Peace.
Lifestreams @ Medbury: News and Roster
Dear Lifestreamers,There seems to be a lot of news this week, so please take your time scanning through this email. I would like to especially draw your attention to the Lifestreams' Worship workshops and to the several events and courses that Vicki has highlighted for you further down the page. For men there is a note from Paul and I regarding a six week get together over beer to watch and discuss Rob Bell's NOOMA films.
LIFESTREAMS' WORSHIP
Over the past months I have had a number of requests for fresh training in the various worship ministries at Lifestreams.
It seems like a good opportunity to do this now and at the same time invite those of you who would like to find out more about certain ministries that you may like to be involved in.
For the next month we will provide mini worship workshops during morning tea time. If you are rostered on a particular ministry please attend these workshops; this will give us all the best chance to touch base and to ask any questions or give suggestions as to how certain ministries are done. Here is a preliminary list of the dates for each workshop
Worship the Lifestreams' Way
11th July - Assisting at Communion
18th July - Reading Scripture in Public Worship
25th July - Preparing and Leading Prayers
1st August - Being a Welcomer or Sides person
8th August - Hospitality/Morning Tea
15th August - Preparing and presenting a Personal Testimony in Worship (Open to everyone)
I'm looking forward to sharing the time with you and it's my hope that as a result you will all be encouraged in the service you dedicate to these key areas of worship ministry.
A FEW WORDS
"May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power."
- Apostle Paul to the Colossians
We're going to spend the month of July exploring the very short New Testament letter to the Colossians. While some New Testament scholars argue that Paul didn't actually write this letter, I belong to the school of thought that supports Paul's authorship. I won't go into all the details right now; only to say that differences in scholarly opinion orbit around apparent differences in writing style and theology in Paul's other letters to that found in the letter to the Colossians.
More importantly though the letter to the Colossians is a power pack of profound insights into what early Christians understood about the world and how best to live in it. Ellen Charry (a very groovy thinker) wrote that to be a Christian is to "be taken up into the drama of God's plan for creation." (Ellen T. Charry: 1997, 36). If that's the case then Paul's Colossian letter is positively loaded with instruction as to how we may best participate in that drama.
The culture that the Colossians lived in is a world and an age away from the one we live in today so it's to be expected that we understand things a bit differently from how they did. However if we engage both heart and mind as we work our way through some of the key passages we should come away all the richer for it.
Colossians at a GlanceAuthor: Apostle Paul and possibly Timothy
When: Early 0060's
Where: (see map) Colossae was a city with a thriving woolen textile industry in the heart of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).
Situation: Paul has been imprisoned in Rome. The Church in Colossae has been influenced by some trendy philosophy that Paul thinks is both weird and unhelpful. With Timothy's help he writes and sends them a letter to freshen their understanding of Paul's teaching.
Highlight: A fantastic poem/hymn about Christ as God's agent in creation and the reconcilation of the world to God.
Most Difficult bit for modern ears: "Wives be subject to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord"
FROM VICKI: OVER THE HOLIDAYS
Sunday 11 July – Antioch and Café 7pm
This event is designed particularly for woman who find getting to church in the evening during term time difficult and to give us some adult time in the middle of the holidays. We will go to the Antioch service in the hall at 7pm (they are doing a series on Revelation at the moment) and then gather at Coffee Culture in Riccarton for a catch up.
Tuesday 13 July - Freezer Filler Cook Up St Barnabas Hall 4-6.30pm
There are three reasons for this event – to fill our church freezer with meals we can give to families when they are needed, for adults and children to get together and have fun, and to eat together.
We have been donated some money to help stock our freezers for families, so we will plan ahead, buy and cook in bulk a variety of meals. At the end we will gather and eat –family members welcome. A gold coin donation per person eating will cover the cost of the main dish. You may be asked to bring salad, veges or bread, large dishes, pots, knives peelers etc.
Please RSVP to vicki@stbarnabas.org.nz so we can plan further. Recipe ideas are also welcome.
TERM THREE
Friday - Artist’s Way Course 4-5.30pm at St Barnabas
“The Artist’s Way provides a twelve week course that guides you through the process of discovering and recovering your creative self. It dispels the ‘I’m not talented enough’ conditioning that holds many people back and helps you to unleash your own inner artist. One of its basic principals is that creativity is God’s gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.
The course will be led by Vicki Sharman Gilmour and will involve some further commitment of time each week to work through the material. Costs involved are the purchase of the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, approx $30 and possibly a gold coin donation if we need to run a crèche for pre-schoolers. Fridayzone, our after school programme runs at the same time to cater for school age children. This course would be suitable to invite interested friends to.
Email or talk to Vicki to register or for more details.
MEN'S NOOMA FILMS AT LE CAFE
Andrew and I are trying to sort a good time for an introductory men’s Nooma series for about 6 sessions once a fortnight 7.30pm on Thursday nights at Le Café (near the arts centre).
Nooma is a series of 10 minute (approximately) engaging talks delivered by a guy called Rob Bell. He aims to present a well presented view of where bible and God meets our lives (or the other way around). It can be a little bit over cool but I think it is generally pretty thought provoking and interesting.
What do you gents feel? We could start beginning of August if such a time frame works for you?
Beer, coffee, food etc are definitely good things that Le Café has in abundance to keep us strong whilst we watch the films and chat about it.
Please let Andrew and Paul know your thoughts.
MEANWHILE, THIS SUNDAY:
Readings
First reading: Kevin Maxwell
Colossians 1:1-14
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Gospel Reading: Carol Acheson
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Welcoming: Moon and Semi Cho
Prayers: Megan Blakie
Ministry of Healing: Angela Moore, Vicki Gilmour
Sidespeople: Peter Moore
Assistants: Carol Acheson, Moka Ritchie
Kidzone
Bubbles: Christine Fokkens, Claire Campbell
Splash/Xstream: Amanda Cairns, Natalie Harbott, Anthony Fokkens
Grid: Angela Brown
Morning Tea: Penny Corbett, Sheena Maxwell
Thanks again to all of you. As always I can be contacted either by email andrew@stbarnabas.org.nz or phone at the office 351 7064. My cell phone is 021 201 4798 and home 351 7392.
May Christ's peace be with each of you this week!
Andrew McDonald