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Innovation: New thinking and practices in being Church
There are a growing number of great ideas being tried around the country and the Mission Resource Team is working to make these more widely known. The idea is to help the whole church learn from local learnings and to stimulate more creative ideas and practices around the church. 'Innovation' is a special page on the church website on which new thinking and practices will be profiled. It has three categories: New Modes of Gathering, Worshiping and Exploring; Special Focus Ministries (such as community workers, family workers.); and Locally Provided Ministry (congregations developing forms of ministry drawing on their own people and gifts).
The MRT welcomes suggestions and material to share in this way. Please contact the MRT through one of the Co-directors, at Box 9049, Wellington, or by email, mrt-pcanz(at)paradise.net.nz
Advent/Christmas
Verity Doak, the Courses and Resources Consultant for the Mission Resource Team, is looking for Advent/Christmas resources which worked well in your parish either for worship, study, meditation or which in any way enhanced the way parishes and groups can celebrate this important part of the church's year.
She would be glad to receive anything that has worked well in your parish in the past that can be reproduced for other parishes to benefit from.
Contact details: Verity Doak, Courses and Resources Consultant, e-mail: verityd@pcanz.org.nz, PO Box 9049, Wellington.
Ecumenical Institute Bossey
The World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva welcomes men and women from all over the world and from every Christian confession and culture to seminars, conferences and the Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies.
Its mission is to educate and form ecumenical leaders, both clergy and lay, for service in parishes, classrooms and ecumenical centres around the world and to shape ecumenical thought through intercultural and interconfessional encounter, through study in residential programmes and through common worship and life in community.
Bossey constitutes a free and safe space of mutual encounter and challenge between Christians and offers an academic platform where some of the most acute and contemporary challenges confronting the churches today are debated and analysed in an attempt to find a common response, action and witness so that the world may believe.
If you would like to find out more about Bossey and the programme that they are offering this year visit the Bossey website.
Internet Use Grows
In New Zealand, the internet has grown quickly from just a few users in the scientific and research communities in the early 1990s. The 1,200 host computers connected to the internet in July 1991 had risen to 182,000 by July 1999 and an estimated 47 percent of New Zealanders had a computer at home, with 25 percent having an internet connection.
In February 2000, 50% of New Zealanders had access to the internet and 39% had an email address. In December 1999 43,090 commercial websites and 6,140 non-commercial websites were registered in New Zealand.
(Source: Statistics New Zealand)
Climate Change
The Overseas Mission and Partnerships policy group has an ongoing interest in issues related to climate change and the Kyoto Protocol
The Government has just announced its preferred policy package for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in response to climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. A consultation document on this package and the rationale behind it has been released and is available on the website www.climatechange.govt.nz
The document includes a list of questions and issues the Government will be asking in its second round of public consultation on climate change. The document aims to guide discussion in meetings being held around the country and will also form the basis for any written feedback New Zealanders wish to provide in response to the Government's preferred policy package.
Meetings with regional businesses, interest groups and interested members of the public to discuss what these policies might mean for them, will be held from May 20-30 at the locations listed below. The meetings will involve a brief presentation of the preferred policy package followed by an opportunity for feedback and discussion.
If you would like to register your interest in one of these meetings, please email your details to info@climatechange.govt.nz or you can leave a message on our pre-recorded information line 0800 WARMING (0800 927 646).
Whangarei
Date Monday 20 May Time 2:00-4:00pm Location L'Fare Conference Centre, 197 Lower Dent Street, Whangarei
Stratford
Date Tuesday 21 May Time 2:00-4:00pm Location Stratford War Memorial Centre, Miranda Street, Stratford
Auckland
Date Tuesday 21 May Time 2:00-4:00pm Location The Edge, Reception Lounge, Level 2, Aotea Centre Building, Auckland.
Palmerston North
Date Wednesday 22 May Time 2.00-4.00pm Location The Graduate School of Business, Cnr Linton and Church Streets, Palmerston North
Napier
Date Thursday 23 May 02 Time 2.00-4.00pm Location War Memorial Conference Centre, Breakout Room 1, Marine Parade, Napier.
Tauranga
Date Thursday 23 May Time 3.30-5.00pm Location Tauranga Council Chambers, Old BNZ Building, 108 Willow Street, Tauranga.
Invercargill
Date Monday 27 May Time 10.00am-1.00pm Location Environment Southland Chambers, Corner Price St and North Road, Invercargill
Wellington
Date Tuesday 28 May Time 2.00-4.00pm Location Hotel James Cook Grand Chancellor, Discovery Room, 147 The Terrace, Wellington
Dunedin
Date Wednesday 29 May Time 3.00-5.00pm Location Museum of Otago, Barclay Theatre, Level 1, 419 Great King Street, Dunedin.
Nelson
Date Wednesday 29 May Time 2.00-4.00pm Location Council Chamber, Floor 2B, Civic House, 110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson.
Christchurch
Date Thursday 30 May Time10.00am-12.00pm Location Christchurch Convention Centre, 95 Kilmor Street, Christchurch.
Greymouth
Date Friday 31 May Time 2.00-4.00pm Location Ashley Hotel, 74 Tasman Street, Greymouth.