Napier Baptist

We are floating the following proposal at our AGM on Sunday:

PROPOSAL OF NAPIER BAPTIST COMMUNITY GARDEN:

PROPOSAL:

“That the church make use of the secure space behind the church by turning some of it into a garden to provide food for people in need within the church and the wider community.”

INTRODUCTION:

Our church is looking for ways in which we can “Make God’s Kingdom Visible” in our local community. The location of the church is in a very deprived area of Napier. Maraenui is rated 10 on the NZ Deprivation Index (the scale is 1-10). Our current financial climate is difficult and many think it will get worse before it gets better. This situation impacts the entire country but is especially difficult for low income families. They are the most vulnerable in situations of financial stress as costs and unemployment spiral upward and income spirals downward. To highlight this we can note the dramatic increase in the number of people making use of our church’s foodbank. As a result we are running low on stock and we are struggling to receive more stock from our suppliers. At the moment, supply is exceeding demand with our small foodbank. This year, the Maraenui Urban Renewal Trust has begun a project to encourage residents to plant gardens. This is sponsored by people like JJs Organics and Napier City Council and was highlight on a TV3 News Bulletin (you can also watch the clip at this link). We can therefore link into an already existing community project that is donig good things. In response to these realities, we thought of ways we could support the foodbank and serve our local community. We noticed that the large area out the back of the church (approx. 183 m2 excluding the area behind the auditorium where the trucks come for the paper recycling) was something of a “dead space”. The idea was floated of turning some of this area into raised gardens where we could plant and grow vegetables to give away to those in need of healthy and nutritious food. It is also possible that we could use some of the produce to make pickles, cutneys and other produce to give away.

WHAT WOULD IT INVOLVE?

• Gathering a group of passionate people who are able and willing to look after and maintain the gardens. My idea at the moment is to float this idea past some of our many passionate gardeners and gauge their interest. I would like to form a group of 10 or so familes/people who are willing to look after the gardens for one week out of 10.
• Finding people who are able and willing to build the raised garden beds. This will involve getting the materials at the cheapest possible price. It has also been suggested that some people would be willing to pay for the cost of the materials.
• Some top soil.
• A plan of where to place the gardens so that people are still able to access the different entrances and exits and have appropriate walkways. We will have to allow trucks to get to the paper bins etc.
• Seeds to plant. Some of these will be available through some of our many gardeners and we may also have to buy some.
• Possibly partnering with Napier Family Centre or local social services to ensure the produce gets to people in need.
  
  BENEFITS:


• Converting a dead space in our church into a fantastic ministry opportunity whilst maintaining access and walkways.
• Provide healthy and nutritious food for families in need.
• Ease the burden of supply for our foodbank.
• The joy of children being involved in the building, sowing, growing process of the gardens.
• The joy of serving people who are vulnerable and extending our vision of “Making God’s Kingdom Visible” in Napier.
  
  POTENTIAL PROBLEMS:


• Security. The area is very well fenced all around with fences ranging from 5 foot to 8-10 foot (see pictures below). However we cannot guarantee that people will not jump over the fences and raid or ruin the gardens. In saying that, there are easier gardens to raid than these! We would address this if needed.
• Loss of momentum and people willing to be involved and the gardens turning to ruin. There would need to be clear leadership, vision for the church to see this as a genuine way of serving the community and a group of passionate people maintained. I believe that with the right leadership and the gathering of many people to be involved (once every 10 weeks is doable), this is a sustainable project. It would be great to involve the children and the youth in this.
• Loss of access. It would be very important to ensure that access and walkways are maintained – especially in terms of fire exit routes. This is simply a planning issue and making sure that the beds are placed in a way that takes this into account. The reality is that this areas is almost never used.

THE AREA WE HAVE IN MIND:

The Decison 08 website has a helpful page where you can compare and contrast the different policies of the different parties. Go here.

With elections looming in NZ and around the world I'd encourage you to consider what it means to live and vote as global Christians (i.e. not Christians narrowly focussed on what you're going to get out of this election). The Tearfund website has some very helpful material about voting as global Christians available online here. So too does the Micah Challenge website here. I especially enjoy Jim Wallis' article on Faith Priorities for this Election.

