St Mark's Messenger February 2020

The Messenger The Messenger PARISH OF SAINT MARK REMUERA PARISH MARK February 2020 OF SAINT Parish website: www.stmarks.org.nz Editor: Annabelle Couldwell REMUERA Warm Greetings, Haere Mai, Malo e lelei, Bula Vinaka, Marhaba!

Welcome to the first Messenger Magazine for 2020. I hope that you have had a relaxing summer and are looking forward to an exciting year ahead. Within the pages of this magazine you will find a review of events from the latter part of last year and information about a range of upcoming services and events that I hope you can join us in.

Our annual ‘Carols on the Lawn,’ held last year on Friday, 13 December, was a great success. The usual popular stalls were there but in addition there were two new stalls, one an embroidery stall that showcased needlework and another dedicated to cleverly recycled products. We also had a wide variety of activities for children, including the arrival of Santa, with his helpers, and the ever-popular lolly scramble. The central event, the singing of Christmas carols, was enjoyed enthusiastically by all.

On the day after that event we hosted the Christmas party led by the Refugee Council of New Zealand. The party celebrated Christmas with around 100-120 children and their families who all received presents kindly contributed by parishioners and the wider Auckland community. God-willing, this can be an annual celebration and outreach for St Mark’s parish.

Photos from both these events are included in the Messenger along with photos of the Christmas Pageant (Nativity play) performed by members of our Sunday School, as well as some snaps taken of the happy Christmas party that ended the year for Communicare.

In 2019 we bid farewell to a number of long-term and much-loved Parishioners.

In late January this year, after a relatively quiet period on the funeral front, Tony Aston joined the heavenly communion of saints. His funeral on 5 February packed the church to overflowing; a testament to the impact he had on both the church and the wider community. An Obituary to Tony, written by Christine Koefoed, People’s Warden, is included in this Messenger.

You may have heard about the monthly Anglo-Catholic services that started at St Mark’s on Saturday, 1 February at 5pm. These services, which are an initiative of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland, are being willingly hosted by St Mark’s

because both the Vestry and I see this as a hospitable undertaking – an act of loving kindness that we are fortunate enough to be able to make - that has the potential to build up the church. The services, which take place on the first Saturday of the month (except March – the service for that month will be on 29 February!), are led by Anglican priests from the Anglo-Catholic church tradition.

As vicar, I retain oversight of the venture at the parish level, while episcopal oversight of the scheme is exercised by the Ven. Carole Hughes on Bishop Ross’s behalf. The main body of the church was almost full for the first service. I take that as a good sign. May God’s will be done through that service and every other service and piece of work we offer, in and around St Mark’s Church.

Tony Surman, Vicar of St Mark’s

Looking back…

Jesus’ Birth and the Birth of Christmas Last year Probus invited me to give an address to their final gathering for the year. As far as the topic went, I was given free rein, but a suggestion was made that something on the origin of Christmas might be appropriate. I agreed, and on Wednesday, 11 December gave the talk which is printed in an abridged form below. It consists of two main parts. The first deals with the evidence we have for Jesus’ birth, and what the most likely dates are for that occurrence. The second portion attempts to answer the question why 25 December became Jesus’ official birthday. I hope you find it as interesting to read as it was to research.

The Bible presents us with two accounts of Jesus’ birth which differ considerably.

One is found in Matthew and the other in Luke. Neither of them provide us with the date of Jesus’ birth but they do give us some clues as to when Jesus’ birth might have occurred. Let’s begin with Matthew. In the second chapter of Matthew’s Gospel we learn that ‘in the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem…’ (Matt 2:1) The Herod being referred to here is Herod the Great who died most probably in 4BCE (Before the Common Era – that is, four years before the start of the calendar we now use in the western world). Jesus’ birth, on these grounds, couldn’t be before 4BCE. And it might be earlier-still based on the account that Matthew gives. Remember that in the story, when the wise men came to Herod, he feigned interest in the birth of Jesus and asked them to report his location to him when they found the infant king, so he himself could ‘pay him homage.’ (Matt 2:8) When the wisemen reneged on the deal, Herod was furious and ordered the killing of ‘all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.’ (Matt 2:16) If we allow that Herod died in 4BCE, and accept that he believed – as Matthew implies – that an alternative Jewish king had been born up to two years earlier than the arrival of 2

wise men (when Herod was, of course, very much alive), then Jesus could have been born as early as 6BCE – maybe earlier. That may come as a surprise to many people, because we are so used to thinking of our calendar beginning at the year of Jesus’ birth, but for a variety of reasons – including scribal mistakes made over the last two thousand years - it almost certainly does not. That is why I will use the terms BCE (noted above) and CE (Common Era) instead of AD (Anno Domini or Year of our Lord) for dates in this article, otherwise things will get very confusing!

