Weekly Notices - 7th September 2025
We enter the month of September with a grand vision of extending ourselves in the mission fields of God’s work. This is a great opportunity for each of us to look deeper into our respective lives and question ourselves as to whether we are doing enough in God’s call to mission.
It is also a good time to be reminded of our diocesan 5 Marks of Mission, adopted to guide us as a church walking into the future:
To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth
These priorities need not just be corporate or international ideologies; they can be worked into our individual lives as we strive to grow God’s Kingdom here on earth.
I for one, am looking forward to hearing from our respective speakers over the next few weeks. Some of them carry out their mission in an organisational manner through their work; some carry mission out in individual trips overseas in which they reach out to the less fortunate; some just quietly go about their mission here in Christchurch either through their place of employment or in their own time. We give God thanks for these individuals who impact God’s people in amazing ways.
10am each Sunday throughout September and on the 1st Sunday in October – come and see / listen / be!
May God bless St Aug’s
Your Friend and Vicar, Kofe.
Vicar Kofe
This Sunday’s Service (7th September)
Theme: Like Christ, we are called to give up everything to know and serve God.
Sentence: ‘Whoever does not carry the cross and follow Jesus cannot be his disciple’. Luke 14:11
Collect:
Servant God,
grant us opportunity,
give us willingness
to serve you day by day;
that what we do and how we bear each other’s burdens,
may be our sacrifice to you.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.
Readings: Psalm 139: 1 – 6, 13 – 18 & Luke 14: 25 – 33
This week we start our St Aug's Mission Month, and we have invited different speakers to address our Combined 10am Services.
The speakers will take the place of our sermons each Sunday, so come and be with us as we support the personal and corporate stories of individuals serving our Lord.
Date Speaker
September 7th Kofe (Introducing Mission Month)
September 14th Sharron Martel
September 21st CMS & Maori Mission, Bruce White (see Bruce’s ‘intro’ below)
September 28th Geoff King
October 5th Alistair Philips
Bruce White partners with his wife Carolyn to look after our Mission Partners. Together they support, equip and encourage our people serving overseas. Bruce pastored at a Baptist church for ten years before he and his wife served with the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society in south Asia for seven years. They then returned to New Zealand to pastor again for another seven years before God opened the door for Bruce to join our team.
Bruce is also part of the Te Pihopatanga o Te Waipounamu.
We are down to our last Organ Recital with Jeremy Woodside.
The first two concerts (Sea-am Thompson & Martin Setchell) were very popular, get in quick for the last one!
Vestry has agreed to the recommendations from our Mission Motivators (Lerks & Joan) to support NZCMS Māori evangelists with our missions giving. Joan & Lerks have heard Keri-Anne preach and she had shown Lerks around South Auckland, describing her work there.
We think that Māori evangelists will not only bring the gospel to Māori, but could also re-awaken Christian spirituality with everyone that they encounter. We see this in our younger generation who want to partner with Māori in their future together.
Please click here for more information about Māori Evangelists.
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
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.
Helpful info
Giving
Groups
It’s easy to connect and get involved with some great social and faith-focused groups that meet regularly across the parish. You can find out about all our regular groups on our Groups page. If you have any questions, just click the contact button to connect with the group’s organiser.
Need prayer?
We’d love to pray for you. See the ‘Prayer Support’ section on the Help & Support page for more information on how we can help with your prayer needs. There are confidential and anonymous options available.