Peter grew up as an Amish Mennonite and is now a noted Roman Catholic scholar. He remains a licensed Mennonite preacher. From 1987-2001, he was Consulting Editor of Mennonite Quarterly Review. He has published extensively on the Radical Reformation. Other publications include: Pietists, Protestants, and Mysticism. (Scarecrow Press) and, more recently Murder, Manners, and Mystery: Reflections on Faith in Contemporary Detective Fiction. (SCM-Canterbury Press).

The lecture will be followed by questions, discussion and supper.

For more details, please email imaier@laidlaw.ac.nz or avenues.journey@gmail.com.

Please confirm attendace for catering to imaier@laidlaw.ac.nz.

Click here to download a flyer for this event.

Laidlaw staff and students braved the intense heat and rain over the weekend to talk to punters about study options at Laidlaw during the four-day festival. Visitors were invited to take part in a 25-question bible quiz for the chance to win one of three iPod Nanos. Congratulations to Ashley Yates, Beth Wong and Alex Gray, who left the festival with a brand new 8GB silver iPod Nano.

Dave Wells, James Harris, and Dr Mark Strom spoke at the Seminar Space.  Dave and James spoke on Youth, Community and the Gospel and Mark spoke about Paul at Athens.

Laidlaw also introduced two new commercials which played at the main stage throughout the weekend. 

The weekend served as an opportunity for us to catch-up with Alumni and Distance Learning Students as well.

Audio Downloads:

MP3 Audio Files

Files range from 60–70MB and will download in the background of your browser.

Paul at Athens – Mark Strom – 013110.mp3

Youth Community Gospel – Dave Wells & James Harris – 013010.mp3

Commercials:

1. Sebastian, a Bachelor of Theology student, talks about why he is studying at Laidlaw College.
2. Emma, a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) and Worldview Studies student, talks about why she is studying at Laidlaw College.

Compass Summer Conference (9–16 January)

Dr Mark Strom (Principal/CEO) and Dr Rod Thompson (Head of School Theology) will be guest speakers at the Compass Summer Conference in January (9–16). This is a good opportunity for students to engage with how the Bible shapes all of life and how it can be used as a lens through which we see the world. This week-long residential conference takes place at the Lifeway College Campus at Snells Beach. Check out the Compass website for more information on how to register.

Parachute Music Festival (29 January–1 February)

Laidlaw has been a regular supporter of the Parachute Music Festival for a number of years. This year we have the opportunity to contribute through our participation in the seminar space.

Dave Wells (Laidlaw/Zeal) and James Harris (Zeal) will look at the integration of youth work, community and the Gospel using Zeal Waitakere as a model. You can hear Dave and James at the seminar space on Saturday, 30 January at 4:40 PM.

Dr Mark Strom’s seminar is titled Paul at Athens: Seeds of Revolution. Mark will look at what happened when Paul engaged with politicians and philosophers. What did it mean then and now? You can hear Mark at the seminar space on Sunday, 31 January at 1:40 PM.

Church Leaders Day (17 February)

Dr Meredith Wheeler will be conducting a half-day seminar for Church Leaders called, Change, Conflict, Communication and Forgiveness. Meredith will explore the challenges and opportunities of leadership through the lens of the life of Paul. Working from Romans 7–8, 2 Cor 3–4, and 2 Cor 12, Meredith will seek to open the original meaning of the texts as a background for exploring their enduring relevance for us as leaders. If you are interested in attending this event, please register on our website.

Semester One Evening Classes (Begin 1 March 2010)

If you missed out on taking one of our evening classes in 2009, we have a stellar line-up for you in 2010.

The Auckland Campus will be offering Ways of Knowing, taught by Dr Mark Strom. This is a core paper that every degree student must take. Sign up early so you don’t miss out.

Theology of Suffering and Hope, a popular course in 2009, will be offered again in the first semester. Dr David Williams will be joined by Mark McConnell, one of the newest members of our Counselling Department staff.

If you live in the Christchurch area, you may wish to enrol for Biblical Theology with Alistair Donaldson or Vocation, Work and Ministry with Alistair Mackenzie.

If you want more information about these offers you can find full descriptions on our website.

This series looks at popular music, movie and literature phenomena like U2, Watchmen, Johnny Cash, The West Wing and the classic works of Dostoyevsky. This series will be great for church groups or home groups who want to tackle what it means to engage with the culture in which we live – without being swallowed up by it.

Don’t miss this great series.

Personal Brokenness

In the first session, Meredith shared about his experience as a pastor of a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). He spoke particularly about the struggle that he faced in being a leader in the church context. It is not often that we talk about the pain and suffering associated with leadership. Meredith said,

“As I think about ministry and as we look at the life of Paul in a couple of passages we’re going to look at this morning, you’re going to find that contrary to some teaching that exists in the church today, that the call to ministry is not a call to an easy life.”

The life of leadership is not an easy road.

The Biblical Story

In the second session, Mark called attention to the big picture and story of the scripture. “There is still something about how this story translates into life, into leadership, and actually into the world, that is still profoundly counter-cultural,” Mark said. We must re-learn the story so that we can help articulate that story in the various contexts in which we find ourselves.

With the world looking for answers in a time of turmoil, Mark suggests that the Gospel story is still the only story in history that can cope with bringing together the contradictions that we face in everyday life. What Paul glimpsed in Jesus was the culmination of the promises of God coming together in one man.

Hopeful Leadership

In the third and final session Meredith began by asking, “What do you do with a gift from God that you do not want?” Reflecting on 2 Corinthians 12, Meredith shared from his personal story how he came to understand what Paul was talking about when he spoke about the ‘thorn in his flesh’. He explores the enduring questions that many ask in times of suffering: “Why is this happening to me?” and “Why don’t you do something God?”

In these moments, God says to us, “‘I want you to want me more than you want relief from that difficulty.” God says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, in every moment, in every circumstance.’ God says, ‘I will be to you all that I am.’”

The morning finished with a commitment from the College to host more events like this. Several church leaders present reflected on the timeliness of such an event. The College exists to ‘equip students and scholars to renew their communities with a faith as intelligent as it is courageous.’ Encouraging those who lead through ministry is an important part of this work.

Future Opportunities

The College will be hosting another event like this in September or October. The theme will be on Change, Conflict, and Leadership. If you have topics in this area that you would find helpful for Mark and Meredith to focus on, you can post them here. We’ll be providing more information on this event on our website closer to the time.