From the Vicar…
Dear Friends,
As the great fifty days of Easter draw to a close, the liturgy of the Church moves us on from our celebration of the great work Jesus has done for us, to our taking responsibility for the work that he will do through us. Through the strengthening and guiding gift of the Holy Spirit, we are now entrusted to be Christ’s partners in the world.
And so next Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost, we shall have our hands anointed for ministry, so that we may be strengthened to serve in the way of Jesus Christ into whom we are baptised. We are called to live and work in the Spirit that is his, deliberately laying down our life in appropriate ways so that life may be fuller for all.
Today we welcome among our visitors the Grand President, Geoffrey Lewis, and members of the Druids Friendly Society, on the occasion of their AGM. The Druids were first set up in England in 1781 as a social and benevolent society, to provide the benefits of a social welfare system before the State was moved to do this. The first Druids Lodge in NZ was set up in Christchurch in 1876 and known as the Pioneer Lodge. For over a century it has provided social security for its members, and continues to do so, as well as being the focus of social and sporting activity. We join the members and their families in thanking God for the fine record of public service and community building by the Druids Lodge. Our visitors have generously provided morning tea today.
Thank you everyone for the good AGM last Sunday. This morning we commission the new Vestry that you elected. We are grateful that the people listed below are willing to take this responsibility, and we welcome Barbara Moreton as she returns, and Robert Maclagan as he becomes my Warden. We acknowledge the careful and generous service of Peter Daniels over several years, as he stands down, and that of Carol Fraser who has gone overseas.
Throughout this week we pray for the unity of Christians. This is not just a desirable extra, it is one of the very measures of our faithfulness and credibility. Our disunity is not entirely a matter of different church traditions—now it also involves different understandings and tolerance within the same Church, and in particular our own Anglican Communion.
Schools return tomorrow for the second term. It will be good to have the staff and children of S. Michael’s School back on the site again. At the same time, the builders have arrived and are working on the east end of the church. You will see that the Lady Chapel has been cleared out and scaffolding erected in order to remove the east window for restoration.
I shall be at the annual Clergy Conference at Wainui during the week ahead, as will the Revd Lynne Horwood. If there is an urgent need to contact me, Judy Tait has the contact details.
May God bless you all.Peter Williams
Vicar: Fr Peter Williams
Hon. Priest Assistant: Revd Lynne Horwood
Churchwardens: Robert Maclagan Claire Anstice
Synodspeople: Tim Hill Jocelyn Richards
Elected Members:
Denis Coulter
John De la Bere
John Fowler
Michael Graveston
Tim Hall
Michael Ladd
Barbara Moreton
