery.

At Conference last year MCNZ announced the decision that funding will be provided for special projects that address climate change.

Over the summer break, before some of our regular weekly church hall hirers started back up again for the year, my home congregation at Kingsland Trinity Methodist Church decided to make the most of the available space and welcomed Tā'ī Paitai, an accomplished and very talented local artist, to lead a short series of creative workshops for our congregation and the wider community.

In recent articles in Touchstone, I emphasised the importance of contextualising and conceptualising resources, drawing attention to the validity of creating resources that are related to the contexts where we practice our ministry.

What a start to 2023! There’s been ex-cyclone Hale ravaging the East Coast of the North Island in mid-January, the weather dump flooding Auckland later that month, cyclone Gabrielle wreaking havoc in Hawkes Bay and elsewhere two weeks later, and in between, on a massively vaster scale, a horrific earthquake laying waste to a large swath of Turkey and Syria.

Touchstone shares letters from readers.

How does one respond?

Since early January of this New Year, I have been rendered less mobile than I am normally.

I have been one of the many waiting for news that my family was safe after Cyclone Gabrielle. Mum and Dad were in the eastern Bay of Plenty pocket that seemed to miss the brunt of Gabrielle. However, my aunt, her daughter, her granddaughter, respective partners, and great-grandchildren were all in Gisborne with no phone or internet service. Communications were restored to them on Sunday, 19 February, and it was a relief to hear they were all safe.

In Christ we, though many, form one body: Romans 12:5 Methodist Mission Southern whānau places a high value on connecting to the communities we serve. Our social service kaupapa addresses a variety of social and economic challenges, from poverty and homelessness, to mental health and addiction issues.

Following on from my article last month on the need to be aware of phishing and scams, this month I want to highlight the danger of sharing email addresses.

Our newest Council of Conference Elder Kuina Schrivener from Taitokerau Rohe shares her Waitangi Day experiences spent on the Te Tii Waitangi marae. She retraces and explores why these experiences continue to have meaning in her faith journey. In our retracing may we discover the trajectory of our lives is not shaped by us alone. It is shaped by the actions of our tupuna, events of the day, and guided always by the encounter of a life-giving wairua active in and among all things.

“Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

Christian Blind Mission, an international Christian development organisation, is delivering life-changing medication, support and surgeries to people disadvantaged by poverty and disability.

Annabella (Bella) Third grew up in a Christian family, attended a Christian school, and last year as a 17-year-old gained her accreditation as a lay preacher. We introduce arguably the youngest lay preacher in the Methodist Church of New Zealand.

The Presidential team and their chaplains share blessings for food at mealtimes.

Two thousand years ago, Tertullian of Carthage questioned the validity of Plato's thoughts. In Prescription Against Heretics, he queried, 'What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church?'

Troy Sugrue, a creative director with 25 years of experience in the commercial world of marketing, and 50 years of experience in the religious world of Methodism drew on both long-time associations, to come up with a special project for Takapuna Methodist Church to share Christmas with the community.

The sun is shining as I write this but my thoughts are with all of you who have been made homeless by the cyclone, have had your homes damaged or have been affected in any other way.

Where do children and youth go during your Sunday morning service?

One year ago, when the war started in Ukraine, Viktoria fled to Poland with her two young children. The move was made easier because of the support she received from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a local ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) member, supported by the Christian World Service Ukraine Appeal.

Local ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) members, including the Middle East Council of Churches, immediately began to assist people after last month’s earthquakes.

Authors: David Graeber and David Wengrow Publisher: Allen Lane (GB); Farrar, Strauss and Giroux (US). 692pp, 2021

Author: Michael F Bird. Publisher: Zondervan, June 2021. 240 pages.

We Are Still Here offers a powerful cinematic experience. Over 90 minutes, ten indigenous directors offer an imaginative response to the arrival of James Cook and the realities of 250 years of colonialism.

The Open Door was a quarterly magazine published between 1922 and 1975, replacing the Australasian Missionary Review upon the dissolution of the NZ missionary partnership with Australia.

Luke Wade 1795 – 1868

Wednesday 22 February marked the beginning of the season of Lent that finishes Easter Weekend on Sunday 9 April. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.

Ua sola malie atu Kapilielu, a ua matua iloga magāala na afea e lana malaga; ma ua matua masofasofa ma malepelepe tulou ai nisi o aai o le atunu’u e pei o upu o se tasi pese. Talofa e ia Gisborne, Hawkesbay tainane Coromandel ma nisi o itulagi o Aukilani ma le atunu’u atoa; aemaise lava o aiga ma fai pisinisi ua fulifaoina e Kapilielu le sologa lelei o le soifuaga sa iai.

Saione Parish Education 2023

‘Oku kei mahu’inga ‘aupito ‘a hono tanumaki ‘o e kau faifekau