Out and About Again:

It's really encouraging to see photos in today's Connect of 3 events which saw members of our St Barnabas community getting out and about again. Our Eldercare group enjoyed a visit to Riccarton House with high afternoon tea on Monday, with coordinators Maria Light, Heather Sinclair and team. On Tuesday evening a good table full of men enjoyed a catch up together at the Rose & Thistle in Papanui. Our regular van outing visited on Wednesday one of the newest churches in our Diocese, Holy Trinity Avonside and were given a guided tour by the Rev Jill Keir. A number of our parishioners have connections with Avonside parish, and were able to explore these, including among the gravestones in the churchyard! It is lovely to see this amalgamation of old and new brought together in a way that both recognises and honours the past, and looks to the future. 

Te Pouhere Sunday: This Sunday in our Church we acknowledge the constitution of our church, revised in 1992, which recognises our 3 tikanga nature - 3 cultural streams through which our mission and ministry are carried out. We value our connections with our tikanga partners: tikanga Maori through the Diocese of Waipounamu led by  Pīhopa (Bishop) Richard Wallace in Phillipstown, and tikanga Pasefika through our connections with our Tongan partners, led by Rev Leni Havea.

Our 9am and lifestreams congregations have growing confidence in the use of te reo as part of our worship, especially the Lord’s Prayer in te reo. This Sunday we will be exploring some of the richness that is offered to us in the words used in te reo, which can add depth to our understanding and use of the prayer our Lord taught us— so familiar and simple, and yet profound in its reach.                    May we be a community that learns and then lives out love and care for all God’s people. Arohanui, Rev Jenny