Deepening Faith
Using our hearts, minds and strength to dig deeper into faith.
Jesus tells us to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbours as ourselves.
Any of us who have tried in some way to follow this calling of Jesus on our lives will have found it is wise, inspiring, and very difficult! That is why we need each other in the Body of Christ: both those we know personally, and those from the past and present whose guidance can help us along the way.
This page is a place to find resources for home groups/study groups (learning from each other), workshops within the Diocese and beyond, and opportunities for individual study (learning from the wider Body of Christ).
ORDINARY TIME
“Ordinary time” has nothing to do with being “ordinary” in our sense. It simply refers to counting weeks using ordinal numbers! Instead we should think of it as a time of growth, as the green colour indicates. Time to learn, time to deepen our faith…
Bible Explore has a great range of Pentecost, Trinity and Te Pouhere resources. It’s a New Zealand resource and on it you will find links and resources for every Sunday of the lectionary. It is especially helpful for intergenerational worship, but our Gospel Conversations generally feature too! Click the picture to be taken there.
The Bible Project is almost always a good place to start if you’d like a clear, well-presented way in to understanding parts of the Bible and the theology that has grown from it. This link will take you to a short video on the first few chapters of Acts, including Pentecost, and this link will take you to a podcast on the Trinity and “God’s identity”.
Although the Season of Creation doesn’t begin until September, you may want to start planning ahead. Not only are we encouraged to take our relationship with creation seriously by the Five Marks of Mission and the Lambeth Calls, but issues such as climate justice go straight to the core of who we are as Christians: people called by God to work with God in order to bring blessing to the world.
There are a wealth of resources available for planning this season in your faith communities, including THIS resource from Green Anglicans which provides a choice of Eucharistic prayers for the season, readings, sermon notes – in fact, resources for every part of our Sunday liturgies.
There is another new course up in the brilliant resource, “Discipleship Pathways.”
This new, short, free, online course looks at the spirituality of children, and would be helpful for many of us! Whether you are wanting help in understanding your own children or grandchildren, or being ready for when children pop into church, or running a children’s programme, it would be worth having a look at this.
Remember there are also courses on preaching, on te Tiriti, pastoral care, and many other key aspects of lay or ordained ministry. Check out all they have on offer.
2024: Becoming Reconciling Communities
In 2024, we will be focusing on a Lambeth Call which is at the heart of our faith. We are to be ambassadors for Christ, bringing reconciliation to the world.
Yet so often our own communities are divided. We all want to love others, we all want to be peacebringers – but how do we do it? How do we start with ourselves? How can we become communities of peace, of non-violent and loving communication, of justice?
Below are some liturgies, prayers, studies and learning opportunities to consider. More will be put up over the year ahead.
This would be an invaluable study to use over Lent in 2024. Navigating a divided and complex world can be hard. We encounter this in our relationships, in our communities and in our wider systems and structures. Many of us long to make a difference, but often we don’t know how to respond or where to start. This is why Archbishop Justin Welby has brought together leading practitioners and thinkers to create Difference, equipping you to cross divides, navigate disagreement and pursue a just and flourishing world. Across five sessions, Difference teaches three habits that have the potential to transform everyday relationships. Talk with the Ministry Educator if you want to find out more.
Peace Liturgy
This PowerPoint has been designed to accompany the Peace Liturgy Leader Notes which are available for download. The liturgy is designed for a teacher, a class, a youth group or any group of people to reflect on and pray for peace. It can be used on or around International Day of Peace (21st September). You will notice that there is a Gospel reading and a selection of quotes. You may choose to use both or just one of these in the liturgy. The hope is for participants to reflect on what peace-building means and Jesus’ teaching about peace
It is very possible that the next few years will give rise to increasing debate over the Treaty of Waitangi. Many of us have collected various views and understandings over the years, some of which will be accurate, others less so. We will need to listen to each other carefully and respectfully, and be ready to speak out if it becomes clear that justice is threatened. This is a talk that Dean Jay Ruka from Taranaki Cathedral gave to an interdenominational group of school chaplains a few years ago, giving a quick overview of NZ Christian history and the treaty. It may be helpful.
