A while ago I read parts of a book on the parish of St Mary’s in Timaru, called “Love and Faithfulness”. There are some inspirational stories of faithful people in the book, but also aspects of the Parish’s history that show only too plainly human failings. In fact, ecclesiastical matters did not start off well…
As in many houses today, access to the internet is part of the way of life in our house. We have a fibre connection with WIFI. On a good day we have WIFI reception from our house at the bus stop over 250 m away. We can certainly access the internet from large parts of…
In April Vestry submitted three proposals for the development of the tennis court land to the Diocesan Standing Committee and Church Property Trustees for feedback and comment. These options were: Standing Committee and Church Property Trustees have now given their feedback. They both support working with the Christchurch Methodist Mission. They do not support the…
In the Dominican Republic we spent quite a bit of time on the front porch sitting in rocking chairs and watching the world go by.Neighbours would regularly shout greetings in our direction and we would respond.It wasn’t exactly a high-energy activity for our children, but they made the best of it. One day one of…
Schools and the GospelFrom Monday to Wednesday I attended the Clergy Conference at College House. During his address to clergy Bishop Peter also spoke about the Anglican Schools, some of which are part of the Diocese. He acknowledged that there was some discomfort among many Anglicans at being so closely associated with schools that seem elitist and exclusive. The Bishop could see…
For 143 years, Papanui has heard the peal of bells from St Paul’s, calling all to worship. The first 5 bells were ordered from the UK in 1878 at a cost of £285, but the ship sank off the Cape of Good Hope. Insurance covered the cost and a new set was shipped out to…
I wonder if you, like me, have been having times of tiredness. Not only physically speaking, but also with all the negativity and stress coming to our attention through the various media of our day. I sometimes say to my wife during a news broadcast: “When is the GOOD news coming?” Yes, it is so…
A bit of background I see my role as managing the limited finances of our parish and helping to support our mission and ministry. This covers a variety of tasks and follows a monthly program of invoicing, supplier payments and reporting. Additionally in February each year the annual reports have to be produced and sent…
DrainageThe scheduled drainage work is now underway, so try and avoid parking over by LOOP and the church office in June if you can. Sunday morning parking nearer the church will be fine as usual. Community Outreach 14th July is the new public holiday Matariki and many are looking for ways to celebrate this event (Māori New Year).…
Recently I met Ryan Feng, the minister at St Margaret’s Presbyterian Church in Bishopdale. He showed me the new church that was officially opened in early May 2023. As far as a modern church goes, it is probably even nicer than the new Methodist Church in Chapel Street. Even though we come from quite different…