ISSUE SIXTEEN – DEC/JAN 2011/12

Diocese of Christchurch

Organic ChristianityIt’s a Material World

Hi-Viz History

Short term mission,Long term vision

Multi-Cultural Worship

AnglicanINVITING / FORMING / SENDING / SERVINGanglicanlife.org.nz

He Oranga Mihinare

AnglicanLife Issue 16 1

WORDS: +VICTORIA MATTHEWS

As Advent arrives and Christmas approaches, I am deeply aware that this Christmas will be a very different celebration from all the others.

Bishop’s Address: The Gift of Joy

EDITORIAL

“…the truth is that I cannot conjure up joy however hard I try;

I always receive it as a gift.”

ContentsBISHOP’S ADDRESS 01

FEATURE: It’s a Material World 03

FEATURE: Organic Christianity 06

EPICENTRE: The Future of Theology House 08

EPICENTRE: Hi-Viz history: a tale of boxes and hard hats 10

LIFESTYLE: What’s so special about Advent? 11

LIFESTYLE: Short term mission, long term vision 12

LIFESTYLE: mainly music Evangelism 13

LIFESTYLE: Multi-cultural Worship 14

LIFESTYLE: Ben’s Corrugated Cathedral 15

LIFESTYLE: St Michael’s - The little Anglican School that can 16

LIFESTYLE: Showing hope for the hungry at Christmas 19

CLOSING ESSAY: Stones 20

ISSUE 16December 2011/January 2012

AnglicanLife is published bi-monthly by the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch.

ISSN 2253-1653

Editor Philip Baldwin

Contributing Writer Megan Blakie

Contributors +Victoria Matthews, Megan Blakie, Peter Carrell,

Greg Jackson, Kate Jensen, Spanky Moore, Jacqui Paterson, Sophia Sinclair, Jane Teal

Advertising Enquiries Ivan Hatherley – ihatherley@clear.net.nz

Editorial Enquiries Philip Baldwin – editor@anglicanlife.org.nz

Design – www.baylymoore.com

Printed by – Toltech Print

Sustainability – AnglicanLife is printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based inks.

Cover – Emray Henry picks salad greens from the community garden while his brother Kohen Holley

looks on. Yes, last year we all had cracks in our walls and a few people were out of their homes, but this year there will be people missing from the Christmas dinner table and many more homeless, to say nothing about folks on the move. So how do we manage to have a joyous Christmas this year, and even more importantly how do we share that “joy”?

John 16.20-22 talks about the joy that comes when a child is born. The labour is very painful, but the joy of the birth makes the labour easily forgotten. Galatians 5 lists joy after love among the fruit of the Spirit.

So we know that with the Holy Spirit comes the gift of joy. I think that is

tremendously important, because the truth is that I cannot conjure up joy however hard I try; I always receive it as a gift. But once I have received it, I am free to share it with others.

When one of us radiates joy, others begin to experience a stirring in their own soul. This Christmas I hope to be able to share joy with many others.

Are you giving joy away this Christmas? I hope so; the Holy Spirit certainly is.

Shrove Tues Pancake Race Feb 16 - Midday

Dedication Festival

‘Service of Nine Lessons and Carols’ - Sun Dec 18 - 7.30pm.

Cathedral Worship at Christ’s College Chapel | Rolleston Avenue

Chorister Christmas Recitals - Dec 21 & 22: 12.30 -1.00pm at Cashel ‘Pop Up’ Mall

‘Christmas Tree in the Chapel’ - Sun Dec 4 - Dec 25. Receiving Gifts for City Mission

‘Christmas Service with Animals’ - Thur Dec 22 - 3.00pm: Hagley Park Dome

Seafarers’ Service - Sunday Nov 6 - 11am. Remembering those who serve/whose lives were lost at sea

‘Christmas Eve’ - 7.30pm: Carol Recital, 11.30pm Carol singing -Midnight Eucharist

‘Christmas Day’ - 8.00am - Eucharist, 11am-Choral Eucharist

‘Christmas Day’ - 5.00pm - Outdoor Evensong (venue to be confirmed)

2 AnglicanLife Issue 16 3

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FEATURE

It’s a Material WorldTake God shopping—even to the supermarket—is the suggestion of doctoral student and diocesan Children’s Ministry Advisor, Carolyn Robertson.

