While some of the most stringent restrictions of the Lockdown may end soon, the country will still be determined by the response to COVID-19 for some time. Public worship services will not recommence before we are at Level 2: the Bishop will issue further instructions when and how such services may be celebrated and to what extent we can open the church…
Helping People to Meet God • Make Friends • Grow in Faith
Helping People to Meet God • Make Friends • Grow in Faith
Vicar’s Blog (Page 19)
It may seem like a distant memory now, but some of you may still be able to visualize the film we watched at our film night in early March. It was called “All Saints” and retold the real story of how the All Saints Church in Smyrna, Tennessee, avoided closure. The Episcopalian rector at the church knew that God told him to…
I decided to raise a political issue today, while we are all safely tucked away in our bubbles. By the time you see me again, you might forgive me for that. Anyone listening to my sermons closely might have noticed that now and then there are political undertones just beneath the surface. Indeed faith cannot be fully separated from politics. Recently…
By now we are into the second day of staying at home due to the Alert Level 4 response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. I am working from home and slowly setting up the office here. Having previously worked from home, I know that it is not that easy and that I prefer a separate office to go to so that I…
Due to the national response to the COVID-19 crisis all church services at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Papanui, have been suspended until further notice. On the instruction of the Bishop of Christchurch the church will be closed until further notice from Tuesday, 24 March 2020, even for personal prayer. It will still be open on the Tuesday for any last minute arrangements,…
The Bishops have advised that as of Monday, 23 March 2020, there will be no public worship services at Anglican Churches in New Zealand until further notice. The Prime Minister has advised that we are on a Level 2 pandemic alert. That means, in particular, that people over 70 years of age or at high…
We’re in a time when the threat of infection and the fear of death disrupts all normal interactions between people. It is wise to take all reasonable precautions. And that is different for each person. Those who are most at risk need may need to adjust their life radically. We all need to play our part in inhibiting the spread of this…
For the Common Good A response to the harm done the Muslim community on March 15, 2019. Following consultation, we release this statement: As people of various faith traditions, we recognise that we share common space; the common space of this planet and city we all call home. For those of us committed to the Christian faith, our Muslim neighbours are our…
Our son Sebastian was born earlier this week. It is great to finally hold him in our arms, after we’ve been waiting for him for so long. We’re relieved that he has had the care to arrive safely. His brother and sister were excited to touch him for the first time. We have received many messages of congratulations. The news of this…
With the increasing spread of the coronavirus, there is some concern about how this may affect us as church. The Bishop has published the following guidelines: “We should always follow good public health and hygiene habits. For public worship, the Bishop advises: 1. Wash hands, particularly celebrants (I am doing this). 2. Use hand sanitizers. (As soon as we can get some…