July 2022

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From the Moderator
From the Acting Assembly Executive Secretary
Presbyterian Youth Ministry
PressGo
Global Mission
Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership
Presbyterian Church School
Presbyterian Children and Families
Presbyterian Women
Presbyterian Research Centre
CWS Notices
Church Register
Notices
Events
Jobs

From the Moderator

ONE Conference

Planning is well underway for this conference for PCANZ leaders. It is set down for 17 -19 November at St John’s in the City, Wellington. It will be a much-needed chance for us to gather for networking, encouragement, inspiration and resourcing. Details are due out soon so you can make plans to be there.

Post-ordination Meeting and Strategic Hui

Both of these events are being planned to piggy-back onto the ONE conference. The Post-ordination Meeting is to be designed to provide support for people recently ordained, and the Strategic Hui will be a chance to work on coordinating the various common threads of strategic thinking that were apparent in reports to the recent Special Assembly.

Inclusivity Conversation

Rose Luxford and I are working on the decision of the Special Assembly to “commit to a dialogue on a way forward in a church divided over issues of sexuality, biblical morality and leadership led by the Moderator and Moderator Designate who will gather a group together representing a variety of views on this issue”.

We are organising an initial all-day meeting in Auckland on Wednesday October 5th and have been working on getting a good representative group together for this meeting.

World Council of Churches Assembly, Karlsruhe, 31 August – 8 September

Phil King and I will be part of the NZ contingent attending this meeting. While in Europe I am making a visit to Scotland to connect with leaders in the Church of Scotland. I look forward to reporting back on these two interesting opportunities.

North Korea

There is a special seminar following the WCC Assembly on the issues facing North Korea at this time. Of particular concern is the seriousness of the COVID situation there. It would be good to remember this nation in our intercessions on Sunday 24 July, which is the day before the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950.

God bless
Right Rev Hamish Galloway
Moderator

From the Acting Assembly Executive Secretary

This is my final column as Acting AES before I return to my previous position as Global Mission Director. It has been a very busy four and a half months, full of different challenges. Dealing with the impacts of Covid-19 was very much at the forefront in the first month or two, beginning at a time when the Assembly Office staff were working from home and churches were negotiating the complexities of the traffic lights system. 

The online Special Assembly was a major event undertaken during the first two months of my time in the role and things have not let up since. 

Throughout the past few months, I’ve gained a greater awareness of the complex and multifaceted challenges facing the Church on many levels, the most recent being setting a budget in the midst of significant financial pressures. 

However, I have also been extremely grateful for the help and support given by so many members of the PCANZ, both staff and volunteers, who serve sacrificially and provide high-level leadership in many impressive ways. I extend my thanks to everyone who has contributed their advice, wisdom, and support during my time in this role.

Grateful thanks also to Rev Paula Levy who has done an excellent job keeping a watching brief in Global Mission during this time.  

And I extend my very best wishes to Wayne Matheson as he returns from study leave and resumes his position as AES from Monday 4 July. 

EcoChurch

The Special Assembly agreed that the Presbyterian Church become a denominational partner of Eco Church NZ and that presbyteries and congregations be encouraged to join EcoChurch NZ. A free online Wananga will take place in August and this will help congregations learn more about EcoChurch and how to take practical steps to act on the Assembly decision. See the details in the Notices section and on the Church website

Calling a newly trained minister

This year another group will complete their training as interns. Profiles for each person are available from the Rev Brendon McRae who coordinates introductions and discussions between final-year interns and ministry settlement boards. For more information, please contact Brendon.

Phil King
Acting Assembly Executive Secretary

Presbyterian Youth Ministry

The Seven Sustainable Practices for supporting a key youth leader/worker

Youth leaders who stick around for 5-7 years achieve so much more than someone who only has a 1-4 year tenure. The Sustainable Practices resource provides simple steps that a church can take to help retain and support a key youth leader.  

Youth Ministry Coaching 

Being responsible for a youth ministry can be a daunting task for an inexperienced leader. We have found when a new leader is coached by an experienced youth leader, they are more likely to lead a healthy and effective youth ministry. We have coaches trained to deliver extremely helpful content for youth leaders in their first and second years of youth ministry.

Key Leaders Retreat 19-22 Sept 2022, Queenstown - FREE!  

