27th Dec day 73 church and cinema

Carol, Simon and I all went to church together to Trinity Methodist in Napier. It's a church that hosts Carols' choir's concerts and the Minister is very friendly, so they decided to try going there. Simon and I had looked at their website and it was still advertising the services for last Easter, which didn't bode well. Also the website was obviously done by someone as skilled as me technically and all the photos were of an older, small congregation. So I went with incredibly low expectations - but I was very wrong (sorry Lord for my judgmentalism).

Here is the outside of this 140 year old building which survived the terrible 1931 earthquake. I think it's the prettiest church I have visited this whole trip and it's really well maintained.

We were greeted by a warm, friendly guy on the door so immediately felt welcomed. As we sat down everyone around us said hello and one lady from the row in front started chatting. As John, the Minister, entered from the front and came down the steps he was smiling and acknowledging people. He spotted Carol and gave her a huge grin of welcome. When he had been at the choir's recent concert he had invited her to come to a service, so was obviously pleased she had decided to come along.

The whole service, which included liturgy, was printed into individual order of service sheets, which made it easy to follow as all you had to find were the songs. But best of all for me was the fact there were Bibles in the pews. It's interesting how few churches have them available for people like me who like to follow the readings. I am pleased my home church of All Saints provides them. 

We sang a couple of carols and the singing was good, helped by Carol's fantastic voice everyone sang up. John was warm and friendly using humour in his welcome. He spoke on the passage from Luke 2 41-51 when after the feast of the Passover Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem, when his parents leave for home. They had assumed he was with family and friends and when they realise he's missing they go back to find him, he was 12 at the time. They search for 3 days, imagine the panic for Mary and Joseph - losing your child is your worst nightmare - then find him in the Temple in discussion with the leaders. When Mary complains to him about the upset He has caused them He answers by asking a question "did you not know I must be about My Father's business?"

John did a good job putting these events in context and helping us to think more deeply about this account, that is the only one in the Bible about Jesus's childhood, after He was taken to Egypt as a very young child. All 3 of us found the service a blessing and the welcome was outstanding.

After church we went for morning tea to a pretty cafe by the port in Napier. I had a delicious warm rum and raisin bun. The 3 of us had a good long chat about all sorts of things, with Carol and I getting to know more about each other a little more.

They dropped me off at 904 and went out together. I enjoyed a lovely afternoon reading my interesting book about New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. 

At teatime Wendy, Jillian, Carol, Simon and I went to the Focal Point Cinema in Hastings to see the film Joy. I enjoyed the film despite it being over 2 hours long, it was hard to tell all the way through if it was going to end well or badly. I love this Art Deco building both inside and out and the flower baskets all along Heretaunga St are impressive at the moment.

Later I made myself a tasty supper using up some of the ham from Christmas Day and watched the Christmas edition of The Midwife, it's been such an easy and pleasant day.