DECEMBER ‘16/JANUARY ‘17
Volume 14, Issue 7
Commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
… A Roman Catholic Perspective
As part of our on-going commemorations leading up to the 500th Anniversary of the
Reformation, I invited the Rev Chris Sullivan to write the article below. Chris is a permanent
deacon at St Mark’s Catholic Church in Pakuranga. He is from Wanganui and is married to
Ana Maria from Bolivia. They have two children and share a love of Christ, the Church,
Christian unity, and a passion for social justice.
Pastor Joe
S
o m e
m o r e
conservative
Catholics are surprised
that Pope Francis is
leading the Catholic
Church in celebrating the
500th anniversary of the
protestant reformation.
They wonder what there
is to celebrate in Martin
Luther’s dispute with the
Roman Catholic Church which led him to break
away and form the Lutheran Church. We all recall
with great sadness the often bitter disputes, and
even wars, which this led to.
But God’s saving and healing grace has led us to
repent of our divisions and acrimony, has healed
the divisions and forged a joint determination to
work together towards greater Christian unity, with
the goal of eventual full Christian unity. There is
much to celebrate in this!
The dilemma for those seeking reform is always
“do we stay and work within for reform, or do we
leave and start a new group”? Sometimes both
approaches are helpful, and I think we can see that
in the unfolding history of the reformation.
There is general agreement among Catholics
that the Church of 16th Century Europe was in
need of serious reform. Parts of the Church had
become corrupted by the pursuit of wealth and
power, the clergy had become an upper crust,
isolated from the people they were supposed to
serve and often lording it over them. Bishops were
chosen by Kings and Lords and not by the Church.
The bible was seldom read by the people and
superstitious practices had sometimes corrupted
Christian understanding.
There had been
unsuccessful attempts at reform in the centuries
before Martin Luther is said to have nailed his
famous 95 theses’ to the Church at Wittenberg in
1517.
Reform was necessary in the Church then as it
is now. The Second Vatican Council of the
Catholic Church in the 1960’s taught that the
Church is always in need of reform. That reform in
the Catholic Church has continued and deepened
with Pope Francis, whose papacy is very much a
papacy of reform. We are always in need of
reform, both as individuals and as Church.
Luther wanted to see
married clergy, something
we have always had in the
Eastern Catholic Church
and which we now have in
the Western Catholic
Church with the reintroduction of married
permanent deacons, who
are ordained ministers, at
the Second Vatican
Council. There are now hundreds of married
priests in the Western Catholic Church, men who
were married ministers in other Churches, who
became Catholics, and were later ordained as
married priests.
Luther wanted to see an end to the corruption in
the Church, especially the abuse of indulgences
which were sold to the wealthy. The reformation
encouraged the Catholic Church to begin a serious
process of reform at the Council of Trent, to make
sure bishops were appointed by the Church and
not by Kings and nobles, to make sure priests
were properly trained, to correct some
superstitious practices which had sometimes crept
in to Catholic practice, and to clarify the
understanding of Catholic faith.
Luther wanted to see the liturgy celebrated in
the ordinary language of the people, rather than in
Latin. This is now the standard practice in the
Catholic Church.
… continued on page 2 …
CHRISTMAS SERVICES:
Saturday 24th December, 7 pm:
Christmas Eve Service
(with Children’s Programme)
Sunday 25th December, 10 am:
Christmas Day Worship
with Holy Communion
Both of these services will be led by
Bishop Mark Whitfield.
… continued from page 1 …
Luther wanted to see the bible translated into the
ordinary language of the people, and for Christians
to be encouraged to read and study the bible. This
has also been achieved and the last 50 years has
seen a great flourishing of Catholic biblical studies
and a firmer grounding of Catholic theology on the
bible.
Luther wanted to see a stronger grounding of
theology in the bible rather than the developed
tradition of the Church. This is also a reform the
Second Vatican Council introduced into Catholic
theology. Both Catholics and Lutherans accept
that tradition needs to develop and deepen our
understanding of theology as the Holy Spirit gently
guides us forward in the Church.
