“If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims;
quit gossiping about other people’s sins, if you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places - firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build a new, rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

 Isaiah 58:9 – 12

I trust you had a good Easter and that you enjoyed this special time of year.

My month has been an interesting one with a number of meetings around the country. One that I attended was in Christchurch focusing on bringing community groups together and was titled “Working Smarter Together”. This was put together by Lyn Campbell our Community Ministries Head who intends to run these forums around the country. It was a great chance to discuss networking initiatives between different groups. It was exciting to hear of the different community activities out there in our Baptist churches.

Lyn started the forum with some stat’s on what we as Baptists have running in our communities. I thought it was worth sharing just a few of these.

42  Early Childhood Education Centres

54  Mainly Music Groups

40  Budgeting/Financial Advice Centres

21  Counselling Centres

16  Prison Ministries

20  Op Shops

12  Before/After School programmes

82  Food Banks

17  Meals for the needy

28  Parenting Support/Courses

“If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims;
quit gossiping about other people’s sins, if you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places - firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build a new, rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

 Isaiah 58:9 – 12

I trust you had a good Easter and that you enjoyed this special time of year.

My month has been an interesting one with a number of meetings around the country. One that I attended was in Christchurch focusing on bringing community groups together and was titled “Working Smarter Together”. This was put together by Lyn Campbell our Community Ministries Head who intends to run these forums around the country. It was a great chance to discuss networking initiatives between different groups. It was exciting to hear of the different community activities out there in our Baptist churches.

Lyn started the forum with some stat’s on what we as Baptists have running in our communities. I thought it was worth sharing just a few of these.

42  Early Childhood Education Centres

54  Mainly Music Groups

40  Budgeting/Financial Advice Centres

21  Counselling Centres

16  Prison Ministries

20  Op Shops

12  Before/After School programmes

82  Food Banks

17  Meals for the needy

28  Parenting Support/Courses