The Gathering
Twice a year, Presbytery Central holds their Gathering. This is an opportunity to learn, fellowship, and grow together. We welcome all members of Presbyterian and Uniting churches in the Central region, along with anyone else interested, to join us for a marvelous weekend.
Nukuhau Tapu – Winds of the Spirit
When Presbytery was created, it was gifted a name, Nukuhau Tapu. As we look to our strategy for the future it is important to look at the winds of the spirit fanning the flames of our Presbytery as a whole. Our Gathering is in the middle of our Presbytery at St Albans Church in Palmerston North. We encourage ministers to join for fellowship and learning on Friday, 16 August, and for all that can to join us on Saturday, 17 August, as we look to the future!
Keynote Speaker
Rt Rev Rose Luxford, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
Rose will deliver a timely and relevant message on being “Authentic and Hopeful in Christ.” Her insights will provide crucial guidance and inspiration for our journey of faith and community.
Get Involved
Keep scrolling to find out more about the content of the weekend and register your place for the Gathering. This is a great opportunity for people from all corners of our Presbytery to get together, load up a car and bring a cohort from your parish to come away revitalised and engaged. We’d be delighted to have you take advantage of this opportunity. Register today.
Schedule
Join us for the Minister’s Gathering on Friday afternoon, featuring Ryhan Prasad, as we explore “What We Could Look Like in 30 Years”.
Saturday begins with worship at 10:30 AM led by So’osemea Fa’atui from Pacific Islanders Church of Christ the King, Porirua, followed by a keynote address from Rt Rev Rose Luxford, Moderator of the PCANZ. The day continues with presentations and discussions on PCANZ strategy, experiences at Te Maungarongo Marae, Rangitahi Noho Marae, and Church schools. After lunch, celebrate the Youth Film Fest winner, engage in the AGM and strategy discussion, and participate in workshops on self-care, appreciative inquiry, engaging children in worship, and feedback from Te Kahui Whanaungatanga.
Conclude the day with a blessing and join us for an informal dinner on Saturday night.
| Workshop | Presenter | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self Tending | Kyle Hastelow | A gentle, flexible, contextually-aware approach to the tricky topic of self-care. Kyle will offer a framework which has emerged from experiences of life, health, and ministry; from insights in research and study he has done; and through discussion and feedback with others. A companion to the excellent Self Tending resource written by himself, Dr Susan Wardell and Terin Hastelow, which is available from Presbytery Central. |
| Asking Better Questions: Appreciative Inquiry as a Means of Bringing Change | Brett Walker | Appreciative inquiry – a process that allows a group to ask questions that generate hope and energy for change. We will look at the appreciative inquiry process and what make a great question for dialogue. Moving from problem-oriented to positive conversations. We will also look at clean questions (where the biases of the questioner is removed). This is suitable for pastoral situations as well as parish planning. |
| Children in Our Midst | Linda Pollock | Together we will explore the role of children in Scripture and discover how we see children in our midst. We will endeavour to come to an understanding of who children are in our communities and the identities we build for and with them and, based upon that, create a mission statement for working to and with children in our own context. |
| Te Kahui Whanaungatanga Feedback | Allister Lane | Join Allister Lane and others of the Te Kahui Whanaungatanga national workgroup to discuss the strategic direction of the Presbyterian Church. They want to listen to your ideas for how we might come together to find solutions – ‘make things happen’; where the Spirit is leading us to live into our diversity; ways we can journey together more closely (local congregations, Presbytery, national church); and the issues/challenges/dreams we would like to work on together. |
Friday 16 August
| Time | What’s happening |
| 1:30pm – 4:30pm | Ministers’ Gathering “Exploring What We Could Look Like in 30 Years” with Ryhan Prasad |
Saturday 17 August
| Time | What’s happening |
| 10:30am | Worship So’osemea Fa’atui from Pacific Islanders Church of Christ the King, Porirua |
| 11:00am | Keynote: Rt Rev Rose Luxford |
| 11:30am | Sharing Session: Te Kahui Whanaungatanga – PCANZ strategy |
| 12:30pm | Lunch |
| 1:30pm | Youth Film Fest winner |
| 1:35pm | AGM and strategy discussion |
| 3:00pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3:15pm | Workshops |
| 4:30pm | Conclusion: Communion and Blessing |