Kia ora koutou whanau

We read in the gospels that “Jesus

Himself often withdrew into the

wilderness and prayed,” then invites

His disciples to do the same. One

incident of this in Mark’s gospel,

chapter six, follows the telling of

two stories – firstly the disciples

being amazed at the demons fleeing

and people being healed at the Name of Jesus, but then the incredibly sad story of

the beheading of John the Baptist, and the disciples having to go and take his body

to the tomb. Great joy, great grief. Both very real dynamics that we all face

(although not always to such extremes!) In this context Jesus says: “come away

with me to the wilderness”. Perhaps He was saying: our lives are not ultimately

defined by circumstances, good or bad, but by God’s acceptance, by God’s grace

and invitation to walk with Him, trusting Him in all situations.

I wonder if we all need to hear those words afresh, that in the midst of the fast

paced lives we live, with great joys mixed with great sorrows woven through our

lives, time for reflection, refocusing, re-centering in God’s love, is essential to

healthy discipleship.

For me Labour weekend was an opportunity to ‘go to the wilderness’ – for me this

was taking the campervan to the West Coast for a 5 day silent retreat! This was a

new experience for me (being quiet for 5 minutes is not always easy!) But I

wanted to be refreshed, re-centered in Christ’s great love. Within this time I spent

36 hours in a specific DOC campsite, silent, alone, before the beauty of Creation

and an awareness of God that was very real. Alone, but never lonely. I

encountered the Lord is a fresh way, experiencing the nourishing of body and soul.

Learning to be present, not lost in the anxiety or opportunities of the future; or the

regrets or triumphs of the past; but present to the Now. And strangely enough, in

that place of presence, I discovered His Presence in fresh ways, not based on my

effort, but discovered in the simplicity of Being. No cell phone connection, no

interruptions, no letting the world of circumstances squeeze me into their mould.

Silence, solitude, allow us space to hear afresh the voice of the Spirit, reminding us

that our identity does not come from what we do, or what we have, but simply

from who we are, or perhaps more importantly, whose we are. But more of this on

Sunday morning!

Take time this week to rest in His Presence, receive afresh His infilling of love and

hope.

Arohanui

Donald

Issue 21 2016 (Published Fortnightly)

Sunday Services:

THIS SUNDAY 30 October

10am—Northcity

Jeremy update on Samoa

Homestay program; John and

Ruth update on Te Wai Ora

retreat center.

Donald speaking; 5 days in the

West Coast wilderness, alone,

silent, before God!

6pm—Northcity

Parable of the talents

NEXT SUNDAY 06 November

10am—Northcity

Worship and Chris Parsons

speaking

6pm—Northcity

No service

1

General Notices 2

Other Organisation Notices 2-3

Connect Groups 4

Rosters 4

IN THIS ISSUE

Coming Up:

Nov 19th

Festive Night Market

Dec 9th

Zion concert

2

Delicious hot food and

baking available after the

service

Café this Sunday EFTPOS available

Don’t forget that we have another two wonderful girls from Samoan Victim Support Group (SVSG) coming to Christchurch for 3 months with the Samoa Alofa Homestay Program! We are asking our Northcity aiga/whānau/family to partner with us by:

Welcoming them in to your home for a meal - weekly, fortnightly or occasionally

Have the girls for one day a week, once a fortnight or by arrangement to accompany you in whatever you do that day. Be it baking, a trip to the library, shopping, hanging at home with you etc.

