Refreshing lives, transforming faith, at the heart of the community Haere Mai, Piki Mai
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The end of the church year is racing towards us; very soon we will be in the season of Advent which begins on the 30 November.
We are already well into spring and there is new growth all around us.
Life is full of endings and beginnings. Sometimes things have to end, to die before new life can begin. The Autumn leaves return nutrients back to the soil for fresh budburst,
the caterpillar surrenders to the pupae in order for the butterfly to emerge and in our lives old habits, wrong choices and ineffective patterns must be let go in order that God can
redirect and renew our lives. The death of one aspect of our life is often the ground which is then ploughed and watered to bring forth something new and exciting. When we are
in the midst of the ploughing it doesn′t feel that way, but we can never know what may only be moments away.
King David prayed earnestly for seven days for his baby son to live. When the child died he washed, dressed and returned to worship; in his consolation of Bathsheba, Solomon
was conceived ( 2 Samuel 12:16 - 25). St Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13,14 :
"Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."
We all need time to grieve but then God calls us to strain forward, to step out again in faith.
What new direction is God calling you to? What new beginning is waiting for you to step forward to? What is God calling us to as a cathedral?
Only prayer can bring us the answers. So let us take time at the start of this new church year to ask God what new ventures he is calling us to begin, as
individuals and as a church, and then press on towards our goal, to the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord!
Amen.
In September at a special meeting of parishioners we explained why there was a proposal to Synod to downgrade our status to that of a Mission District. After several
other meetings and the wise intervention of the Bishop, the original motion was dropped in favour of another one which, whilst recognising the challenges we are facing,
proposed that a committee be set up to investigate the situation and to report back to Standing Committee. This motion was given the support of the Vestry and was
accepted by Synod. To date the new committee has not met.
We have had similar challenges in the past and God has never let us down because he has responded to our faithfulness.
I want you to know that the Cathedral Vestry will cooperate fully with the committee to be chaired by the bishop. Even though we were shocked by what might have happened,
we look at this as an opportunity to examine the true costs of running a cathedral and of maintaining a busy parish based at the cathedral, which is an expensive asset to maintain.
Recently the Cathedral Chapter was able to agree with the Standing Committee of the Diocese with a regular amount for the repair and maintenance of the cathedral and this is a
significant step. The cathedral is a diocesan facility which the parish of Christ Church uses as our parish church. Even so, as a parish we pay all the electricity costs and repair
costs and the salaries of those who maintain the ministry here. All these things will be taken into consideration by the new committee.
In the meantime THANK YOU. Thank you if you are a regular giver to our stewardship scheme for it is by the consistent giving of the cathedral family that we are able to achieve
so much. Please know that in the current situation the Vestry is beginning to look at ways of saving money even though to date we are working very close to budget. So, if the
cathedral is not open as long as it has been in the past or a few more lights are put out, please understand that these are temporary measures.
We have had similar challenges in the past and God has never let us down because he has responded to our faithfulness. As I keep on reminding myself, we may be in a period of
challenge but in some parts of the community and in the poorer parts of the world, disaster and challenge are facing innocent people today. We must not reduce our support of those
in need, especially at a time like this.
Finally, there is a hint of good news on the horizon. As it was reported in the newspaper at the time of Synod, the Chapter has been looking into the possibility of a new building on
site, adjacent to the cathedral. This building would be used by the parish, the diocese and could be hired for use by the community. The first concept drawings have been received
from the local architects and these are being used as the basis of discussions by a joint meeting of Vestry and Chapter. It is our fervent hope that a formal announcement will be made
soon after Easter next year. Such a building would only help us to develop our ministry and see more people enjoying this holy place we cherish so much.
As the story goes, a certain vicar used to boast that he belonged to no political party, and no one knew for which party he voted at a general election. A very unsubtle clue appeared on
his first Sunday service after an election. If a Conservative won, he would chose the hymn, ‘Now thank we all our God’;
if a Labour candidate won, he would choose the hymn, ‘O God, our help in ages past’;
if any other party won, the hymn would be, ‘God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform’.
I’m sure that whoever chooses the hymns at the Cathedral would be more neutral.
As you read this column, you will be distracted by the many promises that are being made by our politicians to gain our vote on 8 November. Predictably, Laura Norder
was on the scene at an early stage, and our daily newspapers are finding it difficult to keep up with the advice given to us in the correspondence columns. (For my money, a lot of
the Letters to the Ed come under the ‘moaning, whining, grizzling’ heading, and I wonder what Basil Fawlty would have done with all that.)
Alongside all of this is the rather more worrying prospect of world financial chaos that has come to us out of America. I watched on BBC television some of the US Senate struggling
to produce a rescue package and was struck by the fine example of the different sides of the Senate working ‘for the common good’. I hope they have succeeded,
because they were able to rise above the partisan and the personal, and deal with real issues such as housing, education and health, and not waste time and energy on the trivial.
I would like to think that that is what we as a church have to offer at a time like this which includes our own New Zealand elections.
