Grades 5, 6 and 7 service on Obedience

The theme of our Family Service last week was “OBEDIENCE to God”. This was based on well-known biblical stories of Abraham, Moses and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grades 5, 6 & 7 demonstrated through these Biblical heroes that regardless of the situation they were in or the difficulties they faced, they were always obedient to God. This was all summed up in the class song ‘I love to love you Lord’ by Ron Kenoly.

Obedience was also witnessed amongst our audience through our BF Obstacle Course taken out by Ray and Norietta.  In addition, we were treated with an item under the leadership of Aloema by 7 of these students which together formed ‘7th Heaven’ and performed their first item ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’.
A special thank you to the families of Grade 5, 6 & 7

Grade 3 & 4 Treasure Hunters!

Over the last month, Grades 3 and 4 have been studying and learning that Gods word is like treasure for us. The combined classes have been looking at the theme of treasure and how Gods word is precious and valuable and should be highly sought after. 

Our studies will culminate this coming Sunday with the annual Grade 3 & 4 Treasure Hunt! This afternoon (Thursday) Grade 3 & 4 teachers Ray and Logo were spotted planning and plotting for the big event in and around the church grounds. I hope you are ready Grades 3 & 4 because Sunday will be a lot of fun. The 2 classes have had a bit of time and practice with a couple of smaller treasure hunts the past 2 weeks but they will need all their wits, smarts and even courage to make it to the end of what will be an exhilarating search for clues to the all important 'treasure' on Sunday. 

See you on Sunday!

Ray and Logo.

 

Grades 3 & 4 leave Haran for Hebron

Students of grades 3 & 4 from Tamaki PIPC found out all about Abram and Lot's journey from Haran to Hebron. How did they do this? Simple they walked down Pt England Rd, stopped at Te Ao Hou Childcare, then again at Pt England Reserve. All these places represented those in this famous story when Abram was first called by God to 'Go to the place I am going to show you'. All the way down Pt England Rd we followed chalked arrows on the footpath with this verse from God to Abram until we arrived at the sacred tree of Moreh, in Shechem where we built an altar, prayed, set our camp then packed up again stopping at the place between Ai and Bethel. Result - we got to experience some of what Abram may have and now know all the place names and people in lesson one for NZ SSU 2012.
Thanks to the amazing students of Grades 3,4 and 12 for being so open and willing to take part and be part of Abram and Lot's lot on this very sunny day in GI.

Grade 4

Greetings! We are the cool kids of Grade 4 and we are looking forward to another awesome year of Sunday School in 2012! Our teacher is Ray. Throughout the year we will be posting a lot of articles, stories and photos of our journey. Please make sure to leave some comments for us.
Lots of love, Grade 4.

The Perfect Storm: Sunday School Teachers Retreat

Talofa lava, Kia Orana, Fakalofa lahi atu,

Greetings to you all in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

This weekend was a very anxious one for us all as the Civil Defence issued a storm warning! For many of us, Friday night was a very rough and windy experience. As Saturday morning dawned, I asked myself, "Should I go to the retreat? Is it still on?" It was the best thing I could have done!

What a great privilege it was to attend the Sunday School teachers' retreat on Saturday and participate in what was a very special time of fellowship, worship and planning! After a couple of ice-breakers and a bit of singing and dancing, we heard a devotion from Luke 2:52 encouraging us all that in obedience to God, not only will we grow in wisdom and stature, but we also become recipients of God's favour. Thanks for that very encouraging message Ray. We also looked at the lessons for the year using our creative imaginations to prepare exciting games and activities that would make learning the stories of God interactive and fun - our God is not a boring God! We also got a few tips from Ria on how to blog - and so here I am!

Thank you to our Sunday School teachers that made this retreat a pleasure to be a part of. Thank you to Pt. England Primary School for the use of their facilities. And praise God for turning nasty weather into the Perfect Storm. God is good!

Blessings to you all,

Gary Mauga.

Bible Class comes to a close

Bible Class has had a wonderful year of in depth Bible Study, activities and learning experiences. This year has seen a steady group of committed members attend most Monday nights. Winter typically brings a drop in numbers, however this year a core group of members pushed past the desire to stay home and get to church every Monday.

Our closing evening was spent with one another as well as our minister Reverend Leiite Setefano. We were sharing about holidays and had Tama share with us about the passover festival and it's reason for being. A gift exchange was made between members and a delicious meal served provided by all the BC members.

