September 2011, Issue 9

SEPTEMBER 2011ISSUE 09

DISCOVER I CONNECT I GATHER I GO

LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS23 AND 24 / 09 / 11

IF YOU FEEL CALLED TO LEADERSHIP IN ANY DIMENSION THEN LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS IS FOR YOU. LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS GIVES YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR ABOUT THE HEART ISSUES OF LEADERSHIP, WITH TEACHING AND STORIES REFLECTING A BIBLICAL APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP.

EARLYBIRD (REGISTRATIONS MADE BY THE 4TH SEPTEMBER) $15 PER PERSON, $25 PER MARRIED COUPLE.STANDARD (LAST DAY FOR REGISTRATIONS IS TUESDAY THE 20TH OF SEPTEMBER) $20 PER PERSON, $30 PER MARRIED COUPLE.

FRIDAY NIGHT - REGISTRATIONS START 7.15 PM - START 7.30, FINISHED BY 9.30SATURDAY - START 9.00 AM, FINISHED BY 3.00 PM (LUNCH IS INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION COST)

03 - gaties05 - crave camp07 - september / october calendar09 - streetworks08 - after a thin place11 - the jones’12 - 10 questions13 - op shop best buys...

EDITORIAL

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HART

Kia Ora and welcome to the September issue of the Gateway magazine. Our hope, as always, is that you will be encouraged and informed as you peruse your way through these pages, discovering some things future and some things past that are a part of our Gateway story.

This month there are a plenty of photos that let us all in on a couple of significant events within the life of our church. The children’s worship school that happened here at our place in July was something special, so check out those pics. Also the Crave camp that happened a couple of weeks ago was a big weekend for some of young people. We have some beautiful photos that catch something of the love, the fun, and sacred moments of that great weekend.

Welcome home Don and Karen! We have missed worshiping with you and hearing your words of wisdom over the past few weeks. We are so glad to hear you had a refreshing break and enjoyed your time away. Your friends Chris, Hope, Ben, and Megan were great company in your absence. What a special family they are, fitting in so well, engaging in the life of our church, and sharing some great thoughts from the pulpit. They were a real encouragement.

As we head out of winter there is plenty happening in and around the life of our faith community, so feel free to click on to our website if you want to know a bit more about what’s going on. This is a great place to find out more information about events, discover that connect group you’ve been looking for, download a sermon or two, find out what vegetables the Wednesday Meal needs, or just see what’s going on.

Don’t forget Leadership Conversations is happening really soon. If leadership is a part of who you are or you know it will be a significant dimension in who you are becoming, then we’d love for you to join us as we explore what it is to be Godly leaders.

Enjoy the read!!

Donald u

donald goodhall

YOU’LL FIND IT HERE

03

Our kids are such a cool and important part of our church community. They add vibrant colour as we gather together and share in the love of God available to us all. As we have invested into our young ones we have seen them grow and develop in God, all the while becoming increasingly aware of a child’s ability to engage with God, hear His voice, and move in the ways we read about in the Bible. Our philosophy has grown with this awareness and belief that our kids can really know and love God and be used by Him as they become His hands and feet to the world in which we live.

We wanted to take this opportunity to let you know what’s going on among us as Gaties. It has been a really great couple of months with our regular programmes ticking along, volunteers making themselves available, and partnering with parents as we join together in pastoring our kids.

One of the biggest highlights of the year so far has got to be iSOW. We were privileged to once again host the International School of Worship, and again it proved to be a fantastic time together. This is the third time in the past four years that we have hosted this impacting and significant event here, and the blessing that it is to our community is worth the investment. The environment created over the three days we have together is so valuable, allowing the kids to be immersed in an atmosphere of encounter and training, an experience that I believe will continue to shape their lives.

The children’s favourite time during the school is ‘carpet time’, a time in which participants lie on the floor and soak in the presence of God. It was fabulous to hear the kids as they jumped up and shared what the Holy Spirit was revealing to them as they rested in His love. The revelations were amazing and continue to blow us away. We marvel at what God does as we bring our kids before Him in this way.

Throughout the few days, the attendees have the opportunity to write a bunch of original material. Their ‘God songs’ were heartfelt and inspirational and as the children sang them over each other we were all deeply moved. Our kids are full of amazing talent and it was on display in such a positive way, building confidence and belief in those involved.

