gateway magazine, november 2012, issue 20

SUMMER 2012/13ISSUE 20

DISCOVER I CONNECT I GATHER I GO

GATEWAY CHURCH950 VICTORIA ST, HAMILTON, NEW ZEALANDWWW.GATEWAYCHURCH.ORG.NZ(07) 839 1284OFFICE OPEN 9 AM - 4 PM, TUESDAY - FRIDAY


02 - desk of don and karen

03 - the power of true hospitality

04 - oh canada

06 - the gateway leadership team

08 - thank you, thank you, thank you

11 - melissa goodwin

12 - opening the wells

13 - interns 2012

14 - imagine

15 - summer is coming

16 - summer hours

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the new look quarterly edition of the Gateway magazine. With Christmas just around the corner and a new year approaching rapidly, we want to take the opportunity to look back on 2012 and what it held for us as a community. To that end thank you so much to everyone who wholeheartedly serves in all areas of the church - from those on the door to those who look after the children and all in between. You do an amazing job and make Gateway what it is.

It has been a year of change and reforming for us as a community. Some have left us for foreign shores, some have visited us from afar, but in it all we sense God shifting and moulding us into the body that He desires.

We have spent a considerable amount of the time this year redigging some wells that needed to be opened and we look forward to what that may bring for us in 2013.

We hope that you will have a relaxing and fulfilling break over the coming holiday season.

Shannon u

shannon richmond

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA MICHELS

YOU’LL FIND IT HERE

DESK OF DON AND KARENwords by don barry

These last few months have been a very busy but also very fruitful time for Karen and I. At times it has seemed quite manic in terms of its busyness, and yet at others I have stood back amazed at the way God has moved and blessed.

I guess we have always felt that travel was part of what God was calling us to do, but for many years we have felt the need to be very responsible to Gateway and the needs here and have kept a tight rein on our travel. Without really planning very much {I can hear some of the staff saying, “And what else is new?”} we have found ourselves thrust into a season where travel really has featured.

Over the last few months we have been in Nelson to do a church conference, Tauranga speaking at a church, Penang in Malaysia speaking to Pastors and leaders and at various churches, Whangarei doing a conference and speaking at a church, Australia ministering at a Church in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, in Wellington at a Church and then speaking to the Salvation Army officers from the Lower half of the North Island in Masterton --- phew makes me tired just typing it out.

We feel very honoured to be asked to speak and are very thankful for all of you and the team here at Gateway that makes it possible – firstly by your prayers and then secondly by stepping into the vacant positions that our absence creates.

There have been lots of highlights from these times away. Our time in Penang would rank right up there. We are stunned with the favour that God has allowed us to have among the leaders. They have asked if we will come back next year to do a retreat for the Senior Pastors and their wives for the churches of Penang. It is a great honour to be asked.

Tony Saxon came with us and does what only Tony can do! His capacity for work was astounding and to watch him pray for 12 hours on the trot and 5 and 6 hours at other times was mind-boggling. His prophetic gift was such a blessing to so many. It gave us a tremendous sense of satisfaction in being able to connect him to these leaders and their churches and to see how blessed they were by his ministry. I think it must be akin to the feeling a matchmaker has when one of their introductions comes off and ends in a happy marriage – not that we would really know what that feels like!!

Anyway – bottom line, it was fun.

In all that we get to do, we are very aware that this is Gateway that is going out and not just the two of us. I have always believed in the principle that David established as a law in Israel so many years ago – 1 Samuel 30:24 “The share of the one who stays with the gear {stays home} is the share of the one who fights {gets to travel} – equal shares.”

We are all in this together, each playing our part and somehow, by God’s grace, we get to have an inheritance in nations that some of us will never visit and in churches we will never attend.

Just on a very personal note, Karen and I are missing the kids and grandkids immensely, but we are very grateful for Skype. They are, by the way, settling in well and finding their feet with new friends and study routines etc. One lovely and very touching moment occurred just after we had skyped them. Janaya noticed that Indie was missing and went looking for him. He was in the office where the computer was – he was looking into the blank screen and was saying, “Poppa, Kazza {that’s what the kids call Karen} where are you?” So cute!!!

As I close this note may we wish the very best for this festive season. We trust that you and your families will have a wonderful, Christ-centred Christmas. Thank you for being part of the Gateway family.

All our love,

Don and Karen u

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If we told you that we went overseas, didn’t mention the name of the country we went to and only described to you what we experienced, would you be able to guess where we went? Let’s give it a go. We were warmly received, the locals opened up their homes to us and fed us until we felt like we might explode. We ate the most amazing dumplings and pork noodle soup ever, and bought fresh squeezed sugar cane drinks from the market. We could even barter at the market. So, where did we go? Australia! Thoroughly confused? Well, so was I. Allow me to tell you a little more about this mystery trip.

