E NEWS 27 OCTOBER 2023
Kia ora e te whānau o Hato Anaru,
In this time of grieving the massive suffering from the Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent Israeli attacks and siege of Gaza, what does it mean to stand up for peace?
Prayer is part of the answer for millions of people in the world right now. I joined online interfaith prayers for peace last week with people from across the country. It is powerful to feel the strength of faith traditions in bringing people together in shared humanity. It was profound, also, to witness a crowd of Muslims praying on parliament lawn last weekend, led by the imam of the Kilbirnie mosque. This was part of a rally for peace in Palestine. I joined the rally with a double-sided sign: “Ceasefire Now” and “NZ Govt: Speak Out.” In Aotearoa, we have the privilege that politicians listen to us. If you want to see NZ have a stronger voice for peace you can email the leaders of political parties and your MP. In my messages I asked the government to call on all states to stop supplying explosive weapons to Hamas and Israel and to condemn all breaches of humanitarian law. (Parliament email addresses are <firstname.lastname@parliament.govt.nz eg christopher.luxon@parliament.govt.nz). There is another rally for Palestine on Saturday 2pm, Civic Square.
The Moderator Right Rev Rose Luxford’s message (below) is an invitation to pray and to contribute to an appeal to help those affected by the conflict.
This Sunday Tony Pears and I are leading the service. I’m looking forward to hearing Tony’s insights on Jesus and Paul. Hope to see many of you there.
Ngā mihi
Ellen
Received 25 October 2023
You can read the full E-news here: https://mailchi.mp/7e03227bdb9f/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-9407036
