Mt Herbert Parish Magazine AugMt Herbert Parish Magazine Aug--Sept 2016Sept 2016
DIAMOND HARBOUR GEBBIES VALLEY GOVERNORS BAY KAITUNA LITTLE RIVER PORT LEVY TEDDINGTON
St Andrews Church of the Epiphany St Cuthberts St Kentigerns St Andrews St Pauls St Peters
Mt Herbert Parish
Striving to be a united, Christ-centered, community – serving Parish
PRIEST IN CHARGE Rev. Sandy Constable Telephone: 0223459900 Email: [email protected]
PARISH OFFICE 85 Marine Drive, Diamond Harbour RD 1, Lyttelton 8971 Telephone: 03 329 4790 email: [email protected]
WEBSITE mountherbertparish.wordpress.com
As of the 15th July, we have been joined by Rev.
Sandy Constable who is Interim Priest-in-Charge
whilst we go through the process of appointing a
new Vicar.
The Rev Sandy Constable is a Cantabrian from a
large family. She has a love for music, books, and
sports. Sandy has travelled throughout New Zea-
land by cycle, car, and Unimog (NZ Army truck).
Some of her favourite memories of her NZ travels
include cycling through the Lewis Pass; convoy
driving on the West Coast with 20 Ghurkha Army
passengers and then watching them silently
disembark and disappear into the bush; and driving
a little Honda Prelude along a creek to exit off 90
Mile Beach. The creek was a little more suited to
4WD’s with good clearance and she was lucky to get
through with only the loss of one fog light to a
submerged boulder. International travel has so far
included Australia, Pacific Islands and the USA.
Next on the list will be a European holiday with
family including her adult son, Jaron.
Sandy attained a New Zealand Certificate in
Engineering (Electronics and Computer Technology)
and enjoyed a career in electronics prior to her
calling to ordained ministry. After qualifying for her
BA (Psychology) at Canterbury University, Sandy
moved to the St John’s College in Auckland to
complete her ministry training. She qualified with a
BTh (Pastoral Care and Church History) from
Auckland University before returning to Canterbury.
Since her ordination in 2006, Sandy has worked in
the Linwood, Fendalton, Somerfield, Halswell, and
Waimakariri Parishes. Her most recent
appointment was interim at the Kaiapoi Cooperating
Parish.
Sandy writes:
“Thank you for your
welcoming spirit and
open arms – I am feeling
quite at home in the
Harbour Basin already. I
am looking forward to
our time together and
know that we will enjoy getting to know each other
over the next few months. I have a wide variety of
interests and love connecting and conversing with
others on multiple levels. My interests have
included parachuting, windsurfing, softball, canoe
polo, scrapbooking, cycle touring, electronic
gaming, films, sci-fi, stone carving, community
service, cosmological theories and discoveries, and
anything involving medieval history. The best way
to contact me is probably via texting although you
are quite welcome to ring or email as well. My 20
hours per week will generally fall within the days
of Tuesday through to Thursday and will vary
depending on my Sunday schedule, but I also aim
to be available for you at any time, so do not
hesitate to contact me at other times. I look
forward to meeting with you all as I get settled into
the Mt Herbert worship and administrative life.”
Please note, that to contact
Rev. Sandy Constable you can phone
her on 0223459900 or email her at
alternatively you can contact her using
the church office phone number and
Sunday 31st July saw people gathering together at St. Saviours Church, Lyttelton to celebrate 160 years of Sea-farers all over the world. “Piracy, shipwreck, abandonment and separation from loved ones are just a few of the problems merchant seafarers face. Around the world, The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.5 million men and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat.” (taken from their website). Rev. John McLister has been the diocesan appointed chairperson of the charitable trust that adminis-ters the Lyttelton Seafarers Centre for a year; and he is the Mission to Seafarers (Anglican) representative for Lyttelton. He also volunteers at the centre on a Thursday night. We asked John some questions to find out more about this mission in our neighbourhood. What does the Seafarers Centre to do on a weekly basis, and how many people are involved? We are a type of specialised visitors’ centre that caters for seafarer. When a seafarer arrives in Lyttelton, after weeks at seas, the first thing they want to do is contact their family. Most ships and ports do not provide Wi-Fi. We offer a free Wi-Fi which is really appreciated. We also exchange American dollar – the currency used to pay seafarers at a resoluble exchange rate. There is no bank in Lyttelton. Local business are exchanging dollar for dollar and making a killing on the profits. Very exploitive, as most seafarer visiting Lyttelton are from developing countries and on a minimal wage. In general, we offer a friendly Kiwi welcome and will offer advise when asked. As a Christian organisation we give away bibles; take peo-ple to church if asked; and we arrange a chaplain to visit a ship if a crew want a service on board. We open week nights, and have about 20 volunteers who take a shift once a week or fortnightly. What do you find the most rewarding things about being involved? I like that we connect seafarers to their families. The most common sound heard in the Centre are the voice of women talking to their husbands and kids talking to their