MARCH 2008DECEMBER 2012

ECO SPIRITUALIY - PAGES 6 & 7

CWS APPEAL - PAGES 10 & 11

By Paul Titusonference 2012 served as asolid bridge between the pastand future of the NewZealand Methodist Church,Te Hahi Weteriana.

History was a prevailingtheme at this Conference as the Churchmarked the centenary of the 1913 unionof the New Zealand Wesleyan andPrimitive Methodists to form the presentMethodist Church of NZ.

At the same time, with the launch ofits 10 year 'Let the Children Live' initiativeto address child poverty, Conference'sfocus was very much on the future andhow Methodists can remain relevant inthe 21st century.

This year's Conference was held inWellington as was the Conference whereMethodist Union was formalised a centuryago. Echoes of the past could be heardthroughout the events and services thattook place on the opening weekend ofConference.

During their induction service address,the incoming presidential team of RevRex Nathan and Jan Tasker discussed thetheme they had set for Conference - Godof past, present and future.

Along the with events surroundingMethodist Union, Rex and Jan remindedus of our missionary past, the Treatyrelationship that underlies New Zealandsociety, and the social issues that haveinflamed earlier generations of Methodistsincluding temperance.

They reminded us that there is atension between the traditional and thenew, and that while Christianity is rootedin holy ancient stories, we must look fornew ways to live out our faith in achanging world.

The past and the bicultural makeup ofthe nation and the Church were also ondisplay at the Centennial dinner at PipiteaMarae. The guest speaker at the dinnerwas Governor General Sir JerryMateparae, a fitting nod to the past giventhat in 1913 Governor General LordLiverpool was one of the witnesses to theformal signing of the Methodist Church'sdeed of unity.

Links to earlier generations were alsomade when descendants of the firstpresident and vice president of theMethodist Church of NZ, Rev SamuelLawry and Charles Luke, cut theCentennial cake.

More blasts from the past came fromPatea Maori Club, who provided theevening's entertainment, including their

1980s hit 'Poi E'.On Sunday morning a service was at

the Wesley Wellington Taranaki StreetChurch to celebrate the centenary ofMethodist Union and launch the Let theChildren Live decade.

The service was preceded by a marchfrom the Wellington Town Hall to WesleyWellington. It too resonated with the pastgiven that the delegates to the 1913 madethe same march prior to signing the deedof unity.

esley Wellington's Tonganmarching band led the procession.They played the music to the hymn

the marchers sang a century ago - OnwardChristian Soldiers - and a modern versionof the hymn was sung during the servicethat followed.

During the service the focus ofConference shifted from the past to thepresent and our society's future. TheMethodist Church formally committeditself to addressing the serious problemsof child poverty and abuse and teensuicide.

Young people were prominent duringthe service. A moving highlight was adrama by Wesley College students thatillustrated the harsh realities too manyyoung people face today.

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei

was the guest speaker at the service.Metiria heads the Green Party's 'Take theStep to End Child Poverty' campaign andshe talked about her own difficult up-bringing and the social supportprogrammes that enabled her to get outof poverty.

See Page 2

INSIDEMCNZ CONFERENCE - PAGES 2 & 3

C

Methodistscelebrate theirliving legacy

Methodistscelebrate theirliving legacy

With release of balloons, the Methodist Church launched its Let the Children Live campaign to end child poverty.

MCNZ president Rev Rex Nathanwelcomes Governor General Jerry

Mateparae to Conference.

2 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

N E W S

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From Page 1The ordination of new ministers is also a time when the Church

looks to its future. During the ordination service on Sunday afternoon,Megan Alley was ordained as deacon, and Alofaifo Asiata, Ian Boddy,Ian Faulkner, Alisa Lasi, and Mary Nicholas were ordained as presbyters.

The Church also received into Full Connexion Rev Akuila Balefrom the Methodist Church in Fiji.

During Conference another historical milestone for the Churchwas signalled. 2014 will mark the bicentenary of the first proclamationof the Christian Gospel in New Zealand by the missionary Rev SamuelMarsden. This event too will be marked by looking forward as wellas back at our bi-cultural past.

Fundraising is underway to purchase the private land aroundMarsden Cross, the memorial erected where Marsden first preached,and to build a pilgrimage chapel.

N Z C h i l d r e n ' sCommissioner Dr Russell Willsaddressed Conference to helplaunch 'Let the Children Live'.He suggested ways we as asociety could devote resourcesto end child poverty. This is anedited version of his talk.

New Zealand is a t acrossroads . We have anopportunity to make choices thatcan dramatically improve thelives of thousands of vulnerablechildren. We can choose to investin our children. We can chooseto value our children. Or we canchoose not to.

