Connect Magazine

aug-sep-oct 2014

KidsMatter is now Connect!

the team

(09) 526 7958 childrensministry@baptist.org.nz www.baptistchildrenandfamily.org.nz

NATIONAL TEAM LEADER

Karen Warner (09) 526 7958 | 021 279 0919 karen.warner@baptist.org.nz COORDINATOR OF INTERNSHIPS & FIELD EDUCATION CHAIRPERSON OF THE CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTRIES EXECUTIVE TEAM

Rachel Roche (09) 526 0347 rachel.roche@carey.ac.nz REGIONAL ASSOCIATION C&F COACHES AND MISSION LEADERS Northern

Central Districts

Raewyn Moodie (09) 416 7974 | 027 304 9646 candrmoodie@gmail.com Elke Keeling elke.keeling@baptist.org.nz

Dave Auty (06)2783118 david@hawerabaptist.org.nz

Waikato

Mike Walker (07)8435959; 021793431 mike@hamsouth.org.nz Bay of Plenty

Jan Ozanne (07) 576 2523 / (07) 576 0650 027 7333 298 jan@obc.org.nz

Wellington

Paul Edlin (04)5647022; 0276921440 p.edlin@lifeimpactcentre.org.nz Canterbury/Westland

Donna Reid (03)3524227; 0273293250 donnar@papbap.org.nz Otago/Southland

Derek Pyle (03)4485177 pyle-dm@ihug.co.nz

editorial

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wonder if you are anything like me, in that when you get some time off it’s really hard to switch from work mode to holiday mode? It doesn’t help that our cell phones and tablets bleep at us showing how many emails are waiting. I had this experience recently and have to admit that, if scores were being offered, I would have been given a D. D for definitely needs better discipline! It’s so hard, in this technologically driven world, to find time to sit and enjoy the quiet.

No noise, no screens, just quiet. To give God time to speak; to take the time to listen; to learn how to filter out the noise and to hear that still small voice. I have found that sometimes God has to take us away from the routine of the everyday to achieve this. I recently travelled with an unruly bunch of C&F Pastors for one of those “take-us-away-from-the-daily-routine-of-life” times. We had a blast. We heard from great speakers, from each other and from God. You can read about the things we learned and the messages we received in this issue. Hopefully, there will be some thoughts that resonate with you.

As you read through this newly birthed issue, we trust that you will find thoughts that inspire, stuff that resources, ideas that challenge and people you can connect with. We also hope that you will find the new image, and the expanded A5 size, easy to use and carry around. I have found it’s great over coffee and donuts!

It turns out that this has also been the first, and last, issue that Rachael Hayward has helped to produce. Rachael has been offered a job closer to home so, it is with great sadness that we hand her over to St Kentigern College, in the knowledge that our loss is their gain. Thanks, Rach, for all your hard work, endless patience, long-suffering help and cheerful attitude. You will be greatly missed!

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming Children’s Ministry Block Course, with Michelle Anthony, at Carey Baptist College in September. We have over 70 people attending and I know it will be one of those life changing, ministry challenging experiences. Look out for lots of feedback in the coming months.

Finally, I do hope that you will get the chance to celebrate with the family of Baptist Churches at our annual Gathering in November. We will be celebrating 200 years of the Gospel in NZ, back at the place where it all started, Waitangi.

Blessings,

Karen

feature

Messy Connections NIKKI TROWBRIDGE VILLAGE BAPTIST, HAVELOCK NORTH

Over the last year I had been toying with the idea of launching a new style of church service here at Village Baptist. I wanted to create a service that was interactive, family focused, informal and community friendly. “Messy Church” seemed like a great fit, so we decided to give it a try.

We decided to run the service once a month from 4-6pm on a Sunday evening. Our service begins with an hour of ‘free choice’ art and craft options that explore the Bible story we will be sharing later. When we talked about the Lost Sheep and the Good Shepherd we made marshmallow sheep with toothpick limbs, sheep masks, built wooden sheep pens and made handprint sheep with cotton wool bodies!

Pinterest has become my key source for great ideas here. The craft side of things is really the “background music”—a way to bring people together around a table to talk and connect.

As the hour of craft draws to a close, we move everyone through to our auditorium. People laugh and feel at ease as they watch a funny YouTube clip or familiar music video we play as we transition people into our “church” room.

