Sunday at 6.00pm: Sunday nights are neat times to come and worship God with a bit of a youth flavour. This Sunday night Gareth Wood is continuing looking at the book of 1 Peter and the challenge that Peter gives us to be prepared to lay down our lives as Christ has for others. Also we have Michael Wells with us who will be sharing a little about his YWAM adventure. You are welcome to join us. 6 pm start!

Three neat Hillsiders

Footprints diary: Was found in the auditorium. Its in Colin’s office so ask him for it if it is yours.

Would you like to pick olives this Saturday? Smell the sea air? Visit beautiful Waiheke? Ian and Wendy Kuperus invite anyone  interested in harvesting olives on Waiheke this Saturday to let them know. If it is fine they plan to go over at 10am and come back on the 4pm ferry. Please ring Ian and Wendy 575 9115 to register your interest.

Hi! 40 Hour Famine: There are a group of us who are doing the World Vision 40 Hour Famine over the weekend 25-27th of May. This year’s money raised is going to Mali (this year’s harvests have failed) and Niger (9 million people could soon be in desperate need of food). I am writing to prepare you in case any of the young people ask you to sponsor them individually. Alternatively … you don’t have to wait for them to approach you individually. You can sponsor our church’s effort in fundraising for these causes by going to: http://www.famine.org.nz/Donate.aspx Then type Hillside in the search for school/group field, select Hillside Community Church and follow the instructions. Any money given will go to our combined effort. Thanks for your support of the many people in need in this world (and remember that gifts over $5 are tax deductible). “For those involved in doing the famine, we will be having a few activities and a sleepover. More information to come.” Gareth Wood.

Membership: Brian and Marie Rankin and Jules and Lynn Riding are intending to become members of Hillside. (Our constitution requires us to make this known in our Church newsletter several times then welcome them on an appropriate Sunday.)

AGM: Hillside’s AGM is proposed for June 17th. Please mark your diaries.

Women’s event: “Up Up and Away”: “Hillside Airlines” travel evening leaves at 7.00pm Friday. Don’t be late. Extra charges will apply for any baggage.

House available for rent: Need a 2 bedroom house with a sleep out for you or someone you know? It’s in St Johns and going for $450pw. Let Colin know in the office and he will give you the details.

Barista Training: Would you like to learn to be a barista on Sunday mornings? It’s pretty easy to learn and to do. Please let Colin know in the office as we would like to train some new people up to help. It would be once every 6 weeks or so. (We have three people who want to train. This is the day to let Colin know. We will do the training in a week or two).

Administrators Position: With Colin Thomsen leaving Hillside on June 24th we now have a job description to replace him. (The job description won’t replace him but hopefully it will help find someone who will) This description is available from the Hillside office. If you know an experienced administrator who understands Christian life, is  highly adaptable, conscientious, a people person with a can do attitude who can serve our people and ministries then tell them about the job and get them to apply.

Storage Unit: We have a storage unit available at a favourable price in Hillside’s basement. There is drive in access to this 5.5m x 2.6m x 3m alarmed unit which has its own lockable private roller door. Contact Colin in the office if  this is suitable for you.

Contacts Directory: Its contacts list gathering time again. Please amend or add any detail on the board at the back of the auditorium.

Christchurch still needs help!:

Workers in Christchurch serve with Habitat for Humanity

Trades people or handymen and women alike. Individuals or teams welcome for a day or two, a week, month or on a regular basis from now on. Phone the C.E.R.P. Office direct on (03)382 0055 or 0800 44 22 48 Christchurch needs your help now! 20 houses repaired ….30 to go!  We need your help now! Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity Christchurch Earthquake Repair Project www.habitat.org.nz

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it..”

Sunday at 6.00pm: Gareth Wood

Colin on his recent trip to India is lined up for an impromptu mustache length competition. ("Only in India" as the saying goes)

Membership: Brian and Marie Rankin and Jules and Lynn Riding are intending to become members of Hillside. (Our constitution requires us to make this known in our Church newsletter several times then welcome them on an appropriate Sunday.)