WORDS: MEGAN BLAKIE

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FEATURE

Carolyn is part way through a research thesis on Christian responses to consumerism, and her special interest is in developing a “theology of shopping”.

And here is her reasoning: “My observation is that, when people go shopping, it is often an experience where they think God isn’t there: it’s just an everyday, mundane experience like mowing the lawns, and God’s not really in that experience.

“Because of that division in people’s minds—about where God is and where God isn’t—I think people don’t make decisions that reflect their faith commitment in those arenas. People go shopping and don’t think that that has any implication for their beliefs or the world in general,” she suggests.

Carolyn would like us to better understand how products come to be on our shelves: to know where they come from, how are they made, and who is involved in their production. It’s about taking a more ethical approach to purchasing decisions, and taking account of environmental and social factors.

Her interest in social justice stems from childhood and was, in those years, influenced by hearing Christian speakers talk about poverty, and also by the experience of living overseas with her family. They visited Christian agencies in Asia, and during that time she witnessed the poverty of slums firsthand.

“When I was 11, we spent some time with an organisation called the St Stephen’s Society, working with drug addicts in Hong Kong. After that we went to the Philippines and spent time with an organisation called Servants: a lot of [those involved] were New Zealanders living in the slum communities there doing development work. Spending time there, seeing the poverty, impacted me quite a lot.”

It was the 1980s and TV video recorders were the latest technological gadget. Carolyn remembers questioning the ethics of owning more and more stuff, when so many people were living in dire conditions. “I remember thinking: should we own video players and such things? The experience…changed my thinking quite a bit.”

In 2009 Carolyn embarked on her doctorate, having completed a post-graduate diploma in Theology at the University of Otago the previous year. After refining her research topic, she enrolled as an extramural student with the religious studies department of Victoria University. This involved travelling to Wellington from Christchurch every quarter to visit her two supervisors.

That all went on hold this year when the house she and her husband Paul were living in was damaged by the 22 February earthquake and cordoned off inside the central city red zone.

“In my study the fireplace collapsed and the house was in the red zone, so I couldn’t get into it for a while. I couldn’t access all

my materials,” she says. In the interim, Carolyn took on the role of

Children’s Ministry Advisor with the diocese, which drew on her background in education and sociology and her previous jobs with other church and charitable organisations.

Once she retrieved her research material, Carolyn made use of the hiatus in her studies to transcribe the 20 research interviews she had completed. Her interviewees were from different denominations, and all had “significant contact” with the evangelical church at some point.

In mid-November she was able to officially re-enrol at the university and is now continuing her research part-time.

“I need to examine all the interviews that I’ve done, start looking for themes, then make my observations on what people are doing [and develop] a critical framework,” she explains.

“I’ve noticed that, in the West, particularly with protestant Christians, the response [to consumerism] seems to be quite individualistic…they might be like ‘I make sure that I don’t spend too much’…as opposed to spending a bit more and buying something that’s fair trade and really looking at the global implications [of the way they shop],” she outlines.

Now back on track with her studies, Carolyn expects it will take two or three years to complete her thesis. Writing a

book based on her research may also be on the cards.

“My hope is to challenge people about that whole physical-spiritual split, and to get people to think what their criteria are when they buy something. We’ve stopped seeing the world as real things and real life. For me the challenge is re-engaging with the material reality of the world,” she says.

She describes consumerism as an “alternative salvation story” that attempts to give meaning to people’s lives, and drives them to aspire to an ever-increasing standard of living.

Carolyn challenges us to stop thinking about our shopping in abstract terms, and to understand the very real consequences—on the planet and on people—of what we buy and the quantity we buy.

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FEATURE

“…the parish intends the garden to be a connection point with the community, and also

a way to provide fresh food for people and offer parish hospitality.”

Organic ChristianityIt’s not usual to emerge from a church service to find yourself in the middle of a veggie patch, but that’s what happens at St Andrew’s in Tinwald.