But let’s move on and ask what information Luke gives us about Jesus’ birth.

Firstly, like Matthew, he records Bethlehem as the place of Jesus’ birth: In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7)

There are some clear historical reference points that Luke gives, that one might hope would shed some light on the year when Jesus was born – the mention of Augustus Caesar, a governor of Syria, a world-wide census or registration; it all looks very promising. There is a significant problem, however, regarding the registration ordered by Augustus (27BCE-14CE) while Quirinius was governor of Syria. This census took place after Herod’s son Archelaus was deposed as ruler of Judea in 6CE, some 9-10 years after Herod’s death. Quirinius didn’t actually become governor of Syria till then, and it was his first duty to carry out a census in Judea, which is inconsistent with the assertion in both Luke (1:5) and Matthew (as we have seen) that Jesus’ birth occurred in the days of King Herod the Great.

The evidence, then, from Matthew and Luke’s Gospels, in combination with our knowledge of other events in the ancient world, make it impossible to name the precise year when Jesus was born. Instead, what we can say is that it probably occurred around 6-4BCE. When it comes to the time of the year when Jesus was born, however, Luke’s account may allow us to at least rule out some months as being unlikely for Jesus’ birth. Take the evidence Luke gives us of shepherds, ‘living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night’ (Luke 2:8) when Jesus was born. Many commentators have pointed out that midwinter, in the hill country of Judea, near Bethlehem, is a very unlikely time for shepherds to be outdoors with their sheep.

This detail would almost certainly rule out December being the month of Jesus’ birth. It has also been pointed out that winter is an unlikely time for any ruler to order a census that would require the mass movement of people on icy roads, 3

through the snow – and it certainly does snow in that area, in winter, even today, when the world climate, overall, is warming.

If Jesus’ birth wasn’t likely in December, when might it have been? Well, it could have been in the spring, summer or autumn if the reference to shepherds being in the fields at night is correct. But could we arrive at a narrower range of possible seasons than this – or even spell out some likely months? Some people believe we can. The approach they take makes use of the chronological links that Luke makes between Jesus’ birth and the birth of John the Baptist. We learn from Luke that John was conceived six months before Jesus (this assertion is made explicitly by the Angel Gabriel when he visits Mary to announce her conception of Jesus: ‘And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.’ (Luke 1:36) If we knew the month when John was conceived then we would know Jesus’ month of conception too and be able to infer his month of birth. How could we possibly know the former when Luke is as silent about John’s birth month as he is about Jesus’? Well, some argue that it is possible to deduce the month or range of months that John was born indirectly from the information that Luke gives us about John’s father, Zechariah - which is where things get a bit interesting.

Zechariah was a priest, a descendent of Abijah, and this priestly division (1 of 24) was expected to serve in the temple twice a year, for one week at a time, not counting the major festivals when the priests of every division were expected to be present. We know the likely order in which the divisions served (according to 1 Chronicles 24:9, Abijah was the eighth division), and we know when the year started (around March in our calendar). Taking into account the major festivals (at which time the clock was stopped on divisional change), scholars have estimated that Zechariah was (i) either serving at the temple in the summer months, probably late May or early June, or (ii) serving in the winter, probably late November or early December when the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:19) came to him and let him know that Elizabeth would bear him a son (Luke 1:13). Luke tells us that ‘after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived.’ (Luke 1:24). If that happened with the minimum amount of delay (as it were), it would place John the Baptist’s conception in either June or December. If he gestated for the normal length of time, John would be born in either March or September. Because Jesus was born six months after John, according to Luke, that would make the month of his birth either the following September or March. Either of these two dates would be more appropriate ones for conducting a census that required mass movement of people (as Luke suggests), or for shepherds being out at night in the fields with their flocks.

This is quite an interesting exercise but before we get carried away by the neatness of the answer we would do well to remember that Luke’s chronology of events does not appear to be entirely accurate – that is to say, Luke appears to 4

have got the date of Quirinius’ census significantly muddled up, so maybe he got some of the details about Zechariah wrong too – and maybe some of the assumptions that scholars have had to make to approximate the time of Zechariah’s temple duty are also incorrect. Still, it’s an attractive line of argument, and the conclusion it comes to – that Jesus was probably born in September or March - is at least plausible, whereas December is not.