A book purchased in the last few years which I find greatly encouraging is called The Meaning of Jesus by Bishop Tom Wright and Marcus Borg. They write chapter about,
often disagreeing, but never being acrimonious. Both are theologians and have been friends since university days. They provide an example of how to disagree without angry
name-calling, and how to discover what they have in common in the Christian faith - a great deal, as it turns out. Every time I read this book, I am encouraged by its visionary approach.
How can we help our future Members of Parliament to be visionaries who work for the common good without spending too much time ‘moaning, whining, grizzling’ and point-scoring?
Yes, we haven’t always been good at this ourselves in the church, but I would like to think we are coming to a new maturity that has helped us learn from our own mistakes.
A Word in Season available from the Cathedral Bookstall.
I’d like to conclude by recommending another very good read, called A Word in Season: reflections on spirituality, faith and ethics by Bishop Richard Randerson.
Richard has, for forty years, been at the intersection of faith and the public domain in many different ways, and this outstanding book is a selection of his thinking from the last decade.
It is a book for personal use and for study groups and for issues that we may want to raise with anyone who wants to sit in the New Zealand House of Representatives. In his chapter
on Should the Church get involved in Politics? he has some principles and criteria that are both visionary and down-to-earth.
I strongly encourage you to buy Richard’s book.
By the way, CROAK - I read in a recent newspaper’s business pages that the Reserve Bank has a adopted a ‘boil-a-frog’ approach to the economy - we are now
at the point where the frog has realised what is going on. Help! I have the feeling that we might be the frogs.
"I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and
take pleasure in all their toil."
Ecclesiastes 3:12,13
Yes, come and enjoy the company, the food and the reason for our get together, come along to the Cathedral Eat, drink and be happy! to be held on
Saturday, 15th November beginning 5:30pm and 6:15pm.
Our Mission Team has been planning again and this time we would like to invite you all to a 3-course meal.
There are two starting times and as people gather "nibbles" will be available while we wait for everyone to arrive.
Entry is by ticket only!
Places are limited so be in quick to reserve your seat.
Tickets can be obtained from the cathedral office for a donation of $20.
All proceeds will go towards our mission project and receipts for tax purposes are available. We would also appreciate donations of juice, wine, funds for the quiz prize,
paper napkins etc and if you can help with the cooking or washing the dishes we would love to hear from you too!
This is our last fundraising event for the year and through the proceeds we should be able to reach our project target of $3,500, and have a lot of fun in the process!
We′d also like to thank our 19 mission envelope givers who give monthly all year round. If you would like a set of envelopes please contact the office.
Recently Christ Church Cathedral Nelson had a service with not one but two vergers, our Ian McLean and Brian Mathews, visiting us form Holy Trinity Cathedral Parnell
The more sedate definition of a verger and his [her??] role and duties is:
Chiefly Church of England
a church official who acts as caretaker
an official who carries the rod of office before a bishop or dean in ceremonies and processions [Latin virga rod, twig]
Occasionally Vergers have fulfilled roles we might not have expected of them. In Christ Church Cathedral Dublin the tradition followed after the midnight mass at Christmas time is an
exchange of kisses, an activity supervised it seems by the Verger. We presume some training and direction would be appropriate should we expect our Verger of Christ Church
Cathedral Nelson to organise such an activity.
Footnote:
There are obviously more ways than one to fill a cathedral! Editor
The walking tours organised by the Historical Society for our city and diocese 150th reminded some of us that our cathedral looks up at us from a well trodden pathway of man-hole covers
featuring a drawing by Mike Ward, who describes his piece of work this way:
In 2005 Andrew Petheram asked if Council could use a picture I drew before I left council on the city’s new manhole covers. I drew a new version, round and Nelson flavoured, with fish,
musicians and Cathedral, and wound up cast in iron and flatteringly scattered around Nelson streets.
Jack Wallace, aged 11 years, visiting with his grandparents, from St Albans, Christchurch, stands by the prize-winning painting by children from Spring Creek Anglican Church.
Jack holds the bookmark made from the painting he obtained from the Bishopdale Theological College stall.
Ministry of Welcoming
proud of the strong witness we present to Gods world
Over the first two weeks of the celebration of the 150th year of the city and diocese the Cathedral had a full welcoming programme with some 40 Welcomers greeting around 2,000 visitors.
Some 1,415 signed the book and a card record was kept of our visitors.
About half the visitors were New Zealanders, – a higher proportion than usual – and being school holidays many more families and children, or grandchildren.
Of the 104 visitors from Asia the Nelson tourist industry might be surprised that only 11 were from China.
All in all we at the cathedral will be proud of the strong witness we present to Gods world – and the important contribution to the Nelson tourist industry!
Thanks to the more than 40 Welcomers who did a fine job during the 150th celebration
While the Welcomers were asked to invite visitors to sign the book, our estimate is that a quarter of our visitors are not recorded in the statistics
The probable total over the 15 days is around 2,000
Thanks to Veronica Wong and Kathleen Barnett for counting the numbers
Thanks also to Roger Williams for analysing data from the record cards.
