gateway magazine, february 2012, issue 13

FEBRUARY 2012ISSUE 13

DISCOVER I CONNECT I GATHER I GO

02 - desk of don and karen03 - emerge05 - easter camp07 - february/march calendar08 - gaties09 - crave09 - pursue11 - 10 questions with...12 - summer

EDITORIAL

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HART

Happy New Year!

We hope you had a restful, relaxing and fun summer break.

In this edition of the magazine we are profiling a number of different ministries that happen here at Gateway - Gaties, Emerge, Crave and Pursue. These are our age-relevant communities, so check out the ones that are applicable to you, or have a read to find out a bit more about what is happening in our community.

Also at the start of the year it is pertinent to ‘repristinate’ who we are as Gateway and the values that we hold dear. Have a read of Don and Karen’s article for more information on this.

Being the start of the year there are a number of things that are kicking off so check out the calendar for key dates as lots of things get restarted. One thing to highlight is that Hydrate is happening again this year - we are hoping for a rain-free weekend!

This is my last edition as editor of the mag as I take a break to go on maternity leave.

We hope that this edition of the mag will be informative for you. If you have any questions about anything that is happening around Gateway feel free to talk to the info team, any Gateway staff member or check out our website.

Jo u

jo peart

YOU’LL FIND IT HERE

POSITION VACANTAdministrator wanted for Streetworks Charitable Trust

8-10 hours per week (flexible times)

Must be computer competent and a great communicator, check out our website to find out more about who Streetworks is and what we do, www.streetworks.org.nz.

For more information on the position call the Gateway office on (07) 839 1284 and ask for Claire. u

02

DESK OF DON...words by don barryEvery individual has their own unique personality, born out of, and formed by their genetic make-up, their cultural heritage, their family background and their personal experiences. These personalities can range from winsome and pleasant at one end of the spectrum, to prickly and objectionable at the other end.

What we often fail to realize is that corporate structures also develop a ‘personality of sorts;’ that arise out of background, its experiences and its collective personnel.

Hospitals, schools, businesses all have their own ‘personality,’ their own ‘feel,’ to them. We intuitively recognize, and sociologists readily admit, that when we come together in collective relationships and organizations we are more than simply ‘the sum of the parts.’

This is true of churches as well. Having had the privilege of traveling and visiting many churches in a number of different nations and continents, I am very aware of the unique ‘personalities’ you find in these churches.

These ‘personalities’ are formed by things like culture, locality, size, experiences, and leaders among other things. I think the divergent letters written to the different churches in Revelation chapters two and three are evidence of these different ‘personalities.’ We aren’t at the mercy of unchangeable factors when it comes to personality, either of an individual or a corporate entity. They aren’t ‘fixed.’ They can be changed, altered, adjusted or repositioned.

It isn’t easy, as we all know, but it isn’t impossible.

One of the vital features that affect and shape personality, individual and corporate, are the values we embrace. Values are like roots out of which the ‘fruits’ of personality grow. Our values are our personal non-negotiables. They are the things in our lives that are ‘not for sale;’ the things that we will not compromise no matter what pressures we face. They are the things that, like Daniel {Daniel 1:8}, we have ‘purposed in our hearts’ not to defile or compromise. I hope you have given thought to a personal value system that serves as a ruler to guide your life. We have given much thought to a set of values that we want to guide Gateway’s corporate life and that will serve to create a certain ‘personality,’ if you like.

If you have been part of Gateway for long you will have no doubt heard us talk about these values, if you haven’t, you will, I suspect, before too long. Let me take a moment to outline them at the beginning of this New Year.

We value people.

We believe that God’s supreme passion is people and that any endeavour that bears his name must also value people.

The church has sometimes been guilty of mistaking means and ends. We use people to engage in some ‘noble pursuit’ and in doing so fail to see we have mistaken means and ends. People are not commodities to be used; they are never to be ‘cannon-fodder’ for ambitious leaders or for the advancement of an institution or movement.

