E NEWS 12TH JULY 2024
At Exploring Faith last Sunday we were blessed with two very personal faith journeys from Cam Smart and Jenny Simpson, which was presented by her husband Paul Satherley on her behalf. Amazing journeys of faith. We are very thankful for their honesty and vulnerability in sharing their life stories with us. Faafetai tele lava mo le fa’asoa.
It has been a very busy week at the Church and Conference centre this week with the Aroha String Quartet International Academy 2024 renting out the whole conference centre. You can hear stringed instruments reverberating from every room, it all sounds so beautiful. So my office has been fully utilised this week for meetings of the church as it has been the only room available for us this week.
We have new carpark signs placed in the carpark and so when I drove into work last night for Parish Council the sign reading “ST ANDREW’S MINSTER’S CARPARK, NO PARKING 24/7 still did not deter someone in a grand Mercedes SUV from parking there. What is it? Is it entitlement? Flash car, lots of money therefore I can do what I want when I want and disregard the rules? Two of the coaches from Aroha were happy to go and knock on all the doors to ask if anyone owned the car and when we went outside to swap carparks the parent of one of the musicians quickly ran to move her car after her daughter must have texted her that we were looking for the owner. No apology! I feel grumpy posting things like this but a carpark in the Wellington CBD is indeed a privilege and one I am so very grateful to have.
Over the last two years I have been meeting with a wonderful Professor Emeriti Carol Legge from Victoria University who has lived at the Bolton Hotel for the last ten years. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer over two years ago. She contacted me and invited me for coffee at the Bolton to plan her funeral. We have been meeting regularly for coffee and conversation. On Tuesday this week she finally passed away. We celebrated her 80th in February which she did not think she would make. So Carol Legge’s funeral will be on Monday here at SAOTT at 11am. It’s a privilege to get to know people in our neighbourhood who don’t necessarily attend SAOTT but regard our church as part of their community.
It was nice to meet up with my older sister Violet on my day off on Monday. She was here for an ERO work meeting down on the Quay, so we went to her favourite café La cloche next door for morning tea and had some quality sister time together. I took her to the airport and again stopped at Cup Cake café in Kilbirnie for afternoon tea. I have to make the most of the times when I have family in Wellington as it is a rarity.
My dear friend Jonathon Faafetai Lemalu London based International Bass Baritone Opera Singer will be in Wellington again with the Virtuoso Strings as he was last year. This time they will be performing at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Sunday 21st July.at 7pm. If you are free it is worthwhile attending. You just pay a koha at the door.
This Sunday we look at the story of King Herod’s promise to his stepdaughter to ask for anything she wishes and he will grant it to her. Her mother Herodias tells her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Her daughter relays this request of her mothers to Herod as her own. I remember as children we used to coerce our younger siblings to ask for things on our behalf and make it look like it came from them when they were none the wiser. Exploiting the young in pursuit of our own personal gain. I will say more on this in Sunday’s reflection.
I returned to my liquid fitness swim class on Wednesday but didn’t las the distance. Getting back to full fitness strength will take some time. The flu and lots of bugs are flying around and many people are literally falling like flies. Do take care of yourselves and keep warm and dry. Manuia le weekend, soifua, Fei
You can view the full E-news here: https://mailchi.mp/c1868b6344c9/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-9466880
