Author Archives: Anna

Sunday 13 April 2025

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Here’s our Zoom link –

Topic: St Martin’s Sunday Worship. To Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81508696154?pwd=cnErZFM5VG5OQVhsZkxYc0dxOHdvUT09

Meeting ID: 815 0869 6154
Passcode: 712158

HOLY WEEK & EASTER SERVICES

Maundy Thursday 7pm at St Mark’s Opawa

Good Friday 9.30am led by the Worship committee

Easter Sunday 10am Holy Communion with Rev Hugh Perry followed by Hot Cross Buns for morning tea

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us today, and many thanks to Rev Nardia Sandison for leading our service. Please join us for morning tea following the service. 

We give thanks for the long life of Heather Florence Mary Haylock, who died on 6th April, aged 103. We pray for John and all the family as they mourn. Rest eternal grant unto her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her. Heather’s funeral will be held at Trinity Church, Akaroa (where she worshipped for seven decades) tomorrow 14th April 11am. A livestream link is available from www.blt.co.nz/obituaries

The Parish Office will be closed 18th April (Good Friday)

Community Anzac Day service Friday 25th April 9.30am, Waltham Park – all are welcome.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

Wednesday Walkers 16th April: Meet at 9.30am on Somerfield Street near Baretta Street, for a walk around Somerfield.  Coffee location to be advised. All welcome Sue & Elizabeth 021 112 5798.

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) Emily 022 094 1492

Monday 1.30pm            U3A focus group (lounge) Richard 022 533 5444

Monday 7.15pm           Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10am              South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: Somerfield Elizabeth 021 112 5798

Wednesday 4pm           Parish Council Meeting (lounge)

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065

Friday 9.30am               Good Friday service

Friday 12.30pm             Private function (lounge)

Tena koutou katoa

Throughout my ministry I have either participated in, or led, an Easter sunrise service, firstly at Mt Albert in Auckland, and more latterly at the Lookout in Oamaru. It is very uplifting to stand in the quiet darkness and then see the sun come up over the city/town and hear the words proclaimed, ‘Christ is Risen – He is Risen Indeed!’ The other Easter tradition of my ministry is to have the dressing of the cross at the Easter Sunday service. As part of the service everyone comes forward with a flower to place on the cross, which gives a visual sign of the change from death, darkness and despair, to life, light and hope. And the hymn is sung, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Alleluia”. Such a joyous day.

With the lockdown that occurred in 2020, Easter Sunday saw me hurrying through the darkened, empty streets of Oamaru to find a vantage point on a hill to see the sunrise over the sea – and there it was, glorious! And members of our parish decorated their letterboxes with flowers to proclaim the Easter message in our town. A different dynamic that year – yet the Risen Christ was honoured and known and celebrated.

Easter is such a significant time in the life of the Church, and in our individual lives. Something to truly celebrate in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. I have always loved John’s account of resurrection morning. “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb”.

It is so familiar and yet every year it brings to us afresh the beginning of a chapter in the Christian faith that continues to shape and inform us, here and now. A little later Mary encounters the Risen Christ in the garden. Galvanizing, truth-telling, revolutionary. After a short conversation Mary goes and tells the disciples “I have seen the Lord”. The first witness to the Risen Christ. That Christ rose from the dead opens up the world for those who follow him. Through his death on the cross, Jesus brings us into deeper relationship with the living God. A relationship that is covenantal in its nature, that has an expansiveness about it that takes us into eternity. The empty cross speaks to us of resurrection life. It talks to us of the outstretched arms of Jesus who gathers us to himself through his sacrificial love. The cross also speaks back to the perceived power and status of the world. The structures and posturing of those who believe they are in control, that they call the shots. Against unimaginable odds, faith wins out. And as followers of Christ, we can live with the posture of hope, love, goodness, for we believe in the power of the Risen Christ, that all things are possible in Christ.

