From Ben’s Desk

As I write this last devotion for the year there are 17 days to Christmas. Our church is in full swing with the Christmas celebrations, having enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and planning to sing carols at the Auckland City Hospital on Monday night. Let us fully embrace this special time of the year and use…

This week we will once again be planting white ribbons on the front lawn of our church as a sign of solidarity and support for those locked in the cycle of family violence. Sadly, this ongoing cycle of abuse continues to be a dark and ever-present shadow over almost every community in N.Z. Do not…

An important decision has been made in Parliament this week. David Seymour’s bill on euthanasia has passed its 3rd reading and has been successfully passed in parliament by a small majority. Thankfully, this bill will not be passed into law in N.Z. yet because New Zealand First has stipulated that it must be put to…

I recently read a comprehensive report compiled by the Northern Presbytery on the state of the church in N.Z. and what the trends look like for the next 10 years. Sadly, the picture is not what I would have liked to see at all. The statistics speak of a steady decline and a shrinkage of…

This Sunday we will be holding our AGM after the morning service. By now I trust you have had the opportunity to read our church reports and look over the highlights for this past year. As you read you will see once again God’s goodness, provision and grace to us as a church. There is…

This week sees the start of Rugby World Cup 2019. As you may be aware the All Blacks are trying for a 3rd consecutive world cup win, which has never been accomplished by any other team in history. The prospect of winning for a 3rd time is by no means certain, as a number of…

This week we start our long-awaited building and strengthening project on our church hall. I love building projects because so often it allows people who are not normally involved in serving in the church to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Already we have seen a good number of people get involved on Saturday…

One of the important new principles that came out of our recent all-day leaders’ retreat was a change of focus in our church, from being “a welcoming church” to being “an inviting church”. The difference being, that a welcoming church helps newcomers feel welcomed and affirmed but does not go further; where an inviting church…

At present there are some important issues being discussed in the parliament regarding issues of euthanasia and abortion. These issues are close to the heart of God as He is the giver of life and the sustainer of the aged. I encourage you to engage in these discussions by reading and following what is being…

Recently I conducted a bible study from the N.T. book of Ephesians. The passage we were dealing with covered Paul’s prayer from prison for the struggling Christians in the godless city of Ephesus. Paul did not pray for their health, wealth or blessing. He did not ask them to pray for his swift release from…