Impossible is Nothing
Through my role at Zion I have had the opportunity to interact with and work alongside some of the most incredible people.
Karla Rose
I have both heard about and seen the mahi of groups like Ko Wai Au, Lions, Rotary, the Te Awamutu Business Chamber (who despite their name, are invested not only in the businesses of Te Awamutu, but also in the wider community), and these groups speak to just a small portion of the incredible groups who uplift our men, women, children, elders, families, and our most vulnerable.
They are the people who tirelessly invest their time, energy and money building a Te Awamutu where no individual is left to fend for themselves.
They are living out Philippians 2:4, taking care not only of themselves, but the people around them.
Despite how easy it may appear, the work these groups undertake is not without challenge.
In particular, as you may have read in the previous issue of the Te Awamutu News that funding has become increasingly difficult to access, with our local funding pool being halved.
I can also attest to the reality that reduced funding is widespread and has forced many charities to close their doors, as running costs increase.
You may have noticed that events like Black Friday, where local stores stay open until the wee hours and the main street is shut off to allow pedestrians, food trucks and carnival rides space in the centre of town, have been absent the last few years.
This isn’t due to lack of interest from local businesses, but largely due to the cost of road closures, similar to those mentioned in a recent Te Awamutu News edition that completely changed how a Cambridge running event was facilitated.
See: Running costs on the rise
In their case they were able to creatively pivot and run a successful event.
But in the case of Black Friday, the financial requirements simply cannot be met, and so the event has made a quiet exit, which as you may imagine impacts our local businesses who are already working double-time to stay open, and for some, even that isn’t enough to prevent closure.
Despite these challenging economic times, it seems we have choices laid before us.
If we value the service a business provides or the work community group does, if we want to see them continue to serve our people, then, as it says in Hebrews 13:16, we should share what we have.
And if we aren’t or can’t be invested in what they do, then we have to be prepared for those services and events to become unavailable.
As we navigate this season, each discerning what we value, and what we are willing to invest into our families and communities all I can truly say is “kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui”, – be strong, be steadfast, be willing and trust that, as Luke 1:37 says, with God nothing shall be impossible.
Impossible is Nothing