We acknowledge the essential work of ‘key’ youth leaders within the Church’s youth ministries. A key leader is someone who heads up youth ministry at a particular church or organisation and leads a team of youth leaders in a volunteer or paid position. Research shows how vital this role is in the health and effectiveness of a youth ministry. We continue to see youth ministries thrive when a key leader has been in the role five to seven years plus. This retreat is aimed at: gathering, acknowledging, refreshing and equipping key leaders from across the Church.  

Please tell the key youth leader at your church they are invited to attend, completely free of charge for one key leader per church (transport not included). If you have a second key leader at your church, the additional person will cost $150. The retreat aim is to reconnect, acknowledge, refresh and equip key leaders across our Church. Registration is open now!

Gordon Fitch
National Youth Manager

PressGo

The PressGo Board met in person in May for the first time in more than two years.  This gave us the opportunity to hear from the two Auckland-based presbyteries:  Pacific and Northern.  We heard of their current work and priorities for the future and provided some indication of ways PressGo may be able to help congregations in the respective presbyteries.  It is our intention to meet with each of the seven presbyteries over the next two-years and develop a stronger relationship between PressGo Board and the presbytery.

We were pleased to support an extension of the Mairangi and Castor Bays Church’s ministry with Hindi people. Over the last few months we have seen an influx of ‘Give it a Go’ applications. Please contact Lisa for more information on grants currently available.

The Catalyst has been busy with workshops, seminars and other training opportunities and the Board heard about new initiatives, including One Conference which will involve national mission resourcing staff. Forge Aotearoa is going well and PressGo’s contribution is warmly acknowledged.

Reflecting on the leadership challenges highlighted at both national (General Assembly) and presbytery level, the Catalyst shared current thinking with the Board [from the Catalyst’s report to the Board]:

While some may say that a system is broken and needs fixing, systems organise to align with what is normative to those in the system so over the years dysfunction may become normative to the extent it is protected and replicated.  This is common in organisations which operate in a bureaucratic stage of their life cycle.  Change, then, requires recognising and recalibrating the culture. With this comes loss. 

Naming what we see around us is one way to understand what our present culture is producing; only then can we determine whether that element of culture is one that enables the PCANZ, or the local church, or our ministry, to thrive in unchartered territory.

The Board will next meet face-to- face in early September at Ōhope Marae, where they will spend time listening to Te Aka Puaho’s story and hope for the future.

Lisa Wells
For the PressGo Board

Global Mission

Vanuatu

Our teaching via Zoom to Talua Theological Institute is going well despite the odd internet hiccup at their end and weather event at our end causing power cuts! Hilary, our English teacher, is doing well at being adaptable and keeping the students learning despite the challenges.

We have been able to reconnect with key church leaders in Vanuatu via zoom following a long period of closed boarders and lockdowns and there is the possibility of a visit later in the year to re-establish our partnership and discuss how we work together going forward.

Myanmar

Please continue to pray. We get regular requests for prayer in this volatile and dangerous situation. This has included bombings affecting church buildings, staff unable to safely leave offices, and loss of lives. Tahan Theological College continues to operate despite everything - so please pray for the students and staff that they can continue to train to be agents of Christian hope in such a difficult situation.

Refugee Sunday: June 19

This is refugee week. Last Sunday was officially refugee Sunday but it is not too late to contribute:

  • Myanmar: We have reliable contacts to support Chin refugees in Mizoram India. Raise $30 for one bag of rice through to $1300 to feed one refugee camp for the week. (Contact us at the Global Mission office for details of how to send funds).
  • CWS Operation Refugee: for refugees in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.
  • Support and build relationship with a refugee family in your own community.

Rev Paula Levy
Email Acting Global Mission Director

Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership

Our Dean of Studies/Acting Principal Geoff New is back from study leave and we are currently completing our first face-to-face NOM intern block course in Dunedin. 

Seeking a National Assessment and Minister Development Plan Administrator

We are looking to recruit a new administrator for the National Assessment and Minister Development Plan processes. It is a part-time position (up to 0.7) preferably based in Dunedin. The role involves communicating, scheduling, administration, and quality assurance functions. Our ideal candidate is one with experience supporting management and projects, good organisation and communication skills, and a good working knowledge and understanding of the PCANZ. To view the position description, contact me or download here.

NOM Intern Placements

We are pleased to advise we are looking to place up to seven NOM interns in local congregations in 2023. If you are interested in exploring this possibility, contact Geoff New for an expression of interest form.

