A few weeks ago I had occasion to see the refurbished interior of St Nicholas Church in South Christchurch (Barrington). The most noticeable changes are a rebuilt chancel area that’s more accessible, new ceiling paneling, a new carpet, new windows, new chairs, and an enclosed children’s room near the back of the church. The church…

St Paul’s has a lych gate. It is located between the vicarage garden and the graveyard. It is only a very basic lych gate: it has the traditional wooden shingle roof and is incorporated into the fence, but does not really offer the shelter of a traditional lych gate. There are several more traditional lych…

Earlier this month parliament passed the Maritime Transport (Lifejackets on Recreational Craft) Amendment Act 2026. This specifies that a person in charge of a recreational craft of 6 metres or less in length must ensure that each person on board is wearing a lifejacket of an appropriate size while the craft is underway (except in…

It was quite a few weeks ago that I went to the presentation on the history of the Lutheran Church in New Zealand. Of course, I had read about aspects of that church history previously, but it was interesting to hear it again so well laid out. The presentation was by Mark Whitfield, the Pastor…

There is a tradition of Missions Month in the New Zealand church. Different mission organisations celebrate it during different months. The New Zealand Church Missionary Society promotes Missions Month for September 2026. At St Paul’s we have long cooperated with global missions through NZCMS. We are currently a Link Church for the Dunbar family in…

Last month I was invited to a ceremony for Student Volunteer Army awards that recognised disabled people overseen by Idea Services (associated with IHC) for the voluntary work they do in the community. Currently Idea Services have a group of young adults that meets at LOOP and the Kapa Haka group is practicing in our…

In July 2026 Church Property Trustees (CPT) signed an agreement with a potential purchaser for the sale of the tennis court land. Since then, the potential purchaser has done its due diligence on the property. Two issues have emerged. Geotechnical investigations revealed that significant piling would be required to build houses on the land, particularly…

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.  Hebrews 13:15 For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies Christ our God, to you we raise, This our sacrifice…

Around the world there has been a noticeable decline in reading in recent years. This has been the case across all age groups. At the same time, there has been a noticeable increase in video viewing and scrolling. It is particularly reading for pleasure and reading long books and articles that has reduced. People arestill…

Recently we walked the new Ashley Gorge Skyline Track, which climbs out of the gorge to the open tops above. The new track was completed in March 2026 by the volunteer Ashley Gorge Tracks Group and involves a short section across private property. From the river at about 220 m above sea level, the track…