We are here to serve the purposes of God in people.

We want people to be valued and not exploited.

We want value for people to be our MO here at Gateway, at every level, in every department. This isn’t just the responsibility of those in leadership; it is our corporate responsibility. Boiled down to its simplest form, it is about us learning to love God and as a result of that love, and empowered by it, to love and value one another.

A second value that we want to fashion our corporate life is integrity.

There is so much I could, and probably should, say to ‘flesh’ these values out. If I did then this magazine would probably run into a couple of volumes, so I will resist the temptation.

Suffice it to say that integrity is about wholeness; it’s about being the same thing on the outside as we are on the inside. The result will be that ‘what you see is what you get.’ Truthfulness, transparency and simplicity is what we are seeking to embody; no mind games, or hidden agendas. We want our leadership to embody these values, but quite frankly it is a two way street and it’s something that we want all to be committed to.

We value authenticity.

It sounds like a restatement of the previous value. In truth they are all interrelated and overlap in many respects. Authenticity, for us, is primarily about ‘genuineness.’ We want Gateway to be ‘unpretentious.’ There’s no special religious behaviour, language, dress or anything else that is required for acceptance here. We want to embrace the truth that you can be real and spiritual at the same time. Most ‘religious’ behaviour, in my experience at least, seems to be born out of deep insecurity and an inordinate desire for belonging and acceptance. It isn’t healthy and it isn’t required.

We value vulnerability.

This is a commitment to be honest about the journey we are on, the good bits and the not so good bits. None of us have arrived at perfection and we don’t want to try and convey to anyone the impression that we have. There are no ‘experts’ here, just people at different places in their journey. Even those ‘well down the track,’ are quick to admit that there is so much more work to be done in our lives. We are all here for one reason and one reason only – the Grace of God. We aren’t all we want to be, but we are journeying towards the light.

We are very aware that these values aren’t always lived out in the way we would want – in our own lives and in the lives of others who call Gateway home. These are the ‘ideals’ we hold to as we live with the ‘actuals’ of our broken lives, however by the Grace of God we pursue them. The desire of our hearts is that people who come into Gateway will be impacted by ‘a corporate personality’ that is undergirded by these values. If this is to happen, each of us must be committed to them and seek by God’s grace to embody them.

We invite you to join with us in that pursuit.

Happy New Year,

Don and Karen. u

03

This year the intermediate group, the year 7&8’s, has separated out from being part of the Gaties Ministry – to form a new ministry “EMERGE”. The reasoning behind this is that the intermediate years are a significant time in a young person’s life as they transition from their child years to their high school years.

To “Emerge” is: to arise; come out or to become known, especially as a result of examining something or asking questions about it. (- Real Dictionary).

“Young teens experience change in every aspect of development: physical, emotional, cognitive, relational, social and – of course – spiritual. With their brand-new ability to think abstractly (a developmental “bonus” of puberty), Christian young teens, thanks to this God ordained developmental phase, inevitably re-examine their childhood belief systems. This faith-evaluation is normal and good.” (Middle School Ministry - by Mark Oestreicher & Scott Rubin)

As we journey together, my hope is that Emerge will become a place where our Year 7&8’s begin to examine their faith and own their relationships with Jesus, ask lots of questions and find themselves known with God, within their relationships with family and friends and within the

EMERGEwords by annie flett

world they live in. We want to support our students and families through this phase of change in their lives.

If you are a Year 7&8 we kick off for the year on Sunday February 12th. Emerge runs on Sunday mornings during the school terms (except public holiday weekends). Head upstairs to the 3rd floor after the worship and notices. We have a year full of fun and excitement planned for those Sunday mornings as well as a few events (movie nights, game nights and other outings) each term.

Coming up in March is our camp for the year at Finlay Park which will be the weekend of 23rd-25th of March – so get ready for that! (More details and rego forms will be out soon.)

