Seabrook Avenue
Church of the Nazarene

May
Newsletter

From the Pastors desk

WHY GO TO CHURCH?
A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.

"I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.

 It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something!  Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

                  Caleb Ward
On the move
Wessels move into their fabulous new home!  From May 11th Wayne, Debbie, Rodney and Joseph will be living at 99 Kamara Rd, Glen Eden.
New phone number 813-3440 (switching Friday afternoon, 10 May). Mobile number is 021 670 025

Willie Lang has moved into new accommodation and we congratulate him on his brave new adventure.

Bereavement
Special care and sympathy is extended to the Mann Family whose Dad, Herbert Mann, passed away peacefully April 27th. Our thoughts and prayers are with each member of the family at this time.

Travellers this month
Bob and Maureen Gordon will spend two weeks in Brisbane with family, Mike, Joanne and the girls.

Alpha Course
This is a great opportunity to kick around the questions of life.  The course runs for 10 weeks.  Take this opportunity while you can. Please sign a registration form on the information table.

Renovations, upgrades and maintenance
Noticeable are the footprints of the maintenance crew who have been working steadily since February. Special thanks to Samuel Manda for his skill painting the exterior of the church and many thanks to Paul Thomson who has spent many hours replastering internal walls.

We want our facilities to reflect our devotion to God so if at anytime you see a fault, breakage or problem spot please make it known. Thank you for being patient with dust and debris.

Church Board
Our board of management meets 6 weekly and are responsible for the smooth running of the church, management of assets, employment of the pastor, an operational budget and the focus of seeing that all ministries and initiatives are Christ centred and people focused.  Are they missing anything important?  Your input on all these matters is greatly valued.  Noel Simon, secretary, is always available to place any special matters on the board agenda.

Involve me please
Is an update on the many different responsibilities our church upholds.  These cover anything from sweeping to singing, driving to directing. Please look over this leaflet available throughout May and consider the vacancies where we need extra help.

What does the Bible say about...
Is a question we often want to ask.  You'll find a box on the information table where you can drop off your questions. Throughout May and June we hope to set up a panel to answer some of these questions the best way we can. No question is too small no issue too complex!

Mother's Day honours all women
May 5th We have "A Mother speaks her Mind".
This title may raise memories of the past for you but you will be pleased you took the opportunity to hear how the Lord has lead Maureen Gordon through some unknown territory and has proved Himself faithful.

May 11th will also be a tribute to women as we thank God for women of faith. We will welcome Janine Campbell from Mum's in Touch on this Sunday and light refreshments will be served for those who can stay.

 Mum's in touch
Is a very special ministry of prayer for schools and the children from our church in their schools. May 11th Janine Campbell will be with us to showcase this vital ministry.

Prayer Group
Is a vital event. This month we meet on 12th May, at Polglase's, 10 Trojan Place, at 6.30 pm and 26th May at the church. We are seeing steady answers to prayer. Circle this opportunity to meet and seek God in a special way for our lives, community and His church.

Youth events
The youth are on the move having launched into their own Sunday evening study. They have a great calendar mapped out and we just love seeing them grow.  Events such as Caving, Bush Trekking, and Video Nights are listed on their calendar.

They will soon begin fund raising for youth camp.

Youth Service
Sunday, May 5th 6pm is something of a first. The young people have been preparing for this and will go the extra mile to serve refreshments after the service. We especially welcome Miah Polucha from Hamilton who is guest speaker.

Webb Site
Updated regularly, check it out at http://seabrook.orcon.net.nz
Send it to your friends. (Glad to see you found us here).

Spotlight on Rikki Gordon
So who is Rikki Gordon, where does he live and what makes him tick? Just 3 of life's burning questions!

Rikki is in his second year at Western Springs College, lives in Blockhouse Bay and between taking calls is an important guy to have around the church. We have never asked him to preach and there's a good reason for that, he's flat out with a few special jobs. Rikki makes sure there are ushers ready and available for every service making the offering time smooth and painless. He's also the guy that makes sure people who don't move as fast as they once did are helped from the carpark to their favourite seats. He's filling an important role and we depend on him for that.

He is a BIG part of the youth group and key worker in the Kid's Club. So if you want to pat him on the back look for the guy 2 feet taller than his mother and 3 feet taller than his grand parents and you've found him.

Names slip my memory
And that can be embarrassing. Here's a few new names around the church listed to help you remember:
   Ingrid, Poweny and Basil Kennett
   Daphne Ward
   Aaron, Bianca and Vanessa Loloya
   Arshad and Mayura
   David Erdman
   Siele Swatton 

Kid's Club
Friday's 3:30 pm

Ladies Coffee Breaks
Please see advertisement on the information table (see Events).

Never be afraid to try something new -
   Remember that amateurs built the ark.
   Professionals built the Titanic.