“I’m very passionate about this role – and I’m super grateful to have an amazing team to do it with,” says Rose Parsons. She’s the community eldercare worker at St Peter’s in Kaikōura. At the recent Emmaus Event in Marlborough, we sat down and spent some time chatting about the joys and challenges of her role.
Rose: About three years ago, out of the blue, our minister Courtnay Wilson rang and asked me if I would be interested in the role. I felt little hesitation in saying yes, as at the time I was looking for a way to feel part of the Kaikōura community. I have always enjoyed the company of older people, and I liked that it would be a pastoral role supported by my parish and the Anglican Diocese.
Rose: Connectedness and friendship. It is good news for people in this age group to have opportunities to share with others who are going through similar challenges that come as we age. Also to share joys, talents and memories.
Other needs in the community are food and electricity affordability, and the rise in charges for other essential services. And the universal need for peace of mind.
Rose: Our weekly programme “The Seniors’ Pop In” offers morning tea, socialisation and board games for anyone in the community who wishes to pop in. St Peter’s supports the programme in a number of ways. Rev Courtnay Wilson and members of our parish all play their part in helping to provide a safe place for people to gather and enjoy fellowship. The formal volunteers are Rev Susan Baldwin, parish administrator Lilian Margetts, and people’s warden Kathy Chirnside. Courtnay attends and supports the programme in her role as our parish minister.
Free morning tea is provided at the Seniors’ Pop In. Lilian ensures the provision of consistent, warm hospitality each week. Lilian has been involved in the Senior’s Pop in before I was appointed as eldercare worker. Her knowledge is invaluable.
It is pleasing that many of the people who attend the Seniors’ Pop In, including participants from outside the parish, support the programme generously in a multitude of ways – contributing baking for the morning tea, bringing memorabilia, photos and family history, which sparks conversation and memories, and sharing of crafts, art, comedy, poetry and music. YWAM teams and, more recently, younger children have occasionally joined the Pop In. Others offer transport to and from the programme.
As appropriate, prayer is offered both formally and casually by members of the parish.
A produce “share, swap and take” table at the Seniors’ Pop In is a way to help ease the rising cost of living. Seniors who have an abundance of produce gladly share this with the group, and produce from the parish vegetable garden and food donated at the Sunday church service are able to be distributed.
My role includes the pleasure of meeting seniors in their homes, the rest home and hospital by request and prior arrangement. Over time the trust built gives me the blessing of being someone they can talk about their cares to, and we may pray together for their needs.
Pastoral care is the point of difference which St Peter’s Kaikōura offers our seniors, in a community where there are other diverse activities and services being delivered. My role includes working closely with other local agencies to foster the best possible care and support outcomes for our elders.
Rose: Short answer: God’s grace.
The Seniors’ Pop In was running for many years before I was involved. Elizabeth Connor, St Peter’s previous eldercare worker, had created a firm foundation for the programme with a faithful group of participants who were eager for it to proceed. When I started to facilitate the programme, I think seniors from our wider community were ready for more socialisation after the disruption of the earthquake and Covid 19. Rather than advertise the programme we have relied on participants telling others and bringing their friends. This has allowed the numbers to grow gradually, and we are now maintaining a steady and sustainable group size of 25 to 30 participants. I am grateful to the members of our parish who continue to support the programme by volunteering and coming on a regular basis.
Rose: Rev Courtnay Wilson is my supervisor and gives me her full attention at our weekly meetings to ensure I am able to carry out my work and lead the team. We pray each week for the Seniors’ Pop In to be a place where people who enter the doors of the St Peter’s parish hall are seen, heard and loved.
I have benefitted from workshops put on by the Nelson Diocese and Tikanga Pākehā Mission and Ministry. I also receive regular updates and encouragement from Liesel de Kriek, our ministry coordinator for older person’s services in the diocese.
The eldercare team meets annually to discuss how the Pop In can be improved. There is an emphasis on health and safety, the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all participants. For advice on this aspect of the programme, we have received support from the diocese health and safety coordinator, Russel Nimmo.
Rose: Seeing some attendees seamlessly integrating into our church service.
It’s also been encouraging to see a modern day “loaves and fishes” parable. Each week we never know how many are coming to the Senior's Pop In and we hope that the morning tea we have prepared will go around. However, we always end up having more than we need! Someone arrives with a packet of biscuits, someone comes with birthday cake or a visitor brings savouries. We always have some over at the end, which we pass around or someone takes home. There’s a real sense of pitching in like a family.
