March 2004
Network head urges evangelicals out of the corners and into the light
If we learn some of our theology through the songs we sing, then those who gathered at the Matamata Union Parish on January 31st were aware of the significance of the hymn ‘Jesus Bids Us Shine’. The occasion was the commissioning of Matamata Union Parish minister Rev Nigel Hanscamp as superintendent of the Evangelical Network of the Methodist Church of NZ. read more
Call for churches to address blight of child poverty
By Joanna Davis
We have long treasured New Zealand as a great place to raise kids but the statistics tell a different story: three out of ten New Zealand children live in poverty and child poverty is growing. read more
Dunedin parish gifts church to Tongan congregation
In a move that reflects the growing ethnic diversity of the nation and the Church the Dunedin Methodist Parish has gifted its St Kilda church to the local Tongan congregation. read more
Under the mountain, along the river – the Church in Taranaki and Wanganui
Taranaki-Wanganui District superintendent Rev Alan Upson says the largely rural Methodist district has the strengths of healthy ecumenism and congregations with a community focus. But the region also sees many of its young people move to larger centres, faces a shortage of ordained leaders, and sometimes has a sense of isolation from national bodies. read more
The Treaty is an enduring compact of mutual obligations between Crown and iwi
By Rev Gary Clover
The Treaty is not about race privilege or individual Maori rights. It gave Pakeha rights too. 'In the famous phrase of Justice Eddie Durie, "We must remember that if Maori are the tangata whenua, the original people, then Pakeha are the tangata Tiriti, those who belong to the land by right of the Treaty". read more
