Cambridge
Pastor Jonathan Ruthven
The New Year has started well with good attendances at services and an encouraging increase in our youth group. Our Wednesday night summer BBQs through the holiday period were well attended. The church has voted to begin a building project, to be done in stages over the next few years. The first stage will turn the smaller hall into offices and starts immediately. We are grateful for our pastor and his family being prepared to live in our on-site manse, saving the church money for the building project.

Fairfield
Pastor Geoff Follas
All of our church activities and outreach ministries have started up again for 2012: Seekers, Monday hot meals at lunch time, car boot sales once a month, craft morning, home groups, Friendship Circle, indoor bowls and Tots’n’Dots. The remodelling of our chapel is underway. All plumbing, wiring and sound wiring are nearly finished. The builders are now knocking through to the foyer and building the new entranceway, and the new chairs have arrived.

Hamilton South
A decommissioning service was held on the February 5 by Gary Grut for Nigel Rowling, Gilly and family, from the Youth Pastor position. Nigel is now studying at Vision College, Ruakura, Hamilton, towards a degree in counselling.

Havelock North
Pastor Kerry Brewerton
Pastor Kerry and Reverend Mark Fox, our former pastor, spent a fortnight in Orissa, India in February. They visited a boys' home, led a teaching seminar, and met the evangelists and staff associated with our project there. Eugene and Tina Wessells shared of their work encouraging churches and pastors throughout Mozambique. We farewelled university students and Analiese Boult, who joined the Brethren missions-based programme Headspace. She will be joining a mission trip to Thailand later in the year. Miriam Whitton won a Leprosy Mission scholarship and spent several weeks in Nepal visiting their projects. Karen and Stuart Beachen are now studying at the EastWest Bible College at Gordonton. A marriage Alpha course began in mid-February and other Alpha programmes will run throughout the year. An Extreme Parenting Makeover event was be held in late March. A team will go to the Home of Hope in Fiji during the April holidays.

Paeroa
We finished 2011 with an Advent series looking at different aspects of faith, and commenced 2012 with 40 Days of Purpose. We are doing a series called ‘Living with Jesus’ and have a series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians coming up. Over the summer we held BBQs on Sunday nights. These provided an opportunity to bring unsaved friends and family along to meet the church family and were good times of fellowship. Homegroups, prayer group and youth group are all underway. A family flicks night is also held once a month. This is a community outreach. Paeroa recently hosted the annual Battle of the Streets, and this also provided an opportunity for outreach and our youth had a fundraising stall. Along with the other churches, we continue to take a monthly service at Ohinemuri Retirement Home.