Luther wanted to see an emphasis on the power
of God’s saving grace, which is what heals,
reforms, and saves us, rather than the merits of our
good works. The 1999 agreement on justification
between the Lutheran and Catholic Churches
resolved this issue, so we now share a common
understanding of justification and its relationship to
faith, grace, and works.
There is much to celebrate that the reformation
has encouraged the Catholic Church to make many
of the reforms which Luther saw as necessary to
the Church.
As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the
reformation, let us remember that what unites us
as Christians is infinitely greater than what divides
us. For what unites us is Christ himself, but what
divides us is only our own fallible human
interpretations.
We don’t know yet exactly what form full
Christian unity will take, but I suggest it will involve
a full Eucharistic unity, some autonomy for
Catholics and Lutherans in a united Church
(perhaps somewhat along the lines of the Eastern
rites of the Catholic Church which have their own
distinct liturgical rites, canon law and theology), a
recognition of each other’s ministerial roles and
some form of agreement on the exercise of
authority in the Church (which will need to be more
collegial than the exercise of papal authority in the
Catholic Church has sometimes been), with a
return to legitimate diversity within a united Church
(which was the case in 1st Century Judaism and
Christianity).
Let us give thanks to God that much has been
achieved in building greater Christian
understanding and unity and let us pray for the
grace to continue to work together towards the full
Christian unity which Jesus Christ prayed for at the
last supper. This is the most serious reform
Christians of the 21st Century need to make.
Chris Sullivan, Oct 2016
Joint Catholic—Lutheran Commemoration, Lund Cathedral, Sweden
As part of the joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation a worship service was
held in the Lund Cathedral, Sweden, October 31, 2016. The Rev Martin Junge, General Secretary of
the Lutheran World Federation and Pope Francis both preached.
You can read the full text of Rev Junge’s sermon at: https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/
files/joint_commemoration_mj_sermon_final_en.pdf.
The homily presented by Pope Francis can be read at: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/
news/2016/10/31/full-text-popes-homily-at-service-for-500th-anniversary-of-reformation/
Pastor Joe
Page 2
DECEMBER ’16/JANUARY ’17
On Sunday the 16th of October, the members of Mountainside
Lutheran Parish were treated to a short video clip titled, “500 Years
of Reformation—500 Trees for Wittenberg”. We learnt about an
international and ecumenical project, the Luthergarten, initiated by
the Lutheran World Federation as a means of giving expression to
the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation beginning in 2017.
On the occasion of Reformation anniversaries, it has been
customary to plant a tree in memory of Martin Luther, the most
widespread being the Luther oak. A very famous specimen of this
tree is in Wittenberg. At its location, Luther in 1520 burnt his copy
of the papal bull threatening him with excommunication.
Luther loved trees, and once said
that, “…even if I knew the world
were to collapse tomorrow, I
would still plant my apple tree
today”. In connection with the
Wittenberg project and the
Luthergarten, and as a symbolic way of giving concrete affirmation
of the optimism so clearly expressed in Luther’s apple tree quote,
we planted an apple tree alongside of our church.
We surrounded this little event with God’s Word, prayer and
blessing. We prayed that our apple tree would grow well and
produce abundant fruit, and we prayed for the people of God, that we might show ourselves to be
disciples of Jesus, by the fruit we bear.
Pastor Joe
Inspiration for Mountainside’s Longest Lutheran Lunch
2016 came via the Holy Spirit, through the Gospel
according to St Luke, chapter 14, verses 12-14.
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a
luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your
brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they
may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a
banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be
blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the
resurrection of the righteous.”
Over the few weeks leading up to 30th October the seed was planted for
a new way to share the LLLunch with our community. An approach was
made to the Auckland City Mission, asking whether they would be happy
to receive packed lunch boxes, and whether they would send a
representative out to speak to us at the conclusion of our Reformation
worship service.
2-litre ice cream boxes were a handy container for the lunches, which Mountainside members made up at
home and brought to church on Sunday 30th. A list of suggested foods was provided, for an exciting,
nourishing lunch. An envelope to be taped to the top of each lunch box was prepared, containing a note of
explanation, folded paper napkin, and a couple of Christian tracts.
