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Resumed Annual Meeting
Sunday March 11, 2012
After the 9am Service at Saint Georges, Thames
Business
·
Reception and approval of the Audited 2011 Accounts
·
Discussion and adoption of the 2012 Budget
All on Roll Welcome.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
OF THE THAMES ANGLICAN PARISH
HELD ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13th 2011
In Saint George’s Church & The Parish Hall
Present:
Vicar, and 35 Parishioners.
Apologies:
received from 8 parishioners.
Minutes of The Annual
General Meeting 14 November 2010
Minutes of The Annual
General Meeting Part Two 8 March 2011
The Vicar moved that the
minutes for the Annual General Meeting Part One and Part Two be
confirmed as a true and accurate
record. Robin
Plummer/Agreed.
Vicar’s Report:
The Vicar presented his report to the meeting during the
Church service.
Churchwarden’s Report:
Kate Jones presented the churchwardens’ report during the Church
service.
Moved the Vicar and
Churchwarden’s reports for 2011 be received and
adopted. Natalie Geary/Lynne Mounsey/Agreed
Moved the Vicar and
Churchwarden’s report for 2011 be received and
adopted.
Sue Lewis O’Halloran/David
Cooper/Agreed
Comments from the floor on the
clarity and presentation of both reports. Comment made that
reports were too long and maybe the Church was not the right
forum for both – reports to be distributed a couple of weeks
prior to the meeting and uploaded onto the website. Comment also
made that the Church is where the reports should be read.
Robin Plummer and David Cooper
thanked writers for clarity and details of their inclusive
reports. Excellent future record of our story/history.
Appointments and
Elections of Wardens and Vestry Members
Vicar’s Warden:
Kate Jones
People’s Warden:
Finlay Clements elected People’s Warden.
Vestry:
Raewyn Grey, Sue Lewis O’Halloran, Natalie Geary, Robin Plummer,
Margaret McKay, Diana Buchanan, Colleen Jones.
Robin Plummer moved Vestry be
given authority to fill
vacancies of up to 10
members. Raewyn Grey/Agreed
General Business
Letter from Colleen Jones (as
outgoing People’s Warden) read
and tabled.
Rev. Peter Philip expressed
that perhaps we were ready for a
change from ‘Seasons of the
Spirit’ material replacing the
first sections of the NZ Prayer
Book.
What style/feel should future
services take?
A workshop will be held early
in the New Year on future
styles. How should Sunday
Services be shaped – to follow
with the Seasons or a new
shape. Robin Plummer supported
Forum concept where
contemporary worship styles could be
studied and a way forward
expressed..
And also to include Youth Group
– ‘How to get worship to suit a changing modern world’.
There being no further
business, the meeting adjourned at
11.10am until Sunday March,
2012; with Prayer.
Signed:
___________________________ Dated
THAMES ANGLICAN PARISH –
CHURCH WARDENS ANNUAL REPORT NOVEMBER 13th 2011
2011, was the year that we learnt a few things:
We learnt that we are very good at designing Christmas cards,
some of us make excellent TV stars, a great many of us are
partial to travelling, both nationally and internationally. We
can throw a fairly good farewell or two, and we don’t like late
starts on Sunday mornings. We also learnt that we can truly
rely on each other, and we all work well together when we have
to fend for ourselves!
2011
- Has proved to have been a very mixed year, a year of highs and
lows, a year which has involved national disasters, and a year
in which the church has felt the effect of tough economic
times. We have spent a great deal of time worrying about parish
finances, balancing income with expenditure, nursing aging
office equipment and making do to avoid replacement costs. It
has also been a year of new beginnings, celebrations, and a
year when we have seen some dreams come to fruition.
Vestry wanted 2011 to be a year where we were open to new
opportunities and to take St Georges further into the
community. A year when we would continue to reach out as
a parish, and further our dreams of new projects . We have had
a busy year – with ground work being laid for future ideas and
time spent finalising others. We have much to celebrate and be
thankful for. 2011 has seen what the parish is capable of when
we work together as a team, and how with listening and learning
from each other we can continue to serve the community.
