Thanks to generous donations made to Anglican Missions’ Tonga Emergency appeal, our Tongan whānau can find some small respite in the relief packages currently on route to the disaster-ravaged nation. But, we still have a long way to go.

Lent begins on 2 March this year, and as we wait to see what the arrival of the Omicron variant in our communities will look like, we’re encouraging our Movement to think about how to use Lent Studies as a way to continue to gather safely, build teams, care for one another, and continue to learn together about who God is and who we are called to be at this time.

It’s the time of year when our finance team is busy with consolidating the accounts from across the diocese. Mark Chan is our Finance Manager so we thought it would be good to share a little bit more about him and what he does.

It began at the end of March, when a small group of us from Onslow Anglicans decided to sign up for the online course called “Holiness and Social Action”. I think we were particularly interested in exploring what it meant to be Christian but at the same time to be very much engaged with the world and its needs. One example that grabbed our attention was Saint Francis and how he made a point of going out into the community and getting alongside people – “the last, the lost and the least,” to quote a phrase!

Join us in 2022 for a range of courses designed to further your formation as a follower of Christ. We may be under the red traffic light setting for a while and if you are stuck for things to do, why not check out what we have on offer through our Christian Studies programme.

Christmas time is a joyful time for many of us, but it can also be a stressful one. Especially for those of us that don’t have certainty about where our next meal is coming from. With COVID-19 providing disruption to our lives – now more than ever – helping make someone's Christmas has become even more important.

After almost 7 years in the Children and Families Enabler Role, Colette Stevens is leaving the Anglican Centre to complete her Diploma in Christian Studies and delve into research on children and worship. Colette wants to explore the questions, “What did Jesus actually mean when he said ‘We should enter the kingdom like a child’? And what do our kids have to teach us about God?” We spoke with Colette about her time working in the diocese.

It is with deep sadness that we share with you that our wonderful Communications Advisor, Duncan Brown, passed away last Thursday 2 December. Many of you across our Movement will have encountered Duncan and his mahi with us since he joined the team in 2016.

On the 13th November around 50 of our Oroua Anglican whānau picnicked in the paddock of George and Ellie Bartlett’s farm. Eight years ago, spurred by a call from Bishop Justin to plant more native trees, the Bartletts planted 10,000+ native trees on their farm.

Otaki to Ohakune. Cathedral to Carterton. One vocational deacon. Five transitional deacons. Fourteen priests. Five couples. Thirteen services.

Parishes with just a few motivated individuals can get the ball rolling for environmental transformation.

Our Masterton whānau had many reasons to celebrate this past Sunday 21st. As well as the ordinations of Mannie Marara, Lorna Grey and Peter Hull, St Matthew’s also baptised 13 people in a backyard swimming pool.

Submissions for the Emission Reduction Plan are due in tomorrow, the 24th of November. If you've done this and have a stack of completed submissions you haven't sent through to the Advocacy team, do it now so they can submit them by the deadline!