This Christmas Bible Society New Zealand, through the generosity of its supporters, is giving away 85,000 copies of The Well Good News of Christmas, a fun and colourful booklet for parents and grandparents to help them pass on the Bible story of Christmas.
Last year, this little book was a run-away success with 3,000 copies flying out the door equipping families to pass on the Bible story of Christmas. Following on its heels was The Super Cool Story of Jesus, with 84,000 copies given away to children around the country with the help of churches and families.
In publishing another 85,000 copies of The Well Good News of Christmas, Bible Society is hoping to reach the 36%* of Kiwi kids who have never seen, read or heard the story of Jesus’ birth. The book is part of Bible Society’s Pass It On campaign designed to encourage and equip parents, grandparents and caregivers to pass on their passion for the Bible to the next generation.
With The Well Good News of Christmas, people have a fantastic opportunity to share the good news of Christmas with the children in their communities using a brilliantly fun book. It’s a story that is still impacting and changing lives today.
Stephen Opie, BSNZ Programme Director.
Written by Welsh author Dai Woolridge, the story is aimed at four to eight-year-olds using child-friendly rhyming language.
And while The Well Good News of Christmas focuses on the events around Jesus’ birth, it also includes a little about creation, and Jesus’ life and ministry.
The Well Good News of Christmas
is being offered free to churches, BSNZ partner organisations and anyone who wants to share the Bible story of Christmas
Click here to order your copies or call us on 0800 424 253
Individuals can order up to five copies, while churches and organisations can order up to 250 copies
Learn more about how Bible society New Zealand makes the Bible accessible to everyone and encourage interaction with it
Today the United Nations and the European Union are criticised from all sides by people of all faiths and none. When we ask why and how the UN and the EU came into existence, we discover that many of the key initiators were motivated by biblical values and ideals.
Could either of these entities ever have existed without biblical inspiration?
When war broke out, Sir Winston Churchill, never an active churchgoer, warned the British: ‘The Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.’
As war raged across Europe and beyond, the desire to build a free and peaceful post-war world order prompted President Franklin Roosevelt to articulate ‘the four essential human freedoms’: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
These ideas would germinate over the next eight years into the founding of the United Nations in 1945, and the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the first article of which read: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.’
Dr Charles Malik, a Lebanese Christian, was one of the drafters of the UDHR and later became the president of the UN General Assembly. US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles expressed that ‘Christian forces’ had been primarily responsible for giving the UN Charter a ‘soul’ in the commitments to human rights; among them pre-communist China (much influenced by Protestant-mission universities) and the governments of Catholic Latin America. Eleanor Roosevelt, a key player in shaping the UDHR, prayed each evening: ‘Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of a world made new’.
Winning the war was one thing; sustaining the peace was another. We easily forget how volatile the post-war years were with efforts by the Kremlin to overthrow the fledgeling democracies of France, Italy, Spain and West Germany.
While America cajoled western European leaders to formulate plans to bring West Germany back into the community of democratic nations, it offered the Marshall Plan as an economic package to kick-start the economy and initiated the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as a protective umbrella against the Soviet threat. While essential for the recovery of western Europe, these initiatives were like scaffolding on the outside of a building project. The process of rebirth and reconstruction required an indigenous European initiative.
The defining moment for Europe’s future (including Central and Eastern Europe in the long run) took place on 9 May 1950 when the French foreign minister Robert Schuman surprised the world with his daring plan for a European Coal and Steel Community, the first step towards what has become the European Union. In a speech lasting three short minutes, Schuman laid the foundations for a European house in which today half a billion Europeans from 28 (soon to be 27) nations live together in peace, committed to democracy and human rights.
Schuman’s personal vision was that Europe should become a ‘community of peoples deeply rooted in basic Christian values’. ‘Democracy will either be Christian or it will not be,’ he wrote. ‘An anti-Christian democracy will be a parody which will sink into tyranny or into anarchy.’
