E-NEWS 10TH OCTOBER 2025
Kia ora and talofa lava. Well, it’s been a busy week as usual — perhaps even more so, given that I was a whole week ahead of myself in my diary! I managed to mix up a couple of dates and times (a sure sign that life is moving too fast), but thankfully everything worked itself out in the end. It reminded me how easy it is to get caught up in doing, rather than simply being. Sometimes the calendar runs us instead of the other way around!
This week has been full of conversations, meetings, there were moments of laughter, some moments of quiet reflection, and as always, reminders that community life can be quite unpredictable.
Church Photo Day 📸
We had a great church photo taken on Sunday! It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces gathered together on the stage after worship. Below is not the official photo (that one will come later), but a quick snapshot. It captures the warmth of our St Andrew’s whānau perfectly.
Preparing for General Assembly
On Tuesday night, I joined the pre-General Assembly Zoom meeting where we met some of the delegates who’ll be attending and got an overview of what the programme will look like. We also broke into our dialogue groups — there are about seven of us in mine, and I knew six of them! It was a nice surprise to reconnect with some I haven’t seen in years, and it turned out to be a quite positive experience. I’m feeling much more ok about attending now than I was beforehand — so thank you, Ellen, for giving me that extra nudge to join the Zoom meeting!
Community Connections
Tomorrow I’ll be joining Barry Kiernan and his retired colleagues here at St Andrew’s for a reunion of those who once worked with the YMCA, and I’ll be offering the welcome on our behalf. Later in the evening, I’ve been invited to lead the prayer of thanksgiving and welcome for
Fauono Ken Laban’s mayoralty Campaign thanksgiving gathering. By then we’ll know the results — so I’m not sure whether I’ll be offering prayers of celebration or commiseration! Either way, I’ll be giving thanks for Ken’s generous spirit and for all the support his campaign has received from friends, family and the wider community.
This Sunday’s Theme – When We Forget to Say Thank You 🙏
This Sunday, our lectionary reading comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 17, where ten lepers are healed by Jesus — yet only one returns to say thank you. My reflection will explore the theme of gratitude and ingratitude. Can you recall a time in your life when you forgot to say thank you and later regretted it? Or perhaps a time when you did something meaningful for someone and never heard those two small but powerful words? We’ll be reflecting together on what gratitude looks like in practice and how remembering to say thank you can transform both the giver and the receiver.
White Sunday – A Samoan Celebration 🤍
This Sunday is also White Sunday (Lotu Tamaiti) in Samoa and across the globe, celebrated by Samoan families and churches in every corner of the diaspora. My great-nieces and nephews will all be coming together to take part in their White Sunday traditions — I wish I could be there! I’ve asked them to video the occasion, and I invite you to keep all the Samoan churches around the world in your prayers this weekend as they celebrate this much-loved tradition honouring children and family faith.
Living Wage Gathering – Wednesday, 15 October 🕊️
And finally, a quick reminder that on Wednesday, 15 October, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., the Living Wage Campaign will be meeting at Resene, 50 Vogel Street, Naenae, to show our support for their campaign to become a Living Wage employer. (Yes, this was the meeting I attended a week early! 😄) Hope to see some of you there if you’re available — every voice of encouragement helps.
Marmalade: Next Sunday 19th October please bring cash for Sue’s marmalade fund-raiser for our church. Thanks Sue.
See you Sunday – Ka kite anō, Fei
You can read the full e-news here: https://mailchi.mp/5e6610b5c185/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-10136874
