News

Since we have changed to new accounting and inventory management systems we have not only improved our efficiency but also are much better able to see data of orders and items being processed. With more detailed figures available we were surprised at the actual quantity of orders and products going through. It is encouraging to see so many resources getting out to people who can benefit from the messages they contain.

We also currently have about $99,000 worth of stock arriving during November to January from the USA, Europe and Australia. This, plus the financial commitments to the Blue Bible Project, makes for a cashflow tightspot.

We have checked on expected spending and income and with some with frugal management it looks to free up in February. A contribution to any of our current projects or purchase of items helps us during this period of growth.

Video Production: Our latest content on our YouTube Channel includes a 5-part series by by Reg Peterson based on his trip to the Reformation lands in Europe. It covers significant historic events and a message for us today. We have also been working on filming some completely new content with a presentation on the publishing work based in the Netherlands as well as a series presented by Doug Hurley. These will be edited and available as our weekly video releases on our YouTube channel (autumnleavesnz) and via Facebook.

Calendars: For 2025 we have produced our own calendar. You can have beautiful New Zealand scenes and inspirational quotes on your wall and to give to others while you help us raise funds by purchasing these colourful calendars. See them on our web-shop or contact us for details.

Events
Australian Camps: The two camps in Australia during October were well received and we are already booked in again for the same time next year at Neville, NSW and Mt. Tamborine, Queensland.

Plans are also underway for another camp in Queensland at Easter 2025. More details will follow. Please feel free to contact if you would like more information.

Friday Night Live: On November 29 we have our live-from-studio event.

The following Friday Night Live will be 28 February 2025, 7pm.

The popular Friday Night Live is a time of singing and devotion where you have the requests and join with our local singers to enjoy an evening of fellowship and joy together.
Put it in your calendar now!

Summer Camp & Christchurch Meetings:  North Island camp from  January 14-19 and Christchurch Meetings January 23-26.

Projects

Blue Bible Project: If there was one Book that you would want to share what would that be? Which Book would you invest time, effort and finance into?

This international Blue Bible project aims to produce and distribute an ideal sharing Bible with good features and low prices. The ‘Blue Bibles’ have the full KJV Bible text with good size print and approximately 150 additional pages of study aids and information about the Bible.

We have just received videos of the Bibles in production and we are obtaining over 11,000 from this initial print run and we need your help to make this project most effective!

The total cost of this project is high but we are raising funds to reduce the effective cost of each Bible as much as possible so they can have a very low price enabling them to be purchased and distributed in bulk. We have interests with people who can use these in prison ministry, book stalls, personal sharing and other outreach projects.

We are initially aiming to raise about $45,000 to get the Bibles down to $5 each. Every dollar raised drops the price of the Bibles.

You can help in two ways: Donate to help reduce the costs, or commit to purchasing and sharing Bibles. We look forward to working with you to get Bibles into the hands of anyone with a need for God’s Word.

Contact us to learn more about this exciting project to get the Best Book into the hands and homes of as many people as possible.

 

 

Building Project: Since our last update, steady progress has been made to cover the ever diminishing portion of funding this project. We thank those who have given large and small amounts over the period of this project. At the current average rate of funding this project should be covered within two years although we hope to find funding sources to complete it sooner. Each dollar towards this frees up funds to move on to other projects.

System Change: In mid August we switched to new accounting and inventory management systems. This replaces software we have been using for decades and helps us to have an easier workflow and integrate better with newer technology. We are pleased with the change which was relatively smooth and we are continuing to improve and find more time saving.  This change has meant the transfer of a lot of data. If you notice any of the details we have for you are incorrect please let us know so we can update them.

Product increases: We have imported pallet shipments for many years. These have been either bulk of economical outreach books which sell by the box or a combination of many different items. Of recent times we have been experiencing the need to order more of many general titles and this has included pallet lots of a single title of books that are often sold singularly. This is evidence of many more books going out to many more people. This is most noticeable on health topics with an increase of awareness of personal responsibility for our own heath over the last 4 years. 

Videos: Our latest content on our YouTube Channel includes a 5-part series by Daniel Pel entitled Stories that Transform. This series is based on parables. Also 6 sermons by Tony Rykers and we are currently realeasing a series on health by Rob McClintock, all of which have been prepared for broadcast. You can keep up to date with our weekly video releases on our YouTube channel (autumnleavesnz) and via Facebook. The more you watch, share and comment the more people that are blessed exposed to videos.

Calendars: This coming year we have decided to produce our own 2025 calendars. You can help us raise some funds purchasing these colourful calendars with New Zealand scenery and inspirational quotes. See on our webshop or contact us for details.

Events
Australian Camps: Plans are in place for two camps in Australia this year. The first at the usual place in Neville, NSW 10-13 October and the following weekend in Queensland 17-21 October. Be in touch with us for further details.
Subjects will be: Earth’s Final Warning, Faith Against All Odds, Light Shining in Darkness, Love or Self, Woman and the Whore 1 & 2, Need of Good Fathers, Crisis of Unbelief - and more!

