Greetings to all in my Church Family,

As I reflect on the messages given at FBC in 2023, I see God has been speaking a common message to us through many speakers. We live in challenging times, pressured times where life can be a struggle. Passion for life, empathy for others and even love for God can be lost in the rush. We can find ourselves in the dry desert of just functioning, day to day. What has God been saying to us as a people week by week, the same encouraging message He has been sending to people for thousands of years.
"Be Still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
We can stop trying to do life in our own strength. God wants us to have full life, to regain our passion for Him and for those He places in our path. He wants us to live above circumstance and confidently demonstrate His truth through our lives to a desperate world around us.
But one thing we must do each morning for this to happen –
Stop, Drop, and Connect with the One who said - I am the Way, The Truth and the Life." John 14:6

Blessed to know all of you,

Ian Moorhouse

For the Kids...  

I hope everyone is having fun in the holidays.  Don't forget we have the kids poster competition going.  Bring in a poster or make one at church.  We have two categories:
1. A poster about Jesus - why you love him or what you would like others to know about Jesus
2. A poster about something you think Jesus is saying to you or others at the moment.
We look forward to seeing your creations!

For the service on Sunday we will also have an activity pack and snacks available at the back of the auditorium. 

Prayer at 5pm
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14. The presence of God’s Spirit fueled by prayer brings God’s wisdom, strength and compassion into our lives and victory over the many issues that have held us back in the past. We would love you to join us, humble ourselves and pray - Sundays 5pm in the Church Auditorium.
 

Franklin Community Worship Night
Sunday, October 15th 7pm - 8:30 pm @ 128 Victoria Street West Pukekohe
Kia Ora Church, 
Our next Worship Night is coming around quickly! This one is going to be special! A time to worship together as a wider community. A collective band, musical worship, and prayer! 
See you there. Click this link for the flyer.

Joy Ride
We're gearing up again for Joyride 2023 - another chance to make a huge difference for children in Kolkata who are connected with the work Joyya do. In 2022, almost $40,000 was raised which went towards bouncy castles, after school classes, leadership opportunities, fun days and a zoo visit, amongst other things. And FBC was part of it.  We will be doing church offsite at Pukekohe Intermediate School on Sunday 29th October and enjoying a fun morning with God, Bikes and BBQ's. 

Office Assistant Extraordinaire

We are looking for an office Assistant to join our staff team at Franklin Baptist Church.  

If you have a dynamic personality, efficient administration skills, basic bookkeeping skills, advanced computer skills, and enjoy working with teams of people we would love to hear from you. 

Currently this is a 6 hour a week onsite paid role, as an Office Assistant, supporting the Office Manager in their role.  

It is a 6-month, fixed term position with the hope for this to continue and hours to increase. 

For more information, please email Penny@fbc.nz 

The General Election 2023 Is Just Around the Corner!
We realise that the general elections for Aotearoa New Zealand are just around the corner.  We do not wish to tell you how to vote but do encourage you to be prayerfully considering how you vote in the election.
Some helpful things for you to know:

• If you’re not enrolled, you can do this at the voting place. (You can enrol on Election day)
• Voting starts on Mon 02 Oct, with the final date to vote on Election Day Sat 14 Oct before 7pm
• You can vote at any voting place in the country, but it is quicker to vote local if you can
• You do not need ID to vote – just show up!

If you would like help to discern who you should vote for, here are some helpful tools:

• Vote Compass - Check out which political parties align with what matters to you here
• Policy - Compare political parties and candidates here

For further information, or to enrol or update your details you can visit the voting website vote.nz

Come to the Table
The women's ministry team would like to invite all women to join them for a special evening of connection, cooking demos and tastings. Saturday 11th November, 7pm in the FBC cafe.  Save the date, gather your girlfriends and get ready for a fun night together. 

Alpha - The Marriage Course
An enrichment course for all couples, no matter age, length of, or health of your marriage. An online course is planned for later this year - aimed at those couples with little children or couples who find themselves in a different location. More information coming soon!
Enquiries: sandra@fbc.nz

Oasis
We will be meeting again on Wednesday at 10am.  All are welcome! It would be appreciated, as always, if you are able to bring a food item towards morning tea. For more information contact Charlie Potter. 027 529 8211

Hospitality team 
We would like to thank those people who signed up last Sunday to volunteer and be involved in the hospitality ministry. For those who have missed it, It's not yet late! There will be a sign up sheet in the info desk. You can serve as a welcomer, be a kitchen helper setting up tea and coffee and you can also be in the info desk and have the opportunity to help people know more about the church and its current events..

Sharing Kai
It has been great to see people bringing in excess produce from their fruit trees at home to share with everyone.  We have created a space for this underneath the missions notice board.  Please put fruit/vegetables that you would like to share with the congregation on the table.  

GAT Prayer
Check out the latest news from the Global Action Team. Click here for the AUG-SEPT newsletter.  A printed copy is available at the Info desk. Thanks for upholding them and our other partners in prayer.

GAT Prayer
Check out the latest news from the Global Action Team. Click here for the AUG-SEPT newsletter.  A printed copy is available at the Info desk. Thanks for upholding them and our other partners in prayer.

Booking Rooms at FBC
If you would like to book the use of a room at FBC (either for personal use or church use), please fill out the form. Link for FBC Booking Request Form

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. For the "Renew" giving, please indicate "Renew" as reference for giving through bank. And if using the above link, click "Renew" on the drop down tab. 

Church Center App
Our Church Center app is where you can find what's going on in our church whanau. Click this link to find out how to download the app here.

Whanau news
If you have something you would like to share in the Whanau news, please email it to staff@fbc.nz by 12 noon on Thursday. Thank you.
Please note that we post Church sponsored/supported events and activities. You can personally post any other advertising requests in our FBC Community Facebook page.

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