WORDS: MEGAN BLAKIE Carrots, garlic, lettuce, and potatoes are among the greenery growing right next to the church building in the small Canterbury town of Tinwald, located south of the Ashburton River. The vegetables form part of a community garden that has been developed from scratch by green-fingered parishioners and volunteers from the wider community.

“The garden came out of a discussion at my first vestry meeting,” says Andrew McDonald, who was the curate in the Ashburton district, but is now Priest-in-charge of Tinwald parish. “Someone suggested buying a bigger lawn mower to cope with all the grass, and that led to us talking about ways we could decrease the size of the lawn.”

Many volunteer hours have been spent on the creation of the Celtic cross-inspired design, which is part of a garden about 200 square metres in size. A number of local businesses have supported the project by donating supplies, such as gravel and compost, and the free loan of a rotary hoe.

“We went from having no tools to having a shed-full of tools in one day,” says Andrew, thankful for one local woman’s gift of unused implements. The gardening tools, along with other equipment, are stored in a donated shed, and come out every Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, when people are invited to potter in the garden. People can pop in at other times, says Andrew, if they have things to plant or pick.

About 60 people attended the blessing and formal opening of the community garden held on Sunday, 13 November. A handmade bench seat and a stone carving also adorn the site.

Rather than using it just as a way to reduce the size of the lawn, the parish intends the garden to be a connection point with the community, and also a way to provide fresh food for people and offer parish hospitality.

“I’m envisaging we’ll use the food for festive occasions—harvest festival being an obvious one, and the church fair day—when we will eat together,” says Andrew. Down the track, he hopes the parish will be able to run workshops on such things as preserving and cooking.

Neither is he averse to tucking some beans or a lettuce under his arm when he goes out on parish visits!

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EpicentreSTORIES OF HOPE FROM THE FAULTLINE

The Future of Theology HouseTheology House believes in physical resurrection, unlike some of the authors it carries on its bookshelves.

Recently we ‘died’ when we were ejected from St Mary’s Hall after engineers declared the building unsafe. Partial resurrection has been to set up a temporary office in the Dorothy Cooper Room at St Barnabas’ Fendalton, arrange a post box (PO Box 6728, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch 8442), and new phone number (03 351 1364).

We are very grateful to the hospitality being given to us by the Parish of Fendalton, but we have an urgent need to secure new premises, partly because it breaks my heart to tell borrowers of books that our library is boxed up. Dialogue about new premises is proceeding. I am confident that a full resurrection will take place in 2012.

In that resurrection we will supply resources to Christians in Canterbury and Westland to feed minds, and to equip and train ministers, lay and ordained. Although often considered a diocesan institution, Theology House is ‘Anglican and Ecumenical’. Our library will continue to be open to all in our new location.

In 2012 we will offer courses in theology and ministry which

are geared to the needs of 21st century church members. Watch for details on www.theologyhouse.ac.nz . Our association with the University of Otago’s B.Theol. courses and with EIDTS’s L.Th. programme is ongoing. Their courses and ours offer the possibility of training for ministry, lay and ordained, right here in the centre of the South Island.

What can you do to assist us? Being patient is helpful. Praying for us, especially for securing strategically brilliant new premises would be much appreciated. Donating funds to support our relocation and future growth, not to beat about the bush, would be very helpful: we are not a wealthy institution.

If we can help with your training needs, as an individual or as a parish, please contact me (director@theologyhouse.ac.nz ) or our administrator, Chris Church (admin@theologyhouse.ac.nz ). As the core of our business is making books and resources available to the churches, Judith Curtis (library@theologyhouse.ac.nz) would be pleased to hear from you. When we have further news, Anglican Life will report it to you.

WORDS: PETER CARRELL, DIRECTOR OF THEOLOGy HOUSE

Theology House staff (L to R): Judith Curtis, Chris Church, Peter Carrell

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What’s so special about Advent?Most liturgical churches in the Western tradition of Christianity celebrate the season of Advent in their worship—the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. But because the term Advent means “coming” or “arrival”, and because it precedes Christmas, it’s not surprising that many Christians mistakenly assume that observing Advent is primarily a way to prepare for celebrating the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.