So, why do Christian’s celebrate Jesus’ birth in December? The answer has to do with the cultural context in which Christianity developed. The cultural context was the Roman Empire which already had a significant festival in December to mark the arrival of the shortest day (winter equinox) and celebrate the increasing light and warmth that would develop from that time on.

The festival was called Saturnalia (the celebration of the god Saturn). It was celebrated in ancient Rome from 17 December through to 23 December. Saturn (a complex god of high rank) was connected with agriculture, wealth, periodic renewal and liberation. Gifts and partying took place during that season in which there was a reversal of societal roles – masters serving servants for example.

Candles symbolised the victory of light over darkness in the festivities. Holly was a symbol of Saturn – which all sounds rather Christmassy, doesn’t it?

Another celebration that took place in December, and was associated with the solstice, was the celebration of the Invincible Sun (Sol Invictus) on 25 December.

This celebration grew to prominence in the Roman Empire over the first centuries of the common era and was associated with the Cult of Mithras. This mystery religion began in Persia and was popular with Roman soldiers during the first three centuries of the common era. It is hard, however, to know exactly what it was about because it was deliberately secretive. One of the motifs that shows up again and again with Mithraism is that of the god Mithras slaying a bull while looking at the god, Sol Invictus. The veneration of Sol Invictus became so popular in Rome that it was made an official cult on 25 December, 274 CE by the Emperor Aurelian. Constantine the Great, (who reigned 306 -337 CE) was very supportive of Christianity. Galerius, his Co-Emperor, legalised Christianity in 311CE and in 313CE Constantine went further and officially endorsed it through the Edict of Milan. Nevertheless, Constantine was quite happy promoting the cult of Sol Invictus up until the mid320s when he called the Church Council of Nicaea.

After the Edict of Milan the church grew rapidly in prominence. Bishops were now officers of the state and it was a respectable thing to be a Christian - in stark contrast to the beginning of the fourth century when Diocletian had persecuted 5

the church in a systematic manner. By 380 CE, the Emperor Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, which made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. It is not surprising, then, that by the mid-300s, Christians began celebrating the birth of Christ on 25 December. By doing so it displaced and eventually suppressed the worship of the sun as a god. This turn of events was no doubt seen as very apt by Christians who were steeped in images of Jesus, written three centuries before, that described their Lord as light shining in the darkness of the world, that the world was unable to quench (John 1:5).

From a Christian point of view, Jesus was the ‘real deal’ that the Sun, powerful as it is, only hinted at. Keeping this date as a state festivity allowed people who weren’t committed to Christianity at all (and that was probably still more than half the population by the mid fourth century) an excuse to keep on partying as they always had at the winter solstice.

Up until that point, Christians had shown little interest in determining and celebrating Jesus’ birth on an annual basis. This was in keeping with the Jewish custom to down-play the importance of birthdays which were so often associated in other cultures with the occult – think of horoscopes – and licentious behaviour (as we have seen earlier) and instead to celebrate a life well-lived or rejoice in achievement.

A good name is better than fine perfume, and one's day of death is better than his day of birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 Christian writers also discouraged birthday celebrations. Around 245CE the Christian theologian Origin had the following to say about them: ‘And on birthdays, when the lawless word reigns over them, they dance so that their movements please the word. Someone before us has observed what is written in Genesis about the birthday of Pharaoh and has said that the worthless man who loves things connected with birth keeps birthday festivals.

And I, taking this suggestion from him, find nowhere in Scripture that a birthday was kept by a righteous man. For Herod was more unjust than that famous Pharaoh. For the latter killed a chief baker on his birthday feast. But the former killed John. [Origin, Book 10, ‘The Dancing of Herodias. The Keeping of Oaths’] 6

Thus, Christians had every reason to focus their attention, in the earliest Christian centuries, on the death of Christ and what they saw as its complete vindication

by God via the resurrection. You could argue, perhaps, that the Christian adoption of a birthday for Jesus was a bad thing, because it would necessarily associate Jesus with deeply entrenched social traditions and shenanigans that a good Jew like Jesus would have had nothing to do with in his lifetime. That would be to go too far though because one very beneficial thing that giving a birthday to Jesus did was to make it absolutely clear that Jesus was one of us – a human being, born of a woman, flesh and blood – and not some sort of divine apparition as some early Christian groups came to believe. That allowed Christianity to remain grounded in a way that it might not have if all the focus had been on Jesus’ miracles, including the resurrection and ascension.

