Kia ora e te whānau,
Am I the only one who doesn’t quite know how to talk about ‘resurrection’? I find myself mulling over what it might mean for us, today, as progressive and post-theistic Christians.
We celebrate Easter in autumn rather than spring, and this year what makes it even more at-odds is being in lockdown.
But…maybe in autumn there is the promise of spring to come, in lockdown the promise of minimisation of COVID-19 transmission, and further out, the promise of a return to daily normal.
And in the tradition of Easter, the promise of hope, which both inspires us and sets us in motion.
I enjoyed this small piece of a poem by Gretta Vosper:
This light which pulls us toward tomorrow
is carried deep within each of our hearts
and lit by you and me and him and her
and all who live upon this earth.
This Easter may we who draw from the light of hope found in the Easter story, see and honour the light in others by our words and actions.
In this e-news we have a message from Rev David Brown who you’ll recall was meant to be with us over this period of weeks, and you’ll be able to enjoy his reflection online on Sunday.
Also, as a reminder of how we might bring hope to others in this season, we have news from DCM about ways we can help at this time, as well as a message from a school community in Cannons Creek who provide emergency supplies for whānau.
May your Easter be restful, reflective, and hold moments of joy and sparks of new life,
Arohanui
Catriona
To view the full e-news click on this link: https://mailchi.mp/a1a217b8dc5e/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-3845633
Kia Ora to the community of St. Andrews on The Terrace,
I was so looking forward to being your supply minister during April, especially for Easter. However, as you all well know, this COVID19 pandemic has changed all of our lives. My wife, Linda, and I were on a long-planned three-month sabbatical from my church, Noe Valley Ministry Presbyterian Church in San Francisco to Aotearoa New Zealand when we had to cut it a month short to get back home. We had yet to take an auto tour of the North Island and be with you for three Sundays. So, we have unfinished business in A-NZ and must return someday.
In planning our trip to your beautiful land, I had googled “progressive Presbyterian churches” and yours popped right up. But I didn’t quite know who to contact since you are in between installed ministers. However, just before we came in February, I got an email from Jim Cunningham inviting me to participate. Evidently word had gotten around from our friends at Khandallah Presbyterian and, voila, we were set to go. I have so enjoyed getting to know Jim and also Lynne, with whom we had dinner the night before the lockdown!
The two months we were in A-NZ were wonderful. We spent the first month on the South Island, going on a two-week tour which included the Punakaiki, Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Queenstown, Dunedin, Omaru and Tekapo. Absolutely beautiful. Then two weeks in Christchurch working with Knox Church and Rev. Matthew Jack, where I preached once, led two seminars, one on structural racism in the USA and one on how the Presbyterian Church (USA) came around to full inclusion of LGBTQ+, including ordination and marriage. Then we came to Wellington where I worked with and preached at two churches, Khandallah Presbyterian and Rev. Ryhan Prasad, and Island Bay Presbyterian and Rev. Nathan Parry, where Linda’s cousin is a member. And I managed to climbed Mt. Kaukau with my friend, Roy!
Even though I am not there now, I have recorded the Easter sermon I planned to deliver at your church. My prayer is that you find it a hopeful message. God bless.
Arohanui,
Rev. David Brown
Order of Service for Good Friday
Led By: Jim Cunningham
You are invited to use the material available in this link in any way that is appropriate for you.
https://www.standrews.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-04-10-Good-Friday-2020-Final.pdf
You may want to sit and go through the whole service, reading aloud or silently the readings; pausing to reflect or looking at the paintings. Or you may want to stretch it out over a period of time during the day – maybe stopping for a cuppa or a walk in the garden. As you may recognise – this is the service that was used in church last Good Friday – with a few minor changes.
The name at each meditation is the person who created and read the meditation last year. As you go through the service you may want to pause to remember them. You might even want to ring some of them or send an e‑mail. If you have some music that is important to you – play it in the background as you move through the service .
A message from the Downtown Community Ministry team:
| COVID-19 Supporting our taumai at this most challenging of times |
| What a month it has been – for DCM, our taumai, and all of New Zealand. Is it just us, or does the first half of March seem so long ago, almost like we were living in a different world? Here at DCM, we are totally committed to finding new and different ways of working, so that we can continue to support people who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness throughout the COVID-19 crisis period. To read more news from DCM, please click the link to access their latest update: https://mcusercontent.com/979e71a3c71a4a2e800e1794a/files/e56b319f-57a9-439e-9807-415b00201fb6/COVID_19_DCM_How_you_can_help.pdf Also, a request that has come via Lynne Dovey, a friend of theirs is connected with the school below: For people who already live on a very low income, managing to provide for their families in the current situation is very hard. We have already asked for donations to DCM to assist their effort in supporting people who are struggling. A particular community in need that has come to our attention is the predominantly Pacific Island community in Cannons Creek. The Principal of Glenview Primary School there, Lynda Knight-de Blois, is providing emergency food boxes for her school community and would very much appreciate donations online. The Glenview School bank account details are: 12-3254-0146134-00 Visa Debit Account. Please put Food Hamper in the reference line and perhaps identify yourself as St Andrew’s on The Terrace. Lynda writes: ‘Families can get a one-off Covid19 Whanau Ora package from a couple of Porirua NGOs. However this comes in the form of supermarket vouchers and there is no supermarket in Cannons Creek. For families who find it hard to get over to Porirua City (e.g single parents or caregivers with small children, or no car), things are not easy at the moment’. Lynda is therefore ordering food hampers online, such as are offered by https://www.eatmylunch.nz/product/care_box/ and personally delivering them to school families. She has received this response from a single Nana who is looking after two of her children, plus three grandchildren, including 2 preschoolers, who have received one of the emergency boxes organised by Lynda: ‘Thank you very much. I hope you are keeping well and safe and also resting. My family and I are very grateful for your kindness and appreciate you support. Thank you so much. Arohanui’. This week’s Central Presbytery news can be found by clicking the following link: http://presbyterycentral.org.nz/images/docs/Roundup/20200408_Central_Roundup.pdf |
