Whānau News: 23 December
 

Immanuel / Tim Palmer
The service this Sunday will start a little earlier than usual at 9:30am. Join us at 9:30AM in-person or online. 

As we approach Christmas day, I’d like to highlight the work in Cambodia with Kevin and Gillian Bird. We’ll be taking up a special offering on Christmas day, which will enable their support worker to continue the good work he has started (see link to video). I’d like to ask you to prayerfully consider donating towards this. Here’s an update from Kevin and Gillian….
Tim Palmer 

Greetings from Cambodia,
Wow, the year is flying by. In this last quarter we have had to balance ambition with practicality. Some roads have been muddy and dangerous, so we have had to change where and when we travel to some places. Literally, "when it rains it pours" here.
 
Sokatt has settled into his "Bridge the Gap" (BTG) project role now that all the material we want to use is ready, and on reliable USB drives. He has a great manner with the church leaders, and is being welcomed by them. We have a short video below in both English and Khmer to introduce Sokatt to you.

We are sharing and training the usage of large flash-drives (USB/Type C) which have a lot of resources and materials for pastors and leaders. This is already-downloaded material is great, and in some contexts where the internet is less available.

Along with some focused assistance to pastors, and sharing of resources via social media, Kevin has enjoyed sharing the cabinets, Bibles and songbooks different supporters have provided dedicated funding for. Recently we got down to having only three Bibles left, then the next day $500NZD turned up in our bank account tagged for the buying of resources! This is enough for 30 more Bibles. Kevin was worried about being too generous in giving away Bibles, but perhaps the message from God here is to continue to be generous.

Gillian continues to provide additional resources for the rural Hope Centres, with the help of some volunteers, and is now providing some coaching assistance in the areas of professional development and managing teaching staff at Salaa Hope. Presently she is preparing for three days of training in literacy and numeracy development at Salaa Hope so that they can step beyond rote learning, and being tied to the book which the Ministry of Education provides. There is nothing wrong with these Ministry books, but there are opportunities to supplement the concepts the books introduce in order to expand and accelerate the breadth and depth of learning.

Please pray for wisdom with regard to what to do about reading recovery (there is none at present), as many children cannot "catch up" without some form of intervention and assistance. Looking forward, training and capacity-building (both for teachers and management) needs to occur, and to be managed and prayed into being. While this is a school management issue, they are looking to Gillian to provide some guidance and training.

Please pray with us for the upcoming workshop in February with pastors and leaders. This one will be quite different, with a focus on Bible Storytelling (ways to read, recite and dramatise Bible stories), as we want leaders to be able to take a fresh look at how the Bible can be presented. Khmer speakers love dance and drama, and it has been strong amongst children's ministries in the church here, but not so much with adults.

Personally, we will visit some fellow missionary friends in Phnom Penh for Christmas and enjoy some "family time" with them, and with some folks here in Battambang also. We wish you blessings for the season of Christmas and New Year. We pray that you will be refreshed in body and spirit, and discover afresh the loving touch and care of our heavenly Father, and His love for those who are still without His saving grace in their lives. Plus, as an added bonus, we actually have Gillian's sister and her husband coming to visit with us for a few days!

We thank you again for partnering with us and we do appreciate each one of you. Thank you again for your faithfulness in prayer for us, your words of encouragement, and the one-off special funding to buy some of these resources, for us to then pass on. It is great to be a conduit of God's blessing, and we want you to feel encouraged about your part in this.

God Bless,
Kevin and Gillian
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No Kids programme...  
The kids church team will be taking a break this week and over January and will be back in action in February 2023. We look forward to seeing you then.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Summer Services
Sunday 1st Jan — There will be no service on this Sunday. However, there will be an online resource, along with a booklet that can guide you from wherever you will be. Click here for the booklet.

Sunday 8th Jan — There will be no formal service on this Sunday. This week will be a focused on small group gatherings. There will be a range of options that our church whānau can participate in:
1. Gathering in your Lifegroup.
2. Gathering with your whānau.
3. Connecting with a group of people while on holiday.
4. Small gathering in the cafe at church.

Sunday 15th Jan — Sunday morning service running as usual.

FBC Summer Office Schedule
Office is closed from 24 December 2022 - 8 January 2023. Call 09 2388544 for urgent matters.

Carols Service in our Area
St James Presbyterian Church — Christmas Eve (24th) at 11pm.

Christmas Offering for "Missions"
For many years FBC has allocated its Christmas Day Offering to a "Missions" project. Last year the funds went to help Kevin and Gillian Bird employ a local worker. This person has worked out really well and they would like to keep him employed for another year if possible. The GAT Team would like to recommend that we again allocate the traditional Christmas Offering to this cause. Click this link for more details. The appeal is open through to the end of Jan. Please deposit any funds via the church bank account 01 0403 0013842 00 including the Ref. Christmas Offering or click here, and donate under "Overseas Missions"

Christmas Craft Market - a huge thank you!
The total profit from the Christmas Craft Market fundraising project in November was $916. This amount will be matched by a very generous anonymous donor. Thank you to everyone who supported the market or exhibited their craft. It was a great day and feedback was very positive. Keep your eyes peeled for a repeat (with improvements) next year!

Covid Reminder/Update
Due to an increased level of Covid-19 in our local community, we would like to encourage you to join us online for the service if you are unwell. Please do not come to our church building if you are Covid positive.

Church Center Profile
Moved address or changed phone numbers? Please help us keep our records up-to-date by adapting your profile here. We print a phone list for those without access to technology. Please fill in the printed phone list permission form to have your details included.

Prayer Chain
If you would like to submit a prayer request to the Prayer Chain, please email Arlene Hutcheon on arlene@ps.gen.nz or send a text to 0274726198. All prayer requests are treated as confidential.

Giving
You can give online, by automatic payment or direct debit. Our church bank account: 01 0403 0013842 00 or click here to donate now.

As an encouragement to all of you while you're at home...check out some of the songs we're currently singing on Sundays and a few new ones we might sing in the future. If you have a Spotify account, this is the link to FBC Worship on Spotify