Baptist Church of Oamaru

Living in Faithful Obedience to Jesus Christ

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Greetings from the National and Regional Leaders – OBC 140th Founding Anniversary

Oamaru Baptist Church was founded on 13 August 1883 by 23 founding members at a meeting held in the Lecture Hall of the Athenaeum.

In its 140th year, we celebrate with messages from Charles Hewlett and Chris Chamberlain, National Leader and Regional Leader, respectively.

Greetings from Charles Hewlett

Greetings from Chris Chamberlain

Chris Chamberlain

Dear Jonan and the Oamaru Baptist Church.

It is a joy to send greetings to you from the Upper South Baptist Association on the occasion of your 140th-anniversary celebrations.

Since 1883 the Oamaru Baptist Church has witnessed God’s goodness in Oamaru and the wider region.

We look back, and with reference to Hebrews 12:1 and our predecessors who go before, we thank God for those who now occupy the cloud of witnesses, especially those original 23 founding members.  

They heard the call of God, grasped the bigger vision of God’s kingdom and developed this work in his name.

May God continue to refine the church. May God build the church, and may God use the church for the kingdom purposes which have not yet been fully realised. Until that day, Oamaru Baptist church has yet more to witness to.

On this 140th celebration, we look back with thanksgiving to the Father because of Jesus and look ahead with the expectation of further work of the Spirit.

Chris Chamberlain
Regional Leader,
Upper South Baptist Association.

Fundraising Updates, Website Management, Fellowship Meals, Meeting Roundup

BAPTIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER 8 JULY 2023

baptist church oamaru nz

Thank you for your generosity! The Yumos are coming on 25 July.

Thank you for your prayers, generosity, and support for this fundraising event. It is such a blessing to see how the Holy Spirit moved the hearts of the people at OBC and in the community (Totara School, Otago Rural Support Trust, etc.).

We raised a total of $6,000 for the family. Praise the Lord.

We bought their tickets on Wednesday, 5 July. The Yumos (Joel, Ralph, Faith, and Chelsea) will leave the Philippines on 24 July and arrive in Christchurch on 25 July. Joel and the kids thank God and everyone who contributed and prayed for them.

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:11-12)

The Yumo family.

Website Management Training on 15 July, 5:00 PM at OBC

We need some people to help in updating our website. Please let me know if you are interested.

No, it’s not as complicated as you might think. If you’re using email or social media, you can learn how to manage a website. I will also be teaching simple online marketing skills.

Fellowship Meals on 16 July

Let us celebrate God’s goodness for giving birthdays, anniversaries, answered prayers, and trials that strengthen our faith in God through a fellowship meal on 16 July.

Fellowship meal is also a time to get to know our churchmates, hear their faith journey, and pray for one another.

Please let us also take the chance to help one another in housekeeping. Thank you.

Weekly Reminders

  • Youth Ministry – No meetings due to the term break.
    NOTE: Please ask Tom or Bevan for more information. Thank you!
  • Prayer Meeting – Thursday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM
  • Music Jam – Thursday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM
    We invite our young people and anyone in our church to come and sing, play an instrument, and even just be there to listen.

Abundant Life Bible Study on 9 July, 1:30 PM at OBC

Everyone is invited to join. We need to resume the discipleship sessions we have started.

We will take up Lesson 3. Please fill in the blanks, and be ready to read, discuss, and share.

See me if you don’t have a copy of the “Abundant Life” Workbook.

Pastoral Care

Please allow me to arrange a schedule to visit you at your home, or we can meet in town.

Apart from the regular pastoral care visitation, I will be applying the faith-wisdom discovery tool.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11).

Food Cupboard and Salvation Army Food Bank

Please let us continue bringing non-perishable items to our food cupboard to help a person or family in need.

I met with Jocelyn and Paul Smith, the Salvation Army Oamaru officers, on Thursday for a catch-up.

They told me anyone struggling with food supplies could go to the Salvation Army Store and grab some bread and other available food items.

Thursday Meeting Roundup

Our Regional Leader, Rachel and I met last Thursday, and we discussed the following concerns:

  • We need to contact a plumber to resolve our plumbing issues.
  • We need to buy a new fridge/freezer. Thanks to Tom and Erin for providing a temporary solution.
  • We will be canvassing for the cost of a commercial dishwasher. We aim to install this before our 140th Foundation Anniversary on 13 August.
  • We need an updated Health and Safety Plan.
  • We need a certified Fire Evacuation Plan.

May I appeal for volunteers to help me with the items listed above?

It was a beautiful sunny day last Thursday, and below is a photo I took at… Oamaruvians know where this place is.

Carey Baptist College Offers “CareyLocal”

We are sharing these “CareyLocal” promotions from Carey Baptist College. Please watch the video and read the post.

The “CareyLocal” is Carey Baptist College’s brand new initiative to build the Biblical foundations for church volunteers, ministry and mission leaders, and anyone wanting to grow in their discipleship.

Participants learn from Carey Baptist College lecturers in real-time online evening classes with a cohort from a church or organisation. All learning is done from the church or organisation site, from someone’s home, or somewhere else in the community, wherever the cohort is located in Aotearoa New Zealand. The two papers on offer are Mission of God, 7-9 pm on Tuesdays, and Introduction to New Testament, 7-9 pm on Wednesdays, starting 18/19 July.