WORDS: PHILIP BALDWIN

FAMILy / SOCIAL JUSTICE / ENVIRONMENT / SUSTAINABILITy / SPIRITUALITy

Lifestyle

But a close look at the readings for Advent Sundays reveals that a primary focus in Advent is on the second coming of Our Lord, what the New Testament more correctly calls Jesus’ “coming in glory”. The observance of this season at the beginning of the church year takes our thinking to the very end of things: not only in the sense of “end of time”, but also in the sense of “central purpose” or “goal” of creation.

Our rehearsal of the conception and birth, life and work, death and resurrection of Jesus, and his coming in glory point to the deliberate fulfillment of divine purpose. Advent is part of our recognition that the central purpose of God in history is bound up in the story of Jesus.

Because we know Jesus, his work, and his saving power, we can approach

Advent from several perspectives, and the readings for the 2nd Sunday in Advent this year illustrate just that. In Isaiah 40, the prophet announces Israel’s expectation of redemption, wisdom, strength from the Lord. The writer of 2 Peter 3 looks forward to a time when “the day of the Lord will come like a thief”, and there will be a final salvation of all things: “a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells”. And in Mark 1 the evangelist announces “the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah”, in his earthly ministry.

Christians don’t have to approach Advent pretending that Jesus has not yet been born, nor should they forget about Calvary and the empty tomb. We can celebrate Advent in the full light of the salvation mystery from beginning to end.

“Advent is part of our recognition that the central purpose of God in history is bound up in the story of Jesus.”

Hi-Viz history: a tale of boxes and hard hats5.15pm, Friday 18 February 2011: shelves rolled together, temperature and humidity checked, lights out, doors locked. Little did I know then that the diocesan archives would stay in 153 Hereford Street, cordoned off in the Red Zone and unattended for seven months—apart from two brief visits to check on their general state, tape up the plans cabinets, and to retrieve six boxes of important items which I believed would be useful in the weeks ahead.

WORDS & PHOTOS: JANE TEAL

The process of retrieving the archives initially involved a marathon box-making session spread over many evenings and a whole weekend: 535 boxes with 10 trays for plans. These were transported in the first of three insulated containers to the carpark at the back of the Anglican Centre. The container was raised to the height of the Level 3 open windows, enabling the empty boxes to be taken to the shelves and filled, and the full boxes to be taken out and lowered to ground level.

Packing, packing, and more packing went on for five and a half days. Staff from the Air Force Museum, the Canterbury Museum, the Christchurch Art Gallery, a freelance heritage professional, and another staff member worked sometimes by headlight and other times by the light powered by a generator, until every register, plan, minute book, publication, CD, and piece of furniture was loaded. The containers were filled until they could take no more.

Now we await the building of an archives pod. The plans have been drawn with the help of Hydestor, to make use of the shelving which was also retrieved, and to provide some space for textiles. The construction is about to go out to tender.

When will the archives be open again to the public? Realistically it will be Easter 2012, because the hard part is yet to come: getting everything out of the containers and back onto the shelves—in order!

The retrieval of the archives would not have been possible without the help of many people: Liz and Gavin behind the scenes; Aidan, Elizabeth, Lawrence, and Michael who made boxes; Dave, Dave, Simon, Michelle, Tim, Sam, Michael, Lynn, Terri, and Lesley who went into the Red Zone; and Jim with his crane driver, and many container loaders from Lunds.

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mainly music EvangelismBy now most of us have probably heard of mainly music (the organisation prefers its name printed all in lowercase lettering) – if not experienced it first hand in our own parishes.

WORDS: SPANKy MOORE

The first group started at Auckland’s Hillsborough Baptist Church way back in 1990 when a local music group at a community centre was changing its style, and the church was looking for ways to connect with families in their local area by doing something that benefited both the parent and child. Voilà! mainly music was born, and since then the music-based program for parents and kids has spread like wild fire to churches throughout New Zealand and abroad.