I pray in whatever circumstance you find yourself, that Easter will be a time of renewal and nurture for you, and also a time that re-energises us all in the Church. A time we proclaim with conviction, “Christ is risen – he is risen indeed!”

Rt Rev Rose Luxford, Moderator

Sunday 6th April 2025

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Here’s our Zoom link –

Topic: St Martin’s Sunday Worship. To Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81508696154?pwd=cnErZFM5VG5OQVhsZkxYc0dxOHdvUT09

Meeting ID: 815 0869 6154
Passcode: 712158

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us today, and many thanks to Rev Dugald Wilson for leading our service. Please join us for morning tea following the service. 

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

Wednesday Walkers 9th April: Meet at 9.30am at Richmond Workingmens club, Evelyn Cousins Avenue for a walk around the new Avon River walking track. All welcome. Janette 021 075 6780. 

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) Emily 022 094 1492

Monday 7.15pm           Meditation Group (lounge) Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10am              South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Tuesday 7-9pm             Mums n Tums (lounge) Olivia 027 327 6369

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: Avon River Janette 021 075 6780

Wednesday 7-9pm       Cantabile Choir (lounge) Rose 027 254 0586

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065

EASTER EGGS for Waltham Cottage – donations of Easter treats for the Cottage would be greatly appreciated. They are hosting an Easter Egg hunt on Tuesday 12th April. Please bring them to Church and pop them in the basket or drop them into the Parish Office before 9th April.

CONSERVATION – Week 25. Conserve for this week by thinking global and then act local. That is to think about everything that you do and how that will affect the planet now and into the future. How well are we leaving the planet for future generations? Are we abiding by God’s direction to take care of our planet and all that it contains?

HOLY WEEK & EASTER SERVICES

Palm Sunday 13th April 10am with Rev Nardia Sandison

Maundy Thursday 7pm at St Mark’s Opawa

Good Friday 9.30am led by the Worship committee

Easter Sunday 10am Holy Communion with Rev Hugh Perry

followed by Hot Cross Buns for morning tea

Community Anzac Day service Friday 25th April 9.30am, Waltham Park – all are welcome.

Sunday 30th March 2025

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A Combined Service at Cashmere Presbyterian Church

10am Harvest Festival service at Cashmere Presbyterian Church, McMillan Ave with our neighbours from Cashmere & Hoon Hay parishes. All are welcome – please bring fruit & vegetables from your garden or non perishable grocery items which will be distributed to local community groups (including Waltham Cottage).

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: Tues 1st Aileen D; Wed 2nd Anna W; Fri 4th Rosalie B

NOTICES:

Door code change: Please note that the code to enter the premises will be changed on Friday 4th April. To obtain the new code, please call into the Parish Office and sign the confidentiality agreement.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

If anyone wants jars of spicy crab apple jelly to go on Hot Cross buns, please let Sue know by 6th April so she can have it at church on Sunday 13th.

Wednesday Walkers 2nd April: Meet 9.30am on the Merchiston veranda, 75 St Martins Road for a walk around the area.  All welcome Fern 021 227 4758

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) 022 094 1492

Monday 7.15pm           Meditation Group Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10am              South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Tuesday 7-9pm             Mums n Tums (lounge) Olivia 027 327 6369

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: St Martins Fern 021 227 4758

Wednesday 9.30am      Port Hills U3A (whole complex) Joy 337 2393

Wednesday 7-9pm       Cantabile Choir (lounge) Rose 027 254 0586

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065

Image result for clipart hot cross bunsHOT CROSS BUNS Fundraiser for St Mark’s Opawa. $5 for a packet of six delicious buns – available in traditional, chocolate or cranberry. Contact Anna in the Office before 3 April to place an order. Buns will be delivered on 13 April.

Easter Eggs in Basket Transparent PNG Clip Art Image - ClipArt Best ...

EASTER EGGS for Waltham Cottage – donations of Easter treats for the Cottage would be greatly appreciated. Please bring them to Church and pop them in the basket or drop them into the Parish Office before 9th April.

