There is now a clear shift from emergency to recovery. The long haul is beginning to be addressed. Many partnerships have formed - across the city of Christchurch, within communities and around the country. Avonhead Church has the Engineering Dept of Canterbury University using their premises for at least the first semester; Oxford Terrace church is currently using St Albans for services on Sunday afternoons.

Many of our churches from outside Christchurch are responding well, including one from Adelaide, Australia. Each year they have a special Good Friday service offering, and this year it is going to Christchurch.

Our appeal fund has reached $150,000, which is terrific, but we will definitely have more requests than that.  So if you are still able to give, we encourage you to do so through the appeal and we will team you up. We desire equity in meeting the city's needs. Send donations to the Baptist National Centre, or through our internet banking: Account No. 02-0232-0146287-000; Your Church Name; Ref: CHCHEQK.

The impact is now widespread. Some households are permanently relocating. Titirangi Church in Auckland has responded by not only providing household items and support, but assisting a family member from each household to return to Christchurch, sort through their possessions, and container them up to Auckland.

William Drury-Turnbull is our coordinator on the ground. He is meeting regularly with the church Strengthening Community Coordinators. He is working at the wider city level also, organising 80 volunteers behind the scenes to assist with last Friday’s memorial service; initiating cross-cultural strategy planning; partnering up with Habitat and Breezes Road to accommodate volunteers to ‘winterise’ affected houses (they will need tradespeople, especially builders from April); having a voice in the rebuild of the wider city.

Contact him with your offers of help:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
021 072 6572
PO Box 5533 Papanui Christchurch (Canterbury Youth Services office)

Get a copy of the April Baptist Magazine or check it out here – it is full of stories and details from Christchurch.

Prayer items…

• For William as he prioritises his work
• For our chaplains and community ministries people who have direct links and opportunities with those they minister to.
• Pastoral staff and churches providing support for grief and loss following funeral services and dislocation
• For the role of the local church Strengthening Community Coordinators
• For the finance committee handling requests
• For the Christian voice to be heard and represented in the rebuild of the wider city
• For good conversations in neighbourhoods, workplaces and families
• For strategic thinking about new or renewed churches in the eastern suburbs.

Lindsay Jones
On behalf of the Baptist National Leadership Team