From Ben’s Desk

You may not have been aware that this past Thursday was a very significant day in the Christian calendar. It was Ascension Day. That is the day that we remember when Jesus went up to heaven to commence His new work for us as our heavenly advocate, intercessor and heavenly helper. The ascension of Jesus…

Today is the day that we celebrate the mothers in our church. We reflect on the enormous contribution all mothers continue to make for their children. It is no light comment to say we owe our mothers a huge debt of gratitude. As my daughter and her family live with us so that we may…

In the passage we will consider today from Matthew’s gospel, we will see Jesus calling His first 4 disciples, who will become His inner core and most trusted disciples. In this passage He not only calls these common fishermen to follow Him but also to be fishers of men. That same commission is set before…

This weekend we once again remember with lasting gratitude, those men and women of the past who so bravely gave their lives in the great wars to defend the freedoms we enjoy today. They went to war against a formidable enemy who was well equipped and was set on world domination. It is only their…

We are privileged in G.P.C. to be part of a church that is multi-generational. Each one of us has a spiritual duty to grow up in all of God’s ways and come to maturity in our own spiritual lives. We also have a spiritual obligation to guide all the children under our influence to embrace…

Today is a very special day in the life of G.P.C. We will witness 3 separate church families bring their children forward for Christian baptism and dedication. This is a meaningful ceremony which has its roots way back in the Old Testament and was consistently practiced throughout the Old Testament. In the New Testament we…

Missing Easter! You may remember that last year we missed Easter altogether. If you remember, we were in the middle of a Covid-19 lockdown. For me it was a very strange experience because it was the first time in more than 40 years that I had not been in church with God’s people to celebrate…

This Sunday is marked out in the church calendar as Palm Sunday. It is the Sunday before Easter Sunday, and it starts Holy Week. Over the next 7 days we will remember the greatest single event in all of human history, the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ to pay the redeeming price…

It was thrilling to watch our Emirates Team New Zealand team improve in every race and then win the America’s Cup. I am aware that it was once again a huge team effort and there were many behind the scenes and back in the shed who worked very hard to achieve such a comprehensive victory….

Today is a very significant and memorable day for some members of our church family, as after the morning service they will be baptised after making a public declaration of their loyalty and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. We firmly believe that the obedience of baptism is very important in the Christian life. As…