18 February 2014
Dear Friends,
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of two new Archdeacons for South and Mid Canterbury, plus a
part-time contract for Rural Anglican Life Support for South Canterbury. The new Archdeacons will be collated
separately on 1 March in Mid and South Canterbury. The Service of Collation for South Canterbury will be at St
John’s Highfield at 10.30 am, and the Service of Collation for Mid Canterbury will be at 5.30pm at St Stephen’s
Ashburton.
The Reverend Dr Peter Carrell has accepted my appointment as the Archdeacon for South Canterbury.
Rosie Staite has accepted my appointment as a fixed-term Lay Archdeacon for Mid Canterbury at 20% for the
remainder of 2014, and has also accepted a 20% fixed term appointment for Rural Anglican Life Support for South
Canterbury. This allows Rosie time and scope to assist the parishes of Mid Canterbury to work together closely
about mission and ministry, plus it permits her to give time and energy for the scope of rural ministry in South
Canterbury. In South Canterbury the Archdeacon’s ministry will follow the usual pattern for a Territorial
Archdeacon.
In terms of lay ministry education for this year, I have asked Peter Carrell as our Director of Education to offer his
courses to the parishes outside of Christchurch primarily this year. As you are aware, this year we are focusing on
discipleship training and asking also how we intentionally make disciples. Many of you will be reading and
studying a Lenten book by Dean Lynda Patterson and Dr Peter Carrell for the second year running. I rejoice that
this resource will be studied across the Diocese of Christchurch. Please also make a point of putting discipleship
training and discipleship making on the Vestry Agenda for this year. But do not only discuss the formation and
training of disciples; make sure the parish is actively engaged in discipleship training and the making of new
disciples as well. I will be asking the parishes to report on what they are doing in the training and making of new
disciples. A resource from out Mission Team will be made available soon.
The Rev Mark Barlow will be inducted as the Vicar of Lincoln Parish at Stephen’s Lincoln on 28 February, 7.00
pm. Thank you to the Rev Glenda Hicks for her ministry as the interim priest in charge over the past year. The
Rev Shirley Bennett will resume at St Matthew’s St Albans after the Rev Mark Barlow moves to Lincoln parish.
This Saturday the 22nd there will a Service of Remembrance on the Archery Lawn of the Botanical Gardens at
12.00 noon, and a Memorial Service at our Transitional Cathedral at 5.00 pm. These services will mark the third
anniversary of the 22 February earthquake that claimed 185 lives and changed our lives.
I invite your prayers for the Rev Dr Helen Ann Hartley who will be consecrated a bishop in the Church of God on
22 February in Hamilton’s Cathedral of St Peter.
The forty days of Lent are quickly approaching, and I do invite you to ponder and decide how you will set aside
time and space for making this Lent a holy and life-giving time with Christ. In addition to parish services on Ash
Wednesday, 5 March, there will be a Service of Imposition of Ashes at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, 5.30 pm this year,
where Anglicans and Roman Catholics can observe the beginning of Lent together.
Also for your diary, please note the two Services of Renewal of Vows and Blessing of Oils, both of which will be
held on Tuesday, 15 April: at St Christopher’s Avonhead, 11.00 am; and at St Philip and All Saints’ Marchwiel,
5.30pm.
In Christ,
+Victoria
31 January 2014
Dear Friends,
“Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord and may light perpetual shine upon them.”
Two wonderful members of our retired clergy and widows community have passed into God’s eternal embrace.
Pauline Ritchie died suddenly earlier this week and her funeral will be Tuesday, 4 February at 2pm at the Academy
Funeral Home, Christchurch. Prayers of thanksgiving are asked, as well as love and support for her
family. Pauline will be greatly missed.
The Ven. John Walter Branthwaite, whose ministry appointments included Vicar of Kensington-Otipua and
Regional Dean of Mid Canterbury; Vicar of Ashburton; Chaplain to the Bishop of Christchurch; Archdeacon of
Timaru; Archdeacon of Ashburton and Akaroa; Deputy Vicar General; and Archdeacon of Mid Canterbury. John
was ordained to the priesthood in 1952, and he and Gaye enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership in ministry. His
funeral is Tuesday, 4 February at 10.30am in Ashburton at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Once again I ask
your prayers for all concerned, as well as thanksgiving for his life in Christ.
“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn first received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance
with the scriptures, and that he appeared…” !
