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24 December 2019

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM THE ARCHBISHOPS

Advent on the lawns of the Taranaki Cathedral Parish of St Mary - with thanks to Cath McVey and Rodney Dunlop!

“Kahore hoki he kupu i ahu mai i te Atua i kore e whai mana.”

“Ni sa sega ni dua na ka me dredre vua na Kalou.”

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:37

The celebration of the birth of the Christ child, brings before us again the extraordinary truth that our God is a God of the incarnation, not remote and inaccessible to us, but truly "God with us."

In the midst of all of the beauty of this world, its fragility and vulnerability, in the midst of our individual and collective joy, celebration, and suffering, God is with us.

Because God is with us, we have hope for a better tomorrow.

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

May your Christmas be a time of profound blessing.

Archbishop Don Tamihere
Archbishop Philip Richardson
Archbishop Fereimi Cama

KUCHING

Earlier this year in September myself (Paul Weeding) and Mr Richard Lamb (retired of St Peter's School) accompanied Archbishop David and Tureiti on a week’s visit to our diocesan partners in Kuching, East Malaysia. ++David had been invited to lead the clergy retreat by Bishop Danald (pronounced Donald) and we were there to build on the partnership between our two dioceses.

I defy anyone not to enjoy Kuching as a place to visit (providing you don’t mind the heat)! When you combine their amazing hospitality with the experience of Anglican Christianity alive and thriving in a very different culture, it makes it very memorable indeed.
We had three days in Kuching before the clergy retreat. In that time, Richard and I were able to visit several church schools, both primary and secondary. Richard in particular as a teacher was impressed with the standard of written work as the children showed us their exercise books. The atmosphere in the schools felt very positive and of interest is that in the senior schools of St Marys and St Thomas’s, 70% and 50% respectively of students are Muslims. That is typical of Kuching and Sarawak which resists easy generalisations. Malaysia likes to present itself as a Muslim country and yet Sarawak is at least 50% Christian.
We had a number of great evening celebrations while in Kuching. Perhaps the two most memorable were both focused around Tureiti and ++David. The first took place in the local Hilton hotel (they do things in some style) and was arranged by St Faith's Parish. They had asked Tureiti to speak about the role of women within Maori life and society and some of the challenges that Maori people face in New Zealand. (I have never started a meal at a hotel before with a time of worship and prayer!) The second took place in a village just outside Kuching, where some several hundred people gathered to celebrate, many in traditional costume. David and Tureiti reflected on the joy of the partnership between the two dioceses over the last year 20 years or so and led us in song and even some dance.

The clergy retreat takes place every year a few days before their diocesan synod. ++David led a number of excellent sessions looking at prayer, some of Jesus’ parables and how to continue to be refreshed and renewed by God the Holy Spirit in ministry. It was interesting to talk to some of the 50-60 clergy who were there. We share many similar challenges and also very different ones. There is much to learn from each other.
At the end of our time in Kuching, Bishop Danald invited us as a diocese to bring some young people to a youth conference that they are hosting at the end of next May 2020. The conference will draw young people from across south- east Asia and is a wonderful opportunity. We are planning to send 2-4 students from our Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, led by Ms Nicole Coffin and Rev. Mele Prescott. To this end, we are organising a fund-raising dinner on Friday 14th February at St Peter’s Cathedral Hall at 7pm. There will be East Malaysian food, Archbishop David will share some of his experiences from the visit in September and there may be a little music and dancing. Tickets are $30, available from myself - paulweeding@xtra.co.nz - tel. 07 8436332. We would like to invite all those who have participated in the partnership in the past and those who might like to in the future to come along and have a great evening together.
My thanks to ++David and Tureiti for agreeing for us to go with them, to Richard for his willingness to accompany me and to Archbishop Philip for his ongoing support.

Rev. Paul Weeding

NEW DIOCESAN WEBSITE RELEASED!

We are delighted to announce that the new diocesan website https://www.wtanglican.nz/ has now been released. This means that the www.dio-training.com site is no longer active. Although we have retained the exisiting www.waikatotaranakianglican.org.nz site for the time being, we encourage you to start exploring the new site.

New Features
There are several new features on the site which we will gradually showcase over the next few editions of Connected, but here are some useful links to get you started.

Diocesan Calendar: we are now maintaining a live diocesan calendar. Please use this as your first point of reference.
Resources and Ideas: if you are looking for anything from Lenten study suggestions to the End of Life Care Reader then you will find a growing list of resources here.
Prayer strategies and spiritual practices: just go to the general education page and scroll down ... you will find guides to examen, lectio divina, colouring in, family prayer ...
Vocation: been thinking about who God is calling you to be? Take a look at Bishop Philip's video introduction to vocations and then read on.
Administrative Resources: start with the new interactive map to discover all the ministry units in the diocese then scroll down to access all the admin resources you might need.

ASKING THE BIG QUESTIONS

The Christian tradition of the catechism goes back to the earliest church. It is a teaching tool that encourages people to ask and answer questions. At one level it has all the answers because it officially outlines what we believe. At another level it creates more and more questions. And this is what we hope for. We want to start conversations and encourage people to really explore our faith.

