Which Status of Christian Life Are You?

I am sharing this short reflection, which I wrote in 2014 and was part of my inspirational talk with Filipinos at Invercargill Central Baptist Church.

Meeting and ministering with migrant workers allows me to learn their aspirations and hardships, including their desire to give their families a better life in New Zealand or their home country. ➔ CLICK TO READ MORE

Church Meeting on 11 May Sunday

After the 11th May Sunday worship service, there will be a meeting to decide on two matters:

1. Elders’ election
2. Adjustment to the constitution.

All present are welcome to attend, but only enlisted members can vote.

We will hold a fellowship lunch on Sunday, 11 May, to celebrate Mother’s Day. Please bring food to share.

Holding fellowship lunches is also about team-building, where we volunteer to prepare, serve, and help with the aftercare tasks. Please be ready to participate.

Two May Events – Ladies’ Morning Tea and Mid-week Fellowship

A Lecture-Seminar on Assertiveness by Dr. Val Gonzales

Our family friends, Dr. Val and Chelly Gonzales, will visit Oamaru from June 9 to 18, 2025.

They live in Mesquite, Texas. Val is an educator, minister, licensed psychotherapist, and amateur photographer who has served in Southeast Asia and North America.

During their visit, Val will preach in the morning and hold a lecture-seminar on assertiveness on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at 2:00 PM at OBC.

Val will preach about the church and mental health. Please invite your family and friends to join our worship service.

The lecture-seminar “To Understand and To Be Understood—A Seminar on Assertiveness” is open to all church members and the community. Please plan to attend and invite others.

In June 2017, they also came to Timaru, and Val conducted a “Building Relational Skills” lecture at Wilson Street Baptist Church. Let’s pray for their preparation and a safe trip to New Zealand.

On 7th May, at 7:00 PM, Jules Riding, a New Zealand Christian singer embarking on a South Island tour, will share his music and testimony at the OBC auditorium.

He titles this event “Finding God in the Wilderness, ” a mix of songs and the Word.

Your koha or donations are appreciated.

Listen to or Watch Jules’s “I Found Grace” on YouTube.

Life of Christ Course Starts

Twelve people attended the first Life of Christ (LoC) session on Sunday, March 30th.

Six more are joining in another class schedule we will set this week.

With a potential total of 18 persons, we will divide the participants into three groups.

➔ CLICK TO READ MORE

LoC Learners will take up Unit 2 on 6th April, 1:00 PM at the OBC Tea Area.

Working Bee Day is on Saturday, 5th April

Weekly Activity Reminders

• Youth Ministry – Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
  NOTE: Please ask Tom or Bevan for more information. Thank you!
• Prayer Meeting – Thursday from 1:30 to 2:30 PM

Five OBC Women Will Attend “Connected Across the South”

We are happy to share that five OBC women will attend the Regional Women’s Event at the Dunedin City Baptist Church on Saturday, 5 April, from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Let us pray for their (and other delegates from Otago and Southland regions) safe travel to Dunedin and back.

Pray for Rachel Murray, the main speaker; Jewel, and other women who will share their testimonies.

IN PHOTOS: Women and Men of OBC

We thank the Lord for stirring up our men and women. We look forward to more tea, bbq, and fellowships in the months ahead.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Be a Part of the Task Roster

We are thankful for your joining OBC. We invite you to join our task roster.

Joining this roster is not just a commitment; it’s a chance for you to actively engage in worship and service, contributing to the vibrant life of our church community.

Please write your name on the roster sheet on the table in our tea area.

If you have any questions about the tasks that interest you or need further details, don’t hesitate to contact Bevan, Jonan, or anyone else for help. Your involvement makes a difference—thank you!

Join the church task roster, where the only qualification is availability.

God Knows Our Leader’s Heart! He Knows Our Hearts!

He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. Luke 16:15

The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16, begins with Jesus teaching the people, including the Pharisees, that the ultimate purpose of life is to attain eternal blessings.

Attaining this purpose requires using the resources and wealth that the Lord has given us in a way that is pleasing to God. ➔ CLICK TO READ MORE

All Gentlemen’s BBQ Tea

Men are invited to a BBQ tea at 6:00 PM on Saturday, March 29th, in the Oamaru Baptist Church tea area.

Meat is provided, but please bring a small side dish to share.

Come and enjoy the fellowship!

Ladies Morning Tea

Ladies, please join us for morning tea on April 1, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Oamaru Baptist Church.

Wear a hat that has special meaning for you, or be creative and decorate one. Don’t miss the fun and fellowship, ladies.

Proverbs 31:25-26: “She speaks with wisdom and teaches with kindness. She opens her mouth with discretion, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.”

