In Switzerland I encountered a few interesting church practices, which I thought I’d share. That doesn’t mean that I’ll advocate for those to happen at St Paul’s or in Christchurch. But it’s always good to see what others are doing. One of the annual church events in Switzerland is the “Long night of the churches”.…
Since 2007 I have been involved in archaeological excavations at Tell Halif in Israel. This is the site of a small town, probably Biblical Rimmon (Joshua 15:32; Joshua 19:7, 1 Chronicles 4:32; Nehemiah 11:29). I have also restored much of the pottery found there, practically many 3D puzzles mixed together, some with hundreds of pieces,…
According to the lease agreement between the St Paul’s Tennis Club (an organisation independent of the church) and Church Property Trustees, the tennis club was responsible for moving the clubrooms at the end of the lease. After the Parish gave notice to end the lease, it allowed the tennis club to renew the lease for…
The 39 Articles of Religion are the official statement of belief of the Anglican Church. Anyone signing on to vestry or any other position in the Anglican Church here in New Zealand says that they will abide by the Constitution of the Church. This in turn refers to the 39 Articles as the Statement of Faith, also referring to the Book of…
Last month we visited the nice town of Romont in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It has a medieval town centre right on the top of a hill with some formidable fortifications, including several distinctive towers. We went to the stained glass museum there and the church with its famed stained glass windows. Then, while…
When we landed back in Christchurch the parishioner who picked us up from the airport had hoped to show us something new in the vicinity of the Church, namely the functioning pedestrian traffic lights across Harewood Road. We were disappointed. Those traffic lights were still not working, just as they had not been when we…
As in much of Europe church bells are ever-present in Switzerland. They mark the time by striking every quarter hour and on the hour indicate the actual time. Of course, that means that most church bells are electronically controlled and on automatic timers. Church bells are also rung before church services and in some places…
The location of the vicarage being adjacent to the railway line brought back memories for Gayle of where she lived during her Primary School years. At that time her family lived on a small block of land that backed on to Morrinsville. It too had a railway line adjacent to its boundary. This section of the line was a convenient shortcut when…
The article below from “Capable Life” in the United States, brought to mind the saying, “Home is where the heart is.” “Home is where the heart is.” has a long history and has been attributed to Pliny the Elder from Roman times in the early first century A.D. The longing for a safe home reminded me of the aspirations of slaves in…
As I look out of the Dining Room window I see this view of the gate. I wondered four things. What is it called, what is its purpose, why was it placed there and when was one first made? Its formal name can be written in two ways, either Lych Gate or Lynch Gate. The…