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The room is set up like a café, with round tables and chairs. The keyboard is set up on the floor level, not up on a stage. It is intimate and non-threatening. We sing a couple of fun praise songs with actions like “If I were a Butterfly” or “Our God is a Great Big God”—adults join in and it’s heaps of fun. Sometimes we play a noisy game—it’s quite funny watching mum and dad moo like a cow or pretend to be a lost sheep.

Now it’s time for our story. We might be reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible, or have a drama played out. We always present the Gospel message at Messy Church—last month we showed a clip from the movie Frozen and talked about how Jesus was willing to sacrifice himself too.

We sing a last quiet song, ending with grace. On each table is a card with some questions to discuss about the story and theme from today. Table by table everyone goes and gets their dinner (Shepherd’s pie for The Good Shepherd of course!). The room gets noisy as families discuss the table talk cards as they eat. I smile—this is Deuteronomy 6 in action. At 6pm I go around the tables, handing out a piece of cake as I touch base with each person and say goodbye.

Although this service is definitely attracting the younger families from our community, we have found all ages are represented in the service. The teenagers love being in charge of the different craft areas and those without children meet and greet the parents or help with the meal that is to come. We have seen people walk in to church who we have never seen before, but they leave telling us they can’t wait to come back. One mum from our playgroup who came told me it was the highlight of her month. Another said that her child had asked for the Bible story every night for a week after Messy Church! Messy Church is about generations connecting, parents talking to their children about faith, and sharing Jesus with our community. I think Messy Church is going to be a regular fixture here at VBC.

The Gathering, LA Style

Our reflection is that it is important to refine our ministries through a set of lenses—ways of looking, both at ourselves, and our ministries.

RAEWYN MOODIE, BRIGITTE CROWE AND KAREN WARNER SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON WHAT THEY SAW AND LEARNED AT THE GATHERING CONFERENCE.

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group of nine Baptist pastors and leaders from churches between Auckland and Invercargill were privileged to attend The Gathering Family Ministry Conference held in Los Angeles in May.

The conference was hosted by Michelle Anthony, who is the Family Ministry Architect for David C Cook Publishing, the principle sponsors of the conference. She is the author of Spiritual Parenting and Dreaming of More for the Next Generation and will be coming to NZ in September to take the Children’s Ministry block course at Carey Baptist College.

Part of the benefit of this trip was the opportunity not only to attend the conference (highlighted by Brigitte Crowe below), and to see others’ ministries in action on Sunday, but also to reflect on how this can impact what we are doing here.

Sometimes New Zealanders are guilty of seeing what trends are happening overseas and attempting to adopt them here. Our reflection is that it is important to refine our ministries through a set of lenses—ways of looking, both at ourselves, and our ministries. aug-sep-oct 2014 connect | 5

1. Are we choosing the good or the best? So often we can get taken up with a good idea, only to find out later that we missed God’s best for us by embracing something good and not having capacity for His best.

2. It is important to give children and adults an opportunity to reflect on what God is saying to them through our ministries. Withhold the application from our teaching and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to each one what they need to learn. This has far more individual impact and life changing possibility. Give space where God can be allowed to speak.

We saw this happen in a children’s ministry setting at Rock Harbor Church where a quieter song was played while children had an opportunity to journal, write prayers or just listen to what God would say to them.

The same happened in the larger church setting after the preaching when, during the worship time, people could go to prayer stations at crosses and take communion and respond to what God was saying to them personally.

3. God’s great idea is to pause, celebrate and remember. We need to intentionally create time to look back at what God has been doing in our lives and celebrate it. Don’t always be teaching new things but give everyone an opportunity to give testimony to the work of our great God in their lives.

4. Finally, Mark Holmen came to NZ three years ago and challenged us in the area of Faith at Home which is 24/7 discipleship. That has not changed. If we are serious about seeing this generation of children and youth continue in their faith, we need to be giving them opportunities to flex their spiritual muscles in our churches and nurturing their faith through intergenerational church community.

—RAEWYN MOODIE | COACH FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES, NORTHERN BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

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ow! What an amazing experience with a great bunch of people! It was quite remarkable how often the different speakers quoted a story by a NZ author or showed a video clip made by a NZ church!

Well done, NZ!!

The speakers were simply top-notch. Mark Holmen never fails to encourage and inspire me.