dads, via the internet. The guys are so appreciative we provide this service. The other day I had to tell this real tough looking seafarer we were closing. He looked a bit forlorn when I told him. I could see he was talking to a little girl via skype. He turned to her said, “Goodnight darling. I love you.” Then he kissed the screen of his phone. I thought, “This beats sitting at home watching Coronation Street.” What are some of the ways that people can support the work? I think our church communities in Lyttelton and Diamond Harbour are very generous I cannot fault them. But I guess what I would like people to consider is which charity should be prioritised. Seafarers are our neighbours. For a couple of hours a fortnight, as a volunteer; or a few dollars a month, we Harbour Christians can bless the men and women who sail the ships we look at through our windows. We can help a dad say ‘Goodnight, I love you.” to their child. For more information about the Mission to seafarers please see their web site: http:www.missiontoseafarers.org If you are interested in volunteering at the Lyttelton Seafarers Centre please contact the Rev John McLister at: [email protected] To financially support the Mission to Seafarers, Lyttelton, donations can be posted to PO Box 197 Lyttelton, 8082, NZ or deposited to account number: 010771025086800. Please use your surname and the reference code 1769. If you'd like a receipt, please email John.
On Saturday 25th June, St. Andrews Church held a family fun evening and, as it was booked at the end of Lyttelton’s Festival of Lights, the natural theme seemed to be to put on a ‘Glow in the Dark' evening!
What this should entail was a bit of a challenge but who knew how much you could do armed with the internet and Glo sticks! So game stations were created: we had Tenpin bowling, Hoop throw, Golf challenge, Playdough pictionary, Hook a duck, Ping pong bounce, Noughts and crosses - all in the dark - well almost in the dark with good old glo sticks, finger torches and lights helping out. There were also crafts to do and amazing food was provided by our incredible ca-tering team. The evening itself was lots of fun, over 65 people came to take part, with over 23 families represented. A stalwart team helped to run the crafts and games stations, and a good, but noisy evening was enjoyed. It was great to be able to put on an event as a church for families in the community, to show we care - to remember how important families and community are to God, and so to us.
Helen Cobby
Leap into the Light!
Faith is believing what God says.
Some people think faith is like taking a leap in the dark, that faith is blind.
But the Bible says the opposite. Away from God we are in the dark. That’s when we are blind, stumbling around.
John Newton was a notorious slave trader– but coming to know Jesus changed him forever. He spent the rest of his life
working to free slaves and wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace”: “I once was blind,” he sang, “but now I see!”
When we come home to God it is not a leap into darkness. It is a magnificent leap into light—the light of God’s love for
us.
“Jesus said,’ I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
Taken from the book Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago
Treasurers Report
When we do not have a full-time vicar we expect and need to accumulate some general funds. At present, we have around $9000 of general reserve money. That sounds good and it is- but also consider that in the period Feb.-July 2016, we spent almost $19000 less than when we did for the same period last year when we were paying for the stipendiary and travel expenses of a full-time vicar. So maybe that $9000 is not as good as it first sounds! It is a fact that with removal expenses and ongoing costs associated with a full-time vicar that we struggle financially and need to accumulate adequate reserves during the interregnum. During this year we have paid delayed earthquake-related expenses to CPT of more than $5000. Although we are renting the Olde Vicarage at Governor’s Bay there have been significant expenses for a new septic tank and installing an inside shower and there are future expenses for getting a secure water supply and insulating the house to the required standard. We are a parish with 9 properties and these bring ongoing maintenance costs. Fortunately at most locations we have general maintenance funds, which have often come from legacies/bequests- but this is not the case now at Governor’s Bay and Little River.
I found some of the facts and figures in a recent edition of “Anglican Life” disturbing. “Close to 70% of our churches have un-der 10 children attending and 25% of these have none. One third of our churches do not budget for children’s ministry.” We do not want to be a parish which is spending almost all it’s money on properties and the past; but rather investing in our young people and the fu-
ture. Thank you so much to all of you who give of your skills and time and of your money so that in the words of our mission statement we are “striving to be a united, Christ-centred, community-serving par-ish”
Putting together Church Magazines and Notices can be a tricky business and mistakes can occur, I don’t know if you’ve spotted
any in this magazine, but sometimes spelling mistakes happen or words don’t quite carry the same meaning as you intended as is
evidenced in these bloopers from other publications—hope they make you smile!
