End of year tramp and BBQ 2025

END OF YEAR TRAMP & BBQ

Churchill Park Sat 29 Nov

Twelve ABTC members gathered at the Glover Park carpark in St Heliers at 2.15pm on a clear sunny day to walk the coastal parks of Glendowie. After greetings and prayer, we left at 2.45pm. We began by climbing to the grassy track behind Glover Park. From this elevated site, we spotted and named many islands in the Gulf. We descended stairs to enter Churchill Park, walking past Churchill Park school and winding up to a high point where there is a large round concrete table with seating around the circumference and 360 degree views. On the ground around the table, plates embedded in the concrete, name the features in the distance. This enabled us to identify Mt Wellington. Mt Taylor, One Tree Hill, the CBD, islands in the gulf, Musick Point, Bucklands Beach, Half Moon Bay Marina and the Tamaki Estuary.

Ian led the devotions here as we sat in the shade, reading from The Word For Today. You have a gift God can use. God provides gifts in order to fulfil His will. Refer Exodus 31:1-11 on how God enabled His Temple to be built. These gifts were manual skills and not obvious "spiritual" gifts. Also in the NT Romans 12:6 "God in His kindness gave each of us different gifts."

Leaving Churchill Park, we crossed Riddell Rd and joined a track running along the edge of the Tamaki Estuary, eventually leading us to Roberta Reserve. Circling Roberta Reserve we now began completing the loop back to our cars via Glendowie Park and following the lower track in Churchill Park by the stream to climb back up the stairs to Glover Rd and our cars, arriving back at 4.45pm.

33 people showed up for the ABTC end of year BBQ at Paul and Ruth Ungemuths' in Meadowbank from 5pm onwards. Our pot-luck dinner was served up at 6pm in the garage, and we dined in the lounge, dining room and backyard.
Afterwards we all gathered in the lounge for a time led by Cathie Black. We broke into groups for a code cracker game, the result being Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests. There were a couple of festive games before Don brought out his guitar for a singsong Joy To The World, O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night and O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Murray gave the devotions. He discusses the themes of Advent-love, joy, hope, and peace-and reflects on how these can be experienced during outdoor activities such as tramping. It begins with a curiosity about Advent's themes and notes that Advent starts tomorrow, leading up to Christmas over four Sundays. Murray emphasizes bringing these themes into club activities, exploring what hope can mean when out tramping, like hoping for a good bunk in a hut. It touches on the idea of spiritual hope and the natural cycle of growth and decomposition in forests, linking it to God's promise of restoration through Psalm 80. Joy is described as the experience of awe in nature, with examples like bird watching in different parks and trails, and the text quotes Mary's song from the Book of Luke as an expression of this joy. It highlights nature's role in reminding us of creation's holiness. The theme of love is explored through camaraderie in tramping activities, such as helping each other cross streams and working together to maintain huts, reflecting God's love in Psalm 89. Peace is associated with the solitude and quietness found in nature, away from city noise and distractions. The text refers to monastic retreats as opportunities to face life's challenges with God's guidance. A serenity found in nature is likened to the peace that comes from connecting with God. The text concludes by referencing a passage from the Book of Mark about John the Baptist's mission and hopes that these themes will be experienced by others in their outdoor activities during Advent.