Auckland Tabernacle
Senior Pastor Elect Rev Lindsay Jones
It’s spring! New ministries and fresh initiatives are starting to bloom as we pray intentionally to engage with our community – Bridge Builders course, Spring Break weekend away for the morning congregation, expanding prison ministry, Christians Against Poverty group, various evangelistic outreaches, prayer walks, shared meals. Global congregation completed its third leadership camp this year and new preachers have been trained.

Two major inter-church multicultural events were hosted by our Chinese congregation. The search is on for a new morning congregation pastor, and a pastor for the new All Nations (Sunday evening) service. God is at work in so many areas.

Kaitaia
Pastor Louis du Plessis
We have commenced an outreach to the community through a venture called Matthew’s Kitchen and provide a soup lunch each Tuesday to those in need. More than 20 people came the first week and it has generated a lot of interest in the town. Several in the church have planted vegetables in their gardens under the title of God’s Garden. These will be used by Matthew’s Kitchen and given to families in financial need. Already a lot of vegetables have been put to good use. Home cell groups are going well and providing opportunity for ministry to one another. Our pastor has been inducted as Police Chaplain for the Far North and is enjoying getting to know our local police through regular meetings. He has been instrumental in getting the pastors of Kaitaia to meet early each Tuesday morning this year, to pray for one another and our community. The church put on a lunch for Louis’ 50th birthday recently.Everyone enjoyed watching him try to blow out 50 candles with one breath!

Manukau City
Senior Pastor Alastair Hall
It is not often you have a Corvette, a Mustang, an Oldsmobile, a Morgan and a few other cars parked in the foyer, but that is what we did for “Blokes Church” on Fathers’ Day. It was an awesome morning of drama, quizzes, music and meat. We were privileged in September to host Philip Yancey at an evening concert – not often you host an author who has sold 15 million books. Our Oscars evening in early September was a great show with a lot of talent coming out of the woodwork. Two hundred people turned out for our mid-winter church ball with our own LT Funk as the band for the night. With the Rugby World Cup in progress we are showing every All Blacks game live on the big screen. Currently we are doing a series in the book of Mark at morning church.