God has big plans for us this year!

Welcome to our first pastoral message of 2025. I hope you’re all enjoying the summer break. Felicity and I had a lovely time in Auckland visiting our children and grandchildren. We came back last week feeling refreshed. Thank you for your prayers—they mean a lot to us.

God has big plans for us this year! Our church has an important part to play in His mission to make the world better and restore it to what He wants it to be. The church shows the world what God’s future looks like. It brings glory to Him and helps more of His kingdom come on earth. St. Peters in the City is God’s light for Tauranga, working together with other churches in our city.

This Sunday, I’m starting a new series called “Church Culture.” It will run through February, March, and April. To prepare, I encourage you to read these Bible passages:

• The Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation (Chapters 2 and 3) and
• Acts 4:32–37

These will help us understand the kind of church culture God wants us to have. We’ll talk about how to live this out in today’s world. I’d love for you to come on Sunday and learn more with us.

As we begin the year, let us sing “How Great Is Our God”.  I love this song as it reminds us of who God is: a loving, caring God who is in charge of everything from beginning to end. Let’s declare He is worthy of our praise. Halleluiah!!!!!

Here are some of the lyrics by Chris Tomlin:

The splendour of a King, clothed in majesty,
Let all the Earth rejoice, all the Earth rejoice.
He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide,
And trembles at His voice, trembles at His voice.

How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God, and all will see,
How great, how great is our God.

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands. Beginning and the end.
The Godhead Three in One.
Father, Spirit, Son. The Lion and the  Lamb

Name above all names Worthy of our praise.
My heart will sing. How great is our God!

Enosa