Blessings
Rev Dr Darryl Tempero
KCML Management Support
Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership

Presbyterian Church Schools

Service: St Cuthbert’s College

Our Church Schools take seriously the Presbyterian tradition of service. St Cuthbert’s College in Auckland, for example, actually includes this value in their school motto – “By Love Serve”. And every year the girls in each of the school’s eight houses commit to a House Service Project. In 2021 school chaplain, Rev Francois Joubert, notes that the “specific projects were chosen as they were local, practical and diverse in reach”. This made it easy for the Year 13 house leaders to meet with their chosen project to discuss what they needed. This information then assisted the students in devising ways they could fulfil those wishes. Sadly, with Covid restrictions, the girls were limited in their personal interactions with their project’s recipient. However, fundraising during chapels and fact-finding exercises increased everyone’s knowledge about these worthwhile enterprises. 

Rev Joubert says the heart of these service projects is to teach the girls to “serve by love not by guilt”. While the constraints of the last few years have not been ideal for teaching this, through shared interactions, the school still believes service is integrally important and core to their aim to develop girls who are ‘global citizens’.

Interestingly, the 2021 service project recipients included two led by St Cuthbert’s Old Girls. Sarah Corson runs the Painga Project focussing on the health and wellbeing of students in low decile schools in South Auckland. Emily Hackett’s Paper, Pen and Pencil Project also targets low decile schools by distributing un-used stationery. This collaboration has the added benefit of demonstrating that service happens beyond the school gate and can become a lifelong attitude. 

With over 1000 girls attending St Cuthbert’s each year, plus staff and family connections, this concept of service has wide-ranging influence. In addition, the project organisations involved gain valuable recognition. And God’s kingdom grows. 

Stephanie Wells (Rev) 
Director of Presbyterian Church Schools Resource Office

Presbyterian Children and Families

Greetings in the name of our Lord!

Zoom Connect Event

Part of the mission of PCFM is to support and advocate for those who are leading children and families ministry in Aotearoa. As our churches begin to return to familiar routines of meeting in person, we are conscious of the need to ensure that our CFM leaders are feeling encouraged and hopeful in a turbulent time. We want to create space to spiritually feed our CFM leaders - to care for them, provide space to share their joys and struggles, and to pray with and for each other. On 7 July we are hosting a Zoom Connect event for CFM leaders. By creating intentional space to share, network and pray together, it is our hope that our amazing leaders will be encouraged and refreshed in the work that they do. Register here for Zoom Connect event

Anchored Baptism & Confirmation/Reaffirmation of Faith Course

If your church has students in Years 7-10, who are seeking to go deeper into their own expression of faith, the Anchored course might be something to explore! Anchored is a course designed to help young people dive deeper into their faith, with the intention of thinking about baptism or confirmation/reaffirmation of faith. The course begins with a retreat (facilitated by national and regional staff), followed by five curriculum sessions to be run back in the local context. If you would like to know more about Anchored, click here

Intergenerate Conference

It is so good to see opportunities arising for in-person training and equipping!! Intergenerate Conference is being held in Christchurch (9 August) and Auckland (11 August). The conference will explore the question of “How do we engage all generations?" and will be an opportunity for ministry leaders to wrestle with the challenges of being intentionally intergenerational. For more information or to register, click here

Te rangimarie o te Karaiti ki a koe (The peace of Christ be with you)
Robin Humphreys and Karo Wilson
Presbyterian Children and Families

Presbyterian Women

Ko wai hoki ka mōhio mō te wā penei pea i tae mai ai koe ki te kīngitanga?” “Who knows? Perhaps, you have come to royal dignity for just such a time like this?”  (Ehetere 4:14b).   “E iloa foi e ai, po ua fai oe ma masiofo ona o se aso faapenei? (Samoan).

The dignity of women in shaping leadership significantly reflects the nuance tikanga of Matariki. Like the kīngitanga o kuini Ehetere, it celebrates God’s timing and the phenomenal bonding of a diaspora community. The profound nourishment of women for the leadership ahead of them, was readily a whakapapa of risk taking. 

During bilateral visits to NZ Parliament and Samoan communities recently, I honoured the influential presence of Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Matā’afa, a tiākono and woman of faith. What resonated with me was the surge of women towards her ‘bonding’. During traditional siva (dances), they dragged, tossed, and gestured ‘selfies’ poses. An extraordinary manner for aging women, which became a matter of pride in heaping her with congratulations. 

