Fletcher, a former Mayor of Auckland, is an Auckland City Councilor now representing the Albert-Eden-Puketapapa Ward.

She told Newshub the negativity has to stop.

"It has been expressed to me [there has been] some frustration by some of the Christian community that they have been marginalised by some of the public."

Mt Roskill's MP is also calling on internet trolls to stop writing nasty comments on social media.

Labour's Michael Wood, told Newshub that the comments were uncalled for.

"It is true that there has been some of that kind of behaviour where some people have reacted to what is going on or what they think is going on," he said.

"We have had some pretty aggressive social media commentary.

We have had a case of a church with a similar name but it is a different church getting very angry messages on its answerphone… none of that actually helps us with the public health problem."

Health officials believe stigma around Mt Roskill church members testing positive for Covid-19 is halting public health efforts.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) says the privacy of those who are part of the Evangelical Fellowship needs to be respected... to ensure members continue to cooperate with testing.

The church was investigated late last month after allegations of prayer meetings being held during level 3 restrictions.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield says church leaders are now cooperating with contact tracing teams - but that wasn't initially the case.

Kelly Vogel long-serving Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship trustee told Stuff he thought the church was widely misinterpreted and unfairly described.

But that was the price to pay for following God's word in a society where many others didn't.

"We believe God is totally in control."

He said he was not quite sure they would have done things differently.

"We don't really know too much about science. We don't really know too much about politics."

Vogel said science had a place in society, and the fellowship's beliefs could be compatible with official guidance on Covid-19.

He said Auckland should loosen restrictions and move to alert level 1.

The MOH on Sunday said 98 per cent of the congregation had now been tested.

So had 98 percent of the people who attended a bereavement event linked to the cluster's spread.

Health officials on Sunday confirmed Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship had actively encouraged all members of the congregation to get retested for Covid-19 and comply with other public health advice.

Vogel said the fellowship would continue to abide by the Ministry of Health directions.

"The Government's job is to lead the country, to protect its citizens."

"We try to do our task and let government do their task."

"God has appointed them. The Bible has made it very clear we're to be submissive to them."

But Vogel said that did not mean the fellowship would always agree with government, especially if official instructions went against what he believed was God's word.

Source

• newshub.co.nz
• newshub.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• newstalkzb.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: newshub.co.nz

But, one of the church leaders has denied those claims and says there have been no official prayer meetings held while restrictions were in place. Read more

The Celebration Church Lions Sports Trust, an off-shoot of the Wainoni-based Celebration Church, says it is willing to bankroll the project if the Christchurch City Council will lease it the land.

The hub would have an athletics track, grandstand, sports fields, gymnasium and community centre. Picnic areas and a playground would also be provided.

Celebration Church was founded by Murray and Nancy Watkinson.

In 1976 Murray enrolled in the Nazarene Bible College in Brisbane, Australia.

He served as a senior associate pastor in Melbourne, Pasadena upon graduating in 1980, and later became the senior pastor of a small church in MacKay, North Queensland, Australia.

The Watkinsons returned to New Zealand in 1984 and became the pastors at the Church of the Nazarene in Christchurch.

In 1988 they left the Nazarene movement and set up the Celebration Centre.

In 1996, Celebration Centre changed from being a programme-based church into one based on small groups that met weekly in homes.

Celebration Centre is now home to more than 150 cell groups.

Large congregation meetings are still held weekly on a Sunday.

Celebration Churches have been established in Kaikohe, Warkworth, Nelson and Invercargill as well as in Cook Islands, USA and Uganda.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• celebrationcentre.com
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Gaby Dean, 27, who said he had been blind since birth, told the crowded Vodafone Events Centre he could now distinguish the lights on the ceiling.

In an earlier interview with the New Zealand Herald The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) said its "holy oil" — olive oil purported to have been blessed at the sites of biblical miracles in Israel — helped to cure tumours, mental illness, stomach and bladder problems, marriage difficulties, strokes and heart defects.

When pushed by the Herald for evidence of any healing, Silva said the oil could not cure illness. Using it was an act of faith, he said, and faith could help in the restorative process.

In it's promotional video the UCKG the message, "The UCKG Help centre does not claim to heal people, but it believes God can, through the power of faith. Always follow your doctor's instructions." is flashed up from time to time.

Source

• The New Zealand Herald
• The New Zealand Herald
• Image:UCKG

"Especially in a very secular world, we should always stress what is common in the Christian religion," said Merkel, who is the daughter of a Protestant pastor.

She was speaking during a rare appearance at the annual synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, where Protestant leaders were working to make the "Luther Jubilee" more ecumenical by involving Catholics as well.

The German Chancellor said she had learned that "even the word 'jubilee' used in connection with the Reformation can give rise to discussions", because Catholics attach a special meaning to "jubilee years" and would prefer the anniversary to be called a commemoration.

In preparation for the celebration, the Evangelical Church — Germany's largest association of Protestant churches — and the Catholic Church have plans to write a book on Christianity together in 2013 and to hold a joint Bible conference in 2015.

The Evangelical Church president, Nikolaus Schneider, told the synod that there may also be a reconciliation service scheduled for 2017 "that recognises before God all the injuries both churches inflicted on each other".

Evangelical Church vice president Thies Gundlach has expressed the hope that, despite their differences, a "wonderful friendship" will develop between Catholics and evangelicals as a result of the anniversary events.

He said the "many ecumenical achievements that render visible the truth and beauty of Christian faith 500 years after the Reformation and 50 years after Vatican II" are grounds for joint celebration. He referred to agreement on the importance of Scripture, baptism and a general acceptance of ecumenism.

Catholic Archbishop Werner Thissen of Hamburg told the synod he hoped for an agreement on how to mark the anniversary.

"Times have changed dramatically since Luther," he said, noting that the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65 had "learned a lot from Martin Luther".

Sources:

Christian Post

Reuters

Image: MSN

The assault on the main mosque of Okene showed the true nature of the terrorist attacks by the Islamist insurgency known as Boko Haram, according to Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja.

"Boko Haram is a threat to everyone, not just for Christians," said Archbishop Onaiyekan. "It is not the first time that a mosque is attacked, but previous attacks against mosques have not had the same prominence of attacks against Christian churches, perhaps because when Islamic groups attack a mosque it is not news.

"We must bear in mind that we are dealing with a group of criminals that all Nigerians, Christians and Muslims, must face together.

"Okene is in particular a Muslim community, where a strong Christian minority lives, and is one of the examples where Christians and Muslims live together. So it is not possible to divide the community between Christians and Muslims."

The terrorist attack on the Deeper Life Evangelican Church on the outskirts of Okene was carried out by three men.

Two sprayed gunfire from Kalashnikov assault rifles into those taking part in a Bible study programme, while the third man switched off the generator so there were no lights for those trying to escape.

Though no group claimed responsibility, Boko Haram has attacked both churches and mosques in the past and has been blamed for nearly 700 killings this year alone.

The group's name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's mostly Muslim north. Its demands have included the strict implementation of Islamic Shariah law across the country.

In the terrorist attack on the mosque, gunmen killed four people, including two military guards, during a Muslim programme.

Sources:

Associated Press

Fides

Nigerian Tribune

Image: The Blaze