Sit down for a brew with the marathon runner, green-thumbed gardener, te Reo student, vicar's husband, and – as many of us recognise him – bishop of the Nelson Anglican Diocese.
"It's not the building that has made the ministry so successful, it's the myriad of leaders over the years who have supported us in building a culture of unconditional love, respect, community, opportunities to grow, and a place to explore faith."
We want our kids to be part of a church that is willing to lift them up, equip them and empower them. And sometimes that means we give up some of our power and preference to help them feel at home in our church whānau.
In removing distractions and being present, we can just be, and God meets us in that space so gently and lovingly.
To become like Jesus is to serve and love others. I am able to do this by doing chaplaincy at a Nelson rest home care centre.
St Christopher’s in Blenheim celebrated their diverse, multicultural church whānau on Sunday with a lively service, shared lunch and cultural performances.
“I wrote this song for Sam," Liv says, "but it’s not his song anymore. Sam is singing a song of praise to the Lamb. He does not need to sing about his brokenness or grief anymore.”
We all have the chance to be involved in running our churches and being part of significant decision-making processes. Let's shape the future of the Anglican Church together.
At the very core, Anglican worship is an enactment or realisation of the Christian gospel. We remember through hearing and enacting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and we anticipate his return.
"I love these little old church buildings because they're a physical picture of Christian fellowship. These are the places where people come together to worship their God and to encourage one another towards Christ."
If science and Scripture appear to disagree, it is a mistake to choose science over Scripture or Scripture over science. Instead, we hold onto both, and test our human interpretation.
There are things formed in the harsh, hidden places of my being, built up around a central piece, something I’ve held tightly to. Things that lie deep, concealed from public view, and buried in the mudstone of my past.
I was simply bursting with pride at the sound coming from the choir and organ and wanted the whole of Nelson to come in and let us show off to them. Slowly, they got the idea.
I signed up my family for our first diocesan Leadership Camp, ready for a fun winter family holiday while I refuelled for church work and refreshed my relationship with Jesus.
We’ve noticed that the diners’ hunger for relationships and being heard seems greater than their need for food. The meal and the company together provide a sense of community.
As a young mum, my heart was crying out for the Lord to slow me down. It is only now, all those years later, that I am learning - or yielding - to trust God in this.
It was magical, with all the chandeliers lighting up the nave and candles illuminating the stained glass window recesses. At the rear of the church, fairy lights added another sparkling effect that promised the treasures to come.
What could have been a shattering experience for my new friend Glenys was uplifting and reviving. I'm on a personal quest to be in control of my own knee-jerk reactions.
Throughout the year, these kids have been connecting in various ways, all with the aim of building a strong bond and nurturing their faith journey. And you know what? It's working!
Out of Scripture comes three other core principles – or doctrines – that form the basis of Anglican identity, which we can summarise in one simple statement.
I had an unshakeable conviction that I had to interview Edric before he left New Zealand. Edric’s life posed deep questions that I wanted to answer.
Faith and science are both concerned with the search for truth. They focus on different dimensions of truth, but they share the common conviction that there is truth to be sought.
A growing body of research affirms intergenerational connections as key to sustainable, long-term faith formation and discipleship.
I see lots of good-intentioned and well-received community ministries that appear to be successful. But I'd argue that while they feel like good kingdom work, they are limited in their missional impact.
As Juulian ponders his life, a series of jobs he hasn’t particularly enjoyed, and some unexpected hardships, he muses, “Lots of stuff doesn’t make sense, and I have questions for God when I get there.”
