Dear Church Whanau,

Following the announcement made to you all in the church service last Sunday the Leadership Team are delighted that Josh van de Worp has accepted the role of Interim Pastor to commence when Steve finishes on 12 November.
He will continue with his 24-7 Youth Work role in Pukekohe Intermediate and his role for eCamp, but the 20 hrs work he currently has with oversight of youth and children’s ministry will be covered by Josh Temu and Carol Dobbe increasing their hours.
All three have been given six month fixed term contracts. This will give the Search Committee the time to consider the applications that are coming in for the Senior Pastor position, while also giving more pastoral & preaching experience to Josh, a leader we value and who knows us all well.
Faye for the Leadership Team

I am so excited to be given the opportunity to lead at Franklin Baptist Church as the Interim Pastor. I have be on staff for 15+ years and I feel God has placed me here through many different seasons, some good and some not so good. But all throughout my pastoral call to FBC I have seen God work in miraculous ways, when we seek Him with all that we are and trust in His plan for us. This time ahead for us will be no different. I am looking forward to taking us, the congregation of FBC, on a journey and partnering all together to seek Gods will for our church. This is a journey we cannot do alone. We are better together. Each of us learning and growing from one another, supporting each other, and being the light of Jesus within our community. 

Let's do this journey together. te aroha me te rangimarie ki a koe

Love and peace to you.
Josh

Change your attitude / Faye Snook
Philippians 2:19-30
How often do we challenge our children to change their attitude?
This week we continue in Philippians looking at the lives of three leaders, their service and encouragement despite their circumstances.
What does it mean to have the same mindset as Jesus as it relates to our personal lives, in leadership and in the church?
Join us at 10AM in-person or online. There has been a rise in COVID and flu in the community again.  We would love to have you join us online for the service if you are not able or unwell. Please contact us if you need support staff@fbc.nz 

For the Kids...  

Wonder Kids (Preschool Programme): This month we are focusing on the choices we make. This week we are looking at the story of Jonah (Jonah 1:1-3:10) understanding that God knows what is best for everyone.

Discovery Kids (Primary Programme): This month we are focusing on friendship. This week we are looking at the story of Saul and Barnabas (Acts 9:26-30) exploring the basic truth that friends stand up for each other.

FBI (Intermediate Programme): A 4 week series on navigating what the Bible is, how we can use it, and what it means for our lives today. Week 3: the Bible points us to Jesus.

Parents of Primary aged children, please remember to sign up to be parent help at the information desk. 

Carol is on leave from the 24th August to the 15th September. If you have any questions, please email josh@fbc.nz or penny@fbc.nz while Carol is away.

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 fuelled 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.
 

AGM
The annual AGM of Franklin Baptist Church will take place after a shortened service on Sunday 24th September. The following members of the Leadership Team are coming to the end of their two year term but are available for re-election: Alan Calvert & Erin Temu.
Dave Stevens has also advised that he is not available for re-appointment in the year ahead, with God leading him onto new areas of service within FBC.
Penny Day/Brooks has decided not to seek re-election but will continue to be available as a link person with the staff and Leadership Team where needed. This frees her up as without a Senior Pastor her workload has increased.
We therefore have vacancies and give opportunity for nominations to be forwarded in writing or emailed to leaders@fbc.nz by 17th Sept.

We would also appreciate it if those wishing to suggest an agenda or general business item could please send that to leaders@fbc.nz by Wednesday 13 September. The agenda will then be distributed in advance of the meeting.
 
With thanks
Esther (meeting Chairperson)

Carey open day
Our Open Day and Online Open Evening are coming up soon. These events provide an opportunity for students to join us for a relaxing and informative time to help discern where God may be calling them.
Do you know someone who might benefit from Carey’s distinctive and innovative approach to theological education? Maybe you know someone in your congregation, on your team, or maybe God has been prompting you to study? Please register for one of our Open Events. Join us at Open Day to learn more.

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. 
Click this link for all the info needed to begin getting organized for our church community to join in for 2023. We would encourage everyone to get involved. Please get in touch with Josh or Penny if you want to join in organizing this project.

Free CAP money course
CAP is running a free course to support your money management skills.  Learn how to budget, spend and save! We have moved the start date.
Starting Monday 4th September, 7:30 at FBC the course runs for 3 weeks and each session is between 1-1.5 hours.
Register your interest on the "Events" tab on the Church Center app or by clicking here, or complete the sign-up form at the info desk.

GAT
Global Focus Lunch - Sunday 24th September
Pot luck lunch in the cafe plus an opportunity to  hear an update about Joyya from Carol Dobbe on her return from South Asia. 

Church Annual Report 2023
We have sent out the Ministry reports for our Church annual report 2023 in a separate email this week. For those of you who have not received it, click this link: Annual Report 2023. We hope you enjoy reading this report as it reflects well the positive year that we have had as a church family.

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

Seedpods
Seedpods is a weekly play workshop and friendship group for pre-schoolers and their caregivers. Thursdays at 9.30am during term time. Please contact Lynley Clark on 0276514349 if you are interested in attending. If you are interested but Thursday doesn't suit, please let us know. Flyers are available at the info desk if you have someone you would like to invite.

Franklin Food Bank
A huge thank you to all that have been giving donations to the foodbank.  They have been most gratefully received.  We would love to make regular donations to the foodbank.  Please continue to leave canned and dry foods, along with hygiene products at the information desk.  Thank you for your generosity. 

Do you want to be able to welcome new people God sends your way?
Do you want to meet new people and who is in our church community?
One way to do this is to serve on the Barista Team on a Sunday morning.  
First I (Theresa) started with taking orders, I wasn’t at first interested in making the coffee, only drinking it.  As I got to know people and watch how the coffee was made, I took the plunge and started to learn.  Currently I stay away from milk because I am not completely confident, but by standing next to other team members who do it, I am learning and hope to take it on by Christmas!  Because we are a small team and demand is growing, it’s time to step out in faith and take the plunge……keep an eye out for me on milk.
We need your help and would love to have you on the team.  If you are interested in meeting new people, getting to know people more, taking on a challenge, age is only a number, WE WANT YOU! 
It’s never too late to learn something new, even if it’s just taking orders. 

Register your interest by clicking on the button below and Theresa will get in touch with you; or leave your name and number at the info desk. 

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.

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