Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

One of the greatest challenges when working internationally is the need to always be prepared and to think and plan ahead. If one just considers the fundraising and visa requirements usually associated with the sending of an individual or group overseas, one has enough reason to start working at least six months in advance. Of course, we are also challenged by an urgent crisis that will burst onto the scene and demand our attention.

So whether it is a manse that has burnt to the ground in Myanmar, a tsunami that has hit the Solomon Islands or something relatively simple like the need for a volunteer electrician to rewire a generator in Vanuatu, we never feel the work is done. And that is exactly where you come in. Without your support — be it through a financial gift or willingness to serve — we would not be able to achieve much at all. This edition of the Gazette features some of the challenges in greater depth. But here is a list of some of the others that may just entice you to be a Kiwi taking mission to the margins. Please contact us for more details.

• St Thomas School in Jagadhri, India, urgently requires the services of aqualified pre-school teacher. This is a unique opportunity that can begin as early as July 2007.
• Onesua Presbyterian College in Vanuatu is seeking staff for 2008 to teach accounting, economics and computing; maths or physics. The school offers courses using the Australian curriculum. These are one-year appointments.
• Friends of Jagadhri is seeking your financial support to get a third flat for Nursing School tutors built.
• The GMO needs a few more donations to be able to purchase a truck for the New Zealand Friendship Farm in the Democratic Republic of North Korea.
• Micro-Enterprise projects are a very effective way of making a huge impact on a local community. Why not consider establishing one in a church in Zambia?
• Poor sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water challenge many communities and is often relatively easy and cheap to fix. Make a difference today.
• HIV/AIDS is rampant in many parts of the world. Is it not time that we gathered people together to form a well-informed team that can start to be part of the solution?

As I write this, in my other life as the minister of St Andrew’s, Otahuhu, I am preparing for Pentecost Sunday. In Acts 2:36 we read how Peter explains to the crowd who had gathered that “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ”. Verse 37 says that when the people heard this they were “cut to the heart” and asked “what shall we do?” That is not question we need to ask. The list above alone shows there is plenty of choice when it comes to us doing and/or going in the name of Christ.

In Hope,

Andrew