Community Award

Our congratulations go to Roma M who has received a community service award for her incredible work with the parish and the St Martin’s Library. It is very well deserved, and we join with the Council in thanking Roma for decades of selfless service, all done with compassion, grace, and good-humour. Roma, we love ya!

Anglo-Catholic Hui

Some parishioners and I attended the 3rd national Anglo-Catholic Hui hosted at St Michael and All Angels this week. It is a chance to celebrate and learn about part of our shared history with a focus on the unity of the church and, as the old King James puts it, to “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Ps 96:9). The services are being streamed on St Michaels’ Facebook Page for those that might want a taste of what went on. Or look at the website anglocatholichui.nz

Climate Change Report

I borrow Bishop Peter’s words here, “The IPCC report this week on the extreme position our planet has arrived at in respect of global warming and consequential frequency of natural disasters should not be downplayed let alone ignored. Each of us as individuals, families and local communities should be asking with renewed urgency, what we can do to lessen our contribution to global warming. What our Government can make us to do to change is directly related to our willingness to change as the Team of Five Million.” Online readers might wish to read this article from the Guardian which include the (appropriately) alarming paragraphs:

Within the next two decades, temperatures are likely to rise by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, breaching the ambition of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and bringing widespread devastation and extreme weather. Only rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gases in this decade can prevent such climate breakdown, with every fraction of a degree of further heating likely to compound the accelerating effects, according to the International Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading authority on climate science.

As a church we’ve begun taking small steps towards sustainability including • An aim to plant 10 trees per parishioner per annum. My thanks to Adam H who has been driving the project so far. Please do connect with him for more information.

• Collecting used batteries, as they shouldn’t be put with general rubbish, but recycling centres can be hard to find.

• Connecting with other local envirocare groups, including Friends of Risinghome and King George V Reserve (see notices for a training opportunity) Christian environmental group, A Rocha, are holding a Hope Seminar on Sunday 19 September at the Transitional Cathedral. See their website for more details.