He has such a missional heart for families and the church. I came away from Mark’s session fully confident that at Pakuranga Baptist we are on track with developing strong home and church connections. We can see how our families now believe that we are serious about partnering with them. In implementing Faith@ Home strategies and hosting our Take-It-Home events, our families are experiencing our commitment to God and to them. Perseverance means to keep doing what we are doing, just doing it better!!

Michelle Anthony talked about having a Godperspective. We have God-given sight, only God has perspective. When we only use our sight, we struggle to love or forgive or show grace. God wants to blow our minds with His perspective.

So we have to ask: What are the things that hinder/ obstruct our sight? We need to be freshly awakened by the Holy Spirit and ask God for blessed clarity.

I decided I no longer care what the enemy calls me, I will answer to ‘love’. A word I am sure the enemy never uses.

Craig Jutila is easily one of my new favourite inspirational speakers! He introduced the theme “ Envision: What Does God See?” Imagine what God can see. Imagine we can see the whole story that God has in store for our kids and their families and then see our part in it! Craig talked about how God’s enemy, our enemy, likes to remind us of our mistakes and brokenness.

God restores miraculously and through the response/help/gifts of other people. Then he made a profound statement: It is not what we are called, but what we answer to that makes a difference. We can be called anything from liar to cheat to idiot to loser, and so the list carries on. Well, I decided I no longer care what the enemy calls me, I will answer to ‘love’. A word I am sure the enemy never uses.

—BRIGITTE CROWE | CHILDREN AND FAMILY PASTOR, PAKURANGA BAPTIST

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t was a privilege to journey with the team and to have the opportunity not only to see CM in two fantastic churches, but also to reflect on what we had seen in light of what we had been hearing and debating. For me, one of the key learnings was the Discovery Principle, which says:

Our task is not only to be teaching children about God but to be giving them the opportunity to know and experience Him for themselves.

People understand what you say; they remember what they say; they own what they discover; they act on what they own.

We need to help our children own faith and then act on what they know, and have discovered for themselves, about God. Our task is not only to be teaching children about God but to be giving them the opportunity to know and experience Him for themselves. Children are co-pilgrims on the journey with us, and as faith communities we have the privilege, along with their parents, in leading them to know and experience God through His Holy Spirit. I encourage you to develop a set of lenses that you use to evaluate what you do in your ministry with children and why you do it.

If you would like more detailed information on what the team learned and the thoughts that were developed as a result, please email the office. See contact details on the back page.

—KAREN WARNER

Editor’s Note: Spare a thought for Dave Diack, who was the only bloke brave enough to join the team! aug-sep-oct 2014 connect | 7

tips

Recruiting Volunteers

tell an encouraging story or get another leader to share what they love about being involved in children’s ministry.

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• Do some shoulder tapping! Before you approach people, do some thinking about who would be good. Pray. Share with the church staff and pray together. I like to go through the church directory with another staff member to make a list of “possibilities” as it is valuable to get another opinion on who may be suitable. I have often identified great leaders by asking people to attend our programme as a guest—they might share a testimony for example. If they do a good job, you can say,“ I noticed how well you relate to children—would you be interested in helping us more regularly?”

JACQUI BARDSLEY | CHILDREN & FAMILIES PASTOR, HUTT CITY BAPTIST

have been the children’s pastor here at Hutt City Baptist Church for 8 years and (so far!)

I would say that my experience of recruiting volunteers has been a positive process. I believe that this is largely due to the fact that we have always had a vibrant Children’s Ministry and so people are inclined to want to serve in a ministry that they see as being meaningful, making a difference and is fun for both children and adults. These are some of the things that I find are helpful in finding great volunteers.

Lay the groundwork. Keep communicating to the congregation the value and importance of children’s ministry and get this message affirmed by your pastor. Cast vision for your ministry.

Finding volunteers. Let the congregation know the service opportunities that you have available—put it in the newsletter, but also speak to it from the front of church. Be specific about what you need. Use this opportunity to profile children’s ministry and inspire people—

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• Don’t lose heart if no one responds—it is important to make people aware of the importance of ministry with children.

• When they have said “yes” or even “maybe” take them out for a coffee to explain the expectations but also the ways that you will support them.

Keeping your volunteers: If you have happy volunteers you will reduce the need to have to keep finding more!

