Parish Newsletter: February-March 2023

Holy holidays: making travelling pilgrims welcome

The last newsletter coincided with the Advent preparations for Christmas. With this one, we are fast approaching Lent. Ash Wednesday is on February 22. Easter is April 9.

Christmas was well-celebrated in our various churches. It was good to see a church full of children at the annual Christmas pageant at St Thomas’ and to see a few families enjoy the Christmas Eve Crib service. How do we nourish the spiritual lives of these families between times? We are busy people, and children have busy lives. If there is any way we can help the parents of busy children, we would love to know.

The only service I am wondering about is the midnight mass. Twenty people attended. When you discount the celebrant, the organist, readers and the lay minister, one wonders at the wisdom of inflicting a late night on an ageing congregation (not to mention an aging priest). Feedback would be appreciated.

“God of mission who alone brings growth to your Church, send your Holy Spirit to give vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, and power to our witness. Help our Church to grow in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, and in service to our local community, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

This little prayer for revival, which our archdeacon Mark Chamberlain shared with us, is beautifully concise and theologically balanced. In it, we say we want to offer spiritual commitment and service, as well as grow our numbers. The hospitality of our churches goes a little way towards those aspirations.

Our various churches are oases of calm in a busy world. The visitor books testify to the importance of these places for those who visit. We are now keeping St Mary’s open during the day too. There is a prayer station in front of the altar where visitors are invited to light a candle or write a prayer. About three or four tea lights are lit every day, and four or five prayer requests are made each week which we bring before God each Sunday. If we help some tourists become pilgrims and their holidays become holy days, then we are performing an important service.

The grounds at St Mary’s are, in my view, an important aspect of our hospitality. Over the last few weeks, we have seen a number of young families picnicking on our grass under the shade of our large trees. We were even privileged to meet Christ in the person of a member of the Caversham branch of the Mongrel Mob. “Often, often, comes the Christ in the guise of a stranger.” I wonder about providing a couple of picnic tables as a way of inviting people to enjoy our space. I have an even bigger idea which I will share at some stage.

Lenten devotions and study

On Sundays, during Lent at 4pm at St Mary’s, we will provide a short contemplative service in the manner of Taizé. Unlike hymns, which according to John Wesley, should be sung “lustily and with good courage”, the repetitive chants in a Taizé service are sung quietly, and people can join in or drop out as they please, allowing the chant to put them in a space where they can draw near to God.

There are a number of opportunities to take part in the study A Holy Church: Becoming the Communities We are Called to Be, which is being promoted by the diocese

| Mondays 1.30pm contact Esther Paddon estherpaddon@gmail.com for details

| Tuesdays 7pm (apart from vestry nights) at 24 Hislop Street commencing 21 February

| Fridays 10.00am at 19 Williamson Place

commencing 17 February

The AAW tell me that the World Day of Prayer is Friday 3 March - details to come in the Mustard Seed

Let us pray for one another that this Lent may prepare us for the work God has in store for us.

Blessings.

Rev Hugh McCafferty PRIEST-IN-CHARGE

Anglican Parish GERALDINE

community

share what’s happening where you are

Anglican Parish

Remembering Timothy

On Friday, 6 January, Rev Hugh held a very pleasant Epiphany service at St Mary’s, after which we shared a galettes des rois, a traditional French cake eaten at Epiphany. It contains a token, and whoever gets the token is King or Queen for the day and wears a golden crown. Belinda McKenzie was lucky enough to win the privilege that day.

As we were leaving the church, we chatted to a couple of American tourists off one of the new cruise ship tours. They were busy photographing and admiring the pretty roses and dahlias outside the parish offices (Esther Paddon makes such a lovely job of looking after these flower beds).

The next day I got around to looking at a couple of books written by Bob Lowe, which Simon and I had picked up for sale from Timaru library. I wanted to check on a couple of dates, so I had a look in our parish history book, Hearts and Hands and Voices by Eulla Williamson, and found that Bob Lowe was vicar of Geraldine Parish from 1960-1963.

Eulla writes, “Of all the eventful happenings during the curacy of Bob and Elaine Lowe, the illness and death of their elder son Timothy,

aged almost seven, illustrated more fiercely than anything else ever could, what suffering, hope, and love, embraced in the one word, faith, was all about.

“‘Do not say the boy is dead, but rather say: he’s just a little further on the Way.’ These are the words the Rev RA Lowe spoke to a sorrowing parish. Each spring, when the roses in the memorial garden, planted between the vicarage and the church, burst into bloom, people pause to admire them, and Timothy and the Lowe family are especially remembered.”

I wondered to myself, “Where is the memorial garden and are they still the same roses?” I was telling this story to Alma Thompson a few days later while we were tidying up in readiness for Noel Trezise’s funeral. She pointed out the bronze plaque in the flower beds in front of the offices that I had not really noticed before: Timothy Lowe 7 January 1963.