I convened the ExpertAdvisory Group on Solutions toChild Poverty because as apaediatrician I was seeingchildren with infectious diseasesthat our British registrars thoughtonly occurred in third worldcountries. Rheumatic fever,tuberculosis, severely infectedeczema and assaults on childrenall occur in New Zealand atstaggeringly high rates comparedto the rest of the developed world.All of these have their rootsfirmly in child poverty.

Poverty in childhood matters.It means your mother is morelikely to smoke and to not eat

properly while she's pregnant.You're therefore more likely tobe born too small or too early.

You're more likely to notattend preschool and to arrive atschool not ready to learn. You'remore likely to not have fittingshoes or a coat when it rains, soyou get sick and need days offschool. This means your parentshave to take time off work theycan't afford.

You're more likely to have ababy as a teenager, which in NewZealand usually destines motherand baby to a lifetime of poverty.If you're poor you are more likelyto leave school early with noqualifications.

Starting your adult life on thedole and out of education ortraining sets you up for a lifetimeof low-skilled, low-waged jobsand welfare dependency. And sothe cycle repeats.

Leading economists estimatethat child poverty costs NewZealand around three percent ofGDP or $6 billion a year. That'slike a global economic crisisevery day. We simply can't affordto leave our children in poverty.

We should take an investmentapproach to child poverty. If we'realready spending $6 billion a year

because of child poverty, let'sspend a bit less of that up frontnow and prevent those costs.

There are several thingsgovernment is doing already thatdo good and should continue.There is more that we can dohowever.

To start with, we need toincrease the incomes of familieswith the youngest children. Weshould review Working forFamilies and create a new ChildPayment. This should be auniversal payment, that pays themost to children in the first year.This helps parents who want tostay home with their new-bornbaby. This is good for attachment,breastfeeding and ensuringchildren receive health checks.

Work is the best route out ofpoverty. To help parents into workthey have to trust that thechildcare their child receives isthe best possible. We thereforehave to invest in early childhoodeducation and care, and probablytarget assistance to parents whomost need it.

We desperately need toimprove the quality and supplyof social housing. New Zealandhas one of the lowest proportionsof social housing in the OECD.

Private rental houses in NewZealand are in woeful shape.Several hundred thousand areuninsulated, cold and damp.

Housing should be added tothe National Infrastructure Plan.This plan oversees huge resourcecommitments like roads andairports. Our single biggestnational resource is our housingstock. If we invest in new andimproved housing for our mostvulnerable the evidence forimproved health and educational

outcomes is unequivocal.We are at a cross roads in our

history. We have the chance tochange our country so it is onceagain a great place to be a child.But the lesson of history is thatchange requires sacrifice andeffort.

What are you prepared to giveup so that our most vulnerablechildren can have their basicneeds met? How will you let ourpoliticians know this?

C o n f e r e n c e l e g a c y

New Zealand must invest to end child poverty

While they might have a somewhat austerepast, Methodists certainly know how to throw aparty these days.

Conference-goers who attended the Centennialdinner not only sat down to a delicious mealcatered by Pipitea Marae staff, they enjoyed somelively entertainment by the Patea Maori Club.

Leading the performance was Rev Napi Waakawho had a hand in developing the Club in its earlystages when it was the Patea Maori MethodistClub. Napi showed his considerable charm (i.e.,cheek) by getting Governor General Sir JerryMateperae up on stage to perform with the club.

The Patea Maori Club hit the charts in the1980s with its hit song Poi E, written by Pateamusician Dalvanius Prime and Maori linguist NgoiPewhairangi.

On the popularity of Poi E, the Club had aperforming career here and briefly overseas. Theyalso developed a musical stage show that told thestory of how the closure of the Patea meat worksaffected the town.

Waimarie Cassidy is one of the leaders of PateaMaori Club today. Waimarie says a new generationis now filling the ranks of the Club and they arelooking forward to producing new songs.

“We have had a revival over the past couple

of years after Poi E was used in the soundtrack ofthe movie 'Boy'. We recently had three groups ofmostly young performers go to Asia through MaoriTourism.

“The ones that are joining the club now aregrandchildren or nieces and nephews of thefoundation members. We have instructors in their30s who grew up in the Club. They can relate tothe younger ones and get them involved.”

Waimarie says Patea Maori Club was alwaysa whanau affair that included “mothers, fathers,grandfathers, aunties, uncles, in-laws and outlaws”.

When members moved to Auckland or othercities, they could always be brought back on boardwhen the Club was performing nearby.