Friday Night Live: Our next live-from-studio event will be 29 November at 7pm. The popular Friday Night Live is a time of singing and devotion where you have the requests and we join with our local singers to enjoy an evening of fellowship and joy together. Put it in your calendar now!

Summer Camp & Christchurch Meetings:  North Island camp from  January 14 -19 and Christchurch Meetings January 23 -26.

Projects

Blue Bible Project: If there was one Book that you would want to share what would that be? Which Book would you invest time, effort and finance into?
Over the last couple of years we have been connected with an exciting large project to print an ideal sharing Bible with good features and low prices. This international project is now coming to fruition with the initial print run starting soon. The ‘Blue Bibles’ have the full KJV Bible text with good size print and approximately 150 additional pages of study aids and information about the Bible.

We have the opportunity to get a large amount of these at their production costs and are aiming to bring a shipping container loaded with these Bibles into New Zealand and we need your help to make this project most effective!

We are raising funds to reduce the cost of this project as much as possible so that the Bibles can have a very low price enabling them to be purchased in bulk and distributed. We have already begun speaking with people who can use these in prison ministry, book stalls, personal sharing and other outreach projects and every dollar raised drops the price of the Bibles.

There is a large initial outlay for these Bibles and we are initially aiming to raise about $45,000 to help offset shipping and printing costs which will get the Bibles down to a very affordable $5 each. We already have a little over $5000 raised from some folk who have been aware of the project coming up. The more that is raised the lower the price can be, or the more Bibles we can get in the future.

You can help in two ways: You can donate to help reduce the costs, or you can commit to purchasing and sharing Bibles. We look forward to working with you to get Bibles into the hands of anyone with a need for God’s Word.

You can donate directly to our bank account (details on back page) or via our website. Or feel free to contact us directly to learn more about this exciting project which aims to get the Best Book into the hands and homes of as many people as possibl

 

 

Bibles for Africa: Thank you to those who responded the project in the last newsletter with the project to fund Bibles for Uganda. Some donations were given to this project and we were able to redirect some other funds to cover the balance of that project so that we can direct the focus to the Blue Bible Project.

Building Project: Each year at the anniversary of the opening of the building we have to obtain a Building Warrant of Witness to certify the building is safe for use. We are thankful for the modern and well built building that easily passes these checks so that we can continue to focus on our purpose. Since our last update, steady progress has been made to cover the ever diminishing portion of funding this project. Each dollar towards this frees up funds to work on other projects.

System Changes: We are currently in the middle of change in the office. We are switching to a new inventory management system and developing integrations with our webshop, accounts and couriers. This will speed up our processes but is also a bit of a process in the transition phase. There will be some changes in roles and workflow, but we are confident we can end up more efficient. We’d be keen on any feedback though the process.

 

Semi Retirement: After putting 40 years into active ministry work and continuing past retirement age, Doug has had to make the decision to slow down a little while he is still able to. You’ll still be hearing from Doug & Angela, they will continue to travel and are still very involved, but the day-to-day work will be in the hands of the younger generation.

 

Free offers: Our regular free offers promoted on social media have proven too successful over the last month. Our July offer of a free children’s books ended early with us needing to pull down our advertisement due to higher than expected requests and we ran out of books! Thank you to those who give to fund these types of projects so that others can freely receive!

 

Videos: View our latest content on our YouTube Channel includes a 6-part series by Daniel Pel called Stories that Transform which is based on the Parables. This series was initially recorded at our Camps in January and is now fully prepared for Broadcast. Daniel has also just released a book by the same title available on Amazon. You can keep up to date with our weekly video releases on our YouTube channel (autumnleavesnz) and via Facebook. In the last month we had 33,000 minutes of videos watched across the channel. The more you watch, share and comment the more people that are blessed by the content.
 

Book Distribution: We recently supplied Desire of Ages books to an individual in the lower South Island. She shared these inspiring books and sent a report to us:
 

 

We were also able to supply a box of Fijian Great Controversy books to a person travelling to Fiji. Bibles were also taken. We received the following report:
 

 

If you have a project to distribute books or media and would like some suggestions or assistance. Be in touch and we’d love to work with you on scattering God’s message on hope like the leaves of autumn.

 

 

Donation Receipts: If you have not yet received your annual donation summary receipts from us, be in touch.

 

Some misunderstand that claiming on donations means you are being given a portion of your donation back. In fact it is the tax returned on the money earned to be able to give. In essence the government encourages giving to registered charities by not taxing the money that you give so your money can go further!

 

Monthly free offers and weekly specials: To get more good news scattered like the leaves of autumn, we use donated funds to give or discount items so cost is less of a barrier for receivers. Each month we have a free offer running, these are aimed at the wider public and we use paid promotion on social media to draw interest. These are successful in getting Christian and health messages into people’s hands. The weekly discounted items are often books with limited stock or are not widely known. To keep up-to-date on offers, like our Facebook page or subscribe for emails. We can testify that if we give, it will be given unto us. Thank you to those who give so that others can receive!