Talking Circles
A Talking Circle can be a highly effective process for a group to use when we want to establish (or renew) trust and relationships; explore issues and creative opportunities; and develop shared commitment and collaborative action. If you would like to find out more about this, contact the Ministry Educator
A collection of Prayers for Peace
The following collection of prayers for the International Day of Prayer for Peace comes from a variety of denominations and countries. We encourage you to use them freely, taking note of the copyright information when given. Please cite the World Council of Churches if no other source is provided.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Upcoming workshops, talks, and opportunities to learn from the wisdom and experience of others
Another great innovation from Diana Langdon and Strandz. “Our Bite Size conversations are the perfect place to dig into a range of children’s ministry leadership topics, over lunch or a cuppa. We’ll be gathering on Zoom in April and May, and would love you to join us.
Each 1 hour Zoom will include a short Discipleship Pathway video, a reflection and open discussion about how to lead well in this space. Join us for one, or all! These Bite size conversations are free, and open to everyone to dip into. BYO cuppa.” Click below for more.
Laidlaw Centre for Church Leadership (CfCL) exists to bless, love, and serve the Church of Aotearoa New Zealand by providing her leaders with the tools, support, and guidance they need to flourish.
Abide is one of the ways CfCL is outworking this aim by offering a distinctly Aotearoa conference – developed by and for Aotearoa’s church leaders. As a national gathering point for church leadership teams, you can learn with and from each other about best practice admist a wide range of church networks.
We have more than 35 New Zealand pastors and leaders contributing to various sessions this year, along with our overseas speakers Pete Greig, Laura Barringer and Mark & Trudi Sayers.
During our keynote sessions we will be ministered to and led in worship by a team being brought together by Aaron Hardy (Te Rautini). More info on that to come! We are intentionally creating space in our keynote times to sit, to receive prayer, space to process and to connect with what it is God will be doing.
CLICK THE PICTURE ABOVE TO FIND OUT MORE AND REGISTER
We are deeply fortunate to have a Chaplaincy programme at Otago University, and then blessed again to have the Rev’d Graham Redding running it. Any of you who were part of our first “Spring Saturday” workshop will remember him. If you are interested in learning more about chaplaincy of any form, or simply want to deepen your ability to reach out to those beyond the walls of the church, think about studying with Graham. More information below.
Resources for Study Groups
Below are some worthwhile programmes designed for study groups, home groups, or individual study.
Sometimes it can be good to check our foundations and dig them a little deeper. Olive Tree Media (Australian-based) have some brilliant resources, including videos and study guides, which call on the wisdom of Christians around the world to help us understand Jesus and faith better. See, to start with, their series, “Jesus the Game Changer.” The Ministry Educator is allowed to give a small number of people free access to these resources, so get in quick!
The journal additionally welcomes readership and contributions from the global Anglican and theological communities.
Anne Gover has recently gifted her huge range of study notes to anyone who will find them useful. These are simple-to-use, informative and engaging studies which cover biblical characters, books, baptism and a host of other topics. If you are part of a small group (or would like to start one) these will make your preparation easy! Find them in a dropbox folder HERE.
Navigating a divided and complex world can be hard. We encounter this in our relationships, in our communities and in our wider systems and structures. Many of us long to make a difference, but often we don’t know how to respond or where to start. This is why Archbishop Justin Welby has brought together leading practitioners and thinkers to create Difference, equipping you to cross divides, navigate disagreement and pursue a just and flourishing world. Across five sessions, Difference teaches three habits that have the potential to transform everyday relationships. Talk with the Ministry Educator if you want to find out more.
Bible Project Classroom is an incredible way to dive deep into Scripture. You can choose an introduction to reading the Old Testament, or a series of over 30 sessions just on Genesis 1, or a whole range of others. Learn how the Scriptures have depths and complexities you’d never dreamed of, but learn it all in a completely accessible way.