Pastors Reflection 2021 / Tim Palmer

Amidst the challenges facing the travel industry in 2020, Air New Zealand’s CEO Greg Foran expressed his strategic recovery plan in three words: survive, revive, thrive. Initially the hope would simply be for the organization to survive. The 800 day strategy then moved towards reviving, and thriving again.

In the Bible, Jesus offers words of invitation that speak into those three stages of life recovery. I think these three words are pertinent for the church and individuals, especially in recent times. I’m well aware of many churches in our world who have deeply struggled over the past few years. Some churches are still struggling in survival mode, and we need to continue to pray for and support the extended church family around the globe and our nation. Comparatively, at Franklin Baptist we have been significantly sheltered. By God’s grace and the strength of the people God has placed here, we’ve experienced God’s presence and power in our midst through the global pandemic.

I wonder which of these words best expresses your experience over the past year?
To those weary survivors, Jesus says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

To those in need of reviving, the Bible declares renewed strength for those that wait on the Lord (Isa 40); a new heart and a new covenant through Jesus (Heb 10); and restoration through God’s grace (1 Pet 5:10).

To each of us, there is a calling to thrive, to bear fruit, to see lives changed as the gospel is proclaimed. A calling to shine like a light; to walk in God’s confidence and authority; and to speak words of hope in our world. Indeed, we have been invited into God’s work on the earth.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. The Lord has anointed us to proclaim good news?to the poor. He is sending us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind. He is asking us to set the oppressed free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. (Luke 4:18-19)

Tim Palmer

Leadership Team / John Wilcox

Management Team / John Wilcox

The Management team comprises John Wilcox (acting chair), Jan Day (treasurer), Colin Maloney (property manager), Aaron Snook (property), Philip Walker (IT and technical), Russell Voigt (health & safety) and Den Camacho (administrator). We continue to work very closely with both the Leadership and staff teams with multiple points of contact to ensure we are all working together in the same direction.

The Management team has continued to meet at least monthly over this past year – sometimes in face-to-face meetings and sometimes via Zoom. It has been an interesting year as we have had to adapt to change around us as we have sought to keep FBC in a “healthy” place. By “healthy” we are referring not only to financial position but also from a safety and well being point of view, a clean and maintained facility and site as well as a host of other activities which have been made known to us by our church family and staff. Considerable time is spent by team members and co-opted “volunteers” to help make things appear seamless even when they are not and we thank everybody who has contributed to this. Outside of our Sunday services and use by various ministries, the church facilities continue to be well used by the NZ Blood service and other organisations.

If you have any further thoughts or questions, please get in contact with one of us.

John Wilcox

On behalf of the management team

Oasis / Charlie Potter

Hebrews 10 23-25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As our year ends it is a time for reflection.  Wow, what a year it has been. We have much to be grateful for. Praise God for the wonderful things He has done in our lives, and for all the blessing we have experienced at Oasis. 

In September 2020 Steve Clark retired as assistant Pastor, and he and Lyn decided to have some time out, to see what God had in mind for the rest of their lives. Their decision meant it was time to end the relationship with Oasis, what a legacy Steve has left.  Thank you, Steve, for your vision to establish Oasis and for all your hard work. 

With my appointment following Steve’s retirement I felt God led me to gather a leadership team to work with me.  The team consists of Stewart and Margy Bent, Colin Maloney, Val Horne, and Helena Round, who have all made significant contributions, that I am grateful for. 

Oasis continues to have four main components: 

In conclusion we thank God for the blessing of this ministry. 

Charlie Potter 

Global Action / Stuart Smith

The GATeam (Stuart & Julie, Marian, Val, Helena), though small in number, continues to meet monthly to pray for our mission partners and oversee all things global mission as they relate to FBC. 

We have been grateful for the wise and faithful leadership of Steve Clark until his retirement in late 2020. Fiona and Alan have also stepped down as their time commitments to 3H International School increase. We want to thank Fiona for the time she gives to preparing the bi monthly Prayer Fuel Focus and ensuring up-to-the-minute news items from our partners are included in the Weekly Notices. 