1 Corinthians 15.3-5a
In Christ our Risen Saviour,
+Victoria
28 January 2014
Dear Friends,
This Sunday is the feast of the presentation when we remember Mary and Joseph going up to the Temple with
the Christ Child for the first time. The story is found in Luke 2: 22-38 In the story of the presentation of Christ we
meet two very faithful Jewish elders. Simeon and Anna have prayed and watched for the coming of the Messiah
and because of their faithfulness and great expectation of God’s action in this world, as well as God’s grace, they
recognize the Messiah who enters in the company of a poor couple. This story makes me ask where is God
present now and not recognized simply because the circumstances are different than what we might expect. As
we approach this great feast of the Church, I invite you to pray that we might be given the eyes of faith to
recognize the presence of Christ in every situation. In some denominations this feast marks the end of the
observance of Christmas.
Thank you to the Venerable Carole Graham, our Deputy Vicar General, for looking after the pastoral life of the
Diocese during my time away.
As you will have read in the weekly editions of the Diocesan e-life, the Appeal to raise funds for the Marsden
Cross continues as we enter the bi-centenary year of the preaching of the Gospel in Aotearoa New Zealand. To
date we have not made a Diocesan donation to this worthy cause. If your parish or congregation would like to be
part of this fundraising effort you may either send it in directly or via the Diocese. Syria has experienced many
years of violence and the present situation is causing as many as a million people, many of whom are families
with young children to flee as refugees. The camps are overwhelmed and it is a particularly harsh winter. I offer
this for your prayers and acts of mercy. Tonga has also suffered from the damage of the recent cyclone. There is
a collection of food and tools being sent to Tonga as well as money collected.
The Rev Dr Colin Brown suffered a severe heart attack in January and had surgery subsequently. He is in
Christchurch Public and I invite your prayer support. Sister Annette of the Community of the Sacred Name has
also had further surgery and is in Ashburton Hospital recovering. The Sisters are also involved in offering prayer
support and pastoral care for all responding to the drowning of Deepika, a former child of St Christopher’s Home,
Fiji. This was a great tragedy and I ask your prayers for the Sisters, the Williams and the young people who
attended Parachute Festival in Hamilton. “Rest eternal grant unto her O Lord and let light perpetual shine upon
her”.
We also remember the Rev Warwick Hearne who is in care in Christchurch with MS and who served faithfully in
the Diocese of Nelson for many years.
Thank you very much to the Rev Helen Ensor who is stepping aside from her leadership of the parish of
Cheviot. She has been an outstanding leader within the LSM community and has offered exceptional ministry to
the parish. Thank you also to the Revs Ted and Margaret Good who are finishing their time as the interim
ministry team at Oxford Cust.
On 1 February the Rev Chris Spark begins as the Priest Associate of Sydenham Beckenham and South West
Christchurch. On 3 February Sammy Mould begins her ministry as the new Youth Ministry Developer for the
Diocese. Her desk will be at the Anglican Centre. Welcome Sammy. On 16 February at 5pm the Ven Nick
Mountfort will be installed as the Associate Dean of Christchurch Cathedral and as Archdeacon of Pegasus at the
Transitional Cathedral. All are invited. On the 28 February, at 7pm, the Rev Mark Barlow will be inducted as the
Vicar of the parish of Lincoln at St Stephen’s Lincoln. All are invited.
The decision has been made to deconsecrate All Saints’ Church, Sumner, as the church will remain in the red zone
and continues to be inaccessible. Date and time will be announced. It is a sad but necessary decision.
A very belated happy birthday to the Rev Ted Coulthard who turned 93 on Christmas Day. Now there’s a birth
date!
This February Ben Truman begins his studies at St John’s College Auckland as will Paul Hegglun and Carolyn
Robertson at the start of the second term. Continuing at St John’s College are Harry Newton (with his wife
Aimee); Winnie Douglas (with her husband Ron) and Sage Burke (with his wife Jaz). Jethro Day and his wife Jessie
are spending a term at Ripon College Cuddesdon in the UK. John Hearne (his wife’s name is Heather) and Nicky
Lee continue their ordination preparation in Christchurch as does Stephanie Clay (her husband’s name is Duncan),
a Laidlaw College student. Jimmy Pattison is at Ridley College Melbourne entering his third year. For all these
students and their families I invite your prayer and encouragement.
In closing I return to the story of the feast of the presentation and invite your reflection on how we present
ourselves to the God of Glory every day of our life. We know what ever we present is received with love and
grace. Thanks be to God.
In Christ,
+Victoria