Richard Dawson, 1 October 2014

On Thursday of this week Helen, Ivan and I will head to Auckland to the biannual meeting of the PCANZ called the General Assembly. This meeting consists of a 50/50 split of elders and Ministers from churches all around the country. About 500 people meet for a 5 day long festival of resourcing, refreshing and debate. Debate used to be the main thing but the meeting is now swinging towards celebration and seminars designed to resource elders and encourage all who would come. In fact, you don’t even have to be an elder to go to the seminars. One of our members who is an elder, is going to the resourcing part of the meeting and we will get him to report when he returns. We three are largely going for the debate side of it and so that I can take up the role of Moderator Designate which will happen early on the Wednesday morning 8th October.
The main thing I want to pass on to you about Assembly is that it needs our prayer. We do not generally discern the will of God via debate though God can and does work through ‘much council’ as the Good Word says (Proverbs 24:6). But as a part of the Church the Assembly is simply a spiritual body trying to bless the community of Christ and this can never happen without concerted prayer. Pray then, that we might find Christ’s counsel in every decision; that his Name would be raised up in worship and praise every day; that people would meet in love and that our new Moderator Andrew Norton would know the Spirit’s infilling and wisdom for every moment and every decision throughout. Thanks so much!