Beyond the horizon of being the Feagaiga*, affirming justice for all women is paramount to Fiamē Naomi Matā’afa’s whakapapa: “Who knows, she victoriously made us all humbly safe for a time like this.”  Fiamē Naomi is indeed the product of our Pasifika-Samoan Tapuaiga, mediations and prayers.

Grounded in Matariki season, the starry mother guides/protects our sustainability of sovereignty as wāhine pono. It is a season of re-visioning our leadership and pastoral caring - in response to climate change, decolonization, gender inequality, mental well-being, child poverty and domestic violence – the issues of our age.

Faaolataga Misikopa-Leasi
President PWANZ
Presbyterian Women Aotearoa NZ 
* A monumental delegacy of honouring and the protection of the tamaitai/sister by the brothers/male siblings of the family/village.

Presbyterian Research Centre

The Hewitson Library is open again after the COVID break, Monday to Friday 8.30am-4.30pm, so do pop in. Contact the library to request books to be sent if you live outside Dunedin, email us or see the Hewitson website if you wish to browse our online catalogue.

Some recent additions to the library collections

  • Preaching with all ages: twelve ways to grow your skills and your confidence / Ally Barrett.
  • Wholehearted faith / Rachel Held Evans.
  • Reawakened: activate your congregation to spark lasting change / Glen Guyton.
  • The grandparenting effect: bridging generations one story at a time / Trevecca Okholm.
  • Worship for everyone: unlocking the transforming power of all-age worship / Nick & Becky Drake.
  • 3 big questions that change every teenager / Kara Powell, Brad M. Griffin.

New Grove booklet additions

  • Making missional disciples through small groups / Laurence Singlehurst, Trevor Withers.
  • Evaluating youth work: reflecting on your church-based youth ministry / Colin Bennett.
  • Building resilience in young people / Hannah Dengate, Liz Edge.
  • Youth ministry on-line: using social media platforms to connect with teenagers / Tim Gough.
  • People not pronouns: reflections on transgender experience / Andrew Bunt.
  • Same-sex unions: the key biblical texts / Ian Paul.
  • Embraced and included: a disability-sensitive perspective on Christian healing /Frances Mackenney-Jeffs.

Andrew McPherson
Collections Librarian
Hewitson Library

CWS Notices

Matching Funds for Ukraine

CWS is grateful for a $150,000 matching grant from the government for our Ukraine Appeal.  The funds will assist ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) member the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) assist some of the 3.5 million refugees in Poland.  It will support 60 households with cash transfers for three months, pay for 100 comfort kits for babies and very young children, and 50 kits for the differently abled. LWF is training volunteers and staff to provide mental and emotional support to refugee families. Six churches have set up child-friendly spaces where children and young people can play and study.  In addition, the churches are offering girl and women-friendly spaces and ensuring refugees get the advice and support they need. “We are grateful to the government for this grant that will double the impact of your donations.  Please continue to pray for all those affected and for an end to this conflict,” says Murray Overton, CWS National Director.

Operation Refugee

Thanks to churches who marked Refugee Sunday on 26 June. Our Welcome! kit of resources will help your congregation focus on refugees at any time. Plan to join us for Operation Refugee in the next two months. Host a warm, cosy gathering around shared food or a brisk afternoon walk. Very Rev Richard Dawson has kindly prepared a small group study and video. Your donations will mean our local partners can organise emergency assistance, education and healthcare for refugees. Check out the resources.

East Africa Appeal

CWS is appealing for people facing famine in East Africa. ACT Alliance is distributing emergency cash, food, fast growing seeds, animal feed, water and sanitation and other assistance.  Your donation will help families survive.  Please keep families throughout the world facing hunger in your prayers.

Notices

Online Eco Church events for parishes July-Aug

Calling all church-based eco reps and those interested in Eco Church. A three-part interactive online wānanga: 25 July - Session 1: What is an Eco Church?, 1 Aug - Session 2: How do Eco Churches work in practice?; 8 Aug - Session 3: Challenges, opportunities and what YOU can do. 7:30pm - 9pm on Mondays via Zoom, see more here. Special Assembly 22 supported the proposal that the PCANZ become a denominational partner of Eco Church NZ - see more here.

Media Prayer Day - Sunday 3 July 202

For the past two decades, CBA has run Media Prayer Day (every second year). It’s a call to NZ churches to pray for the people who make up NZ media – and it’s coming up again on Sunday 3 July 2022. Today’s media wields extraordinary power in shaping the ideas and values of our culture. In NZ, this power to influence the national conversation is held by a relatively small number of people. As Christians, we are called to pray for these people in places of leadership and responsibility (1 Timothy 2:2). See more.

