Dear Friends,
I am very pleased to announce that the next Vicar of Akaroa-Banks Peninsula will be the Rev’d Edrick Corban-Banks. Edrick is a New Zealand priest who after ministering in the Diocese of Wellington, Waikato, Europe (Spain) and Nelson, has been serving in the Diocese of Tasmania since 2013. Edrick and Clare are working on travel plans including quarantine requirements which should see a start in early December 2020.
We continue to be a busy Diocese and this last week it has been a privilege to share in Standing Committee and Church Property Trustees meetings, to participate in an Anglican Care Strategic Planning Day, worship with combined congregations of the Parish of Linwood-Aranui in St Chad’s for the Patronal Festival of St Chad, be formally recognised as Visitor for the Community of the Sacred Name at Evensong in the Transitional Cathedral on Sunday evening and then, on a beautiful, blue sky Monday morning join with the congregation of the Parish of Avonside and construction workers and project staff as we blessed the site on which the new Most Holy Trinity church will be built.
This week is no less busy as Pre Synod meetings take place in Temuka, Christchurch, Amberley and via Zoom, from Tuesday to Friday. Then on Saturday morning we have the first of two seminars in the Transitional Cathedral on the referenda issues. Gareth Bezett, Director of Theology House and Dean Lawrence have organised a fascinating line up of speakers. (The precise form of the event is given above).
Speaking of being busy, a very busy mission at this time is the work of Mission to Seafarer chaplains and assisting staff in the Ports of New Zealand as they reach out to sailors, many of whom, due to the Pandemic, have been at sea and separate from families for a very long time. Thankfully our Government is investing some funds in this ministry and Lance Lukin, national Seafarer’s leader, featured in an informative interview last Saturday morning with Kim Hill, reported here. Our Lyttelton Port Chaplain, John McLister is very glad of the Government funds because a full-time assistant is being hired and this will mean a sharing of the load currently on John’s shoulders.
I am told that we have over 1000 subscribers to e-Life (thank you). Last week I launched a Diocesan appeal for $20,000+ in order to support the Mirpurkhas Hostel in Pakistan which will close if funds cannot be found to support the next academic year, beginning this September. That’s only $20 per subscriber! Details about the Hostel and its purpose, and how to make your donation are found elsewhere in e-Life.
When visiting the Square you will see signs of activity around our Cathedral as the Stabilization phase of the Reinstatement gets off to a strong beginning. Unfortunately even as we celebrate this progress we must commiserate with our sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Dunedin with news this week of a fire in the roof of St Paul’s Cathedral. Please pray for Dean Tony Curtis and the congregation there, https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122405030/we-are-lucky-says-dean-of-dunedins-firedamaged-st-pauls-cathedral .
Also for our prayers: we have a significant group of young adults heading to The Abbey, a Tikanga Pakeha Youth event, 21-23 August at El Rancho, Waikanae. Pray that all of us going will be open to God’s Word and Spirit in the context of worship, teaching and fellowship together in Christ’s Name. (If COVID-19 affects travel to The Abbey, it will be held via livestreaming.)
Arohanui,