Early in October, Don and Karen were invited as guest speakers at the Jesus Family Church in Cabramatta, Australia. Yuske and I were lucky enough to tag along, with the intention of experiencing multicultural gatherings. The Jesus Family Church was founded by David Boyd, a New Zealander and his wife Chih Yunn who grew up in Malaysia. They came out of New Life Centre in Christchurch to plant a cross cultural church in Cabramatta.

The 21st century is characterised by the global movement of people from villages to cities. Migration is changing the face of our world and people are crossing physical borders as well as perceived language and cultural barriers. The Jesus Family Church has managed to catch on to this phenomenon and have strategically placed themselves right in the middle of it.

The most unique aspect of the church and its members is their location. Cabramatta is a suburb in South-Western Sydney, and is one of the most multi-cultural places in the world. It is a remarkable melting pot for people of Asian and European descent. It is especially home to a large number of people from the Vietnamese community. It was fascinating to learn that in Cabramatta there were more residents born in Vietnam (31%) than in Australia (28%) and the number of people speaking Vietnamese at home (34%) was three times higher than the number speaking English only (11%). Other languages commonly spoken in the area included Cantonese (15%), Thai (10%), Khmer (7.5%), Laotian (6.3%) and Mandarin (4.9%).

THE POWER OF TRUE HOSPITALITYby lusinda and yuske

The population is reflected in the Church we visited. The Jesus Family Church consists of approximately 300 -400 people from 90 different ethnic groups, who originate from 40 different nations. Their ministry focus is to reach the migrants in the city of Sydney and to raise up leaders to work both in the cities of the world and in their countries of origin.

The central theme of their ministry is that church operates along the lines of family with genuine true care and concern between members for one another. I was struck by the warm hospitality we received and by people’s generosity with their time and their energy. Every Sunday, the church meets together straight after the gathering to share a communal meal and to hang out. They spend most of the afternoon together and don’t have an evening service. Volunteers take turns to cook for the church, this often takes the whole Saturday. The funds collected for the food is saved and spent on missions’ projects often in their home countries.

They practice what they preach. They emphasise relationships, inclusion and warm hospitality. It was evident in the way they welcomed and hosted us, they were so generous with their time, space and resources.

Since we have come back, I have a new found appreciation for our Gateway family. I love the fact that we are uniquely Gateway: we value people. I was reminded of all the friends I have made here and how people have made an effort to get to know us for who we are, not what we are or where we are from. I am grateful for how people have included us in their lives. I think that is the key to multi cultural gatherings, truly getting to know people for who they are and not stereotyping them. Having authentic relationships aid a feeling of inclusion and a sense of belonging.

The biggest lesson I have learnt from our trip to Cabramatta is the power of true hospitality. Hospitality is not measured by the size of the steak you put on your guests plate (although my husband may disagree), or the beauty of the table cloth that you lay out on the table. Hospitality is not about fancy stuff or impressive dishes. I will never forget when I unexpectedly had a friend over for dinner, I had not yet done any grocery shopping and she had some food allergies, so we ended up eating bananas and drinking water for dinner! As she walked out the door after an evening of laughter and catching up, I apologised for the food and drink, and she said to me, “Hospitality is not about that, but is about the posture of our hearts”. It is our willingness to engage with each other on a human level. Those words really impacted me.

When I came home from Cabramatta I felt challenged as I evaluated my personal state of being. I have been challenged to think about how I can be more open and inviting to others. The truth is we live in Hamilton: our lives are busy and life demands much of us such as, efficient task performance, planning, and time consciousness. But even though life is busy, it is important to remember that we are not alone in this world, we are all connected in some way, and we are all part of the human family. The question is: how do we build bridges in our community that unify people based on commonalities rather than differences? What small changes can we make in our busy schedules to include each other? If our hearts are in the right place, hospitality can be as simple as exchanging small talk or having a coffee with someone.

