It was great to hear Zoe Forrest from Raleigh Street Christian Centre do an outstanding presentation at the Cambridge Community Marae about the Gospel and the Treaty of Waitangi to a good group of TSCF students. We’re grateful for the growing partnership between Raleigh Street and the marae.
CCCNZ is keen to support leaders as they seek to recognise the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi in ministry contexts. This may be new for you or your church, but here are some great places to start:
- Supporting Māori leaders and influencers in your church. Listening, encouraging and working together for the gospel.
- Using illustrations from New Zealand’s history in sermons. For example, the story of Tarore powerfully illustrates forgiveness and the work of the gospel to change lives and hearts.
- Recognising the importance of Te Reo Māori in the life of the church: Simply learning to pronounce names and greetings correctly, singing songs, and reciting the Lord’s Prayer in Te Reo.
- Host a speaker who can knowledgeably share about New Zealand’s bi-cultural history in relation to the gospel story—for example, Clark Road Chapel hosted speaker Kemp Palleson on the Sunday following Waitangi Day to preach on ‘Appreciating God’s Love of Variety’.
- Reading and becoming familiar with NZ history. Keith Newman’s books Bible and Treaty and Beyond Betrayal are excellent places to start.
We’d love to hear how you recognise and celebrate New Zealand’s unique Christian history in your churches.
