Church Life and Adaptive Change: 

Overall, humanity doesn’t like “change” if what we’ve been used to has been comforting and pleasant. Connect gathered church has looked the same for decades and has served our community well. However, our world is not the same anymore and probably won’t be stable or consistent for a few more years […] Read More

Can we gather in person as church in Red Light? :  These are challenging times we live in. Next Friday, Auckland is supposed to move into the Traffic Light System. We will begin on the Red Light. At the red light, it means Churches can meet together again. The question we’ve been discussing as a […] Read More

Elders Etchings:
Some days I really struggle to do life well.  I get irritated by people.  It might be my spouse, boss, children or a friend I thought wouldn’t knock me back in the way they just did.  Sometimes I react because I’ve been hurt.  You know the saying “hurt people hurt” … well that can […] Read More

When and how shall we gather in person as church?  :  Once 90% of Aucklanders are fully vaccinated, Auckland will move to the “Traffic Light System,” and will first be in the “red zone.” This could be as soon as 2 to 3 weeks away. Here are our options for church gatherings at this point:

If […] Read More

The power of prayer and fasting: 
“In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the […] Read More

Prayer and Fasting during a crisis: 
It was the common practise of the Pharisees and John the Baptist to fast (Mk 2:18). Some people came and asked Christ why His disciples did not fast. He replied:
“How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? They cannot, so long as they have Him […] Read More

The comfort of having a permanent place in God’s Kingdom: 
The night before Christ was crucified the disciples were very stressed, and Christ said:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am […] Read More

Let’s be worth our salt: 
You may have heard people say that someone is “worth their salt.” This idiom means that the person is valued and respected. Jesus also referred to His disciples as “salt,” saying:
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? […] Read More

Unity in the Body of Christ; Eph 4:2-6: 
Man, there’s so much in our Auckland news at present to do with disunity amongst the church universal. I’ve been sent petitions to sign by a prominent Auckland pastor, in support of stopping Brian Tamaki from being prosecuted. Many churches believe he should be, and many believe he […] Read More

Breathe:   If you’re feeling a little stressed, a little over-it, or slightly grumpy …..breathe! Be kind to yourself, and don’t judge yourself. When in your lifetime have you had to isolate in a “bubble” for 7 weeks?
Apparently “quarantine” is seven centuries old in response to infectious diseases. The Plague went on from from 1347 to […] Read More