So, there we have it. The origin of Christmas, as a celebration, is closely connected with the winter solstice as that is experienced in the northern hemisphere where Christianity emerged. Late December was a time of year when people in the northern hemisphere celebrated the fact that the days were about to get longer, and that light now had the upper-hand over darkness. It is not surprising that Christians, when they came to prominence in the Roman Empire, chose to celebrate Jesus’ birth on 25 December – all the metaphors that they had longassociated with Jesus – light, victory and so on – were already associated with that season.

I’ve argued that it is unlikely that Jesus was born on 25 December (or any time in December) and I have suggested that the internal evidence in Luke would suggest (but in no way prove) that Jesus was more likely born in March or September. I don’t think there is a burning need to change the date for celebrating Jesus’ birth to March or September - any more than we need to shift the celebration of the Queen’s birthday in NZ to her real birth date of 21 April, but Christians in New Zealand - and the whole southern hemisphere - do have challenges celebrating the victory of light over darkness at a time of year when the days are at their longest. It is a challenge for Christians in NZ to really get into the repentant mood that Advent, the month-long season before Christmas demands of us. Do the churches here need to rethink their approach to celebrating the birth of Jesus – perhaps shifting it to mid-winter and then celebrating Easter in the Spring? I don’t detect any ground swell within the churches here to change the date of Christmas in the near future – there are a lot of things further up the list for us to disagree about! – however there may be other ways in which we could bring aspects of our worship into line with the seasons we experience down-under. But that is another topic entirely!

Tony Surman 7

Choir Corner Brian Millar, Director of Music Welcome to 2020’s music! After a very busy December 2019 (the choir sang in six services), and after – hopefully! – a very refreshing break, we’re already straight back into singing mode. Mid-February sees the choir at a note-bashing workshop, going over all the music we’ll be singing for Holy Week. th Sunday March 29 will see the choir singing Evensong at St Philip’s Anglican Church on St Heliers. And later on in the year we’re planning on singing Evensong at St George’s Anglican Church, Thames – we were there a couple of years ago, and a previous member of our congregation, Liam Phillips, is now a curate at St George’s.

Our tenor and bass section are as strong, if not stronger, than many other parish choirs around the country. I would however like a couple more sopranos and altos – so if you can read music, sing in tune and are teachable, I’d love to hear from you!

In January our eldest daughter had a short tour around Northland. She stopped off for a look inside St James’ Anglican Church in Kerikeri, and brought me back a ‘souvenir’ – a service booklet for their Nine Lessons and Carols service. It included a couple of musical pieces I hadn’t come across before, so I got in touch with the church, and their music director turns out to also be the conductor of the Bay of Islands Singers who I’d previously met (and along with Rae and Trevor from St Mark’s sang Haydn’s ‘Creation’ oratorio under his leadership with the BoI choir in Kerikeri late in 2016). The church choir only sings at Easter, their Patronal Festival, and Nine Lessons (‘and funerals!’ he added!). He was very helpful re the music they’d used; and so we now have yet another ‘network’ connection in the world of church choirs. I’m also connected on Facebook with various choir groups, including a group called ‘Choral Evensong Appreciation Society,’ and I try to check out the music used by various churches (mostly in the U.K.) and often find something pertinent to our own church and our music.

I trust you can all continue to support our fine choir; St Mark’s continues to be one of only 4-5 Anglican churches in Auckland with a choir such as ours each Sunday (as distinct from a music group playing guitars, drums keyboard etc); our ministry of music is I know appreciated by many who attend all of our various services (including visitors from other churches who come to our monthly Evensong service).

The photo shows the choir, plus vicar Tony and liturgist Latisha, about to head into church for the Advent service in December 2019.

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OBITUARY Tony Aston (25.06.1938 – 19.01.2020) On 5th February 2020, we joined Tony’s family and friends in St Marks Church to farewell a lifelong member of this Parish.

Over his many years of association with St Mark’s, Tony served in many Parish roles – Liturgist, Vestry Member, Treasurer (he was Assistant-Treasurer until his death), money counter, checker of the Newsletter and generally an integral part of the fabric of St Mark’s over very many years.