Our Partners continue to serve in the places God has called them to; Greg and Rosie in Thailand, Kevin and Gillian in Cambodia, Carol, Paul, Sara and family in South Asia. They are so appreciative of all the support they receive from FBC. 

Alan and Fiona have shared their missional journey widely with FBC in recent times. They are our newly commissioned partners who are part of a team setting up an on-line school to serve mission families world-wide. They are based in NZ. This is just one example of exciting innovation and recalibration in mission that has resulted from the Global Pandemic.  

The Pandemic continues to throw up challenges for all of our overseas based partners but equally we continue to see God providing, protecting and making a way. After extended time in NZ for some, all have now returned to their overseas places of work. 

Over the course of the year the GATeam hosted events to encourage the FBC community to engage with and inform themselves about what God is doing around the world. Often these events take the form of shared lunches after the Sunday service. One of the highlights in the last year was sharing with Peter and Sonia Winslade on their return to NZ after 23 years in the Philippines at Faith Academy School. We had a formal celebration service to honour them and prayed for their transition to life in NZ.  We have also lunched with Kevin and Gillian and with Carol.  

In April, Paul and Susie joined us to grow our understanding toward the Muslim Community here in New Zealand. This coincided with the annual 30 Days of Prayer Focus. An evening meal in May was an opportunity to hear from the Murrays and James about developments with 3H International School. Most recently Susan Barrett from the NZBMS Board spoke about how the Baptist understanding of mission is changing so that harmful mistakes that were made in the past will not be repeated.  

At FBC there are 2 annual offerings taken up with a global focus. Thanks to all of you who again gave generously this year. $11,600 was forwarded to the Tranzsend Christmas Angel Appeal and $4,439.80 to NZBMS from our time of Prayer and Self Denial. Additionally a specific donation of $6,300 was made to NZBMS for the Income for India appeal.  

“God so loved the world”………He is at work. Keep praying about how you can join Him.

Corporate PRAYER

Welcome and Care Ministry / Sandra Bruin

2015 was a watershed year for me. We decided to sell our house and while we were getting ready for the first open home, my mum suddenly passed away in South Africa. We moved in with friends while our house was being built, our son got engaged and married within 3 months; and we moved into our new house. I had no idea that anyone could shed as many tears as I did that year. On the scale of stressful life events, I was close to the top.  I knew then that God called me to a different position of serving in the church but I clung tenaciously to what was familiar – to my own detriment. 

I am telling you this because it is part of the story that brought me to where I am today. God opened doors in exciting ways and shut doors in painful ways but here I am, slowly finding my feet in the part-time role of Assistant Pastor: Welcome and Care Ministry.  At first it was quite daunting but I had to keep reminding myself that I have not replaced anyone. God has called me to this position, He is developing and growing me in amazing ways and I am loving every minute of it!

Welcome and Newcomers 

Over the last few years, the Welcome and Newcomer’s Ministry at FBC did not have a staff member assigned, as was the case some years ago. Getting new life blown into this ministry was one of my first goals this year. It is with a grateful heart that I can thank Gary de Beer for volunteering to give leadership to this ministry. Gary and the team are doing so well.  Increasingly we hear feedback that our church is warm and welcoming! I would like to encourage everyone to have a lookout (especially after services on a Sunday) for someone who is standing or sitting by themselves, go introduce yourself and make them feel welcome. 

Our goal is to have a newcomer’s lunch every term. Since the start of this year, we have had two newcomer’s lunches. We serve a yummy lunch and dessert (thanks to Sherrell!) and we introduce some of the staff and leaders, with a brief overview of what the church’s mission and vision is as well as an outline of the various ministries. It’s great to get to know people a bit better. It’s at newcomer’s lunches we discover shared ties with previous churches and make new friends. 

Pastoral Care and Life Groups 

Life groups 

I always get excited when people share stories from their Life Group experiences, like John (not his real name), who had a lot go wrong in his life before he went down on his knees and cried out to God.  When the first lockdown was announced, and having recently separated, John felt like a tiny boat floating aimlessly in an angry sea. However, by God’s intervention, a Life Group leader learned of John’s situation and invited him to join the group meetings on zoom every week. A wonderful friendship developed in a space where John felt safe and free to ask questions about God and faith. Not only did John learn a lot but though his questions, everyone in the Life Group were challenged by them. The great news is that the Life Group persevered in prayer for John and for his circumstances to change. It was so exciting to hear that God answered their prayers in ways that far exceeded everyone’s expectations! How great is our God! 