Jesus’ life was a testament that hospitality is powerful. He had a good excuse to be a busy man. He had the greatest mission in the history of the word, the task of saving the world. Yet, we see that on the occasion when he turned water into wine, He took the time to share in the festivities of a wedding (a week-long event). In the West, we may think that we should not take time out from our “important” work for social occasions. But maybe these social occasions are part of our mission. Jesus valued these wedding festivities because they involved people, and Jesus came to be with people. Our mission can often be accomplished by joyous times of celebrations with others. This certainly was our experience in Cabramatta. u

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I have never seen such magnificent mountains as I did on that clear glorious day when we flew into Vancouver, Canada. As I watched in awe out the window, I couldn’t help but have tears well up thinking about all that had led us to this moment. The miracles God had done to get us this far. Thinking about all that we had left behind and all that was to come - I couldn’t help but remember when, on the way up to Auckland on the day we left, Neeve piped up from the back seat after a long stretch of quiet and said “It’s right for us to go to Canada, God told me. I can feel it inside and I can feel it in my body!” It blew us away and again was a reminder that we had made the right decision. It was such a peaceful flight that day.And so, here we are in Vancouver! Donald is 4 weeks into his studies at Regent College and is incredibly busy with his head in the books, completing the hours and hours of reading required. Not to mention attending lectures, tutorials, lectures and tutorials on how to understand the lectures and tutorials and so forth!! Needless to say he is well into the routine of life here. The kids and I are also settling in and feeling more at home. We are blessed to have an apartment just down the road from Regent and in an area that is perfect for the kids with loads of other families, places to play and things to do. Neeve has begun ‘preschool’ as they call it over here and is enjoying herself. Indie and I are attempting to master the public transport system and explore different places while we have the chance.One thing we really appreciate about Regent is the sense of community and family they work hard to create. Each week the whole family attends chapel together and then participates in ‘soup groups’ which is where we eat soup and bread together, taking time to get to know one another and pray together. A few weekends ago we all travelled down on a bus into the States where we attended the Regent College Retreat. It was a

OH CANADAwords by janaya goodhall

great chance to worship together, hear God’s word and spend time getting to know other people. We even participated in a bit of good old Scottish dancing!!! There’s nothing like Scottish dancing to let down the barriers and show everyone just what an idiot you are!

We have had a beautiful and much needed glimpse into summer over the past four weeks. Vancouver has turned on the sunshine but we are continually told that this is unheard of and it should be raining by now so we have lapped up every last ray! Sadly, the weather has definitely begun to turn over this last week and I can feel the ‘fall’ season is upon us. We now have to embrace the Vancouver fashion which is…..gumboots!! On the positive side ‘fall’ is going to look incredible with the trees beginning to change into the most vibrant colours I have ever seen!Sundays has become my ‘homesick day’ here as we try to find a church that is the best fit for us during the course of this year. We have visited a few different places and although God resides in each place of course, nothing quite feels like home. We are so blessed to call Gateway home and we think of you all often. We hear the ‘moshpit’ up the front has calmed down significantly since Neeve and Indie have left - so are looking forward to seeing which kids step into that role in their absence!! Thanks to everyone who has supported us in many different ways in our decision to come to Vancouver. We believe this is a significant time of input and growth as we seek to learn more about God’s ways and to grow deeper in him. Sending you all our loveJanaya, Donald, Neeve and Indie u

‘Neeve piped up from the back seat after a long stretch of quiet and said “It’s right for us to go to Canada, God told me.”’

Over the past few years Gateway has been in a process of transition particularly in the way we structure our leadership and staff team environment. We have moved from having a solely staff led leadership team, to smaller staff teams with an overall leadership team that involves staff team leaders and some people who are not on staff.

We would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the members of our leadership team who are not on staff...

THE GATEWAY LEADERSHIP TEAM

MEET DEANE AND CAROLE...Picture a beautiful starry night atop One Tree Hill, overlooking the twinkling lights of Auckland - and that’s the ultra romantic setting Deane chose to ask me to marry him. We’d spoken occasionally at Milford Baptist since I’d gone as a new Christian a few months earlier. Then - Easter Camp!! Now 6 weeks of going out, phone calls (on brick-sized phones in the dining room – no mobiles with texts!), love growing, heart to heart talks, walking, eating, laughing together, drives in my little Morris Minor and praying together each time we met, asking God to lead us in His plans. And so it was after 6 weeks - the proposal with a scripture attached – Psalm 34:3 “Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.” We both knew God was in it – and that was that. We have much in common – a love for music and worship. Deane played saxophone in the Baptist Young People’s Evangelistic Team.

I played clarinet in the Auckland Symphonic Band. We value education and life-long learning. Deane studied accountancy and I trained as a teacher. As well, we both wanted Christ at our centre and for our lives to count not just for this life but somehow for eternity. Deane had asked Christ into his life at a YMCA camp and had ongoing input through his teenage years. It was during my time at Teachers’ College I committed my life to following Christ. A Christian couple (Eric and Eleanor) had my girlfriend and me home for lunch most Sundays, doing Bible study with us and getting us established in our seedling faith. Once married we stayed in Auckland for 10 years and had three wonderful sons. Continuing at Milford Baptist, Deane became a deacon and I enjoyed teaching Bible class. At this time we

