Weekly Notices - 15th Dec 2024
This week, we welcome into our midst, the young children who attend our weekly Mainly Music programs and who enjoy their sessions under the leadership of Mrs Rowena Pottinger and her team. We give thanks to our Lord, whose birth we celebrate in the next fortnight, for His Mercy and Enabling Grace in the work this team does so diligently throughout the year.
We also mark our 3rd Sunday in Advent by the lighting of the 3 candles in our Advent Wreath. The extra candle being lit this Sunday represents JOY – especially the joy the shepherds experienced when the angel told them that Christ was to be born. I think it is poignant that this candle is being lit as we surround ourselves with children and their songs of Christmas celebration!
To embrace our children – both from Mainly Music and from our community,
I invite you all to come in on Sunday with a little plate to share at morning tea. Many adults from outside our parish family have been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of our morning teas and conversations when they visit us – let us also provide the same welcome for our younger ones who we are trying to embrace into God’s family.
HOPE, PEACE, JOY!!.....and we journey on towards our Candle of LOVE!!!
May God continue to bless St Aug’s
~ Your Friend and Vicar, Kofe
Vicar Kofe
This Sunday’s service (15th Dec)
Combined 10am ‘Children’s Service’ with focus on our ‘mainly music pre-schoolers’ but open to all ages!
Parish News
I am sure that you will all join me in welcoming back our wonderful former Youth Worker, Ciru Muriuki who is spending time with us over her summer break. We have certainly missed Ciru since she moved to Auckland for studies, and it is so good to walk back into the office after pastoral care visits and see her smiling face
alongside Paula!Ciru will be helping with service planning (Christingle, Christmas etc), pastoral visiting and with preaching while she is here. Unfortunately, she is contracted to another parish for the Sundays in January, but we will certainly find lots of things to fill in her time.
Welcome Back, Ciru! We hope you will enjoy your time back with us!
Please consider bringing a present to place under our Christmas Tree for those less fortunate this Christmas.
(These presents will be taken to the City Mission for distribution.)
The City Mission prefer that you don’t wrap the present, and if needed, to label them for the intended age-range and gender. Thank you!This week, we enter a phase of Combined10am services each Sunday.
We would like to ask those of you on the morning tea roster at each service to coordinate with each other so that this ministry doesn't fall through the cracks.
A massive Thank You to our morning tea providers for carrying us throughout the year!
Annual Day of Giving;
Your Vestry would like to ask that you please prayerfully consider a contribution, over and above what you regularly give.
Please spend a few moments reading and digesting our Treasurer’s write-up. We desperately need our roof repairs done, and are in dire need of funds to carry this out.
Our People, Our Place
Do keep those wonderful “Our People, Our Place” profiles rolling in!
Loki and Friends Play Verdi
Our organist Loki and friends (on trumpets) play a short snippet of the Grand March from the opera Aida by Verdi on 18 August 2024
Diocesan Prayer Community - Reminder
The Diocesan Prayer Community has been operating since March this year. This Community identifies the issues which challenge our Diocese (and parish!) and join each other in praying for those issues.
Do consider signing up to pray with others from other parishes. You will receive regular updates and forms of encouragement from our Archdeacon of Regeneration & Mission, and it only takes a few minutes of our time each day or week.
Please let the Vicar know if you’re interested.
St Aug’s & Beyond…
December update from Youth Hub Christchurch
Moving in!
It’s wonderful to have our anchor tenants in the Hub’s youth services building move in! Youthline and Rerenga Awa Canterbury Youth Workers Collective have made themselves at home, while Te Tahi Youth, the Christchurch Youth Council and VOYCE Whakarongo Mai will move in in the New Year.
The Christchurch Methodist Mission have also been busy interviewing staff who will work in the supported housing wing ahead of it opening in February.
Helpful info
Giving
Groups
It’s easy to connect and get involved with some great social and faith-focused groups that meet regularly across the parish. You can find out about all our regular groups on our Groups page. If you have any questions, just click the contact button to connect with the group’s organiser.
Need prayer?
We’d love to pray for you. See the ‘Prayer Support’ section on the Help & Support page for more information on how we can help with your prayer needs. There are confidential and anonymous options available.