Retreat: The Poet, the Musician, the Contemplative and the Mystic 23 July

A Celtic passage through winter - a one day quiet and contemplative retreat with Presbyterian minister Rev Dr Hilary Oxford Smith and harpist and singer, Julie Saraswati. Moeraki, North Otago, 23 July. More details here or email Hilary 

'Awhi Mai Awhi Atu' book launch 21 July

"Awhi Mai Awhi Atu: Women in Creation Care" tells the stories of 30 Kiwi Christian women from diverse cultures and ministries. The editor is Rev Silvia Purdie. The book includes prayer, poetry and practical action points. The launch is Thursday 21 July, 7pm at All Saints Anglican Church, 284 Ponsonby Road, Auckland. The launch includes supper, prayer and an evening of inspiration for local church eco mission. See more information about the book here.

Bill and Margaret Best Travel Fund

A reminder that this funding is available to assist church workers wanting to further develop their area of service to the Church. The term ‘church worker’ includes ministers, lay ministers and elders, and funding is intended to assist with training and study courses. The Personnel Work Group administers the Fund, and applications close 30 September each year. See more details here

Apply for a Presbyterian Foundation grant up to $10,000

Parishes and presbyteries may apply for grants up to $10,000 for projects focussed on innovative people-to-people mission opportunities conceived at a local and regional level. Please read the pack carefully before you complete your application and make sure all material requested is included. Applications are discussed at PressGo’s regular Board meetings and the outcome of applications is advised as soon as possible after. Contact PressGo for more info and an application pack.  Applications close 1 Aug and 1 Nov.

Seeking an Executive Secretary, World Communion of Reformed Churches

WCRC seek an Executive Secretary for Mission and Advocacy. The role will manage WCRC advocacy work, including building an internationally networked platform to promote and support concerns of the WCRC, its member churches, and its ecumenical partners. Applicants must be members in good standing of a WCRC member church, possess a personal faith commitment to advocacy and justice, have relevant professional experiences, and be fluent in English. Women from the global South are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications close 15 July. See more.

Glen Innis holiday home for ministers

Proof of vaccination is no longer required to stay at Glen Innis. See dates available for the original homestead (now known as James McNutt House) and the former gardener’s cottage (Maud Hooper House) for the period July to September 2022 here.

Church Register

For any queries concerning the Church register, contact Kate Wilson.

Changes

Rev Alec Wallis, from stated supply Tauranga – St Columba Presbyterian Church to other recognised minister, Kaimai Presbytery, 24 April 2022.

Rev Ian Pittendreigh, minister Bethlehem Community Church to other recognised minister, Kaimai Presbytery, 6 May 2022.

Rev Douglas Bradley, minister Cromwell Presbyterian Church, Southern Presbytery to minister Mount Maunganui – St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Kaimai Presbytery, 25 May 2022.

Rev Nigel Crocombe, minister Otorohanga – St David’s Presbyterian Church to other recognised minister, Kaimai Presbytery, 31 May 2022, and three-year appointment to Raglan Congregational Church, from 1 July 2022.

Rev Donald Gordon, minister Wadestown Presbyterian Parish to other recognised minister, Presbytery Central - Nukuhau Tapu, 3 June 2022.

Non-PCANZ Ministers in Co-operative Venture Ministries

Rev Edrick Corban-Banks, Anglican minister, retired from Akaroa-Banks Peninsula Presbyterian Church Trinity, Alpine Presbytery, 15 May 2022.

Retirements

Rev Adrian Skelton, other recognised minister – Executive Officer Uniting Congregations of Aotearoa New Zealand, to other recognised minister 28 February 2022, and to Minister Emeritus 1 May 2022, Presbytery Central – Nukuhau Tapu.

Deaths

Rev Sylvia Jenkin, Minister Emerita, Presbytery Central – Nukuhau Tapu,18 May 2022.

Parish changes

Whakatane Presbyterian Church, change of name to Eastern Bay of Plenty Presbyterian Parish, Northern Presbytery, 29 May 2022.

Linwood/Aranui – St George’s/Iona Presbyterian Church, Alpine Presbytery, dissolved 30 June 2022.

Events

Check out details about upcoming events including training workshops, opportunities to serve and more. Learn more

Jobs

Check out our job vacancies page and the ministerial vacancies table and featured ministerial vacancies for the latest vacancies available in Aotearoa and around the globe.