I love optical illusions. Like the sketch of the duck that is also a rabbit. Two people can look at exactly the same set of lines and come to different conclusions about what is there.

In Numbers 13, twelve spies are sent out to scope the land that God has promised His people. They all see huge bunches of grapes and they all see giants. Joshua and Caleb see the opportunity God is giving them while the other ten see the scary giants that made them feel like grasshoppers. The ten spies have the louder voice and Israel stays in the desert. They saw the same set of facts and came to wildly different conclusions.

We all face situations like this every day. Do we focus on an awkward conversation or the opportunity to reconcile a relationship? Do we focus on the sacrifice of obedience or the freedom that results? Do we see a sickness or the opportunity to pray for healing?

It’s also true for us as a church right now. We’ve spent the past few months making incredible progress towards potential new locations. It’s like we’ve been scoping out the land. We see obstacles like buildings, leaders and discomfort. We see huge opportunities like reaching people in our city and deeper discipleship relationships. So where should we focus?

The interesting thing is that the next generation was led by Joshua. He sent out spies again who would have seen similar fruit and similar giants. But those spies discovered that God was already at work in unseen ways, preparing the way for His people. The people of the land had already heard about God’s power and knew nothing could stop His people.

The truth is that all of us are engaged in a work of God that is bigger than us. None of us has the power to open a single person’s eyes to Jesus or help anyone become more like Jesus. The challenges will always be too big for us. The only way we can ever make any progress is to step out in faith and trust God to work by grace in us and through us.

So what will we choose? Let’s choose faith.

Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

As a country we are currently at COVID level orange. This is what it means for us:

• There is no limit for indoor or outdoor gatherings.

• You do not need to wear a face mask at a gathering, but it is encouraged.

• Workers and volunteers at gatherings must wear face masks 

We will continue to ensure the hall at Hobart Street is well ventilated when we gather and there will be plenty of hand sanitiser available.

Simon and Jenny give an update on some opportunities The Street will explore this year.
We have learnt to do church differently due to the pandemic. How can we retain the best things from our new experience going forward?

With the number limits increased, we will now go back to one gathering on a Sunday evening at 5pm! You may wonder, why not 6pm as it has always been? WELL, we feel this is an awesome opportunity for hospitality. With an earlier gathering it gives everyone time and space to make dinner plans afterwards. This time change will happen for the next Large Gathering on Sunday 24th April. There will also be no need to register from that gathering either. 

This Easter we are going to do something a little bit different. We want to help each one of us journey through the few days of Easter right through to resurrection Sunday.

Starting Thursday we will be sharing a short devotion video each day for you to engage with as an individual, family or friend group so that we can really push into all that Easter means for us.

You’ll be able to find the devotions on social media, and also right here on the website at www.thestreet.org.nz/sermons . (They are in the series called “Easter”)

Then, on Easter Sunday, we’ll CELEBRATE that Jesus is risen! You’ll be able to do that in person at Hobart Street, or online!

Let’s adore Jesus together this Easter.

If you missed our in-person and online services on Sunday (10th), Simon and Jenny gave a Senior Pastor update that it would be awesome for you to see.

Although we are now back to one service on Sundays, our serving teams have taken a big hit - for many reasons, not just COVID. Can we ask you to consider getting involved if you don’t already have a Sunday serving role? This season more than ever we all need to play our part. 

We are working hard with ministry leaders to streamline things where we can, but we do require a bare minimum of about 11 people just to make things happen on a Sunday.

Please get in touch for a chat if you think you can help!

Even though the COVID restrictions are beginning to ease, we know that COVID is still very much around. If you find yourself catching COVID please don’t struggle on alone. These are moments when the Church comes into its own and we are able to support one another. So, if you catch COVID and need help with anything please reach out to your Life Group or to us.

Life Groups really are the heart of our church. They are small groups of people who can encourage one another as we all seek to follow Jesus together. They are spaces where you have the opportunity to get to know people on a deeper level than will ever be possible at a Sunday service. They are places where you can dig into the Bible together and pray for one another. If you are not in a Life Group and you’d like to be, please get in touch and we would love to help you find one.

The Street is set to run the Kairos course over 9 weeks from 2 May - 27 June. The Kairos course lays out God's biblical plan for His people, to see all people of every nation, tribe and tongue having access to His truth and redemption. This video is Bryce sharing his experience of a Kairos course. If you'd like to know more send us an email or you can register for the course here .

For many years, our mission statement (as an expression of Christ’s church locally) has been “Helping People Become Total Followers of Jesus Christ.” It means we’ve been sent into the world like Jesus on a mission to help people discover Jesus and follow Jesus. It’s not something ‘the church’ does for us but something we as the church help one another pursue together. And if we are about becoming more like Jesus, it makes sense that we will need to spend time watching him at work and imitating his ways.

This series is a statement of intent. A first step into observing the life of Jesus together. And as they say, the beginning is a very good place to start. So here we go, let’s gaze at Jesus together in his very earliest years.