It was a real encouragement to have some of our young folk who attended a few years ago come back to lead small groups. These and some of our Crave crew were among our most enthusiastic leaders and contributed to the success that it was. Brendon and Cathy Clancy are amazing at what they do, and we’re looking forward to hosting them again next year if all goes to plan, as we’d love this to be a regular part of our Gateway calendar!

Something else that we feel is worth repeating is our Gaties Mini Market. You may remember a rather cool Sunday morning about a year ago when the Kids Church took over

the back of our auditorium and set up a rather elaborate array of crafts, gifts and tasty treats. All of this was to raise funds to build a playground in Uganda. Our kids have loved being able to make a difference in other kids lives and are so keen to do it all again.

This time around the funds from our Mini Market will be heading to India to build a playground there supporting the ‘play & learn’ work that Daniel and Ana are a part of. It happens to be an amazing series of events that have led to this being the project of choice for Gaties this time around. We inquired of Daniel and Ana to see if there were any projects Kids Church could be a part of, and suggested a playground might be a good thing. Unbeknown to us Daniel had only days before put some feelers out hoping to get some interest in a playground build. They are so stoked that our Gaties kids will be able to support the children they work with in this way.

It truly is a privilege for us to partner with you parents in pastoring our Gateway children. It is an honour to see them grow in faith, to see them develop a deep and resilient relationship with our Creator, and to watch them worship with abandon before Father God.

Thanks so much for all your support.

Gaties aim to keep people informed with what’s going on when it comes to things Gaties, and currently there are a few things we’d like to bring to your attention.

We want to welcome a few new faces to the team. Janaya has stepped in to run the babies nursery and the new mini-movers space. She has released Danielle, who has done a great job and is so appreciated, to take some time out to enjoy her beautiful baby Beau. Annie Flett has come on team and is leading our year seven and eights to release Karen Steward to spend more time with leaders as we look to develop each of the areas within Gaties. Annie will be working alongside Karen until the end of the year to help create a seamless transition.

Tina has faithfully volunteered for sometime now in our preschool area and is now taking the reigns from one of our long-serving volunteers, someone who has gone ‘above and beyond’ time and time again serving our kids. Maree Masters has been involved for the last ten years and has been a familiar and friendly face for our kids and parents. Thank you Maree!! No one will know the hours you have poured into our ‘little ones’ but God does know and “He will not forget the work you did and the love you showed Him by helping His (little) people.” [Heb 6:10]

We are in real need for people to put their hands up to minister in our preschool area. This is a part of church life that is bursting at the seams and as we look to develop an engaging environment for our kids we ask that you prayerfully consider being a part this important dimension of church.

This year we have had Katie Boom with us as an intern. Her internship, through Vision College, has given opportunity for her to develop a group of young worshippers and musicians to lead our senior Gaties worship. It was wonderful to have Katie at iSOW this year so that the momentum it created can be continued and built upon. Thanks Katie you’re doing a great job! u

written by karen steward

GATIES

Crave Camp proved to be a touching experience for many of our youth as they came to know and experience God in a new way. About 60 of us headed out to Finlay Park Camp for a weekend in August to relax, hang out with friends, and plug into God. Blue Bradley graced us with his presence and through his story he was able to challenge our youth to open up and talk about their struggles so that they can live a life of abundance in God.

We were divided into groups of “bears” for the duration of camp and competed in heaps of different activities from shaving cream wars to newspaper quizzes. On Saturday night there was a Talent (or non talent) Show where Crave leader Josh Thomas proved to be a bit of a stand up comedian.

We arrived back in Hamilton on Sunday half asleep but with heaps of great memories and a few new friends. Thanks CRAVE! u

CRAVE CAMPby laura mcleay

19MON

INTERCESSORS GROUP, Meets 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room

01THUR

SOAKING IN HIS PRESENCE, Held in the Shiloh Room, 7.30 pm onwards

FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast

MAINLY MUSIC, 10.00 am in the dining room, $3 per family

MAINLY MUSIC FAMILY NIGHT, 5.30 pm, check the Gateway website for details

MEN’S BREAKFAST, 7.30 am - 10 am, sign up at the info desk, more details to come.