Vestry identified some achievable goals for 2011 in order to
grow the church and grow as church. We wanted to:
*Hold a successful fundraising event which would involve the
wider community ‘a parish Gala’.
*To launch a clear Fundraising Plan for the Link which would
enable us to go from ‘drawing board to build’. To obtain
resource consent and Diocesan Office approval - bringing us
closer to our dream of having the Link up and running by 2014.
*To have the St Georges Heritage Trust marketed to the
community, and being actively promoted and growing, and to have
a promotional DVD completed.
*To grow Friends of St Georges and establish regular newsletters
and events.
*To open the doors of St Georges Selwyn Centre, providing a
service to the older members of the community.
*To update St Georges with a data projector and screen system.
*To appoint a specialised person responsible for lottery
submissions.
*To further Christian Education with the younger members of the
Parish.
*To ensure the ongoing running of the parish with effective
management systems, and staffing levels in place.
The vestry continues to be well served and expertly informed by
both Fiona White our Treasurer, and Bob Cox, and we thank them
for their professional work, knowledge and guidance. Thank you
also to Brenda Craig whose work as Parish Recorder is very much
appreciated.
December – January 2011
A Christmas Tree festival was held in the church taking on a
‘greening/recycling’ theme – with funds being forwarded to the
Christian World Services Annual Appeal.
Advent services where again well attended. Thank you to
Graham and Rae for the variety of worship events through advent
and Christmas, and to all those involved with the successful and
very enjoyable ‘recycled Christmas’ themed services. Thank you
to Jenny, along with John and Raewyn Grey for creating the
centre piece for our Christmas Services, ‘The Christmas Caravan’
– which reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas. We
enjoyed a wonderful mix of traditional and modern services.
Thank you to all those who worked to transform the church and
grounds for the Christmas services.
We were again able through your generosity, to send a large
donation of boardgames to the Anglican Trust For Women and
Children. The trust expressed their gratitude and said it was
only through donations like ours that they were able to ensure
children had a happier Christmas. Thank you for your valued
contribution.
St Georges hosted a concert run by the Thames Music Group in
conjunction with Friends Of St Georges which raised funds to
assist the Pike River Appeal.
January and February 2011
Energies were spent on planning and implementing our Parish
Gala! With many parishioners spending a great deal time and
energy on ensuring our Gala was the success that it was. We
understand that running an event like this is always a huge ask
and it involves a great many hours of preparation. Your efforts
were very much appreciated by the team and conveynors. Some
parishioners going above and beyond the call of duty, even
delaying their travels so they could help with preparations!
Your sterling efforts saw parish funds boosted by over
$6,000.00.
February
saw the start of many lunchtime and musical concerts at St
Georges which would be held throughout the year. St Georges
continues to be a popular venue for musical recitals and
performances.
Final planning for the Selwyn Centre began in ernest with Robin
and Margaret completing a feasibility study, which involved
travel to other Selwyn Centres. The Management team also
attended the required St Johns First Aid Course.
March
saw Graham spending an intense week in Christchurch in his role
with the Civil Defence Welfare group, assisting with the
earthquake disaster and working with deeply traumatised
survivors.
St Georges hosted the Ash Wednesday Service this year. A
combined ecumenical service with Catholic and Baptist
congregations – very enjoyable.
Rae and Vivienne represented our parish at the Mothers Union
Annual General Meeting in Auckland.
Young families ministry resumed and continues to meet during
term time – led encouragingly by Rae Hinton who gives tirelessly
of herself - thank you so much Rae for this ministry, Rae
continues each week as licenced ministry educator to prepare a
worship reflection in the sanctuary which offers thoughtful
reflection during communion.
April
The Auckland City Singers performed at Saint Georges on the 10th
of April.
