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Christchurch
Theme and Scripture for 2012
To Be Confirmed
Meetings 2012
First Meeting for 2012 Saturday 4 February 1.30pm-3.30pm
- Please Note Meeting date has changed to the first Saturday of the month
Christ the King Parish Centre 90 Greers Rd Burnside
Day of Refreshment "Come to the Father's Heart"
Saturday 12 November 9.30am-8pm
St Christopher's Anglican Church 244 Avonhead Road Christchurch
Final Meeting for 2011 Saturday 3 December 1.30pm-3.30pm
Christ the King Parish Centre 90 Greers Rd Burnside
All women warmly invited to join in celebrating and thanking God for 11 years of Dove in Christchurch
Theme and Scripture 2011
"Release your spiritual gifts"
1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
Meetings 2011
September Meeting
Speaker: Dianne McDonnell from Waves of Glory International Australia
August Meeting
Helen Reinen spoke on the Motivational Gifts
July Meeting
A wonderful afternoon of mid-winter fellowship. It was time of deep healing for many women.
To read more click here.
June Meeting
May Meeting
Helen Smithson, a former National team member spoke on "Our steadfast, faithful, loving Father calls us each by name and sends us His Holy Spirit, our hope is in Him alone."
April Meeting
Joan Houck; an American Catholic lay evangelist and teacher from Colarado; spoke on 'Gifts and Glory - How They Fit Together'
It was a very blessed meeting. To read more click here.
February Meeting
We will be beginning the year with Mass
Meetings 2010
November we celebrated our 10th Birthday
Speaker: Helen Funnell - National President
October Meeting
Speaker: Carleen Walshe - Past National President of Dove
August Meeting
Dianne McDonell of Waves of Glory International - Australia
Theme:All the Fruits of the Spirit
July Meeting
Activ8 The Fruits of the Spirit - Patience
Our young 32 year old speaker, Maria Boddington, made such a deep impression; during her talk, at prayer ministry time, after the meeting and over the following weeks!!!
Maria started sharing at a personal level right from the start. Statements like:
Me and the Lord talk about everything (from age 13)
Me and the Lord hang out
To feel better I read the Bible
God is part of every bit of my life
Maria shared her life story which included missionary work and visited 28 countries plus much more of her life journey with statements like...
The love inside of me is not just for me but to share
I had to be honest about where I was at
God’s love is perfect He wants me to come and be who I am
God does know what He is doing
Pain is part of the journey because of His unconditional love
I have the power to choose to love ( talked about the need for forgiveness)
We make a choice to receive God’s love
You have to be honest with yourself, take a good look at yourself
When I hang about with Jesus I become a better person – I become patient
If we love the Lord we hang out with Him. He wants to share every part of our life.
You will recognise the miracles in your life when you hang out with God – He will heal you
In order to wait we need to enter in to the Lord
Miracles are happening every day. Jesus is going to minister to you. Enter into the throne room
Maria’s simplicity, enthusiasm and passion for the Lord just shone out from her and deeply impacted everyone that was there. Several weeks later women are still raving about Maria and telling others!!! -such was her impact. A very real time for all the women present.
Quote: “The Christ The King parish centre was indeed a holy place. The prayerful considerate preparation by the team saturated each woman as they ‘Entered In’. A joyful, lively warmth encompassed the meeting- even when Maria shared her pain - and the ladies had time to sit with the Lord and reflect on their own lives. Praise You Lord.” The wonderful meeting was a great blessing to all. There is a new freedom in Christchurch Dove. Words declared out during Praise and Worship time. Enter into Me my dove I will not hurt you I will love you Enter in to Me, enter into my love Give me your burdens It you knew how much I loved you, you wouldn’t be able to bear it Trust and Surrender. Let nothing hold you back I make you worthy I cover you with my precious blood I make you worthy Hold nothing back Psalm 17 from the Amplified Bible 1O PRAISE the Lord, all you nations! Praise Him, all you people! 2For His mercy and loving-kindness are great toward us, and the truth and faithfulness of the Lord endure forever. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
The eye-catching focus drew your eye to come and look. There was a lovely connection with our banner and the candles glistened into the water. The tablet on the floor read “With faith all things are possible.” The scarf which had I Love Jesus all around the side was very appropriate as our speaker Maria constantly referred to Hanging With Jesus. Her love of Jesus was in everything she shared with us. The word Patience our fruit for the month, was cut out in green and placed on the floor underneath the fern. There was a tranquillity and flow to the whole focus.
June Meeting
Activ8 The Fruits of the Spirit - Kindness
This month’s focus incorporated the feasts of the Sacred Heart which was the day before our meeting, the Immaculate Heart of Mary on our meeting day and the Fruit of the Spirit Kindness. Our Holy Spirit painting linked the focus with our banner. The intercession book was added on the page where the Leadership
Card with Wanaka photo from Rotorua was. This linked us to other Dove Fellowships. A number of women read it and commented. The focus was simple but spoke to lots of the women.Janet declared out the following from Leadership weekend
“Look upon my face, look upon my face My daughters. And see the love that I am pouring out to you. You my loves you my precious doves you are my shining stars you shine brightly, you shine brightly in the heavens your spirits shine brightly to join my holy spirit. Oh how I love you my doves you are my precious, precious ones. Take the love that I am pouring out to you take it and share it, I know you will for I trust you my darlings. I trust you to do my will for I have called you for this time I have called you for this moment I have called you to this place tonight so that I can love you and watch you dance and sparkle across this land - my sparkly little doves.”
Take my light ladies. Take it. Take it from the very top of the North right through to the East, to the West to the South to the far South all corners. Take my light my lovely ones take my light and shine it for all to see. am giving you my light this day, receive it with joy, receive it with praise in your hearts and take my light.
