St John’s Community Church has arguably undergone more change than most church buildings in Aotearoa. Built in 1903, the quaint wooden building was gifted by the Anglican Parish of Awanui and relocated in 1986 from its original site at Awanui, Northland to Great Barrier Island, 100 kilometers north east of Auckland.

If your parish is engaged in community of social service work, you should join the Methodist Alliance.

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Recently David Bell and Terry Wall visited Jay Venables, long-time member of St Paul’s Methodist Church, Remuera and widow of Mark who died in 2003. The purpose of the visit was to gain an insight into the life of Jay’s late husband, a respected graphic art teacher, printer and artist. David and Terry report on the highly anticipated and immensely rewarding visit.

The five congregations of Waitakere Parish came together recently to celebrate Wesley Day. More than 200 people attended the event, ensuring the hymns were sung with good Methodist fervour.

The Queen’s Birthday Honours List saw two members of the Connexion recognised for their outstanding works for community and Church.

In 1789, Benjamin Franklin immortalised the phrase “… in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. If he was alive today, he might have added ‘change’ to the list of certainties facing us.

Those who know me are aware that I’m addicted to American politics. I follow it more closely than I follow what’s happening in our own country. I find it hard to drag my eyes away – we are potentially watching the end of an empire – the dying days of Pax Americana. And it is being destroyed from within.

Theologians and Biblical scholars claim that reader’s context is vital in the task of interpretation.(J. S. Croatto, Biblical Hermeneutics, 3; F. S. Fiorenza “Theory and Practice: Theological Education as Reconstruction, Hermeneutics, And Practical Task” in Theological Education, 83-86; S. A. Havea, “Christianity in the Pacific Context”, in South Pacific Theology, 11).

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What happens when people abandon the Christianity of their forebears in droves? If you want the answer, look around you. In western societies over the past century, there are those who have turned to other ancient faiths, others to newly-minted faiths, and most to no faith at all.

The national Matariki celebration signals a significant shift in the way we identify with tangata whenua in Aotearoa, recognising Matauranga Māori culture and identity as offering a valued unique perspective in this part of the world.

From the 1930s, the people of Samoa were slowly given back more governance of their country. Following WWII, pressure grew for Samoa to be granted independence. On 24 November 1961, the Western Samoa Act was passed by New Zealand Parliament.

This month we profile our Correspondence Secretary and UCANZ link, Sharlene Malaeimi.

I recently read an article written by a journalist who holidayed in Australia. Exciting news during these Covid times! The writer compared differences in facemask wearing and Covid-19 restrictions between Australia and New Zealand.

Rikki TeTau, Ngati Kahunganunu, has recently taken on the role as General Manager, Palmerston North Methodist Social Services. We invited Rik to and to share a little about himself and his vision for the future.

When politicians respond to journalists about a disaster, they invariably say their “thoughts and prayers” are with the families. It has become a stock phrase. Perhaps some forensic philologist might trace its first occurrence. I wonder if its originator was intending to cover two bases or implying that a distinction between sacred and secular is superfluous.

At this time of year I always look forward to the shortest day, Te Pō Tūtanga nui o Pipiri, also called the winter solstice.

Here are some answers to this question. The church: is for...

The Government confirmed pre-departure tests will be scrapped from 20 June. This change will be well received given the ease and cost of getting a test had increasingly become a barrier to people travelling to New Zealand.

Aotearoa New Zealand is often referred to as the land of milk and honey – I even have a t-shirt that says this.

In a reflection on the Ascension published in Word & Worship, Rev David Poultney referred to the 10 days between Ascension and Pentecost as a time of anticipation, waiting, preparing for what will be. He drew a comparison between that period and our response to Covid.

Just a short while ago, in the middle of the night, a house a mere 150 metres from where Shirley and I live, was apparently the recipient of forty-four gunshots fired through its windows.

Teresa Manion-Wood joins a Polish-Ukrainian Zoom Meditation group on Monday 6am NZ time as often as she is able. She says, “It is early evening on Sunday over in Ukraine. I feel it is the least I can do, to set my alarm and wake up early once a week to spiritually support these courageous people in the midst of this horrendous war”. She recently wrote this reflection for a group newsletter and shares the piece with Touchstone.

These questions are from young people at an Intermediate school.

We hear a lot today about climate change, greenhouse gases, plastic waste and pollution in general; how we as humans are slowly destroying the wonderful world God has entrusted to us.

Book review

Can you find these words in the puzzle?

Christian World Service is grateful to the many generous people who have donated to the Ukraine Emergency Appeal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is matching donations to this appeal through its aid vote. These funds will be used to help some of the 3.5 million refugees in urgent need of assistance in Poland.

Last month Christian World Service met with the Muslim Well-being team, part of the Purapura Whetu Trust, a community-based Kaupapa Maori health and social services provider in Otautahi Christchurch. CWS has been looking for the best way to use the remaining money donated after the March 15 attack at Christchurch mosques and are grateful to Purapura Whetu for their assistance.

Time and tide wait for no man. Not even a fighter pilot catapulted off a naval aircraft carrier can outfly time’s inevitable creep. Top Gun Maverick offers a stunt-fuelled ode to the inevitability of time and tide.

Protestant Sunday schools began in Britain in the 18th century as a response to conditions created by the Industrial Revolution. Education was not available to a large portion of the population and many children worked long hours in factories, mills, and other industrial settings. Sunday was the only free time that many children had.

Flags and Symbols

O le vi’iga ma le fa’afetai I le Atua ona ua taunu’u ma le manuia le fa’amoemoe, sa tu’upoina. I le aso 3-6 o Iuni 2022 sa usuia ai le Leadership Training (LT) Camp a Tupulaga a le tatou Sinoti.

Cakacaka 1:8 ia dou na rawata na kaukauwa ni sa lako mai vei kemudou na yalotabu, dou na qai dau tukuni au mai jerusalemi, kei jutia taucoko, kei samaria ka yacova nai yalayala kei vuravura.

‘Oku kei uki pe ‘e he pule’anga Nu’usila mo e Siasi Metotisi ‘a hotau kakai ki he huhu malu’i Koviti-19.

‘I he fakautuutu e fetā’aki e ngaahi kau kengi, na’e fakahoko ha fakataha ‘a e kau taki ‘o e kominiuti Tonga ‘o ‘Aokalani ke talanoa ki he ‘isiu ni, ‘i he teu fetaulaki ‘a e Kiwis mo e Mate Ma’a Tonga.

St Anselm's Union Church 30 Makara Road, Karori West, Wellington