 

Videos: View our latest content on our YouTube Channel includes a 7-part series by George Opiyo and a new 4-part series on the 144,000 by Doug Hurley. Doug had presented these messages while travelling and they were appreciated so we filmed them in our studio for Social Media and TV release. You can keep up to date with our weekly video releases on our YouTube channel (autumnleavesnz) and via Facebook. In the last month we had 33,000 minutes of videos watched across the channel. The more you watch, share and comment th

 

 

New systems: We are currently in the process of actively switching our accounting system to replace one we have used since the beginning of the ministry. Although it has had many updates over the years, technology has moved on and new systems make us able to integrate and improve our workflow. We are also just starting to incorporate dedicated inventory and order management software.

 

Orders and gifted books: The amount of orders via our website increased dramatically earlier in the year and peaked mid year and have settled at a little below double from this time last year, but the quantity and value of items per order has also increased. While this is positive from a business perspective, it also is also more encouraging from a ministry viewpoint as it means people are obtaining more and better resources to learn from and share with others. The health and outreach type products are where the most notable increase has been.

 

We have focused our gifted projects this year to make them more effective. With more targeted advertising and a more diverse selection of books and media, we have put our free gift offers into the hands of people who are more specifically requesting material and on topics that interest them. Continue to pray for these projects as they create interesting interactions and most importantly get the gospel message into homes and hearts.

 

Stocktake: On March 24 we conducted our annual full stocktake. We have over 90,000 items currently on hand. These include everything from large value grain mills and study Bibles, down to individual Bible study guides and pamphlets. Will you help us to get them into the hands of people who can benefit from these leaves of truth? During the stock take we noted some items that we have had for quite a while. Some of these are because we had a large quantity or because they are not well known and we haven’t advertised them. We have created a listing of clearance items to let you know about them.
Donation Receipts: With the end of the financial year just past we are issuing donation summary receipts. These can be used to claim back income tax paid on the donated funds in New Zealand. If you would like a receipt and have not received one, be in touch.

 

Videos: New videos continue to be released for broadcast and on our  YouTube channel. Among the recent content is a 7-part series, ‘Connected’ presented by Pr. Sam Braga at our 2023 camp and a 4-part practical health series by HubChat recorded at 2023 and 2024 camps. Subscribe to our channel (autumnleavesnz) to watch and share.

 

 

After a brief holiday period we are well under way into 2024 and the beginning of the year is a busy time for us with our North Island camp included.

New Stock: Over the holiday period we had 8 pallets of goods come in from various suppliers. These included bulk Bibles, health books and outreach books as well as a wide variety of other stock items which replenish stock and include many new items. Along with camps, processing this these shipments has kept the office busy for the start of the year. Some new items are advertised with this newsletter and many more will follow. We continue to see an increased interest and sales of health-related items.

Free offers: We have a monthly free offer advertised primarily on social media. This has proved an efficient way to reach more people with less cost. Many items are placed in the hand of people who are specifically requesting them and so there is less waste than bulk distribution and or printed flyers and newspaper/magazine advertising. We still use these avenues to reach people also and all have their benefits. We have noticed a trend of interest in offers that include items assisting Bible study and personal devotion. You can help this project by liking and sharing the posts if you see them online (this draws more attention to them) or contributing to a fund we have set aside to cover the cost of books and postage.

Videos: Each Friday we also release a video to our YouTube channel. These may be a broadcast edited version of a camp meeting sermon or an entirely new production. Subscribe to our channel (autumnleavesnz) to watch and share these videos.

Print jobs: Our print equipment is also kept busy both with items we print for ourselves and also jobs for other people. We love to assist others in achieving their varied forms of ministry and have been printing flyers, booklets, calendars and other resources. Be in touch if you have a project we may be able to help you with.

 

 

We come to the close of yet another year—a year closer to the coming of our Lord. It is our prayer from us here at Autumn Leaves that this past year has been beneficial for each one of you. We thank those who have supported  this ministry in many ways  over this past year. Now as we close this year off, we look forward to a new and untried year ahead. May God bless you all bountifully in your endeavours and we look forward to being in touch with you as the opportunity arises.

 

End of Year Hours: Following are our office hours during this summer time.

Up to December 22: Usual hours of Mon-Thurs 9:00-5:30, Fri 9:00-3:00

December 24 - January 7: Office closed

January 8 on: Back to usual hours

 

The office will remain open during our summer camp, although there will be reduced staff between January 15-19.

 

New children’s book: An individual was in the process of writing a book to make the Great Controversy more understandable for children who were struggling to comprehend it. To reach a wider audience we referred the author to Remnant Publications in the USA. The book: ‘By Force or by Faith’ has just been released and is a lovely hardback, fully illustrated volume that is sure to be a blessing to people of all ages who appreciate a simple telling of the story of the early church through to the second coming of Jesus.

 

We have a shipment of this book on the way at present.

 

 

While still remaining higher than usual, the recent intensity of orders peaked in July allowing as to now catch up and adjust and staff have been able to take some time off as spring is with us!

 

Video Production Increase: Over the past few months we have been able to increase the quantity and quality of video productions. We continue to release at least one video to our YouTube Channel per week on a Friday. Recently we were also releasing videos on Tuesdays. Visit our channel youtube.com/autumnleavesnz to view many sermons to watch and be encouraged by and subscribe to keep up to date as new videos are available.