A steady stream of packed lunches arrived on the morning,
many people having made more than one each. We taped the
envelopes on top, and the stack grew. Our guest speaker arrived,
and spoke from the heart about the need in Auckland city for
people to be fed. She told us that as she left to come out to us that
morning there were already about 80 people waiting for some
lunch. The mission is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 365
days of the year.
So this year our Lutheran Lunch was the longest yet, stretching
from Mt Wellington in to the centre of Auckland city. Pastor Joe
Kummerow prayed a rite of blessing over the food and those
about to receive it. We were happy to be able to send 99 lunch
boxes to those much more needy than ourselves. Thanks be to God. Visse Hopley
Page 3
DECEMBER ’16/JANUARY ’17
THE ADVENT PROJECT
I discovered some-thing interesting
the other day. Well, at least I found it
interesting! Did you know that in the
Eastern Orthodox Church, the season
of Advent, which by the time you get
to read this new edition of The
Rumblings we will have entered into,
is actually celebrated for seven weeks
rather than for four? As with other
western Christian churches, here at
Mountainside we’re used to always
starting this penitential season of
preparation for Christmas on the
fourth Sunday before Christmas.
In eastern orthodoxy, however, November 15 is
always the starting date. November the 15th is the day
after the Feast of the Apostle Philip. For this reason it
is popularly known as St. Philip's Fast.
A simple count of the days between November 15
and December 25 shows that this special period lasts
exactly 40 days, the same as Lent. Hence the seven
week period of Advent.
Now this got me thinking. Perhaps there is
something to be gained by returning as a church to
this ancient practice, especially if you consider the
way in which our secular culture has impacted on this
time of preparation. Someone even suggested to me
that, “in view of the way the secular world has robbed
Christmas of its significance, we Christians should just
quietly abandon the day and transfer our celebrations
to another date”. Now you might think this is a rather
radical suggestion, and even a bit silly, (it most
certainly is tongue in cheek!), but perhaps the idea of
a seven week Advent does have some merit?
Certainly others think so. In North America there is
currently a movement amongst Christians known as
the Advent Project. It’s founder is the Very Rev’d
William H. Petersen, PhD, DD. Look him up if you
want more information about his credentials. This
movement is working towards an expanded Advent
based on what they describe as a “very simple idea…
to make the Advent we celebrate congruent with the
lectionary we already have”.
The movement’s rationale is based firstly on what
Petersen describes as the loss of Advent to the
“Christmas culture” of our society, and the church’s
“complicity” in that. We have tended in the west to
turn the four weeks of Advent into a four week
journey to Bethlehem.
But as Petersen says…
“…that focus is only one pole (and secondary at that!)
of the Advent season. The primary one is beginning
Page 4
the new church year with a steady
look at the “end times,” that is, at
the goal of fulfilment of all the
implications of Christ’s resurrection
for humanity and, indeed, the entire
creation. This is usually called the
“kingdom” or the “reign of God.”
That emphasis is intended to give
the beginning of the annual cycle of
the liturgical year an emphasis that
will help Christians to engage ever
more deeply in Christ’s mission of
peace, justice, and the integrity of
creation”.
Petersen then goes further with his rationale.
“The second reason for an expanded season has to
do with setting before us in our worship, rooted in
Scripture, an alternative and, I think, more authentic
vision of the “end times” or the “reign of God” than
those otherwise so effectively media-touted ones
offered in fundamentalist, millenialist, or rapturist
versions. Whether this is possible and effective is, of
course, part of the test in trial usage”.
Speaking of which, a pastor friend of mine did
actually trial this idea of an expanded Advent in his
congregation. From the feedback he received, his
people appreciated the opportunity to slow down and
more patiently and deeply take in the profoundness of
what is the Advent season.
Maybe we might one day consider doing the same
as we prepare this Advent season for the Lord who
“has come, is coming, and will come again”? Come,
Lord Jesus come!