If you are a parent of a year 7&8 we want to make sure we are connected with you this year and that you are aware of key dates and topics we are covering. When you register your young teen for Emerge whether at the info desk at church, or by using the online form found on the Gaties page of the Gateway website please ensure your contact details (email included) are correct so we can have the right details for each young person and keep everyone in the loop of what’s happening and what’s coming up.

We are always on the lookout for leaders/volunteers and parent help, so if you are keen to be involved in some way flick me an email and I can contact you, or call the office on a Wednesday or Thursday to chat.

Annie (Emerge Leader)

[email protected] u

The BYM Northern Easter Camp has been running since 1952. Originally, the land that Finlay Park Adventure Camp Karapiro is built on, was purchased to run Easter Camps. Easter camp has evolved significantly since then. It is the biggest camp in the Southern hemisphere that we know of.

Over the time I have been involved, we have seen Easter Camp grow from 300 attendees, about 16 years ago at Finlay Park, to now where we have just over 4000 attendees at Mystery Creek Hamilton. The Easter Camp Vision Team decided 9 years ago that camp had outgrown Finlay Park and we needed a new location. At the time, about 1200 young people were attending camp.

Youth communities from as far away as Russell right through to the Hawkes Bay attend camp, with the majority coming from Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

For the Crave Community it is the most significant event on our calendar. It is 5 days of worship, exceptional communicators, space to reflect, sports, nightlife, small group discussions, great food, fun and a heap of opportunities to share faith and to understand the story of Easter. It is a chance to build and deepen relationships, be immersed in a great environment, and to encounter a living God.

This is the third year that Crave is going to camp and we are really excited!! Last year we registered 100 people and this year we hope to take 130. We house everyone in big marquees and have a communal area where everyone can hang out. Last year we had a support team that did a fantastic job of making this area awesome.

EASTER CAMP 2012words by wendy organ

Each year we also take some camp parents/workers partly because it is a requirement from BYM, but also because they are so fantastic at supporting the leaders in their role at camp, making the environment more family friendly, sometimes dealing with our ‘challenging’ kids, first aid, lost property, refereeing sport, making milos, and anything else we need doing. They are the backbone of our community at camp.

Some wonderful stories have come out from camp for our young people. There have been people making first time decisions for Jesus, recommitting, seeing brokenness healed, relationships restored, spiritual gifts developing, youth coming away impassioned about social justice issues here in Aotearoa as well as overseas, and sincerely connecting with their leaders and others at Crave.

For each camper to get to camp it costs them $149 (earlybird price) + $20 for marquees. Camp is a fully catered event and most of the fun activities are free of charge. But for some of our teens and families this is a huge cost. If you were able, we would love for you to consider either sponsoring or giving a donation towards the camp fee in order to help one of our young people get to camp. If this is something that you could help with see the team at the info desk on a Sunday or contact me (Wend) or Matt.

We also think it is crucial to have the wider community of our Gateway family praying for camp. Not just for our crew going - but for the running of camp, speakers, young peoples hearts, the vision team etc. Please be praying for our community before, during and after. Please stand in the gap for us. We absolutely value your support and are hugely blessed by it. If you would like to be updated with camp prayer needs please feel free to leave your email at the info desk on the Easter Camp Sign up sheet. We will keep updating you right through camp as well.

Thank you. Camp is going to be AWESOME!!! u

05

01WED

05

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MORNING GATHERING, 10.00 am

EVENING GATHERING, 6.30 pm

CRAVE SUMMER GATHERINGS, Meet at the Gateway building, 6.30 pm - 9 pm with $2 for a scavenger hunt on foot!

FEBRUARY...

12

20

08WED

CRAVE CONVERGE, 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm, meets in the auditorium here in the Gateway building.

FRI10

FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, First for the year! 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast. All are welcome.

17

19

15

HEALING ROOMS, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm, in the nursery, for more info email [email protected]

Pull it out, stick it on your fridge, these are the dates you might like to keep in mind for February / January.