The parish enjoyed a wonderful and meaningful set of Easter
services this year beginning with a reflection of ‘stations’
around the Church during Holy Week.
Progress continued on the Link project with Graham and Raewyn
Grey meeting with Rod Moyes the Architect to review and finalise
the latest set of drawings.
May
We were reminded of the importance of applying for your tax
rebate and what your rebate could mean for Saint Georges. This
is often something that is overlooked by us all, and something
which can have a huge impact on parish funds. Vestry needs at
least $1400 a week from regular giving to meet the budget and
then donations and interest make up the balance of the required
income for the year.
May saw Praise Be in Thames! With many of our parishioners
being involved in the filming of the programme which took place
at St James Union Parish Church.
On the 20th we began trialling a later service time of 9.30am at
St Georges instead of the usual 9am start.
22 May - Holy Trinity, Parawai celebrated its 125 anniversary of
opening by the Maori Church in New Zealand, with a number of our
parishioners in attendance.
Mother’s Union Mission Day was held on the 23rd, with
guest speaker Beverley Berick speaking on ‘Working in Orphanages
in India’.
June
On Wednesday June 22 the Annual Friends Of Saint Georges Service
was held and an enjoyable mid winter Christmas supper followed.
The friends are operating under a new management group headed by
Russell Skeet, and have a membership of just over 40. The team
is currently working on producing quarterly newsletters and
actively growing their membership.
Sunday 26th June we hosted the farewell service for Archdeacon
Marilyn Welch. Marilyn had served as our archdeacon for just on
eleven years, and her presence will be greatly missed. This was
a lovely service with representatives from all over the
Archdeaconry attending, and with all age groups being
represented from our parish. The service ended with a time of
fellowship over a supper of hearty soups. Thank you to all
those involved, and especially to our members for providing the
meal.
July
The 3rd July we held another Forum: Looking at ‘Back to church
Sunday.’ which will be held on 11th September.
We were challenged to revisit our regular weekly and monthly
giving. Automatic payments continue to be promoted as an easier
way in which to make your weekly/monthly giving and is
invaluable when it comes to parish budgeting.
6th July the Thames High School Students held a midwinter
Musical Soiree by candle light. This was thoroughly enjoyed by
all those who attended and a repeat performance would be very
much welcomed! (STUART!)
During July Graham continued working with Thames High School
Students who are producing a promotional DVD for St Georges.
This project is progressing well with innovative ideas coming
from the pupils. Vestry is planning to hold a celebration
service (a way of saying thank you to the students involved in
this project) in early December.
August
Sunday 21 August we farewelled David and Fiona Holmes. David
ably served the parish as banker for many years and he will be
very much missed. David is replaced as parish banker by Kelvin
Jones. September also saw us farewelling Bernie and Jill
Mckernan who moved south to greener pastures.
September
Synod was held in Auckland over 1 - 3 September and attended on
our behalf by Graham and our synods representatives Winnie
Sheehan and Annette Herbert. Thank you to both Winnie and
Annette for that important role and valuable link you provide
between the wider Anglican Church and our Parish. We also note
that this year was a particularly taxing year at Synod,
requiring extra energy and commitment. Thank you to you both
for your commitment to this ministry.
On September 11 we celebrated 'Back to Church Sunday' - our
opportunity to invite someone to come to church. We welcomed
friends and neighbours to our Sunday service.
One of Vestry’s top priorities
this year was finally realised on the 14th September. After
more than 12 months of planning and hard work we were able to
open St Georges Selwyn Centre. Each Wednesday morning an
average of 10 people attend and enjoy the activities the group
offers. A huge thank you to all of those involved in this
important link with the wider community, and especially Margaret
McKay and Judy Jones.
Thank you to Robin Plummer for his initial dream, his hard work
with the feasibility study, and for time spent on ensuring this
valuable ministry got off the ground!
