More about ministriesLife in a union parish - “When I say I’m involved in a cooperating venture, people think it’s something to do with dairy factories,” says Ray Coats. More... Rural ministry: looking forward with hope - Twenty-five years ago, rural ministry looked a hopeless case. Country areas depopulated, schools and other services disappeared and a sense of hopelessness pervaded many parishes as numbers – never high compared with their urban counterparts – declined. More... E-minister turns one - A virtual Presbyterian minister celebrated its first birthday in December. More... Getting the good word to inmates - Browsing through outdated library books at Wellington Prison led prison chaplain the Rev Richard Clement to think about how he could get new and relevant books on the shelves. More... Hip Hop of Hope - The Rev Mua Strickson-Pua’s name is well known to people in Pacific music and poetry circles. sPanz caught up with him to hear about his hip-hop style of ministry. More... |
The meaning of Christmas - NZ style - An Auckland church drew 1500 people to its exhibition on the meaning of Christmas. St David’s in the Fields Church, in Hillsborough, created a journey from a contemporary New Zealand Christmas back to Bethlehem. More... Triage Leadership - Visit an accident and emergency department on a Saturday evening and your senses are assaulted with the weight of people, the tensions of waiting and wondering, smells and sounds that spell both hope and fear, and the kaleidoscope of need. More from Moderator Garry Marquand... Why do people start going to church? - As part of her MA research in 2003, the Rev Joan Ross interviewed 26 church newcomers from 14 different Presbyterian churches spread throughout New Zealand and explored the reasons why they were attracted to church. More... Getting involved in your church - Policy groups give their members a chance to influence decisions at a national level. More... Top 10 - Andrew Colgan is a university student and a part-time youth worker at St Luke's in Auckland. He is also one of the organisers of RunNZ with World Vision. RunNZ is a three-week run that covers the entire country and aims to raise awareness and money for the HIV/AIDS epidemic. More... CD Picks - U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and RELIENT K - Mmhmm Music makes the world go round - Jase Preston would like Z Amigos to be famous, with the faces of the six band members smiling out from magazines covers worldwide. It’s not out of vanity, Preston (30) says, but from the belief that if a Christian music group such as his can hit the big time, it will be a great way of evangelising to the young unchurched. More... Northern faith festival - The festival, held in South Auckland in December 2004, is an opportunity for young people to connect and share their faith and experiences. More... New-look Assembly service team - As the national church moves to supporting healthy congregations in new and different ways, the Assembly service team has been reorganised to better meet the church’s changing needs. More... forum - letters to the Editor covering feedback about sPanz and General Assembly decisions. More... Book Reviews - On poetry, psalms and generosity. More... Presbyterian Support - When you’re old what do you want? Unfortunately many people never ask themselves this question. More... The covenant restored - In the 1920s, a young John Laughton was on his way to Rotorua on horseback from Maungapohatu. Events during that journey resulted in a covenant with the greatest Maori religious leader of his time. More... Global mission today - The moment news of the tsunami broke, Christians sprang into action. It is diffcult to say which one of the multitude of Christian-based aid organisations was the first to launch their special appeal. More... Tsunami Report - “I saw a boat being lifted up on the sea,” recalls Raj Kumar. “Then the wave swallowed me up. I was surrounded by mud and water and my clothes were washed away.” More...
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