Europeans today may squirm at references to Christianity and spiritual values. Churchill’s reference to ‘the survival of Christian civilisation’ may sound outdated in post-Christian society. And Schuman’s talk of ‘Christian democracy’ would be scoffed at in many circles today.
Yet Schuman and Churchill were not isolated voices. Numerous key figures engaged in drafting the UDHR and the ECHR consciously drew from their Judeo-Christian worldview, while attempting to find common ground with those of other persuasions.
Schuman’s German colleague Konrad Adenauer believed it to be ‘providential’ that those at the core of the new European project were ‘filled with the desire to build the new edifice of Europe on Christian foundations.’
The claim that Europe’s roots are primarily Christian is largely ignored today. Yet, even British atheist Richard Dawkins candidly admits we cannot understand European history without understanding Christianity and the Bible. Leading secular philosopher Jürgen Habermas concedes that there is no alternative to Judaeo-Christian ethics for grounding freedom, solidarity, emancipation, morality, human rights and democracy. These ideals are the direct legacy of the Jewish ethic of justice, he argues, and the Christian ethic of love.
In other words, without this biblical legacy, there would have been no Europe as we know it, no European Union and no United Nations.
Till next week,
This article originally appeared on Jeff Fountain’s ‘Weekly Word‘
The Waka Whakamua is made up of 30 providers, businesses, churches and organisations focused on working together to deliver services supporting and strengthening youth, whanau and the wider community. Scott Clifford is the Pastor of Ascend Church and also the representative of the faith-based collective, he chatted with Andrew Urquhart on Rhema. Interview with Scott Clifford on Radio Rhema
We have seen a continuation of our traditional strengths: the Christmas Day Community Lunch (put on by the combined Churches, local businesses and the Mayor’s office) served over 500 of the most vulnerable in our city, and the Combined Good Friday Service saw about 700 Believers from dozens of different Churches worship together once again (not even a tropical storm could put us off!).
Two new opportunities presented themselves to the Rotorua Association of Christian Churches this year that were unique and timely. Waka Whakamua and Te Hāhi.
A community trust based on collective impact was officially launched (after 2+ years of dialogue and strategy). Waka Whakamua (meaning: Moving Forward, Together) is made up of 6 community collectives, including a Faith-Based/Church Collective. The vision of Waka Whakamua is “Transformed communities, full of hope and prosperity!” Having just received significant funding for this charitable trust at the end of 2017, the future is bright for the Church of our city to continue to impact those around us!
When former policewoman Tui Keenan moved to Rotorua last year our city was blessed! Tui had started a cooperative between local Churches and local Police to help curb incidents of ‘domestic harm’ (including domestic violence) in her hometown of Gisborne and wanted to help facilitate the same thing here in Rotorua.
Te Hāhi (meaning: The Faith) began over the holiday period 2017 and is seeing the same fruit in Rotorua as it has in Tairawhiti. Local pastors, current and former Area Commanders, parishioners, chaplains and many others are banding together to help shift the atmosphere of our city and region!
Exciting times!
The other significant event we participate in together is the Christmas Day Community Lunch. In partnership with churches (providing volunteers and organisation), government (the Mayor provides the Events Centre out of the Mayoral Fund and local MPs get involved), business (donating food and gifts) and the community (with volunteers and participants) it is truly a cooperative effort!
Last year over 400 folks who would have gone without on Christmas received a top-notch meal with all the trimmings and presents for the children. As I was leaving I noticed one of our MPs still vacuuming away as almost everyone had gone home. Everyone chipped in. We would love to model more events on this type of collaboration in the future!
There is a sign on the way into the city of Rotorua along the State Highway that reads, “Feel the spirit!”. The churches of our city are working together to make sure this happens!
Scott Clifford Chairman RACC, Pastor – Ascend Church Rotorua
‘His Beautiful Face’ first appeared on the City-by-City website and is re-published here with permission from the author.
