Celebrating Lives of Faith in Our Movement
Last weekend St John’s in Johnsonville celebrated the 90th birthday of one of their stalwart women of faith and bishops medal recipient Jane Watts.
This wonderful celebration got us thinking. Not just about Jane, but also about the hundreds of women of faith like her across our movement in the Diocese. The ones who serve, give of themselves, and steadfastly carry parishes through tough time and celebrate the flourishing of new life and good times too.
As we travel around our Diocese, we notice that every parish seems to have them. They love and care deeply, carry faith and grace about them like a korowai, and are often the very thread that holds the fabric of our faith communities together.
This is especially true in times like this. When there are times of deep social unease and it is difficult to journey together it’s often women like Jane who pay attention to those who are marginalised in community, those who are struggling, those who need care and someone to walk alongside them. Those who will speak with Faith and Grace into the difficult circumstances of people’s everyday situations.
So can we ask you, as a Movement, to take some time this week to celebrate and appreciate these women in our midst, the AAW groups in our parishes, the pastoral carers, the kids church and mainly music leaders, the priests and preachers, the providers of hospitality and support, the community builders.
Once at a synod years ago Archbishop David Moxon was in attendance. At the morning tea break everyone gathered in the main hall, with quite a crowd keen to talk to the Archbishop. Unnoticed by many though, he slipped in the side door and made his way to the kitchen where he greeted and chatted to the volunteers helping on that day. When someone noticed this and commented the reply came:
“Te amorangi ki mua, te hapai o ki muri”
It is important for the leaders at the front to acknowledge the value of the workers behind the scenes, for without them our communities would fail.
By Rev Ben Johnson-Frow
