Category: Promotion

May 18 – 20th 2016

Opito Bay – Coromandel

Sometimes you have to escape the city and walk the beach and breathe the salt laden air, only then can you see clearly. Breathe deeply and listen to the breath of God.

Three incredible days

Day One: The quest / The story

Day two: The sensation / The adaptive challenge

Day three: The rhythm / The whole

Material covered will offer personal and ministry insight along with the collective wisdom of an amazing group of people.

What to expect Each day will have a variety of exercises including personal reflection, prayer, mentoring, rest and relaxation.  Each day we will follow that pattern of the sunlight and will flow with the weather conditions.

Cost: This retreat is being run at cost price (Food and accommodation). Approx $350

Registration It is vital that you register as early as possible to ensure that you have a place. Numbers are restricted to a total of 8 people. Download Retreat Info and Registration Form

Logistics

Arrive  Wednesday  18^th 11.00am at Opito Bay (Google directions or give me a call)

Depart   Friday 20^th 2.00 pm from Opito Bay

What to bring

• Casual dress
• Warm jacket
• Sleeping bag or bedding
• Camera
• Walking shoes
• Personal hygiene/ medications
• Towel, soap, toothbrush etc
• A small item / symbol that tells a story about a significant time in your life. It could be a photo, a newspaper cutting . . . etc

Accommodation

A beach house with water views 20 mtrs from the beach!

What others have to say . . .

“I attended one of Andrew’s retreats for people in ministry in 2015 and had an absolute ball. The retreat provides the perfect background for a retreat which allows one the space to look at life from a completely new perspective.

Andrew leads in the very best of ways by providing material upon which the group members can reflect openly and honestly and he draws the group members out in a sensitive and yet honest fashion which encourages all to participate fully. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!”  Richard Dawson

‘Into the wild with Andrew Norton was for me both affirming and exhilarating where all running comes to a standstill and you learn to breathe again, listen to your life and take notice while rediscovering your rhythm.  Doing this (being this) in one of New Zealand’s best kept secret locations had a way of gently tugging at my soul strings allowing me to take stock and consider not only God’s beauty around me but my own as God’s beloved.  The retreat doesn’t feel like homework, a check list or a burden, rather Andrew follows the rhythms of nature in sync with the Holy Spirit (present) and in amongst great food, wine, stories, good company, scenery, fresh air, you re-discover yourself (in Godself) in the valleys, in the wide open spaces and on the mountain tops where you feel liberated again and all your obstacles become possibilities’.

Brendon McRae

I attended Andrew’s mountain retreat in March 2015. It was an amazing 4 days in a stunning location. With time and space and careful process questions Andrew lead the group into significant areas of self discovery. The camaraderie shared among the group was an added bonus. The retreat was the best way to start the year.  I would highly recommend it to anyone. 

Brent Richardson 

The Bible Society is currently conducting a survey for Christians aged 13-18. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

This survey does not take any identifying information from the participants, and the 30 questions are generally asking about bible reading habits, with a couple of interesting questions about social media memes that reference the Bible.

The survey is being conducted until 29 March 2016.

It will be interesting for us to see what Bible reading habits seem to be working in New Zealand. In the best case scenario, we will shape our ministries differently thanks to the results of this survey.

I would encourage you to get your young people to fill in the survey. If we can get 200 young people to answer the questions from a Presbyterian setting, we will have a large enough sample size for the Bible Society to produce results for Presbyterian young people, which we can compare to the national stats.

Reach out in Christian hospitality

Neighbour’s Day falls on 19 and 20 March and coincides with Palm Sunday, with Easter Friday just four days later. Prescare is inviting parishes to show good old-fashioned Christian hospitality to their neighbours.  Consider “Sharing the cross” by delivering bought or baked Easter buns to neighbours.

Ideas for getting involved

As well as delivering Easter buns, you may also wish to share the Easter story. PresCare can help on both fronts:

• Delivering Easter buns – If your parish doesn’t have the funds to purchase or bake buns, then see below about how to apply for a small grant.

• Sharing the Easter message – Simply download and print any of the resources below that feature a picture or explanation about why Easter buns have a cross, and attach these to the buns before they are delivered. They could be delivered to neighbours or youth groups could take the Easter buns to local schools and preschools. (If handing out at a school, because of the Easter story slips on the bags, you need to ask the school to request parental permission for the children to receive the buns.)

There are plenty of ways to reach out to your neighbours. Check out these ideas for different ways of getting involved in Neighbours Day. Read more

Resources

PresCare Neighbours Day Poster

Download a Neighbours Day poster for your church

Easter story slips and images

If you wish, print off any of these images or short stories to assist you to “Share the Cross” with your neighbours.

STORIES

The cross as a symbol of hope (written by the Rev Phil King)

IMAGES

Jesus takes up the cross image (supplied by Kids Friendly)

Jesus is nailed to the cross image (supplied by Kids Friendly)

Simon of Cryene helps Jesus image (supplied by Kids Friendly)

Stations of the cross images (supplied by Kids Friendly)

• Station 1
• Station 2
• Station 3
• Station 4
• Station 5
• Station 6
• Station 7
• Station 8
• Station 9
• Station 11
• Station 12
• Station 13
• Station 14

Apply for funding

PresCare is making a small number of grants available to assist parishes to purchase or bake Easter buns. Each grant will be to a maximum of $50 and in the event that the number of applicants exceeds the number of grants available, parishes will be randomly selected using the age-old method of pulling names out of a hat. To register for a grant, simply email us the following details by 5pm on Friday, 11 March:

• parish name,
• parish contact person,
• that person’s contact details, and
• a 100-200 word description of with whom and how your parish will be sharing the Easter buns.