CONSERVATION – Week 24. This week’s message is about efficiency. Efficiency is getting the most out of energy and materials thereby minimizing waste. When driving, keep your speed down. Minimize heat waste with insulation. When cold, add clothes rather than heat. Only buy stuff that you need. Recycle. The planet at birth was allocated a finite amount of non-renewable energy and resources. When used, the cake is eaten.

PLEASE NOTE: If you do not wish to receive the Alpine Presbytery newsletter each week please email me at the Parish Office (stmartpresch@xtra.co.nz) so I can remove your name from the list. DO NOT click “unsubscribe”. Thank you. Anna.

Sunday 23rd March 2025 ~ Rev Dan Yeazel

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“A Good Goodbye” (John 16:12-16)
Life is full of goodbyes.  Children grow up and leave home, graduation happens and friends go off to college, people get married and move, workplaces close and colleagues take new jobs, summers finish and romances end, death comes and final farewells have to be said.  No matter who we are, we have known “goodbye” in one form or another.  Within goodbyes there runs a full range of emotions, goodbyes can be filled with joy and thanksgiving, they can be times of sorrow, there can be urgency, or fear or even exhilaration when the time comes to say “God be with you”, or goodbye. 

At their best, goodbyes leave us with a grateful spirit and fond memories to cherish.  At their worst, they leave us feeling angry or misunderstood, and maybe even second guessing ourselves.  If we allow it, our text this morning can teach us in the art of saying goodbye.  Our story this morning is part of the classic farewell address when Jesus says goodbye to his disciples.

Goodbyes, even happy goodbyes, can surprise us with twisting emotions.  A little more than 40 years ago, I was a wide-eyed teenager off to New Zealand for a year’s study.  I was so excited about this chance to see the world!  Yet there came these times to say goodbye: to teacher and friends, to parents and family.  I was only sixteen, and it’s hard to see your mom and dad cry at any age, Parents can be so embarrassing I thought.  But I didn’t get it.  They knew more than I did about what was happening right then.  As I was making my excited preparations, there was one occasion, when a good friend said, “remember, we’re the ones being left behind”.  That gave me pause and a helpful perspective. .  I also remember visiting grandparents before I left, each of us thinking “when will we see each other again?”  They wanted to say the kind of goodbye that recognizes it could be the last one.  Tough stuff, for me as a young kid off to see the world.  But I got it when my grandmother took my hand and said “Danny (She was one of two people who would call me Danny. That always got my attention – I listened closely.) , we need to say a good goodbye.” 

Our reading is a powerful story.  It shows us even Jesus needs to say goodbye. .  This is part of the farewell discourse of Jesus, and he explains once more to the disciples that he must depart, and yet the promise is made that they will not be alone.  What does it mean to say goodbye well? How does he turn pain of partings into an occasion that can redeem relationships and be filled with hope and integrity?

For us, what might it look like to say goodbye in such a way as to free those we are leaving behind to continue on vibrant with life and the potential for flourishing?  John shows us that Jesus knows how to say goodbye!   This passage is considered the “heart” of Jesus’ farewell.   The one who speaks here speaks as no one has spoken.”  This is a goodbye like no other. 

What does it mean to say goodbye well? Let us look at this moment through the eyes of Jesus. As the one saying goodbye it is Jesus who takes the initiative. It would seem that Jesus’ disciples are trying to avoid the subject altogether; they prefer not to talk about it. Their anticipated pain at being alone is more than they can manage so they retreat into a place of silence.

In this difficult time, it is Jesus who takes the initiative and makes certain he talks about his leaving with the disciples.  Saying goodbye is something Jesus needs to do for himself; so, he pursues a thoughtful goodbye with uncommon intentionality.  For Jesus knows that hearing him say goodbye is something the disciples must experience and accept if they are to get on with life.  They’ve got to hear him say it.  Goodbye. 

