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The Joy of Being Found

Imagine a search and rescue team has brought 99 people safely down a mountain, but one person is still missing. The weather is turning, and the search is becoming dangerous. Would you expect them to keep searching? Maybe not if it was really treacherous. Surely at some point the search has to end?There are times when we can feel forgotten or overlooked, perhaps because of the situations we find ourselves in, the struggles we face, or simply because we don’t seem to fit in. We can feel distant ...

Hope in the little things

Ever had one of those weeks when nothing seems to go right? You sort out one problem, and another pops up. Finding hope can feel like a big ask. Sometimes hope arrives quietly. A neighbour drops off dinner. A friend checks in. Someone takes the time to listen without trying to fix everything. Ruth and Naomi were two women in the Bible facing a difficult situation but then someone showed them kindness.Small acts of kindness might not solve the whole problem, but they remind us we’re not facing ...

Children of God

Before we are leaders, workers, parents, friends or anything else, we are children of God. In Romans 8, Paul reminds us that God does not draw us into a life of fear or servitude; through the Spirit, we are adopted into God’s family and invited to know him closely as “Abba, Father.”We gain a secure identity, a place of belonging, and also become heirs - sharing with Christ in the life, hope and glory of God’s kingdom. That inheritance does not mean life will be free from suffering, but i...

Whoop, whoop, Sunday's the day

This Sunday at 2.30pm we welcome our new pastor Jacqui Fisher. We would love friends and family to join us as we celebrate. Afternoon tea will be served.Please note we will not be holding our normal 10am service this Sunday....

When life disappoints

When life falls apart, it can feel as though the ground has disappeared beneath us. Ruth 1 introduces Naomi, who leaves Bethlehem because of famine and returns years later carrying grief, disappointment and bitterness. She cannot yet see a hopeful future.Ruth responds differently. Instead of choosing the safer path home, she stays with Naomi and makes a bold promise: “Where you go, I will go.” Her loyalty is practical, costly and full of faith.Most of us know both sides of this story. Someti...

New Pastor

We would love you to join us Sunday 11 October @ 2.30pm as we celebrate the induction of our new pastor Jacqui Fisher. Afternoon tea will be served.NB: We will not be having a morning service that day....

God provides

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered where God is in it all? Naomi probably did. She returned to Bethlehem carrying deep grief and feeling completely empty. But while she could not see it yet, God was already providing for her. His provision came through Ruth’s loyal love, a field ready for harvest, and Boaz’s generous kindness. Ruth simply took the next step in front of her. She went out to gather leftover grain, and there, in an ordinary day’s work, God began opening a way forw...

When water brings life

Ezekiel, one of the Old Testament prophets, paints a picture of a stream that flows out from God’s temple into the barren land and as it flows it brings life and vitality. While it acts as a metaphor for new spiritual life it also depicts reality. Today in our own ‘green clean land’ many of our rivers are no longer swimmable and some are almost devoid of life. For most life to grow and flourish it requires water that is clean and life-giving not stagnant and polluted. I wonder how we might...

Water brings hope

Ezekiel’s river starts small — just a trickle from the temple — but it does not stay that way. Step by step, it becomes ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, and finally too deep to cross. What a hopeful picture. God’s life is not thin or limited. It grows, moves, and reaches the places that seem furthest from renewal. Even the Dead Sea, a place known for barrenness, becomes fresh and full of life. That is good news for creation, and for us. The Season of Creation reminds us that God’s he...

Leadership

What does good leadership actually look like? Good leaders do not need to be the loudest person in the room or act as if the rules do not apply to them. They listen, share responsibility, welcome honest feedback, and use their influence to help the whole community. It is less about standing above people and more about standing alongside them.Peter in his letter reminds us that being humble does not mean pretending we have nothing to offer. It simply means knowing our strengths without thinking t...

Choosing a Better Way Forward

Real change is not only about what we leave behind; it is about the kind of community we choose to build together.Too often, our lives are shaped by self-interest, convenience, and the pressure to go along with what everyone else is doing. A better way begins when we look outward. It means noticing who is struggling, opening our doors, sharing what we have, and using our skills for the good of others. It means choosing honesty when dishonesty would be easier, compassion when judgement comes natu...

More than skin deep

It’s easy to focus on appearances, status, or getting our own way. But 1 Peter 3 points us somewhere deeper. Following Jesus is meant to shape who we are on the inside and how we treat people every day. That means showing respect at home, caring for our church whānau, choosing humility, and refusing to fire back when someone hurts us. None of that is flashy, and it isn’t always easy. Sometimes doing the right thing can put us out of step with everyone else. We might speak up, tell the truth...

Living differently

Have you ever caught yourself doing something simply because “that’s how it’s always been done”? It’s a good reminder that culture shapes us in ways we barely notice, influencing what we value and how we treat others.Peter challenges followers of Jesus to live differently. We’re still part of our neighbourhoods, workplaces, and communities, but our values come from God’s kingdom. That means our worth isn’t measured by looks, money, status, or the latest thing we own. Instead, we�...

