Love your music?? Check it out!

What an exciting opportunity! Be sure to contact Aloema if you're interested. Even if you just want to find out more about Essence and how you might help. Bless you!

Sunday School is ON!

Sunday School starts this week! It's great to hear about all you've been doing in the break. We hope to bring you some stories soon from different parts of our parish. In the meantime, please help get the news out that we're starting this Sunday - 10th March. 9.30am in the hall - get ready for a year of exciting learning together. Your teachers have met and already planning some fun events - Gala Days, Day Out, Fun Days and more. See you on Sunday!

Christmas Special - Kids say the funniest things

Our kids are such a blessing and sometimes they can say the funniest things.  Here is a short movie created for our Christmas Eve Service in 2012 by some of our adorable kids in the Junior Department.
Please leave your thoughts about what Christmas means to you.
Merry Christmas All!

Christmas Eve @ Tamaki

We pray that you have all had a wonderful time with family and friends over Christmas.  We can see that a number of you have been hunting for our Christmas post - so here's part 1.  Our Christmas Eve service was led by our Sunday School with the theme 'The Greatest Gift'.  Songs, dances, Bible readings, prayers and play were all about this theme.  What is the greatest gift??  That's right - it's baby Jesus and his life that allows today to have salvation and more.

Here are a few shots from the evening.  Pray that you stay well and safe as we prepare to greet the New Year.  You are very welcome to post comments sharing about your Christmas.  We'd love to read all about it.

Rev Wayne

The Moderator of the Te Aka Puaho (Maori Synod) the Right Rev Wayne Manaaki Rihari Te Kaawa visited our parish last week and led our morning service.  He gave an address in favour of the recommendations from the PI Synod Task Group report in the recent General Assembly.

Those present in the Tamaki service loved his knowledge around our connected history via our people and the waka Takitimu.  We learnt that it was built in Samoa and also another waka that there was another  built in the Cook Islands - Aitutaki.  This alongside sharing of his upbringing and experiences were well received as many parts of this sermon we could relate to...so there was a lot of laughter and smiles to be seen.
We pray a blessing upon Rev Te Kaawa and all the ministers in the Maori synod.  People who work as volunteers in the work of ministering and leading of people to Christ, supporting themselves through jobs such as truck driving and chaplaincy...inspiring stories to be greatly encouraged by.    Thank you for sharing with us on this day Rev Wayne Te Kaawa.  Kia Ora.  Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou

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

SandS - Sure and Steadfast. Tamaki Boys Group

Boys group has started!  It was small but certainly exciting first gathering for the boys a Tamaki PIPC.  Tama joined in for the evening with devotion, singing and a time of fellowship.  The following Sunday, all boys and leaders were invited on stage to be prayed over and blessed - launch of the boys group!  The name they've decided to go with is 'SandS'.  This stands for S - Sure and S - Steadfast, which is the boys group motto.  You'll find that this is the motto for the Boys Brigade that many young boys and men in the past PIC have been  a part of.

Looking forward to the new year and what it holds for this group.  God bless!

Be Thankful

Following on from Grades 3 & 4 study on Thanksgiving, here is a short film made by and starring Grade 3 & 4. Can you guess which well known story this is? Post your answers below as well as what you think of these talented actors.

Thanksgiving

Grade 3 & 4 students have been learning about festivals.
Last Sunday we studied the American festival of Thanksgiving Day and the reason behind it.
Thanksgiving Day this year falls on Thursday 22nd November and was first celebrated in 1863 when the great American President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
Thanksgiving Day is usually celebrated with a big meal (traditionally roast turkey) and thinking about the things we should be thankful for.

Here are my top 3 things I am thankful for.

1. God sent His son Jesus to die for me
2. God has blessed me with a wonderful family and good friends.
3. I have food in the cupboard and clean water to drink.

What are your top 3 things to be thankful for? Post on here and the best post will be awarded a prize on Sunday at the Grade 5, 6 & 7 family service. Entries will close at 10.00 am on Friday morning.
You must be there on Sunday to claim your prize.

Looking forward to your posts!

NZ SSU Prize Giving 2012

Congratulations to all our special place winners at our NZ SSU prize giving last week.  They were Jordenne Eteuati, Hossanah Setefano, Legatasia O'Brien, Lamepa Laufili, Neta Setefano, Josie Mate, Teiho Tengaru and Andrea Tele'a.

Congratulations also the entire Sunday School as all our efforts collectively won us 2nd place overall in division A as well as 2nd place in the arts'n crafts competition.  Well done to you all.  We were encouraged throughout the evening about the blessings that come to those who keep sitting the exams year after year.   Committing His word to memory and then walking it out is the difference.  Don't stop - keep going!  Teachers your work matters :)

Renewal by the Holy Spirit. BC service

The service was based upon the renewal we can receive via the Holy Spirit. Psalm 51:7-12. Received well by our parish and ourselves who delivered - thank you so much Lord for your Holy Spirit. Our comforter our friend. Our intercessor, our messenger and so much more! Well done BC, the Holy Spirit led you. Be conscious of His Presence always!

Camp Spirit

Camp Spirit. Praise be to God for a successful camp in which we learned about the Holy Spirit and it's many duties and gifts towards us. The BC campers were a refreshing group to be around. Anything that was on offer during camp was an opportunity where all members took no backward step in taking. A real sense of spiritual growth and understanding was evident. King David's Psalm 51 was a story we talked a lot about. Especially where David cries out to the Lord

 Create in me a clean heart oh Lord
And renew a right spirit in me
Cast me not away from thy presence
 Take not thy Holy Spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of my salvation
And renew a right spirit within me.
 Hopefully our BC members will comment on this post so you get to hear what they personally enjoyed of Camp Spirit. Praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit that helps us to 'Recalculate'. "It's going to take a litte longer...but we'll get there"

Lotu a Tamaiiti 2012

Today we are reminded of the precious gift we have in children. Many happy children, parents, grandparents and families enjoyed the Lotu a Tamaiti at Tamaki PIPC.

It was service that had so many different and valuable messages. I think this has been a year with the least tears from nervous children!  Shows the great job parents and teachers have put into preparing the children for their items today.

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.

There will be more video to come, we've posted this early for those of you we can see already wanting to post about today's lotu a tamaiiti.  Well done on being so eager to share the love!

Tamaki Treasure Hunters!

Sunday the 23rd of September is the day that Grade 3 & 4 had been waiting for!
After weeks of learning how to plot and create maps, make up clues and codes and create a treasure hunt it was time for their skills to be put to the test in the annual Grade 3 & 4 treasure hunt.
The kids were split into 2 teams with Team 1 appointing RJ as their captain, and Team 2 selecting Jordenne as their leader. Clues were a combination of picture clues, secret codes and ciphers, riddles and the good old - X marks the spot - on the treasure map which each team were given.
A little bit of rain on the day didn't dampen the kids enthusiasm and in fact made the hunt more exciting. The race was on to find all 10 clues and the treasure at the end. In the end Team 1 won by a mere 30 seconds over Team 2 finding the treasure spot first and collecting the bounty! Well done Grades 3 & 4.
As we have been learning we should have the same excitement when looking through Gods Word as we do when we have our fun treasure hunts.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Mat 6: 21

NRL Fun Day - Sunday 30th September

Don't forget kids, next Sunday will be a Sunday School Fun Day!
Because we have a lot of rugby league fans here and because Sunday the 30th of September is the day of the NRL Grand Final, our theme will be - NRL teams. Make sure you come with some sort of NRL team attire - jersey, shorts, jackets caps or scarves. There will be fun games prepared by the teachers and spot prizes for those who wear their gears.
See you on Sunday!