Janet explained that the Holy Spirit was our speaker for June so be surprised as the advertising material had said. She quoted from a book “Cultivating the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit by Fuchsia Pickett, and mentioned that giving a book is often a kindness.
The women were asked to share with each other their experiences of doing a kind deed for someone or of having one done to or for them. Janet shared a story of how the Lord had directed her to do a kind act for a young girl who had been involved in a car accident. It illustrated when we are obedient to the Holy Spirit amazing things can happen.
The Holy Spirit was in charge and Janet shared about us being sparkly doves when we go deeper into Jesus, using her scarf as an illustration. One side had shiny pearls the other didn’t. When we go deeper we begin to shine like Jesus. As Janet explained this her scarf ended up raised, outstretched and like angels wings as some women said. This connected well with the words declared out from Leadership weekend.
The women then put on a Psalm 91 sticker white card and prayed for a few minutes to listen to what Fruit of the Spirit God wanted them to focus on for the next month. After this they teamed up with someone from their table to pray with for the grace to grow in that fruit. The sticker of that fruit was a physical reminder of encouragement to grow in that fruit over the coming month. There was divine seating as a number of women ended up with the same fruit which created much talk and sharing. This time of sharing and praying with each other was warmly received and very special.
May Meeting
Fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness and Goodness
Fr Carl Telford SM was the speaker
March Meeting
Fruit of the Spirit for March - Self-Control
Speakers were: Past Presidents of Christchurch: Judith O'Sullivan & Anna Watson and Current President Janet Archer
February Meeting
Fruit of the Spirit for February - Love
Speakers were: Rita and Roger Peterson
Beatrice Mary Boutery - Remembering A much loved woman of Christchurch November 2010
Beatrice Mary Boutery went home to God Novemeber 3rd 2009. She was 82. A loved and loving wife to Fred for over 60 years, a devoted mother, grand-mother and great-grandmother, a passionately faithful Catholic, a lover of the Church, the Sacraments and the Word of God. a member of Catholic Charismatic Renewal prayer group for over 30 years. A prayer minister with Fred for many years, a supporter of priests, a teacher and mentor to women and men too probably.
She was a cook, a gardener, she loved her computer - she was a teacher and a prophet - like Paul she would "urge, warn, admonish, correct, console and comfort". She was never afraid to challenge or confront - even church authority when she felt it to be necessary.
She and Fred had a long and blessed union and she was always grateful that, in her words, "they fell in love with Jesus at the same time" when they came into the renewal way back. They were wonderful friends of the Beatitude Community here in Canterbury and had with others been instumental in them coming to Christchurch. When Judith O'Sullivan caught the Dove vision some years ago and a formation group was formed in Christchurch, Bea encouraged, supported and taught and above all prayed for Dove and with Dove women. Originally I knew them, by sight only, at Charismatic Masses at St anne's Woolston. Then in 1994 they prayed for me at a prayer meeting at St Mary's Church hall in Manchester St and as usual the Holy Spirit moved powerfully through them and for weeks afterwards the words of Scripture lept off the page for me and came alive in my heart, just as it had done in early renewal days in Sydney in the 70's. I began to attandend Dove meetings in 2001 and was with Bea and others at a camp in Waikanae. in 2002. I was caring for my frail 95 year old Mum, with my husband Pat in our home, it was sad and tiring and I often felt exhausted, on many occassions there would be a "Pansies are for Rememberance" card in the letter box with love from "Your Dove Angel". In 2003 i discovered that had been Beatrice. She continued those messages during the grieving time following Mum's death.
I prayed with her and others, for Dove Fellowship in an intercessory prayer group and she gave unstintingly, advice and encouragement - her time, her prayer gifts, her knowledge of Scripture, her resources - books, teaching tapes, material from the internet. She wasn't always easy, but she was brave and she was fun. We loved her love of God, her courage and loyalty, her sense of humour, her faith. Her friendship was precious to us and many others.
The little, sunny, corner flat at John's St Woolston became a haven for many. It was usually surrounded by colour in the garden. I'd love to drop over eggs from our chooks and come home with bunches of freezias or Daphne in Spring and roses and sweetpeas in Summer. When Pat dropped in he would come away with swags of green beans in season and the flowers.
The last 20 months have been hard for Bea. Fred died in March 2008 and she was lonely, and in her frailty struggled at times with the daily coping. Only one of their six children lived in Christchurch and Mary-Anne was a great blessing to Bea. I was quite ill over the last couple of years and Bea would ring every couple of days with prayer and encouragement and would often send home pottles of homemade soup for me as i struggled with my diet, and a fair amount of "stern, loving admonishment about not doing too much and resting more".
She was amazed at how her Heavenly Father carried her through the grief of loosing her beloved life-long companion and husband. She felt God say to her "do not mourn like the pagans do" and she was valient in her obedience to that command.
Beatrice was at the Dove retreat with us in September, very frail but standing strong. Some time after that she had a fall or two and broke some ribs - found it difficult to get her breath - coughing was painful, still she coped alone in the little flat she loved but finally on Saturday 24th October she was admitted to hospital and some days later taken to intensive care and put onto life support. It was a joy to see her resting and cared for - one sensed that her spirit was already released and resurrection was in process.
The night before she died I waited to say good-bye and one of her friends was sitting quietly beside her bed reading the Song of Songs to her. She was unconscious and at peace. All her children were with her over the last days and before she went onto life support she gave Mary-Anne a message, "tell them all God Loves them".
Dove Fellowship Christchurch thanks you dear Bea. We honour you and we will miss you. We treasure your memory and hold you in our hearts and we rejoice with you now in your great joy. Thank you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may she rest in peace with You and Fred and all her beloved dead.
Margaret