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[December 2011]

WCF Welcomes Jael to New Zealand:
In September, Westside welcomed our new children's ministry coordinator, Jael Tang. Jael, a native of Singapore and recent grad from Anderson School of Theology, will assist us in expanding the current children's ministry and developing its leaders after the Beisley family permanently return to the States in January.

Jael seemed to click with the parents and kids from the first weekend she was here. So far she has spent much of her time developing relationships and assisting with the Bible in Schools programmes in two local schools. Jael also played an integral role in helping the Beisleys run a week-long Holiday Programme (aka Vacation Bible School) for 40 kids in October.

And after months of paperwork, praise God that Jael has just been approved for a working visa in 2012!

The Community Project - Part 3:
On October 5, NZ parenting expert and author Diane Levy spoke to 135 eager parents about "Understanding Our Kids". For the past three years, Westside has partnered with enthusiastic volunteers/organizations and received total funding from local businesses to produce these fantastic events. And all of the feedback we received this year shows that parents are hungry for more.

Why do we do it? North & South, a New Zealand journalism magazine, recently cited a major survey that listed New Zealand as one of nine developed countries where religion is on the way to extinction. While many Kiwi's are sceptical toward Christianity, they are highly committed to family. Unfortunately, many of those families are struggling or broken. Therefore, we see family-related ministries as a primary means of building bridges to empower families and help people ultimately find Christ.

Since our last update, Westside completed another Marriage Course and is currently running a Toolbox Parenting course for parents of young children. Last week we received confirmation that Rochelle, who has done much of the background work for most of our family outreach events, will become the coordinator for any future projects.

Growing in Christ:
The signs of spring are not only in the New Zealand landscape but also in the spiritual lives of people in our community. At least six people have made decisions to follow Jesus in recent weeks. We've seen significant times of confession and healing at worship services and the men's Promise Keepers conference. In addition, we've noticed a growing zeal among those involved in a new one-on-one discipleship process at Westside.

Hayden is one of six young people who was baptized on October 30. During his first visit only weeks earlier, Hayden gave his life to Jesus. Later we learned of his history of abuse, anger and attempts at self harm. But no one would guess that now of this gentle, cheery lad who frequently shares Jesus with those he meets. Hayden's story is not an isolated case. Over and over, we've seen how God is preparing the harvest around us. The question for the Church and for all of us is this: what will we do with it?

In Other News:
-After 24 long years, the New Zealand All-Blacks finally reclaimed their place as champions of the Rugby World Cup. New Zealand hosted 19 other countries for this 6 week tournament. Let's just say the atmosphere was electric! To get an unusual taste of how the All-Blacks begin every one of their games, click here.

-Diane continues to feel lead to make connections in the secular arena. Recently, she has been using our growing board game collection to host game nights at our house. These nights so far have been a great way of getting to know new people in a casual and fun environment. She has also taken part in "Nanowrimo", a writing marathon in which she has been able to meet other hopeful writers (see www.nanowrimo.org). She hopes that these endeavours will develop into an opportunity to make deeper connections with these people.

-The Intermediate school band that Chad teaches won the 'Gold Award' at their first-ever competition. This has been a great way for Chad to use his gifts and to make connections with kids and parents alike.

Prayer Requests:
-The Beisley family will be returning permanently to the States in January. Doug and Danette have served with WCF for the past 6 years in children's ministry, pastoral care, and many other areas. Sunday, January 15 will be a tearful but grateful celebration of all they have achieved during their stay. Please pray for the Beisleys as they transition and seek God's direction.

-Again this Christmas, Westside will participate in the Te Atatu Christmas Festival and host the "Westside Christmas Celebration" (complete with bouncy castles and a BBQ). Please pray that people will be drawn to Christ through these events.

-On December 18th, WCF will be putting on a special service entitled, "Westside Christmas Celebration". Please keep this in prayers for this to be a good opportunity to meet more people in the community.