E hoa ma,
Ko Wiki o te Reo Māori. He pai te kite i te reo Māori e kaha haere anā i roto i a tātou karakia. Dear Friends, it is good in this Māori language week to observe that te reo Māori is used more and more in our worship services. This observation includes the weekly Sunday service at All Saints, Hokitika where Teresa and I shared in worship a few days ago with the two Tikanga congregation there. It was a blessing to share in the ministry of our relatively new Priest-in-Charge, the Reverend Tim Handley and Kathryn, his wife. Korōria ki te Atua.
All are welcome to Ordinations this week, conducted by me. The Reverend Jo Cotton will be ordained priest in St Barnabas’ church, Fendalton, at 7pm Friday 20 September 2024. The preacher at this service will be the Reverend Jeff Cotton. The Reverend Matt Maslin will be ordained priest in the Transitional Cathedral at 4 pm, Sunday 22 September 2024. The preacher at this service will be the Reverend Joshua Taylor.
This Sunday morning, 22 September, at Te Hepera Pai, Ferry Road, at 10.15 am, the Reverend Susan Wallace will be ordained priest by Archbishop Don Tamihere. Along with others from our Diocese, Teresa and I will be there supporting Susan and Archbishop Don on this special occasion.
I continue to warmly commend the Living Faith Conference to clergy and lay people alike. It will be a tremendous festival of faith, learning and worship! It will be an opportunity for us to build our congregations through a joyful shared experience. Gathering together in this way as a Diocesan family will enable faith formation in young and older, in those new to faith and old hands. I am asking every Vicar or Priest-in-Charge in the Diocese to bring a group to the conference. Now is a good time to make a specific commitment and register attendance. Living Faith Champions in our ministry units are encouraged to take a sign-up clipboard around parishioners after Sunday worship and personally invite them to come! Click here to register.
In a further follow up to our Liturgy of Lament, and as part of our response to the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care’s report, Theology House has copies available of their two Bible studies produced to help the church respond well to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission. A Holy Church and A Future of Hope are intended as group Bible studies that can be used at any time, not only during Lent. While these studies deal with difficult subject matter, they may offer a helpful way for groups to engage in this important conversation.
Recently, the Reverends Peter Akester (Rangiora) and Steven Dunne (Woodend-Pegasus) led a team of people on a teaching, preaching and prayer mission in the Diocese of Kondoa, Tanzania. Steven is back here but Peter has stayed on and is currently teaching at the Kondoa Bible College. Give thanks to God for this mission and pray for Peter in his continuing work at the College.
All those who participated in Leading Your Churches into Growth (LYCIG) conferences in 2022 and 2023 enjoyed learning from Archdeacon Rhiannon King (Ipswich, England). A few days ago it was announced that Rhiannon will be the next Bishop of Southhampton (in the Diocese of Winchester). Congratulations, Rhiannon!
The Reverend Gerald Tisch has died. A private cremation service has been held and a service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for Gerald will be held at Southwest [Spreydon] Baptist Church, on Friday, 11 October at 2.00pm. Gerald was ordained by Bishop Pyatt and served in St Stephen’s Shirley, St Martin’s Spreydon, and as Vicar of St John’s Woolston before beginning a long period of ministry in Baptist churches in Christchurch. Please pray for Jan, his widow, and their family as they mourn his loss and give thanks for his life and ministry.
This Sunday, 22 September 2024 is Ordinary 25, and the Gospel is Mark 9:30-37. Three profound messages are here: Jesus is the suffering Messiah/Christ who will not use human power to change the world; we who follow Jesus follow the way of suffering when we serve rather than rule; and when we welcome the least important people, Christ is in our midst.
Arohanui,
+Peter.