October
Saw the beginnings of our new group: ‘Spirited Conversations’
with the emphasis on involving the ‘under 50’s’ of the parish
and wider community. The group meets each Thursday evening for
an hour at the Grahamstown Bar. Interesting topics are
discussed in the way of casual conversation. Thank you to Ceri
Parr for her passion and foresight in getting this group going.
This is a new way of being church in the community, and
demonstrates how our world is changing, with having to think in
a different way in order to meet the needs of a younger
generation, and to do it within their busy timetable.
A junior youth group has been developed (for the 12 - 15 age
group) and meets on Sunday afternoons in the hall under the
leadership of Maryanne Jeffrey. Thank you to Rae and Annette
for catering light suppers for this group. Food and
conversation work well at any age!.
Health and Safety:
Thank you to David Juby who diligently keeps up our health and
safety checks and ensures we are operating within the health and
safety guidelines. Not a small task!
Mothers Union
continues to meet monthly under the leadership of Rae Hinton and
continue to support the community. This year they were able to
make donations to: Bible in schools, the plunket society,
overseas orphanages and to make a donation to Graham to be used
at his discretion. We can also boast to ‘own’ the Publicity
Officer for the Auckland Diocese Mothers Union - Vivienne
Baggaley now holds this position.
Interchurch Council
- we were ably represented again this year by Margaret McKay -
thank you Margaret for that valuable link you continue to
provide.
Inspire
- Inspire is into it's 12th year of open church doors. Thank
you to the tireless team of workers from not only our church
community but the wider community who are involved in keeping
the church open and accessible to visitors. Special thanks to
Jenny Colley and her team who between them keep the rosters
ticking along and to all the volunteers who work to ensure we
continue to have ‘open doors’.
Focalare:
this small but loyal group continue to meet monthly under Hazel
Skelding‘s leadership.
Interchurch Foodbank
we continue to support this community service and thank you to
Margaret Smith and our members who ensure the donated items get
to where they are most needed. The food bank is continually in
need and with the Christmas and holiday season approaching
strains on stocks will become even greater. Margaret reminds us
that our donations are much appreciated and it does make a
difference.
Awards:
This year we have to award a long service and good conduct
medal to Colleen Jones, who has held the position of
People’s Warden for 12 years. This has been Colleen’s last year
as People’s Warden, with Colleen giving notice at our last
Annual General Meeting. Colleen has made a huge contribution to
our parish, with her practical behind the scenes work, and wants
to assure us that she is not going anywhere!.
In Conclusion
During the week I get to see other churches and work closely
with clergy and parishes around the Coromandel and Waikato.
Last week I was at a Church which although was welcoming, it had
cobwebs, dust, was untidy and generally looked neglected. It
reminded me of how easy it is to take what you have for
granted. It is easy to forget what we have here at St Georges.
A clean, welcoming and well looked after building, which is
accessible to the public. This is only made possible because of
our team of hard working people on the various rosters. Our
dedicated music team, morning tea helpers, liturgists, readers,
bankers, sidespeople, welcomers, cleaners, inspire volunteers,
mothers union, lawnmowers, floral artists, and the many other
people who work quietly behind the scenes. An enormous thank
you. You make us who we are and shape how the community sees
us.
We give thanks
for our new ministries at Saint Georges and for the
people who have the dedication and drive to see these new
ministries up and running. In particular Robin Plummer and
Margaret McKay, for the Selwyn Centre. Cerridwyn Parr for her
enthusiasm and guidance with Spirited Conversations, Maryann
Jeffrey for her work with the Youth Group, and to Elizabeth and
Peter Eynon for providing a time of prayer before Sunday
service
Thankyou to Sue
Lewis O’Halloran who fronts the parish office. We thank you Sue
for your administration of the Parish, and for your continued
visioning and energy.