Pastor Joe
Please visit the web site:
http://www.theadventproject.org/ for further
information
Mountainside Women
would like to invite all
women of the parish to their
Christmas Lunch
on Sunday 11th December
after the worship service.
Cost is $10 per person.
DECEMBER ’16/JANUARY ’17
Whither Botany Lutheran Church?
Greetings to all at Mountainside Lutheran Church. Thank
you for the opportunity to share briefly the latest
development at Botany Lutheran Church (BLC). Right now,
we are in the process of selling the church building. I am
profoundly reluctant to write because I know there are
those who are hurting deeply. Deep down in our hearts, we
do not want to sell our church property.
A brief description of the context is appropriate here. The
church building was bought and renovated in 2009. The
cost of the building was partly financed by a $200,000
suspensory loan from Gateway Gift Trust Board and an
interest-bearing loan of $400,000 from Lutheran Laymen’s
League. According to the BLC’s report to the 36th Synod of
LCNZ in 2011, the church was experiencing difficulties in
meeting the loan obligations. This was only a year or so
after the loans were granted. The Botany Education Centre
set up to generate income to service the loan did not last
long. Although a debt restructuring arrangement of interest
-repayment only for five years was put in place, its financial
strength has never recovered. The cost to maintain the
building, servicing the loan, and meeting associated levies
as a member of LCNZ have easily exceeded the
congregational offerings, our main source of ‘income’. In
commercial terms, we are not a viable entity. We have no
money to do what we are supposed to do: to develop an
effective ministry to the Chinese immigrants. The
employment of a pastor was completely out of the question.
Owning a church building is always a contentious issue.
Depending on their motives, stakeholders can come up with
equally valid reasons to argue in favour or against ‘ministry
with or without a building’. For BLC, it is pragmatism which
dictates the sale of the building.
In its short history of trying to build a sustainable
ministry, BLC has experienced both ups and downs, but
more downs than ups. Most of the time, it was preoccupied
with financing the building. There are things we know why
we went downhill numerically and financially. But there are
also those which we do not yet understand. Perhaps only
time will tell. It is like Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” 2
Corinthians 12: 7-9. We prayed fervently to ask God to
remove the ‘thorn’ (our financial burdens) but God did not
appear to have answered our prayers.
So, where is BLC at now? It is a Kairos time for us—a
time for reflection and discernment as to what God is calling
us to do. The sale proceeds minus the loan obligations and
expenses will be held in trust by LCNZ Trust Board. The
money will be “ring-fenced” for Botany’s ministry. In many
ways it is a tipping point for us. Not only will the church
become debt-free soon, it will have a pool of funds to do
what it should be doing, including the employment of a fulltime pastor. This is something worth celebrating.
According to our draft ministry plan 2016-2018, our
immediate priority is to engage a fulltime Lutheran pastor
and locate a suitable place for worship. We are making
good progress in both. Bishop John Henderson has
Page 5
identified a Chinese Lutheran pastor who is multilingual.
Being an overseas candidate, there will be a colloquy to be
chaired by Bishop John and the panel includes Bishop
Mark Whitfield and Pastor Jim Pietsch. Also, we have had
promising conversations with Pastor Joe and Chairperson
Fredric Doss regarding the possible use of Mountainside
space and facilities for worship and ministry. We wish to
say thank you to all of you.
How now shall we move into the future?
Doing ministry is a journey—BLC is NOT closing. We
must review what has gone by, assess the present,
and build the future. Gaining a better sense of the
future is not a repeat of the past. We need to have a
fresh start. The mission field is already at our door
steps. And the church of the future starts today.
 There are no perfect churches—It is important to
remind ourselves that, regardless of its size, there are
no perfect churches. Churches are a community of
imperfect people, like you and me. We will be
disappointed if we have unreasonable expectations of
what the church should do or how to serve you as
members.
 There is a biblical promise— Jesus says, “You are
Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will build my
church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail
against it” (Matthew 16:18, The Living Bible). The
church of the future needs a renewed sense of who
God is and that He is always at work. In the end the
church prevails.
Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12: 5: “I am going to
boast only about how weak I am and how great God is to
use such weaknesses for his glory.” Paul, as one of the
leading authors of the New Testament, had experienced
struggles in his ministry and he publicly confessed them.
The community of believers at BLC have similarly struggled
with imperfections in trying to develop a sustainable
ministry. The goal is noble but
the body is weak. The Scripture
encourages believers to embrace
the attitude of dependence that
directs us to Lord God Almighty
as the chief Cornerstone, not to
us. It is in this spirit that we now
see our future.
David Pang

18 Nov’16
DECEMBER ’16/JANUARY ’17
The Mt Wellington Foodbank
The Mt Wellington Foodbank has celebrated its 25th year of
operations this October. The Foodbank was started in 1991 in
response to a challenging recession which hit New Zealand in
the early 1990’s. The Mt Wellington area was hard hit by the
economic downturn and many programmes offering support
did not cover the area.
A group of 4 churches from the Mt Wellington area, St
Bernadette Catholic Church, St Peter’s Presbyterian Church, the
Mt Wellington Community Church and Mountainside Lutheran
Parish, started the Foodbank and recruited the Panmure
Citizens’ Advice Bureau to be its front line operation. After a
number of years, St Peter’s Presbyterian Church was replaced
by The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Ellerslie.
Statistics for the Foodbank over the past 25 years show that, by the end of September 2016, a
total of 12,929 food parcels have been prepared and delivered by the Foodbank’s volunteers! That is
an average of 517 parcels per year. This past year ended 30 Sept 2016, the Foodbank demand was
about average but was slightly higher than our last year’s total by 65 parcels. In total for the year,
2,019 people were provided with much needed food. 68 parcels was the largest number delivered in
any one month for the year with the average being just over 43 parcels per month.
The Foodbank has been able to stay in service over these past years only through the many,
many donations from organisations in and around the community who donate both food and
monies to keep the Foodbank going. The Mt Wellington Foodbank is unique in that it delivers the
parcel to the families needing support. They complete a request form at the CAB and members of
the 4 churches then prepare the parcels and deliver them.
Annually, the Foodbank touches the lives of up to 2,000 people in the Mt Wellington area and
over 25 years, that adds up to around 50,000 people! This is both amazing and wonderful! It’s
about everybody pitching in and doing a bit here and a bit there and collectively making a BIG
difference in the community. The Mt
Wellington Foodbank Committee
would like to extend its thanks to
each volunteer and donor who have
assisted the Foodbank over these
many years! The list is far too long
to try and mention everyone but
those that have been dedicated
supporters over the years know who
they are and their efforts and
support are invaluable.
Roxanne Bakke
Vanilla Crescents [Vanillekipferln]
200g flour
pinch baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 egg yolks
200g cold butter
125g sugar
125g ground almonds
Page 6
Form dough, chill.
Form crescents on baking tray. Bake at 160oC for 10—15
minutes. Do not overcook. Roll in icing sugar.
This recipe originated in Austria and they are also very
popular in Switzerland and Germany… for special
occasions.
Linda Heidrich
DECEMBER ’16/JANUARY ’17
MOUNTAINSIDE KIDS… in Worship & Upstairs
This term, Mountainside kids have enjoyed
a variety of activities thanks to the
resources provided by Grow Ministries.
As part of the lead up to the
commemoration of the 500th Anniversary
of the Reformation, we set up our
own printing press, Gutenberg style, using
foam letters and paint. When Johannes
Gutenberg began working on the printing
press in 1436, he created what can be
considered one of the most ingenious
inventions of all time! This revolutionary
invention paved the future for many great
writers including Martin Luther. This
printing press helped Martin Luther
spread the Gospel.
We have also enjoyed printing our names, memory verses and preparing Baptism cards with our
Printing press. The Gospel is being well spread with little fingers!
Thank you for your prayers and support. God bless you all!
Julie Kummerow & the Children’s Ministry Team
CHRISTMAS CAR BOOT
SALE AND CAFÉ
Saturday 3rd December, 9 am
Christmas Carols & Crafts, Sausage Sizzle & Christmas Café
This is our last one for the year! Come along and enjoy the wonderful
atmosphere and pick up a bargain or two!!