As always, any new events will be posted on the Gateway website, www.gatewaychurch.org.nz, as well as on our Facebook page.

Keep an eye on both!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEALS5.30 pm, first meal for the year. A free community meal here in the dining hall of the Gateway building.

SUN

SUN

MON

WED

FRI

SUN

22WED

MON

24

26SUN

FRI

27MON

29

MAINLY MUSIC, Mainly Music starts for the year! 10.00 am in the dining room, $3 per family.



INTERCESSORS GROUP, Meets for the first time this year, 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room

MORNING GATHERING, 10.00 amEVENING GATHERING, 6.30 pm

INTERCESSORS GROUP, 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room.


WED

GATIES HOLIDAY PROGRAMME, starts at 10 am, school years 1 - 3, Elim room, 1st floor. School years 4 - 8 the Gate, 2nd floor.

CRAVE CONNECT, Not sure where your connect group meets? Contact your leader or Matt at the Gateway office

11SAT

MEN’S BREAKFAST, 7.30 am - 10 am, sign up at the info desk, more details to come.

MAINLY MUSIC, 10.00 am in the dining room, $3 per family


FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast.

MAINLY MUSIC, 10.00 am in the dining room, $3 per family


CRAVE GOES TO THE BLUE LAKE, Meet at 10 am in the Gateway carpark with a packed lunch and $15, parents pick up at 8.30 pm again from the Gateway carpark.

INTERCESSORS GROUP, 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room


PURSUE KICK-OFF, 7.00 pm, more details to come, keep an eye on the Gateway website and Pursue Facebook page.

28TUES

NEW AT GATEWAY, If you’re new at Gateway or just want to know a bit more about what we do sign up at the info deks. Runs for 6 weeks meeting on a Tuesday night.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEALS5.30 pm, a free community meal here in the dining hall of the Gateway building.

21TUES

FORM, 7.30 pm, a night for Gateway volunteers and leaders. Your team leader will give you more details.

CHILDREN’S CHURCH STARTS, Gaties Shakers (3 and 4 year olds) are on the ground floor in the Prayer room, Gaties (school years 1 - 6) are on the first floor. Children head to these area’s at the beginning of the break.

16THUR

OFFICE CLOSED, The Gateway office will be closed on the 16th and 17th as we head away for a staff retreat.

02FRI

04

12


GO MISSION, 6.30 pm in the Dining Hall, check the website for more details

FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast

MAINLY MUSIC, 10.00 am in the dining room, $3 per family.

MARCH...

MON05

11

19

07WED


FRI09

FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast,.16

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14 HEALING ROOMS, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm, in the nursery, for more info email [email protected]


SUN

SUN

MON

WED

FRI

SUN

21WED

MON

FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast



INTERCESSORS GROUP, Meets 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room




INTERCESSORS GROUP, Meets 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room.

EMERGE, Emerge is hanging out! 6 pm - 8 pm, more details to come.



HYDRATE, A day away from the noise of life, starts 12 pm Saturday - 12 pm Sunday. Visit the info desk for more info or go to hydrateworship.wordpress.com

PURSUE GATHERING, 7 pm - 9 pm, on the top floor of the Gateway building.



FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast.23

FRI

GATIES CAMP, Friday - Sunday at Finlay Park, more details to come

25SUN



26MON

INTERCESSORS GROUP, Meets 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room

28WED




FRIDAY MORNING PRAYER, 6.15 am in the Prayer Room, followed by breakfast.30

FRI

GO MISSION, 6.30 pm in the Dining Hall, check the website for more details

STREETWORKS EVENT,Visit www.streetworks.org.nz for more info.

31SAT


INTERCESSORS GROUP, Meets 7.30 pm in the prayer room, access via the dining room.

17SAT

EASTER CAMP REGISTRATIONS CLOSE, If you’re high-school aged and keen to come along pick up a rego from the info desk, the Gateway office or your Crave leader and get them back before the end of today.