In case you missed the Missions Update in the online service last Sunday, here’s a video from Rachel, who serves with YWAM in Mazatlan, Mexico. Let’s keep uplifting her in prayer as she serves the Lord in this way. Also, let her update be a reminder to each of us that we are missionaries in our own neighbourhoods and workplaces. As we pray for Rachel, let’s pray that God would use each of us to share the message of Jesus with the people in our lives.

Here’s the latest update from Rach Duff. Check out what she’s been up to!

Strathmore Community Centre finally have their renovations starting at the start of April which is super exciting. They are currently moving everything out of the centre and have asked whether we have 3 or 4 strong people who would be willing to help on Saturday 26th March for 2-3 hours. There are some big items (including under the building) that need loading into a truck and taking to the tip. The truck will be provided. If you’re available to help please get in touch. east@thestreet.org.nz

Gateway Baptist has launched a new outreach initiative to encourage people to engage more with their neighbours through blessing them daily, praying for them weekly and serving them in a different way each month. Their congregation represents about 20 streets in the community. We would love to know if any of you live on these streets and would be open to meeting up to pray for your street. The streets are:

a.       On Peninsula: Ropa Lane, Wharekauri St, Darlington Rd, Darlington Rd North, Nuku St, Booth St, Seatoun Heights Rd, Calabar Rd, Miramar Ave, Weka St, Breaker Bay Rd, Moa Point Rd, Rahui St, Byron St, Arohanga Gr, Aramoana Pl, Totara Rd, Kekerenga St

b.      Outside Peninsula: Rongotai Rd, Rintoul St, Owhiro Bay Rd

If your street isn’t listed here but you’d still be interested in doing something like this please get in touch. The other churches on the peninsula are also getting involved and it may be that there are people from those churches that live on your street and are also interested in connecting.

Email east@thestreet.org.nz

Would you love to go a bit deeper in your knowledge and understanding of God and the Bible!? The Street is about to start two new Systematic Theology courses going through the book: Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology". 

The 2 courses are:

1. All-women group: Monday evenings (starting March 7) 7-830pm at 21 Hania St, Mt Victoria (or Zoom) - led by our very own Gemma Wills!

2. All-men or mixed: Thursday mornings (starting March 10) 645am-8am at 21 Hania St, Mt Victoria (or Zoom)

The courses are 7 weeks long and both kick off in the second week of March. There is a cost as you will need to purchase the book which is available from The Street at the discounted price of $50.

If you'd like to know more or to register please email city@thestreet.org.nz. If you're interested but can't make either of these groups please also get in touch in case we're able to put together another group.

See a course overview here.

We gather every Sunday evening at 5pm.

We meet to worship together and encourage one another, to hear from God’s word, to share communion & to have fellowship. Everyone is welcome!

We meet in Life Groups throughout the week.

Life Groups meet to learn from the Bible together, encourage one another and pray for each other.

Life Groups are a place you can know others and be known. Fill in the form below and Tom or Anna Field will be in touch.

As community cases in Wellington continue to rise, it is inevitable that people in our church community will contract Covid-19, and we are realistic that at some point there may be a case at a life group or a gathering at Hobart Street. In the coming weeks and months, if you contract Covid-19, please let your Life Group leader know, or contact us directly at east@thestreet.org.nz. We want to ensure that you are well supported as you isolate and recover. Equally, if you are required to isolate and need help with anything please let us know.

Life Group support will become so important for keeping people connected over the coming weeks, so can we encourage you again to join a group if you haven't already. Please contact us if that’s you.

If we are made aware of any cases of Covid-19 at any of our gatherings, we will let those who attended the gathering know so that they can respond according to Ministry of Health advice.

We are continuing with part two of our Pillars series that launched last year.  Pillars is a six-installment teaching series over a few years, where we look at the core doctrines of our faith. We began with the Bestseller series in 2021, looking at why the Bible is inspired by God, true, authoritative and sufficient for our lives. This Sunday Simon is kicking us off with this next part called “Trinity”.

What greater subject of study could there ever be? What could we focus on that could ever have such a profound effect? We’re setting our sights on God himself. The eternal and almighty God who is beyond compare. It’s a series that will no doubt be informative. It will definitely provoke conversation and may even leave us with more questions than answers. But most of all, it will inevitably lead to worship. We’ll move from awesome wonder to fearful reverence and from loud praise to lost-for-words silence because there is no one in all eternity like Him.

This is just another reminder that cults like Shincheonji are real and are constantly working hard to recruit people in Wellington. As many people have had to pivot to online during COVID, Shincheonji have also done so. We are aware of invites being sent to people in our church to attend their online Bible studies. Please be wise - if you attend a Bible study and what they teach seems at all strange, check your concerns with a wise and mature Christian that you trust. If you have noticed someone hasn’t been around in a while, this would be a good time to check in with them and make sure they’re OK and haven’t got caught up in anything unhelpful.

Remember, there is nothing to fear, but we do need to be wise and to love each other well in this way. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Simon and Jenny on east@thestreet.org.nz

Please see our past update on Shincheonji for some helpful videos.