I was a huge fan of MASH.  After 11 years, The final episode was titled, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, was a perfect blend of laughter and tears.  One of the things I remember was the fun Hawkeye had with BJ because BJ couldn’t say the word goodbye.  So for a few weeks,  Hawkeye taunted him with every possible way of saying “Goodbye, goodbye”, and in the end BJ found his own way to say it – spelling it out with bright yellow letters ten feet high.  For BJ, goodbye wasn’t real – until he said it – and said it in his own way. 

Notice how Jesus says goodbye: he does so in such a way as to leave his disciples hopefull. He assures them that they will not be left alone or on their own. The Spirit of truth…the Advocate…will come to be their companion .

Jesus senses the inability of his disciples to get it. They don’t grasp the truth as to who Jesus really is and what it means for him to be called Messiah. They can’t begin to understand what is about to happen to Jesus. For them, the cross remains a mystery, with death an improbability for someone called Messiah. Jesus doesn’t take his disciples off the hook by providing them with easy answers, or false promises.   But he does leave them hopeful. He tells them that once he is gone another will come, the Holy Spirit, who will guide them along the way of all truth and companion with them to help speak about justice and love.   It will be the Spirit that opens our eyes to God’s grace that brings us to faith.  It is our faith that leads us to hope for the days ahead. 

Years later the members of John’s church who are listening to this story after the fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection still struggle to get it, as do most of us. We too struggle with Jesus, don’t we?  This is John’s point: it is the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who comes to help us all to gain some understanding! John knows that if we are going to see God in Jesus and discover where God might be moving about in our life, and in the life of the church ,it won’t happen overnight. Healthy goodbyes are said in such a way as to get us through the darkness by offering the assurance that there are exciting discoveries awaiting us in a new day. Jesus wanted to help get them to this point. 

So in this strange twist of a farewell address, Jesus turns his goodbye into a
Hello.  He says there is more to be said.  What they had thought to be the end is turning out to be the prelude to a new beginning. 

New truths await them around the corner of tomorrow . Instead of being finished with their mission , their life, they are about to begin again. The best, Jesus suggests, is yet to come! The trick to hanging in there when life is about to pull the rug out from under us, in this promise of the Holy Spirit who is God with us and for us and in us—God ready to walk us into tomorrow hand in hand.  

I suspect this is what healthy, God-inspired goodbyes always do. They
so capture our imagination that they leave us with new insights into what life
is really about and ready to flourish as we embrace the next chapter of our
world with unexpected enthusiasm. A Goodbye that says keep your eyes on the skies.  Look up, there is more to come. 

T.S. Elliot writes “To make an end is to make a beginning.  The end is where we start from.”  Today my ministry ends here at St Martins and it will make the beginning of something new here for the Parish, and something new for me.  It is a time of transition.   Things are changing, things must change, but in some incredible mysterious way, the Spirit is still here and and moving us all forward.   Our God is the God of first and last things, of beginnings and endings and beginnings.  Our God is Alpha and Omega and Alpha!

By way of “God Be With you”, goodbye, I want to say thank you for inviting me to be pastor here.   You have invited me into your lives, your homes and together we sought to worship and serve God.  For all the things that helped bring the Kingdom closer, for everything that went well, Thank God.  For those things, for those moments that might have been different.  I’m sorry.  Over this time there have been many expressions of kindness to me and my family.  Thank you. 

I believe, God is recognized in our midst, and there is a common, shared understanding that God is not some far away God, but rather an up close companion to us and a God who accompanies all of us, and will continue to accompany each of us in the days to come.  Look and listen for the ways that God is part of sounds that come from this place.  I pray that recognition continues.  In everything that is done give the knowing nod to God.   Anything we do well, is because God is supporting and surrounding what we do, right from the beginning.

Endings make beginnings.   Worship leads to service. , go out and serve well.  You are close to God’s heart, created in God’s image, make God’s love known.  Being part of God’s breath, may we all go out joyfully and serve well wherever we may be.  Look to the coming days with a sense of expectation and hope and unshakable sense that God is present.  Go well, God bless, good bye.  Amen. 