realised how much we loved having people in our home (and we saw from Eric and Eleanor’s example how significant the homes of Christians can be in the Jesus story in people’s lives). When they invited us to join the Navigator Bible study and leadership mentoring programme, we felt excited and privileged. We were really stretched by this though – taking part in one study group a week and leading another each week as well as preparation for deacons and Bible class. But we were buzzing! Also, Deane had moved into Accountant and later Finance Director roles for an international manufacturing company and I was a mum at home.Deane refused a promotion in the company to set up and manage a new branch in Australia. It would take more than the average of 45-50 hours he gave to work per week, possibly being detrimental to our family and the Christian priorities he had. But then - Redundancy! We moved to Rotorua and Deane worked in his brother’s business for 5 years before we set up a computer and accounting software business. For 25 years we were very involved at Rotorua Baptist with both on the Deaconate and later Eldership (with Deane Chairman of the Deacons for several terms), Other roles at various times were leading home groups, worship leading, Sunday school co-ordinator, leader of teen programs, Timeout outreach, coffee groups, pastoral “counselling”, writing training programs – marriage, parenting, young adults, running weekend retreats. Rich years for us and our boys.Two client companies going bankrupt owing us huge amounts threw us into turbulent times, losing our family home, some ‘friendships’ and digging deep to hold onto our faith. Shocked and hurting we worked hard and long and by God’s grace we were able to trade out until two years later the last debt was cleared. We could hold our heads up again and continued another year or so but our hearts had changed and we were ready to move on. Selling the business proved difficult and Deane continued patiently in the day-to-day running of it,

losing steam as he went – for another four years. I took the plunge as a mature student to start a three year counselling degree at Wintec in Hamilton. We moved to Hamilton, bought a home, set up our businesses and attended a local church…for a couple of years. Then a life-changing event – Deane was diagnosed with prostate cancer. A year earlier God had partly prepared us for this with a prophetic word. Even so we were stretched and pummelled spiritually and emotionally as well as physically for Deane. We were relieved the operation was totally successful and all the blood tests since have come back “undetectable”- PTL.Now…GATEWAY! ‘Looking around’ at churches five years ago this was our first ‘look’ and we felt so ‘at home’ even though not knowing anyone. We loved the worship; we loved the preaching of the Word; we loved the ‘feel’ of the place, so we decided to stay. When invited to be interns for 2011 we jumped at the chance.

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At Leadership Conversations (now called FORM), Don had a word from the Lord for us “Welcome home Mum and Dad” that so rang true for us in our spirits. We so much love the people here, the Spirit here, the leadership here, the staff here, the ethos here. Now… to be invited onto the leadership team - It’s such an honour!! We pray we may be a blessing to Gateway.PS: In those early years of knowing and growing in Jesus I had thought / hoped / believed that God would call us to “full-time” service for

MEET JONO PEARTI’ve always been a Waikato lad - I grew up on a farm just out of Raglan on, quite possibly, the most beautiful piece of earth that I know. In 2001 I moved to the ‘big smoke’ of Hamilton for the beginning of university where I studied business. This is when I began attending Gateway, back in the day when we used to sing Third Day and Delirious worship songs. I can still remember the first sermon I heard Don preach on Nehemiah. Back in those days I actually had dread locks (hard to believe I know) and wore cool clothes - fast forward to now: I have no hair on my head, a wife (Jo) and a little boy (Archie), the Chiefs won a Super Rugby title and I’m on the leadership team here at Gateway.I grew up in a Christian home with one sister and two brothers. God has always been a ‘normal’ part of my life - although at times seemingly closer or more distant. Like many of us, my journey with Him was more like two steps forward and one step backwards. Being baptised in my last year of high school was a pivotal step in my walk with Jesus, from that day on I began getting serious about my faith. Church has also always been a part of my life. In my early childhood my family was a part of the Union Church in Raglan and then a bit later Surfside Christian Life Centre. Also growing up my parents took our family out of ‘life’s normalities’ for a year and joined up with YWAM, in both Australia and NZ. My family are all still based at Surfside and doing an awesome job out there, with the exception of my sister, who is is involved with YWAM in Townsville and is doing an awesome job over there. For me sitting on the sidelines has never been my thing, so when I moved to Hamilton for university and started coming to Gateway I

