Weekly Notices - 20th July 2025
Upon return from my treasured 2 nights at Te Wai Ora last Thursday, I was immediately asked to make a hospital visit after our dear Grant Radford was transferred there earlier that day.
One of the things that Yvonne asked for, was a meal for her to come home to after each gruelling day. I immediately called a few of our parish ladies who sprang into action!
I am honoured and privileged to be a part of a parish who is so caring and so full of love for those around us. This is the foundation of a heart for pastoral care, where, in times of trouble or trials, you just know that support will be there. We have parish family members in our midst that over the years, have served this community so diligently and are now starting to feel the downward pull of health challenges. It is to these people that our attention must now turn, to ensure that they are cared for and supported in a ‘Jesus Way.”
Our Gospel this week tells us the story of 2 sisters who chose different paths to walk when their pastoral carer (Jesus) visited. One fussing in the kitchen; the other, just sitting and being. The tension these choices created was tangible, but makes us wonder why we can’t be doing both/and instead of either/or!!
Let us continue to be God’s face among those with whom we interact; let us carry on being God’s hands and feet as we set our faces to Jerusalem with Christ.
May God always bless St Aug’s
Your Friend and Vicar, Kofe.
Vicar Kofe
This Sunday’s Service (20th July)
Theme: Recognizing and welcoming Jesus as our friend through hospitality and service
Sentence: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.’ Isaiah 30:16
Collect:
God of all delight,
grant us that joy which none can take from us,
of having a work to do, a life to live;
that joy in believing which will carry us through.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
Readings: Colossians 1: 15 – 28 & Luke 10: 38 – 42
Tiny Town at St Augs!
On Thursday 17th July we hosted the first session of ‘Tiny Town’ in the Lower Hall.
What is Tiny Town?
Tiny Town is a mobile role-play town, crafted for ages 0-6 to dive into play that’s easy and enriching with a curated setup of wooden toys for beautifully designed areas such as a supermarket, post office, vet clinic and garage. See below for some photos of this very cool/cute concept in action in the Lower Hall at St Augs!
The Tiny Town crew hope to hold another session at St Aug’s later this year. ‘Watch this space!’ To find out more about Tiny Town, visit their website: https://www.tinytown.nz/
Messy Church at St Augs!
On Saturday 28th June, we held a very successful ‘Messy Church’ activity day for Pre-School & Primary aged children in the Hall.
Many grateful thanks from Rowena, Thelma and the team to all those that contributed to the success of this day. We hope to hold another session before the end of the year!
What is ‘Messy Church’? Messy Church is a church for everyone who may not feel comfortable attending a ‘normal’ church service and who don’t yet belong to a church. It typically includes a meal, hands-on activities such as arts, crafts, meeting God in the outdoors, science activities and more, which are suitable for all ages.
Check out the NZ ‘Messy Church’ website! www.messychurch.nz
Recently, we were absolutely privileged to have members of the ‘Sumner Silver Brass Band’ lead our 10am Combined Service.
With all the scaffolding still in place, it was especially apt to see how the band seated themselves around the 'mess' of our repairs and just fit in so calmly with what we had to work with.
We look forward to hosting them here at St Aug’s again, at the end of November.
The first concert in our current Organ Concert Series featuring Sea-am Thompson was a huge hit with a full house (check out the photos below!).
Get in quick for the next one! (Click here for more details about this series.)
Please be warned that with the commencement of our roof repairs we have LOTS of scaffolding around the place to be aware of. In particular this affects parking near the Hannan Centre ramp.
Be careful out there!
(And here are a couple of shots of the team in the skyline recently.)
Please remember to use our Diocesan Prayer for Regeneration: As the kotuku gently rests upon the tree, come and rest upon us Holy Spirit as we pray for the regeneration of our Diocese… Ever living God, through your Spirit you constantly renew the whole creation; bring regeneration to your Diocese of Christchurch, grant us courage to grow disciples of Jesus, give us vision to reach young people and their families, and strengthen us to create vibrant communities of faith. All this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
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