These days Patea Maori Club is working on anew collection of songs. Musician LeonWharekura, who trained with Dalvanius Prime isorganising the recording project and Waimarieexpects a CD to be out next year.

She says many members of Patea Maori Clubmaintain their connections to the MethodistChurch. In addition to performing at theConference dinner, they were proud to serve asthe choir that sang several hymns at the presidentialteam's induction service.

Patea Maori Club hits high note

Children's Commissioner Dr Russell Wills laidout practical ways to end child poverty.

Patea Maori Club (with Rev Napi Waaka, right) performed at Conference.

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 3N E W S

Where have we comesince Methodist union?

Mission priorities, Living Wage among Conference decisionsBy Paul Titus

While the ceremonial events ofConference 2012 focused on the Europeanand bi-cultural past of the MethodistChurch in New Zealand, many of thebusiness sessions showed that in future wewill draw more influences from the widerAsia-Pacific.

Among the decisions that Conferencemade was to elevate the Church's growingFijian section, Wasewase ko Viti kei Rotuma,from an advisory group to a full synod.Wasewase ko Viti now has five parishes(tabacakacaka) throughout NZ and nearlya dozen congregations.

An inauguration service will be held onMarch 16th to mark the creation of the Fijiansynod though the process of fullyestablishing it will take place over the nexttwo years.

Initiatives of the Pasifika sections of theChurch were given a boost by the decisionto set up a mechanism to fund Connexionalmission priorities. This will allow the fullConnexion to direct money and fundraisingefforts to important projects that are beyondthe scope of a synod or parish to accomplish

on its own.The decision was prompted initially to

support several capital works projects fromPacific synods, though Methodist generalsecretary Rev David Bush says a missionpriority could also be a policy initiative suchas Let the Children Live.

The first project to become a missionpriority will be a retreat and social servicescomplex in the Auckland region. TheSamoan Women's Fellowship and SinotiSamoa have been raising funds for such acentre for more than a decade.

Other potential priorities include Tonganchurches in Auckland that need to expandto accommodate their bulging congregations.

A highlight of the business sessions wasthe visit by 12 ministers from KoreanMethodist Congregations in New Zealand.All these congregations are affiliated withthe South Seoul Methodist Conference (oneof 13 Methodist Conferences in Korea).

Earlier this year the Methodist Churchof NZ and South Seoul Conference signedan agreement to work towards closerrelationships in New Zealand. Tauiwidirector of mission resourcing Rev Nigel

Hanscamp says the agreement is a statementof intent that could over time lead theMethodist Church of NZ to develop moreKorean ministries and even an associatesynod for Korean ministers.

Cooperative Ventures also featured inthe decisions of Conference 2012.Conference joined the other PartnerChurches by approving a new set ofprocedures for the oversight of CVs andUniting Congregations.

The new regulations change the statusof a CV's church of oversight to that of acoordinating partner, a change that isintended to increase the different Partners'involvement in the CV. Unit ingCongregations executive director Rev PeterMacKenzie says the new procedures haveless detail and should provide CVs and theirPartner Churches more flexibility to organisethemselves.

Members of the Wairarapa Union DistrictCouncil brought a memorial to Conferenceseeking Methodist approval for CVs to movetoward independence from the PartnerChurches. The proposal was not warmlyreceived, and was referred to the Council

of Conference for further action. (See pagefive of this issue for an edited version ofthe memorial.)

Two decisions of Conference on socialissues will ask parishes to take on newinitiatives in their communities. As part ofthe Let the Children Live initiativeConference urges all parishes to considerhow they can respond to child poverty andvulnerability and identify and implement atleast one new action to stop child poverty.

Conference also agreed to become asupporting organisation for the Living Wagecampaign. The campaign says all NewZealanders should be paid a wage thatenables workers to provide the necessitiesof life for their families and participate intheir communities.

Conference urges parishes and rohe tobecome informed about the campaign andto actively support its aims. The AnglicanChurch is currently doing research on whatan appropriate living wage is in NewZealand. Once this research is done,Conference urges Church bodies to ensuretheir employees receive this levelof pay at least.

One of the aims Methodist historianRev Donald Phillipps had when he gavea lecture to the Wesley HistoricalSociety on Methodist Union was tobreathe life into the bones of thePrimitive Methodists.

In his talk Donald also sought todraw lessons about where the MethodistChurch has travelled since its unification.

Donald says the Primitives made upjust 10 percent of the combinedmembership when they and theWesleyans united to create the MethodistChurch of New Zealand in 1913.