I love the vibrancy of our new logo! (Thank you Jess).

We are feeling excited too, about what the new year will hold for us in Gaties. We have the most awesome kids and we can’t wait to see what the Lord wants to do in and through their lives.

Along with our leaders it is such a privilege to partner with parents in standing on the sidelines as “coaches” to cheer our Gaties on to run that race of their lives….to help them connect with their God and to discover the gift that God has given them to love and serve others.”

WHAT TO DO AT THE START OF THE TERM,

Registrations: Registrations are a way of keeping our info up to date and most importantly keeping in communication with our parents. Registration forms are available from the Information Desk and you can hand them in there. This year you can also register online. Go to the Gateway website and onto the Gaties page to find the link.

WHAT’S ON,Mainly Music:‘a mix of music and movement and morning tea for mums and dads with their under fives’Starts Fri February 10th - 10:00 am in the Dining Hall

Holiday Program: a fun programme, movies, games, morning tea...Sunday Feb 5th ( waitangi day) start 10 amSchool years 1-3 elim room (first floor)School years 4-8 the gate (top floor)

words by karen steward

Gaties : Children’s Church - Term 1Starts sunday 12th Feb (at the break)

WHERE TO GO???There will be a handout available at the Info Desk with a map that will tell you where and when the different ages meet.

If you are new to Gateway there will be a Gaties host available at the Info Desk to escort you and your children to their rooms.

WHAT’S COMING UP THIS TERM?Camp : Finlay Park 23-25th March

Arise: Gateway Sat 14th April 4pm This is a kids worship event in April where we are inviting kids from all over the city to come and join with us in kicking off a time of children lifting up continual praise, worship and prayer (in the different time zones) around the world. How exciting is that!!

KEEPING IN TOUCH?Gateway website: All our Gaties events will be updated on our Gateway website.Email: Feel free to email me with any queries that you might have on [email protected]. Sunday blackboard: Read the latest Gaties news on the blackboard in the foyer.

For ease of communication we will now call our Gaties Areas:Babies NurseryMini Movers (crawlers and newly walking)Preschool - which is divided into Gaties Tots (1-2 years) and Gaties Shakers (3-4 years)Juniors (New Entrant - Year 1)Middle (School Years 2 and 3)Seniors (School Years 4, 5 and 6)

NB: EMERGE is the new name for our School Years 7 and 8. u

08

Pursue is our young adults ministry here at Gateway. We exist to help young adults in their faith journey by focussing on three key areas:

• Connecting with God

• Connecting with each other

• Connecting with our community.

Our heart at Pursue is to see young people discipled in crucial years of their faith journey, giving them a chance to explore who God is, how other believers view God, and ultimately what that means for our lives outside these walls.

This year is an exciting one for us. We have a few awesome new leaders joining our team who are excited to start working with young adults.

PURSUE 2012words by alice haworth

As well as having new team members, we are also teaming up with Streetworks to get our hands dirty serving our community.

During that year we have one gathering each month, and in between times our small groups will be running all over the city.

If you want to get connected into a small group, grab a form from the info desk on a Sunday and fill it out. The form comes with a little leaflet, which tells you all about what Pursue is and why we do things how we do.

Once filled out and handed in, this form will end up on Alice’s desk and she will liaise with the leaders to get you into the group that is the best fit for you.

We are kicking off our year with a gathering on Feb 15th and we’re having a sweet bonfire so if you’re a young adult (18-28ish) we would love to see you there! Keep your eyes posted on our facebook page (www.facebook.com/pursuegatewaynz) or the Gateway website for more details closer to the time. u

The final two years of high school proved to be a very confusing time for me. Not only was I a regular young person discovering the new and strange landscape that is teenage-hood - navigating intense emotions, physical changes, the pull to be accepted and the pressure to succeed - I was also facing a drought of adult influence and support.

My parent’s had been separated three years by then. My mother’s illness was worsening each month and, for my brothers and I, our support structures were fractured.

