June Newsletter
Greetings to you all.
Wow, we’re halfway through 2022 already. Here is our June update.
Our Level 4 students have recently completed several modules, including: Preaching, Children & Youth Ministry, and Foundations of Doctrines. For the “Children & Youth Ministry” module we had a number of guest lecturers who work with different age groups share their expertise with our students. The feedback from this was really positive and the students thoroughly enjoyed all our guests.
Our Level 5 students have recently completed several modules also, including: Theology 2 (focused on Jesus), Pneumatology (study of the Holy Spirit), and People of God. While such topics have the potential to feel “dry”, the goal isn’t to fill a student’s head with information, but rather to stir their heart for a deeper relationship with God. For example, the foundational statement for Pneumatology was this:
“The question isn’t ‘do you have the Holy Spirit?’, but rather, ‘does the Holy Spirit have you?’”
The greatest outcome isn’t a well-written essay, but watching a student develop a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit because they better understand who He is and what He does. One of our lecturers says it like this: “A maximum love cannot be achieved with a minimum knowledge”.
Thank you to those who joined us for the Sabina movie night. It was a great evening despite the torrential rain. For those who weren’t aware, we hosted a screening of the latest Voice of the Martyrs film – Sabina: Tortured for Christ, the Nazi Years. This is a powerful movie that tells the story of Sabina Wurmbrand (Co-founder of Voice of the Martyrs) and how God’s love transformed her from an ambitious, worldly atheist into one of the greatest Christian women of the 20th century. If you were unable to join us, you can watch the movie for free here - https://www.sabinamovie.com/
In recognition of Matariki this year, we had a hangi for all our students and campus residents. We were privileged to be joined by Tauha Te Kani who shared what Matariki is and the links to Biblical narratives. A big thank you to all those who helped that day.
Heather and the Hospitality team hosted a Mid-winter Christmas dinner this month and invited the wider community to join us in building community. It was a fantastic evening with delicious food, entertainment, and great company. Thank you for all the hard work of those that made the evening possible.
Our students have continued to serve at “Jesus Reigns”, “Feed the Tinana, Feed the Wairua”, and WBCC’s “Be a Neighbour Project” this month. We are so grateful to the leaders of these ministries for hosting our students and allowing them opportunities to serve our community and share the Gospel with those who don’t know Jesus.
Our first semester is coming to an end. Please keep our students in your prayers. Four of them have finished their time at Faith and are moving on to other things. Pray for clarity to know what that “next thing” is, for the courage to boldly step into it, and for provision. Eight students are going out on an 8-week Field Practicum, and five are continuing their studies in the second semester.
Thank you once again to all of you for your prayers and support.