E NEWS 3RD MARCH 2023
Today is the World Day of Prayer focussing and prepared by the churches in Taiwan. The ecumenical service was held at Johnsonville Uniting Church at 10am this morning.
On Friday night last week St. Andrew’s on the Terrace hosted an evening with Philip Rhodes (a world renowned baritone) and friends a fundraising night of opera for the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation and sponsored by The Rotary Club of Wellington. Renowned broadcaster Ian Fraser interviewed Philip and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa about their lives and the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. It was a wonderful night of world class opera attended by myself, Adelina and Christine our Centre staff.
Last Saturday we held our church retreat at the Home of Compassion in Island Bay. It was attended by 17 people from our church including our facilitator Rev. Diane Gilliam Weeks. We had a time of personal contemplation and meditation and looked at Jesus calming the storm from the boat. We also explored our life as a church past, present and future. We will use the outcomes of this retreat to continue to review our life and work within St. Andrew’s on the Terrace.
I had the pleasure to visit Sir Lloyd Geering on his 105th birthday. I posted it on Facebook on his actual birthday on the 26th of February and 162 people acknowledged his birthday over 22 clergy and past colleagues and 23 people wrote their good wishes to him. I went back the next day to read to him all the responses from people he knew who offered their good wishes to him, he knew many of them and really enjoyed listening to their good wishes.
I had my first birthday in Wellington on Wednesday 1st March, and it was strange not to have my family in Auckland around to celebrate with me. We did have a cake at Cuppa and chat and Adellina from the office shouted me to lunch. In the evening I enjoyed a lovely meal at The Hook restaurant in Petone with Dame Luamanuvao Winnie Laban and my dear friend Vinise Moananu. Birthdays was always a mother and daughter day where we would go out and pamper ourselves and have a lovely dinner out together, I really miss those times. I don’t take anything for granted and count my blessings every year for good health and life.
This Sunday Nicodemus visits Jesus and asks the question about how someone can be born again when Jesus offered the metaphor of birth to speak about spiritual growth. Nicodemus taking a literal approach to Jesus words says, “how can one be born a second time from your mother’s womb?” Jesus was amazed at Nicodemus’ literal understanding of this evocative image and says to Nicodemus, “You are a teacher of faith and yet you are unable to understand what I am saying?”. How did you come to faith and how has your faith been challenged or changed over the years? I have come from a conservative evangelical upbringing, educated at Knox Theological Hall during its more liberal years in the 1980’s and my faith has walked the theological bridge from conservative evangelical to liberal progressive. I respect my faith journey and history but appreciate today the opportunity to minister in a progressive church context where I feel at home and comfortable. I may be a novice to many of you and I appreciate opportunities to explore what progressive Christianity means for each one of you. Our Exploring Faith monthly sessions will be begin conversations on what is progressive theology for you personally and for us as a church. This will begin in April on the first Sunday of the month. This will be a great opportunity to hear your stories. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better theologically through these sessions.
We continue to keep those affected by Cyclone Gabriel and the Auckland floods in our thoughts and prayers and those countries around the world Turkey, Syria affected by earthquakes and the Greek train tragedy. Please give generously to our Red Cross Appeal through our church offering system this week. Thank you and enjoy your weekend. Fei
You can read the full E-news here: https://mailchi.mp/8511372d4a7b/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-9307599
