Wellington City Mission staff and their families gathered with our diocesan whānau at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul on Sunday afternoon, the 1st of February, for the first of what will hopefully become an annual event. Bishop Justin and Bishop Eleanor were there to commission the staff for their important mahi in the year to come.

For Isapella Duffy, Manager of Social Work and Community Services at the City Mission, her faith has a huge impact on the work she does. "I was raised with values like compassion and aroha, but aroha is not just about loving yourself, it's about loving others. It can't just be words out of your mouth, there has to be an action that comes with it." Having worked for the City Mission for five years, she enjoyed the opportunity to reflect and ask for Christ's help. "Everybody needs a chance to reflect and enhance their own wairua. To get our minds out of work and have a little time with Jesus."

Having families in attendance was also a blessing, Isapella tells us. Her kids are now keen to volunteer for the Mission, and her colleagues told her how lovely her kids are - helping to enhance the connections between staff members. Being part of the church whānau is important too, says Isapella. "It makes me strong as a person knowing we are backed by the Church. It makes us feel special, and it gives us the strength the do the work."

For the bishops, gathering together was part thanksgiving for the hard work of the City Mission team during what was a challenging 2020 for society's most vulnerable, and part sending out - acknowledging that their organisation and the work they do is a core part of who we are as a movement. Isapella related to Bishop Justin's sermon, in which he said that everything we do relates to our own personal experience. "In social work, you have to take your whole self into the conversation. It's not just about the procedures or the guidelines when you support someone."

There are already plans afoot to repeat the commissioning of City Mission staff on an annual basis. Isapella loves this idea - at the time of writing, Isapella was training some new social workers who had started after the commissioning - "it's a pity they couldn't come," she tells us. However we hope they'll hear the stories, and we will all get to meet together this time next year.