Happy Friday!

It’s never too early for Christmas music!

Meet The Team: Katy

Kate is married to Tom and pretends to work in a bookshop (reading books, reading about books and getting paid to do it!). She enjoys travelling and just returned from an epic trip to Europe, including cycling around Barcelona, a riot in Berlin and touring the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Western Isles. She is passionate about encouraging leaders and loves to talk about what makes a great church for young adults.

 Currently reading: “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”, “The Post-Evangelical Debate” “God Wins (a response to Rob Bell’s ‘Love Wins’), but mostly just reads murder mysteries by Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh.

Meet The Team: Avik

Avik is a pilot (yup he flies planes – how epic is that?!) from West Auckland and has been involved in youth and young adult ministry for a number of years now. Avik loves people – talking to people, meeting new people, going on road trips and building relationships. He’s one of the friendliest and most welcoming people you will ever meet and if you come to one of our events he’s bound to track you down at some point! Apart from flying, Avik loves the outdoors, exercise and driving.

Making Cups

At the moment I’m living at home, working full time and life is a breeze. My Mum tends to cook for the household so I get in on the feeds she puts on the table, I live right next to church because my Dad is the Vicar so on Sunday’s I can roll out of bed at 9:50 and still be early for the 10am service. And, get this; Dad sometimes even folds my washing! I unequivocally hate folding washing, so for me, this is a King’s life.

However, last year I was living in a pretty different situation. I was studying full time, flatting in Mt Eden, working part time flipping burgers late into the night to make ends meet, and living in a room converted from a porch that was the size of a double bed and had astro-turf for carpet. I had the full ‘student flatting experience.’

Single or Taken?

The upcoming Grace Collective event (happening November 22nd, mark your calendars kids) is all about singleness, marriage and everything in between.

Meet The Team: Charlie

Charlie is a graphic designer and AYM’s young adults facilitator. She’s also mum to the cutest little boy EVER and designs fabric and cushions in her spare time.  She loves finding ways that ministry and creativity can collide, and is passionate about following Jesus, drinking coffee, riding her bike, reading with her little boy, the colour mint and anything to do with triangles. Charlie was part of the group that initially dreamed of some kind of Anglican young adults collaboration, and launched The Grace Collective out of that in 2013. Charlie is your person for all things ‘Grace Collective’, and can be reached at Charlie@aym.org.nz.

Love one an-OTHER?

We’re super excited to welcome Kirstin Cant to our blog! Grace Collective speaker, part of St Margaret’s Church in Hillsborough, and NZCMS Youth Mobiliser, Kirstin loves conversations over a good coffee about sharing together life, community, brokenness, Jesus, world issues, art, and the weather. She and her husband Rowan enjoy fumbling along with God, and she’s sharing with us some of her stories about finding out what it means to respond to the world’s need and God’s gift of life to them.

His name was Daniel. He wasn’t old, perhaps within 10 years of my age. He spent his days on the couch listening to T.V.

He was blind.

He needed help with every basic human action: walking, to be put in the wheelchair, eating, using the toilet. He relied on the nurses for his daily life. Some-days I would help him eat, help him drink tea. I tipped the enamel cup to his lips, as some dribbled down his chin he would say ‘Thank you’. It didn’t feel like an act worthy of thanks. I didn’t know what to say. Once we talked of New Zealand. Travel. India. He had a brother living in India and wanted to travel there. With a sense of humour, he asked me to take him with me in June.