Well, we are fast approaching the end of 2024. It hasn't been a quiet year, I believe. There have been ups and downs, as there are in every year. Our congregation has new attendees, and we have also had a beloved sister move out of our region. Our members have faced health issues, suffered from injuries, and some still do. There have been times waiting for surgery, and other times with surgery completed. There have been changes in pastoral roles, with our Pastor of many years, Rex Morgan, looking at retirement, and reducing his workload. We have welcomed Anthony Dady as a regular speaker and look forward to him continuing to serve GCI in the coming year. Fresh younger faces are welcome, and we hope to have some of Anthony's family's energy infuse us with a bit of new life. We have had a Refresher Weekend at the start of the year, and a Retreat in October, both focussing on how we can be more hands-on in our communities. We have had members become involved in training - taking classes in the CDP programme - the Christian Discipleship Pathway - which will no doubt lead to better equipped members and emerging leaders. Some have also had the opportunity of attending sessions in Australia, furthering training and connection with the brethren there. Learning from Chris Dickons (of Manna Consulting), who has been instrumental in helping GCI Australasia work through its vision and goals, has been a great motivational bonus as well.

This year we relaunched our "Inside Life" website, the magazine that is edited by Pastor Rex Morgan (and which he is also the lead writer of). A move to an online-only magazine, rather than a printed one, is quite a significant change. We have had some initial forays into podcasting, and there has been an effort to step up our social media presence, and post sermons online. Lianne, our comms volunteer, works full time elsewhere and has other commitments, so it isn't easy keeping up our online presence.

Our local Pastoral Team has continued to meet through the year via Zoom, meaning less travel, and more guaranteed attendance. Our monthly national Zoom service has continued on the first Sunday of each month and is well attended by members around the country. That feature - Church Online - has been the unanticipated blessing of the previous lockdowns, as we have been able to connect more with scattered brethren and also build deeper friendships with members in Australia and across New Zealand. Having the Fiji Church involved too has given us more of a wider Pacific community identity. Having one weekend a month where our service is online has also given our small Pastoral Team and Worship Team a breather. Their rostered duties for our local congregation can now be spread out a bit more to allow for leave and avoid burnout.

Contributions for the Foodbank are an important part of our ongoing mission to serve others, and it was great to see the wonderful response to our Christmas Drive in the last few months. We ended up with 4 brimming basket-loads of goodies for Women's Refuge and some vouchers.

There are so many in our congregation that serve, not just those on the Pastoral and Worship teams. We want to thank them all. Everyone contributes, and not a week goes by without us being thankful for that contribution. If you weren't here, we would be the poorer for it. It has been wonderful to hear the discussions, the genuine caring for one another, the support and prayers. Thank you to everyone in GCI Auckland. As this is a public blog post, we won't name you here, but be assured, we appreciate and bless each one of you.

We hope that this weekend's end-of-year afternoon tea will be a fitting celebration of all of our achievements, persistence, and faithfulness this year. May we enjoy many more end-of-year events with you in the coming years.

So, now is also a time to start thinking about the coming year. About how to make that a success, both in our personal lives, and in our congregational presence. Our desire is for our congregation to be consistently community-focused, and a body that is looking for opportunities to serve wherever we can.

We know that New Zealand is currently in a recession, and there are tough times being faced by many in our communities. Our membership and our Church is not unaffected by the economic times, and this will continue to be a challenge in the coming year. We need to think about how we are going to face these challenges, how to navigate them with clarity and purpose.

Please don't be afraid to come forward with ideas for practical ways we can further the gospel, and be a positive presence in our communities, whether as a group or individually. Let's create a more intentional year with plenty of highlights. Let's look for ways to support each other, to honour one another, and continue to grow.

THANK YOU for a wonderful 2024, and let's make 2025 even greater.