Greetings in Christ,
Registration for the LCNZ Summit 24 July at Mountainside Lutheran is still open. We need to finalise numbers for catering purposes and the group booking for those who will be staying at the Waipuna Hotel. If you have not yet sent in your registration form please do it now. Otherwise, phone our office Tuesday to Friday between 9am and 2pm to speak with Colleen who will take the registration by phone. This is a key opportunity for members of our LCNZ to participate in forming ways we can address the strategic initiatives of -- Increasing Leadership Capacity; Increasing Spiritual Depth; Improve Communication; Develop a Mission Culture; Leverage our Assets to Support Ministry and Mission.
Botany Lutheran Church has been getting several mailings to the wrong address and requests that you put the following postal address in your contact lists: Botany Lutheran Church, 150c Harris Road, East Tamaki, Manukau 2013 NZ. Correspondence to their leaders can also be directed through that address.
LCNZ Youth Camp registrations are now in and it appears that there will be about 35 attending this year. We pray God’s blessing upon those travelling and the leaders who have worked hard to make next week a success.
Church Workers Conference was held 22-24 June in Wellington. The numbers were a bit low this time because of parish vacancies. Still it was very worthwhile. This time we had Dr Greg Lockwood from ALC Seminary who led us through an excellent series of studies on 1st Corinthians. The following Friday he came to Palmerston North and joined the Anglican & Lutheran Consultation to speak on the history of the Anglican Lutheran Dialogue in Australia and worldwide. He then preached at St Paul’s Wellington prior to his return to balmy Adeliade.
LCNZ Offices. In an earlier Update our Council of Synod Chairperson, Judy Calder, announced the Synod postal ballot in favour of moving our national office to Wellington. A search group is being formed to locate office and manse property in Wellington. Additional people beyond Council of Synod are being recruited on the search team as we look at this important investment. The property next to St Paul’s Lutheran Wellington had been muted as a possibility for purchase and development, however it has been sold at auction and is no longer an option. So, the two favoured options are either a home/office arrangement, or manse and office in separate locations. Locating in the proximity to St Paul’s and the airport would also be advantageous.
On a personal note: I will be away to Brisbane for a few days to be with my wife Betsy who will be having surgery on July 8th. I return on Saturday 10th July, but will remain contactable via email.
Welcome Pastor Martin and Elizabeth Schirmer as they interim at Upper Moutere until 23 Sept.
Prayer: O God, renew our spirits by your Holy Spirit, and draw our hears to yourself, so that our work may not be a burden, but a delight. Let us not serve as slaves with the spirit of bondage, but with freedom and gladness as your children, rejoicing in your will and your work; for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. (From Everyday Prayer, Lutheran Church of Australia, 2006)
God bless,
Rev. Robert Erickson
President, Lutheran Church of New Zealand