02FRI

03SAT

04SUN

MORNING GATHERING, 10.00 amEVENING GATHERING, 6.30 pm

GO MISSION, 6.30 pm in the Dining Hall, check the website for more details

05MON


CRAVE CONVERGE, 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm, meets in the auditorium here in the Gateway building.

07WED

09FRI

11SUN

12MON

CRAVE CONNECT, Not sure where your connect group meets? Contact your leader or Matt at the Gateway office

14WED

HEALING ROOMS, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm, in the nursery, for more info email [email protected]

15THUR

16FRI

GATIES LEADERS CAFE, Upstairs in the Gate, 7 pm

LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS, This is the last day for registrations! Contact the Gateway office to sign up.

20TUES

21WED

STREETWORKS PRAYER,7.00 pm, upstairs in the Gate, an evening of interactive prayer.

22THUR

23FRI

LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS Starts tonight, 7.15 pm. Make sure you’re registered by September 20th to come along.

LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS From 9.00 am till 3.00 pm. 24

SAT

25SUN

26MON

28WED

FORTYISH AND FURTHER ON, Potluck dinner, 6.30pm at 56 Forest Lake Rd, Ph 07 849 4624

29THUR

S E P T E M B E R . . .



MORNING GATHERING, 10.00 am

EVENING GATHERING, 6.30 pm


SOAKING IN HIS PRESENCE, Held in the Shiloh Room, 7.30 pm onwards.








CRAVE CONNECT, Not sure where your connect group meets? Contact your leader or Matt at the Gateway office

GENERATIONS7.30 pm in the Gate, a gathering for women of all ages.

17SUN



SPRING SNOW PARTY, get excited about spring with some snow!

STREETWORKS QUIZ NIGHT, 7.30 pm, raising money for the Spring Streetworks projects!



30FRI

GATEWAY NEIGHBOURHOOD LUNCHES

01SAT

02SUN

03MON

04WED

05THUR

07FRI

10MON

12WED

14FRI

16SUN

21FRI

20THUR

28FRI

24MON




SOAKING IN HIS PRESENCE, Held in the Shiloh Room, 2nd floor, from 7.30 pm onwards



23SUN



STREETWORKSmake sure you’re registered by September 27th!www.streetworks.org..nz





SOAKING IN HIS PRESENCE, Held in the Shiloh Room, 2nd floor, from 7.30 pm onwards

GO MISSION, 6.30 pm in the Dining Hall, check the website for more details

GATIES MINI MARKETStraight after the morning gathering

09SUN

HEALING ROOMS, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm, in the nursery, for more info email [email protected]




CELEBRATION SUNDAY,Children upstairs from 10 am, bring a plate to share


MAINLY MUSIC, 10.00 am in the dining room, $3 per family, last for the term

17MON



MAINLY MUSIC, 10.00 am in the dining room, $3 per family, starts again for Term 4

30SUN


31MON


Pull it out, stick it on your fridge, these are the dates you might like to keep in mind for September / October. As always, any new events will be posted on the Gateway website, www.gatewaychurch.org.nz, as well as on our Facebook page. Keep an eye on both!

OC TO B E R . . .

GATIES HOLIDAY PROGRAMMECheck the blackboard for details!



OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILDBox collection starts

Streetworks began about four years ago. It grew out of the desire within a few friends to make their lives count for something during the slog of university lectures and assignments. We had been challenged by some people we had met and situations we had witnessed in our community. These things had confronted and impacted us resulting in a desire to do something about it, and this lead to the birth of Streetworks.

Streetworks was created to be a platform to expose us, those who wanted to be a part of it, to situations and people outside our usual life experiences. Our hope was that through exposure we would be challenged to change our lifestyles and increasingly live lives that outworked our faith through serving our community. It has been more about a shift in consciousness than an event. We see it as an extension of our Christ centered worship.

Our projects have all been designed to do two things, be a practical help to those in need, and at the same time create an opportunity, through the sights, sounds, smells, and conversations, to bring about change in the hearts of those volunteering. What happens internally for those that give of their time is just as important as the tasks they accomplish.