Our Life Group leaders are a team of volunteers that out church cannot do without. It is our aim to see every person in the wider FBC whanau be part of a Life Group of some sort. If you want to find out more about Life Groups, whether joining a group or starting a new group, please contact me on lifegroups@fbc.nz 

I want to specifically mention the knitting ladies from the Missions without Borders group, the Franklin Maternity Hospital knitting group and the Art group on Friday mornings. These “common interest groups meet regularly and are joined by people from our church whanau and community but also welcome non-Christian people with open arms. Steve had a dream before he retired of FBC becoming a “missional” church. With these groups I can see the beginnings of exactly that. Through hospitality and welcoming, while sharing a common interest, they are befriending people in ways where their eyes can open to the love of Jesus. These groups embody the vision God has given me for small groups to start all through the FBC body of believers – whether they are common interest groups or Bible study groups – for the gospel to be spread. Please contact me if you have any fresh ideas or want to start a new group. 

Pastoral Care 

While it is in Life Groups that pastoral care happens, there are still many people in our church whanau who do not belong to Life Groups. That is where our Pastoral Care team shines. If Tim or I or anyone else on staff had to personally visit or meet with everyone in our whanau who needs pastoral care, we would burn out within a month, not to mention that many would miss out. This is where the Pastoral Care Team shines. They are the hands and feet of not only Franklin Baptist Church, but Jesus himself. If you want to find out more, or want to be part of our team, please get in touch at care@fbc.nz 

One of my greatest passions is to walk alongside someone who has been dealt a raw deal in life, whether through a recent experience or over the years.  That is why pastoral counselling sessions are available for those who need support, prayer, mentoring and even some practical tools to help them grow emotionally stronger. What a wonderful blessing to walk alongside someone on their journey to healing and see how God changes them week after week!  Click on the link in the Weekly Notices to book a slot or get in touch by emailing care@fbc.nz

Please note that this is not a professional counselling service. If you need a professional counsellor, we can help with some recommendations.

Let us continue to pray for one another, stay in contact and support where we can. 

God bless you all, 

Sandra Bruin

Youth / Kylie Lendrum

As a leadership team and as a youth family we have farewelled the following leaders at the end of last year/beginning of this year: Zac Snook, Thomas Blok, Nicole Camacho, Mia van Zyl and Josh Kumar. We thanked them for their hard work, their commitment and prayed for them as they stepped down from leadership to pursue where God was calling them. 

The youth enjoyed their end of year camp at South Head, where we got to spend time together and relax at the beach. We had an awesome support crew of adults that joined us and blessed us with their presence and prayers. 

Easter Camp was a highlight for many of our young people:  “meeting new people, a cool time of worship and hanging out with people” and “being confident enough to talk to a few other youth.” It was also a time where we got to see God meeting individuals where they were at and ministering in unique ways. 

We have a youth worship team that has been practicing hard and leading other youth into worship on a regular basis. Recently the team stepped out of their comfort zones even more and used their gifts in worship leading during a church service. Last term they wrote and shared their testimonies. Some had never done this before so it was a new experience and the beginning of our youth continuing to find their voice and step out in their God given gifts/talents.  Our young people have loved: “worship times and testimonies” and “being in the worship band”  “hanging out and connecting with people” and this has also been during “small group – great time to catch up with friends and get deep about things.”

Other highlights have been “church leaders coming and praying for the youth” and where “the youth were comfortable to open up.” We got to see the Holy Spirit at work. Our “worship nights and potluck meals” have been enjoyed by all. 

We have enjoyed some social events including “Bake off / Cookie Challenge” and a  “Riff off” (think Pitch Perfect movie musical styles) and the “Nerf Gun War.”

Thank you to everyone who has supported us in all the different ways, loved on and prayed for us over the year – we appreciate you all!!! We look forward to seeing where God is leading our Youth family and what He is going to do next. 