Help with meals to lighten the load The girls will be here over the holidays and Christmas and we would love to make this an extra special time

for them. Christmas presents will be needed for Christmas Day so if you have something to give, please drop off to Northcity office marked 'Samoa' or contact Shelley. For more information about how you can help please talk to Jeremy or Shelley or email svsglinknz@gmail.com

Samoa Alofa Homestay Programme

Northcity Garden Clean up A Northcity Garden Clean up day is planned for Oct. 29th, 10am – 2pm. We need to cover a number of smaller – medium sized tasks & need to have many hands, (to make light work…). Please bring your own wheelbarrow & gardening tools & any plants you are wanting to donate from your own home garden too! We really need a good number to turn out for this day, so if you can come & help, that would be marvellous, (even if only for half the time). So come one, come all & let’s see our church garden look great again for this coming summer, - something we can enjoy & be proud of as a testimony to all the business’ & passers-by our property. Any questions please feel free to call Mike – 0212137195

This year we will once again be participating in Prison Fellowship's "Angel Tree Christmas" initiative.

The Angel Tree Christmas programme initiates or maintains an

existing relationship between incarcerated parents and their

children (i.e. we buy presents for the children of prisoners on behalf of their parent

who can't because they are in prison). This can make a massive difference to these

kids in our community. Research indicates that children who maintain a relationship

between themselves and their parent inside have an improved emotional response to

the incarceration. This in turn assists them to focus better in school and perform

better academically, reduces truancy and improves their general well-being. On the

first two Sundays in November we will have a tree with tags you can take away with a

child's name on it and a suggestion from the parent of what to buy (presents aimed

at around $20-$25). So keep an eye out for the tree and let's work together to make

some kids' Christmases a little brighter.

Angel Tree

Festive Night Market! Come along to Northcity for their first ever Community "Festive Night Market!" Do all your Christmas shopping under one roof, find something different and unique and maybe treat yourself to something nice. Jewellery, candles, food, Christmas gifts, personalised gifts, clothing, cards and so much more made and created by very talented people in your community! Drop your change into the Koha box to sup-port families in need at Christmas. Would love you to share this post with all your friends and we look forward to seeing you all for a great night on Saturday the 19th November at 7pm at Northcity Church. THIS IS A CASH ONLY EVENT. Head to https://www.facebook.com/events/1118773091549262/ to keep updated on information.

DEEP is an inter-church 24-hour prayer and worship gathering. It happens a few times a year and this month we have the privi-lege of hosting it here at Northcity. Come along any time in the 24 hour period to worship and pray and sit and be and con-nect with God. Different musicians from around the city will be leading at different stages throughout the night and day.

Join Greg and some members of Forest and Bird at “The Sanctuary Wetland” on Coutts Island Rd, which is in the Waimakariri River Regional Park. They will be there this coming Saturday 29th at 1pm. Come along and help us weed around the native restoration plantings and squirt some water onto our young plants. Contact Greg on 0277020811 with questions.

Spend some time in nature

Study Social Work Study Social Work and make knowledge work for you. If you’d love a career in social work, Ara Institute of Canterbury can help make your passion possible with the Bachelor of Social Work. Our expert tutors and extensive community connections will equip you with all the knowledge, skills and real-world experience you need for a career you’ll love. Applications for 2017 close 1 November. www.ara.ac.nz 0800 24 24 76

Do you have a heart for young people and are interested in youth work as a career path? This is an opportunity for your to work alongside secondary school students at Papanui High School. The position is for 5-10 hours a week during the school terms and involves interacting with students during the school day at interval and lunchtime, helping with sports events, leadership training and other school involvement as required. This position could suit someone who is studying or has an existing part-time job. We are looking for someone who: Is outgoing and communicates well both in a group setting and one on one, has some experience working with youth in a pastoral care role or small group setting and is reliable, motivated and able to organise activities. For an application form or more information please contact Karen Watson on 02102449655 or email Karen@northcity.co.nz Please forward your CV & application form by 5pm on Thursday 3rd November.

Deep

24/7 Youth Worker for 2017 Feel Good Friday! Haircuts are available for $5 from 9.15 to 12pm this Friday. We also have a Bring and Buy from 10 to 12.30pm and will be selling a variety of things including: plants, bric a brac, books etc. This has been organised by our seniors exercise class and the proceeds will go to the One to One Charitable Trust. The cafe will be open for morning tea and lunch with delicious and affordable options.