• Treat them as partners in ministry— encourage them to bring their own creativity into the programme. Encourage their suggestions and ideas.

• Do what you can to make their job enjoyable and sustainable. I have 2 teams of leaders.

Each team serves for a term and then has a term off. This provides consistency for the children but is doable for the leaders because they get a good break.

• Resource them well—not just with a user friendly, dynamic curriculum but with quality resources (like decent crayons and felt pens that work!)

• Encourage and thank them often.

• Plan ahead. Be on the lookout for prospective volunteers. With your year 6 kids, tell those that have potential—“I think you will make a great leader in our ministry”. Tell their parents too!

• Share what you feel that God is laying on your heart for the children’s ministry and pass on compliments and positive feedback that you may hear from parents etc.

• Communicate with them well about what is coming up, any changes in the programme etc.

• Respect their time. Most volunteers are already very busy. I have cut down to one planning meeting a term and I try and keep my meetings short and sweet—around an hour.

. . . people are inclined to want to serve in a ministry that they see as being meaningful, making a difference and is fun for both children and adults.

aug-sep-oct 2014 connect | 9

makes you think

Starbucks, A Lesson Rather Than A Coffee JO HOOD | INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, MAINLY MUSIC

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t interests me that Starbucks are saying they’re leaving Australia because of the coffee culture in this country . . . that Australians like their coffee from the ‘non-chain’ variety of provider.

So does this mean the likes of Gloria Jeans, Muffin Break and The Coffee Club should be worried? Or is this the palatable media reason?

In fact, from my ‘grande’ or ‘venti’ perspective, I think it’s because Starbucks have remained American and Australian’s don’t feel like they ‘own’ the Starbucks brand. They don’t feel like Starbucks is ‘one of them’—Starbucks has remained a separate identity, imported in.

To my way of thinking, it isn’t about the fact they are ‘American’—Holden and Ford are American brands; yet Australians love these cars, the brand, the feel, the look. I’ve even seen grown men cry because they’ve always been a Holden man and now Holden’s closing down.

I wonder whether Starbucks could have grown and developed if they’d made a few changes to their logo—rather than lady liberty, featuring something that depicts iconic Australia. Ayers Rock? Sydney Opera House? That’s only one change!

We could consider this in terms of the church— even in New Zealand. When the community look at ‘church’, do they feel like they have ownership?

Are we a building on the side of the road that has no connection? Something that has come from ‘another world’—even another reality.

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How could we make ‘church’ feel like a ‘Holden’ or ‘Ford’ brand? Something that brings a sense of ownership and warmth to the onlooker.

Kiwi Nigel Dixon, in his book VILLAGE WITHOUT WALLS, states ‘A sense of community within a local church is no longer something that we can assume exists—it must now be consciously nurtured. An alternative community—a village in the city—is essential.

This feeling [of belonging and mattering to a group] comes through the forming of friendships, shared experiences, the internalising of the church’s values and theology so they become my values and theology. It comes from a sense of mattering—of being cared for—by people. All this leads to a sense of connection and place.’

We’ve been wrestling with this in a mainly music setting; How to ensure families have a sense of belonging and that they matter to us.

One way is for each group to consider whether they know the name of each adult and/or child who attends. The question, ‘Are you new around here?’ just doesn’t give a sense of belonging when a family has been attending a group for quite a period of time! Perhaps the group is now too big.

Another is to genuinely care for a family— without any strings attached—providing meals, childcare, friendship, a listening ear—and then even offering to pray.

One New Zealand leader reported how a mother unloaded her story, the leader asked, “Shall I pray for you?”—thinking, ‘this week’. The mother responded, “Yes please”, bowed her head . . . expecting prayer then and there. This mainly music group had created a space where a story could be shared—where hope was provided— where prayer was an ordinary response . . . and so, Caroline stood there and prayed.

That’s key to getting people understanding that we’re actually more like ‘Holden’ and less like ‘Starbucks’. It’s about making ourselves one with

the people rather than separate, looking like we’re holding our ‘torch’ of divine light.

Another key is to enable people to enter at their own level of comfort. At mainly music, we’ve been telling the story of a guy who wanted to know more about the Buddhist faith. Rather than being invited to the equivalent of a church service, he was invited to a workshop on meditation where he encountered a part of what it means to be Buddhist.