A sincere thank you to the clergy
who ensure we enjoy varied, challenging and meaningful
services. To Hazel, Peter, David, Rae, and Arthur - thank you
all for your individual styles that you bring to our Sunday
Services, and your loyalty and dedication to us as a parish, and
for your continued support of Graham.
To Graham - thank you.
2011 has been a demanding and challenging year, and one in which
has seen Graham in many different roles. It needs to be
acknowledged that Grahams workload is such that he is not only
called upon to serve our parish and local community, but also
our wider community, and when required, at national level, such
as the Christchurch earthquake this year. Thank you for the
many hours you spend Graham. For your pastoral care, your work
with other faith members, and for your continued passion in
being community. For exposing us to different styles of
worship, for your teaching, knowledge, and leadership, and for
your continued vision of what we could and should be as
‘Church’. For keeping us focused on the achievable ‘big
picture’ and for reminding us that through faith and prayer
anything is possible. We know that you will continue to keep us
reaching outwardly into the wider community during the coming
year.
To Jenny,
for your continuing support of Graham. Thank you for your
often unnoticed work in the parish, your creativity, your
contributions to our services, and for giving so freely and
selflessly of yourself. Thank you Jenny for your ability to
‘always have time.’
We start the next twelve
months by welcoming Bishop Ross as Presider and Preacher next
Sunday, and then coming together as a Parish to enjoy a catered
Brunch. We have had a solid 2011 with much being achieved -
We give thanks for the tasks begun, work already done,
vision caught and shared, and for faithful ministry.
Let's move into 2012 building further on what we have begun, and
continuing to dream.
Kate Jones
Churchwarden
Graham Colley
L.Th, Tr.Tch. Cert, CertAdultTchg (Waikato), former Archdeacon
of Hunua MCAIRANZ
Priest ~ Ministry Trainer ~
Pastoral Supervisor
PO Box 227 Thames 3540, Telephone 07 868 6267Email
gandj.colley@xtra.co.nz
Then the one who had received the one talent also came
forward, saying, "Master,
I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not
sow, and, gathering
where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went
and hid your talent in
the ground. Here you have what is yours."
{Introductory remarks relate to the day’s scriptures}.
Sometimes we
take ourselves too seriously and forget that God has a
vision for us and his church.
2011 has been a
year like no other in the 31 years that I have lived and
ministered with and amongst the people of The Thames. For
2011 has seen a growing birth to reality of many of the
dreams and visions that we’ve shared together over those
three decades. The coming to fruition of the mission and
ministry of the people of this place over a generation, when
many of the dreamers and vision-ers have passed on through
death or through moving to another place.
What this past
12 months has reinforced for me has been the necessity of
dreaming what might seem an
impossible dream in order to birth it into reality.
We know that great outcomes often have small beginnings.
What this past year has taught many of us and reinforced for
others is that we simply get nowhere if we limit ourselves
to what we see and hear in the here and now. If we choose
not to think laterally or outside the square then we
end up somehow atrophying and dying within those confines
that we place ourselves inside. Just as the church that
lives to itself dies by itself, so does individual faith
become a system that ceases to be sustaining or enriching.
The world is in
recession. All of us will know of individuals
struggling, businesses going under, stress and strain in
relationships. The parish, no less than the rest of the
community, is feeling the pinch as our income from
investments and even week-by-week income is affected by the
changes in the economy. It could easily be a time when we
pull everything in and function in a more simplified watch
and wait perspective. Close ranks and mind the shop.
Yet at the same
time 2011 has been a year when dreams have visited us with
reality. Where exciting things have happened and new life
and vision has become evident. Starting with the events and
services leading on from last year’s November AGM we
welcomed the Ohinemuri Singers who brought their Cantata
Born a King to Saint Georges and this year present
(with a 75 voice choir) two performances of Season of
Wonders in Saint Georges on December 10.
The
Christmas Tree Festival invited participants to think
laterally and entries gave us a ‘recycled’ theme in their
presentations. That re-cycled theme was evident through
Advent and into the main Christmas Communion on Christmas
Eve when we offered our own spin on the NZ Children’s story
The Christmas Caravan which became our token ‘manger’
through Christmas and into the New Year.