“I thought it was important torecognise that Primitive Methodists werereal, they were important and they hadtheir own flavour. The Primitives tendedto be a little more working class andblue collar, perhaps less 'respectable',than the rather more middle class, whitecollar Wesleyans.

“Primitive worship was simpler, theirchurches were plainer, and they stilltended to be more evangelical andengaged within the community than theWesleyans.”

Donald says the Primitives placed astronger emphasis on lay leadership. Layand ordained were equally representedin leadership bodies, and three lay peoplebecame president of the PrimitiveMethodist Church, including the firstvice president of the united MethodistChurch, Charles Luke.

This emphasis on lay leadershippersists in the Methodist Church of NZtoday.

In his talk Donald examined threecoincidences associated with MethodistUnion that illustrate trends in the

direction the Church has taken in thepast century.

The first is that 18 months after theproclamation of union was signed, WorldWar I ignited and the Methodist Churchgenerally supported the Imperial cause.It did so again in WWII but out of thatexperience arose its increasingopposition to militarism.

“Another coincidence is that theDeed of Union was signed on what wewould come to know as Waitangi Day,though it would not be observed as suchfor another 20 years. The bi-culturaljourney has been an immenselyimportant part of our history. This isespecially true over the past 20 plusyears when it has been taken seriously,particularly in the light of the work ofthe Waitangi Tribunal.”

The third coincidence Donald talkedabout was the 1912 arrival of a Methodistlayperson from the Pacific, a Samoanman who would become the first Pasifikaleader in the New Zealand Church, aspart of the Auckland Central Mission.

“When we embarked on the bi-cultural journey we said it was with theaim of becoming a multi-cultural church.The Pasifika parts of our church havegrown and become a vital part of it.

“I am not sure 'multi-cultural' is thebest way to describe the Church's moveforward. Perhaps it is better to think ofthe future as being a series of bi-culturaljourneys. While never forgetting thepriority of the tangata whenua/manuhiriengagement, each journey represents apositive way for the Pasifika membersof the church to give expression to theirintegrity.”

President Rev Rex Nathan and vice president Jan Tasker presentedBibles to the Church's newly ordained ministers.

Newly ordained Deacon Megan Alley (left) with Rev Sui Te'o and Paula Taumoepeau.

Wesley Wellington Church's Tongan marching band led the Conference march fromthe Wellington town hall to Wesley Wellington Taranaki Street.

4 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

O P I N I O N

Gillian WatkinHawkes Bay and the West Coast

television transmission went digitalon September 30th. In the weeks thatfollowed, a special recycling schemefor old equipment collected 12,000TVs - including ours - from aroundthe region.

Obviously the market for secondhand sales had completely fallen over.Just imagine what it will be like whenthe main centres go digital. A scarythought.

We have become used torecycling, and we view it rathervirtuously. For millennia there wasno waste. Rain came and then returnedto the sea via rivers and streams andprecipitation began the cycle all overagain. Vegetation died, dropped tonourish the soil and new plantsemerged. All recycling was a naturalevent.

When the industrial revolutiontook people from the land, theinvention of synthetic materialschanged society's worldview.

Images of life became linear, linesof progress, lines of set goals anddevelopment. The human life beganto be described as a line from birth todeath, the natural cycles of life wereset aside as of lesser importance.

I picked up a cheerful Christmasthemed magazine recently but as Ileafed through it I felt something wasnot quite right. The whole Christmasedition was devoted to the acquisitionof things and to the importance ofhaving new decorations and changesin style each year. It seemed soshallow.

Artificial recycling is seen as aredemptive act for such a lifestyle butoften we haven't a clue where our

rubbish is going. We now plantflowers in our garden one year, andthey come up again next year inunexpected places. We could not dothat in the hard clays of Titirangi andI can't help thinking that the pages ofChristmas junk are rather like thathard sterile clay.

The cycle of life strengthened bytradition is the essence of the Christianway. The Christmas story is the mostpowerful story in the world, a storyof connectedness from the stars in thesky to the straw in the stable and thegifts of God in the baby Jesus.

It is often said that Christmas isfor the children but it is for thechildlike heart in each person. It istime for truth, joy and peace.

With the most beautiful music andimages the church has ever had,stewardship spills over into the restof the world at Christmas time. Thereare carols in supermarkets getting themessage into the marketplace, goodpeople step out of busyness to be ofgood will to others. There are timesfor family traditions and memories.

It is not a time to grumble thatpeople don't come to church; it is atime to complete the circle of life andmove out into the world, savouringthe truth and recognising that thereality of the Christmas seasonheightens all of life, the joyful andthe painful.

