Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

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Getting their attention

We all know that one of the greatest difficulties faced by the ministers and elders of any local church is getting the attention of their members and sharing important information with them. Amazingly most of us still rely on the weekly notice sheet. A black & white, photocopied extravaganza, overflowing with info, burdened by inserts and invariably doubling as the Order of Service as well.

Often an enthusiastic member of the congregation is called to the front to speak passionately about an event, wave papers in the air, point to a table or clipboard and implore (or should it be beg?) people to join in. Some of us have augmented this ritual with PowerPoint slides and I have even experienced music and drama being used. Some have developed church websites and send out weekly email reminders or thought-provoking sermonettes.

All of this is driven by the singular desire to see people gather as a community and share the common bond of being in communion with Christ and each other. I often feel like that enthusiastic member who with arms flailing and papers aplenty provokes people to share in “distant community” with people overseas – be it through financial support, visiting or another form of service.

Like the weekly notice sheet, there is one thing we do not have a shortage of and that is information. Here is what we offer.

<typohead type="3">I still haven’t found what I’m looking for? (apologies to U2) </typohead>

<typohead type="4">www.presbyterian.org.nz/globalmission </typohead>

Our website has new information added on a daily basis. Recent additions are Roy & Anna Pearson’s latest newsletter from Vanuatu and Don & Margaret Fauchelle’s first newsletter from Malua Theological College in Samoa. These can be found on our front page under the heading “Kiwi Presbyterians serving abroad”, which has numerous other stories too.

Read some papers offering theological reflections on the 26 December tsunami and be inspired by the work of the Church of North India in response to the tragedy. All of this can be found on our home page too.

The Global Mission library has been catalogued and a searchable database is online at: http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/?id=3268
Lori Hill would appreciate your feedback to globalmissiongazette(at)xtra.co.nz  as she fine-tunes this resource.

<typohead type="4">Global Mission Gazette </typohead>

If you and/or your members still prefer to receive things in print format, the Gazette is produced five times a year to “tell the stories” and provide information about what you can do. We will gladly add you to our mailing list. Just zap Lori Hill an email at the above address. The Gazette is also posted on our website.

<typohead type="4">Specific information </typohead>

Sometimes people want to know something specific. We always try to answer any question posed. We are putting the finishing touches to a pack that contains all you need to know about taking a group overseas. Another pack specifically for people who want to support our work in Vanuatu is being collated.

As I wrote in last month’s Bush Telegraph, I am particularly interested to hear from people who are keen to form a national AIDS Task Team to develop strategies to address this pandemic, which is the equivalent of 10 Boxing Day Tsunamis a year.

<typohead type="4">Making a donation </typohead>

However, I often receive phone calls saying that a group or congregation has raised X dollars and simply want to give it to a needy cause overseas. We have a list of gifts all costing less than $5000 each that we recommend to people who want
to “Give Global” posted online at: http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/?id=2595
If you have more than $5000 – just choose two or more from the list.

<typohead type="4">Got my attention </typohead>

Martin Stewart of Dunedin is a minister who utilises emails to grab people’s attention. He and new “Scottish import” Rev Dr Fyfe Blair have just established the Highgate Presbyterian Church by amalgamating the Roslyn and Maori Hill Parishes.

Creative, new initiatives such as this are going to get people’s attention and we need to see many more. Who would have thought of importing a Scottish minister to Dunedin – it’s brilliant!! In one of Martin’s recent emails, he referred to this quote:

“Some Christians… will deny that we need to confront social structures directly, urging that society will be transformed when individuals are freed from sin. Only deliver the individual into the freedom of Christ, it is said, and he/she will go out from the church to make a free world. This is also a comfortable view for politicians, and we often hear even those who have no Christian faith chiding the church for forgetting about its ‘main task’ of ‘saving souls’. Such a view ignores the massive injustices which many actually suffer at present, and which love demands be dealt with urgently.” (Paul Fiddes Past Event & Present Salvation - The Christian idea of Atonement, p197)

What has got your attention this Easter?