Early in the
New Year we saw the beginnings of another long-held dream:
the start of a joint project with Thames High School
students using the parish as client to prepare DVD and CD
presentations on the history, life and vision of Saint
Georges in their examination projects for the year. Those
DVDs and CDs will
2
2011 Annual report
help visitors
to Saint Georges through the In Spire team to learn a little
more about the life of the church and parish as they
stop-over to enjoy and use the building here, whether as
tourists or those coming for rest and sanctuary. Saint
Georges has a strong connection and outreach into the local
community which is an important part of the mission of the
parish generally. Raewyn Grey has been an important link
between the Vestry and the High School in this project. And
the Parish Guild (currently in recess) pool of funds will
finance its creation.
A continuing
theme of the parish over the past couple of decades has been
the mission and ministry of the church living out a gospel
imperative with the Jesus-life as an example of a
community-facing ministry. The Good News has changed our
lives and compels us to share, in the most positive way,
what those changes mean. That cannot happen if we retreat
into a comfy enclave to do our own thing without any
engagement with the wider community in whatever way we can.
The LINK
Project
that we have seen as an outcome of the Cairncross
Conservation Plan that was prepared in the late 90s is about
making the church plant more accessible and user friendly as
well as safe and compliant with the Public Buildings Act.
2011 has seen significant movement on that project as the
drawings have reached a stage where we have gained Historic
Places Trust approval for the project, we have started the
process of gaining Resource Consent and the Diocesan
Committee on Faculties has added its approval to our moving
to the next stage. Once Resource Consent has been gained we
will move to more detailed drawings and thus a more accurate
costing and then to the next stage of funding of the
project.
We have a
period of time to comply with Government requirements as an
Historic Building in relation to the Act. The LINK Corridor
with its facilities will go a long way towards compliance
and will indicate our readiness to be user-friendly as a
public-used facility. The Saint Georges Independent
Charitable Trust was launched and in that process gained
some immediate financial support (without asking) which
showed the willingness of the wider community to support
that venture which will take on a more formal role after its
AGM early in the New Year. We initially saw that Fund with a
million dollar capital to produce annual interest to
maintain the plant and fund development of its use. Slowly
that objective has risen to a point where one of the
committee in an interview mentioned five million capital.
The Trust will grow through estates, and when you consider
an average estate valued around $200,000 you can see that
for every five gifts of estates, there’s a million in income
for the Trust. Dreams that soon become realities for there
are more than just former Thames people who are interested
in the Heritage nature of Saint Georges and its faith
community.
3
2011 Annual report
The realization
of yet another long-held dream was the opening of the
SELWYN CENTRE at Saint Georges last September. Margaret
Mackay and Judy Jones are the coordinators of a team of
people who helped set that up and a group of volunteers who
make the week by week running of the Centre a reality. The
Selwyn Foundation largely funds the Centre, helping us to
provide a quality social service aspect of our ministry and
witness in this community where we’re set. An ongoing
management team oversees that project on Vestry’s behalf.
All of the
groups and organizations,
from the Mothers Union (with hard-working leader Rae Hinton)
to the Sanctuary Group ably coordinated by Lois Robinson for
more than the past decade, worship leaders (including the
retired clergy always ready to assist with Sunday
services),and individuals like the organists who gift their
musical talents. Hospitality ministry through In Spire
and the weekly morning tea rosterees. LLM Rae Hinton’s
ministry amongst young families, and the ministers of the
extended sacrament who pastorally care the shut-ins of the
parish. All those groups and the Vestry which has a ministry
of administration and visioning -- has meant a full and
active year for the parish without the establishment of two
new groups which started last month --- the Gen X&Y
Spirited Conversations and a Junior Youth Group
that will cater for two very important age groups in our
parish’s pastoral and outreach ministry who stand outside
the traditional structures of the church’s life and
ministry.