Whatever the birth of Christ meansto us, it is a story that can never beconsigned to the scrapheap. It comesaround into our lives again as clearlyas the waters return to the sea.

May you experience the peace andjoy of this Christmas season.

From the backyardFrom the backyard

Recycling Christmas

To the editor,The Bible presents two apparently

contradictory ways to salvation and eternal life.One is predestination to heaven or hell

according to Gods' pleasure, the other is afreewill choice according to people's pleasureand God's willing acceptance.

Our attitude toward biblical teachingprobably depends on our experiences and the

persuasiveness of people we respect.We find what we expect to find and dismiss

what does not fit into the questions we ask. Wetend to condemn people of a differentpersuasion.

In God's eyes, both sides may be right. Thebest thing for us to do is to agree to differ andkeep loving our brethren.

Ivan Harper, Tauranga

Bottom line is love one another

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To the editor,My husband and I were deeply offended

by the insert provided by Family First in theOctober 2012 Touchstone.

The leaflet was confusing. For example, itinitially states that homosexuals can be goodparents and then has a couple of sections sayingthe opposite. It also points to research withoutproviding references to qualify the claims madeby such research.

The best part about it was the political U-Turn section, which just goes to show thatpeople can change their minds without beatingthemselves up about it.

Mostly we are upset as we are still searchingfor the Methodist Church's view on all this.

Are we not an affirming church? Can someoneplease help us out?

We want to be part of a place where it'sclear to everyone that God created us and lovesus. If a young same-sex attracted person wasreading this insert in your church on Sundaymorning - what message would they receive?

Rev Trevor Hoggard's article in the sameissue provided some Christian views onmarriage. However, we don't fit into any of hiscategories.

We are followers of Christ who believe thatGod is a relational God, we are relational peopleand the greatest commandment is to love God,love yourself and one another.

Emily Worman, Papakura

Puzzled by Family First andMethodist Church

To the editor,I have made a submission in support of the

Definition of Marriage Amendment Bill. Theseare my reasons:

As a Christian I believe in the inclusivelove of God. This calls me to work for theequality and dignity of all people.

I believe it is time to end discrimination onthe grounds of sexual orientation and to ensurethat all New Zealanders have the right to marryif they choose.

Civil unions were one step on the road togreater equality. They gave gay couplesimportant legal rights and protections. But theydo not have the same social status as marriage.They are 'almost the same but not quite' andthe force is in the 'not quite'.

Marriage has always been an evolving socialand religious institution. Once its purpose wasto secure property and make political alliances.Once it was illegal for a black man to marry awhite woman. Once Christians believed that

wives should submit to their husbands.I do not believe those with Christian

perspectives on marriage have anything to fearfrom the Bill. The Bill preserves the right ofthe churches to discern who is and who is noteligible to marry in their facilities.

As an ordained Methodist minister, I am intouch with the views of many ordinary church-goers. My experience is that many in theChristian community support marriage equality,even if their voices are not as loud as thoseopposing the Bill.

My partner and I had a civil union in 2007.We did so because the option of marriage wasnot available to us. We want the same rightsthat are available to heterosexual NewZealanders.

We are used to being discriminated againstby the churches. We do not believe we shouldbe discriminated against by the state to whichwe belong as free and equal citizens.

Rev Dr Susan Thompson, Hamilton

Equality before God and the State

Merry Christmas andHappy New Year from

Touchstone. Thanks to allour contributors and

advertisers for your help in 2012!

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 5O P I N I O N

C O N V E R S A T I O N W I T H T H E C O N N E X I O N

We have celebrated the 100thConference of the New ZealandMethodist Church with the theme 'Godof the Past, Present and Future'.

The weekend started with the gatheringof Wesley Historical Society. It includedthe launch book of 'A Kind of Opening' atribute volume for Dame Phyllis Guthardtedited by Rev Lynne Frith and Rev SusanThompson. This was followed by DonaldPhillips scholarly address on the union ofthe Primitive and Wesleyan Churches in1913.

The next morning the presidential teamattended the Evangelical Network's prayerbreakfast.

Then Conference gathered at PipiteaMarae for its powhiri. An important partof the powhiri is tributes to leaders of theMethodist whanau who passed on duringthe year. This year we farewelled DavidAlley, Win Christian, Margaret Gordon,Kilifi Heimuli, Paihia Howard, Sister EdithJames, Alesana Letoa, Noel Olsson, JudithParkes, David Pond, Lorraine Reid, Elma

Reynolds, Fletcher Thomas, Pari Waaka,and Kay Wicks.

