Every year I try to give something up for Lent or pick something up. One year, for example, I decided to regularly practice a musical instrument. Another year I gave up alcohol (except for Communion). This year I gave up chocolate for the duration of Lent. I didn’t totally succeed: at one time somebody offered…

Last week I was on my retreat, the first I’ve been on since my ordination. Clergy are encouraged to go on one retreat a year, so I took opportunity of going away during a week when I did not have any rest home service or other urgent commitments. The time proved to be right: I…

In 2021 the local Synod adopted the Diocesan Mission Action Plan (DMAP). This called for ministry units to develop their own mission action plan with the support of the Missional Leader. In light of this the Archdeacon for Regeneration and Mission, Mark Chamberlain, was with us last Sunday to lead us in this process. Vestry…

From when I was about eight years old I was a voracious reader. No book in the house was safe from me. When I was twelve years old I came across a substantial tome entitled “Heroic legends”. I began to read it: fascinating stories of enduring love, of heroic deeds, of battles won, of hardships…

In the last two newsletters I wrote about church funds. Most of those funds are held in trust for specific purposes and there generally is not much money flooding around. Many parishes, including those looking after iconic church buildings, struggle to finance the upkeep of those buildings. Still, the churches, including the Anglican Church, hold…

The fearsome chief Te Rauparaha is particularly well known for the frequent armed expeditions he led to the South Island. These enabled him to control some of the northern parts of the South Island and exact loot from and revenge on Ngāi Tahu. He was taken into custody by British Troops in 1846 and returned…

To address the needs of communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle the Anglican Church has established the Anglican Cyclone Gabrielle Response Group ‘Hāpaitia’. As part of that response the St John’s College Trust Board has released $250,000 in emergency funds for immediate deployment. Some would see this as a minimum response given the wealth of the…

FloodingWe are shocked at the pictures we see of the flooding in the North Island. While scenes of flooding from around the world and New Zealand seem to have flashed across our screen more often in recent years, this is still of a magnitude that we haven’t seen often in New Zealand. The utter helplessness…

I do grocery shopping the manly way: I know exactly what I want, what shop I will get it in and where in the shop I’ll find it. I’ve got the in-and-out mentality, rather than browsing. I do compare the ingredients and do research on companies, though, but try to keep my time in the…

During our holiday travels we also stopped briefly in Lawrence, Otago. As we were coming into the townI told the children about the association of this town with New Zealand’s national anthem. For here inLawrence, John Joseph Woods wrote the tune for “God defend New Zealand”. As you will probably know, the poem was written…