Parish Newsletter: April-May 2023

Anglican Parish

It’s time for a revolution

As you receive this edition of the Parish Newsletter, the end of Lent will be in sight. I hope it has been a time of renewal for you. We look forward to celebrating Easter, bringing back the Alleluias and the Gloria at Communion, and with a glass of wine at lunch.

Before we get there, though, we will once again plunge into the mystery of Holy Week. Following Jesus’ journey from Palm Sunday to the Cross and through to the Resurrection is a deep and sometimes emotional experience, rewarded with the joy of Easter. May it be a blessing for you.

As a parish, we are not prone to religious enthusiasm. Attendance at the Easter Vigil has, in past years, been in single figures, so instead, we are putting our focus on Easter Sunday morning. Those wanting the full monty of the Easter Vigil can join me at St Mary’s, Timaru, where we will join with the wider archdeaconry and light our Paschal candle.

Speaking of religious enthusiasm, while numbers at our Taizé service have also been low, it has attracted members of our local Roman Catholic fellowship and a couple from an Ashburton Pentecostal church, who have made the journey every week for a 45-minute service. Low in numbers it may have been, but it has had an ecumenical reach beyond our parish bounds.

I nevertheless believe God is up to something. Our prayer warriors continue to petition God for revival on Thursday mornings, 9.30am at St Mary’s as advertised in the Mustard Seed. We have seen signs of hope as one or two people join us at worship, and some ideas for the future are shared. Fi and I recently consulted with parents of young families, and there is certainly some interest in reviving Messy Church.

Revival is certainly happening in the United States. I shared the following at the last

meeting of Vestry: “On 2 February, season three of The Chosen topped the box office with a $1.67m opening. The Asbury revival began on 8 February and lasted on campus until 24 February. The film Jesus Revolution was released on 28 February; by 15 March, it had grossed over $40m. The box office numbers are a sign of the interest the two shows have attracted.”

Pat Walsh tells me Jesus Revolution is coming here in April. I think it will provide much food for thought and should rekindle some energy in those old enough to remember the Jesus Freaks and the Charismatic Renewal of the 1970s - that is most of us. We will organise a parish outing to the cinema.

Fi and I discovered the TV series The Chosen a month or so ago. It is, so far, a three-season show, which will run to seven seasons eventually. It is produced as entertainment, and entertaining it is, but, made by Christians, it is also made to be inspiring. I have sourced the DVDs so that we can share it more readily - watch this space if you want to “Binge Jesus” with us. Being right up to date, there is also an app you can download on your device (or get your grandchildren to do it for you).

Our AGM is on Low Sunday, April 16, after the 10.30am service. All who have been on the parish roll for two months and over have a voice and a vote. The chair will offer speaking rights to regular attendees who are not on the roll. Please consider serving on Vestry, as some folk who have served us well over the years feel called to step back. I have no wish to engineer the make-up of Vestry, but please feel free to chat with me or one of the wardens if you are thinking about serving.

Wishing you the grace of Holy Week and the joy of Easter.

Rev Hugh McCafferty PRIEST-IN-CHARGE

Anglican Parish

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what’s new, what’s happening, what’s up where you are

The Chosen: Jesus as seen through the eyes of

The Chosen is an American historical drama television series created, directed and co-written by Christian filmmaker Dallas Jenkins. It is the first multiseason series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Primarily set in Judaea and Galilee in the 1st century, the series centers on Jesus and the different people who met and followed him.

Noticing that there had never been a multi-season, episode-based portrayal of Jesus that could be “bingewatched” like shows on streaming mediums such as Netflix, Jenkins intended to differ from previous portrayals of Jesus by crafting a story arc that focused more deeply on those who encountered Jesus and viewing him through their eyes. He wanted to present Jesus in a way that is more “personal, intimate, [and] immediate”.

The producers have used innovative methods for finance and release, primarily through crowdfunding and distribution by Angel Studios. Using a dedicated app and website, the series is free to watch. Viewers are encouraged, but not required, to pay it forward by contributing to fund

future seasons. Fundraising for the first season as well as subsequent seasons continues to make The Chosen the most successful crowdfunded TV series or film project of all time. As of 2021, viewers had contributed $40 million towards its production.

Jonathan Roumie, who plays the part of Jesus in the series, says studying the person of Jesus and portraying him on the big screen, has been “profoundly enriching” to his personal walk. “It’s forced me to depend even more than I thought I was depending on God already for everything in my life,” he said. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t start with prayer and give gratitude for where God’s brought me through this journey.”

Roumie said he prays the show points viewers to “a greater power,” to “God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

“I hope that viewers will feel inspired to go read Scripture and be inspired by the Word and maybe find the Church and get more involved in making God a greater part of their lives because your life only gets better.”

Roumie also appears on film as the charismatic hippie street preacher Lonnie Frisbee in The Jesus Revolution, scheduled to screen at Geraldine Cinema mid-April.

those who met and followed him

Rebooting Messy Church

theme through getting messy; a short celebration time involving story, prayer, song, games and similar; and a sit-down meal together at tables.

3

It’s church folks, but not as you know it. The New Zealand website says, “Messy Church is a church for everyone who may not feel comfortable attending a ‘normal’ church service and who don’t yet belong to a church.” That includes most of the young people in our town and many of their parents too.

The first Messy Church began in 2004 when a group at St Wilfrid's in Cowplain, near Portsmouth, were frustrated because, as a church, they were hardly reaching any children with God’s story.

Ten or so years ago, Gillian Lynch championed Messy Church at St Mary’s, Geraldine. Talking to some of our young families recently, their children who attended have happy memories of the experience.