Hi again. A number of years ago I had the privilege of facilitating a leader’s 3-day prayer summit in the Philippine island of Mindanao. It was a wonderful time of praying and sharing with leaders from different streams in the Body of Christ there. At the debriefing in the afternoon of the final day, a dear lady from one of the barrios exclaimed, ‘Now I understand, if the body does not come together the head has nowhere to sit.’ Simple but profound!
My mind went to Deut. 33:5 which says ‘And He was King in Israel when the leaders of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.’(Emphasis mine) Making oneness a priority in our towns, cities and regions as the body of Christ of that locality is essential to giving Jesus His rightful place in our midst.
It is a blight on the church, and leaders in particular, when we do not discern and love fervently the Body of Christ in our locality. God intends for there to be a visible expression of Christ in our towns, cities and nations. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said. ‘Jesus was God made concrete on earth, the church is to be Jesus made concrete in our communities’. In other words, Jesus made visible through His ‘together’ body.
‘The continuous and widespread fragmentation of the church has been the scandal of the ages. It has been Satan’s master strategy. The sin of disunity probably has caused more souls to be lost than all other sins combined – could it be that the obstacle to the salvation of the world is not in the world but in the church.’ Max Lucado, author
A well known Bible scholar and conference speaker, Dr Ern Baxter said ‘The Christian community is the reproving headquarters of the Holy Spirit, therefore fragmentation of the Body of Christ is probably the greatest sin against the Holy Spirit.’
In the late 1990’s I listened to a pastor who had recently found an intimate relationship with the Lord and had joined other pastors from different denominations at a four-day prayer summit. On the first night before sleeping, with his new found zeal for God, he prayed ‘Lord please show me your face’. That night, instead of the Lord’s face, he was shown the Lord’s nail-pierced feet. The following night he prayed the same prayer only to be shown the Lord’s feet and legs. The third night after praying the same prayer he found himself standing with the Lord in the midst of the pastors who had met the previous day. He was told to look around the circle and into the faces of all those present. The Lord then spoke to him and said, ‘As you have looked into all those faces you have seen My face’.
May we too discern the beautiful face of Jesus in the faces of other believers in our locality no matter what their church or church culture.
Te Hāhi is a partnership between the Police and a group of local Churches in Gisborne city. This partnership came about when it was realised by the Church that Gisborne has the highest rate of family violence in New Zealand and that New Zealand has the highest rate of Family violence on a per capita basis for any OECD nation.
The question for the Christian Community was,
how can we facilitate change for good in our city and help support the Police in their work as they daily face dealing with families in crisis?
To that end, we now have a group of trained believers who carry a Police phone. When the Police team identify a family that needs prayer, love and some type of practical support the Te Hāhi team goes into action.
On most call-outs, we take a gift of food and we are welcomed into homes carrying some practical love that opens the door for prayer and ongoing spiritual help.
This initiative was initiated by a former Policewoman, Tui Keenan – who was moved with compassion as she fulfilled her role in the Police. She saw the need for Christian ministry, aroha & support for the Police & community especially in the area of family harm.
In due course of time, she was able to share her vision with Commander Sam Aberahama who placed his support behind Tui to bring the vision to a reality.
On Sunday evening 27th September 2016, the Gisborne Churches gathered for aCombined Church Service – ‘Prayer For The Police’, which was jam-packed with around 250 attending.
Police Area Commander, Sam Aberahama, called on Churches to partner with the Police as we launched the ‘Te Hahi’ ‘ (The Church) initiative.
An absolutely unique occasion made even more memorable when Commander Sam closed with an impromptu ‘Lords Prayer’ sung in his Cook Island tongue.
The ‘Te Hāhi’ concept – involves 10 Church leaders, who will be available on a roster rotation, to be called on to provide – prayer, counsel, pastoral help, CAP Debt Centre advice, etc, – when Police offer this to ‘clients’ and it is accepted, in what they will assess as safe and appropriate circumstances. Approved volunteers from each church will also be required to assist Pastors.
Two new opportunities presented themselves to the Rotorua Association of Christian Churches this year that were unique and timely. Waka Whakamua and Te Hāhi.
Te Peeti Te Awe Awe