got involved in all that I could - from the meals, to children’s church, and mainly with the young adults. At that stage it was been run by Donald ‘youth pastor’ Goodhall and was called ‘the gate.’During this time I met a girl and things progressed very nicely, she turned out to be quite a catch, and we eventually got married. At the end of university, Donald had the ‘chat’ with Jo and I about one of us joining him on staff to help with ‘the gate’. We decided at the time (and it definitely was the Lord) that Jo would do this and I took a job at Deloitte here in Hamilton, where I still work today. Since then Jo took over running ‘the gate’ from Donald and it became what is now called ‘Pursue’. As with many married church staff it really is ‘two for the price of one,’ where I helped with the leadership and running of Pursue.At the end of 2010, we took a year out to spend some time in Vancouver where Jo studied at Regent College and I worked (and did a bit of study). It was an amazing year of development for both Jo and I, where we made some amazing friends, took a break from responsibility, visited some fabulous places and grew in our knowledge and love for God. It is hard to describe the ways that this year away changed us - but it was gift from God. We went away knowing that we would always come back. Hamilton and more importantly, Gateway, is our home. We came back with an extra addition that was born this year. Prior to our return Don and Karen asked me to join the leadership team and it was with a sense of privilege and responsibility that I accepted. My heart is for Gateway. I love the values and the ethos that we strive to live by here. Having travelled a little and visited and being a part of a few different churches, I feel like I can truly say that we have something special here and I count it an honour to be a part of it. u

Him – as in - pastors of a church or missionaries overseas - yet He never did. Looking back now and writing this I feel so blessed and can see that it’s been “full-time” service through the years – only in a different way than I might have thought or expected as a passionate young Christian. We both would say like David in Psalm 16:6 “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance”.

It is at the this time of the year that we reflect on the amazing contribution of so many people who give countless hours, effort and talents to make Gateway, Gateway. We truly couldn’t do the things that we do without your involvement. On any given week, it is inspiring, to wander through the building or check the calendar and see myriads of people not only making this place home, but also serving our wider community tirelessly.

It is wonderful to be part of such an amazing church whanau. u

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

The Middle East is the home of civilization, religion and math. It is also the place where it all started with it being rumoured to be the location for the Garden of Eden.

It is a land of importance, what happens here causes ripple effects around the world. It suffers consistently from war and persecution. Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians and Jews, all fight for their own foothold.

War has never skipped a generation and nor has the importance of religion.

I live in a city where the call to prayer resounds over hills of brown flat roofed homes. On Sunday this is mingled with the ringing of bells from the Orthodox Church. Refugees are the majority of the population with most just trying to survive.

My name is Melissa and I grew up in Gateway. I am now supported by Gateway as I work in the Middle East. Being here I see the heart of God for the lost - there are so many people that are hungry and broken.

The Arab Spring has started a huge change in this area and I believe God is shaking this part of the world. Peace isn’t the answer; change is. And I believe this is what this region will get after this season of turmoil.

I work here amongst Syrian Refugees who are coming over the border with just the clothes on their backs and the weight of the world on their shoulders. Every family that I have met so far has lost at least one member from the conflict raging over here.

The other work I do is with the incoming youth. I help run the fundamental course into YWAM, which is the DTS (Discipleship Training School). This school has three months of lecture and three months of Out Reach. The first three months we work

MELISSA GOODWINintensively with the students through teaching and ministering. The next three months we work in the community to live out what they have learned. The students leave the school with a deeper relationship with God and His heart for the lost. Many go on to work full time in some sort of overseas mission.My heart is in this part of the world and despite its challenges, I’m so grateful that I am here. There have been many times when trusting in God, and having to sacrifice my comfortable life, has been hard. But I have been encouraged many times by Malachi 3:10.

I constantly put God to the test and He has shown himself faithful again and again. Thank you Gateway for your support! If anyone would like to contact me, support me or receive my monthly newsletter please email me at: [email protected]. However please be careful of what you write in the email for security reasons. Thank you.Salaamm Aleikom (Peace be upon you). u

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” MALACHI 3:10 (NLT)

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At the commencement of this year we had a leadership retreat. We took several days and simply spent the time seeking the Lord and talking about the year that lay before us. During the course of that time it emerged through prayer and discussion times that the Lord wanted us to address some things in our corporate life that had been neglected or perhaps had lain dormant for a season. The picture he gave us was that of ancient wells that had become blocked up and weren’t functioning as they could or should be. We didn’t feel scolded or disciplined. It felt like it was just his timing to address these issues and did so gently and without any sense of reproach or blame.

The three wells that he seemed to highlight were the areas of our personal devotional life, of our personal faith levels and of personal evangelism.

I started a series of sermons on the first issue of devotional life with no sense of how long these issues would take to work our way through. I probably should have known it would take longer than I expected, but the fact that {here it is October as I write this} it’s taken the whole year was certainly not in my original calculations.

