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November 2008

 

National Leadership Team Update

Greetings from the National Leadership Team

We had our final meeting for the year on the 12th November. 

It has been a rewarding year in which we have seen a number of goals realised. Thank you for your prayers and support throughout the year.

We celebrate with Voice of Revival in Otara. They have outgrown their current building and are moving to another building just up the road that better suits their growing congregation (see attached article).

The draft copy of the Stipend Booklet is now being proof read and will be sent to all pastors and churches shortly. Please make time to read this and feed back to us your comments.

It gave us great pleasure to be able to ratify the Church Developers contract for another year. Thank you to all who continue to contribute to this valuable ministry.

The team wish you all a very Merry Christmas and God's richest best for the 2009.

God Bless
The National Leadership Team

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Voice of Revival in Otara


We are excited to share that Voice of Revival in Otara has purchased the buildings previously occupied by Equippers Church, just down the road from their current property. Takeover date is 21st November and there is a blessing service on Saturday 13th December.

For many years both the Church Extension and Property Trust Board (CEPTB) and National Leadership Team (NLT) have seen Revival’s existing building as a major hurdle to growth, so we are rejoicing that God has come through for them. The building is well suited to their needs and through the sale of their existing building, funds held by the CEPTB from the sale of a manse in Otara and funds raised by the church they have covered 50% of the purchase price – an achievement in itself! The remaining funds come from the CEPTB as loans.

The NLT would like to give churches the opportunity to make an investment into Revival. There will be one-off costs of furnishing e.g. chairs that Revival cannot currently fund themselves. Would you like to join in helping Revival’s vision become a reality? Any contributions can be forwarded to National Office (cheques made out to Christian Churches New Zealand) clearly marked “Revival Furnishing”

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Excerpt of Daystar  Magazine Article


An Article Published in Daystar Magazine “A Multicultural Church - from our Miarangi Bay Pastor Peter Anderson”

According to the 2006 census about 23 percent of New Zealand’s population was born overseas. That figure is 37 percent in Auckland, our most ethnically diverse city. There are growing numbers of New Zealand residents with strong ties not only to Europe but also to South Asia, East Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Middle East and Africa. The religious background of many immigrants is non-Christian (including Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist) and many from countries such as China have no religious background at all. What a day of opportunity!
My wife Elizabeth and I came to our ethnically diverse church two and a half years ago, attracted by its claim to be intentionally multicultural. Having grown up in Zimbabwe, and having served in mission in Asia for 29 years, it’s been a good fit. Elizabeth has a heart for evangelism and discipleship and speaks fluent English, Chinese and Japanese – a blessing as we serve side by side.

Testimonies
 “Sunday is the one day of the week I look forward to more than any other” said David, one of our young leaders. Coming originally from China, David came to Christ after immigrating to New Zealand several years ago.

One of our Japanese friends attended an Alpha Course we ran, and later, for the first time in her life, came to church. She has since become a Christian and said recently, “I wish I had known much earlier in my life about how wonderful it is to know and worship God.”
Anu, who is of Indian descent, said “I find God’s love very real between myself and other brothers and sisters even when they find it difficult to communicate with me in English.” She added, “Jesus calls us all to be one even when we speak different languages.”

Sam, an immigrant from England said, “I feel my bond with other Christians, not least those from different backgrounds and cultures, is closer than it is with fellow English who aren’t believers.”
Seeing and hearing some of the things God is doing among people from such diverse cultural backgrounds is one of the joys of serving in a multicultural church. Another is seeing people who previously had no knowledge of the gospel, and who in many cases came from “closed” countries, coming to faith and having their lives, and in several cases their marriages, transformed by Christ.

Challenges
With so many new believers and seekers in the church, it’s hard to find enough mature leadership. Then there’s the language issue. Although we are English-based we do have translation (via a headset system) into Chinese and Japanese, for those whose English is limited. We also have language-based home groups and run programmes like Alpha in various languages. All this is hard work but it’s also abundantly worthwhile.  After all, a person’s mother tongue is their heart language, even if their spoken English is fairly fluent.

The preacher in particular, must remember to speak clearly and slowly, avoiding religious jargon and complicated expressions. And you cannot presume any prior biblical knowledge: “Of course you know the story of….”  In fact they probably do not know. Lack of biblical knowledge is an increasing problem, even for Kiwis. 

Another problem we face is that, sadly, not everyone has been comfortable with the changes in the ethnic make-up of the church. They feel “their” church has been overwhelmed with foreigners, and a few old timers decided to move elsewhere. The challenge for us in all this is to learn how to be more sensitive to the needs of all the cultures represented in the church, including the more traditional Kiwi or European culture.
We praise God for those locals with a heart to welcome newcomers. We need people with a vision to reach out and embrace the nations God is sending to us. As we open our hearts and homes to immigrants and international students, God works powerfully among us and our church grows. 

Peter Anderson pastors the Mairangi Bay Community Church on Auckland’s North Shore

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