As I stood there I realised it was Tuesday, 10 January, exactly 60 years and two days since Timothy had died. His parents wanted him to be remembered. He certainly is by his parish.

SUSANNE WEST

FROM LEFT: Queen for a day: Rev Hugh with the newly crowned Belinda McKenzie; the Timothy Rowe memorial garden in full bloom outside the parish offices.

Multi-cultural crib right at home in St Mary’s

It was lovely to see two of our young families back in church again for the Christmas Eve crib service, and to join them with my daughter-in-law Mia, and grandchildren Poppy and Minh, for the journey to Bethlehem.

Minh rode the rocking horse we found in the back porch. He was also fascinated by the huge crib figures created by Fi, after work by the Chinese artist and theologian He Qi.

Whatever we may have thought of these figures in the past, they looked great in the less cluttered sanctuary, and it made complete sense having a meeting of the East with our usual Western traditions - after all, the wise men came from the East. Having invited my Vietnamese family, I was proud that our church was multicultural. JAN HILL

Did you know?

When an altar is consecrated, crosses are engraved onto the four corners and the centre (St Mary’s altar is pictured). These crosses represent the Precious Wounds of Christ. Consecration is the invoking of the Holy Spirit to dwell within a sacred place or article, setting it aside for a sacred purpose.

From the Registers

DECEMBER 2022 | JANUARY 2023

BAPTISM

| 11 December:

Emilia Elizabeth Finlayson (born 27 June 2022)

Hayden and Harriet live in Christchurch but St Stephen’s is their spiritual home

MARRIAGE

| 31 December:

Samuel (Sam) David Sharp and Mari Gwenllian Jones

FUNERALS

| 23 December:

Noel Wilfred Trezise

| 28 December:

Irene Mary Stevenson (née Johnston)

| 10 January:

Manning Butts

With the introduction of individual cups for communion, or shot glasses as the Rev Hugh calls them, Michael Cradock was commissioned to make some additional trays. The tray for St Anne’s, presented to Joy Sagar at the 15 January service at St Mary’s, was

made from a lovely piece of Rimu, while a piece of Canadian Hemlock from Peel Forest Hall was repurposed to build a tray for St Stephens. “It was difficult wood to work with,” says Michael, “but I thought it quite fitting.”

FI MCCAFFERTY

The children had a lot of fun learning all about the geography of the holy land as described in the Bible’s Nativity stories.

Joy Sagar with Michael Cradock and his hand-crafted communion trays.

Michael’s skilled craftsmanship delivers beautifully made bespoke “shot glass” trays

the big list of who does what and where and when

Anglican Parish

St Mary’s Church, Geraldine | 10.30AM

NOTE FROM FI TO ST MARY’S ROSTER TEAM: With help from Belinda I appear to have successfully completed my first Roster Challenge. Apart from mucking up the flower roster (which I have now fixed), for the main part everybody seemed happy with their proposed dates. Bearing this in mind, next time I’m going to trial doing it the other way around. Instead of me contacting all of you, I’ll ask instead that you contact me (by 17 March) if you know a date in April/May that you’ll not be available. Cheers, and thanks all for your help.

STOP

PRESS

THE 4TH SUNDAY 9AM SERVICE AT ST MARY’S has been sparsely attended of late. A number of people have suggested that we discontinue it, at least for the present. As we prepare to advertise for a 0.7 vicar it makes sense to prune this service, which we have done. REV

HUGH

roster (n.)

1727, originally in military use, “a list showing the turn or rotation of duty or service of those who relieve or succeed one another,” from Dutch rooster “table, list,” a transferred use, originally “gridiron,” from Middle Dutch roosten “to roast”. So called probably from the grid of lines drawn on a paper to make a list. By 1858 in police jargon; the general sense of “list or table of names of persons” without regard to rotation of duty is by 1881.

Join the team

If you can play the piano, have a garden full of flowers and/or like arranging them, if you have good reading skills, have the confidence to lead prayers, or simply enjoy saying hello and welcome, get in touch with your local contact person to join the parish roster. By the same token, if you feel it’s time to resign from the roster, that is okay too. Get in touch with Rev Hugh (see page 7) or your local contact person. We thank you for your service. NEXT

17 March, 2023

fi@saltmines.co.nz 027 899 0703

Anglican Parish

noticeboard

services, events, reports, updates, bible studies, volunteers et cetera

What is Taizé worship?

In 1940, a 25 year old man from Switzerland, Brother Roger, came to the small village of Taizé in the Burgundy Region of France with the dream of starting an ecumenical community for comptemplation and for the reconciliation of Christians of all faiths.

Today, the community made up of brothers from several continents and various denominations, draws tens of thousands of people from all parts of the world. They come as part of their search for trust and communion in their lives. Three times each day they join with the brothers for prayer in the Church of Reconciliation.

REPETITIVE SUNG PRAYER An important part of the Taizé experience is the singing of simple, meditative songs that were developed for the prayer service.

