Thursday pastors group meets fortnightly at Spreydon Baptist. It is for sole or senior pastors who share a vision for renewal and mission for their churches. Each gathering consists of a time of worship together followed by some input on a ministry related theme. This is followed by a robust discussion around the topic that has been presented. We then break into groups of three for a time of sharing and prayer for each other. The whole experience has been described as a time of ‘mutual mentoring’. The afternoon finishes with tea and coffee with cakes and scones from the Spreydon café.
The venue is the Cobham Street hall behind the Spreydon church gym. Meetings start at 1.30 on alternate Thursdays, and afternoon tea is at 3 pm. For further details contact Murray Robertson mrobertson@spreydon.org.nz
The Christchurch central city minister’s group meets once a month on the second Tuesday morning, from 8.30am, for an hour. Sometimes we extend it and include food, such as a cooked breakfast or pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. The venue is shared around, and whoever hosts us, also provides a lead, with a devotion or reading or prayer, and perhaps a topic for discussion, along with a decent cup of something! We have made joint submissions to the city council and to local MP’s in the past, and have also invited councillors and MPs to visit with us and present material on topics we have an interest in. There have also been joint worship events in the past. Regular members tend to be the senior or sole minister, although we have had youth, social, assistant and children’s workers also present. We share our faith in God together, we share stories of our unique situations and traditions, and we support and uphold one another, all the more so since the earthquake season came upon us and comprehensively levelled nearly all of our buildings! For 2013, contact can be made to chris@otbc.org.nz for details of where our next meeting will be.
North-East Minister’s Gathering meets 4-5 times per year to relate, debrief on their church’s journey and support each other. It’s relaxed and involves hot drinks and food but with the aim of keeping leaders connected and supported as well as providing the relational context for collaboration. The gathering is an informal network based upon relationship rather than formal project goals and is ecumenical. If you would like to know more, please contact Pastor Nigel Ripley n.ripley@bcc.net.nz of Burwood Christian Centre.
The Hornby Ministers Association meets approx every six weeks. Peter Hay, Oasis Baptist Church chairs the meeting and is the coordinator. We have ministers, chaplains and priests from Hornby Anglican Church, Oasis Baptist Church, Hornby Reformed Church, Hope Hornby, Disabled Trust (formerly Templeton hospital) and normally the pastor of a Zimbabwean congregation – he’s just left to plant a church elsewhere so we’re looking forward to the new pastor joining our gathering.
The purpose is to maintain relationship; support each other; and occasionally engage in joint initiatives. We keep each other informed of community activities and assist each other where appropriate. However, the main purpose is relational and pastoral. We gather at each other’s venue, so contact Peter Hay pbhay@ihug.co.nz for the next meeting venue.