Annual report1

2017 Has been a great year for us as a worshipping community at OBC. I feel so blessed to join
together as family to freely worship together each week, It’s a wonderful privilege we have as a team
to lead our church in worship.
It’s been very encouraging to see the church engage in some different ways of worshipping, from
new songs, to our services with different symbolic and creative ways to worship and honour God. Its
been great to sing some more songs in Te Reo Maori, and I hope it encourages you when we get to
sing in the native language of our land, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
The Good Friday service was a particular highlight for me, it was fantastic to have a quiet moment to
reflect together on the Easter Story and Jesus’ journey to the cross.
I want to honour the team who serve us each week with their worship leading, either though singing,
or on instruments, or our technicians who run sound and data. They do an utterly fantastic job, and
have such a willing heart to serve. You all make my job so easy and it is a joy to serve with you.
The big highlight for the team this year was our first annual Thanksgiving celebration. What better
way to spend time together as a team than over lots and lots of food and time just being together as
a worship team. Thanks again to Fiona Mears and co for hosting and making it all run smoothly.
God is such a wonderful God, and I pray that our corporate worship on a Sunday only deepens and
encourages your personal worship, as we seek to honour God through Living, Loving, Learning and
Leading in every moment of our day.
Declan Smith
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