On Saturday the 21st of November, about 800 members of our whānau packed out the Cathedral to celebrate a flurry of ordinands in our Diocesan Thanksgiving and Ordination service.

This year, five of our deacons were ordained as priests, and a further eighteen of our whānau were ordained as transitional deacons. Twelve of those ordained (ten deacons and two priests) are couples, who went through the discernment process together.

Rev. Luke Paynter, who was ordained as a deacon with his wife, Rev. Amilie Paynter, said that one of the reasons couples get ordained together is “a recognition of a reality that it’s never one person doing the ministry, it’s always joint.” Even before it was official, Luke and Amilie worked closely together in Anglican Youth Movement (AYM); similarly, the ordination is an acknowledgement of their partnership.

Rev. Guy and Rev. Summer Benton, who are also involved in AYM, were ordained as deacons together as well. “This diocese is leading the way in showing what it looks like to be a family on a mission together, and that’s what Guy and I try to embody…how to serve God together in wholeness with each other and our children,” said Summer. Their processes with God were individual, but the decision “affirmed our desire to live out that calling together,” Summer said.

Bishop Justin affirmed that each ordinand is individually called by God and discerned for ordination, but said it makes sense to ordain couples together. “If the members of a couple are individually called, then it’s great to ordain them together, so that they can share the covenant journey together as they have covenanted with each other [in marriage],” he said.

Our new deacons and priests this year have a diverse range of ministry spaces that they are involved with, from the Victoria University chaplaincy and the new expressions of ministry in Castlecliff, Whanganui, to AYM, Urban Vision and the Defence Force chaplaincy. It is encouraging to see our Anglican whānau being faithful to the call of God in their lives in committing to caring for those from all walks of life with various engagements and understandings of faith.

Rev. Michael Hartfield, a new deacon from the Parish of Island Bay, and the National Director of Anglican Missions, believes that his two roles align well with the values behind his ordination. “We have a very strong servant leadership role at St Hilda’s [Island Bay] and at Anglican Missions as well, and everything we do at Anglican Missions is focussed on the five marks of mission which are: sharing the gospel, supporting and nurturing Christians, serving the poor and sharing our love, addressing issues of injustice and poverty, and caring for God’s creation. Those are so embedded in everything that we do, which is also part of our ordination work, so it really blends together quite well.”

Michael was particularly moved by the service and the blessing that he received from Bishop Justin and Bishop Eleanor. “I was so ridiculously humbled and privileged, and the Holy Spirit speaks through Bishop Justin and Bishop Eleanor in an extraordinary way. From the congregation you see the ordinands kneeling as they pray over us, but if I could have written down ten things I absolutely had to hear, they spoke over all of them, which just drew me to tears.”

As the formalities of the service closed, the ordinands all burst into dance in a robed flash mob that they had prepared during their retreat at Ngatiawa River Monastery this week. This was a great transition into celebration and the thanksgiving portion of our Saturday service, as all those attended poured into the carpark for pork buns, paella, and a sausage sizzle. The kids made for the bouncy castle and the space filled with song, chatter, and messages of hope and encouragement from our Thanksgiving Soapbox. A final culmination of this day of celebration was everyone coming back together to share in Eucharist with the Bishops and our newly ordained Deacons and Priests.

By Holly Morton, with contributions from Shanti Mathias