The parish newsletter will be updated each month in print form, and available at service each Sunday. We always contact church members with extra important information.
November 2019
November 2019 has dawned as we gear up for Advent and Christmas. This is a month of new beginnings for IBPC as Ross our new Youth Pastor from Glasgow starts embedding himself in our our congregation and in the Berhampore community. Ross, we welcome you again. Can we all be praying for him, introducing ourselves to him, and inquiring where he needs support and invitations to dinner.
Thanks to those who came to the October AGM and participated in our discussions. There was robust engagement around our deficit, as well as a fun celebration of our life together and what has been achieved in God over the last year.
• Orientation Course. This is happening over lunch after the service Nov 3rd and 10th (please note the change in dates). This is for those who want to hear more about our vision and activities as a church, and is also a requirement for those who wish to become members of IBPC. We will have a membership service later in Nov for anyone wishing to take that step of belonging to IBPC.
• Halloween. Thursday Oct 31st, 6:30pm til late. Halloween falls in October, and we intend to copy our successful initiative of last year the “All Hallows Lantern Garden”. The Nordmeyer Garden will be decorated with fairy lights and candles as a ‘garden of remembrance.’ There will be a table on the street with stones and shells, and young trick or treaters will be invited to pause, remember someone they have lost recently, decorate a shell in their memory, take it through to the garden, and maybe pause and offer a prayer. See Mel if you can help.
Weds Nov 27th: Girls’ Brigade Awards evening.
• Nov 3rd is a day of prayer for the persecuted church. We have received some prayer guides from Open Doors that will be available in the foyer this month. If you would like more info on how to pray for and support our brothers and sisters who endure difficulties for their faith, please take one home and read over it.
GARAGE SALE DAY IS ALMOST HERE! Saturday 9th November. Our garage sales are a successful fundraiser and a fun community connector. Let’s make this one the same!
Things to do now: Mark your diary now to either help set up on Friday evening (6.30pm on the 8th) sell or on the day, or both. We need many hands and those who can lift boxes.
Bring dontaion in now: household goods including books, GOOD clothing, music, toys, sporting and camping gear, outdoor gear, kitchen things, manchester. And BAKING! We also need banner wavers, and people to put up posters ( collect from the foyer now). Talk to Helen in the office.
• Taize in Aotearoa, 15th Nov 5pm – 17th Nov 4pm.
Brother Matthew from Taize in France is coming to the Home of Compassion in Island Bay to lead a weekend of meditative Taize worship and workshops (we occasionally use Taize chants in our services at IBPC). The theme is Remembering Hospitality, Hebrews 13:2. This is a rare opportunity to experience the ethos of the Taize community in Aotearoa. $50 for a day including lunch and dinner. Tickets can be purchsed from the Home of Compassion website. We will have a Taize themed Sunday service that weekend.
An Advent Cacophony! We would like to resurrect our Cacophony music group for carols over Advent. If you have an instrument you don’t play very often but would like to pick up again, or a child who is learning an instrument and would like a gig, we will plan a series of easy carols to start each Sunday service over Advent – 1 carol per Sunday. Let Nathan know and he will distribute the music. Practices will be before each service.