Kia ora e te whānau,
What a great turn out we had last Sunday for our farewell to Susan and Roger! It felt like a real celebration of Susan’s ministry as well as a confirmation of the particular mission and ministry we have here at St Andrew’s on the Terrace.
A huge thank you to all those who helped bring the event together – organising, speaking, cooking and preparing, organising and collecting gifts and flowers, dishwashing and cleaning up. It was a lovely send off.
And now we turn to Advent – beginning this Sunday, lighting the candle of hope for what is a season of waiting and preparation. Quite fitting that we also begin a period of so called ‘vacancy’, where we will consider our future ministry needs, and begin the process of discernment.
In the meantime, we are fortunate to have a capable and generous team of people who will take services, lead meetings, continue with the organ restoration work, and in the new year begin our usual programme of events and groups.
In February 2020 we will be commemorating 180 years of the first service held by Rev John Macfarlane at Petone Beach. We will reflect on all that event has meant and continues to mean for us at St Andrew’s, for Wellington and for the country.
On the subject of the organ, for all those who may not have heard yet, St Andrew’s on the Terrace is very fortunate to have been awarded a New Zealand Lottery Board grant of $200,000 for organ restoration through its Environment and Heritage Committee. Lynne and Richard are still working through the acceptance details with the Presbyterian Church Property Trustees in whose name the grant application was made. This an exciting development that means the organ restoration project can begin in earnest in 2020. We will still have around $80,000 to raise so don’t pack away those cake tins yet and think about sponsoring a pipe as Christmas gift to your nearest and dearest!
We have a rich and varied line up of services through Advent and Christmas, the Rainbow Room children will be sharing their creativity with us on the 8th December and the St Andrew’s singers are practicing for the 15th. So, lots of good things to come!
As we will sing on Sunday: “Look towards the light, and carry on. Let the simple heart and hope among us keep our family strong’.
See you then,
Ngā mihi nui
Catriona Cairns (Interim Moderator. Phone 027 305 9129, email catrionajcairns@gmail.com)
Lynne Dovey (Parish Council convenor)
To view the full e-news click on this link: https://mailchi.mp/073a0ac7061d/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-3790289?e=[UNIQID]