Sunday 23rd March 2025

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Here’s our Zoom link –

Topic: St Martin’s Sunday Worship. To Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81508696154?pwd=cnErZFM5VG5OQVhsZkxYc0dxOHdvUT09

Meeting ID: 815 0869 6154
Passcode: 712158

A plea from Waltham Cottage: they are desperately short of non-perishable food to help out people in need in our local community. If you are able to bring along an extra couple of items on Sunday that would be much appreciated.

NOTICES:

A very warm welcome to all who worship with us today. Please join us for morning tea following the service as we farewell and thank Dan for his time with us as Interim Minister.

Donations: if you would like to support the ministry at St Martins our bank account is: 03-1598-0011867-00. Please include your name as a reference.

NEXT SUNDAY 30th MARCH 10am Combined Harvest Festival service at Cashmere Presbyterian Church, McMillan Ave with our neighbours from Cashmere & Hoon Hay parishes. All are welcome – please bring fruit & vegetables from your garden or non perishable grocery items which will be distributed to local community groups (including Waltham Cottage).

Wednesday Walkers 26th March: Meet 9.30am in The Colombo carpark for a walk around Sydenham.  Coffee at the new Mrs Smith’s Cafe at the entrance off The Colombo carpark. All welcome. Sonya 027 253 3397.

THIS WEEK AT ST MARTINS                                    

Monday 10am               Tend cuppa & chat (lounge) emily.ingram@tend.nz

Monday 7.15pm           Meditation Group Dugald 021 161 7007

Tuesday 10am              South Elder Care (lounge) Jeannette 332 9869

Tuesday 7-9pm             Mums n Tums (lounge) Olivia 027 327 6369

Wednesday 9.30am      Walking Group: Sydenham Sonya 027 253 3397

Wednesday 7-9pm       Cantabile Choir (lounge) Rose 027 254 0586

Thursday 10am             Crafty Crafters (lounge) Sally 332 4730

Thursday 1.30pm          Sit & Be Fit (church) Anneke 021 077 4065

HOT CROSS BUNS Fundraiser for St Mark’s Opawa. $5 for a packet of six delicious Couplands buns – available in traditional, chocolate or cranberry. Contact Anna in the Office before 3 April to place an order. Buns will be delivered on 13 April.

EASTER EGGS for Waltham Cottage – donations of Easter treats for the Cottage would be greatly appreciated. Please bring them to Church and pop them in the basket or drop them into the Parish Office  before 9th April.

CONSERVATION – Week 23. For a change, this week’s message is not draconian or a kill-joy. It is to keep getting educated. Read history (or we will be deemed to relive it). There is just so much to learn from civilisations and people’s past mistakes – and breakthroughs. Nearly all civilisations in the past have succeeded and failed for not many common reasons. Unfortunately, our present civilisation tick most of the bad boxes. My little weekly sessions are my attempt at educating you all. What better place than in church as the Bible lays out formulae for very sustainable living.

Highlights from the March Parish Council meeting:

  • Anna is to work some extra hours whilst we don’t have an Interim Minister
  • A very efficient fire drill was held on 9th March with an excellent evacuation time of 90 seconds
  • An Interim Moderator is yet to be appointed
  • The hedge at the rear of the property is to be trimmed, and the flax bushes on the footpath to be cut back
  • The Pastoral Care team has met and the parish roll has been updated
  • 5th Sundays Combined services with Cashmere & Hoon Hay: Cashmere is hosting a Harvest festival on 30th March, St Martins is the host on 29th June, and it will be at Hoon Hay on 31st August
  • The access code for the kitchen door will be changed at the beginning of April. Anna will action this and advise all relevant groups
  • After Easter the Elder Care meeting time will change to 1-4pm
  • Dan was thanked for his leadership and care of the congregation during his time here at St Martins

A new Sunday roster is available today – please check to see if there is a copy for you in the foyer. Anna.