WELL ONE: DIGGING DEVOTIONAL WELLS,I spoke for several months on building a life of person-al devotion. I guess the main point I was trying to make, using Gary Thomas’ book, “Sacred Pathways,” to try and make it, was that you have to find what works for you given the season of life you are presently in and tak-ing account of the ‘wiring’ of your personal makeup. One size definitely doesn’t fit all of us. The idea of a traditional ‘quiet time’ (15 minutes of prayer, 15 minutes of reading the Bible and 15 minutes of journaling), while it works for some, is

words by don barry

an absolute ‘killer’ for others. Find out what works for you and explore that avenue until you need to make another change. The key issue is the development of a relationship, not of a method.

WELL TWO: FAITH (CHASING THE WILD GOOSE AND IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY),When it came to speaking on the subject of opening ‘wells of faith,’ I leaned heavily on the books of Mark Batterson – ‘Chasing the Wild Goose’ (in the morning), and ‘In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day’ (in the evenings).

I would say from reading Batterson’s books that he has a gift of faith and it is hard to read these books without feeling inspired and having your faith lifted. My prayer was that as I spoke from and out of the books the sermons would have the same effect.

WELL THREE: EVANGELISM (NUDGE AND SHARPEN UP),More latterly we have been looking at the whole area of personal evangelism. I approached this topic with a good deal of apprehension and some reservation. The primary reason is, as I explained in introducing the series that I didn’t/don’t feel well qualified to talk on the subject. When it comes to evangelism I am better at knowing what I don’t like than what I do – which when you think about it, isn’t very helpful! Nevertheless we started, and are continuing at the point of writing this, into a series we called, “Nudge.”

While ‘big hit evangelism’ might be out of reach for many of us, a relational nudge is something we can all do. Many of us do it without really being aware of it or identifying it. I guess all I have been trying to do is draw our attention to the fact that nudging is normal and it can be done with intentionality without violating people’s space or dignity. If we have ears to hear the ‘bells people are ringing’ we can be there with a kind word, a helping hand and sometimes a prayer or piece of wise advice.

The last part of this series has been trying to look at and provide some answers for the questions postmodern people often raise when they know we are believers. At times it is easy to be intimidated by their questions and we can, and often do, retreat into the place of, “I don’t know the answer to your questions’ I just know what I believe.” It isn’t a great place to retreat to – for them or us. For us it seems like a place of failure and defeat and for them it seems like all they have heard about ‘blind faith’ appears true.

It isn’t always easy or simple to address the questions they ask. I have tried to make it simple, not because I think you are, but because I know I am. There are great answers to their questions – answers that are intellectually satisfying and that can produce real, but hopefully not arrogant, confidence in us as believers.

It has been an interesting year for me as far as the preaching has gone; not one I planned, at least not in terms of its depth and amount of time it has taken.

My prayer is that it has been helpful for you and also that it has been pleasing to the Lord in terms of covering the issues he raised at the beginning of the year for us to address.

Who know what next year will bring, but I am looking forward to the surprises. u

OPENINGTHE

WELLS

OPENINGTHE

WELLS

As another year draws to a close, I am again struck by the privilege it is to be involved with 10 people who have voluntarily given up a day of their time to be part of the Gateway Internship. For many this has meant losing income, or giving up other activities. And inevitably the commitment is always more than just the Wednesday that we meet together, as the interns have involved themselves across the many and varied ministries that happen here at Gateway.

This year in particular has seen an international flavour to our times together, with interns from Slovenia (Rok and Polona) and England (Adam) and others who have originated from other countries such as South Africa and Japan (Lusinda and Yuske).

There are many highlights from the year that could be mentioned and some of those are shared below, but others of them are personal to the intern themselves as God has challenged and grown them over the year. For me that is the reason that I love being able to lead our interns, the change that I get to see from the first day to the last day we spend together.

Of course we have had fun together as well. Highlights in that sphere include our Curry Night , hosted by the Broome Family (thanks Paul and Judith), our trivia Quiz …plaudits to Maxine Davies, whose knowledge of the Bible left many of us lagging behind and mini golf which alerted us to the competitive types in the group, Olivia Buchanan and best encourager Emma Keenan.

Again this year we shared at Putaruru AOG, which is always a valuable time for us as a team. The worship was ably led by Adam Lowe and the preaching by Hannah Gilmour. The rest of the team contributed filling other gaps from sound technician to communion.

It is with mixed feelings that another year comes to an end. On one hand it will be sad to leave the great group of interns we have had in 2012, but this is somewhat balanced by the anticipation of another group of people for 2013 ready to see what journey God might have in store for them.

We asked some of the interns to share some of their highlights from this year to give you an inside look at what interns is like.

Shannon

INTERNS 2012

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ROK & POLONA

HANNAH GILMOUR

OLIVIA BUCHANAN

Interns are something we enjoy every Wednesday. It’s been fun to do the readings together and open some very interesting discussions.