We have a gift for you! If you can gather a cohort of 10 students, the course is free! With each course being worth $787 per person, that is an incredible deal! CareyLocal courses are to be taken for credit, with the completion of assignments required, as part of an NZQA qualification.

Check here for Further information for churches/organisations

How to register your cohort(s)

To get your cohort formally enrolled at Carey, we require a completed Cohort Registration Form to be submitted no later than 9 June 2023. Please complete one form per cohort (i.e. if you have cohorts participating in Mission of God and Introduction to New Testament, you must complete two Cohort Registration Forms).

Late enrolments will be considered, and we will work to see what alternatives are available if you are unable to reach the minimum of 10 credit students.

Please submit your form in by the due date so we can support you and the participants through the formal application/enrolment process.

If you need to make changes or additions to the list after you have submitted it, please email CareyLocal.

How to enrol your participants

Once we receive your completed Cohort Registration Form, we will provide you with clear instructions for your participants to apply and enrol through the standard Carey application portal formally.

Participants will need to meet the requirements for study at this level and provide the following:

  • Verified (e.g. by JP, lawyer, pastor) evidence of Citizenship/Residency (e.g. passport)
  • Photo for student ID in .jpg format
  • Personal statement of approximately 500 words that describes your life and spiritual history, including:
    • How and when you come to faith in Christ
    • How do you maintain and develop your Christian life
    • Significant experiences that have shaped you
    • Why do you want to study at Carey

If you are under 20 years of age, a verified copy of your academic (e.g. NCEA) transcript or equivalent

CLICK TO KNOW MORE
CareyLocal promo graphics

Happy Mother’s Day! Thank You for All that You Have Done

Happy Mother’s Day!

We honour our mothers with much thanksgiving for bearing and nurturing us all. We cherish them for their enduring love.

Proverbs 31:28-31 says more.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Yes, we honour our mother for all that her hands have done.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Breaking through, AGM, Youth, Prayer Meeting, Music Jam, Regional Hui, Giving

BAPTIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER 29 APRIL 2023

Light has broken through

He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the Lord at their head. Micah 2:13

True enough, as we heard most people say about Invercargill, a generous rain welcomed us on Sunday evening and through the night. We stayed on Monday and left the city on Tuesday morning, and the intermittent showers never left ultimately.

From Invercargill, we drove towards Queenstown, and passing through the Devil’s Staircase lookout, we stopped to rest and enjoy the view. That’s when I saw the sunlight breaking through the rain clouds, which had started clearing.

Micah offers a glimpse of our victory procession – our king passes on before us, our living Christ leading at the helm. The shaft of light breaking through the clouds reminds me of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, the most significant victory from death to life. Death’s storm is over because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.

Annual General Meeting on 7th May

On Sunday, 7th May, we will hold the Annual General Meeting right after the worship service.

We sent the annual and financial reports last Sunday via email. We gave out printed copies for those who don’t use the Internet. Please let me know if you haven’t received your copy yet.

Please remember that we will have a shared lunch after the meeting.

Weekly Reminders

  • Youth Ministry – Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
  • Prayer Meeting – Thursday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM
  • Music Jam – Thursday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM
    We are resuming our music jam now that classes also started.

Regional Hui 2023

Please read this invitation to the Regional Hui 2023 that Rachel sent us.

Our Otago & Southland Baptist Regional Hui is not far off now; we’d love to see as many as possible join with others for a couple of days. 

“Jesus in People and Places”
Friday 26 May (10:30 am) – Saturday 27 May (lunch)
Alexandra Baptist Church, 6 Gregg St, Alexandra

NB: Due to the sudden cancellation of the booking by the previously advertised venue and short timeframes to replan, Hui, this year will be a little different than in the last 2 years. The timeframes will be slightly shorter, and no accommodation will be provided, so it will be up to each individual to find (some links to options below). We’ll give this difference a try and see what we think! 

Just twice a year, we gather formally as an Association, so this is one of those opportunities for us to join together to:

  • listen to God and to others
  • reflect
  • learn
  • dream and envision together 
  • worship
  • pray
  • strengthen relationships and connection
  • celebrate the stories of Gospel renewal and God at work
  • come away for a couple of days from the usual activity. 

This Hui is for pastors (of all types), elders, and ministry leaders – paid and voluntary. We will be joined by folk from the Baptist national support team, including the National Leader, from Arotahi and from Carey Baptist College.

I encourage you to bring a group from your context to enjoy this together and to be then able to digest the whole hui as a church team.

Cost: $110 per person – full registration 
Plus, options for day and evening attendance only.
We do not wish finance to be a limiting factor in your attendance,
so please talk with Rachel if it needs to be.  

REGISTRATION IS OPEN 
Please register by 23 May for catering and planning purposes.

We look forward to seeing you and spending time together. Please be praying for this time together, for those who will share and for us all as we connect, worship and unpack what God is saying.

Giving

Thank you very much for your continued support for the ministries the Lord God has entrusted us with. Your generosity means a lot for the development and progress of His work.

If you would like to set up an automatic payment for regular giving or to make a one-off donation via Internet banking, the Oamaru Baptist Church account number is (ANZ) 06-0941-0015036-00.

May the Lord God bless you and keep you.

baptist church oamaru