Summer Holiday Period Notices (2024/2025)
We now come towards lighting the 4th candle on our Advent wreath – a sure sign that Christmas is just around the corner!
What a year it has been here at St Aug’s, and there are so many "Thank You’s" I want to extend… if I miss anyone out, please remember you are all in my heart, and I remain blessed to be part of your church family!
Over these last several months, I have been constantly reminded of the treasures God has given me to work with, and I am just so humbly grateful for the behind-the-scenes work put in by our Parish Administrator, Paula Cox. Paula absolutely holds this place together, and I am indebted to her for putting up with my last-minute demands and my idiosyncrasies. Thank you, Paula!
I am grateful for those of you who provide our altar flowers, and the colour of our worship space. There are our brass cleaners who consistently keep our altar space clean and bright; we thank our cleaner who battles dust and waste each week too ensure our office & church environs are healthy; our sound desk operators, making sure our hymns etc are projected well and clear; our morning tea ladies who feed us well each Sunday; our Recycling Madam, Maxine Kissling and her ongoing passion for keeping us green!; Alistair Philips and his devotion to our gardens and property; our Sunday morning welcomers and the joyful embrace you all give us each week; Rowena Pottinger and her fantastic Mainly Music team who bring in the noisy joy of neighbourhood children each week; our pastoral care visitors who keep us connected to the house-bound and lonely, our expert team of organists and musicians…. the list goes on, but space limits me!
I thank those of you who step up each week to assist in our services and create a space where God is honoured: those at the sanctuary with me, the intercessors, the readers! Our well-oiled wheels continue to turn because of each of you!
I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a New Year full of Joy & Success.
May God always bless St Aug’s
~ Your Friend and Vicar, Kofe
Vicar Kofe
Sunday Dec 22nd, 9 Lessons & Carols
- Combined 10am Service
Sentence: Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. Luke 1:45
Collect: God, faithful and true,
make us eager with expectation,
as we look for the fulfilment of your promise
in Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen
Christmas Day (Dec 25)
- Combined 10am Service
Sentence: I bring you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10–11
Collect: Son of God, Child of Mary,
born in the stable at Bethlehem,
be born again in us this day
that through us the world may know
the wonder of your love.
Hear this prayer for your name’s sake. Amen
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!
Through this phase of Combined10am services, 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!
We will not be holding our regular mid-week Wednesday morning service during January. However, if you feel you need Home Communion and /or prayer, please let Rev. Kofe know. She is happy to come and share with you.
Nb, this is the last newsletter for 2024. The next issued newsletter will be for January Sunday 12th
Note from the Treasurer – an update after Day of Giving 2024
Hello, this is to update you on the amount received from parishioners for the Day Of Giving, which was officially held on
3 November. As you can imagine we received some money after
3 November
As at the end of November we have collectively given/raised $51.3K.
This was beyond our expectations. We budgeted on receiving $24K, but then appealed for “twice the normal giving” in order to raise sufficient funds to address the leaks in the roof. So this exceeds even that goal.
Here is a comparison with Day Of Giving receipts for the previous seven years. This year exceeds them all!
2017 $37.3K
2018 $23.2K
2019 $28.2K
2020 $19.7K
2021 $44.8K
2022 $23.4K
2023 $25.3K
2024 $51.3K
Next steps:
Vestry has approved going ahead with repairs to the flat roof area above the sanctuary, and other work to valleys and gutters, and the bell tower east window which abuts the roof, and get this work done before the onset of winter next year, if possible. This work is expected to stop the majority of leaks, if not all leaks, into the church. We will not take further steps to address the slate roof at this stage as we do not have sufficient funds, apart from some minor slate roof repairs and possibly replacement of some tiles, ancillary to the work on the flat roof area.
We have deposited $25K, raised through the Day Of Giving, into the Building reserve account. This will bring our Building reserve to $100K, and should be sufficient to cover the flat roof repairs. (We have also deposited $10K into General Purpose funds to replenish reserves which were drawn down to cover operating expenses earlier this year.)
We have started the process of firming up the detailed scope of work for the flat roof and ancillary repairs, and getting firm quotes from contractors, with the intention of having the work done in March-April. We will continue to engage Stuart Manning, architect and former people’s warden at St Augustines, to organise and manage this work.
With grateful thanks.
“Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God”
2 Corinthians 9:11
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.