The following are the countries that the Welcomers recorded visitors coming from during the 150th celebrations. However, not all visitors were recorded in this way.
The Cathedral Welcomers group needs many more volunteers over the summer months to keep up the great work begun with the opening two weeks of the 150th celebration.
There is a chart at the back of the Cathedral – please put your name against a space – we do like to have where possible two (or more) Welcomers on duty. This allows
one person to do the initial greetings, and request the visitor to sign the visitors book The other person can be wandering around the cathedral getting into conversations with
visitors about their interests and queries.
Jesus said in some desperation that the “harvest is big but the harvesters are [too] few”
Names of people who have died in the last twelve months are requested for a time of remembrance during the Choral Compline on
Sunday 2nd November at 6pm.
The setting aside of a special day to commemorate all saints whether known or unknown, has a complex history. In the New Testament ‘saints’ refers to all
Christians, however the church soon gave special honour to heroes of the faith, particularly to the martyrs, who had given their lives for the faith. The word ‘saint’
then came to describe those who have become officially recognised by the church as in some way fulfilling their call to be saints.
In the early church a feast commemorating all martyrs seems to have been observed in association with Pentecost.
By the eighth century the feast was enlarged to include, not only martyrs, but all saints and its observance is marked on 1 November.
The feast allows us to express our sense of communion with all those who have gone before us, whether known or unknown, who have witnessed their faith in Christ.
All Souls’ Day is in many ways an extension of All Saints Day. As the word ‘saint’ came to be used more and more to describe heroes of the faith, the
urge to commemorate all those who had died in the faith of Christ led to the development of ‘All Souls’ Day’
The feast was abolished in the Church of England at the reformation because of its association with masses for the dead, but has been restored in many modern calendars as a
more general commemoration of the faithful departed.
The manager has recently finished her training as a Hearing Advisor, so please feel free to go and see her if you need advice on your own hearing, but make an appointment as she is
available only on Mondays.
notes on on the current church music scene in the UK
My recent trip criss-crossing southern England started with the wonderful Southern Cathedrals Festival at Winchester. With the choirs of Salisbury and Chichester joining the locals there
was a feast of services and concerts. Thereafter to Oxford where I met up with Alistair Carey, our Organ Scholar in 1992, who is now a tenor in the choir of Christ Church Cathedral there.
The UK Organists Congress was centred at Huntingdon near Cambridge, and the 180 of us were bussed daily into Cambridge Chapels and to adjacent places like Peterborough
and Ely Cathedrals where we had marvellous organ concerts by many famous names and superb young talents.
Moving on in my rental car to Tewkesbury for services by Musica Deo Sacra, a hand-picked choir which sings a week of services in the beautiful 12th century Abbey, I was delighted
to meet the two NZ singers - Lizzie Tyrrell and fiancé Nick Madden. They also sang a Solemn Eucharist in Bristol Cathedral which I attended and while thereabouts
I went to an Evensong in Gloucester Cathedral and to Hereford Cathedral to hear Christchurch NZ Cathedral Choir sing Evensong - at a standard of any English equivalent.
I returned to Cambridge to hear the choir of St Pauls Cathedral Wellington, also touring England, at Selwyn and St Johns Colleges for Evensong and an exquisite lunch-time recital in
the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral.
Next to Worcester for just three days of the 281st Three Choirs Festival with the choirs of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester Cathedrals and the Philharmonia Orchestra. There
was a fine recital on the new cathedral organ by Dame Gillian Weir and an exhilarating ‘Carmina Burana’ - performed in our cathedral in October as part
of the 2008 Nelson Arts Festival.
The major event of my trip was the
RSCM International Summer School
at Canterbury. There were many highlights, starting with a candlelit tour of
the cathedral led by the Dean - a powerful experience. A feature was the singing of the
RSCM Millennium Youth Choir,
which our former bass Nick Malcolm was in. The 130
attendees sang a special Festival Service in this historic home of Anglicanism.
Finally back across England to the little village of Edington on the north-west of the Salisbury Plain to the 1361 Priory Church’s 52nd Music Festival. This little-known gem
of English Church music is so beloved that it is hard to get a seat. I had to leave this amazing four services a day choral experience before it was over as my tour of USA National Parks
from Denver to Las Vegas was scheduled. That was also a memorable experience.
Too much choral music and canyons?
Never!
Roger Williams
Editors note:
Roger clearly is a mine of information on the current church music scene in the UK and could assist folk who plan to visit the UK and would like to
select some special church music places and events.
The end of the church year is racing towards us; very soon we will be in the season of Advent which begins on the 30 November.
Dear friends,
As the story goes, a certain vicar used to boast that he belonged to no political party, and no one knew for which party he voted at a general election. A very unsubtle clue appeared on
his first Sunday service after an election. If a Conservative won, he would chose the hymn, ‘Now thank we all our God’;
if a Labour candidate won, he would choose the hymn, ‘O God, our help in ages past’;
if any other party won, the hymn would be, ‘God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform’.
Two Vergers Not One
Christ Church Cathedral hits the streets