After four years of pursuing this dream it is great to look back on what’s been achieved. Lives have been impacted, the poor have been served, many people have sacrificed their comfort and convenience to put Christ’s love in action. And it continues to grow and morph and change, throwing up challenges for us to overcome as we navigate our way into the future.

Recently, we have been wrestling with how best to share our faith in an intentional manner without compromising our ‘no strings attached’ approach. It seems that God has encouraged and challenged us to step into more opportunities to pray, share, and talk with people about our motivation, as we do the practical tasks. This has lead to the development of a kind of ‘pastoral team’ whose role is to be deliberate in prayer, keeping this dimension of our project days as their focus. We are committed to bringing God’s love into people’s lives, and this initiative is rather exciting.

Currently we are putting a lot of time and thought into what Streetworks looks like beyond an event, as we long for it to be much more than a couple of project days each year. We want to provide further opportunities for engagement with the community for those individuals or groups who are passionate about turning this type of activity into a lifestyle. We see Streetworks events as a launching pad to expose people to the needs of our city. There is a passion in us to do more than renovate gardens; we want to revamp perspectives on community and serving. Our desire is to see a new culture emerge in Hamilton; a culture of community, compassion and togetherness.

Another element simmering away in the background for Streetworks is the challenge to get back to our roots! Recently we came to a cross roads where we were challenged to either take the road of becoming an institution, employing people and all that jazz, or to do a bit of a u-turn and reacquaint ourselves with our grass roots beginnings. We’ve just formed a charitable trust and now face the challenge of not letting the required processes and formalities that come with existing legally compromise the ethos that we’ve operated with since we began.

When Streetworks’ was started its strength was the passion of the group of people driving it. We did it because of the fire in our belly! We have decided that we want the strength of Streetworks to continue to lie in its adaptability, versatility, and responsiveness as it’s about dreaming big, taking on massive challenges, leaping out in faith, and believing God’s got our back.

Our events have become somewhat of our ‘signature stamp’. We’re getting really good at the A + B = C in running a day where people can turn up to volunteer, get amongst their community, and hopefully walk away challenged. Every single event we do we think deeply about the feedback we’ve received last time, and where God wants to grow us. We talk with other community organisations about their clients’ needs on a ground level, and where we can partner with them to make change happen. We meet with a whole bunch of people who have their finger on the pulse of Hamilton, and share our passion to create positive change in our community.

Our Spring event is no different. The projects we have organised for the day are a combination of ‘tried and true’ with a few new ideas thrown in the mix. Our regular projects are very beneficial, cost effective, and have real opportunity to demonstrate ‘no strings attached love’. These are such things as gardening, cleaning, chopping and providing firewood, preperation of emergency meals, and the family day. It is pretty exciting to have a few new ideas that people have offered up, as they have caught the vision of what we’re trying to accomplish. One of these is a surf trip. The concept is simple – take a van load of kids (kids who would otherwise never have the opportunity) out to Raglan where a team of experienced people will teach them how to surf for the day. The ultimate goal in this is to invest in these kids’ lives, and give them a positive outlet for their energy. We love the on-going potential for relationship in this, something that Streetworks is all about.

For the second time, we have Cambridge partnering with us to bring Streetworks into a different neighbourhood. We love working with people who are just as enthusiastic about serving as we are! The more people that come together, the more of a unified blessing we are and the more impact we make. We’re really looking forward to the Spring Streetworks event and believe our community will be better of because of it.

While we are putting a lot of time and energy into our project day, our deep desire and the constant challenge going forward is to become far more than two big events a year. What we’re ultimately passionate about, is growing into a group of people who live in and love their community. We’d really like to work ourselves out of job. Just imagine how incredible it would be, if the type of activities we see on project days happened on an increasingly regular basis with no formal organisation. u

STREETWORKS 2011written by claire & olivia

10

THE JONESwritten by chris jones

The opportunity to visit New Zealand for an extended time came just over twelve months ago when Don & Karen asked us if we would be interested in doing a house swap with them for four weeks this July and August. Although we weren’t sure about this from a weather perspective, swapping a Welsh summer for a New Zealand winter, we were thrilled and excited about the prospect of spending an extended time in your country as a family.