What to expect: Messy Church typically includes a welcome, a long creative time to explore the biblical

Messy Church UK says: “We’re all messy, our lives aren't perfect, our families and children aren’t perfect and we believe the best space for God to deal with us in our messiness and disorder is in church. Come and join us.” It also describes the creative, exploratory nature of how we worship there.

We can do it here too. We need a team, to include storytellers, people who are comfortable with glue and scissors, creative people, people to sit and listen and admire the creativity of others, and, of course, the ringawera (folk to cook and clean up).

We’ll aim to have a session beginning at 4pm on the first Sunday of every month and ending with a shared meal at 5pm. A sign up sheet will be available and we will, of course, do some thinking and training before we let ourselves loose on the children.

The Messy Church movement has done most of the thinking for us, and provides plenty of resources so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Are you in?

REV HUGH

A particularly messy Messy Church session at St Mary’s way ages ago. Families enjoy all the fun of the Messy Church activities together.

Did you you know?

A lection, also called the lesson, is a reading from scripture in liturgy. The readings of the day are appointed in the lectionary, and follow a three-year cycle.

In Year A, we read mostly from the Gospel of Matthew. In Year B, we read the Gospel of Mark and chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. In Year C, we read the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is read during the Easter season in all three years.

The first reading, usually from the Old Testament, reflects important themes from the Gospel reading. The second reading is usually from one of the epistles, a letter written to an early church community. These letters are read semi-continuously.

Each Sunday, we pick up close to where we left off the Sunday before, though some passages are never read.

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

Anglican Parish

The Chosen: new study group

As indicated, Hugh will be piloting an eight or nine session study group based around viewings of the first series of The Chosen. Episodes range from 38 to 60 minutes so, with discussion, the sessions will run for around

1.5 - 2 hours. Your two options are Wednesday

NOTICE OF PARISH AGM

Sunday 16 April 11.45am | St Mary’s

All who have been on the parish roll for two months and over have a voice and a vote.

EASTER SERVICES 2023

MAUNDY THURSDAY

6 April 7pm | St Mary’s

Commemoration of the Lord’s Supper

GOOD FRIDAY Walk of Witness

7 April 10am | Gather at St Mary’s

Join with fellow Christians on a short walk around the CBD singing, reading and praying. Followed by morning tea at St Andrew’s.

HOLY SATURDAY Easter Vigil

8 April 7.30pm | St Mary’s TIMARU

Join with the wider archdeaconry in Timaru and light our Paschal candle.

EASTER SUNDAY 9 April 9am | St Stephen’s | Holy Communion

10.30am | St Mary’s | Holy Communion

7pm and Friday 10am, starting Wednesday, 19 April and Friday, 21 April.

Sign up for either or both by emailing hugh@anglicansingeraldine.co.nz or text him on 027 920 8751. Please don’t tell him on the run or he will forget!

ST MARY’S CONCERT SERIES

With Geraldine Community Arts Council. Entry by Gold coin donation.

BLUESCOPE YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Thursday 13 April 2.30pm | St Mary’s 30-piece Orchestra from Woolongong Conservatorium of Music. Through the ages from Jan Křtitel Vaňhal to Kurt Weill.

CAFÉ LATTE ORCHESTRA

Friday 14 April 6.30pm | St Mary’s

A 50-piece Orchestra under the baton of renowned saxophonist/clarinettist Mark Walton presents “stirring classics and popular toetapping favourites.”

VINTAGE TRIO - 6 HANDS ON ONE PIANO

Saturday 15 April 2.30pm | St Mary’s

A mixed repertoire - Popular, Jazz & Classical

God on the shelves 7

Spotted by Susanne West: “Isn’t it lovely that our local independent book shop has such a great selection of books in their Religion section. Thank you Page and Post Booksellers.”

Oceans Grief and Loss Programme now available at St Mary’s

Promoted by Anglican Care, the Oceans Grief and Loss Programme soon will be available at St Mary’s.

From their website: “Oceans Grief and Loss programme is a peer support programme developed to support people of all ages. We have a children's programme that runs for an hour a week over eight weeks, a teenage programme that uses six 80minute sessions, and a programme to support adults over six weeks with two-hour sessions.”

Participants learn to talk about their experience of grief, and they learn they are not the only ones experiencing these emotions. Our programme facilitates a process in which people share with each other in

a supportive environment helpful ways to live with their losses. Groups comprise up to six people and are supported through the programme by two trained and caring facilitators.

Facilitator Alexia Bensemann says, “The Ocean’s programme has been running well within South Canterbury for over 15 years and continues to grow throughout South Canterbury. Many of our participants appreciate that they can share their stories with others who empathise and support them in their personalised journey through grief and loss.”

To join or for more information, contact Alexia on 0274 623 267 or ans@anglicancare.org.nz.

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

TUESDAY-FRIDAY Rev Hugh | by appointment

MONDAY 9am-12pm | Susanne West

FRIDAY 9am-12pm | Audrey Butts

OFFICE PHONE 03 693 8380

OFFICE EMAIL admin@anglicansingeraldine.co.nz

SERVICES & OTHER INFORMATION

WEBSITE geraldineanglicans.com

FACEBOOK Anglican Parish of Geraldine

DEADLINES

NEWSLETTER - 19 MAY BY 5PM fi@saltmines.co.nz

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

Inspired by the idea of turning travellers into pilgrims, a picnic table has been installed under the trees outside St Mary’s. Emerging from one of the Sunday evening Taizé Services, it was delightful to discover a young family taking a break from their journey in the shade.