On Saturday afternoon we moved tothe Wellington Anglican Cathedral for ourinduction. Later that afternoon the Churchcelebrated the lives of those retiring andthanked them for their work. We alsothanked and farewelled legal adviser DavidSmith and director of English SpeakingMinistry Rev Nigel Hanscamp.

Then it was back to the Pipitea Maraefor the Centennial Dinner that evening.It was an absolutely scrumptious meal.Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparaewas the guest speaker and Patea MaoriClub led by the irrepressible Rev NapiWaaka provided enter ta inment .

Sunday saw Conference on an earlymorning march from the Wellington TownHall to Wesley Methodist Church TaranakiStreet led by the Wesley WellingtonTongan Band. The march followed in thefootsteps of a march by our Methodistforebears when they joined in union 100years ago.

At Wesley Wellington we launched theConnexion's 10 year 'Let the ChildrenLive' initiative. The service included avery moving dramatic presentation bystudents from Wesley College andconcluded with children and young peopleletting balloons off to fly into the future.

Our weekend celebrations concludedin the afternoon back at the AnglicanCathedral with the ordination of onedeacon and five presbyters. It was a veryfitting end to a memorable weekend thatset the tone for the Conference businesssessions.

The launch of Let the Children Liveis a particularly significant step for ourchurch. It was good to have WellingtonCity Council representative Paul Eagleand Green Party co-leader Metiria Tureispeak at the service, and Children'sCommissioner Dr Russell Wills addressConference the following evening on thesituation facing children in Aotearoa.

As we visit and preach at parishes andother events around the Connexion, Let

the Children Live will be one of our maintopics. Now that we have launched theinitiative, parishes will want to know whathappens next. They will ask: What aresome practical things we can do? We willtry to carry the message to them.

Another of our themes will be the past,present, future of not only the MethodistChurch but also our society. Our societyhas changed, our church has changed, andthe things government does can causechange.

The first thing on our schedule is aservice at Kawhia Methodist Church. Earlynext year there will be induction servicesfor presbyters who have moved to newparishes and for Rev Trevor Hoggard, whotakes over as director of English SpeakingMinistry. In January we will be at RatanaPa and over Waitangi Day we willaccompany Trinity College students intheir course on Tai Tokerau. In May, Rexwill attend the Methodist ConsultativeCouncil of the Pacific in Papua NewGuinea.

By President Rex Nathan andVice President Jan Tasker

Where we've been,where we're going

This is an edited version of amemorial submitted to MethodistConference by the Wairarapa UnionDistrict Council secretary Rod Fleury.It was presented to conference throughthe Lower North Island Synod by DrOwen Pryor and UDC chair Dr JimVeitch. The conference referred thememorial to Council of Conference for further action.

The people in union churches todayare for the most part no longerPresbyterian, nor are they Methodist.They are a great cross section of NewZealanders.

However, because of the structuresthese local congregations were given,and because of the control exercised bythe denominations, Union Churches areunable to realise their full potential.

In this memorial the Union Churchesin the Wairarapa call attention toproblems this creates and that only theAssembly and Conference workingthrough a joint special committee canresolve.

Union church folk know only toowell that church union is dead. But whatdid not die was the dream of a UnitingChurch, a church for New Zealanders,belonging to New Zealanders, createdand carved out of the history and cultureof New Zealand and deeply rooted in itssoil.

Forty four years ago, 14 Methodistand Presbyterian parishes of theWairarapa joined together. This unionwas formed out of strength. St Luke'sChurch in Masterton was a union ofKnox and Wesley and had a roll of over600. Numbers in the other unionchurches in the Wairarapa were similar.Most of churches that joined hadhistories reaching back to the pioneerdays of the 1850s and 1860s.

These changes were made withenthusiasm and a deep commitment tothe gospel imperative that Christiansshould put historic differences behindthem to become one in their witness tothe reality of the risen Christ.

In other parts of the country unions

took place. Methodists were keen to joinforces with not only Presbyterians butalso with Anglicans given their roots inEngland with the Established church.

Now about 25 percent of allPresbyterian churches and more than 60percent of 'Palangi' Methodist churchesare in Union Parishes or CooperatingVentures.

While the national churches failedto unite in the last century, this is not afailure that Union Churches shouldcontinue to carry.

Therefore the Wairarapa UnionChurches seek the agreement of theMethodist and Presbyterian Churchesto review the churches they began tocreate nearly 50 years ago. The canchange union church structures, polity,financial arrangements and responsibilityfor buildings so that the churches canimplement new styles of mission and todevelop a Christian identity in theircommunities, more suited to our timesin New Zealand.

