Weekly musings

Weekly musings

Pastor Peter’s Page

Kia ora e te Whānau I was inspired again this week to read the following extract from John Tucker and Andrew Picard’s article on what it means to be Baptists: Our forebears believed that when they gathered together, Jesus Christ was present in their midst and his presence changed everything. The text in the bible that gripped their hearts was Matthew 18:20: “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Not “I might be there among them,”…

Pastor Peter’s Page

Kia ora e te Whānau COVID, Prayer and CO2 MonitorsWe’re super aware that COVID is still cycling around the community – It’s not gone away yet!! We had some different families in isolation this week. It’s good to be aware of who we should be specifically praying for! The virus seems to be hitting people in quite different ways but, reassuringly, most Ilamites seem to be coming right gradually. Sunday was the first day with the CO2 Monitor in action…

Pastor Peter’s Page

Kia ora e te Whānau COVID, chilly winters and school halls It became very clear last Sunday morning that winter is coming! I am so sorry that we had such a cold service. It was helpful to get the many comments – I especially loved the emailed description of the service has having a retro Dunedin flat vibe!! It’s also really tough for any visitors who don’t know to wear their ski gear!  Obviously, we have to take the colder…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Kia ora e te Whānau It’s been so good to see more Ilamites each Sunday morning – faces that are so familiar, but do you find, too, that seeing people brings the realisation that it’s been several months since we’ve caught up? I think it’s going to take some time to get back to a stage of feeling up-to-date with what’s going on in each other’s lives – a lot of water has passed under all of our bridges in…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Greetings fellow Ilamites! Two short weeks in a row, school holidays … and COVID. There’s lots upsetting the rhythm of life recently. I hope that you are managing to thrive – or, at the very least, coping ok if you are affected by sickness at the moment. We’ve been glad to be able to help people out with Pulse Oximeters – all of the 5 we purchased are currently “out” and in use (which is where they should be!). The stock of…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Pastor Peter Happy Easter everyone! I hope that you have a special weekend – whether you’re away or staying home in Christchurch. I hope, too, that you are able to have some moments to pause and reflect on Easter and how it all fits into our lives as a Christian festival, remembering the events which are arguably the key foundational moments for the life of the church!! If you’re around over the weekend, remember that we have a Family Friendly Weekend planned…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Sunday ServicesWe are planning on starting to meet again at the school from Easter Sunday onwards – hoping that there will still be some good weather enabling us to gather outside where possible! We’ll be aiming to follow all the usual precautions, including ventilation, face coverings, staying away if unwell. We’ll be feeling our way a bit with this so please bear with us – our primary concern is to ensure that everyone is as safe as possible! Something to…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Kia ora e te Whānau This weekend begins a season of transition amongst the staff team and church, as Andrea steps back from her role as Church Administrator, as Margaret steps into that same role and makes it her own, as I reduce back from full-time working to 3 days a week, and as Helen increases her role slightly to pick up some of what I won’t be doing! We have a strong sense of being team together, though, so…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Tēnā koutou katoa We think and talk about you all a lot as staff – missing your smiling faces!  A quick update from me, however! COVIDIt was very gracious of the Government to make their updated COVID announcement yesterday morning in time for our Ilam Governance Team meeting last night! Perfect timing for us! Obviously there are lots of different opinions “out there” around the wisdom (or otherwise) of easing up on the restrictions which have been in place and served the…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

It was St Patrick’s Day on Thursday – did you mark the occasion? I don’t appear to have any Irish ancestry at all, according to my Ancestry.com DNA test! However, Carol has some mixed Scottish and Irish heritage in her (from her Gordon family roots) – but we’re not hugely into St Patrick! Coincidentally, we did make a basil pesto and pasta dish for tea on Thursday – so, I guess, inadvertently St Patrick was acknowledged, not that he would…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Kia ora e te Whānau Another week rolls by (!) but against the backdrop of some really big picture happenings: COVID making its presence felt more widely, the anti-mandate protests in Wellington and elsewhere, and – of course – the horrific situation in Ukraine. There is a lot to absorb our minds sitting uncomfortably in the background at the same time as we also have to make everyday decisions around managing our lives and our families and our work while trying…

Pastor Peter’s Pod

Hello Ilam! Over here in Ilam Road this week it’s been very clear that UC is now fully back!! Lots of students, lots of noise (including the “chink” of bottles) and increasing amounts of litter . Along with students has come, we hear, an increasing incidence of COVID in the communities that make up UC. Omicron has landed! More than ever we need to keep ourselves safe and be very mindful of any symptoms we are feeling – and make sure…