Selling spots are available for $10, or $15 with a table supplied.
Contact the church office to book a spot—ph 579 4490
or email [email protected].
(Note: There is no Car Boot Sale in January)
In Loving Memory…
On All Saints Sunday (5th November) we remembered
those who have left this earth to rest in the arms of our
Loving Father during the year:
Esther Barrett
12/2/1929—31/1/2016
Vernon Graham Henry Ross 12/4/1929—23/5/2016
Fridtjof Friis
20/11/1937—5/8/2016
Morten Johannes Rasmussen 14/11/1928—13/10/2016
Page 7
DECEMBER ’16/JANUARY ’17
‘Happy Birthday’ and Best Wishes
to the following people
celebrating birthdays in December:
Jack Neal (2nd)
Marjon Gerson (5th)
Caitlin Tippett (8th)
Isabella Jorna (15th)
David Sutton (17th)
Alexander & Nicholas Kummerow (18th)
Christian Geese (20th)
Janet Mason (21st)
Katelyn Sutton (21st)
Theo Quax (27th)
Caroline Samsom (30th)
PRAYER POINTS
In your prayers this month, please
pray for the following:
We pray ...
 For the Christian Church as we prepare to

Wedding Anniversary Congratulations to:
John & Lisa Fraser
Anand & Mary Jala
Joe & Julie Kummerow
Paul & Sue Samsom
11 years on the 17th
12 years on the 20th
19 years on the 20th
61 years on 23rd

‘Happy Birthday’ and Best Wishes to the following
people celebrating birthdays in January:

Jacque Morris (1st)
Jessica Jala (6th)
Jenna Hewett (9th)
Pat Heinemann (11th)
Tabitha Meharg (15th)
Margrit Romaniuk (17th)
Linda Heidrich (20th)
Dori Reeve (24th)
Annabelle Skadiang (28th)

Wedding Anniversary Congratulations to:
Maurice & Linda Heidrich 60 years on the 19th
Julie & Armstrong Mathews 22 years on the 19th
Kevin & Dori Reeve
7 years on the 23rd
Nick & Jenna Hewett
10 years on the 27th
Neil & Jenny Lindstrom
57 years on the 30th



celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ. Bless all who attend Christmas
services and hear the wonderful message of
God’s love through his Son.
For Eva & Peter Lever and family as they
mourn the loss of Eva’s mother, Doreen.
Grant them comfort, Lord during this difficult
time.
For Pastor Joe, Julie & children as they take 2
months’ leave during December—January.
Grant them rest & enjoyment and keep them
safe as they travel.
For our brothers and sisters at Botany as they
complete the sale of their building and call a
pastor. Give them your guidance Lord as they
discuss the way forward.
For students undergoing exams and for all
teachers as they complete the school year.
For everyone struggling in the aftermath of the
earthquake and continuing aftershocks in the
Kaikoura/Canterbury region.
Give them
strength Lord to rebuild their communities.
For all who are sick or suffering at this time—
may God give them strength and his healing
comfort.
For peace in areas of the world where there is
on-going conflict and political instability.
Ofa, Sione, Funaki, Saimone & Tevita Ongoongo
(children of William & Ane)
were welcomed into God’s Kingdom and our Mountainside Church
family through the miracle of Holy Baptism on Sunday 27th November.
May God watch over and protect these children as they grow.
With Pastor Joe away on leave for 2 months
the deadline for the next issue has been delayed
by 1 week.
Deadline for articles for the February/March
issue of ‘Mountainside Rumblings’ is
TUESDAY 31st JANUARY 2017.
Don’t forget that you have 3 options for receiving
this newsletter—a printed copy available in the foyer
of Mountainside Lutheran Church, we can post you a
copy if you let us know your address, or we can email
a copy in PDF format which you can enjoy in full
colour!! Just contact Kathy and she will organise it
for you. And please remember to let us know if your
contact details change so we can alter our records
accordingly. Thanks very much.
&
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DECEMBER ’16/JANUARY ’17