Re-new Communities Hui in Lyall Bay
A significant time of gathering together and building whānau happened at the recent Re-new Communities Hui in Lyall Bay.
This annual event, held last year in Brooklyn, draws together the four communities of Re-new (Lyall Bay Community Church, Brooklyn Anglicans, Blueprint Church, and The Free Store) for a day of worshipping, serving, learning, and growing together. The theme of this year was ‘Share’, taking these communities on a journey of rediscovering and learning to tell the stories of God’s goodness in our lives.
The day began with a breakfast fry-up from the Free Store community, followed by sung worship. After this, three people prepared stories of God’s goodness in their own lives. These included stories of emerging from an enormously difficult upbringing to find a home in Jesus, recovering from trauma to discover a God who loves and welcomes all, and a once-committed atheist who found hope in meeting the God who offered meaning and purpose to his life.
Following this time, those attending were offered a space of reflection to remember stories of God’s goodness in their own lives, and to practice telling these firstly to people they knew well, and then to others in the room who felt less familiar.
After lunch, the 80 people in attendance took to the streets of Lyall Bay to complete a number of practical projects for the local community such as working in a community garden, beach cleaning, cooking emergency meals, and painting at the local school.
The last session of the day was led by Keri-Ann Hokianga and Sela Otoota Havili, two Tikanga Māori ministers based in Mangere. They shared stories of God moving among their Pacifica and Māori neighbours as they have re-planted a local church, as well as the important work of changing racist attitudes towards their community, perpetuated in the media. This was a deeply moving and inspiring korero for many in the room.
The day aimed to draw together the diverse threads of Re-new Communities and to equip people with the ability to share the good news of Jesus in a moment where more and more people seem hungry to hear. You can find out more about Re-new Communities at www.renewcommunities.co.nz