Jo Hood, the original founder of mainly music, still oversees the organisation, and has helped continue to develop it over the years. She says there are four kinds of connection achieved through the mainly music program: “Children connect with the musical concepts, developing skills and abilities as they have fun during the music session; parents connect with other parents during morning tea; children connect with other children during the play time; and families connect with their local church, the provider and sponsor of the mainly music session”.

mainly music can seem like just another group that uses the hall during the week

Short term mission, long term vision

Some might argue that short-term mission trips are a waste of time and money, or that they give little back to either community involved. Laidlaw College student James Rodley doesn’t just defy that argument; he’s part of a new generation who are using short-term experiences to inform a long-term vision of mission.

WORDS & PHOTO: SOPHIA SINCLAIR, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, NEW ZEALAND CHRISTIAN MISSIONARy SOCIETy

LIFESTyLE

James was part of an Encounter Team sent out from the Christchurch Diocese by mission organisation New Zealand Christian Missionary Service. While overseas James says he was really impacted by time spent travelling alongside young leaders from local Cambodian churches: “The language barrier made it difficult to communicate and was uncomfortable, but something that stood out for me was our shared worship times. We were singing the same song, with different words, to the same God”.

Since returning to New Zealand, James has been part of an initiative called “Bryndwr Community 8053”. This intentional Christchurch community comprises a group of like-minded people in eight flats, all intentionally engaging with their neighbours, specifically local children and refugee families. James says: “There are many parallels to the approach our team had for Cambodia, for example not going with the attitude

that we are going to charge in and fix everything, but going in a humble, loving way”.

NZCMS Youth Mobiliser Anna Tovey says James isn’t the only Encounter team member to return with a different view of mission: “We’ve noticed that team members become better supporters of overseas mission, and develop a deeper awareness of what it means to live missionally in their own community”.

Anna also says those who serve short term are more likely to head back overseas for the long haul, or commit to ministry in their local church, and James is no exception. He’s currently involved in ministry at St Timothy’s Burnside and plans to return to Cambodia in the near-ish future after being invited by a Cambodian-led ministry to spend time training youth leaders in video production.

For more information about 2012 Encounter opportunities check out the NZCMS website: www.nzcms.org.nz

“…those who serve short term are more likely to head back overseas for the long haul, or commit to ministry

in their local church…”

James Rodley (centre), with Emily Watson (L) and Megan Tapper (R), members of an NZCMS Encounter team in Cambodia

unless the local church truly owns the programme, and takes advantage of the possibilities it offers. Here are the ways that Jo believes mainly music can begin humming as parish outreach.

If the team is committed to praying, connecting with their families outside the mainly music session, and providing pastoral care;

If they aren’t afraid to talk about their faith openly and invite families to appropriate church events;

If the parish is willing to look critically at ‘how’ they do church, to build a faith connection with families who aren’t in a relationship with God that meets the needs of the families;

If the team is willing to enter the lives of their families, not just expecting families to enter a life of faith.

It’s a serious commitment, but one that can be hugely fruitful as we live out God’s mission. For more information about starting a mainly music programme in your parish, visit www.mainlymusic.org.nz.

Families from the first mainly music at Hillsborough Baptist Church enjoying the session

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LIFESTyLE

Ben’s Corrugated CathedralEleven-year old Ben Jensen can’t quite put a finger on it himself, but his mother, Kate, explains his creative ability this way: “He has built all sorts of things…he’s forever making stuff.” And his latest creation, a replica of ChristChurch Cathedral with a corrugated iron exterior, has already garnered local recognition for the young artist.

WORDS: PHILIP BALDWIN PHOTO: KATE JENSEN

From a handful of people that began meeting about 2 years ago to study the Bible, the group now averages 15–20 people who gather regularly in a church member’s home.

The genesis of the group goes back to a discussion among the clergy of St Peter’s Upper Riccarton parish about ways to meet the worship needs of the multi-cultural community. Among the immigrant population in the parish there are Chinese, Indians, and Indonesians, as well as people from Singapore, the Seychelles, and Switzerland!

As a curate in the parish, and then assistant priest, Gerard Jacobs took on the responsibility of guiding the bible study group. As he says, “It was a good way to develop my ministry skills.” He also made

pastoral visits to people from other cultures who could specifically be identified from St Peter’s visitors’ book, as a way to begin building relationships with them.

“The feeling of belonging is very important,” Gerard explains. “When they realised there were more people like themselves who were interested in Christianity, and they saw other people welcoming them into the group, some of them were happy to accept the invitation.”

