Auckland Community Church
Te Hahi Waka Huihui i Nga Tangata o Tamaki Makaurau

Family Circle Christmas 2007

Book lovers’ lists
Christmas Events
Tony’s statement at the Transition service for 2007 Methodist students
Carols

What we’ve been reading

A Church at War by Stephen Bates. Behind the scenes stuff from the Anglican church over the past 20 years regarding the Gay issue.
A Perfect Hostage by Justin Wintle. Story of Aung San Suu Kyi
Archangel by Robert Harris. (a ripping spy story - post-KGB and full of intrigue til the v. last page.)
Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos De Laclos.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.
Images of Bliss: Ejaculation, Masculinity Meaning by Murat Aydemir.
No Left Turn by Chris Trotter.
Rabble-rouser for peace : the authorized biography of Desmond Tutu by John Allen
The Sins of Scripture by John Spong.
The spiral staircase : my climb out of darkness by Karen Armstrong. Her own story.
Your Face Tomorrow by Javier Marias.

Christmas Events :

Saturday Dec 15 potluck dinner at Geoff and Craigs, Ellerslie

Sunday 16 December Carol Service 7:30pm, shared with the morning congregation, supper of mulled wine, mince pies. A good service to invite friends to.

Christmas day service and party 5pm at Andrew and Deborah Leys, Ponsonby.

Tony Franklin - Statement to the Service of Transitions

The metaphor or image of Christian life is that of a journey. And in my coming to a point of entering presbyteral ministry, I have to say that image is for me very true. It is a journey that when looking back I can sense the groundwork and foundation stones being laid which have all provided further base for my personal spirituality, skills to bring to my ministry and experiences to inform my theological reflection. I am grateful for Te Haahi Wertiana o Aotearoa, the Methodist Church of New Zealand, and Trinity College, for providing these three years of ministry formation.

I also acknowledge mentors along this journey, in particular Mary Caygill, Lynne Wall, Susan Adams and John Salmon. Of course, I give thanks for the support and love of my partner, David; and that of my immediate family.

A significant part of my journey and from which a huge amount of the foundation stones arose, is my spiritual family at Auckland Community Church. I owe this community a huge debt of gratitude for the safe space it provides, the family it provides, and the opportunity to strengthen one’s faith and spirituality as a gay Christian. This community has provided the strength to claim positively both the space of being on the margins of the Church; yet at the same time a space which is also the centre of Church for us. It is my hope and desire to be able to contribute back into ACC the new ministry that I can offer.

Alongside the image of journey is narrative when thinking of the human person. The experiences that I draw on from my life, of family, of friends, of intimate relationship, of being gay, of being pakeha, of being New Zealander. These provide personal narratives for me which I offer to the Church. Alongside these, in the strength of Methodist theological quadrilateral; I offer to meld my narratives with the narratives we receive from Scripture, traditions, experience and reason.

In the spirit of this melding of narratives I offer three songs provide witness to my hope in ministry;. There is the classic gay anthem, ‘I am what I am”,

It’s my world and I want to have a little pride in
My world and it’s not a place I want to hide in …
I bang my own drum – some thinks it’s noise I think its pretty
So what if I love each sparkle and each spangle
Why not try to see things from a different angle
Life’s not worth a damn until I can shout out I am what I am

as well as two from the Methodist tradition: ‘O thou who camest from above’, and from “Love Divine”:

Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire
and still stir up the gift in me.

Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Tony with 3 other students completed his training and exited Trinity Methodist Theological College for placement into ministry on Sunday 11th November 2007 at Pitt St Methodist Church.

Carol Service

Put the 16th December in your diaries, and invite friends, to this special night. A whimsical blend of the new and the old reflecting on the joy, peace and hope that we find at Christmas

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Contacts:
curl by email: info@aucklandcommunitychurch.org.nz
curl by phone: Cathy and Liz (64)(09)578 1292 or Hugh Dyson (64)(09)579 1850
curl by snail mail: c/- 187 Federal Street, Auckland, New Zealand.