We enjoy group work because it shows how different God made us and how everyone can bring something inspiring for others to learn. We especially enjoyed the book “Overcoming Your Shadow Mission” by John Ortberg.It’s been great to get to know some of the staff and learn how they do what they do.It was a privilege to serve in Putaruru church, we really enjoyed the family atmosphere and the fellowship with having lunch together.

For me, the biggest highlight of doing the internship this year has been the feeling of truly coming home. Four things stick out to me that in many ways summarise that journey:

• Sharing in a morning service about how being a composer shapes the way I view God and my relationship with him• Writing music for week of worship• Preaching in Putaruru• The birthing of Imagine

After years of hiding in the background and never truly settling anywhere, to walk with the other interns and staff this year, and to have the room to share, to be known, loved and embraced by this community, has brought me to what I first stated - I have finally come home. Gateway will always be a place that no matter where I am, my heart will always be for and with the people of the community here.

I’m a very relational creature, which is exactly the aspect of interns I thoroughly appreciate. I love meeting with our small bunch of folks from all walks of life, and hearing their unique perspectives. We’ve been thrust into hyper learning mode, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to learn than to nut it out with these people who I’ve come to deeply respect. 2012 has been an indelibly life changing year – not because we’re a fluffy, ‘Kumbaya’ singing group whilst holding hands and speaking each other’s praises – but because we have the freedom to be ourselves in the midst of ‘basement’ experiences, and commune with God more honestly because of that. I feel as though the wisdom, resources, and knowledge we’ve been given over 2012 - we’ll be able to unpack for a long time. I know there’s so much more discover and learn, but I am incredibly grateful for everything that has been imparted to us, and all the growth that has happened because of it. u

imagination n. 1. the faculty or action of producing ideas, esp. mental images of what is not present or has not been experienced...

An idea began a long time ago that maybe the world could be different to what is seen now and maybe, if there were a few people who thought like that, things could change. If you stop and listen you may hear it whispered in conversations, you may see it in the glistening of tears running down someone’s face, or you may feel it, deep within your own heart, pricking - a seed of something. You may not know what it is, that whisper, the shimmer, or that nudge, as it is merely an idea. If an idea just stays as an idea it will be, obviously, only an idea.

If though, the idea is given something to be buried in, something to feed on, and hands to nourish and care for it, it may grow. And it may produce something that may just look different to that which it finds itself in. It may just begin to alter the landscape, and it may just change something. Something that needed to be changed, but first it needed to start with an idea.

There ends the poetic ramblings of Hannah Gilmour.

What is Imagine? This year, Jessie Michels, Sarah and Daniel Compton, Courtney Haynes and I, with a lot of external

IMAGINEby hannah gilmour

input and bouncing around of ideas with Donald Goodhall, sat down and asked ourselves that question. Each of us had some vague concept of the importance of the imagination and in our own way had been exploring that, but something else was needed in that journey…community.

Imagine is a bi-monthly event that has come from those discussions. It is a space to allow the passion of one person to inspire and spark inspiration in others. Everyone is creative in their own ways and each person has a unique take on the world around them and what needs to change; yet few see it, or what they care about, as important as what someone else may care about. It is so easy to think that, forgetting that God has made each of us unique and he has unique plans for all of us.

So far we have had two events with a third coming up in November. Each night begins with an introduction, there is a presentation of some sort, then time for food and conversation after. This year our focus has been to introduce the idea that creativity is important and that each of us have a unique way of expressing what is on our hearts.

Next year we will begin inviting others to share their hearts with us, people from all avenues of creativity, even avenues that don’t ‘fit’ under the normal creative banner, all with the intention of bringing forth those ideas and nourishing them so that something can be done to change the society that we find ourselves in. u

We are meeting next on Thursday, November the 15th in the old Havoc building down Ward Lane, from 7.30 pm. To find out more email [email protected].

THOUGHTS THOUGHT, DISAPPEAR. THOUGHTS SHARED AREN’T EASILY FORGOTTEN.”Jared Brandon, 2012

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Summer days are upon us, and to celebrate we asked a few of our people to share their favourite Kiwi holiday spots, and tell us why they love them. We hope you find some great recommendations, resonate with some summer nostalgia, and anticipate a relaxing summer ahead.

summer is coming!

PIP MCCRACKEN

Where is your favourite NZ summer holiday destination?

Hahei/Coromandel in general!

Why is this destination your favourite?

I was never a fan of beaches till I arrived in NZ (in Ireland, if you go to the beach, it’s beautiful, but you’re wearing 5 layers of clothes and carrying an umbrella). The beaches in the Coromandel changed my mind. I love doing the walk down

JUDY TWOMEY


I love any beach where I can relax with family. Some favourites are Mount Maunganui or Mission Bay in Lake Taupo.