Connected Across the South 2025 – Regional Women’s Event

Women (teens and up) are invited to attend the Regional Women’s Event at the Dunedin City Baptist Church on Saturday, 5 April, from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Registration is $35pp – lunch included
Speaker: Rachel Murray – ‘Strength & Courage”

Jewel will be sharing her testimony at this event, among others.

REGISTER NOW HERE – The deadline is on 2 April.

Life of Christ Discipleship Course

Life of Christ learners will meet on 30 March, 1:00 PM at the OBC Tea area. Please don’t forget to bring the following:

• Copy of the New International Bible as where the Workbook is based. You may use other translations.
• Student Workbooks with Lesson 1A, 1B, and 1C have been answered.
• A pen or pencil. A set of coloured pencils (including red, blue, green, and yellow).
• BYO Lunch

Pure Books to Open a Pop-Up Shop in Oamaru

Pure Books, a Christian book shop based in Timaru, will open a pop-up shop from 9th to 10th May. The venue will be confirmed.

Andrew and Shing Stirling established Pure Books in Timaru shortly after the Timaru Christian Bookshop closed in February 2024.

“We are a family-run business based in Timaru. Our vision is to provide high-quality biblical resources. We try our best to ensure all our books undergo a strict screening process to ensure they are ‘pure’ or biblically sound.” – Andrew and Shing Stirling

Mark the dates on your calendar.

Alec’s Testimony

I’m pleased to share Alec’s testimony to boost our faith in God. He probably shared this many years ago, and a few might remember.

Regardless, Alec’s testimony is refreshing. He assures us that the Lord looks after you when you are faithful. ➔ CLICK TO READ MORE

Power through Corporate Prayer

I am sharing Allan Taylor’s article “Accessing God’s Power through Corporate Prayer,” which he presented at the national Hui last November. Allan is the President of the Baptist Union of New Zealand.

Reading Allan’s article this week reminded me that we must heighten our prayer life as a church. OBC is in the reorganisation phase. Let’s be aware that our “enemy” (satan) will try to sow disunity and confusion, disrupt relationships, and many schemes to hinder us from reaching our goals. ➔ CLICK TO READ MORE

1st Quarter 2025 Organisational Plans

On 24 January, I sent an email with the subject “AGM and Eldership” with two attached documents, namely: (1) OBC Letter January 2025 from Rachel and (2) OBC Elder’s Charter 2025.

The letter mentions that the Annual General Meeting will be on Sunday, 9 March 2025, at 11:30 AM in the OBC Auditorium.

A few key areas will be discussed to assist the church’s transition into a new stage.

1. Presentation of the draft new OBC Constitution.
2. Nomination of OBC elders. Rachel’s letter explains the procedure for nominating a candidate for Elder.

Please inform Jonan or Bevan if you haven’t received a copy of that email or your device doesn’t have a PDF viewer. Two sets of printed copies are on the Tea Room table. We can print more if needed.

Church Bulletin

• Youth Weekly Meeting resumes on Thursday, 6 February, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.
  
• Weekly Prayer Meeting continues every Thursday, 1:30-2:30 PM.
  
• Abundant Life Discipleship Group will take up “Lesson 15 – Members of the Local Church” on Sunday, 1:00-2:30 PM at the OBC Tea Room.
  
• Watch out! We will start The Life of Christ Discipleship Course in March 2025. We will provide more information next week.

Be a Part of our Task Roster

OBC needs your participation in the task roster. Join our task roster.

Please actively engage in our worship and service community and brighten our church community. Please write your name on the rostering sheet on the table next to our tea area.

If you have any questions about the tasks that interest you or need further details, don’t hesitate to contact Bevan, our pastor, or anyone else for help. Your involvement makes a difference—thank you!

Join the church task roster where the only qualification is availability.

Website Management Training

We want to train people to manage our website and assist in creating and publishing content for the church website and social media channels.

Please approach Jonan or Bevan if you are interested.

Looking back on my life before becoming a Christian, the Lord must have had his hand on me. Not long after I came to live in New Zealand, I rolled a ute on a grand road, just missing a concrete power pole, and I was unhurt. Another time, I was inches away from rolling a tractor down a steep bank.

When growing up, I had very little contact with Christians. I attended Sunday school for a short while, but there were much better ways of spending Sunday and a period at a church school. The Lord was not a part of my life.

It was only after joining the merchant navy that I heard more about Jesus. But I did wonder, if there is only one Saviour, Jesus, why were there so many churches claiming that theirs was the way to be saved? So, I was not impressed.

I then came to live in New Zealand, got to know a very nice girl and married her. She used to go to church, and before we were married, I had a few meetings with a priest. He talked about knowing God.

