Deep Change In The Wake Of Lockdown

As New Zealand has settled back into a sense of normality in the months following the national lockdown, parishes have had a lot to consider when it comes to what church would look like in the future. Rev. Mark Henderwood, Priest in Charge of our St Hilda’s Island Bay whānau, explained how their congregation had already been considering the re-establishment of small groups prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, making the eventual shift into a house church format a no-brainer.

As lockdown approached, their leadership moved the parish into small groups for a post-Diocesan-service Zoom each week. Once in lower alert levels, St Hilda’s shifted to house churches of six to ten people and continued these for the next six weeks.

Since then, the congregation has returned to St Hilda’s church building, but something deep has shifted. 

“We came out of lockdown with a renewed gratitude for each other, and a fresh appreciation for what each person brings.” Mark says that they are finding a new sense of family, and spending much more of their time in each other’s homes. “I think there’s a fresh joy of being together and it’s over meals where this joy is most palpable” Some of this being together happens at parishioners’ homes each week after their Sunday service.

For St Hilda’s, lockdown provided an opportunity to reflect on how they could be the church, rather than just doing church. 

Bishop Justin says it’s a story common across the diocese, “many people have realised that business-as-usual was focussed on things that they realised weren’t actually valuable or worth doing. Whereas the main things like prayer and deep belonging together have risen again as the core of our faith. It’s wonderful to watch.” And for many that has been the story of lockdown. Not necessarily dramatic change, but a profound re-ordering of priorities to those things Jesus cares most about. 

By Holly Morton & Scottie Reeve