In terms of challenges, I have come to think that a challenge is often when God is trying to tell me something. By working through an issue with prayer, team support and patience, we have seen adversity turned into assets, under God’s grace.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Nelson Anglican Diocese for its financial and administrative support. Also the people who have prayed for me in my role.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
“I’m very passionate about this role – and I’m super grateful to have an amazing team to do it with,” says Rose Parsons. She’s the community eldercare worker at St Peter’s in Kaikōura. At the recent Emmaus Event in Marlborough, we sat down and spent some time chatting about the joys and challenges of her role.
Rose: About three years ago, out of the blue, our minister Courtnay Wilson rang and asked me if I would be interested in the role. I felt little hesitation in saying yes, as at the time I was looking for a way to feel part of the Kaikōura community. I have always enjoyed the company of older people, and I liked that it would be a pastoral role supported by my parish and the Anglican Diocese.
Rose: Connectedness and friendship. It is good news for people in this age group to have opportunities to share with others who are going through similar challenges that come as we age. Also to share joys, talents and memories.
Other needs in the community are food and electricity affordability, and the rise in charges for other essential services. And the universal need for peace of mind.
Rose: Our weekly programme “The Seniors’ Pop In” offers morning tea, socialisation and board games for anyone in the community who wishes to pop in. St Peter’s supports the programme in a number of ways. Rev Courtnay Wilson and members of our parish all play their part in helping to provide a safe place for people to gather and enjoy fellowship. The formal volunteers are Rev Susan Baldwin, parish administrator Lilian Margetts, and people’s warden Kathy Chirnside. Courtnay attends and supports the programme in her role as our parish minister.
Free morning tea is provided at the Seniors’ Pop In. Lilian ensures the provision of consistent, warm hospitality each week. Lilian has been involved in the Senior’s Pop in before I was appointed as eldercare worker. Her knowledge is invaluable.
It is pleasing that many of the people who attend the Seniors’ Pop In, including participants from outside the parish, support the programme generously in a multitude of ways – contributing baking for the morning tea, bringing memorabilia, photos and family history, which sparks conversation and memories, and sharing of crafts, art, comedy, poetry and music. YWAM teams and, more recently, younger children have occasionally joined the Pop In. Others offer transport to and from the programme.
As appropriate, prayer is offered both formally and casually by members of the parish.
A produce “share, swap and take” table at the Seniors’ Pop In is a way to help ease the rising cost of living. Seniors who have an abundance of produce gladly share this with the group, and produce from the parish vegetable garden and food donated at the Sunday church service are able to be distributed.
My role includes the pleasure of meeting seniors in their homes, the rest home and hospital by request and prior arrangement. Over time the trust built gives me the blessing of being someone they can talk about their cares to, and we may pray together for their needs.
Pastoral care is the point of difference which St Peter’s Kaikōura offers our seniors, in a community where there are other diverse activities and services being delivered. My role includes working closely with other local agencies to foster the best possible care and support outcomes for our elders.
Rose: Short answer: God’s grace.
The Seniors’ Pop In was running for many years before I was involved. Elizabeth Connor, St Peter’s previous eldercare worker, had created a firm foundation for the programme with a faithful group of participants who were eager for it to proceed. When I started to facilitate the programme, I think seniors from our wider community were ready for more socialisation after the disruption of the earthquake and Covid 19. Rather than advertise the programme we have relied on participants telling others and bringing their friends. This has allowed the numbers to grow gradually, and we are now maintaining a steady and sustainable group size of 25 to 30 participants. I am grateful to the members of our parish who continue to support the programme by volunteering and coming on a regular basis.
Rose: Rev Courtnay Wilson is my supervisor and gives me her full attention at our weekly meetings to ensure I am able to carry out my work and lead the team. We pray each week for the Seniors’ Pop In to be a place where people who enter the doors of the St Peter’s parish hall are seen, heard and loved.
I have benefitted from workshops put on by the Nelson Diocese and Tikanga Pākehā Mission and Ministry. I also receive regular updates and encouragement from Liesel de Kriek, our ministry coordinator for older person’s services in the diocese.
The eldercare team meets annually to discuss how the Pop In can be improved. There is an emphasis on health and safety, the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all participants. For advice on this aspect of the programme, we have received support from the diocese health and safety coordinator, Russel Nimmo.
Rose: Seeing some attendees seamlessly integrating into our church service.
It’s also been encouraging to see a modern day “loaves and fishes” parable. Each week we never know how many are coming to the Senior's Pop In and we hope that the morning tea we have prepared will go around. However, we always end up having more than we need! Someone arrives with a packet of biscuits, someone comes with birthday cake or a visitor brings savouries. We always have some over at the end, which we pass around or someone takes home. There’s a real sense of pitching in like a family.
In terms of challenges, I have come to think that a challenge is often when God is trying to tell me something. By working through an issue with prayer, team support and patience, we have seen adversity turned into assets, under God’s grace.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Nelson Anglican Diocese for its financial and administrative support. Also the people who have prayed for me in my role.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