CAP response: Hillsiders you rock!! I was so encouraged by your respond to my plea for practical support of our CAP Centre here at Hillside. Here are the results: 21 people have committed to be on the prayer team, 7 have said they would like to accompany me on client visits, 4 have offered to befriend clients, 4 have offered to do practical household jobs occasionally, there has been one offer to transport clients to church, 5 people are interested in operating an op shop (would only be open one day a week, at the most) and 5 people have offered to get birthday cards to clients. I am blown away! I will be in touch with each person within the next two weeks to discuss how your offer will be taken up. If you missed out on the opportunity,and would like to get behind this very effective ministry please contact me: 5213066, 021646120 or sue.peters@capnz.org. The more the merrier! If you have thought about it and would also like to regularly support CAP financially please return your envelope to me on Sunday morning or get one from me. You will then be sent a copy of ‘Nevertheless’, the story of how Christians Against Poverty began and has grown over the last 15 years.

Women’s event: “Up Up and Away”: Get your boarding pass for “Hillside Airlines” fun travel evening. Tickets are available from Linda Grace for this event to be held on May 18th.  Costs are $10.00 for Hillsiders and $5.00 for any friend you bring along. Invite a friend for what will be a really fun night.

CAP envelopes: If you took an envelope last Sunday and wish to contribute to CAP don’t forget to post it in or give it to Sue Peters this Sunday.

House available for rent: Need a 2 bedroom house with a sleep out for you or someone you know? It’s in St Johns and going for $450pw. Let Colin know in the office and he will give you the details.

Barista Training: Would you like to learn to be a barista on Sunday mornings? It’s pretty easy to learn and to do. Please let Colin know in the office as we would like to train some new people up to help. It would be once every 6 weeks or so.

Auckland Baptist Women’s Ministries & NZ Baptist Women’s Ministries: Invites you to their Annual Event, $25.00 per person includes Dinner, or $10.00  afternoon only. Northcote Baptist Church 67 Eban Ave, 3.00pm to 9.15pm, Saturday , May 19^th 2012 Registrations to Lee Bell, leejohnb@xtra.co.nz by 14 May.

Administrators Position: With Colin Thomsen leaving Hillside on June 24th we now have a job description to replace him. (The job description won’t replace him but hopefully it will help find someone who will) This description is available from the Hillside office. If you know an experienced administrator who understands Christian life, is  highly adaptable, conscientious, a people person with a can do attitude who can serve our people and ministries then tell them about the job and get them to apply.

Storage Unit: We have a storage unit available at favourable prices in Hillsides basement. There is drive in access to this 5.5m x 2.6m x 3m alarmed unit which has its own lockable private roller door. Please contact Colin in the office if this is suitable for you or a friend.

Happy mothers day for this Sunday.

The story of mothers day: A loving daughter from West Virginia, Anna Jarvis is recognised as a ‘Founder of Mothers Day’ and ‘Mother of Mothers Day’. Anna kept the word of her activist mother, Mrs Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis who once expressed a wish that someone should strive to provide mothers their due recognition. After her mothers death in 1905, Anna’s determination became strong and she along with several supporters started lobbying for the official holiday on Mothers Day by writing letters to the people in power. To celebrate Mothers Day, Anna began to send her mothers favourite flowers, carnations in her local church requesting people to wear them in honour of their mothers. The idea gained immense popularity over the years and in 1910, West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mothers Day holiday. On May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Today’s story: Three old ladies were sitting around a table. The first says, “I’m getting so forgetful­ I was standing at the top of the stairs and I couldn’t remember whether I was going down or had just come up.”
The second lady says, “You think that’s bad? The other day I was sitting on my bed and I couldn’t remember whether I was going to sleep or getting up.”
The third lady smiles smugly. “Well, I have no memory problems at all, knock wood.”
She raps the table, then a moment later looks around and says. “Who’s there?”

He who asks is a fool for 5 minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

Bruce and Ravai from the Rotuman congregation

Sunday at 6.00pm: Colin Thomsen

Elders Meeting Update: The elders met last Wednesday, May 2nd  and as a brief update to  you of their discussions talked through  the following: The wish to update the logo and signage on the front of the building. Exciting developments as Gareth in his role as Student Pastor leads a number of young peoples activities. A date for the AGM will be set shortly. Brian and Marie Rankin  and Jules and Lynn Riding wish to join Hillside as members and will be welcomed as per Hillside’s constitution in a few weeks. Discussed was the current $29685 given for Mission endeavour from Hillside each year. This amount is carefully stewarded and distributed to support CAP, a Pakistan based school, two overseas missionaries being the Randersons and Mike Wells. Colin Thomsen has handed in his notice and will be leaving Hillside’s employment on June 24th. Colin’s leaving has every support from the Eldership (and do feel free to ask him about what he and Anna are up to). Colin will be replaced and currently Bruce and he are working out an appropriate job description. Feel free to talk to the Elders about any issue.