I was not prepared to commit myself, only to say that I was aware that there must be a guiding point. I went to a few church services after the children were born, but I thought there was no life in them.

Catherine left the Catholic church at the Lord’s direction and started going to the Assembly of God church. About this time, I was invited to a men’s breakfast. I enjoyed the fellowship but was not ready to commit myself.

I went along to some of the services and enjoyed them very much, full of joy and alive. But I did feel I was singled out by the altar calls into something I was not ready for.

Then, on Saturday, 12 August 1987, I had a telephone call reminding me of a breakfast that morning. It was a bit late to go to it, and I had already eaten. But I felt that I had to go. I can’t remember who spoke, but when they asked if anybody wanted to accept the Lord as their Saviour, I knew that it was for me.

I went home bubbling and could not wait to tell Catherine of my decision. It felt like I was walking on air for days afterwards. It was not until later that I found out that Catherine had been praying for me for years and knew that one day, I would come to know the Lord.

What brought home to me, that God knows all about me was during an altar call a week later. There came an altar call for someone who had trouble breathing through their nose and sometimes woke gasping for air. This was something I had not told anybody about.

Well, I just sat there, but when the call repeated again and nobody else went forward, I knew it was for me. The problem was cured, and I have had very little trouble with breathing.

Since then, my walk with Jesus has been one of gradual growth. But one thing I am sure of is that when you are faithful, the Lord looks after you. Since knowing Jesus, I have been blessed in many ways.

Alec Clarke

Heavenly Father, thank you for extending my days so that I could be here today with these others who love you and reverence your Holy name.

We welcome this New Year not knowing what lies ahead, but you know. You know the end from the beginning.

We do know that there will be sad days and happy days. There will be blessings and lessons because that is the way things are.

But our Trust and Hope are in you, for you will never leave or forsake us.

Thank you for your Love and protection and for showing us glimpses of your glory in the amazing and spectacular sunrises and the canopy of stars overhead at night.

Thank you for always acknowledging our spoken words and unspoken thoughts. May they be pleasing to you always.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Who am I…?

Who am I to give Hope to people affected by cancer
When I can barely manage the common cold
Or a bruise on my shin

Who am I to encourage someone with cancer
When I have not walked in their shoes
Or travelled the road they are journeying

Who am I
I am a child of God
What can I do

I can listen, I can pray, I can smile,
I can touch your hand in reassurance
I can cheer your day with flowers or a meal

We can look to the Lord of Hope together
We can pray for a positive outcome for you
That is what we can do

Christmas may be the happiest season for many, but not for everyone. For those who are sick, have lost a loved one, are going through a financial struggle or difficult circumstances, are away from their families, don’t have a loving family, are in a broken relationship, etc., the season is not joyous.

So, let us all meditate and reflect on what Christmas truly means.

Luke 2:19 says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a manger, an angel from heaven appeared to the shepherds nearby who were tending their sheep and “proclaimed the Good News that will cause great joy for all people because a Savior has been born.”

Of all the people in society at that time, God chose the shepherds, the lowest of men, to announce Jesus’ birth. He did not announce it first to the rulers, the highly educated, the wealthy, but to the simple—the people that society considered unworthy.

Why? Because this act reflects God’s great love for humanity and His humble heart. He desires our reverence, obedience, and childlike faith in Him.

As we celebrate Christmas, may our focus be not just on food, gifts, carousing, and drinking, but let us be like Mary, who “pondered” what this moment means.

God came in human flesh, in the humblest of circumstances, to become one with us, to empathize with our human frailty, struggles, pain, and, yes, also our joys and hopes.

Luke 4:18 says,

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

Merry Christmas, everyone, and let us rejoice because our salvation and Immanuel has come.

Behind the gifts, food, decorations, music, and gatherings, there can also be weariness and even emptiness for many as one year ends and another looms.

However, there is something about Christmas that draws those who are listening to more, which tinsels and baubles won’t provide it.

We long for it; we want it but struggle to take hold of it.

What is this peace and goodwill to all men, and what does it mean?

I was reminded of a devout man of faith with God’s spirit in him who was drawn to the Temple after Jesus’ birth to meet the Saviour God had promised to his people.

He saw this peace with God, and so have we, but we must continue to watch and wait patiently for his return. The story is told in the gospel according to Luke.

Is God’s promise of a saviour still drawing us to him at Christmas in 2024?

Like Simeon, we have glimpsed God’s salvation and light of revelation in Christ. The gift has been given, and we can trust the one who gave it.

Now that the mystery has been revealed, let its promise continue to draw us to him as we prepare to receive it, not just at Christmas but every day.