THE MESSENGERSt John’s in the City Presbyterian Church

St John’s in the City Presbyterian Church - Corner Willis & Dixon Sts385 1546 - info@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz - www.stjohnsinthecity.org.nz

Views expressed in The Messenger do not necessarily reflect those of St John’s in the City.

Welcome HomeNau mai ki tēnei whare karakia o tātou.

(Translates: Welcome to this church of ours)

On the Sunday closest to Waitangi Day we adopted these words of welcome in te reo – the language of our indigenous people, the Tangata whenua.

These words of welcome are extended to all as we gather together to worship God. We hope these words we will soon become familiar to the ‘regulars’, as well as express to newcomers that we are people who are both welcoming, and who recognise what human connectedness can look like in this part of the world.

Adrienne Troughton has been my chief collaborator and encourager as we introduce regular use of the Maori language in our patterns of worship. She pointed out that these words express welcome by everyone to everyone. They express a welcome into a shared place; into a place of togetherness. If you like, a place of communion.

We gather together with God and with one another. And the welcome we offer is to all who gather in the presence of God, as we come with our praise and confession. In this sense, we welcome one another not so much into particular premises, but more into a place of encounter.

Everyone is at home in this place.

Allister

Allister is one of the ministers at St John’s, since 2008. He is married to Naomi a and they now have four

children! His email is a.lane@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz

A sign at Auckland International Airport greets visitors in many languages

EDITORIALWhile away over the Christmas period we attended a number of services in various churches. At these service we listened to inspired preaching, heard stellar music and sat in pews surrounded by magnificent architecture. What however, differentiated these services was the warmth of the welcome that we received from the locals whose pews we shared. Chatting with people both prior to and after services somehow made you feel more involved in worship.

I reflected on what the experience of visitors to St John’s might be once they step over the threshold and into the vestibule. We have designated ‘welcomers’ each morning service who do a wonderful job. However, the responsibility to welcome those who are visiting or who are new is the responsibility of everyone. A potential stumbling block to welcoming people is that we are a gathered congregation. Most people drive to St John’s Sunday by Sunday from various parts of Wellington. As such we are not likely to ‘bump’ into one another on a regular basis at the local shops, library or café if we were members of a suburban parish. Therefore, Sunday mornings affords us the opportunity to ‘catch up’ with fellow members of the congregation. This can be done at the exclusion of those who are visiting. The likelihood that there will be visitors Sunday by Sunday is very high. There are more people living on either a permanent or temporary basis in the vicinity of St John’s than possibly ever before. We are literally a stone’s throw from two hotels and a university hall of residence. With our high visibility we are a magnet for those looking for a place to

worship. Many current members of St John’s can attest to their decision to make St John’s their ‘home’ based on the warmth of the welcome they experienced when they first attended worship.

At the recent baptism of James Lane the children present were asked to respond to a question. It read:

“Will you the children of this

church, remember James’s name

and greet him when you see him.

Will you play with him and help

him learn about Jesus.”

It was a commission that they enthusiastically responded to with , ‘We will.’ I have little doubt that they will be true to their word.

My favourite statement on welcoming is by the New Zealand singer/song writer, Dave Dobbyn in his song Welcome Home. I include the lyrics elsewhere in The Messenger for you to read and ponder.

Jesus made some blatant points about welcoming people. The well -known parable of the Prodigal Son with the father bestowing a lavish welcome on his wayward son is one obvious example. Another is when Jesus is invited for a meal to the home of a Pharisee. Once there a woman welcomes Jesus in an extraordinary fashion. She wets his feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, before kissing them and anointing them with an expensive perfume. The Pharisee admonishes Jesus for allowing this to happen as this is a woman of ill-repute. This is something that surely a prophet should know. Jesus responds with the parable of

the two debtors. He then admonishes the Pharisee for the paucity of his welcome; ‘I entered your home, you gave me no water for my feet.’ Luke 7 v 45. The Pharisee’s tepid welcome has been exacerbated by the woman’s extravagant one.

Detail from: Abraham and the Three Angels by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, 1656

Yes, to welcome people by a word, hand shake or smile is a ministry that we can all practise.

Robert AndersonEditor

St J’s KidsThis year at St J’s Kids we have started with one word: SEEKING. This year we are going to go ‘Seeking for God’, to go seeking through the Bible, to go seeking with each other and we are not going to stop for anything! Seeking is an active word that implies a conscious decision and a purpose. At St J’s Kids, we are one team together-Leaders and Kids-and together we will spur each other forward. Because of this ‘Mission’; we have given our groups names that reflect the seeking we are going to do:

Pre-School: TREASURE HUNTERS

Years 1 & 2: INTREPID EXPLORERS

YEARS 3 & 4: SUPER SLEUTHS

YEARS 5 & 6: INQUISITIVE INVESTIGATORS

This year we have a team of 27 leaders, as well as a wonderful crew of casual and holiday programme helpers and a spectacular group of kids who turn up each Sunday. This represents over 50 families. We have a fantastic time each week and look forward as we go seeking through the year at St J’s Kids.

