Vicar’s Address
Greetings to you all.
It is surprising how we are moving through the year and rapidly approaching the halfway mark for 2018. We have had a busy start to the year and I have personally found this a challenging but very special time as we have had the quiet and reflective focus of Lent and through to the Easter weekend. Increased reflection in services, study groups and quiet day all helped with this. We have another quiet day planned for July to assist us with our continuing spiritual journey. This year we have intentionally planned to encourage a deepening of our relationships with God.
We also had our World Earth Day event when we lit our char fire and planted some citrus trees on our paddock next to the Buckland Church.
If we manage to be successful in the moving of St Paul’s Church across next to the Buckland Hall we hope that these trees will be helpful to the Buckland School community. The World Earth Day event was part of our planning to help us to deepen our relationship with our environment.
John Allen is planning to hold a series of workshops on Sustainability when he has completed the current “Grow your own food” course. We hope this will heighten people’s awareness of caring for God’s rich blessing in creation for which we are entrusted to care. It was helpful to have Romano, a seminarian — at St Patrick’s Church, share with us about the very real effects of climate change on his homeland of Fiji and the surrounding islands.
While not ignoring the other aspects of our deepening relationships we are moving into building relationships with one another and the wider community.
We celebrated Pentecost with the welcome of people to our 9.30am service with people greeting us in a language from their ancestry. We talked of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and how we are called to recognise the gifts we have to enhance the lives of others. We were privileged to have our Archdeacon, the Venerable Michael Berry, with us for the morning.
The service was followed by a shared lunch with people bringing food that was traditional for their ancestral country. People shared stories and songs from their countries.
During June we are about to restart our monthly soup lunches at various parishioners’ homes. We look forward to a time of fellowship and the strengthening of relationships as we get to know each other better.
Connecting with our community is our winter pyjamas drive to get warm pyjamas to local children whose school has indicated they are believed to be vulnerable during the cold winter months. We are appealing to the community for pyjamas. We are working on this with Middlemore Foundation, who assist us by sourcing some pyjamas for us.
Of course our regular pastoral programmes run in conjunction with the Selwyn Foundation and Pukekohe Community Action are ongoing ways in which we reach out to the community.
Please join with us in any events or programmes that are appropriate for you.
I would like to thank everyone who was involved with or supported the recent garage sale. The proceeds this year were $2500 compared with last year’s $1400. Well done and thank you all.
Please keep the vulnerable people in our parish and community in your prayers through the winter months. Also please join us in praying for those in leadership of the church and for our unity as a church so that others may see and experience the love of God in all its fullness.
Blessings to you all.
Jan
From the Parish Registers
Funerals
May 21: Mary Josephine Running
Worship
Rest Home Worship Services
Palms Rest Home: 10.30am Tuesday June 5
Palms Hospital: 11am Tuesday June 12
Lakeside Rest Home: 10.30am Wednesday June 13
Pukekohe Hospital: 10.30am Wednesday June 20
Possum Bourne Village: 11am Tuesday June 26
Anyone who wishes is welcome to join us at these services
Bible Readings
June 3
First: 1 Samuel 3: 1-10, (11-20)
(Readers Sue Muir 8am, Geraldine Koopman 9.30am)
Gospel: Mark 2: 23-3.6
(Joan Renall 8am, Glenis Kerr 9.30am)
Theme: Listening, Speaking, Acting
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
June 10
First: 1 Samuel 8: 4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)
(Graham Russell 8am, Bob Wallace 9.30am)
Gospel: Mark 3: 20-35
(Ian McDougall 8am, Jill DeKock 9.30am)
Theme: Choices and Consequences
3rd Sunday after Pentecost
June 17
First: 1 Samuel 15: 34-16:13
(Jan Scarth 8am, Renton Brown 9.30am)
Gospel: Mark 4: 26-34
(Bruce Shepherd 8am, Neville Phillips 9.30am)
Theme: God’s Role for Me
4th Sunday after Pentecost
June 24
First: 1 Samuel 17: (1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49
(Graeme Deed 8am, John Robinson 9.30am)
Gospel: Mark 4: 35-41
(Paul Muir 8am, Sylvia Gardner 9.30am)
Theme: Agents of God
5th Sunday after Pentecost
NB: If you are unable to do your duty on the rostered date, please try to arrange a swap with someone on this roster. If you are unable to arrange a swap, please choose a person who is not on this month’s roster to fill in for you and then please notify Noeline in the Parish Office.
Coming events
Winter Soup Lunch ~ Sunday June 10
This is the first soup lunch for the season and a very successful way of getting to know fellow parishioners. We are hoping to hold a few of these over the winter months.
If you would like to attend this event on the 10th, please add your name to the list in the church foyer.
