Greetings church family,
I hope this week has been treating you well and that you have been treating yourself well. It is mental health awareness week and so a good time to talk about how our mental health is going. This especially relevant as we have had a prolonged lockdown, and things have not been as they should.
One of the things that has been highlighted is to take time to kōrero, that is talk. Talking is a good thing to do. This is true of course for both men and women, and so I would encourage you to spend some time talking to someone else. You don’t need to be struggling with something, it could simply be time to have a natter about anything. Talk loudly across a fence or a road or pick up a phone and make a call. I am sure you will be glad you did.
Talking to God is another good practice to be in. As our Father in heaven, he enjoys our company and talking with him is good for our soul.
As ever, please be assured of our prayers, and we are on the other end of a phone if you need us:
- James 022 351 1377
- Rodney 021 623 929
- Matt 022 643 4410
- Kaitlyn 027 507 6884
- Elizabeth 027 310 0549
I look forward to being able to be together again in person in the not too distant future.
With love,
James
Testimonials
PART-TIME - HIRING NOW DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS & ADMIN
We have 2 roles available and we need your help to fill them. These may be for 2 different people but could be combined and covered by 1 person. We are flexible and willing to chat if you have an interest in either/both roles. Admin Assistant role – 6 hours per week Digital Communications Leader role – 8 hours per week It is important to us that we communicate well with our church whanau. Therefore, we consider it would be ideal if you are already part of our Long Bay Baptist family. Please contact Elizabeth (027 310 0549) or James (022 3511 377) NOW if you would like to know more. CHURCH FACEBOOK GROUP – A great place to gather Living with Covid-19 in our midst is unsettling for all of us. With the introduction of Alert levels and lockdowns preventing us from gathering on a Sunday, the church moved quickly last year to create opportunities to meet online. The great majority of you have subscribed to our weekly newsletter, and here you can find a link to the previous Sunday’s sermon. Sunday messages are also available on YouTube. But we think the best way to “gather together” is in our closed Facebook group. Here you can enjoy church in real time (9.30am every Sunday) along with the rest of our church whanau, and join the online Family Time to follow. As always, a great way to share our personal news and celebrations. If you have not yet joined, we encourage you to do that today. We all know that church is not the building, it is the people gathered together in the name of Jesus. We pride ourselves on our motto, “A family with open arms”. Just because we can’t meet physically, doesn't mean that we can't continue to welcome new people. Our closed Facebook Group is a safe place for family to gather, a place where we know many others. But we want to open it up to invite new people to join us. Perhaps they come by your personal invitation, they are new in the area, or they are seeking some answers or spiritual direction. As our PM has often said, “Delta has changed the rules”- and, therefore, so have we. We want to welcome those who are walking towards our church community. Every person wanting to join the group has to answer a 3 simple questions and agree to a few rules for conduct within the group. Here are the questions: Why do you want to join us? Recently started attending / Recommended by friend or family / New in the area Who recommended you? How can we help you/contact you? Here are the updated rules. You can also see them within the group. We hope you agree this is a good move. Maybe there is someone you could invite to online church? FOODBANK Remember, we are here to help if you or someone you know nearby, could do with a few bags of groceries. Just phone or text Elizabeth 027 310 0549.