WE KNOW HE IS RISEN. BUT HOW DO WE PROCESS REAL-LIFE SORROW?

I've loved over the past decade or so the way Shore Vineyard has grown in its understanding and receptivity to aspects of the wider church calendar.
Advent in the lead-up to Christmas has become a precious annual go-to, and more recently we've been conscious of and even observing aspects of Lent, the 40-day journey towards Easter which began with Ash Wednesday yesterday. If you're keen on exploring it further this year, I suggest you tap into this resourcefrom the UK Bible Society.
Lent is a period for going deep, examining ourselves, seeking spiritual renewal and preparing for the celebration of Christ's resurrection. And this will frame my message Hopeful Sorrow this Sunday, starting with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and ending with Mary in the garden with the resurrected Jesus (feel free to check out Mark 14 to 16 in advance).
I hope you can make it, and that together we can share these early days of Lent, able to feel the reality of sorrow while not losing the glimpses of joy that await.
Which brings me to another big event on the horizon - our annual Camp Out coming up in three weeks (eek!), March 13 to 15. This is a time where we get to be a people together, slow pace, unhurried chats, a smattering of activities, Sunday sunrise communion on the beach. I love it.
We also have baptisms on Saturday, 2pm on March 14, so if you'd like to get baptised please let me know so we can have a chat and help you get ready.
All you need to do now is to secure your booking at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park through booking.com, and watch this space for more info week by week. Or if you can't make it for the whole weekend, it's worth coming on the Saturday for sandcastles (11am), baptisms (2pm) and dinner (7pm).
Camp Out, of course, is this year sandwiched between two big events in the life of Shore Vineyard - the farewell service for Fran and me on March 8 and the commissioning service for Paul and Katy on March 22.
We're inviting those who would like to offer farewell messages for us and/or welcome messages for the Sawreys to do a short video to mark the occasion. These should be landscape with a natural background, featuring most of the body rather than a close-up selfie and leaving recording space before and after talking to help with editing. Some messages will be collated to play in the services; all will be treasured. Here's a Dropbox link for the Vic and Fran farewell messages and another for the Paul and Katy welcome messages.
Easter Camp is also looming for our youth, and this Sunday will be the first of two fundraising days - this week it's the carwash and bake sale and the following Sunday, March 1, the hire-a-youth auction. Or you can just sponsor a young person outright - $265. Please come with a generous heart and a sense of engagement in this life-changing annual event.
Another date to note is our annual ladies high tea, organised by the fabulous Jody Alder, raising money for Dignity Freedom Network on Saturday, February 28. Another great cause to get behind.
Details of all these events are on our What's On page.
There's so much happening - keen for you to be part of it!
Vic Francis, Pastor