With Easter weekend behind us many of us have a meaningful time remembering the cost that Jesus paid for us – and some of us may have had a bit too much chocolate.

What do sprained ankles, scoffing dry Weet-bix, cold showers, mosh-pits and lost voices all have in common? If you guessed a youth camp, you are right! Also in common with these are dumb dogs, night-vision goggles, strangler fig roots, and young people learning and leaning into Jesus.

Rev Di Woods is taking on an exciting new role as Dean of Waiapu Cathedral in Napier. Di will be moving on from the role she has held over the last six years in Wellington as Principal Chaplain, Class 2 (Wing Commander) for the New Zealand Defence Force. We caught up with Di about her time with Defence Chaplaincy and what she is looking forward to in her new role.

At 9:20am Sunday morning Patricia Cooper received a call from Jake at the Red Cross, “That family of five you collected for a little while back need to move into their new house on Tuesday evening. Can you do it? Oh, and they are now a family of seven!”

Two of our goals we have this year regarding our ‘out’ aspect of discipleship are to more closely tie our giving to relationships and be involved in a hands-on way rather than to just have the treasurer write a cheque each year, and secondly to integrate our children into our ministries of justice, mercy and creation care.

Through the vast expanse of Scripture we see men and women following behind on the path that God is already treading. Often we see them living into the consequences of attempting to lead themselves, or struggling when God’s path seems hard to see.

After 7 years of helping to resettle former refugees, Patricia Cooper is stepping down from her voluntary coordinator role. We talked to Patricia about her time as Refugee Resettlement Coordinator.