Tony was a proud and passionate parishioner of St Mark’s and was never backward in coming forward if he felt there was an issue that needed resolving – it was his Church and he cared deeply about this place!

He also showed concern when other Parishioners were unwell and was a caring and kind visitor – always able to raise a smile!

Tony’s illness over the past several years was hard for him, and for Jenny and their families, but his courage, strength and dignity – especially in recent months, was admired by us all. We were so happy to have him with us at the 8.00am Service on Christmas Morning and for many of us to be able to share a brief word or two with him that day!

As ever, he was uncomplaining, and although clearly frail, those twinkling eyes still shone with a love of life.

Over the past several years, Tony was a Liturgist and regular attendee at the 8.00am Service most Sundays. The “8.00 o’clockers” are mostly a group of regular worshippers the majority of whom have been St Mark’s Parishioners for as long as Tony. We all appreciated the ready smile, cheeky joke, and pat on the shoulder that we received from Tony at these Services and his presence will be greatly missed.

It is a tribute to Tony’s life that so many turned out to farewell him at a wonderful Service in the Church that he loved so much. As Bishop Ross said during his tribute to Tony, he would be delighted that he had filled the church, something Bishop Ross also liked to do!

Goodbye Tony – may you rest in peace and rise in Glory.

(Christine Koefoed)

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What’s been happening in the Parish?

Some photos from Carols on the Lawn and the Communicare Christmas Celebration for 2019:

Children running to catch the sweets from Santa’s sack.

Opera Singers with their choice of Carols.

A glimpse of the lawn and stalls along the drive.

Singing for the Communicare Christmas Party.

(Below) Communicare members enjoying the performance from our male choir members and Brian, our DoM.

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The 2019 Nativity Play from our Sunday School Children:

As usual, our Sunday School children excelled themselves in their tableau of the Nativity. Thanks must go to Anne Driver who produced the play, and to the parents as well as the children themselves and their enthusiasm for their delightful acting.

Outreach: Photos from the Refugees’ Christmas Party:

Maggie Hames with three of the refugee women

Santa has been very busy at St Marks this year!

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Calendar for February to May, 2020 As we move through Lent towards Easter this year, our main readings come from Matthew’s Gospel - Year A in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). On Palm Sunday we read the entire account of Jesus’ Passion from that Gospel.

Easter itself falls slightly earlier this year than it did last year, which means that the school holidays now coincide with Easter again – something that is a probably an advantage for families. Between now and then there are a number of special services and events that we hope to see you at. Some of these are listed below, together with some important events that follow Easter, which you may wish to diarise: 16 February All-Age Worship, 9.30am – The first for the year (occurs every

third Sunday during school term time).

Choral Evensong, 5.00pm – Again, the first for the year (occurs every third Sunday through to November). This ‘start up’ Choral Evensong is followed by a shared meal of light refreshments in the Parish Lounge.

26 February Ash Wednesday, 10.00am and 7.30pm Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes.

This service marks the beginning of the 40 days of lent, a time in the church’s year when we examine our lives and endeavour to live more fully as disciples of Christ.

29 February

Saturday, 5.00pm, Anglo-Catholic Sung Mass at St Mark’s.

Please note that this service is usually on the first Saturday of the month. Next service 4 April.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 March – Lenten Study Series 2020, Mondays, 7.30pm-9.00pm (please see details on page 14) 22 March Mothering (Nurturing) Sunday Choral Eucharist, 9.30am (4th Sunday in Lent)

Come and celebrate those, both living and departed, who have cared most deeply for us, from infancy onwards.

29 March Parish Annual General Meeting, 11.15am in the Hall 4 April Saturday, 5.00pm - Anglo-Catholic Sung Mass at St Mark’s.

5 April Palm Sunday, Choral Eucharist, 9.30am – Starts outside the Parish Hall

We remember Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem as we process together to the church where the St Matthew’s Passion is read collectively and Eucharist celebrated.

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9 April

Maundy (Holy) Thursday, 7.30pm. We recall Christ’s institution of

the Eucharist, on the night before he died and strip the sanctuary of the church to remind ourselves of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest.

10 April

Good Friday, 9.30am. We gather around the Cross and, through words and music, call to mind Christ’s crucifixion.

12 April

Easter Sunday, Choral Eucharist, 9.30am

We celebrate Christ’s victory over death and light the Paschal Candle which will be used at Services throughout the Easter Season and at Baptisms and Funerals throughout the year.