Some say there is little difference between British summers and NZ winters and it turns out they’re not far off. When we arrived to your ‘cold snap’ it didn’t exactly feel like winter, rather, just a few degrees cooler than what we had just come from. However, what was fantastic was the warmth of the welcome we received, we knew immediately that we had made a great decision. The importance of being made to feel welcome is more than words can say, and the welcome we received from the wider Gateway family was incredible, we felt at home from the moment we drove into town.

Each one of us have special memories of our time spent with Gateway. For Hope it was the incredible worship and the sense of ‘God’ that wasn’t simply for the moment but that continued to minister throughout the week. For Ben it was the opportunity to go and be part of ‘Crave’ and to see God at work in the lives of these young people who really will influence their generation. For Megan it was the informal; the opportunity to meet with

so many young men and women of her own age and to have the chance to sit, chat and share over many cups of coffee about shared passions, concerns and a common love of their Saviour.

For me personally the opportunity to be part of the Wednesday night meal was absolutely wonderful. Not just simply to have the chance to serve in any way possible but to have the time to sit and talk with people who perhaps I wouldn’t meet ordinarily and to hear their stories, it was memorable. The tales, the wit, the banter was something I will always remember and I will forever treasure these times.

Also we had the privilege to see again some of the beautiful countryside that is New Zealand, and we do take the credit for all the snow that fell especially on the North Island over the last couple of days of our stay!

For those of you who have gotten to know us as a family over our time with Gateway you’ll know that the opportunity we had to go to Eden Park and watch the All Blacks beat Australia in the Bledisloe Cup will always be memorable, and this had to be mentioned as we recall our time spent in NZ as it was such a thrill!

Our time in NZ was great, our time in Hamilton superb, but our time spent with Gateway was memorable for a whole raft of reasons. Time spent with people and a community that has something of the favour and grace upon their lives is a privilege.

Thank you for making us feel welcome and part of the Gateway family

Chris, Hope, Ben and Megan Jones. u

11

10 questions with. . . laura mcleay

1 - Where are you at this moment? At my boyfriend’s flat in Hamilton

2 - What do you like about being your current age? I don’t have to worry about wrinkles, high cholesterol and being on a diet. At 21 I also still have an excuse to be immature... well sometimes.

3 - What was the latest book you’ve read? Windows of the Soul, by Ken Gire

4 - What is your favourite album? At the moment I have been listening to Greatest Hits from Journey

5 - You can have 3 people to dinner dead or living, bar Jesus, who do you invite? Don Barry, John Key, and Lady Gaga just to see what happens

6 - What is one thing you remember your mother teaching you? Have a drink of water half an hour before breakfast so you don’t get a sore stomach

7 - Where do you go to get quiet? Somewhere surrounded by nature

8 - What is one thing you could talk about for hours? (because you are so passionate about it). Right now I could talk about Ballet forever and dream about it for hours as I just started learning. I’m living out my childhood dreams at 21!

9 - How do you know Jesus is real? Because I have seen him work in incredible ways both in my own life and in others around me and I feel so fulfilled through him.

10 - What is one thing you think people don’t know about you? I’m not actually Roxana Kelson’s sister and I’m scared of the dark. u

1. These funky little glasses caught my eye, a bargain at $4... so I took them home!

2. How cool is this chair! Even little people need a place to take a load off.

3. Much needed in someone’s collection! Pair with skinnies and a kitsch blouse.

4. If you’re anything like me, you’re always in need of new recipe ideas. This ‘one pot wonders’ cookbook is sure to muster up some fab new creations ...and going by the title you’ll keep the kitchen chaos to minimum!

5. Ooh! Baby clothes! Strawberry ‘onesie’ with mint knit is a super cute look for someone’s little lady, and you can never go wrong with yellow stripes!

6. This is “the little black dress” with a difference; cool neck tie and interesting fabric. Style it up with chunky, coloured accessories. u

1 2

3 4

5

chosen by sarah mcnamara

GATEWAY OP SHOP BEST BUYS

GATEWAY CHURCH950 VICTORIA ST, HAMILTON, NEW ZEALANDWWW.GATEWAYCHURCH.ORG.NZ(07) 839 1284

September 2011, Issue 9

Documents

married couple

couple of weeks

great weekend

heart issues of leadership

great place

couple of significant

great company

great thoughts