Kia Ora – Welcome

Kia ora, Ngā mihi. Somehow you’ve ended up on the Parklands Baptist Community Church’s website. We gather for Sunday Services at 10:30am at 180 Queenspark Drive.  We’d love for you to check us out. If you can’t make it we live stream our service on facebook on a Parklands Baptist Community Church site. Never as good as being there,  Like anyone who follows Jesus we’re keen to make this world a better place to live in. We run a series of other events, employ some part time youth workers in schools, a part time community worker and are keen to partner with others to make North East Christchurch a great place to live.  Check out the Connect and Community tags…

We’re still meeting on Sundays in Level 2

You’d be welcome to join us on Sundays at the Queenspark Primary School hall at 10:30. Level two means we’ve stripped back some of our extras, so sadly no tea or coffee, no chocolates and we encourage people to physically distance.   Here’s a short Vid explaining that We’re still seeking to load up livestreams of services/messages, but are having some technology issues.  

Following Jesus in a fragmented world Week 1 (1 Peter 1:1-12)

Discussion Notes Click on me for PDF for small groups Peter writes to a wide variety of people across a series of different places. He doesn’t focus on their age, class, race or background, but on that they are both chosen and exiled (scattered). In a land that is not their own, Peter wants to encourage them of their real identity and their home in Jesus. What are the words and phrases of Identity that Peter uses.  In what parts of your life do you feel chosen ? In what parts do you feel scattered ? Who are the people who mentor and encourage you in your faith ? Who do you look up to ? What tensions do you…

Following Jesus in a fragmented world : Suggested Meeting format

Meeting format Click on me to get a PDF of this Step 1 : Open by praying together. Step 2: Get someone to read the passage aloud Don’t read in a rush, take your time. Pause at the full stops. When the reading is done, sit still for a minute before the next step Step 3 Questions and Phrases If a word or phrase stood out to you when the passage was being read-share the word or phrase (but don’t explain).
If you have a question that has come up, share that question. As people share their questions get someone to note them down, but don’t answer them yet. Step 4 : Get someone to read the passage again. Step 5…

Appy Prayer

There are some helpful phone apps that are designed to prompt you for daily prayer. Three of note are Lectio365 , BiOY (Bible in one Year) and Pray as you Go Each has a daily set of readings and prayer prompts, each can read the prayer to you, each provides space for you. Check them out.

Joy – More than Happiness

Happiness is fleeting. You feel it when you find a carpark, but loose it in a moment when someone beats you to it. Happiness is fickle because it’s entirely connected to situations that can change in a moment. Joy is something  else. Jesus reckoned that he told his disciples a whoile bunch of stuff so that their joy might be complete (John 15:11).  Check out the Bible projects video on Joy below  

Hope – waiting for the “Not yet”

Everyone hopes. It’s a looking forward to something, or someone.  It’s the possibility of change for the better.  In the midst of brokeness and pain we hope for something better.  Kids find it natural to hope. As adults, most us have tempered our hope against our experiences of life. It’s truly human to hope, but the Bible tells us that it’s not only humans that hope. The Bibles outlook is that creation is looking forward to a change, longing for better.   Check out the Bible projects video on hope. TO LISTEN, TO LOOK  (Anne Weems, Kneeling in Bethlehem) Is it all sewn up-my life?  Is it at this point so predictable, so orderly, so neat, so arranged, so right,  that…