Belinda Clare

Belinda is St. John’s Children and Families Worker

St J’s Kids, the Treasure Hunters are welcomed at the start of the year

Congratulations

For the Baptisms of:

Mikaela Harper-Rose Cunliffe, daughter of Mark Cunliffe and Sheena Thomas

Makayla Webster, daughter of Richard Webster and Fiona Elliott. Sister of

Michael and Niko

Lillian Hannah McKinnon, daughter of Scott McKinnon and Nicola Noble. Sister

of Tom

James Bernard Roger Lane, son of Naomi and Allister Lane. Sister of Pearse, Kate

and Sarah

For the 90th birthday of Daphne Stanley

For the 60th wedding anniversary of Margaret and John Hunt

For Paul Ramsay reaching half a century

What is a Warm Welcome?What’s the best welcome you can get?

I’m looking at a well-known picture from 2013 of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge cradling Prince George just after his birth. Now that’s a really warm welcome – parents to a new born baby! I can think of some others too. The family cat or dog can give you a great unconditional welcome as you step through the gate. Hm – is that really unconditional? It just might have something to do with the dog tucker or cat food on hand.

Perhaps the best models of all are from God – welcoming someone lost to him back to the fold, typified in Christ’s story of the welcome back by the Father to the Prodigal Son, going as far as to kill the fatted calf for a feast.

There are some models here for us. We may not need to go as far as in these examples but we can give a warm welcome to new people at our Church Door – a job many of our greeters do brilliantly and we all can do as we keep an eye open for a newcomer. A smile and a greeting help and an invitation to participate in morning tea and chat really underlines the welcome. I know how much I appreciate that at other churches I visit.

We can also invite people to our small groups – to let people know the sorts of groups we have – over 20 to select from with opportunities for deeper fellowship than at the door. We welcome people with our support at baptisms and confirmations of Church membership too.

There are limits of course – we need to know when attention to a newcomer might be overwhelming for them and very

occasionally, we will have to look out for the safety of members of the Congregation in the face of known risks. But the big message is that we can and should share the love of God with anyone from any group who comes through our Church door just as God welcomes all of us to form a relationship with him.

David Galt Session Clerk

Welcoming the StrangerOne of the things I was required to do as part of my Ministry training was spend time worshipping in different Churches. Reflecting on these visits there is one that still stands out in my memory as the worst example of ‘welcoming strangers’ I have ever experienced. I was a stranger when I arrived and left as a stranger. Not one person greeted me, sat next to me, spoke to me the entire time I was present in the building. Now for someone who is used to different worshipping experiences and knows that church communities are not perfect I was able to get over this

Paul Ramsay welcoming people at the church door

incident. My concerns are for those who need to experience the love of God through hospitality and a warm welcome and are instead met with indifference. How many people, I wonder, have crossed the door of a church only to be met with indifference? How has this affected their ability to know God?

A rule of St. Benedict states ‘Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for he is going to say, “I came as a guest, and you received me.” When people come to St John’s do we receive the stranger, the guest as though we were receiving Christ? Actually I think we do a pretty good job at welcoming new people and I want to say a big thank you to all those who greet the new comer, make them feel comfortable and invite them into our faith community. And yet it is always good to ask ourselves this question when we are met with a new face ‘are we receiving Christ in this person or are we happy to have another pew filled up?’ Maybe it’s a bit of both?

Yours in Christ Stuart

Stuart is one of the ministers at St John’s, since 2009. He is married to Lala and they have three children.

His email is s.simpson@stjohnsinthecity.org.nz

Dave Dobbyn - Welcome HomeTonight I am feeling for you

Under the state of a strange landYou have sacrificed much to be here

There but for grace as I offer my handWelcome home, I bid you welcome, I bid you welcome

Welcome home from the bottom of my heartOut here on the edge

The empire is fading by the dayAnd the world is so weary in war

Maybe we’ll find that new way

So welcome home, see I made a space for you nowWelcome home from the bottom of our heartWelcome home from the bottom of our hearts

Keep it coming now - keep it coming nowYou’ll find most of us here with our hearts wide open

Keep it coming now - keep on coming now Keep it coming now - keep on coming now

There’s a woman with her hands tremblingAnd she sings with a mountain’s memory

There’s a cloud the full length of these islesJust playing chase with the sun

And it’s black and it’s white and it’s wildAll the colours are one

So welcome home, I bid you welcome, I bid you welcomeWelcome home from the bottom of our hearts

Welcome home, see I made a space for you nowWelcome home from the bottom of our hearts

From the bottom of our hearts

What’s Happening at St John’s?

March

8 Quarterly Communion, retiring offering for A & J

11 Communication Committee

15 Picnic Church

18 Council

24 Fellowship Group, Outreach

29 Palm Sunday, Mawson House visit from Scots College

31 Fellowship Group, Easter Service and Lunch

April

1 Session

2 Maundy Thursday

5 Easter Sunday

12 Monthly Communion

15 Council

19 Badminton and Table Tennis starts

25 ANZAC Day

28 Fellowship Group, Outreach

May

3 Aitkin House visit from Scots College

6 Session

10 Monthly Communion, Mother’s Day

13 Communication Committee

20 Council

24 Pentecost, Uttley House visit from Scots College

26 Fellowship Group, Outreach

June

1 Queen’s Birthday Observance

3 Session