Our annual prize giving went as follows:
Timothy Award (young up and coming): Nominees: Livingston,Rivalana, Kane and Zina. Winner: Zina
Merry Heart Award (always cheerful/warm to others):Nominees:Livingston,Josie,Marian and Masele. Winner:Masele
Most Improved Award: Nominees: Rivalana, Neta, Sione, Zina, Pamela. Winner: Sione
Most Encouraging Award: Nominees: Marian, Pareu, Masele,Faafeu. Winner:Pareu
Tafa'ipaia Award (all rounder - attendance, contributions,participation etc) Winner: Masele

The night following we went to watch the movie 'Courageous'. It's certainly a movie made by Christians with many strong messages, one being honour begins at home. We would strongly recommend for you to go and watch it. If you want to know more be sure to catch up with one of our BC members or click here to see the trailer. The picture you see we took after the movie. A word of thanks to our church family for your support and prayers for the youth in BC. They have undoubtedly helped us get through the year.

God bless you, be aware of the 'Snake Kings' ; )

Lotu a Tamaiti 2011

A scene certainly to make any parent happy and be reminded of the precious gift we have in children. This scene unfolded yesterday in our church. Many happy children, parents, grandparents and families enjoyed the Lotu a Tamaiti at Tamaki PIPC.

Like year's before it was service that had so many different and valuable messages for parents and families alike. Parable of the servants in the vineyard, the denial of Jesus by Peter, debate of the greatest mountain, story of Queen Esther, the brothers Esau and Jacob and their important lesson on forgiveness were presented to us today by our children.

Some made us smile, laugh and cry as we received and reflected on their messages. Well done to all our children, teachers, Tama and Tina who prepared another uplifting White Sunday for us all to enjoy and grow from. We hope you had an enjoyable lunch with family and friends. God's blessings be upon us all as we venture into the last few months of the year.

Ia manuia outou matua, ae ola matou le fanau. Ia soifua ona o Iesu.

The Redeemer Lives!

This months Family Service was brought to us by the students of grades 7 & 8. Their theme was 'The Redeemer Lives'.

Fittingly with this being Easter weekend grades 7 and 8 took the opportunity to remind us once again of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Congratulations to today's classes for presenting a wonderful service. Thank you for reminding us about the truth and blessings we have in the Trinity -the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord for his many blessings. May we continue to move forward under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our helper and comforter at all times.

God bless you grades 7 and 8.

God the Father. Seek Ye First...

Today's morning service was led by the students and teachers of Grades 3 and 4. Together they delivered a message that reminded us of the awesome Father we have in God.
This song was sung during offering. Some very talented students lead the way in singing the well known song 'Seek Ye First'.

Be sure to leave a comment for the wonderful students of Grades 3 and 4.

It is well

It is well is a well loved hymn over a century in age. Bibleclass led our morning service on the 31st October 2010 where they shared about the author of this hymn. Horatio Spafford is the man who wrote this hymn, his past was one full of adversity. His life story is an inspiration to Christians. The following was a summary that was shared at the end of our servic.

Because God can work all things for good, we can have peace knowing that good will come even under bad circumstances - adversity. Horatio’s grief was so great, a son lost to scarlet fever, 4 daughters drowned and lost at sea...yet he holds fast to his life line - as written in this hymn
‘ though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and hath shed his own blood for my soul.

Today, Horatio Spafford reminds us that we can also sing ‘ It is well with my soul because . . .
1) God is in control.
2) All things work together for good.
3) Trouble is only temporary.
4) Salvation is for all.
The end result is victory.

Lotu a Tamaiti 2010

A sea of white flowed through our church doors and filled our pews. Beautiful singing was to be heard...all coming from what seemed an endless line of beautiful children. Boys and girls, strutting their stuff in their newest white clothing. A scene certainly to make any parent happy and reminded of the precious gift we have in children.

This year's service had so many different and valuable messages for parents and families alike. Stories of creation, the tempting of Jesus, Joseph and Jephthah were presented to us today by our children. Some made us smile, laugh and cry as we received and reflected on their messages.


Well done to all our children, teachers, Tama and Tina who prepared another uplifting White Sunday for us all to enjoy and grow from. We hope you had an enjoyable lunch with family and friends. God's blessings be upon us all as we venture into the last few months of the year.

Ia manuia outou matua, ae ola matou le fanau. Ia soifua ona o Iesu.

NZ Sunday School Union Scripture Examinations

NZ Sunday School Union Building, Queen St, Auckland.

Yes they're still around! They are still a vital part of New Zealand Sunday Schools. Bringing to the forefront many exciting and impacting stories from the Holy Bible. This year's exams were based on servants such as King Josiah, Queen Esther, Mordecai and the disciples - and the ultimate - Jesus. The story of creation was also part of this series. All these lessons teach and remind us of the awesome creation of God. SSU exams rock! It's an awesome way to study His word deeply and to build your understanding of why we stand in awe of Him.