Two other entry points into the life of the parish are also initiatives from Gerard. He has been able to connect with the multi-cultural community in Upper Riccarton through Friday afternoon English-language conversation classes. At a Parish Quiet Day, Gerard presented the possibility of ways the Parish can continue

to be hospitable to the wider community. One such initiative was the mainly music programme. After much planning and work by the clergy team to find the right people, and adjust to the parish’s situation after the earthquakes, St Peter’s Church started mainly music in July 2011.

The multi-cultural worship group is trying out a monthly Sunday morning service at St Luke’s Yaldhurst, partly because the space is the right size for them, and partly because residential communities around the church are growing. The members of this small group are eager to pass along the invitation and sense of belonging that they have experienced in their bible study and worship.

“We go to the Cathedral every year to put presents under the tree, and that gave me the idea for building it,

because we can’t go this year.”

Multi-Cultural Worship

WORDS: PHILIP BALDWIN

A group of worshipers met formally in St Luke’s Church, Yaldhurst on the First Sunday of Advent,27 November for the first time, and it’s the “formal” part of the gathering that made it special.

The bible study group meets at the home of one of the members. Gerard leads the singing at a regular evening bible study.

His work was recognized at this year’s “Art in a Garden”, where approximately 70 artists and sculptors exhibited in Penny Zino’s Flaxmere garden in Hawarden, North Canterbury. In the “visitors’ vote” for favourite piece, Ben’s cathedral won 2nd place. “I think he hit a chord,” Kate says. “It’s simple-ish, but you certainly know what it is.”

His inspiration for the project? “We go to the Cathedral every year to put presents under the tree, and that gave me the idea for building it, because we can’t go this year.”

With the iron left over from another project and wood for the supporting frame from spare woolshed floorboards, Ben had the materials for his creation. Tin snips, a pop rivet gun, and holiday time this spring were additional ingredients that he needed to construct his miniature version of the Cathedral.

The design came from photos, and a first effort was constructed from cardboard. Ben did all the measuring and sawing himself, although he had some help from his Mum cutting the tin, and Kate volunteered that “to put it together, we sort of had to use all our brains”.

A little strengthening for travel will make the “corrugated cathedral” ready for display at the Hawarden Christmas Tree Festival (Saturday, 10 December) and the 2012 Festival of Flowers in Christchurch.

But Ben and his family have a more immediate concern: their hope is to find a place that his cathedral replica can be used as a substitute drop-off location for gifts for the Christchurch City Mission that can no longer be put under a tree in ChristChurch Cathedral. They want to keep that tradition of giving alive at this time of year.

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LIFESTyLE

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St Michael’s: the little Anglican school that canThe cover story of a recent North and South magazine read: “Why Faith Schools are Hot – and parents will do anything to get their kids enrolled”. And while people aren’t always beating down the door of our parishes themselves, when it comes to the values and character of the schools that have come out of our church, inspired by our faith and traditions, people want in. And it’s not just secondary schools either.

WORDS: SPANKy MOORE

Wander near the new Re-Start shipping container shopping precinct in Cashel Mall, and you’ll find a prime example of an Anglican school in our diocese that lives out our faith: St Michael’s School is a co-educational, primary day school with a roll of just under 200, new entrants through to year eight. What makes St Michael’s unique is its very close ties with the parish that shares its name and location. So, what is it that gives this faith-based school that x-factor?

“The school shares most of its facilities with the parish community. We’re able to be unapologetic about our Christian and Anglican culture and practice, and the children and teachers are involved in a rich ethos of liturgy, prayer, and worship,” says the Rev’d Peter Williams, vicar of St Michael and All Angels parish.

“There’s a strong sense among the children of ‘everyone helping each other along.’ The school has always been very good at giving the child who may be faltering a new bit of self esteem and sense of achievement.”

St Michael’s School aims to provide an educational experience that develops the spiritual, intellectual, cultural, and physical needs of each child, as well as a Christian community that helps form compassionate, responsible, and resourceful citizens. I caught up with principal Kevin Boyce while he was keeping an eye on the student’s weekly tennis lessons at Hagley Park. Something about the setting seemed to say a lot about just how dedicated everyone at the school is to creating a close-knit learning environment for the pupils.