3 May

Saturday – 5.00pm - Anglo-Catholic Sung Mass at St Mark’s.

24 May

Patronal Festival, Choral Eucharist, 9.30am Patronal Lunch – gather at 11.00 am in the Parish Hall for an

11.30am start 31 May

Pentecost, Choral Eucharist, 9.30am

Celebrating the Birthday of the Church caused by Christ’s sending of the Holy Spirit, 50 days after his resurrection.

Regular Meetings at St Marks: 1. The Prayer Group meets monthly at St Mark’s (on the third Wednesday of the month after the 10am Eucharist and morning tea). Trevor Brooker kindly coordinates the group. Prayers are said for anyone in need of them, both on this morning in church and regularly throughout the month, by members of the group.

2. Mainly Music is an outreach music programme for mothers and preschool children to attend on Monday mornings at 9.30am during Term time. They do not have to be members of the St Marks Parish as anyone is welcomed. Anne Driver coordinates this programme.

3. Each Wednesday morning at 1000 a small dedicated group of Parishioners celebrates Holy Communion with Tony Surman, our Vicar, in the Kinder Chapel within St Marks, followed by refreshments in the lounge. All welcome.

4. The Friendship Group meets on the second Friday of each month, except January, at 1030 in the hall lounge.

5. Communicare, a social activity and friendship group for those otherwise unable to socialize, is held each Tuesday during term time, 0930 until 1315, in the hall.

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Lenten Studies 2020 – Searching Issues We will begin our Lenten Studies on 2nd March at 7.30pm in the Hall.

Traditionally Christians give up something during Lent. Often that is some sort of luxury item – chocolate, lollies, cigarettes – that sort of thing. There’s nothing wrong with that – and often something very good - but an alternative approach to becoming a bit more disciplined in our Christian lives is to do something positive that will help us develop as disciples of Christ. There are many things we can do in this regard, but one important one is to become more intentional about our understanding of the faith. That is why many Anglican parishes offer a study series over the weeks of Lent. St Mark’s is no exception.

This Lent you are warmly invited to a series of five discussions on a diverse range of matters related to faith and belief, which will run on Monday nights in the Parish Hall, 7.30pm-9.00pm, from 2 March till 30 March. The primary dimensions of each evening’s topic are set out and debated by world experts in the field (pre-recorded as part of the UK’s Premier Christian Radio programme, ‘Unbelievable’). Then our own discussion will begin! Each session is independent of the others, and you are welcome to come to as few as one or – hopefully – to all, as your diary permits.

2 March – Does Faith have a future or are science, reason and humanism the way ahead?

(Steven Pinker vs Nick Spencer) 9 March – Science, Faith and the evidence for God (Michael Ruse vs John Lennox) 16 March – The Legacy of St Paul (N T Wright and Tom Holland) 23 March – The Problem of Evil – why does God allow suffering?

(Julian Baggini vs Vince Vitale) 30 March – Is Jesus the Jewish Messiah?

(Michael Brown vs Rabbi Jonathan Romain)

One of the sessions from the popular 2019 Lenten Study, led by the Rev’d Dr Derek Tovey, which focussed on understanding Jesus as a figure of history.

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Wardens Report 12 February 2020 Happy New Year to you all – we are now well into 2020!

Christmas is over for another year, and once again, the Hot Cross Buns arrived in the supermarkets at the beginning of January – ready for April!

It was another very busy Christmas period for our Parish with several successful events – capped off by another very enjoyable Carols on the Lawn, where we were joined by a number of families with young children, and several dogs – all of whom enjoyed our company and all of whom behaved beautifully! It was a lovely evening and our thanks to our Vicar Tony, and Diana Swarbrick who worked so hard to co-ordinate the evening. Thanks also to the Opera Factory for their great entertainment and to our Choir and to Brian Millar, and of course to our own Santa (Trevor for the rest of the year) who was a great hit with the children.

The Children’s Pageant was a highlight once again, and very ably organized and managed by Anne Driver, who has had another busy year. We thank her for all she does for our younger Parishioners.

The Christmas Services were all very well attended – up on the previous year we believe, and the Church looked beautiful once again – thanks to our Flower Ladies! Our Bishop Ross Bay, presided at the 9.30am Service, and this was enjoyed by those who attended that Service. This is a very exhausting time for our Vicar, who was able to take a well-deserved break following Christmas. It was nice to have Barry Graves with us during this period – filling in for Tony and re-acquainting himself with many Parishioners.