He Akonga - Disciples in Aotearoa New Zealand, is a new resource designed to do exactly that. It features images from across rural and urban New Zealand with a contemporary version of our Prayer Book's Catechism. We think it is ideal for young people, families, and anyone preparing for baptism or confirmation. To learn more (and order copies) see the new website.

KEEPING UP WITH THE BISHOP

If you ever wonder where our Bishop is and what he's been up to then you should check his instagram. As the Bishop travels around our beautiful diocese (and the world) he captures moments to share with us. You could follow him on instagram or simply scroll down to the bottom of our new website's homepage - there is a live feed there ...

A CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA

Wondering how to give a gift this Christmas that will last? Help to make an enduring change in the lives of our children and young people by donating a new or pre-loved book to the Seasons for Growth library. Our book wish list is attached.
This festive season, make a decision to support children and young people experiencing loss and grief.
Seasons for Growth operates across the Diocese. Please pray for our Coordinators and Companions as they care for our vulnerable children.

TELL YOUR STORY

The Diocese is full of Good News stories and we want to celebrate all that is happening in our shared life. We rely on each Parish or Ministry Unit taking the time to share what is going on in their community with us. If you want to share what's happening in your space please email stephen@wtanglican.nz

Please remember to make hard copies of Connected available to those who don't have a computer. A copy on the notice board at church is a start ...
Please encourage people who do have a computer to sign up for this newsletter.
To Subscribe to Connected click on this link.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday 31^st January	Installation of New Dean - Waikato Cathedral
Saturday 29^th February	Bishop’s Training Day - Lay
Saturday 14^th March	Bishop’s Training Day - Clergy
Tuesday 7^th April	Chrism Mass – New Plymouth
Thursday 9^th April	Chrism Mass - Hamilton
Saturday 18^th April	BMA Training Day
Saturday 9^th May – Friday 15^th May	General Synod - Nelson
Saturday 23^rd May	Bishop’s Training Day - Lay
Wednesday 10^th – Thursday 11^th June	Clergy Conference
Saturday 13^th June	Standing Committee
Saturday 20^th June	Bishop’s Training Day - Clergy
Thursday 9^th – Sunday 12^th July	Te Manawa o te Wheke: Winter Kura
Friday 7^th –Sunday 9^th August	Diocesan Formation Retreat
Saturday 12^th September	Bishop’s Training Day – Clergy
Friday 2^nd – Sunday 4th October	Synod
Tuesday 27^th October	Readiness for Ordination Interviews
Thursday 26^th -27^th November	Pre-ordination retreat
Saturday 28^th November	Ordinations

Children and Youth worker | St Aidan’s Anglican Church, Claudelands

Do you have a strong Christian faith with an ability to speak about Jesus in a warm and inviting manner? Do you have effective ministry experience with children/young people? Do you have an understanding of and commitment to fostering the local Anglican ethos and bi-cultural partnership? If so, then you could be the person we are looking for to support and aid the development of children and youth ministry within the parish of St Aidan, Claudelands, Hamilton.

St Aidan’s Anglican Church is seeking a motivated, enthusiastic Children and Youth Worker for 8 hours a week.

Ideally:

You will be a good communicator, able to develop and build positive supportive relationship with young people and their families.
You will have effective ministry experience with children/young people.
You will be creative and able to develop and maintain an effective Sunday morning children’s ministry programme.

For a full job description, please email staidanshamilton@gmail.com.

Please then email your CV with a covering letter to Peter at staidanshamilton@gmail.com by 5pm Friday 31st January 2020.

https://staidanshamilton.wixsite.com/church

Interchurch Council for Hospital Chaplaincy (ICHC) | Hawkes Bay Regional Hospital
Full-Time Hospital Chaplain (0.5 FTE Mental Health and 0.5 FTE General Health) based at Hawkes Bay Regional Hospital
.5 FTE Mental Health
.5 FTE General Chaplain
Closes 4 p.m. 10th January 2020

Applicants can send their CV, Cover Letter and Application form to financeadmin@ichc.org.nz

Diocesan Prayers

Family of God | Followers of Christ

Marked by Gratitude: for all emergency staff, nurses, doctors and medical support people involved in the Whakaari/White Island disaster; for all rescue volunteers, and for those communities who opened their doors to welcome anyone in need. Thank you God.
Growing Disciples: For all those who have contributed to the formation and discipling of others: for our child, youth and family workers; for those involved in confirmation classes and baptismal preparation; for those engaged in the formation and training of our clergy and lay leaders. Thank you God.
Transforming Communities: For all who have worked this year to effect social change - for our MPs, social workers, and aid agencies; for the Bishop's Action Foundation and Anglican Action; for our activists, advocates and lobbyists. Thank you God.

http://www.waikatotaranakianglican.org.nz/

Our mailing address is:
104 Morrinsville Road
Te Ara Hou Village
P O Box 21, Hamilton

Phone: 64 7 857-0020
bishopspa@wtanglican.nz

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Anglican Diocese of Waikato & Taranaki · PO Box 21 · Hamilton, 3240 · New Zealand