Pastoral teams from across South New Zealand gathered recently at Lake Lyndon Lodge for connection, training and prayer.
The team was joined by associate ministerial secretary, Dr Edyta Jankiewicz, and field and ministerial secretary, Dr Darius Jankiewicz, from the South Pacific Division.
During the three days, the pastoral team heard presentations on relational intelligence, with specific emphasis on emotional intelligence. The life of Jesus was used as a model, and many stories from Scripture where Jesus displayed His masterful ability to connect and minister to people, were studied and discussed.
The pastors celebrated the Lord’s Supper together during the evening meal—first by washing each other’s feet, then breaking the bread and drinking from the cup.
“Pastors rarely if ever get to participate in a communion service that they are not running. We wanted our pastors to be participants in a communion during these meetings,” secretary-treasurer for South New Zealand, Michael Jones, said.
A break in the windy weather also allowed time to explore the nearby Castle Hill—the first time for many in the team.
“The number of new pastors in our team since we last gathered in this way was a special aspect of these meetings,” said South New Zealand Conference president Pastor Ben Martin. “It was wonderful to get a chance to connect with each new minister and get to know them better.
“This time together highlighted just how well our pastoral team works together. Though we are ministering in different churches across the South Island, we all have the same mission—to see the kingdom of God advance in South New Zealand.”