The Parish’s
web site
has come in for more use this year and has undergone some
upgrading and change to keep it in a better place as a
communication and information-giving link with the wider,
local and the international community. We have long
dreamed on Vestry of making that medium more inter-active
and will work towards restructuring on those lines in the
next year or two as funding makes that possible.
The 2011
Ministry Conference in the Diocese this year asked the
question How do we sing the Lord’s Song in a Strange
Land? And in the light of the Pike River tragedy (that
we with our mining heritage can find some connection) and
the Christchurch major Earthquake last February (coupled
with the increasing incidence of climate change), Japan’s
earthquake and tsunami, famine and displacement in African
countries, earthquakes and eruptions in many parts of the
globe, -- we are all seeking to understand afresh the love
of God in the light of such disasters that we know about
within minutes of their occurring. Even in the midst of the
World Rugby Cup celebrations we’ve had to experience the
effects of oil pollution on our coast – we are not somehow
immunized from the effects of such tragedy.
I’m heartened
at the local church’s responses in the local events
on the West Coast and Canterbury as well as in the Bay of
Plenty. In all these very well documented events the local
church has been at the forefront of care and in a sustained
way. On the West Coast the local church has been a presence
of hope and pastoral support. So too in Christchurch where
social justice and social service agencies of the churches
have worked with local planning agencies to ensure caring
and long-term support in the rebuilding process. I was
privileged through my involvement with the Thames Valley
Civil Defence to go to Christchurch within a month of the
Quake to help to a process of responding to the needs of
those hardest hit. I’m heartened by the significant work and
response of local church members giving, praying and working
out of a commitment to social service and social justice in
all such tragedies.
Friends
of Saint Georges
took a different turn this past year when, at the Annual
service and meeting, those who attended decided to take up
some of the management of the group and thus take it away
from Vestry and paid staff initiative. We have yet to see
that happening in reality, but there is a strong desire to
make it work independently. The Friends group is not
so much a fund-raising as an awareness-raising group for
Saint Georges Church and all that is currently happening
through its presence in the community.
For a couple of
decades and more we have modelled a ministry that we
all as baptized Christians share --- whether in our Sunday
worship or in our ways in which we are all church. So
we have ensured that there are lay leaders working alongside
the ordained. Lay sharing with the Eucharistic minister the
various roles of Sunday communion. Lay ministers in
education, pastoral and administrative ministries. We were
saddened as the sudden death of Gwenyth Taylor on Waitangi
Day. Gwenyth had accepted the licenced ministry role of
Parish Nurse – bringing her years of practical nursing,
missionary work in Pakistan and her pastoral and listening
skills as a vicar’s widow into that ministry. Rae Hinton was
re-licenced last year in her education and young families
ministry. We have big gaps in worship planning and pastoral
ministry where we can ensure that we model that
ministry/priesthood of all the baptized. The deaths of Flo
Kenny and Heather Russek also leave gaps in our local parish
family.
Sue Lewis-O’Halloran
has spent a great deal of her office time this year
re-ordering the parish roll, and indexing the registers.
Complex, and demanding, that ground-work adds to the
archival nature of our role here as a heritage church in an
historic community. It will make that aspect of our
administrative work simpler for decades ahead. Sue’s role in
the office goes beyond churning out a Sunday pewsheet --
for long and short-term planning make for easier
administering of the parish – much of that work can be the
task of a lay administrator/vicar as a welder of community
life in the administrative role. In our Ministry of
Administration also we have farewelled David Holmes
from the parish. He and Fiona came to Thames over two
decades ago when David was appointed Accountant at the ANZ.
David has served a decade as Treasurer and nearly the same
period as Parish Banker. He has been replaced by Kelvin
Jones and John Grey. Over the past twelve months we have
also experienced the loss of Colin Brokenshire who has
worked in many capacities of ministry at Saint Georges, from
Vestry and welcome to most recently assistant banker to
David.