Youth Leadership Team:
Sebastian Partridge, Josh Temu, Wendy van de Worp and  Kylie Lendrum. Overseen by Josh van de Worp

FBI / Josh van de Worp

eCamp was able to go ahead this year in 2021. It was an amazing time that our leaders got to spend with our young people.  

It was so neat to see friendships start, cement and flourish. eCamp is a time for us to bond together as a group and a time to challenge and grow us in our faith walk. Simon our speaker challenged us to respond to Jesus call on our life, and respond to His love for us. Of course, also included in eCamp is awesome food, fun activities, worship and again some more fun.  

During our programs on a Sunday morning, we have had great discussions about faith and how we can better?know?Jesus. We as a team believe that intermediates play an important part in the life of the church. We are excited to journey with them as they discover who they are and?how their stories will influence the church and others for Jesus. Intermediates are an emerging generation who need the love and support of the whole church to encourage and inspire them to be the future leaders of our church. BUT let us not discount their voice now either. We need this voice to speak into our current season. To bring hope, love and joy to all who need it.  

24-7 YouthWork / Josh van de Worp

Pukekohe High School Stories 

Year 10 camp was a great time for Tremayne and Maddison. They unfortunately found out about camp details late but managed to make it out to camp on some day trips. In 2021 they would love to be able to help some more with the planning and support of students around camp details. This planning will follow on from their work with the students who participated in the aspire leadership program. It will be a great opportunity for these students to put into practice what they learn through the aspire program.  

Student story from Camp: Camp was a hard time for me. I found myself not with any of my friends. I thought camp was going to be dumb. Maddison got alongside me on the first day and was able to make me feel comfortable with my group at camp. Camp ended up being awesome. It was fun and challenging and I made some new friends there.  

Teacher story from Camp: It was so great to have the youth workers on camp for some of the days this year. I valued their enthusiasm and their care of our tamariki. They were so willing to help where needed, both students and staff, and they made camp easier because of this. Even when we had to call off camp because of the weather they were still up-beat and encouraging to the students. Thanks for being a part of camp Youth Work team.

Pukekohe Intermediate School Stories

Year 8 Leavers Social

The year 8 leavers social is a big part of school life in term 4. This year more than ever because so many events and trips were cancelled because of the lockdowns we were in. This event marks the end of a two-year journey at Pukekohe Intermediate School. It is a time to dance and have fun with their friends and the staff. All of the year 8’s learn some structured dances which are scattered throughout the night. This year we had a huge pizza dinner as well.  

It was so nice for Anna and I to be at this event and celebrate alongside those who were there. We know that we will miss the year 8’s next year, but know that as they transition to the high school we have an awesome team there who can help support them in their next journey there. -Josh  

This term I’ve walked alongside a year 8 girl in school who has been struggling with her home life as she is in foster care. Towards the beginning of the term I would describe her as reserved and wanting to fit in, though those things didn’t necessarily change, I saw positive improvement in them. I could see she was struggling with her situation, she avoided questions and conversation about it and I made sure to respect that, not force answers. She would make up stories about her parents and home life to fit the stories she heard from her friends. The two positive changes I noticed in her towards the end of the term was her confidence to be honest about her life. She began to open up about things she was comfortable to open up with me and shared some difficult stories with me, as the term went on she would get more and more open. She also started to be more honest with her life as she would tell less stories and lies to fit in, I think what helped was her beginning the journey of being honest in her conversation with me because honest conversation is the first step towards overcoming.  -Anna 

Children’s Ministry / Julia McLellan

Firstly I’d like to acknowledge, thank and honour our awesome leaders. Without them we would not have a ministry. They are the ones who make it happen every week, leading our wonderful children. Our current leaders are….. Abigail, Anita, Audrey, Callum, Emily, Enya, Fiona, Graham, Issie, Jahni, Jessica, Jill, Meagan, Michelle, Nigel, Sam, Sara, Sarah, Sophie, Zach. Each and every one of you impact these kids faith and lives for the better. Thank you for your commitment and passion to them and this ministry. For being positive role models. And for giving up your time and energy and Sunday morning services. You are a blessing to these kids. May you be blessed too for all you do.