More importantly we should be givenpermission to grow into the UnitingChurch of Aotearoa New Zealand thatwas anticipated last century: a broad andinclusive Church with a New Zealandtheology, liturgy, forms of ministry anda truly New Zealand identity that willenable them to speak to the people ofthis country in new and fresh ways.

The Wairarapa Union churches donot wish yet more bureaucracy thrustupon them by the National churchesthrough Uniting Churches of AotearoaNZ. They wish to find their own, newidentity. This would allow them thefreedom to become united as one bodyif they so wish and join forces with otherlike-minded congregations across thecountry to create an inclusive,theologically relevant church for all NewZealanders.

To do this, the Methodist andPresbyterian churches to undertake thisreview and we ask that the review beextended to include all Union Churchesacross the country.

By Rev Doris ElphickI am a product of the Methodist Church

- past, present and future. As a child growingup in a Methodist parsonage during the1940s I have known and experienced theChurch of the past.

I saw my father taking three services ona Sunday and then taking off in his Model AFord for places unknown to me, across thehills to take home churches, baptisms andBible studies in isolated places within thecircuit.

I have lived in substandard parsonageswhere the wind whistled through everywindow, there was no back door, only a gate,and the toilet was down the garden path.

My father retired from ministry as a youngman because he couldn't afford to buyuniforms and text books for his daughters toattend secondary school. Home missionarieswere paid far less that ordained ministers.

I have been part of a church that hadwonderful leadership in Sunday schools, Bibleclass, Easter camps, Girls and Boys LifeBrigades, beach missions, choir and harvestfestivals. These committed Christian folk gaveyoung people a good grounding in the faiththat has stood by many of them for the restof their lives.

I have seen good people, including mygrandparents in the 1950s, and people of morerecent times, leave the Methodist Churchbecause they didn't agree with the directionthe Church was going as we strove for justiceand stood with people who had been unjustlytreated and alienated.

I am glad to belong to a church who hasworked hard so that people know they arevalued and restored to life and community inthis life and that this is as important, if not

more so, than saving a soul for the afterlife.I am glad to be part of the Methodist

church of the present that is struggling toembrace change. We are a church thatcontinues to speak out and act for a just worldfor all people and all of creation. A churchthat is relevant for the present and the future.

I am glad the Church had the vision toopen doors so that men and women, like me,could train as presbyters and deacons withinthe home setting programme. What awonderful opportunity the Methodist Churchhas given me to struggle with issues of faithand spirit through on-going education andsharing faith journeys with people I care about.

I am glad that the Methodist Church hasled the way for women ministers to beaccepted into parish ministry.

When I was appointed as the first womanpresbyter in Stratford, the congregation hadsome reservations.

However, within a week of myappointment a well-known and much-lovedleader of the Church and community diedsuddenly. His was one of the largest funeralsthe district had for quite some time. Afterwardspeople came up to me saying, we have neverseen a woman take a funeral before!

It wasn't long before the funeral directorwas ringing me, saying that 'Mrs So and sohas died, and her family would like the ladyminister from the Methodist Church to takethe funeral'. Then other leaders in thecommunity would ring and say, 'We have aspecial occasion coming up, would you comeand lead the service, or offer prayers'.

To be a trailblazer for women who wouldfollow was a rewarding and a humblingexperience.

The Methodist Church'strailblazing ministry

Wairarapa Union Parishes seekpath to become Uniting Church

R E T I R E M E N T R E F L E C T I O N

6 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

N E W S A N D V I E W S

Anyone who hears theChristmas story or sings theseason's carols will be struckby all the angels flitting in andout of them. They areeverywhere.

F o r s o m epeople they arer e a l b e i n g sessential to thestory of Jesus'birth. For othersthey conf i rmtheir suspicionthat Christmasand supernaturalfantasy go hand in hand.

Both are right but not in theways they imagine. To regardangels nowadays as real beingsis to lose the plot, while topooh-pooh them out of the storyis to miss the valid point theyare there to make.

Angels belonged naturallyin the pre-modern world. Theywere essential to the view ofthe universe that placed Godfirmly in a real, physical heavenlocated not too far above thisreal and physical earth. This isa concept everyone took forgranted in biblical times andfor centuries thereafter.

This notion made necessarya reliable telecommunicationssystem, and angels provided it.An angel was a messenger (thatis what the Greek word'angelos' means) conveyingmessages f rom God toearthlings. People could nothelp speculating how they gotaround, and from the earliesttimes they were imagined withthe wings that are nowobligatory props in countlessChristmas tableaux.