You will be advised by email of the status of your application no later than Tuesday, 15 March.

Consider working with Presbyterian Support

If you want to get involved, consider making contact with Presbyterian Support in your region to investigate the possiblity of a joint initiative.

Presbyterian Support Northern
Anne Overton
Community Mission Advisor & PresCare Project Manager
E: anne.overton@psn.org.nz
P: 09 520 862409 520 8624

Presbyterian Support East Coast
Sylvie Gibbins
Donations and Bequest Manager
sylvie.gibbins@psec.org.nz
P: 06 877 819306 877 8193

Presbyterian Support Central
Jo Prestwood
Fundraiser
joanne.prestwood@psc.org.nz
P: 04 439 492904 439 4929

Presbyterian Support Upper South Island
Lydia Hemingway
Senior Fundraiser
lydiah@psusi.org.nz
P: 03 363 820903 363 8209

Presbyterian Support South Canterbury
Katerina Tiscenko
Marketing Communications & Fundraising Manager
Katerina.Tiscenko@pssc.co.nz
P: 03 687 114803 687 1148

Presbyterian Support Otago
Caroline Simms
Mission Liaison
E: carolines@psotago.org.nz
P: 03 477 711503 477 7115

Presbyterian Support Southland
Peter Wards
Chief Executive
E: peter.wards@pss.org.nz
P: 03 211 826003 211 8260

Tell us what you are doing

So you’ve decided to get involved, great! Let us know. Email us, and we’ll publicise your event on the Church’s Facebook page. Also send us some photos.

Why get involved?

Many people today are isolated from their neighbours, yet are unsure what to do about it. Neighbours Day provides an opportunity to come together, and serve those in need and in doing so strengthen the communities in which we live.

The goal of Neighbours Day Aotearoa – to build strong communities – is well aligned with the Christian mission of the Church and Presbyterian Support. Love thy neighbour.

By participating in Neighbours Day, local churches and Presbyterian Support can strengthen bridges between ourselves and our communities, and in doing so build meaningful mission with those in need in our communities.

Learn more about Neighbours Day >

ONE GOD – ONE BODY ONE KINGDOM

28-30 APRIL 2016
WHANGANUI, NZ

Youth of the Nation is an annual Christian Youth Conference held in Wanganui, New Zealand. The theme for this years conference is ONE:

Ephesians 4:4-6

⁴ There is one body and one Spirit. You were appointed to one hope when you were chosen. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith and one baptism. ⁶ There is one God and Father of all. He is over everything. He is through everything. He is in everything.

Youth of the Nation (YOTN) aims to encourage and empower Christian young people to pursue Jesus Christ with a zeal that will impact their generation.

Check out their website

http://www.yotn.net.nz/

Young people who experience moderate and severe mental illness often experience isolation and rejection from their peers and at home. A new project will help young people develop creative projects to end mental illness discrimination in NZ.

Recent research has found that many young people had experienced name-calling, belittling attitudes and had felt excluded by friends and family because they had experienced mental illness

more

Kenda Creasy Dean NZ

Kenda will be teaching the main part of the Adolescent Development And Spirituality course at Carey Baptist College this year. She will be teaching the block component over the 4 days Monday, 30 May to Thursday 2 June at Carey’s Auckland campus. She will be teaching in particular the material around spirituality and faith formation in adolescents.

more

Youth Week 2016 grants fund events that celebrate the contribution young New Zealanders make to their communities with the support of the Ministry of Youth Development and celebrate ‘Aroha Atu, Aroha Mai – Giving Back is Giving Forward’.

Youth Week grants aim to:

• Support young people’s participation in the planning and delivery of Youth Week events in their communities.
• Promote and celebrate positive images of young people; showcasing their talents, achievements, creativity and contributions to the community.
• Create spaces for young people to share their thoughts and ideas with other members of the community.

Only applications received from Ara Taiohi members and schools will be considered. If you are not sure if you are a member check out if your organisation is listed here or contact Wendy.

Youth Week events must:

• Fit with the Youth Week theme: ‘Aroha Atu, Aroha Mai’ ‘Giving Back is Giving Forward’. Find out more about the theme and key messages
• Use a positive youth development approach to design, develop, deliver and evaluate the Youth Week event.
• Ensure youth participation is a key feature of the event from its inception to closing.
• Positively promote young people by showcasing their talents, achievements and contributions to the community.

Funding limitations:

• The grant is for an event that runs during Youth Week 2016, 21-29 May 2016.
• Grants are limited to between $350-1000.
• Only a very small proportion (less than 10% or $50) of the entire grant is able to be used for prizes.
• All successful recipients must share photos and details of their event on our website, Facebook page and Twitter feed (providing that permission has been obtained from the people featured in the photos).

Applications open from 16 December 2015 until 21 February 2016. A panel of young people will review applications and allocate the funds.

Download the full grant criteria
Download the application form
Find out more about Youth Week

Fo

On 8 January 2016, world renowned eco-theologian Professor Celia Deane- Drummond, of the University of Notre Dame USA, will present at the Ecology and Hope conference at Carey Baptist College, Auckland http://carey.ac.nz/events/ecology-and-hope/ offering theological and ethical reflection on conservation. The conference is co-sponsored by Arocha NZ, Sisters of Mercy and Caritas.

The Presbyterian Church is looking for 10 young adults (under 30)  to attend on behalf of the Church. The Church will pay the $75 registration, provide lunch, and in return, you will interviewed by a SPANZ journalist who will be writing an article about Caring for Creation. If you care about Ecology, tell us in two sentences why you want to attend before this Friday (4 Dec) at noon. (gordon@pym.org.nz)

Highlights

Here are some of our favourite things happening this summer.

more