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having
trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Nelson’s sermons.
Don’t let worry kill you off – let the church help.
The choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.
Ushers will eat latecomers.
Potluck supper: prayer and medication to follow.
Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear
Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
On a church bulletin during the minister’s illness: GOD IS GOOD; Dr. Hargreaves is better.
St. Cuthbert’s— The walls are going up!
There is great progress at St Cuthbert’s. The foundations are complete and the block walls are going up!
The ground beneath the church was dug out to create a foundation for the walls. There was no foundation pre-
viously in the original nave, it was just built on the clay (which was pretty solid). A reinforced concrete founda-
tion has now been built. There are tonnes of concrete and miles of reinforcing steel in place; it’s massive!
Now the floor slab has been poured and a double block wall is being erected to form the basis for restoration of
the old stonework. This structure will support the roof and will withstand major earthquakes.
Once the block work is finished then the stone
masons will replace the stones that have been
carefully stored. All the key stones, like the win-
dow frames and the buttresses are numbered so
they can be replaced where they came from.
They will be bonded together with mortar, not
like the original buttresses that had just clay bed-
ding them together. The cobbles from the exte-
rior will be cemented in place to look consistently
like the best parts of the original walls. This will
be a long and exacting process to ensure that the
church will look just like it did, probably even
better than before the earthquakes.
We were investigating putting coloured lead lights recovered from a demolished church to be used in the West
wall. This has not proved practical due to their size so we have reverted to two clear glass leaded lights with the
option to have a new stained glass panel in the centre. This would be a great opportunity to have a widow cele-
brating the restoration of our church. Would anyone like to endow a window?
We are currently investigating buying some chairs for the Church which would provide more flexible seating
than all pews. There will also need to be some fundraising for protection of our restored stained glass windows,
as these are a historical asset. There are a few items to be repaired. I am putting together a budget for what we
need. Is there a local carpenter that could help by restoring the alter that was damaged by falling rocks in the
earthquake?
When the weather improves we plan to have a few working bees. We need to further tidy up the grounds and
also to clean up the pews and church furniture before we reinstall it. We will promote these on the Governors
Bay website.
Tony Eastwood, St Cuthbert’s Treasurer/Cemetery Curator [email protected]
Figure 2: Preparing for floor slab and reinforcing in place to start the walls Figure 1: Trenches excavated for the foundations
LITTLE RIVER YOUTH GROUP
Meets in the St Andrews Little River
Church Lounge on Wed evenings
during term time.
MAINLY MUSIC
This is held Thursday weekly during term
time at Little River Rugby Clubrooms.
Come along at 10.30am for cuppa and then
join in with the music at 11.00am.
Contact Robyn MacFarlane 325 1119
CARE, SHARE AND PRAYER GROUP Meets every Tuesday at 10am. Locations vary, for details please call Ann Watson 741 2210
LITTLE RIVER HOME GROUP
Meets every Wed evening.
Please call Mark & Rose Fitzgerald for details Ph: 325 1176
St Andrew’s, Little River @ 5pm
All are invited to come and join us
1st and 3rd Sundays
each month for worship and fellowship.
What’s On in Little River
Revival Clothing is open to the public every Tuesday at 10:30am.
We are ONLY taking clothing due to size/space limitations.
Due to earthquake repairs we will be closed for approx 3-4 weeks from end of Aug 2016
Further information please ring Fiona 3290171
Due to EQC repairs to piles at
St. Andrews Church Little River,
Revival Clothing will be closed
for 3—4 weeks from the end of
August.
This will also affect services that
usually take place during the
Church at this time. Please
contact Fiona Waghorn on
03 329 0171 to find out about the
alternative arrangements for
Church services.
What’s On in Diamond Harbour?
BABY & TODDLERS GROUP 9th & 23rd Aug, 6th & 20th Sept, 4th Oct
Fortnightly on a TUESDAY, a coffee and support group for parents and caregivers of babies and infants 0-36 months is held at the Diamond Harbour Church Hall. For more details, call Wendy Coles on329 4483.
CITY SHOPPING VAN 10th & 24th Aug, 7th & 21st Sept, 5th Oct The van does pick-ups from Diamond Harbour fortnightly on Wednesdays around 9:00am and drops people back home about 1:30pm. Bookings are essential as the van seats 8 people. A $10 donation towards fuel per trip is invited. To book a seat, please call Nicky ph:329 4341 or Wendy ph: 329 4483.
MONDAY NIGHT STUDY GROUP
AT CHARTERIS BAY
Meets Monday fortnightly in a warm and friendly home. Please call Margaret Somerville for details on ph:329 4713.
