Greetings, friends, members and supporters of our church at Clevedon, Kawakawa Bay, Orere Point, Conifer Grove, Takanini, and in the southern part of Auckland – and beyond.

The Peace of Christ be with you!

God of Creation,

we come with thankful hearts,

for the beauty we see about us,

and the beauty we see in each other.

We give thanks for artists and musicians,

and all those who use their creative talents to enrich our lives.

In the name of Jesus.

AMEN

My first car was a 1966 Volkswagen Beetle. My father helped me buy it when I was at University. My VW and I made several trips from my then hometown, Hamilton, to Dunedin and back - usually crammed full of all my worldly possessions plus the odd flatmate or two.

The Japanese cars I have owned since then haver never matched the VW's character or lack of reliability. Having a 6-volt battery, meant that on occasions, on dark country roads, a torch held out the side provided better illumination than the car's inadequate headlights.

Seeing this art exhibition of a slightly later model of my Volkswagen, exploded into its component parts, held a special fascination for me.  

I saw this during our recent visit to Mexico City. The Volkswagen is one of artist Damián Ortega’s most celebrated works titled “Cosmic Thing” (2002).

It shows a disassembled Volkswagen Beetle, suspended from wires in mid-air in the manner of a mechanic’s instruction manual. (I think Mexico was one of the last places in the world to manufacture beetles)

Over the years of owning the car, I had taken apart its engine, and a few other bits and pieces - but seeing it disassembled in its entirety was quite fascinating. 

I guess this must have been one of the simpler cars to make – but think of the skills, engineering and thinking that must go into the design and construction of our modern cars.

All of this complexity is nothing compared to what we hear proclaimed in scripture – from Psalm 139:

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
¹⁵     My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.
¹⁷ How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end—I am still with you.

We pray today, for those who have low self-esteem.

and for those who feel undervalued, or are made to feel unimportant or of little worth.

We pray for places where people are discriminated against because of their language, culture, gender, religion, or the colour of their skin.

Jesus, help us all to know the reality of your welcome and grace

- and  affirm how we each have been ‘fearfully and wonderfully made.’

AMEN

Farewell to Greg. Our service this Sunday at Clevedon will include a farewell to our long-serving Operations Manager, Greg, and Greg’s wife, Marina. While Greg and Marina will remain part of our congregation until their departure to Australia in December, this Friday marks the end of Greg’s more than 15 years of full-time service in this role.

AGM. Our Church AGM is to be held on Tuesday, September 24, at 7 pm at the Clevedon Church. (Supper to follow – please bring a plate if you can!) The Reports have now been published. Please pick up your copy from the church – or if you would like yours by mail, please let Annemarie know: office@clevedonpresy.co.nz

Pastoral. If anyone would like to visit Graham Cammell, who is currently housebound - please call his son Gary on 09 2756 457 to arrange. 

Maori Language Week. Please find a letter attached from the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church encouraging us in the use of Te Reo

Bach Musica orchestra and choir present Mendelssohn’s beautiful Lobgesang Sun 15 Sept with soprano Gina Sanders - Auckland Town Hall 5pm.

Foodbank—The call for food parcels continues from families in need.  Thank you for your donations. Our pantry would benefit from tinned tomatoes, ricies, cornflakes, tinned tuna, pasta sauces, coffee, drinking chocolate, self-raising flour, 1kg plastic bags sugar (to foil the ants), 1kg rice, dried pasta, tinned sweetcorn, body wash, muesli bars and biscuits.

Alternatively, we also like to include a Supermarket voucher in the parcels to allow people to purchase fresh items like cheese, butter, meat.

HATCH – our community dinner and church on Sunday at 5 pm.  All welcome. Please let Mathilde know if you are coming. mathilde@clevedonpresy.co.nz

Tuesday Morning Home Group. Meeting in Ardmore. Please contact Bev Sutton 0273 107 421 for directions.

Tuesday Evening Ladies Bible Study meets during the school term in locations in Ardmore and Conifer Grove. 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. If you would like to find out more, please give Geraldine Oosterbeek a call on 027-2704-904

Men’s Group meets Wednesday evening 7.30pm in Clevedon Church Lounge

Come along for fellowship, discussion and prayer.

Prayer Circle Requests. For anyone who is seeking prayer for any concern or situation: prayercircle.clevedonpresy@gmail.com or text: Cath at 021 349 417, Elaine 022 071 7201, or Nikki 021 973 799

AA - every Thursday at 7.30 pm at the Clevedon Church lounge. Friendly and supportive. For anyone with alcohol or drug problems.  https://aa.org.nz/

Sunday morning service at 10 am. Join us in person or watch the live stream on our YouTube channel.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxBzxjBb3xU8ra2NHwvD_9A(The service can also be viewed at any time afterwards.)

Prayer before the Service. Join us at 9:15 am every Sunday in Martin's office to pray for the church and community.

The reading this Sunday is from: Ephesians 6:10-20

 St Aidan’s Takanini (23 Walter Stevens Drive, Conifer Grove,)

Sunday morning service at 10 am

Playgroup - Every Monday and Tuesday morning in the school term.  Contact Brenda at 021 657 178.

Wednesday Communion service 9.30 am. All welcome

Women's friendship and study group Friday 10 am. Contact Lorraine Richmond at 027 476 1169

Know your Bible Women’s study group. Thursday 12.30-2.30 pm. Contact Susanna Ph. 027 450 1926

Men’s group. Thursdays at 7 pm in the St Aidan’s Church lounge. A time of sharing, fellowship, prayer and study together.

The service is held in the Community Hall each Sunday at 9.30 am.  

Playgroup each Wednesday from 8 am in the CommunityHall (during the school term)

Thank you for your prayers and generous support of our church and its mission.

Martin

CVMFT Scholarships Sun 13 Oct. Applications open for these excellent awards in 3 age-groups across all musical disciplines. For further information: https://cvmft.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CVMFT-Scholarships-Festival-2024-Information-Release-2.pdf

Right Now, Media. We have recently purchased a church subscription for this extensive library of video resources suitable for small groups, teaching and education. Please use this link to take a look at the library for your personal or group use: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/clevedonpresbyterian . We are trialling this subscription to find out how many people might benefit. If you do make use of it could you let Martin know?  (martin@clevedonpresy.co.nz)