It is my favourite as I can just be myself. I like that I don’t have to do anything if I don’t want to, but if I do want to do something there are heaps of places to explore and activities available.

What is your favourite holiday memory in this place?

One year in Lake Taupo we had an amazing family Christmas together and then after the festivities a friend and I went walking up the Tongariro River. Three hours later we returned to a cabin I had discovered and the next day we climbed Ruapehu. It was an awesome achievement, a great day and a great week with people I care about.


Wai-iti Beach, Northern Taranaki


At the time we were dairy farming in Taranaki, this beach was where family & friends gathered for a number of summer holidays. It was an opportunity for a break from the routine of dairy farming; it was affordable and provided different activities for the children. It helped cousins to bond together, something they still maintain to this day.


One memorable occasion happened when my nephew Richard was approximately 9 months old. Richard’s always been an extremely enthusiastic type and his reaction to his first visit to the beach was no exception. He was so covered from head to toe in black sand he was almost unrecognisable. A passer-by happened to comment that he looked as if he’d given himself a valve grind. We all burst into laughter. It was one of those moments I’ll always remember.

JONO, JESS, THEO, AND BELLA KRAENZLIN


We just love being somewhere new, a place we have yet to explore - so our favourite place is Aotearoa. Going to the beach is a must, somewhere where all the elements are cranking; sun, surf, wind, fish, and bush.


There is just so much to do, whether it is a crazy day of missions, sunburn, chaffing, and sandy food, or a peaceful wander in the beautiful bush. Our little whanau just love being somewhere where all of this can be totally enjoyed.


Some of the best parts of holidays are the memories you bring home, those little gems you store up for rainy winter days. Crazy stories of that real big fish that somehow got away, The “fast” track to the beach that will “seriously take 5mins babe” only to find yourselves 30 mins later and still not at the beach, or the “yeah nah its not that windy down at that spot there, kids we will be sorted” (just a little hurricane… nothing major, fellow kiters and kiters whanau you will understand), or the time we get to hang with our gorgeous kids teach them to swim, surf, hike, jump and pass on to them a love for nature and good hearty adventure. The time you have to share with so many beautiful people, the conversations spoken, and the aroha given and taken, are this Kraenzlin tribe’s favourite part of summer holidays. u

to Cathedral Cove on a hot day and jumping straight into the water when you finally get there!


My dad came to visit from Ireland one summer and I really wanted him to see Cathedral Cove, but when we got there, the walkway was closed because there had been some slips after a storm. So, we decided to kayak to it. It’s an awesome way to see the area, but being in a double kayak didn’t do a lot for my relationship with my dad! He’s worse than the average tourist for taking photos and every five seconds, he would get his camera out and turn round in the kayak to take a photo, therefore causing the kayak to rock a lot more than I was comfortable with. Thankfully, we emerged without getting too wet, and still on speaking terms, with some good memories.

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SUE AND CHRIS CORNEY

SUMMER OFFICE HOURS

Over the holiday period the Gateway office will be closed from 4pm, Friday 21st December and will reopen on Tuesday 8th January at 9am.Our gatherings will also take a short break. There will be no gathering on Christmas Eve, Christmas day or on Sunday 30th December. We will see you all back on Sunday 6th January for our Summer Series.

KEY DATES FOR SUMMEROver the holiday period we take an opportunity to give our volunteers a well deserved rest by taking a break from some of our programs. So here are some key dates:

GATIES (KIDS)

SUNDAY DEC 9TH : Last Sunday for Gaties (School age)SUNDAY DEC 16TH : Last Sunday for al preschool areas (the nursery will still be available for parents to use).

ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND (SUNDAY 27TH JAN) : Start date for all Preschool areas & Holiday Program for Gaties 5-10year oldsSUNDAY 3RD FEB : Gaties Term 1 starts

EMERGE (INTERMEDIATE)

CRAVE (HIGHSCHOOL)

26TH-28TH JANUARY : Boys Weekend AwayWEDNESDAY 30TH JANUARY : First Converge

PURSUE (YOUNG ADULTS)

2012/13

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2013

SUNDAY 9TH DEC : Last Sunday for Emerge

SUNDAY 3RD FEB : First Sunday back

WEDNESDAY 5TH DECEMBER : Big C’s

WEDNESDAY14TH NOVEMBER : Spring lawn partyWEDNESDAY 21ST NOVEMBER : Pursue/Crave Combined with Tony Saxon

2012

2013

2012

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gateway magazine, november 2012, issue 20

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