The following comes from the Tearfund website and raises critical issues for the world's economy and focus at the moment.

WITH the meltdown of international banking and credit filling investors with dread, developed nations are using the crisis to legitimise backing away from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said TEAR Fund Executive Director Stephen Tollestrup.
The MDGs signed by 189 nations promised to halve poverty for the poorest of our planet’s people by 2015 and increase aid to 0.7 per cent of their countries GDPs.
“The truth is”, says, Mr Tollestrup, “the MDGs go well beyond a handout. If we dare to think outside of the square we will find that we need to see productive and growing economies in the developing world to help us move out of this current mess and bring long term economic stability.
“Rather than simply throw a trillion dollars at failed Wall Street financers, perhaps it’s time to think clearly about an economic shot in the arm for the two-thirds world. This will strengthen the global economy and counter the poverty where over a billion fellow human beings languish and die, and fundamentalism and terror incubate.”
Micah Challenge advocates for governments to honour their commitment to the MDGs, TEAR Fund, as a member of this international Christian campaign, is urging New Zealand voters to make honouring the MDG promise an election issue.

I've had a couple of e-mails asking me when the sermons are going to be updated - they have just been updated here. We have someone who's a very busy professional who takes it upon himself to record the sermons, convert them into mp3s and host them on his webstie - and all he does all of this in what little spare time he has as a global executive! So, please be gracious and patient.

Rees, if you read this, thanks so much for all that you do for our church...

I'm back from Auckland and back into things at Napier. The book of the trip was a bit of surprise because I didn't go there planning on reading it. I picked it up off the shelf and browsed through it briefly and I was hooked. The book of the trip was From Midterms to Ministry: Practical Theologians on Pastoral Beginnings and I'd recommend that anyone who has or is or is going to make the transition from Bible College/Seminary to local church ministry read it. It was one of the highlights (especially the article by Thomas G Long) of my reading spree.

I also notice that Real Live Preacher has posted his second video on his series on hell here.

I know that with elections looming many pastors get cornered about who people should vote for, or even worse, you get cornered asking about who you're voting for (with the less than subtle subtext that it should be the same party as the person who's asking you!)? Another useful website to have a careful snoop around is the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services. It represents 6 denominational Social Services networks, one of which is NZ Baptist Action. They work on the front line of social service and their vision is to work for a just and compassionate society in Aotearoa New Zeland. They provide some excellent information and articles on some of the pressing social issues that I think one should consider before deciding who to vote for.

Thought the old design was ugly so changed it again. Sorry if you don't like blue! To begin with, regulars might find that the old design still displays when following links you had gone to before the update. Just click refresh to fix it.

I have just read a brilliant "must read" post by Julie R. Neidlinger on why she walked out of a church she attended as she seeks a new church in a new area (hat tip to Stu). It is brilliant! One part of it reminded me of a conversation we had at a recent Family Forum at our church about how we can be hospitable to the many new people coming to our church. Do we organise or roster someone(s) to "be nice to the new people" (as if being nice to new people is a ministry!) and plug them into some group, or do we just actually try being Christians and be welcoming to new people like we would a visitor who came to our house? (We went for the latter and not the former)

1 Cor 4:13 - "We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world (another translation - the scrapings from everyone's shoes) - right up to this moment."

I'm doing a 'Bioethics' paper through Carey and need to get Christian responses to stem cell research.

What is 'a Christian' response to the use of human embryos to obtain stem cells for research?

What of the use of adult stem cells?

Are there situations where the deliberate death of an embryo for stem cells is justifiable?

Does the age of the embryo make a difference?

Where should the line be drawn??
Lots of responses please...

I'm preaching in a few weeks and I'm exploring the issue of "when God is silent".

I'm interested in what others think about whether God chooses not to speak to us and why (is it him not speaking or us not hearing - or something else). What is your response if/when you can't hear God - how does it make you feel? How does it affect what you believe about God? What impact does it have on your faith?

I got this in an e-mail this week (sorry of it upsets any Americans who might read this blog!):

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo's David is returning to Italy . . .