Now I have seen families in similar situations do an excellent job in supporting and raising their teenagers when the family has split, but for me, in this important and formative stage of my development, the ground I was standing on was fragile.

There was though, one particular adult voice I remember being incredibly timely for me. Jason Fitzgerald was my local youth pastor. He was no magic wand that promised to make everything better, but he was constant in encouraging me and communicating God’s love for me. I wonder if I would have ever started what I do now if it wasn’t for his humble commitment to serving young people in the small town of Te Awamutu.

Each teenager that is connected to the Crave community comes from totally different circumstances. They have different family situations, different faith experiences and different needs.

The one common factor we are sure of though is that each teenager is in need of multiple committed and caring adults to speak into their lives. Now we believe parents are (and should be) the main influencers in a young persons life. What we would love to do better though is have our team of Youth Leaders work along side parents in a more effective way, cheering on their teenagers from the side lines of life.

We are learning that two combined influences are greater than just two separate influences.

CRAVEwords by matt martyn

This year:

• A win for us is that each teenager finds a place in a Connect group under a caring leader. That they would have the opportunity to engage in on-going conversations around the ways of Jesus and find a safe place to be honest about navigating life.

• We meet on Wednesday nights during the school term.

• We have two weeks of Connect groups in homes and then combine together on the third week for Crave Converge, which is held at Gateway.

• We do a couple of weekend events a term, go to the BYM Easter camp in April and also run our own camp at the end of winter.

The best way to keep in the loop:

• Check out and join our Crave Facebook page (it’s updated weekly so check it out if you want to know all the details for what’s going on)

• Crave has its own page on the Gateway website with a term calendar and other helpful info.

• Email: If you would like to keep in touch with the themes and studies we are currently looking at, SIGN UP to our parents email by putting your name down at the info desk or by emailing Matt.

We are really looking forward to this year.

Can I encourage you to look out for all of our teenagers this year, even if they are not your own, and CHEER on the amazing volunteers that commit to serving them each week. Above all, let’s pray God would have his way among us.

Please contact us if there is anything we can help you with. Email or give us a call at the office:

Matt Martyn – [email protected] Organ – [email protected]

Arohanui

Matt and the Crave team u

09

1. Where are you at this moment? At home, on the deck in the sunshine!

2. What do you like about being your current age?I get to enjoy my grandchildren’s company when they come to stay.

3. What’s the latest book you’ve read? Glastonbury by Donna Crow - a novel for the holidays.

4. What is your favourite album? It’s actually a dvd, but Celtic Thunder by The Show.

5. You can have 3 people to dinner dead or living, bar Jesus - who do you invite?John Key - good talker, Dan Carter - good looking and Kenny G - good musician.

6. What’s one thing you remember your mother teaching you?To use my common sense, and don’t leave work unfinished.

7. Where do you go to get quiet?Raglan beach.

8. What is one thing you could talk about for hours? (because you are so passionate about it)Sport, cricket and rugby in particular.

9. How do you know Jesus is real?I know God loves me incredibly and I have experienced so many answers to prayer that have turned my life around.

10. What is one thing you think people don’t know about you?I have a twin sister. u

10 QUESTIONS WITH...CELIA HIGHT

At times we all face struggles in our Christian walk, wherever you are on your Christian journey the Cleansing Stream course can help you make the most of what

God has for you by guiding you to freedom.

The next Cleansing Stream course will start early March, running for approxiamtely 8 weeks. For registration or information see the church office, visit the information desk

or call Alan Goodwin on 027 543 6631, registrations have to be made by the end of February.

for more information go to www.cleansingstream.org.nz

GATEWAY CHURCH950 VICTORIA ST, HAMILTON, NEW ZEALANDWWW.GATEWAYCHURCH.ORG.NZ(07) 839 1284

gateway magazine, february 2012, issue 13

Documents

different churches

different personalities

number of things

read of don

unique personality

unique personalities

gateway office

gateway gaties