Holding Onto Warm Moments This Winter

Warmth in Winter

Winter Edition | Issue No. 01 | July 2025

Welcome, Subscriber First Name, to the very first edition of Just Stories!

We are excited to bring you this newsletter. Inside this issue, you’ll find our featured story: Communities Feeding Communities, alongside two others; an already published story, and a preview of an upcoming story. Plus, we’ve included two great books and a podcast for you to enjoy.

We’d love your feedback, and are looking forward to hearing your stories!

— The Team at Just Stories

Photo Credit : Martin Stewart

Introducing Just Stories NZ

Just Stories is a new blog sharing real-life stories of justice in action from across the Presbyterian whānau — including the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, Presbyterian Support, and Presbyterian Schools — as well as stories from individuals and groups beyond our immediate networks. Together, these stories reflect the rich diversity, creativity, and commitment of people working for transformation, compassion, and hope in their communities.

Born from a shared desire to inspire and energise action for justice, Just Stories lifts up voices and initiatives that are often unseen or only known locally. We believe storytelling can spark imagination, renew energy, and connect us in our shared calling to “say yes — to justice in action.”

The blog is supported by Presbyterian Support and the Presbyterian Church as part of the PresCare initiative, with grateful thanks to the Justice Compassion Trust for helping bring this platform to life.

Explore the stories featured below — or go to the website here!

Our Featured Story

Communities Feeding Communities

Launched in 2021, the Communities Feeding Communities initiative (CFC) in Mt Roskill, Auckland, empowers the local community through food security and support services.

An urban food haven located at 1207 Dominion Rd, the initiative includes a community garden, food forest, play area, pizza oven, and more. CFC provides 80-90 food parcels to registered agencies and people living in the local community each week. They also offer cooking classes, and foster local well-being with a community kitchen, social food pantry and a Pātaka Kai.

Aiming for zero-waste, this project continues to grow as a hub for nurturing connections and providing essential support to the local community, and beyond, particularly through the lens of food security.

Read the story here →

Previously published (2024):

Tēpu Mō Tātou — A table for everybody

Led by its Community Minister Rev Dr Bruce Hamill since 2016, Island Bay Presbyterian Church (IBPC) in Wellington, have developed friendships and connections with the residents of two local high-density Council Housing complexes in a project called “Tēpu Mō Tātou – A table for everybody.”

Read More →

Story Preview:

Passion for justice - Rev Dr Rutherford Waddell

A story from our NZ Presbyterian history focussing on the Rev Dr Rutherford Waddell whose passion for justice in his Dunedin community in the late 1800’s had a nationwide impact.

NEW! Resources

Book

Wayfinding Leadership: Ground-breaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders

2015 — Huia Publishers

Authors: Dr. Chellie Spiller, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, John Panoho.

Podcast

Encountering the Neighbourhood

2023 — Nomad Podcast UK

Speaker: Dr. Sally Mann

Listen Here: nomadpodcast.co.uk/sally-mann-encountering-the-neighbourhood-n298/

Book

Looking for Lydia: Encounters that shape the Church

2018 — Journal of Missional Practice & The Missional Network

Authors: Dr. Sally Mann, Ash Barker

Sign Up Below

Please consider subscribing to the Just Stories quarterly newsletter—where you will receive email updates when we add new content to the website; including diverse stories, articles, videos, podcast links, and more.

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