2025 ACJV update # 5
Hi church,
I enjoyed attending the opening of the Flaxbourne Heritage Centre. Congratulations to everyone involved! It's well worth a visit.
Easter Service Times:
Good Friday, St. Peters, Ward 10 am
Easter Sunday, Epiphany, Seddon, 10 am. (Followed by a Sausage sizzle and Easter egg hunt)
St Georges, Kekerengu, 10:30 am.
“What’s the best future you could ever imagine?
There are few emotions more powerful than hope. But these days, hope sometimes feels hard to come by. In May and June, the Joint Venture Church is Exploring Hope.
What is Hope Explored?
Hope Explored is an informal and relaxed three-week course. It’s for anyone who wants to find hope, peace and purpose in life. It’s run by ordinary Christian people local to you and is completely free. You don’t need to know anything about the Bible, and you won’t be asked to pray or sing. You can ask any question you like, or you can just sit and listen.
Each session has one or two well-produced video clips presented by Rico Tice, some discussion and a short exploration of a passage from the Bible.
Whoever you are, whatever you’re thinking, Hope Explored is a place for you to discover the hope of a future that is better than you could ever imagine.
What is each session about?
Over three sessions, Hope Explored presents the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and provides an opportunity to discover how he fulfils three great longings we all experience: the longing for hope, peace, and purpose.
All over the world millions of people find hope and help in knowing Jesus Christ. Hope Explored is a three-session series about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that examines his extraordinary claims. Through teaching from Rico Tice and studies from Luke’s Gospel, Hope Explored shows how Jesus offers us a hope worth having, a hope that won’t disappoint us.
Six hundred years before Jesus was born, a prophecy was made about him, that he would be called “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. The gospel of Luke, which is an account of Jesus’s life, explains how these prophecies came true, and that this is great news for all people.
When and where will Hope Explored run?
In May, ordinary members of the ACJV church community will be getting familiar with Hope Explored and getting ready to run the course. We will begin running the course in June on Monday nights, but we know that won’t suit everyone. So, we want people to be able to explore hope with friends or family at home or at a friend’s home or even at a local café.
We will be advertising Hope Explored in May and June. Maybe someone will ask you if you would like to do Hope Explored with them, or if you are interested you can contact the Joint Venture Church.
Confirmation
Bishop Steve will be preaching and leading us in Communion on Pentecost Sunday, June 25. This is a wonderful opportunity to confirm your baptismal vows and to declare your faith in public. Please let me know if you are considering being confirmed.