During the term time we run our programs – Wonder Kids (preschool age), Discovery Kids (younger primary), FB Explorers (older primary), and FBI (intermediates +). All themes on what we can wonder, discover, explore and investigate about God and the bible. We seek to dig deep into God’s truth and love for us. To deepen our faith through the bibles teachings – it’s stories and messages. And to deepen our relationship with God. We also have facilities for parents of small children and also high need children. We have created a playroom, a quiet room, and a parents room with a service link. On a Sunday we average around 50 children in all the above classes and rooms. Yes during the covid year, some families decided not to return. But since then we have welcomed new families to our church and new family members also. On our data system we have 65 families.

Every week (in general), info and resources are sent to families, keeping them in the loop with what is going on and also providing resources for them to use at home that tie in with what we are teaching that week at church. Research shows parents are the greatest faith influencers, so we seek to partner with parents in this. We send home an age appropriate teaching video parents can watch with their children and a weekly family devotion they can do together. For older children, we send out daily devotions they can do on their own. We hope that the teaching they get from both church and home build on one another to strengthen their understanding and faith in God.

The curriculum we use that provides us with all this is called Think Orange. It has a range of activities that can be chosen every Sunday for teaching. Ranging from running round high energy games, to science experiments, to painting, and lots of other creative ways of teaching. Each activity demonstrates something about the days message in a tangible way.

But were not all about teaching. Were about relationships too. We want children to know they are welcome, that they belong here, that they are an important part of our church family. That’s why we’ve moved our sign-in into the foyer area. That’s why kids are doing more up the front in our services. That’s why our all-in services are becoming more child and family friendly. Because we are a church who not only Love God, but Love people. All people – young and old. Thank you church for loving our young ones as you do.

Thank you for supporting us in prayer. We are seeing kids come to christ! And others becoming more interested, dedicated and passionate about God and their faith. Please keep praying for our children, their families, our leaders and this ministry.

Thank you for supporting my role in this church. I keep very busy planning and prepping lessons, setting up/packing down, doing rosters, training, working on systems, procedures, policies, admin, etc. But my most favourite is being with the children and their families. I have loved getting to know you more and journeying with you.

Franklin Community Toy Library / Donna Haliday

Heartfelt Catering Ministry / Lynda Wilde

We are now into our third year of this very special ministry. We have been very blessed with the way things have worked out. Our team now consists of 16 volunteers and we can now have 2 teams operating, one for preparation and one for servicing. There is also a couple who come in at the end of the funeral to dismantle the tables, vacuum and put all the cafe furniture back in place. Without these dedicated volunteers this ministry could not function as well as it does. Thank you so much team for your time and effort you give to this ministry.

This year we have catered for 5 funerals.

At the start of this year we updated our menu and added and took out items so we could improve on our service. Also we have focused on presentation to hopefully give a personal touch to each funeral.In the summer time a group of us got together to make our own table clothes so this helps to be more consistent with our presentations.

Our aim is to : Serve and show God’s love in times of grief.

If anyone feels they would like to be a part of this caring ministry we would love to hear from you. Please contact the church office for more details.

Knitting and Sewing Ministry

This group was formed early part of this year when 3 people felt the need to help new mothers who were having difficulties providing things for their new babies.

The idea was to make up a bag consisting of essential items to start them off with eg, knitted cardigan, hat, bootees, couple of bibs, muslin face cloths, little soft toy and a car seat blanket. Also felt the mother needed a special gift as well so decided upon a small tube of hand cream. We have also now added a New Testament bible which comes from the Gideon Group.

We opened this up to the church in May and have had a great response. We now have a number of people knitting and some are sewing as well, which is wonderful and certainly has spread the load out.

These bags are now taken to the local Pukekohe Maternity Hospital and are given to needy new mothers by the discretion of the midwives. We are estimating 12 bags per month will be needed especially over the winter months.

A big thank you to the people who are supporting this great ministry either by knitting, sewing or financial contribution, we could not do this without their support.

Alpha / Paul Brown

Alpha is a wonderful course enjoyed by many people in NZ and around the world.