If you would be willing to host a soup lunch at your home or if you feel you are unable to do that but would be willing to provide a pot of soup for lunch at someone else’s home please again add your name to that list in the church foyer. You decide how many people you would like to host and let us know.
To volunteer to host, please contact Gael Crimmins, Ph. 238-6017 or Email. vsgc@xtra.co.nz
Parish Breakfast ~ Sunday June 24, 8.45am
Our first for 2018. Thank you to all who have offered to assist with these. If you are able to stay at the end of breakfast and help with the dishes and cleaning up this would be most appreciated.
Dates for Parish breakfasts later in year:
Sunday August 5 or 19 | Sunday September 16 | Sunday November 25
Pyjamas for Vulnerable Children in Local Schools
We are again working with the Middlemore Foundation and the community to provide a pair of new pyjamas for children in our community who the schools identify as being high needs. Any donations towards this collection will be much appreciated.
Social opportunities
Mothers’ Union ~Wednesday June 6, 10am
Meet in the Church. All Welcome. Guest Speaker ~ Virginia Warren, who is organising the celebration in Franklin for 125 years since women obtained the vote in NZ, Suffrage 125 Franklin.
Women’s Fellowship ~ Thursday June 21, 10am
Meet at the Church for Communion. All Welcome
For Reflective Spiritual Growth
Join us in St Andrew’s Church at 2pm on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday each month
Vestry
Finances The parish income is tracking on line with our budget which is predicting a $20,000 loss for the year. The finance committee have looked seriously at the budget and trimmed this where we can. Of course we will be trying to cut costs wherever possible. We do need to take this matter seriously and consider how to increase our income if we are to maintain the current presentation of the property and the ministries we now provide.
I ask you all to pray about this situation and if you have any suggestions on possible fundraising or other options for increasing our income please speak to Jan. Our garage sale last week was a good start to our fundraising but this income was already included in the budget.
Trees Auckland Council has agreed the large oak tree on the vicarage lawn needs further pruning. Vestry is concerned about this because of the number of trees that have fallen in the high winds this year. The height of the tree will be reduced as well as the length of the branch jutting out over Queen St. The liquidambar tree on the vicarage lawn is to be removed because it continues to lose branches every time we have a storm. Negotiations are continuing over the beech tree by the church and Talith Gibbons, who is a civil engineer, is now working with us in preparing an engineering report to go to the council with our resource consent.
Buckland Church Concept plans show the positioning of the church and indications of the installations of a second door into the church, with a ramp.
This will allow easier access to the building and improve the safety for people using the building. This is a requirement for the consent to move the building and of course there are more rules and regulations with the building now having historic places status.
Blessing for Pentecost
May the enthusiasm of Spirit leap incessantly within you
and help you to live a vibrant life.
May the warmth of Spirit’s fire be extended through your concern
and care for all those who need your love.
May the blaze of Spirit’s courage enable you to speak the truth
and to stand up for respect, dignity and justice.
May the undying embers of Spirit’s faithfulness support you
when you feel spiritually dry and empty.
May strength of Spirit’s love sustain your hope as you enter into the pain
of our world.
May the clear light of Spirit’s guidance be a source of effective
discernment and decision making for you.
May Spirit’s patient endurance be yours while you wait
for what is unknown to be revealed.
May the steady flame of Spirit’s goodness within you convince you
every day of the power of your presence with others.
May the joyful fire of Spirit dance within you and set happiness
ablaze in your life.
May the spark of your relationship with Spirit catch afire in the hearts
of those with whom you live and work.
May you be mindful of the Eternal Flame within you.
May you rely on this Source of Love to be your constant ally and steady
guide.
— Joyce Rupp
Pastoral Care
Seasons for Growth An after-school group held on Thursday for children who have experienced a significant loss or grief in their lives. Adult programme began on 12 March, 7pm.
Space for you and baby A group for first-time mums and their babies.
Oasis This is the natural progression from Space. As the babies “graduate” at the age of 1 year they transfer through to the playgroups which have music, morning tea, free play and a story with a related craft. There is the time for mums to chat amongst themselves and to build relationships as many are new to Pukekohe. Drop in and see the children having fun.
Selwyn Group For the older members of the community. Join in the exercises, chat over a cup of tea or coffee and then enjoy cards, Skip-bo, Bingo or other activities. It is good to see people getting out, mixing with others and on Tuesdays enjoying lunch together. This group runs every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9.30am.
For further information on any of these groups please speak to Jan.
Regular Events
Reflective Spiritual Growth in Church at 2pm on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month
Weekly Events
Garden Education Session Wednesdays 7pm
Sunday School 9.30am (Children aged 3 years up)
Seasons 4pm Thursday afternoons during term time
Oasis Music/Coffee Group 9.30am Mondays & Fridays during term time. All preschoolers and caregivers welcome
Selwyn Group 9.15am Tuesdays & Thursdays
Op Shop 9am~12 noon Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays