Christmas Eve Service 7pm

 

Christmas Eve Service

7pm at the Chapel Street Centre

(Remember: Scan, sanitise, mask up and bring your vaccine pass)

or watch online

Love, Joy, Peace and Hope be with you.

Christmas blessings to you and yours!

The Doorstep Nativity

Introducing... our Christmas movie for 2021...

the Doorstep Nativity

https://youtu.be/rluddIr5kAE

Thank you to all our Awesome Kids, Chapel Street Youth and families, for making this happen. Special thanks to our awesome videographer Izak, for his camera work and editing.

May the love, peace, hope and joy of Christmas

be with you all.

The Doorstep Nativity... this Sunday!

 

This Sunday 12 December, our socially distanced 2021 Christmas nativity movie will be released...

The Doorstep Nativity

Doorstep Nativity Coming Soon...

 If you'd like to be part of our Doorstep Nativity Movie, please do get in touch with us! 

Spring Challenge!

Just a reminder that there is no Awesome Time, CHYPS or FISH until we are back at Level One.

We are thinking of you all and hoping that it won't be too much longer before we can get together in person.  In the meantime, here's a few fun ways we can keep connected.

RECIPE BOOK

We've heard that many of you have been having fun cooking up a storm in the kitchen. We thought it would be fun to gather up all your tried and tested recipes and put together a collection that we can share with one another.

Maybe you've baked biscuits, cooked a casserole, whipped up a dessert, curry or cake. Send us your recipe (and a photo if you like) and any Master Chef tips and tricks. You can either email me, message me on CHYPS Insta, or do it the old fashioned way and pick up the phone!

The recipe could be an old, family recipe, or it might be one you've found online - it doesn't matter. Just tell us where you got it, who made it and what it tasted like! Any interesting or funny stories relating to the recipe would be most welcome too!

SIGNS OF SPRING

We can see many wonders of God as we go out and about Ōtautahi at the moment. I've been really enjoying all the spring flowers on my walks around the neighbourhood, and I'm sure you have too. I thought we could have a 'Signs of Spring' Challenge... so here it is.

Send me your 'Sign of Spring' to be in to win a mystery prize... here are some ideas:

1. PHOTOGRAPH - you could take a photo of a spring flower/s
2. ARTWORK - you could paint or draw a Spring-themed picture
3. POEM - you could write a poem about Spring
4. FLORAL ART - you could arrange some Spring flowers (send me a photo)
5. ORIGAMI / PAPER ART - make some origami flowers or paper / cardboard flower (send me a photo)
6. MOVIE - make a short video of some of the signs of Spring on your neighbourhood walk (less than 1 minute)
7. MUSIC - play a piece of music or sing a song celebrating Spring

Lockdown Challenges!

Hi there Awesome Kids! 

Hope you are all doing well in your bubbles. Well, here we go again! 

We have a couple of challenges here for you to pick from. Feel free to have a go, and of course if you'd like to, send me photos and we might post a few on the blog.

CHALLENGE #1 | WELLBEING POSTER

Create a poster promoting the five ways to wellbeing - lockdown edition.

Connect - Obviously we can't do this in person outside our bubble at the moment, but what other ways could we connect with others? 

Be Active - What physical activity can we do at home? Or perhaps it's a walk or bike ride around our neighbourhood (remembering to mask up and social distance!)

Take Notice - Now is the perfect time to slow down and use our senses to notice the little things.

Keep Learning - Be curious, try something new.

Give - Your time, your words, your aroha. We can still do this with those in our bubble, but what ways can you think of to give to others outside our bubbles, while keeping safe? 

CHALLENGE #2 | WELLBEING VIDEO

Using the Five Ways to Wellbeing (above) create a 60 second video ad promoting the things you can do during lockdown.

If you want to share your video with the rest of your church family, send it through to me (email, dropbox, google drive or one drive link), or instagram message: chapel_street_youth

CHALLENGE #3 | SKY POETRY

This is a really cool challenge, and a chance to have your writing published on a literary website!

It also counts for at least two of the Five Ways to Wellbeing; take notice and keep learning.

Look at the sky. Collect as many 'sky words' as you can. Colours, cloud movement, night, day, patterns. 

Write a poem about the sky.

If you are in school years 1-8, you can enter your poem into the Poetry Box Sky Poem Challenge. Here is the link to the Poetry Box website, where you can find all the info:

 POETRY BOX NZ | Sky Poem Challenge   The deadline for this is 29 August.

CHALLENGE #4 | PRAYER

Say or write a prayer. 

It can be short or long. It doesn't need to have lots of big words. You can say it out loud, or silently in your head.

You might like to think of something to thank God for. You might like to pray for someone in your family, in your church family, at school, a friend. You might like to pray for Aotearoa, for our leaders, for the doctors and nurses and all the people working hard to keep us safe. You might like to pray for people who don't live in a country as safe as ours. 

Here's an idea to get you started:

Hi God,

I just want to thank you for ......................................

Please help ..............................................................

Please be with ........................................................

Thanks God, for loving me and being with me all of the time.

Amen

Carol's feast

 Last Sunday, Carol, Bella and Sophia created some awesome posters, using signs and symbols of the early church.

They also had a feast, just as the early church shared food. Those who gathered together in the early house churches would usually share food together. Often they would remember Jesus' last meal by sharing bread and wine. The leftover food from their communal meals would be gathered and shared with widows and orphans and those who were sick or elderly in the community.

Carol's feast included nuts, raisins, dried apricots, and they also ate chocolate fish (because the fish was a symbol of the early church).

Use Kind Words

 We heard the story, Being Frank, by Donna W. Earnhardt, illustrated by Andrea Castellani. A boy called Frank learned the hard way that speaking the truth can sometimes be tricky. His grandpa taught him how to speak the truth with kindness and grace... sprinkling his words with a little sugar, rather than too much pepper!

Angie read a verse from Ephesians 4 which taught us God wants us to speak the truth with kindness, and show love and peace to others.

Monica showed us how to draw some cool cartoon characters, with a step by step tutorial. We then made speech bubbles with words of kindness and created some cool comic posters with crazy, colourful backgrounds. You can check them out below in the photos and videos, thanks to our tech wizard, Izak!

https://youtu.be/_MLogZaXh48

Feeding the Crowd

 After hearing the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, we pooled our resources and chef skills and baked batches of biscuits to share with the congregation. Even the littlest among us was able to help... proving that 'small' can do great things.

Just like in the bible story, there were lots of leftovers! Those who hung around at the end were happy to 'help' make them disappear.

https://youtu.be/jbbhKANEYHg

Thanks to Izak for the video!

What is God Like?

 Listen to Rev Anne read this beautiful book, 'What is God Like?' by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner.

https://youtu.be/eq6pojNqzcE

Matariki Stars

 This morning we celebrated Matariki and the start of our service was led by some awesome young people from our parish. What amazing leaders and role models they all were, all spoke so beautifully and confidently in both English and Te Reo Māori.

It isn't easy to be a leader, or to be one of God's people. Even Jesus had a tough time. We heard a story about Jesus, and how when he tried to teach in his own hometown, no one would listen. He had to leave and go to other towns.

People don't always like us... and that is ok. Our job is to be ourselves... to be the person God created us to be. God wants us to use our gifts and talents and live as one of God's people, sharing God's love with others.

Check out this video of this morning's activities, which involved a very complicated Matariki star craft, courtesy of Carol... and don't they look incredible?!

https://youtu.be/7WMjEUZV_qc

Refugee Sunday | Room on our Rock

 We heard the awesome story, 'Room on our Rock' by authors Kate & Jol Temple, illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton. When read from in the usual manner from front to back, the story was about some very selfish seals, who would not share their rock with a newcomer. But, when the story was read in reverse, starting at the back page, it was an entirely different story! The seals welcomed and showed love and friendship to the newcomer. This perfectly illustrated the theme for Refugee Sunday. See below for a link to a reading on YouTube.

Our Awesome Kids also went on a journey in a hurry with Heather and Dave, and out in Awesome Time used a gym ball and paper people to show how we could help make the world a better place, where everyone is cared for.

Storms and bubble paint

Life isn't always "plain sailing". Sometimes the days roll by smooth and calm, without a care in the world, and other days are "stormy" with all sorts of troubles.

We heard a story about a storm... and were reminded that Jesus is with us through all the "storms" of life.

We had fun using the microwave to make bubble paintings... check them out on the video below.

https://youtu.be/Vdt97AMLlag

Matariki stars

 Check out the latest video from MaTCH (Media and Tech at Chapel Street)...

https://youtu.be/7PVUuKE1XeE

Our Awesome Kids made yarn star-themed art to celebrate Matariki... 

It's incredible when we look up at the stars and realise that our awesome God created the heavens... and also created each one of us! And God loves us, and cares for us deeply.

We were reminded that God sees beyond what people look like on the outside, and knows us deep inside. God knows the special skills we each have. We are all chosen by God and God has special plans for each of us. The really awesome part is that we never have to do anything alone... God is always right there with us, loving us always and no matter what.

Pentecost

 Last week we celebrated Pentecost. We talked about how it's a bit like the birthday of the church. It's when a few people shared their faith with others and the church began to grow.

Fire and wind, both symbols of the Holy Spirit, were used in our Awesome Time activities. We made some fire-biscuits... cookies decorated with red and orange flame icing! We used our breath to blow bubbles and make some coloured bubble art. 

You can watch some of the activities here: https://youtu.be/ZrDTPGbgN04

Disciples

 Check out this video: https://youtu.be/xt8gZxZODik

...this is from Awesome Time on 16 May where we learnt about the 12 disciples. Some of our youth were challenged to a bible quiz... with marshmallows and m&ms for correct answers!

Thanks, Mum

 This morning our Awesome Kids made lavender bath salts, cards and flower pen toppers... wow, us mums were very spoilt! 

The lavender scent is to help us relax... and the salt is because we are 'salt of the earth'! ;o)

Watch the work in progress here: https://youtu.be/iIU-mhL-KYo

Stick with Jesus

 Last Sunday, our Awesome Kids created some arty wall hangings from driftwood and wool. Check them out in this video (thanks to Izak!)

We turned dried, dead, bits of driftwood...

and colourful wool...

...into these awesome hangings!

Reminding us that Jesus is the Vine and we are the BRANCHES. 

STICK with JESUS!

ART EXTRAVAGANZA

 Before the holidays, we had a huge cleanout of our art and craft cupboards. All our crafty resources were available to our Awesome Kids, and they unleashed their creativity and imagination at our Art Extravaganza Sunday! 

It might have looked chaotic and messy... but being able to potter, to explore different ideas, and express ourselves through art was very therapeutic. A little bit of art therapy does wonders. 

Here's a little video Izak put together showing the creatives in action.

https://youtu.be/pKbzOUlInOo

The stressful part was for our Awesome Leaders.... cleaning up afterwards! But here's a photo to prove we were able to put everything back in order afterwards!

Art Therapy

On Sunday we talked about how sometimes our stomachs feel like they are tied up in knots. It might be because we are anxious, worried, scared or sad... but we heard a story about Jesus's friends, the disciples, and how when they were feeling all tied up in knots, Jesus came and breathed on them, and said, Peace be with you.

Knowing Jesus's love and peace is with us, helps unravel those knotty feelings and gives us a sense of calm and peace. Jesus wants us to share that love and peace with others through our kindness and caring.

In the Awesome Kids' room, we took a deep breath and delved into the art and craft cupboards... spreading all the amazing supplies out on the tables. It was a very happy, peaceful time for everyone, fossicking through all the resources and creating whatever we felt like. It was wonderful to see the young people expressing themselves through their art.

Some took bags of crafty resources home to make things during the holidays. Beth has got a head start, and her Mum shared this beautiful photo with us, of Beth's amazing artwork. Great job, Beth!

We look forward to seeing what everyone else makes!

 

The Empty Tomb

 

On Easter Sunday, our Awesome Kids made empty tombs, to celebrate the fact that Jesus is Risen!

Palm Sunday Procession

 Check out the Palm Sunday video, made by Izak | a MaTCh Production.

As well as being Palm Sunday, we also celebrated Harvest Festival. People brought gifts of produce and other food from their gardens and pantries, to be donated to other families.

In Awesome Time, we made edible 'gardens' with Sue. Those candy mushrooms were delicious!

CHYPS | Youth Group

 CHYPS Youth Group is for all those youth in school years 7 through to 13. We meet at the Chapel Street Centre from 6.30pm to 8pm this Saturday night, for a mix of games and activities, followed by a short 'God-Time' devotion and supper. All welcome!

Other upcoming dates:

MAY 15

JUN 12

JUL 3

AUG 7

SEP 4

OCT 30

NOV 20

Follow the CHYPS blog HERE

THE GREAT FISH QUIZ NIGHT

Join us this Saturday 27 March 

5pm to 7pm

at the Chapel Street Centre

for 

the GREAT FISH QUIZ NIGHT

All ages

All welcome

 

UPCOMING FISH DATES for 2021:

APRIL - none

MAY - 22

JUNE - 19

JULY - none

AUGUST - 21

SEPTEMBER - 18

OCTOBER - 23

NOVEMBER - 27

CAMP SERVICE | this Sunday 21 March | 10am | CHAPEL STREET CENTRE

 

CHYPS | Youth Group | this Saturday night!

 

Stop Motion Videos

This morning our Awesome Kids created creatures from modelling clay to celebrate all the weird and wonderful things God has made in our world.

Livvie led us in prayer, asking God to help us remember to be thankful when we see a raindrop on a blade of grass, a ladybug crawling along a leaf, all the stars in the sky, or a beautiful sunset or sunrise.

We also talked about the Ten Commandments... guidelines God has given us to help us live in God's loving ways. Sometimes rules can feel boring and tiresome, but when we gave our 'robot' (Izak) the right commands to follow, he was able to make his way to the prize (a chocolate). Following instructions or rules can actually bring us joy and help us to live in love and happiness :o)

Izak and Callum made a stop-motion video to illustrate how we should live by God's laws, showing kindness and care for one another.

Watch Izak & Callum's video here:

Here's a short video by Angie, Sophia and Livvie, celebrating ocean life:

Here are the boys hard at work:

After church, Monica led our ukulele group, AbsolUKE for another jam:

God Loves You!

 Carol & Jill together with the help of some of our Awesome Kids, made this wee video to let you know, "God loves you!"

AbsolUKE strummed off to a good start

 Last Sunday, our ukulele group, AbsolUKE started for 2021, with Monica as the patient and enthusiastic tutor. 

The "ukuleleists" picked things up super fast, learning three chords in the first lesson! They also learnt the right way to hold a ukulele, how to strum, and some simple percussion. Lots of fun! If you'd like to give ukulele a go, you're more than welcome to join... everyone from beginners to experienced can be part of AbsolUKE.

Blessing of the Backpacks

 Last Sunday, we had our Blessing of the Backpacks. All our young people were invited to bring along their backpack and receive a special blessing as they begin the school year. All our Awesome Leaders and our CHYPS Youth Leader were there to show their support.

Angie and Corban were presented with bibles, as is our tradition for those youth who are beginning secondary school.

Angie (jnr), Angie (snr) & Corban

Some of our CHYPS youth tried out a new game... 'Stuff Happens'. They had to rank various incidents on the 'Misery Index', which led to lots of debate! Just where on the 'Lane of Pain' would your phone falling into the toilet be? Or how about getting a tooth knocked out, or falling down stairs, or your swimming togs falling off in public?

Although we had to agree to disagree on where things were ranked on the scale, the one thing we can all agree on is that no matter what 'stuff' happens, God loves us and is with us always, giving us strength and helping us to get through it.