Church Talk
We will reap what we sow
Friday 10 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
The following article was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on one of the CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees, Christmas […]
New building for New Life
Friday 3 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
New Life Church in Aro’a is holding a ceremony for the opening of its new building tomorrow at 10.30am. The church celebrates its fourth anniversary on Sunday, but until now has been meeting at Rutaki Primary School. Now it’s got a building to call its own – on a back road in Arorangi, signs clearly […]
Finding the peace of Christ
Friday 3 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Many of us have grown up hearing that phrase as part of our church culture, but we never stop to ponder what it means. The words are found in Philippians 4:7: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Even after we have professed our […]
Who does our story point to?
Friday 27 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Paul, here, is describing when he went out into the churches of Judea following his time with Peter (refer to verses 18-22). Who do we glorify? Is it the living God or ourselves? Do we heap glory upon other men and reduce it from what should be heaped onto Jesus? The situation of Paul was […]
Just part of God's plan
Friday 27 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Nancy Watkinson says brush with death just a part of His purpose Nancy Watkinson, who together with her husband Murray founded Celebration on the Rock, walks with a limp, a residual effect of a near-fatal accident at Avarua last year. Six surgeries after the crash, she’s got plates and pins holding her pelvis and femur […]
Avarua CICC plans future
Friday 20 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
The Avarua Cook Islands Christian Church Ekalesia is having a four-day conference from Monday August 23 to Thursday August 26. The main theme of the event is ‘Journey Through the Ark’ while the policies, guidelines and strategic plan for the Avarua CICC will also be discussed. A booklet’ Te Araka’ will be the central focus […]
The Armour of God
Friday 20 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
This is a particularly well known passage of scripture. A lot of Christians use this (and other passages) to take up arms and wage “war” on the enemy. There is no doubt we are called to go against the work of the devil but I do not believe it is in the manner that most […]
Know the value of belonging
Friday 20 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
We are all very familiar with attending funerals – of family, friends, work associates and acquaintances we respected. For some we attend out of a sense of respect and solidarity with the family. Each funeral has its power to move us to a greater or lesser degree, depending how close we were to the deceased. […]
Precision and exactness
Friday 13 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
I am reminded of a karate expert who gave a demonstration of his skill in the use of a samurai sword. After breaking boards with his hands, cement blocks with his head, he asked for a volunteer from the audience. A macho teenage boy accepted the challenge and volunteered, lay down on his back, and […]
A week of fun and adventure
Tuesday 10 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
A one-week Vocational Bible School was held during the term holidays at the Avarua Seventh Day Adventist Church. The main theme for the week of fun and learning was ‘Wild Wood Forest – discover the untamed nature of God’. To attend the day camp was free and open to all children from five to 14 […]
Resisting the devil
Friday 6 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
It seems nowadays that demons and the Devil get a lot more credit than they are due. I believe that is part of the power in which they thrive. They are made out to be the source of all problems and any bad thing – money problems, sinful issues, marital problems, etc. The answer always […]
Always stand up for Christ
Friday 6 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Fear of opposition or ridicule can weaken our witnessing for Christ, we cling to peace and comfort even at the cost of our walk with God. Jesus reminds us here that we should fear God, who controls eternal, not merely temporal consequences. Don’t allow fear of a person or group to keep you from standing […]
Atiu's Ziona-Tapu under renovation
Friday 6 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
For the past two weeks the people of Atiu have been hard at work renovating the CICC Church building Ziona-Tapu. Ziona-Tapu was constructed in 1843 and opened in 1846. The first renovation was done in 1965 and it reopened in 1967, 43 years ago, under the leadership of the late Vainerere Tangatapoto OBE and his […]
How do I add value to my life?
Friday 30 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk
In this column, I want to talk about an issue which I believe is absolutely essential in our current cultural, social, political and economic environment. It is something worthwhile for everyone to work on, and not just Christians. The issue is about “How To Add Value To My Life”. The recent negative headlines in the […]
Bishop's golden milestone
Friday 30 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk
On Tuesday Bishop Stuart O’Connell, the Catholic Bishop of Rarotonga, celebrated his golden jubilee – 50 years since he was ordained a priest. He marked this achievement with a special dinner. On Saturday a bigger celebration is planned with a mass involving all priests at 11am at St Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral in Avarua. This will […]
SDA kids week
Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk
The Avarua Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church is hosting a Vocational Bible School (VBS) for children between five and 14 years old next week. VBS starts on Tuesday and ends on Friday, and will run from 9 to 12 every morning. The week is themed ‘Wild Wood Forest’ and will focus on discovering the ‘untamed […]
Church gives $165,000 to Aitutaki
Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk
The Cook Islands Mormon Church has announced a US$120,000 ($164,880) donation towards to the Aitutaki cyclone relief effort. The majority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints donation will go towards building materials and labour for 12 homes and 90 water tanks which include piping and accessories. Around 300 homes were damaged […]
Sexual addiction
Friday 23 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Originally, anecdotal speculation on Pat’s part suggested that 10% of the general population struggled with sexual addiction. It is still difficult to obtain scientific evidence on the prevalence of the problem, as studies have relied on self-reporting, mailed surveys, and subjectively filled out paper and pencil tests. We do note with interest that during the […]
Gospel Day nuku at Arorangi on Monday
Friday 23 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Monday marks the 187th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity to Rarotonga and as is traditional – the six Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) Ekalesia on the island will gather to commemorate Gospel Day. This year’s annual nuku or religious parade and drama presentations will be hosted by the Arorangi CICC Ekalesia. This year’s event […]
Avatea kids out and about
Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk
This term room four students at Avatea Primary School have been out and about on a number of field trips. Two weeks ago they visited traditional voyaging vaka Marumaru Atua where they had a blast looking through the canoes sleeping quarters and some even had the opportunity to handle the canoes massive oe (paddle). Thank […]