S e r v i c e R e a d i n g s f o r A u g u s t — S e p t e m b e r
7th AUG 14th AUG 21st AUG 28th AUG 4th SEPT
11th SEPT 18th SEPT 25th SEPT 2nd OCT
We want to know what’s going on—
Please contact the Parish Office on ph:329 4790 or [email protected] with any news CUT OFF FOR THE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER IS WEDNESDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER
PRAYER CHAIN
The Prayer Chain is available to pray for you
personally or for any other prayer needs you may have.
The Prayer Chain is totally confidential
Phone Anne Fountain ph: 329 4202
PRAYER FOR THE PARISH
Weekdays at 8:15am in the Library at St Andrew’s, Diamond Harbour. This is to specifically pray for God’s presence in all our lives and His spirit to move in our Parish. All are welcome. If you are unable to join us, please pray wherever you are.
Jer 8:18—9:1 Ps 79:1-9 1 Tim 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13
Jer 32:1-3a,6-15 Ps 91:1-6, 14-16 1 Tim 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31
RAINBOW
MUSIC 2nd, 16th & 30th Aug
13th & 27th Sept
This fun time is held fortnightly on TUESDAYS during term time alternating with the
Baby & Toddlers Group, at St. Andrews Community Church Hall. Come along at 10am to join in with the music and fun and then
for cuppa at 10:45am. All are welcome Contact Helen for details. Ph.3294790 or
All preschoolers welcome (Bring a parent tho’)
Isa 1:1. 10-20 Ps 50:1-8, 22-23 Heb 11:1-3,8-16 Luke 12:32-40
Isa 5:1-7
Ps 80:1-2, 8-19
Heb 11:29-12:2
Luke 12:49-56
Jer 1:4-10 Ps 71:1-6 Heb 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17
Jer 2:4-13 Ps 81:1, 10-16 Heb 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14
Jer 18:1-11 Ps 139:1-6, 13-18 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33
Jer 4:11-12, 22-28 Ps 14 1 Tim 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10
Lam 1:1-6 Lam 3:19-26 OR Ps 137 2 Tim 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10
Gamma Group
We meet Wednesday nights at 7:30pm at a
home in Diamond Harbour. We pray, read
and discuss the Bible and work out to-
gether what it means to be followers of
Christ. For more information contact Ross
Fountain, phone number: 329 4202
STANDARD SERVICE TIMES
DIAMOND HARBOUR St. Andrews, 85 Marine Drive, Diamond Harbour Sunday weekly at 10:30am Wednesday Quiet/Reflective Communion Service weekly at 9.00 a.m.
GEBBIES VALLEY Church of the Epiphany, Gebbies Pass Rd, Gebbies Valley 1st Sunday of the month at 9am
GOVERNORS BAY St. Cuthbert's was badly damaged in the Sept 2010 earthquake. The 9am congregation now gather weekly at St. Peters, Teddington.
KAITUNA VALLEY St. Kentigerns, Kaituna Valley Rd, Kaituna Please contact the office for information. Baptisms, weddings & funerals by arrangement.
LITTLE RIVER St. Andrews, Church Road, Little River We gather as a community of churches 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 5pm.
PORT LEVY St. Pauls, Port Levy Road, Port Levy
Easter & Christmas, and for baptisms, weddings & funerals by arrangement.
TEDDINGTON St. Peters, Gebbie Pass Road, Teddington Sunday weekly at 9am. The first Sunday of the month is in the form of either Methodist or Presbyterian to fulfill the 1996 Covenant
We look forward to seeing you and celebrating together.
Please visit the Parish website [email protected] for greater access to contacts, audio sermons and much more information
MOUNT HERBERT PARISH CONTACTS
PARISH OFFICE: ph: 329 4790 email: [email protected].
PRIEST IN CHARGE: Rev. Sandy Constable ph:0223459900
WARDENS: Vivienne Jackson ph: 329 9930
David Cobby ph:329 4601
PASTORAL CARE: Rev. Sandy Constable ph:0223459900
Gebbies Valley: Karen Reid ph: 329 7923
Governors Bay Karen Stenhouse ph: 329 9055
Little River: Fiona Waghorn ph: 329 0171
CHURCH CONTACTS: Diamond Harbour: Merylin Haxell
Gebbies Valley: Karen Reid
Governors Bay: Gail Weaver, Vivienne Jackson.
Little River: Fiona Waghorn,
Teddington: David Dean, Kelvin Duncan.
PARISH TREASURERS: Margaret Somerville, Russell Lienert
St. Andrews Church, Diamond Harbour will be open for people to
use for quiet prayer and reflection on Monday, Wednesday and
Fridays from 9am—4:30pm.