Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to everyone from the Presbyterian Church Assembly Office. Assembly Office will be closed from 23 December 2016 reopening 9 January 2017.

Recently I attended a Christmas Carol service. One of the songs we sang was an old Frank Sinatra melody with the lyrics:

Bucking current thinking that gift-giving at Christmas is consumerism at its worst, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, Rt Rev Richard Dawson, believes that presents are a welcome and important part of Christmas.

“Presents are a great way to remind others that they are important to us.

“This year as you consider your gift giving, think about how the simple act of giving someone a present, or simply being present, can make them feel wanted, loved and cherished,” says Richard.

Christmas: Giving presents, being present

Greetings

Read the latest version of Mingalaba, the Global Mission newsletter dedicated to our Ricebowl Mission partnership with the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar. 

Today the Moderator wrote to all parishes, ministers, presbyteries and synods encouraging them to support the Upper South Island Earthquake Appeal he launched at General Assembly 2016 in response to the earthquakes of 14 November which caused devastation across the northern part of the South Island and Wellington.

In an exceptional move the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand has re-elected its recent leader as its future leader.

The Very Rev Andrew Norton of Auckland has been elected Moderator designate and will take up the role of Moderator in 2018. The result of the election was announced at the Church’s General Assembly 2016 in Dunedin on Friday 18 November.

Information about decisions made at General Assembly is available on the Church's website. This information is provided in various formats - such as powerpoint presentation and newlsetter - to enable easy sharing.

19 November 2016

White Ribbon’s newest ambassador is calling on churches to support the campaign opposing violence towards women.

Fri 18 Nov 2016

At its General Assembly in Dunedin today the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand rejected the view that natural disasters, including the recent earthquakes, are a form of divine punishment. 

The Presbyterian Church expressed its “prayerful solidarity” with all those affected by the civil emergencies which have resulted from the current earthquake and storm disasters.