A Holy Stranger

What does it actually mean to be holy? It can sound like being perfect, overly religious, or somehow removed from ordinary life. But in 1 Peter, holiness is much more grounded: it means being set apart for God’s purpose.Being holy isn’t about hiding from the world or proving we’re better than anyone else. It’s about belonging to God and letting that reshape how we live. God’s character—kindness, justice, faithfulness, and love—becomes the pattern for our choices.That shows up in ev...

Hope that holds

Hope matters. It’s one of those things we don’t always think about until life gets hard. In 1 Peter, Peter writes to Christians who knew what hard looked like. They were scattered, misunderstood, and facing real pressure because of their faith in Jesus. And yet Peter begins by reminding them of hope.Their hope wasn’t wishful thinking. It was grounded in what God had already done through Jesus’ death and resurrection. They were God’s people, held by God, and promised an inheritance that...

Be perfect

When Jesus says, “Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect,” most of us probably think, “Well, that rules me out.” It sounds like being asked to clear a world-record high jump. Nice idea, but not likely. But Jesus is not calling us to anxious rule-keeping or religious point-scoring. He is inviting us to look deeper than outward behaviour.The Pharisees were great at rules. They knew how to build plenty of road cones around sin, and sometimes how to work their way around them t...

A burden named money

Most of us know what it feels like to worry about money. Bills arrive, prices rise, and the pressure to have more can quietly take over. We're constantly told that success means a bigger house, better car, newer phone, and a safer bank balance.Jesus once challenged a wealthy young man to sell what he had, give to the poor, and follow him. The man walked away sad, not because he was bad, but because his possessions had become too heavy to let go of.The question isn't whether money matters. It doe...

In or Out

Jesus sometimes says things which are hard to hear. Take the stories of the wheat and weeds, and the sheep and goats. They challenge our ideas on how we define ‘who is in’ and ‘who is out’. And if we’re honest, we often like those lines when they make us feel safe, right, or accepted. But Jesus turns the question back on us. Are we doing the will of the Father? Are we loving God and loving our neighbour? Are we noticing the people who are hungry, lonely, sick, poor, imprisoned, or simp...

Love....your enemies

Some of Jesus’ words are comforting. Others stop us in our tracks. “Love your enemies” is one of those. It sounds beautiful in theory, but almost impossible in real life. Yet Jesus was not offering a nice idea or an optional extra. He was showing us what God’s kingdom looks like.Our world often teaches us to pay back, write off, or label those who disagree with us. Jesus calls us to another way: prayer instead of revenge, generosity instead of bitterness, compassion instead of contempt.L...

A people who care

The 2000 movie Pay it Forward Pay it Forward tells the story of Trevor McKinney who begins the seventh grade in Las Vegas. His social studies teacher, Eugene Simonet, assigns the class a project - To create and put into action a plan that will change the world for the better.  The teacher is pretty sceptical that any of them can come up with a plan that will work. Trevor calls his plan "pay it forward", which means the recipient of a favour does a favour for three others rather than paying ...

The Power of Being a Good Neighbour

In a world where many people feel isolated, unnoticed, or disconnected, simple acts of friendship can have a profound impact. The early church was known for sharing life together - sharing meals, caring for one another, and welcoming those around them. Their faith was visible through their hospitality.Being a good neighbour is about more than living beside someone. It is about noticing people, learning their names, listening to their stories, and responding when there is a need. Jesus taught tha...

Justice as a lifestyle

In Acts 2:42–47 we find a community transformed by the Holy Spirit, devoted to God and deeply committed to one another. Their faith was not merely expressed through worship and prayer; it was demonstrated through generosity, compassion, and justice.Today, the word “justice” often carries political or cultural baggage. It is often associated with punishment, revenge, or demanding that others pay for wrongdoing. Biblical justice is something far richer and broader. It flows from the very cha...

Sharing the story

There are some sounds that change everything. Like the barking of a dog when you are fast asleep and you get up to discover she is barking at shadows. Or maybe it’s the sound of a newborn child crying for the first time, or the sound of a phone call in the middle of the night, or the sound of a crowd erupting in celebration. In Acts 2 there is another sound. A great sound.Luke tells us that On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a soun...

Who influences you?

We live in a world overflowing with opinions, podcasts, influencers, and endless streams of information. Every day we are being formed by the voices we listen to and the stories we immerse ourselves in.In Acts 2, the early church devoted themselves to “the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Their faith was intentional and transformative. Scripture was not simply information to study; it was a way of life that shaped their identity and actions.His...

Pentecost 2026

This coming Sunday is a big day in the church year – Pentecost – 50 days after Easter. it’s the day when the church remembers God pouring out his Spirit on the first disciples and what many consider the birthday of the Church. This year we are joining with other Baptist Churches around the world in the Acts 2 movement as we think about He Haruru Nui - the great noise that signalled God was doing something new. We will be exploring Acts and the characteristics that defined the early church ...