4

Jesus had a small group of people (disciples) that he

taught regularly - not just on Sunday. Sunday worship

gatherings are not all that Northcity is about. We

have a number of small groups called Connect

Groups which are one of the major ways we express

what it is to be the whanau of God. Northcity Church is the people and not a

building; connecting with each other so we can better connect with God is an

important part of who we are.

Currently, our Connect Groups are held:

Wednesday 10:00am Northcity Café (women) Janice Scott

Wednesday 7.30pm Russley (mixed adults) Kathryn Wilson

Wednesday 7:30pm Redwood (mixed adults) James & Kathy Duncan

Wednesday 7:30pm Casebrook (mixed adults) Rod & Lisa Cameron

Wednesday 7:30pm Bishopdale (mixed adults) Craig and Kahla Brooks

Wednesday 7:30pm Harewood (young adults) Esther & Nathan Schwartfeger

Wednesday 7:30pm Redwood (young adults) Hamish and Jo Read

Thursday 7:30pm Northwood (mixed adults) Jeremy & Charleen Chan

Youth Groups: Friday 7-9pm weekly Frontline (high school age) Rachael Prior Friday 7-9pm fortnightly Bootcamp (intermediate age) Craig & Kahla Brooks (Generally held at Northcity church. Regular weekly cost = $2 per person, may be additional event costs)

Highway Church: Thursday 7:00pm Meeting weekly for prayer, worship & discipleship at the home

of Dominic and Emma Chilvers in Rangiora

Connect Groups

Thank you!

to all who give generously to

Northcity.

Please note that in order for us

to provide a tax receipt which

allows you to claim back a third

of all you give us, we need to

record your offerings using our

tithe record system. You are

allocated a number to identify

your giving, which removes the

need to record your name.

Please ensure that you supply

this number with any payment

made. If you have not been

assigned a tithe number or

can't remember it please

contact Barb in the Northcity

office or check with the

EFTPOS operator on Sunday

mornings.

Tithe envelopes can be found

by the EFTPOS machine in the

auditorium. Northcity’s bank

account number for online or

automatic bank payments is

02 0816 0113227 000

Service 30 October 6 November 9 November 20 November

10am Duty Group Schwartfeger Brooks Duncans Camerons

10am Welcome Kathryn Wilson, Blair Ash-downe

Ellen Hatherell, Ian Wood Ellen Hatherell, Ian Wood Raewyn and Wynton Bell

10am Host

Manager Rod Cameron John Badcock John Badcock Nigel Wilson

10am EFTPOS Bruce Fisher Wynton Bell Wynton Bell Barbara Watson

10am Lunch Bootcamp Northgate Fresh Perspective Zion

10am Barista Toby Stocks Zane Woodfield Sarah Cohen Mike Ryan

10am Crèche Marguerite Wilson; Charlotte Woodfield

Marguerite Wilson; Gabri-elle Gibb-Faumuina

Blair & Emily Ashdowne; Ashley Freeman

Blair & Emily Ashdowne; Ashley Freeman

10am Spark Sophie and Andre's team Charlotte McAuley's team Charlotte McAuley's team Charlotte McAuley's team

10am Boot Camp Peter & Isaac Craig & Kahla Craig & Kahla Craig & Kahla

6pm Night Service Chris and Michelle Walker No Service Maddy Colombus, Heidi Fuglestad

Seb Rousse, Oakley Prender-gast

Sunday Service Rosters

Thank you to those who volunteer for our service rosters each week, you are a vital part of our ability to

function as we feel called to do. We would love to speak to anyone else who feels at any time that they

may like to help in a rostered area. Please approach Andy or Barb in the first instance.

We’d love to help you find a group that you can connect with. For more info

please contact Andy Dickson on 375-0850 or email welcome@northcity.co.nz