Thank you to:

• The Alpha team: Anita, Dennise, Howard, Jill, Keith & Sherrell, May-lee, Steve & Lynley and Tina-ree [with a special thank you for cooking beautiful meals for the Wednesday courses]
• Colin, Earl and Keith for erecting the Alpha street sign
• FBC office for printing leaflets and their general support [special thanks to Sacha for designing the Alpha street sign & leaflet design]
• Fiona for weekly notices

Alpha history in NZ

• Started 27 years ago
• 895 courses were run in NZ in 2019, with approx 8000 people completing the course during that year
• FBC has been running courses since 1999

Alpha at FBC from Sep 2020 to July 2021

• We have run 4 courses, attended by 48 people
• Feedback from the courses indicate that most people came closer to Jesus and some close friendships were formed
• January’s Alpha church service was enjoyed by many and encouraged good numbers to attend future courses

Behind the scenes to promote Alpha

• New Alpha street sign erected
• Leaflet drops at Belmont, Newsham and housing close to church
• Weekly notices
• Alpha facebook
• Auckland Head Office backing
• Personal invitations

World-wide survey by London head office …

The following question was asked to those who had completed the course,

“Are you interested in learning more about Jesus and His teaching?”

93% said they were very interested.

IT IS IMPORTANT that FBC congregation invite family, friends and neighbours to our courses.
With JESUS at the centre we are in Good Hands.

Karakia 7am and 7pm / Erin Temu

The last year has been a significant year of increase for the online Karakia facebook platform. We have had a rise in people following us. We now have over 6000 followers and we have thousands of visitors visiting our page daily for encouragement.

We reached over 250,000 engaged viewers in the first six weeks, eight months later, our reach was 1.1 million viewers. We were only meant to stay active over the lockdown period but then realized God is using this page for his purpose of peace and comfort especially for those going through isolation due to COVID or tough times due to circumstances and situations.

Our mission this year is to develop an online mapping system to point our listeners who are not already connected to a church to a local church. Up until now we have not asked for funding from our audience as this ministry has a platform that is free to use and all our leaders who deliver the encouragement daily are happy to contribute their time for the extension of God’s kingdom.

We have four live sessions a day and two on the weekends. We offer a 15–20-minute word of encouragement with prayer and often worship.

We have a team of over 140 speakers made up of ordinary people but also have professionals Doctors, Lawyers, Professors, Lecturers, Producers, Artists, Senior Pastors, Pastors, and Leaders who come with a love for God and people.
We are developing an automated rostered system to better serve our volunteers and speakers. Our primary audience is in New Zealand and Australia but the data shows we have a reach of over 50 Countries.

We have had viewers contact our page to request prayer and support. We have a professional counselor in Sydney and administrators in NZ and Australia who keep the ministry going.

Please continue to pray for our ministry as we share the gospel in a new way online if you would like to contribute to this ministry to develop an online system to point people to a local church then you can contact Erin Temu by email erintemu@gmail.com for more details.

Finally I would like to thank Pastor Tim, the leadership team and the board for supporting this ministry.

Erin Temu 

Financial Report / Jan Day

This year has been very different from previous years with Covid restrictions, zoom meetings, Church on line, and cheques phased  out from 31 March 2021. 

After 50 weeks our weekly donations averaged $11,124.00 as against a budget of $12,111.00. 

When in lockdown our expenses were substantially down as we were not using the building and therefore saved on expenses like power and maintenance. 

In the later part of this year we have been able to do the repairs and maintenance deferred and this has increased  the expenses. The building has been washed, IT systems have been upgraded, telephone system changed. 

We now use Teams systems for communication and reports rather than paper, and file under a common accessible area. 

Our staff has changed, some retiring, some changing positions, and others starting. This has altered our wages budget. 

With all the changes we are showing a good profit against a projected loss budget. This means we go forward into the 2021-2022 year well situated. 

Jan DAY

Treasurer. 

Membership Report / Sherrell Amoore & Den Camacho

Over the last few months, the church office has been reviewing and updating the church membership roll in our current database.  We have reconciled the church membership book against our database and corrections have been made.  Some members have moved away to another area; some are currently attending another fellowship for different reasons, these members have been put on our non-resident membership roll.  Prior to our AGM a list of members was made available for checking by members. Every effort has been made to ensure the list below is correct.  However if there is an error kindly talk with the church office so that it can be corrected.