This Sunday is the 1st of August. Since my early childhood that has meant one thing: the Swiss National Day. We were normally on holidays in Switzerland in early August and enjoyed the celebration. We decorated the house and a small cart with flags and bells, dressed in appropriate festive clothes and then made our…

At our meeting on Wednesday evening we heard about different ways of approaching housing development. Greer O’Donnell spoke about the spectrum of housing available. In New Zealand housing is often occupier-owned, market rental or government-provided social housing. The average family often finds it difficult to find affordable, long-term housing. That’s why new housing models such…

At the end of last month the Greater Christchurch Partnership released its Mass Rapid Transit interim report. It is an investigation for faster public transport from Rangiora and Rolleston to the City Centre. Three options were detailed:1. Heavy rail along the current railway corridors to Riccarton and from there through a trench to the city…

To ensure the future financial sustainability or alternatively look at specific projects, the Parish has decided to sell the land currently occupied by the tennis courts. We have also wanted to look at other alternatives for the use of the land to support those objectives and use our resources for the mission of the Church.…

In the face of societal changes and political forces we often feel quite powerless. At least we live in a democracy and every three years we can vote to change the form of local or national government. Of course, our own individual vote hardly ever makes any difference. Indeed, as a somewhat independent thinker, I…

During our church services there are times of prayer, when we pray together as a church community. For many years there has also been the opportunity for personal prayer during the 10am services. In recent years the prayer room to the south of the chancel has been available for prayer during services, with someone rostered…

For our rest home services we always sing a few of the old favourite hymns like “The Lord’s my Shepherd”, “Amazing Grace”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, Blessed Assurance”, or “Praise my soul the king of heaven”. The people respond to these hymns. Some of the people we meet in rest homes have difficulty communicating, or…

It is quite difficult to get clothes onto new-born babies. They are just not used to the arm and leg movements required to put on tops or pants. But they soon learn and it becomes a habit. Indeed, after a few months it is easier to dress a baby that is protesting and fighting than…

When I regularly went tramping on the edges of the Mackenzie Country and in the Ashburton Lakes / Upper Rakaia area I checked river levels frequently so that I knew how rivers behaved and at what time it may be safe to cross them. I was amazed at how in severe weather events river levels…

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday. According to the Lectionary of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia this is the last Sunday of the season of Easter. So the next Sunday we return to Ordinary Time. There are two parts of ordinary time in our liturgical calendar—one between Epiphany and Lent and the…