E NEWS 9TH JUNE 2023
Apparently my certificate indicating that I am a minister in Good Standing within the PCANZ expired in January. I have begun my Minister’s Development Plan in order to carry out my review towards a new certificate. It’s a 10 week process I will be selecting a few of you to become a partner and you will be asked to participate in a survey as part of my Development Partners Reflections. If you are chosen you will be approached by my MDP facilitator in due course.
On Thursday morning I attended a Wellington City Council meeting where Adrian Orr the Chair of Fale Malae Trust was presenting a proposal on behalf of Fale Malae, Victoria University and the local Iwi to build a national Pasifika Fale Malae at Frank Kitts Park . It is proposed to complement Wellington’s waterfront as a landmark building of cultural significance to the nation. The Fale Malae Trust proposes that the building will support a wide range of community and educational activities. The Fale (building) is proposed to be a pavilion within the park and includes a café and storage area to support recreational activity on the waterfront, including dragon boat racing. Wellington’s waterfront will be a place to celebrate and commemorate cultures from all around the Pacific region. At the time of writing I do not know the result of the voting that took place in the afternoon.
I met a very old friend that I hadn’t seen for 40 years at the above Council meeting. She and a new acquaintance and I decided to go for morning tea at the Colonial Café across the road from the church. Both are from the LGBTQI community. We are contemplating forming a Pasifika Rainbow community group for the Wellington region and hope to use St Andrew’s on the Terrace as our contact address and meeting base. I am looking forward to help make this happen asap. We will begin by developing a database for starters.
This coming Saturday the Wellington Community Choir conducted by one of my former students from Birmingham UK Lala Simpson will be putting on a concert at Taranaki Methodist Church. It is called “Better Day” and begins at 5pm, door sales are $20.
Next Thursday at 5.30pm I will attend the Memorial service for the victims that died at Loafers Lodge on behalf of SAOTT. This will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral let me know if you wish to join me.
This Sunday’s reflection is the story of the women who has been bleeding for 12 years in Matthew’s Gospel. The bleeding woman in this story could be from anywhere in this world, we are everywhere and many different cultures and contexts. Bleeding women are often isolated and separated from village and communal life, society in general and banned from being part of the everyday life and community. There is no name for her condition but in today’s terms she could have endometriosis which many of us familiar with. It is a very debilitating condition and many women become infertile because of it. In her desperation she seeks out Jesus and when he passes by her she reaches out and touches the hem of his robe and is healed. I will unpack more of this story on Sunday. Hope to see you then. Have a great weekend. Fei
You can read the full E-news here: https://mailchi.mp/309526630c2b/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-9358919