In the Principal’s own words: “We begin each day with a brief service emphasising the idea that when a class, school, or syndicate meets together, they pray together. We hope that our pupils leave at the close of their St Michael’s experience with a connection to the values that they have lived out with us. We pride ourselves on preparing our pupils for their secondary years.”

Being based in the city centre meant St Michael’s was hit hard by the earthquakes. The last 14 months have been difficult, as the school has tried to adjust to the new shape of the city and the implications of that on the school, including a 15% drop in

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enrolments. Rev’d Williams says: “Our numbers are down, and that threatens our viability, as we are completely dependent on fees to pay the staff. Many of the parents worked in the central city, but no longer do so. Some lived centrally, too. Others have had to leave Christchurch altogether for work, and a number have had their incomes undermined.”

But in spite of all the trials and challenges the students have performed as well, if not better than usual, in the face of a shaky year. They had their best International Competitions and Assessments for Schools results in ten years. The baptism and entrance to communion programme stayed on track.

They even managed to take to the stage with their biennial production, this year being “Broadway Kids”. Every pupil took part in presenting songs from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Les Miserables, Oliver, Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music.

After spending a short amount of time looking around the school, it’s easy to see why people love it here: the kids are vibrant and friendly, the teachers warm. St Michael’s seem to have proved that smaller can be better, if a family of learning is what you’re after.

Rev’d Williams sums it up: “It’s a very special school. We just need to get through this difficult time.”

“The school has always been very good

at giving the child who may be faltering

a new bit of self esteem and sense of

achievement.”

The traditional major fundraiser for CWS as the official international aid and development agency for New Zealand churches looks at food issues this year. We are examining both issues and solutions.

The Christmas Appeal message “unpacks” the facts behind the many food-related headlines and stories we see in the media. It looks at how the United Nation’s visionary Millenium Development Goals set targets for problems like hunger, with a goal of halving hunger and extreme poverty by 2015. This systemic attack on poverty was going well until factors like climate change, global recession, overpopulation and the growth of speculative food trading derailed progress.

The World Bank estimated earlier this year that the global recession alone had pushed another 100 million to 150 million people below the poverty line.

While the CWS Christmas Appeal spotlights these grim facts it also shows how good development practice can lift people out of poverty and hunger. Readers with internet access can go online at christmasappeal.org.nz to see how CWS applies the idea of “teaching a person to fish is much better than just giving them a fish”.

While emergency aid does feature in the appeal, CWS has other partner profile stories in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, and Uganda to show how providing better farming and business skills turns lives around. The appeal makes the point that good food techniques are also good development practice.

For CWS, Christchurch’s only aid and development agency, the lessons from the earthquake cycle are also shared. The appeal has been inspired in part by the way that in a time of crisis people rallied together to make sure that nobody went hungry.

This year Christian World Service has lost its central city office, but not its commitment to social and economic justice, as the Christmas Appeal shows.

Showing hope for the hungry at Christmas...World hunger is on the rise but so too are solutions for dealing with it. That’s the mix of hope and need that helped shape the food theme of the 66th Christmas Appeal from Christian World Service.

WORDS & PHOTO: GREG JACKSON

LIFESTyLE

20 AnglicanLife Issue 16

Stones WORDS: JACqUI PATERSON

StonesMined, hewn, chiselledplaced side by sideone on top of the othermortared, cladded, treated,insulated, embellished, fortifiedhigher, wider, granderstronger—doubled, tripled, quadrupledmonumentally for ever moresolid, safe, secure

Stoneshuman shaped iconsdedicated to Godcreating holy spaceimagination, liminalitycontaining precious memoriesholding time in tensionabsorbing human painspeaking sans wordsheaven-sent wonder

Stonescrumble, break, fallin a momentdeconsecrated, secularizedno longer safeHoly holding placebroken, lost, betrayedplanning, pride, prayerdesecrated rubblewhat is sacred?

Stonesnever did contain Younever could contain Younever will contain YouStonesnever did control Younever could control Younever will control YouStones

CLOSING ESSAy

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