Our Sunday School did extremely well with all our students and teachers passing. We also received 10 special placings!

As part of our preparation for the scripture union exams, the senior Sunday School and Bible Class carried out extra studies on the lessons. These activities were to help reinforce our learning as well as committing to memory God's days of creation. Check out the following movie.

If you'd like to share how you found this year's exams, leave us a comment and take our survey.

God bless and keep you in his steadfast love. Looking forward to the proclaiming of God's word tomorrow during Lotu a tamaiti.

Cast your net on the right side...

After the Grades 11 and 12 students delivered their service to our congregation. A couple of the same students along with their families led our afternoon service. This service is led in the Samoan language. Families once a month have the opportunity to minister through their creative items. This service had wonderful items that included a lot of beautiful singing and actions. The acting was fantastic too! Both young and old were involved and delivered a heart felt message.
If you were present, leave a comment and share what you enjoyed from this service.

Go Airlines

A message from our Grade 11 and 12 classes...'We’re here today to remind you that you can go forth and share the good news of Jesus. Remember the words of Jesus before he left his disciples - I have given you all authority in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations...and if you think you can’t do it alone - well you’re right. You can only do it with Jesus - that’s why he says - I will be with you always until the end the age.
Aren’t these words powerful, whatever your reason or excuse - Jesus’ words encourage you to rise and spread his gospel. He wants to use you today. You can start by sharing in your home, your church, your schools, communities and workplaces. For Jesus said, ‘Do not be afraid for I the Lord am with you until the end of the age. Go...go...go.’

Thanks to our parish and our two classes for the uplifting service. May we all be encouraged to Go in the name of Jesus.

Part 2 'Take a sentimental journey...'

Here's part 2 of our slideshow, come and take a sentimental journey...

Cherished memories of the last 30 years

This slideshow was watched during our Sunday morning service. This is the first of three parts that were presented. This was presented after members of our parish shared testimonies about their time in the church. A very rich time of history for all. We got to hear about the last 30 years and more. It's awesome that this place of worship has been used for God's work for over a hundred years.
Do you have some cherished memories you'd like to share here? Leave us a comment.

He created you!

Grades 3 and 4 kicked off our year with our very first Family Service. Their theme was based upon creation. They danced, acted, recited and sang about the many beautiful things our Lord has made.

If you were present you will agree with us that they were certainly an enthusiastic bunch! They would love to receive feedback from you.

This class has a number of keen bloggers who visit this blog often. You will find on the side bar links to blogs that some of these students own.

Christmas at Tamaki

Emmanuel - God with us was the theme of our Christmas Eve Service this year. It was a lovely evening with most if not all our families present. It was great to catch up with people of our parish who have moved overseas or to another part of NZ - back home for Christmas. Our Sunday school and youth prepared carols, a gameshow, dances, plays and a group song for our parish. The service was enjoyed by all present. Around 10pm - warm hugs were exchanged at the conclusion of our service. Some looking like they would stay catching up in the church carpark right up to midnight!
Glory be to God for all that was shared and celebrated - this the day we remember his birth.
God bless and keep you all safe in his steadfast care.
Have a blessed festive season.

Grade 4 Reflections for 2009

Sadly, the Sunday school teaching year came to a close yesterday. Like the rest of the Sunday school kids, Grade 4 will miss the learning and interaction that takes place every Sunday.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to the parents and families of my students. I have enjoyed every single minute of Sunday school this year. Your children are a credit to you parents and you should feel very proud of what they have achieved this year and also for the awesome kids that they are.

Here are some of their thoughts on what has been another fantastic and blessed year for our Sunday school. Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year from Grade 4!

Ray and the Grade 4 students.

Sweet smelling

Grade 4:Imagine that everything you do in life produces a smell. That's right a smell. We're not talking about shampoo in your hair, perfume before coming to church. No we're talking about all the things you do. For example, you help someone in need - a nice smell is produced. You do something naughty - of no use to people - it sends off a bad smell. Interesting aye!
We learnt some new words too from the Bible. For example nice smell = a sweet smelling fragrance, bad smell = a 'stench'. This was a good follow on from our lesson the week before where we learnt about the rich fool who tried to store all his riches selfishly. We made the link with the fact that every time we do something we are building up our riches in God's store house in heaven. In this light we strive to do good things as it pleases God and it sends a 'sweet smelling fragrance' up to Him.
Here are some photos from an activity we did at the beginning of our lesson. We had to guess what it was we were smelling. Lamp and Natascha did very well and almost guessed all correctly. The rest of us had a great time watching and recording what they were made to smell. We couldn't wait to tell them what they were really smelling!