A number of mainly music groups have invited women to their ‘Spiritual Retreat’. The event has been organised by and for church women—with an understanding that others may attend too.

What a delight when the invitation has been accepted and without any expectation of contribution, mothers from mainly music have explored faith at their own pace. They didn’t need to plug into a church service on Sunday— rather they were able to attend, enjoy the company of other women, and encounter Jesus.

a place in community – that they belong.

Through their interaction with follows of Jesus they will personally encounter Jesus and have an opportunity to believe in Him and wholeheartedly begin the journey to become all that God has uniquely designed them to be.

Bless, belong, believe and become should be the progressive experience of anyone who encounters a genuine expression of God’s Kingdom.

When the community look at ‘church’, do they feel like they have ownership? Are we a building on the side of the road that has no connection?

In his book, KINGDOM COME, David Wraight, former International Director of Youth for Christ, writes:

I am convinced that when people encounter an authentic Kingdom community they will first be uniquely blessed. Then as they are unconditionally embraced by the church community they will feel that they have

With a theme of ‘belong’ for 2014, mainly music groups are reviewing how we make people feel like they belong. Signing them up for a roster duty—no way. Accepting the one-off offer of cake or a batch of biscuits from a closet Masterchef—yes.

Reinforcing ‘you belong’ with photos—on posters, in photo albums or on the big screen during eat/ play/chat – ‘I see myself—I belong here’. Thinking all middle class families have their food budget well underwritten—not.

Taking abundant produce to share—from the garden or where a low price for a large quantity was discovered—yes. Making an extra meal once a week and providing it ‘just because’ to a family—yes.

We’re not there yet. But wrestling with the idea of belonging and you mattering to us because you matter to God is a big part of mainly music in 2014. We’d like to be the ‘Holden’ of community—rather than the ‘Starbucks’.

aug-sep-oct 2014 connect | 11

resource Volunteer Training

Messy Church

Have you ever struggled with writing your own training for your volunteers or with finding a day/time that suits everyone?

Messy Church:

Group Publishing have developed a training tool that allows your leaders and volunteers to view training videos at a time that suits them.

With Good to Go you get . . .

• Practical, engaging, and convenient training for even the busiest volunteers.

• Confidence your volunteers are equipped and ready to roll week after week.

• More time for leading! Good to Go is easy to manage and makes assigning videos a snap.

• Concise training that goes beyond the basics and is developed by experts.

The best part is there is a free one-week trial!

Faith and the Modern Family CRAIG JUTILA

Times are changing and so are families. Today's modern family is facing challenges that rarely, if ever, crossed our minds just a few years ago. Most families today are long on commitment and short on time. They are being pulled in many directions that make it difficult, if not impossible, to connect relationally. Smart phones, mobile technology, work-life balance, relentless hurry and stress seem to be woven into the fabric of their lives. In this much-needed new book, Craig Jutila gives sound and practical advice—drawn from biblical principles, personal family experience, and expertise as a Children's Ministry leader—on how to raise a strong and healthy family in a modern world, and move from a family that simply survives to a family that really thrives.

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• is a way of ‘being church’ for families that involves fun • is found across the world

• values are: being Christ-centred; for all ages; based on creativity; hospitality and celebration

To check out the latest Messy Church resources head to Manna bookstore (www.manna .co. nz). Remember to log-in to see the discounted prices. For information on log-in details see our website, under Resources: www. baptistchildrenandfamily.org.nz.

If you were inspired by Nikki’s story about Messy Church at Village Baptist and would like to hear more about Messy Church around NZ, take a look at the Messy Church NZ website: www.messychurch.org.uk/newzealand.

The Jesus Storybook Bible Animated DVDs In this new animated series, based off the award-winning Jesus Storybook, each episode whispers His name, sharing the story beneath all the stories in the Bible. All 44 stories in the JSB are available on four DVDs. We have these available for loan from our resource Library. They can also be purchased through Manna stores. See our website for details on purchasing these DVDs at a 25% discount from Manna Books.

editor's top picks Intergenerational Christian Formation

BY HOLLY CATTERTON ALLEN AND CHRISTINE LAWTON ROSS

Most churches and faith communities segment their ministries by age and generation. The kids go to children’s church, the teens go to youth group. Worship services are geared toward different generational preferences, and small groups gather people at the same life stage, whether singles, young marrieds, parents or empty nesters. In some congregations, people may never interact with those of other ages.