4
2011 Annual report
We acknowledge
each year those who have been affected by the death of loved
ones and who have connected with the parish’s pastoral
ministry through funerals at the All Souls’ Day service at
the beginning of November.
Episcopal
Ministry
in the diocese comes a step nearer to us with the visit of
the Diocesan Bishop on November 20 when Ross Bay will be in
the parish for the morning. To mark that visit we have
organised a catered Brunch that’ll give the opportunity to
meet and greet the bishop after the service and help get him
on board with the LINK development programme soon to move
into its next stage of process. In August Bishop Sir Paul
Reeves died and was buried from the Cathedral in a State
Service. Paul Reeves had a close contact with Saint Georges
in the 1980s particularly, both as bishop and Governor
General. Paul consecrated the Hancock Memorial Cabinet at
the South entrance, consecrated the new Nave Sanctuary and,
with Godfrey Wilson, offered Episcopal pastoral ministry to
us all. Those two men even in their deaths were united and
remembered at Jim White’s ordination as bishop at the end of
October. Bishop Jim will be assistant to Ross Bay. He is a
scholar who has had extensive parish experience and most
recently, has been the Dean of the National (Auckland)
Theological College for Pakeha students training in ministry
knowledge and skills. He knows the Coromandel and Thames
from the road as a participant in at least two of the K2
cycle races – staying at the Vicarage for an early start! I
hope that we will have the opportunity to welcome him to
this region in the New Year.
With the
appointment of Sue McCafferty from Northern Otago to
be the Southern Region Archdeacon last July the boundaries
have changed in that parishes and ministry units have been
organised into clusters – we are part of the Coromandel
Cluster that includes the Hauraki Plains, Thames and the
rest of the Coromandel Peninsula. That’s the support unit
for us that replaces the parishes of the Hunua Archdeaconry
and which will have some regular contact and enrichment
locally. Archdeacon Sue was briefly in the Parish towards
the end of October and met with the Archdeaconry ministers
in early November where she told us that a DVD-based study
will be circulated soon so that we can be informed about
ordination and same sex relationships and the background of
the international Covenant seeking ratification next year.
The Bishop’s
team, including the full-time archdeacons, will be a shared
resource for various ministry formation in the Diocese. I
hope that we will be in a position to host here a Regional
Welcome to the new Assistant Bishop early in the new year.
Today’s gospel
reading asks us (in Matthew’s rather harsh rendering) to
consider what our Christian life does with our God-given
talents and abilities. It speaks out of the culture of
Jesus’ day about outcomes and mission for each one of us –
no-one is spared the expectation – living out a
ministry/priesthood of all the baptized. We are baptized
into the Christian community, and with that baptism there is
expectation on God’s behalf about a kind of loving lifestyle
that embodies the love that Christ so scandalized his
communities through his teaching. An understanding of God
that is inclusive and accepting; a using and developing of
individual gifting in service of the whole of
creation; a sharing of faith and a building of community.
Jesus’ condemnation is primarily of the people who don’t
take risks, who avoid the controversial or opportunities to
grow in faith.
The Message
puts it this way as the master speaks to the third delegated
servant: “That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to
live cautiously like that! If you knew that I was after the
best, why did you do less than the least?” ... get rid of
this ‘play-it-safe’ who wont go out on a limb. Throw him
into the utter darkness. At last month’s ordination of Jim
White as a bishop, Dr Marilyn McCord Adams called on the
church leadership and followers of Jesus to be scandalous
just as he was scandalous in his time. Not to
play-it-safe but to literally go out on a limb if we are
to really use and increase the god-given and unique talent
that we each have. May it be so for us all as we head into
new visions and often stormy seas in the next twelve months
we minister together.
Graham Colley
Vicar
Feast of Christ in all Creation
Sunday November
13, 2011
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