The Choir and Sunday School re-commenced on 2 February and we are now fully “back to business” for the new year.

We farewelled Tony Aston on 5 February and on 15 February we will farewell Shayle Sloman. Our Parish offers their prayers and support to Jenny Aston and Sally Sloman and their families on their loss.

Vestry meets for the first time in 2020 on 18 February.

There is a colourful flyer in the Messenger, asking for more Volunteers!

This Parish could not function without its volunteers – your Parish needs you!! Please consider how you may be able to help, and contact Diana in the Office, who will be able to match you up with a suitable spot on our Rosters. Thank you for all that you do by way of supporting our Parish – we look forward to another great year for St Mark’s!

Yours in Christ,

Peter Allen (Vicar’s Warden) Christine Koefoed (Peoples’ Warden) 15

Mainly Music at St Mark’s (Report from second half year, 2019 to early 2020) In Term 3 of 2019, we explored Matariki, colours, keeping safe as we travel, and Hauora (health) and in Term 4 spring, farm animals and Christmas. Each topic provided numerous opportunities for us to celebrate the beauty of God’s world and His amazing care for us.

Our Mainly Music Group has begun again in Term 1 of 2020, with many families returning after the summer break. There are about 15 families who attend regularly. The first theme for Term One is “The Sea”. This will be followed by “Gardens and Insects” and finally “Easter”.

As well as our regular programme of music and movement there are free play sessions before and after the structured activities. There are a good variety of toys and books to keep the little ones engaged so that parents/caregivers can relax and catch up with each other. It also gives me some time to talk to families there. Throughout the year Gillian has continued to provide morning tea for the children and a hot drink for adults. This hospitality is pivotal as it allows people to feel truly welcome at St Marks.

Being with young families is truly rewarding and places us within the ministry of the wider church as many other churches also provide such sessions. They are so popular that even the city council is recognizing their contribution and starting to direct young families to them.

Gillian and I would appreciate further help from anyone who feels they can offer, even on an occasional basis.

Anne Driver

Sunday School For the Nativity play last year, the children learnt about voyages, and these included both the journey made by Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, where Christ was born, and the voyage of Ruatara. Ruatara left New Zealand hoping as a Rangitira, to meet King George III in England and instead was ill treated by sailing ship masters on his voyages. He was rescued by Samuel Marsden the Missionary, and eventually became the first Maori to allow Christian missionaries into New Zealand to preach the loving message of Christ. Both these voyages were celebrated because of their great outcomes. Anne tries to include stories like these in the Sunday School classes, to align Christ’s teaching with the reality of growing up in New Zealand. It is hoped to include similar stories in teaching the topic of Easter this term.

Anne Driver 16

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A Parish Wedding

Viv Logan, mother of the bride, writes: Brittany has been part of the St Mark’s Parish from the age of two. She has been a member of the Sunday School, the Youth Group and the Junior and Senior Choirs. She married Matthew Lawrence on Saturday 8th February in a beautiful ceremony at St Mark's taken by Tony. The reception was held in the church hall, which was decorated with exquisite flowers. Many thanks to Sally Sloman for creating such stunning floral arrangements for the church.

Thanks also must go to Tony for helping create such a warm and happy celebration, and to Brian for playing the organ and the piano during the service.

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From the Registers November-February 2020

Baptised Emilia Sofia Johnson (22 December 2019)

(Pictured left with her older sister, Isabelle, baptised here in 2014, and their parents Andrea and Stephen)

Joined in Holy Matrimony: Daniel Mcliver and I-Hsiang (Sharon) Liao (30 November 2019) Jen Woo and Jeff You (21 December 2019) Brittany Logan and Matthew Lawrence (8 February 2020) Committed to God’s Care Joan Harvison (28 December 2019) Tony Aston (5 February 2020) Shayle Sloman (15 February 2020)

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Young and old enjoy Santa’s Lolly Scramble at Carols on the Lawn

Parish Contact Details Vicar: The Reverend Dr Tony Surman Children & Families Minister Anne Driver Director of Music: Brian Millar Lay Minister: Trevor Brooker Parish Administrator: Diana Swarbrick

021 074 1138 09 849 3538 021 253 1437 021 614 227 020 413 04668

The Anglican Parish of Saint Mark, Remuera.

Email: office@stmarks.org.nz Website: www.stmarks.org.nz @StMarksRemuera

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