But it was not always so. Throughout biblical tradition and the majority of history, communities of faith included people of all ages together in corporate worship, education and ministry. The church was not just multigenerational; it was intergenerational, with the whole church together as one family and people of all ages learning from one another in common life.

In this comprehensive text, Holly Allen and Christine Ross offer a complete framework for intentional intergenerational Christian formation. They provide the theoretical foundations for intergenerationality,

showing how learning and spiritual formation are better accomplished through intergenerational contexts. It is not just elders teaching youth; learning also takes place when adults discover fresh insights from children. Then the authors give concrete guidance for intergenerational praxis on how worship, learning, community and service can all be achieved intergenerationally. Case studies of intergenerational congregations provide models for how a culture of intergenerationality can be created in local churches.

This volume serves as an essential guide for all preparing for and involved in congregational ministry and formation. Discover the riches of intergenerational ministry, and let all generations commend the works of God to one another.

Children’s Spirituality: What It Is and Why It Matters

BY REBECCA NYE

This concise guide is an ideal introduction to the topic of children's spirituality. Mixing theory with tips on 'good practice', leading expert Rebecca Nye shows how choices made in churches and homes can stimulate or stifle a child's spiritual development. Seeing childhood as a natural source of spirituality, she explores the role of Christian nurture and worship in early spiritual development, and ways to help children value and express their spirituality. aug-sep-oct 2014 connect | 13

pin these dates 1-3

2

2

5-6

8-10 Messy Church Conference

aug

aug

aug

aug

Messy Church Conference

Safety First Training

CEC Momentum Conference

Messy Church Conference

8-10

11-12 aug

14

aug

14-15

Messy Church Conference

Messy Church Conference

A Conversation with Lucy Moore (Messy Church Founder)

Messy Church Conference

Christchurch

aug

Wellington

Northland

Bay of Plenty

Hamilton

Nelson

15

sep

sep

CM Block Course with Michelle Anthony

Spark Plus Training Event: David Moko Know The Story You Are Part Of - The Church and the Treaty of Waitangi

Carey Baptist College

Auckland

Carey Baptist College

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10-14 14-16 oct

nov

The Global Leadership Summits - see website for details

The Gathering: Baptist Assembly

Christchurch, Dunedin, Whangarei, Auckland, Nelson, Hamilton

Wellington

aug

Auckland

1-5

aug

Waitangi

get connected connect magazine A quarterly print magazine that is available in both print and digital versions, and can either be posted to you or delivered to your inbox. To add your name to the mailing list e-mail childrensministry@baptist.org.nz

e-connect

This monthly e-newsletter is focused on resources and training events, with a few inspirational articles thrown in. To register email childrensminsitry@bapist.org.nz

resource library

We have a large library of resources that are available for all Baptist Children & Family Ministries, and most are free. To take a look at the Resource Library Catalogue head to www.baptist.childrenandfamiy. org.nz and log-in to the intranet section. Choose what you would like to borrow and then email us at childrensministry@baptist.org.nz and we will post them out to you.

regional coaches

We currently have four Regional Coaches who resource the churches in the Northern, Bay of Plenty and Canterbury/Westland regions. These coaches are employed by the Regional Associations. See "The Team" page for more details.

consultancy

We exist to help our churches be effective. No one size fits all. Therefore, we offer the opportunity for one of our advisors to come alongside you and help tailor solutions to your context. We believe that best practice develops in the field. We aim to connect needs with the best current models. aug-sep-oct 2014 connect | 15

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e are partnering with Baptist Maōri Ministries to infuse our C&F programmes with appropriate Maōri language resources which will strengthen our understanding of things Maōri, but also give us a something recognisable if we are in Maōri settings. What better way to start than with blessing our food. Maōri do it instinctively, just as we do too.

Here's one to start with.

Kia inoi tatou {Let us pray} E te Atua

Whakapaingia ēnei kai hei oranga mo mātou tinana

Whāngaia hoki tō mātou wairua ki te taro o te ora

Ko Ihu Karaiti hoki tō mātou Ariki Āmene

{Oh Lord

Bless this food that it may bring health to our bodies

Give nourishment to our spirits with the 'bread of life'

Through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen}

Follow this link to hear the karakia

www.youtube.com/ watch?v=NxJtHmCoj7Y