Women’s event: “Up Up and Away”: Get your boarding pass for Hillside Airlines fun travel evening. Tickets are available from Linda Grace for this event to be held on May 18th.  Costs still to be advised but it won’t be much. Invite a friend for what will be a really fun night.

Contacts Directory: Its contacts list time again. Please amend or add any detail on the board at the back of the auditorium or email hillside@hillside.org.nz. We email this newsletter on Thursdays if you would like to receive it via email. Please let Colin know in the office.

Outside Lights: The outside security lights have been attended to by the electrician and should be activated by movement in the carpark after dark. Please let Colin Thomsen know if there is any problem.

Barista Training: Would you like to learn to be a barista on Sunday mornings? It’s pretty easy to learn and to do. Please let Colin know in the office as we would like to train some new people up to help. It would be once every 6 weeks or so.

Auckland Baptist Women’s Ministries & NZ Baptist Women’s Ministries: Invites you to their Annual Event, $25.00 per person includes Dinner, or $10.00  afternoon only. Northcote Baptist Chuirch 67 Eban Ave, 3.00pm to 9.15pm, Saturday , May 19^th 2012 Registrations to Lee Bell, leejohnb@xtra.co.nz by 14 May.

Mike Wells (far left)

Mike’s Update- April

Hi everyone!

Another month gone by and more news from me in Perth. This month I’ll be letting you about how the DTS (Discipleship Training School) is going so far, some exciting news related to where I’m going for the outreach phase and also profiling the missionary course which I have taking part in since I got here in 2010. I hope you enjoy it.

April DTS- 2012

 The April DTS is well and truly underway and we are just heading into the 5th week of lectures. Topics so far have included Hearing the voice of God, God’s nature and Character, Repentance and Forgiveness and also Worship & Intercession. This school has been a bit different this year in that I have had a bit more responsibility. For example I’ve been having ‘one on one’ meetings with four different students each week, to see how they’re doing and also to give them a chance to verbally process what they’re learning in class.

With the same four students I am also leading a small group once a week which is going really well; a mixture of having fun and also sharing with one another what each has been experiencing in the school. The DTS is a really fun and diverse group of people, I’m really looking forward to going on outreach with a lot of them in July.

Going to Nepal!

I can confirm that the second location for my outreach (after London) with the DTS will be Nepal! I was really excited to find this out and am looking forward to going to a country where I’ve never been. I’m not aware of all of the details but know that the outreach will involve some hiking through Nepal’s mountains. It’s an incredible opportunity and I can’t imagine what the people that we will be working with will be like. As I mentioned last month I am still needing finance to go on the outreach. Would you consider supporting me to go to London and Nepal? In total the cost will be about AU$5500 for the outreach, including the fees that I pay to YWAM while I’m away during July/August/September.

If this is something which you want to be involved in just send me an email, or if you prefer to put money straight in the bank, I’ll put my NZ bank details just below. I’ll keep you all updated on how my finances are going over the next few weeks, the due date for me paying them being in early June.

Missionary Course Almost Finished

 Since I arrived in Perth in 2010 I have been involved in a course learning the basics of Christian Missions. This involves one lecture a week and has covered many topics related to Christian lifestyle, working in teams, evangelism and budgeting as well as helping me to orientate to the values and structure of Youth with a Mission. This is a two year course so I am currently in the last quarter (3 month block) of it.

I have found it really valuable in helping me to do the things that I am involved in here, such as helping in a leadership position on DTS. It also has helped me understand why YWAM is run the way that it is and does things in a certain way. I’ve really appreciated the commitment and effort put in by those who have run this course and it will be bittersweet to finish it as I will miss the lectures and time with class mates.

I’m really looking forward to visiting New Zealand in May for a few days, kindly shouted by my family to be at the wedding of my cousin Daniel. I’d love to catch up with people, I will be around from Friday May 18th through Monday the 21st. Aside from that, I hope that everyone has a great month! Thank you all once again for your support whether it be prayer, financial or taking the time to read my updates each month.

Take care, Michael

“Encounter-Grow-Share”!! What do these recurring words in our newsletter mean to you?