NZCU Can Appeal

During the month of August NZCU held a nationwide can appeal for The Salvation Army. Customers and staff were encouraged to contribute cans to the appeal and NZCU would match can for can contributions.

Monetary gifts were also given along with cans to assist those coming through for assistance at our Community Ministries.

Nationwide a total of 8,535 cans were provided to The Salvation Army.

We appreciate what the customers and staff of the Invercargill branch were able to give to this appeal. The food given and monies raised will help provide assistance to the more than 550 family units coming through our Community Ministries on Leven Street in their time of need.

Without the support and contributions from organisations such as this we would struggle to do what we do within our community.

Major Pamela Waugh, Social Services Secretary for The Salvation Army said that; "NZCU Baywide’s Can Do campaign is a great example of how businesses can help make an important and positive difference to their local communities."

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An Offering to God

This weeks message looked at giving all that you are and all that you have, as an offering to God. As we need to be good stewards of everything that He has entrusted into our care; our bodies, mind and spirit – along with our possessions, gifts, talents and wealth. These are all to be used for His glory as we have been blessed to be a blessing. 

Romans 12:1-2 from The Message says; “…Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it…”

This weeks clause from the Soldier’s Covenant says that;

‘I will be a faithful steward of my time and gifts, my money and possessions, my body, my mind and my spirit, knowing that I am accountable to God.’

When we give our all, we find that we can truly live an abundant life. You see, God has everything that we need. Therefore we need to trust in His provision and in His love.

To download this weeks message click here or follow the links on the right menu to the “Current Sermon Series” or the “Therefore I Will” sermon series.

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Player of the Year

Saturday evening (14/09/2014) saw Patrick & I being recognised for our contributions to the Division One Queens Park AFC team. For the second year in a row I received the Player of the Year Cup along with the Most Valuable Player Award. Meanwhile Patrick was awarded the Most Improved Player Award after playing in almost every position on the field.

From conversations on the night this is the first time that a father – son combination has come away with the awards in the same year for the same team.

It is also the first time that a Division One player has one the Cup back to back. The Division One Team also took the Team of the Year Cup after a reasonably successful year coming second in the league. If it wasn’t for a couple of games where we had the bare eleven and even the walking wounded we could have come away with the title. All things considered though, with two teams dropping down from the Prems the previous year to be competing week in week out with a squad that rarely trained we did exceptionally well.

Congratulations also go to our fill-in manager/coach/general dogs-body who took out the clubs most valuable contributor.

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14 Hours Homeless

New Zealand’s housing crisis is having a devastating impact on our most vulnerable families and individuals.

With some of the most expensive housing in the world and rents in places like Christchurch increasing by 30% since the 2012 earthquake,  one in 120 Kiwis are now classed as homeless.

Homeless’ or ‘housing deprived’ people include those living in unsafe and unsuitable locations such as garages, sheds, tents, caravans and cars, couch surfing or living in shared housing with other families.  The community who are more commonly thought of as homeless, those sleeping rough on the streets, represent only 20% of those now affected.

Every day, The Salvation Army along with other agencies, help homeless individuals and families with access to food, emergency accommodation, clothing, furnishings, counselling and support to help address their financial, health, security and social problems.

This year, on World Homeless Day (10 October), The Salvation Army along with the Breathing Space Southland Trust will be running team-based homeless events to raise funds and increase awareness about the new reality of homelessness in New Zealand.

For more info on how you can be involved or donate to this worthy cause check out the Breathing Space Southland Trust website here.

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