Posts by Tony Zwies
Senegal Calls
Our friends Sam and Yo together with their daughter Nahla (now joined by Huia) moved to Dakar, Senegal in July 2022 where they live and work— Sam has worked in the community development sector supporting marginalised young men through sport and empowerment programmes. Within days of arriving in Dakar, he heard of a recently formed…
Read MoreMatariki 2023 Tree Planting
On Saturday 22 July members of Flagstaff Community Church braved cold, wintry conditions to plant out many native trees and undertake track/stream maintenance in the School Creek reserve adjacent to our property. We had a turnout of 25 people over the course of the day, each one keen to play their part as we continue…
Read MoreA new home for YouthGrow
YouthGrow is a life-ready, work-ready, practical development programme for 16–24-year-olds, operating under the auspices of the Family Works division of Presbyterian Support Otago (“PSO”). The programme includes experience in some aspects of horticulture, a range of NCEA unit standards and some STEM subjects, budgeting and planning; also life skills such as stickability and self-management; overall…
Read MoreOur logo
The Flagstaff Community Church logo interweaves several important elements which together strongly represent who we are and what we stand for. There is harakeke (native only to NZ, Tasmania and Norfolk Island and not to be confused with flax) which not only grows profusely on our property but is spread widely across the slopes of…
Read MoreEco-Church New Zealand: Caring for our Awa
We joined the Eco Church NZ movement in early 2023, making us the 40th congregation across Aotearoa New Zealand to do so. Among other aspects of our shared life, the Flagstaff congregation has had a longstanding commitment to caring for creation as one of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand’s five faces of mission.…
Read MoreRemembering Parihaka – Maungārongo Ki Te Whenua
On 5 November 1881, about 1,600 government troops and cavalry entered the Taranaki village of Parihaka to arrest its leaders and many of its men. Homes and crops were destroyed; 1,600 Parihaka residents were eventually evicted and dispersed across Taranaki without food or shelter; and some women were hurt. Within a few weeks, a once-thriving,…
Read MoreMatariki
During Matariki we celebrate our unique place in the world, we learn about those who came before us, our history and our family. Matariki signals growth, it’s a time of change, a time to prepare, a time to celebrate the future, a time of action and a time to acknowledge what we have and what…
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