“Singing is one of the most important forms of prayer. A few words sung over and over again reinforce the meditative quality of the prayer. These simple chants also provide a way of praying when one is alone, during the day or at night, or even in the silence of one’s heart while one is working.” (Songs and Prayers from Taizé)

SILENCE Another characteristic of Taizé worship is its generous use of silence. The Taizé website says, “Calming our souls requires a kind of simplicity: ‘I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.’ Silence means recognising that our worries can’t do much. Silence means leaving to God what is beyond our reach and capacity. A moment of silence, even very short, is like a holy stop, a sabbatical rest, a truce of worries. (taize.fr)

MEDITATIVE WORSHIP In addition to the Taizé community, other communities have contributed to what one might call “meditative worship”: worship that intentionally includes the elements of silence, repetition and sung prayer

among other aspects. The Iona Community, founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1938 by Rev George MacLeod, says, “Inspired by our faith and loving concern for the world and its people, we pursue justice and peace in and through community.” For more information visit their website iona.org.uk)

21 February 12pm | St Mary’s carpark

Simon and Susanne West will be offering pancakes in the carpark at noon.

Traditionally Shrove Tuesday was a day to be shriven (to confess and be forgiven of sins). The option remains (see prayer book page 750) though is not compulsory.

Rich food was also used up in preparation for the Lenten fast - hence the pancakes.

The Taizé prayer cross is based on icons that were brought from the Orthodox Church and painted by Brother Eric of the Taizé Community who was a gifted artist. Through his works - paintings, etchings, stained glass - he was one of the brothers who awakened sensitivity to beauty that is linked to the vocation of Taize. His numerous stained glass windows can be found in countries around the world.

Another well-know symbol from Taizé is the Taizé dove-cross (pictured at the top of the page) which represents reconciliation and peace.

22 February 12.15pm | St Mary’s

A short service of communion with imposition of ashes. Hugh will be looking for volunteer welcomers, and help with communion.

Did you know?

The JHS (or IHS) symbol decorates much church linen and is a common abbreviation which can be seen on many eastern icons. Various Latin inscriptions have been attributed to it, such as in hoc , i.e. the sign of the cross. Actually, it isn’t Latin but Greek iota - the letters I or J (in Greek, they were the same), eta or E, and sigma or S. It is transliterated as JESrst three letters of Jesus’ name.

We love the place O Lord wherein thine honour dwells

We do love our places of worship and owe a particular debt of gratitude to our sacristans, altar guilds, et cetera, who ensure the dignity of our worship by making sure that everything is as it should be. We are grateful to Noeline Cottam, who after 15 years as St Mary’s sacristan, is now stepping down.

It is important that we should feel able to step away from jobs. Sometimes jobs that once set our hearts on fire can, in the end, become a burden. As I write this, Jacinda Arden has demonstrated the importance of self-awareness most eloquently. I once had a parish treasurer tell me he thought he would have to die or move parishes to get out of the job. Needless to say, I found a

replacement quick smart. None of us should feel the Lord’s service as an intolerable burden.

That said, we are looking for a new sacristan to take care of the holy things at St Mary’s. Full training will be given, and enquiries may be made without commitment.

We are grateful to Janet Slee, Robert Scott, Audrey Butts, Barbara Cassidy, Christine Cradock, Jean Hall, Adrienne Wooding and Mary Thatcher, who, month by month, set up for Sunday services and care for the linen. Thanks also to those at St Anne’s, St Stephen’s and St Thomas who do similar workyou know who you are.

REV HUGH

CONTACTS

PRIEST-IN-CHARGE

Rev Hugh McCafferty | 027 920 8751 Hugh@anglicansingeraldine.com

CLERGY

Rev Bob Moore | 022 533 1969 reachfar@xtra.co.nz

BISHOP’S WARDEN

Paul Sagar | 03 693 8176

Paul@anglicansingeraldinecom

PEOPLE’S WARDEN

Susanne West | 027 272 4007 Susanne@anglicansingeraldine.com

OFFICE HOURS

MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY 9am-10am | Rev Hugh

WEDNESDAY 9am-12pm | Susanne West

FRIDAY 9am-12pm | Audrey Butts

OFFICE PHONE 03 693 8380

OFFICE EMAIL admin@anglicansingeraldine.com

SERVICES & OTHER INFORMATION

WEBSITE geraldineanglicans.com

FACEBOOK Anglican Parish of Geraldine

DEADLINES

NEWSLETTER - 17 MARCH BY 5PM fi@saltmines.co.nz

MUSTARD SEED - THURSDAY BY 12NOON audreybutts@xtra.co.nz

With the recent return of cruise ships and bus tours, the number of visitors to Geraldine has increased exponentially. The other day, Rev Hugh came across this group in St Mary’s grounds, who, having lit candles and offered prayers inside the church, were enjoying the shade of the trees as they gathered for the next part of their journey. We wonder what else our parish has to offer these global pilgrims. Let’s start talking!

“For I know the plansI have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

JEREMIAH 29:11