A place in Auckland where mixed cultures come together to buy and socialize. It is a place of fresh fruits, some I have never seen before, and items from different cultures. You can find necklaces, dresses, shoes, jangles (flip-flops), music, carpet, sunglasses, green stone carvers, American sportswear, flowers, and much more. As well as the different cultural foods as you listen to gospel, Samoan music, and sometimes even country music being spoken. You will walk across individuals who have a guitar or a speaker and hear their talent. You may even see dancers. As each Saturday morning the market opens from 6:00am to 12:00pm people come and go and you never see everything the same each time.
I have taken the time to sit down and observe the people as pacific islanders, Chinese, German, Americans, and other people groups walk through the market.
It is amazing what I see and hear and I am glad God has given me the chance to be here.
Thursday 21 March 2013
Harvest is Ripe but the workers are few
The community garden has had its ups and its downs as the past two months were the driest Auckland, New Zealand has seen in a long time. People's garden's were dying and as I had trouble watering the garden because of no outside source nor fire hose could be used. Yes, I used a fire hose to water a garden...lol. I tried carrying water from inside the Church to the garden but after 2 hours of doing it I became tired and the garden seemed to thirst for more.
I have pulled fruits from the garden and walked through the community creating relationships and talking with people. I would start by saying, 'hello, I am pastor of the Church of the Nazarene (pointing where the Church is) and we have a community garden and I was wondering if you would some fruit for free?'
Not everyone rushes at you after hearing the words fruit and free but several people I talked to as Wednesday I gave out carrots.
I worked on the garden as the carrots were grown to close together and struggled to survive as they twisted and turned around each other. But it was interesting to see the different designs creation can do to live.
I hope my time here does not end with garden being left by its self but continued to be the example of an outreach to the community to fight obesity and type 2 diabetes. It is an outreach to create relationships and bring families into the Church. I see a Church is not a building nor the bricks or the wood but the people. A Church that does not fight against the social injustices around them or does not help the needs of the people is not really the 'Body of Christ'.
In sharing the food from the garden I have worked hard at I have seen certain foods disappear as I hope it went to a family that truly needed it. It is an outreach to help those who are in need. I am not asking them to come to the Church but build a relationship with me as we walk together in life.
I have pulled fruits from the garden and walked through the community creating relationships and talking with people. I would start by saying, 'hello, I am pastor of the Church of the Nazarene (pointing where the Church is) and we have a community garden and I was wondering if you would some fruit for free?'
Not everyone rushes at you after hearing the words fruit and free but several people I talked to as Wednesday I gave out carrots.
I worked on the garden as the carrots were grown to close together and struggled to survive as they twisted and turned around each other. But it was interesting to see the different designs creation can do to live.
I hope my time here does not end with garden being left by its self but continued to be the example of an outreach to the community to fight obesity and type 2 diabetes. It is an outreach to create relationships and bring families into the Church. I see a Church is not a building nor the bricks or the wood but the people. A Church that does not fight against the social injustices around them or does not help the needs of the people is not really the 'Body of Christ'.
In sharing the food from the garden I have worked hard at I have seen certain foods disappear as I hope it went to a family that truly needed it. It is an outreach to help those who are in need. I am not asking them to come to the Church but build a relationship with me as we walk together in life.
Make me a Priest
In ministry and classes a person can be overwhelmed, it is interesting that person can not be just whelmed, and as my classes increased my writing has decreased. I have been preaching in the Samoan congregation and the English congregation. I have been asked to teach Sunday school lessons and I have been doing that for several weeks as well in the Samoan service.
Lat week I spoke with my group of 12-15 year olds about the temptations of Jesus as he was tempted on three levels such as: physical, intellectual, and spiritual. The three levels we are all tempted in our lives by the evil in the world. Jesus had the chance to avoid the cross. He could have worshiped the evil and claimed domain over the earth. Scripture tells us Jesus had the command to call a legion of angels to his side at any moment. A legion consisted of over 35,000 angels. He could have shown the world that he is the messiah and avoid the insults, torture, torment, and the cross.
In the lesson plan the focus was to know scripture as the evil in the world can even quote it to their misuse of it. In a game of I called 'dress the royal priest' I found the excitement and how the youth thought outside the box.
I watched and took pictures and timed them to see how they did in comparison with each group.
Its funny of the years I have spent in ministry I have often been confused with being a monk or a catholic priest for my own singleness. I remember a conversation in 2003 where I sat in a car with a woman named Missy as she asked me why I chose to be monk. After laughing as I do, a trained deep laugh similar to a villain from a Saturday morning cartoon, I answered her in saying I am not a monk.
I see the disciplines in our life as a Christian, as a Pastor makes the world believe us to be singled out as people who refuse to be apart of the world. I chose to walk in the world and stand beside the broken, the hurt, the lost and show them I am a real person willing to live among them. I am not typical 80's Christian who thought separation and fences were a good idea. In doing holistic ministry a person needs to be there for others on all levels of their life and you can not be able to do that with a fence between you.
In saying this I taught my class the about the royal priest, Jesus Christ. It was a good time to see them understand what I was talking about and see the connection.
Lat week I spoke with my group of 12-15 year olds about the temptations of Jesus as he was tempted on three levels such as: physical, intellectual, and spiritual. The three levels we are all tempted in our lives by the evil in the world. Jesus had the chance to avoid the cross. He could have worshiped the evil and claimed domain over the earth. Scripture tells us Jesus had the command to call a legion of angels to his side at any moment. A legion consisted of over 35,000 angels. He could have shown the world that he is the messiah and avoid the insults, torture, torment, and the cross.
In the lesson plan the focus was to know scripture as the evil in the world can even quote it to their misuse of it. In a game of I called 'dress the royal priest' I found the excitement and how the youth thought outside the box.
I watched and took pictures and timed them to see how they did in comparison with each group.
Its funny of the years I have spent in ministry I have often been confused with being a monk or a catholic priest for my own singleness. I remember a conversation in 2003 where I sat in a car with a woman named Missy as she asked me why I chose to be monk. After laughing as I do, a trained deep laugh similar to a villain from a Saturday morning cartoon, I answered her in saying I am not a monk.
I see the disciplines in our life as a Christian, as a Pastor makes the world believe us to be singled out as people who refuse to be apart of the world. I chose to walk in the world and stand beside the broken, the hurt, the lost and show them I am a real person willing to live among them. I am not typical 80's Christian who thought separation and fences were a good idea. In doing holistic ministry a person needs to be there for others on all levels of their life and you can not be able to do that with a fence between you.
In saying this I taught my class the about the royal priest, Jesus Christ. It was a good time to see them understand what I was talking about and see the connection.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)