The ancient picture ofheaven has long faded out ofmost people's understandingbut the angels it generatedlinger on.

That is because the humanimagination is endlesslyinventive. By the Middle Agesthere were guardian angels foreach person, and others forwhole countries. They wereorganised in a hierarchy of nineclasses, from seraphim at thetop to angels at the bottom.Good angels fought spiritualbattles against bad ones; thedevil was an angel who wentbad.

As recently as 1951 thepope declared the angel Gabrielto be the guardian angel of radioand telecommunications,including television. Iftelevision programming here isanything to go by, he needs arev-up.

Gabriel did rather betterwhen, according to Muslimtradition, he revealed the Koranto Muhammad. And better stillin Christian tradition, when heappeared to Mary and told hershe was going to give birth toJesus, the 'Son of the MostHigh' who would rule over

Israel.That was some message but

it was not the only one. On theday Jesus was born, says Luke'sgospel, some shepherds were

mind ing the i rflocks when anangel appeared,scaring the livingdaylights out oft h e m a n dannouncing themessiah's birth.Immediately a hostof angels joined inp ra i s ing God ,

before vanishing back intoheaven. Sheer poetry but it ispoetry with a purpose.

An angel also weaves in andout of Matthew's Christmasstory but here the focus isMary's fiancé, Joseph, and thecommunication is by way ofdreams.

In one dream the angel tellsJoseph not to be upset that Maryis going to have a baby but tomarry her regardless. In anotherthe angel warns Joseph thatKing Herod is up to no good,and he must flee with his familyto Egypt. In another he learnsthat Herod is dead and it is safeto return.

In all these events the angelsappear from the outside todeliver messages from anotherworld but they can also be readas projections from the insideof human situations, actionsand experiences. To that extent,the angels are earthed. Even theheavenly host appeared toshepherds of all people, in afield of all places, with amessage highlighting peace onearth and good will to allpeople.

For moderns, the Christmasangels offer three broadchoices. We can insist that theyare real supernatural beings.We can dismiss them as nolonger believable. Or we canlook past the literalism of boththose options and let the poetryshine through.

Angels would then stillbelong in the Christmas storyas a mythical way of conveyingthat there is more to this Jesusthan appears on the surface.They are part of the imaginativeglow suggesting that there issomething of God (or Godness)about him.

For centuries he hasprovided the way for millionsto fill out their ordinary,transient lives with thatdimension of Godness and finda meaning, a dignity and apurpose that would otherwisehave eluded them.

Angels as poetry enhancethat message in much the sameway as strings of lights addsparkle to our Christmas trees.There is value still in allowingthe harmonics of the ancientstory to echo in our 21st centuryworld.

H O N E S T T O G O D

Ian Harris

By Ian Harris

Christmas angelsBy Phillip Donnell, A RochaAotearoa New Zealand.

E v i d e n c e o f m a j o renvironmental degradation is nowhard to refute. It bombards us dailythrough the media.

Air, water and soil pollution;over-use of “renewable” resources(water, f isheries , forests) ;destruction of habitats; globalwarming and thermal gradientsshifting faster than ecosystems canadjust; storms, droughts and otherweather aberrations all testify tothe fact that the 'groans' of Romans8:22 are getting louder.

In 2007, 390 internationalscientists produced the GlobalEnvironmental Outlook Report(GEO4) for the UN. It painted ableak picture of our planet'spopulation living well beyond itsmeans, and some of the Earth'secosystems in crises.

It warned that our use of naturalresources is unsustainable. Humansand other species are endangered.The report stated emphatically thatunless concerted efforts were madeto address these mountingproblems, we would, within 50years, render the planet unable torepair and heal itself.

In June, 2012, the scientistsproduced GEO5 to review progress.It concludes that “Efforts to slowthe rate or extent of change…haveresulted in moderate successes buthave not succeeded in reversingadverse environmental changes.

“Neither the scope of thesechanges nor their speed has abatedin the past five years. As humanpressures on the Earth Systemaccelerate, several critical global,regional and local thresholds areclose or have been exceeded. Oncethese have been passed, abrupt andpossibly irreversible changes to thelife-support functions of the planetare likely to occur, with significantadverse implications for humanwell-being.”

How are Christians to respondto this global threat? In the sameway that they have always metseemingly insurmountab lechallenges: by exercising the “faithfactor”.

God offers his help andresources, lest we overestimate thec o n f r o n t i n g p r o b l e m b u tunderestimate a possible solution.For example, in I Samuel 17:1-58,we read about Goliath-a giantsoldier who terrorized the Israelites.They lapsed into severe anxietyand desperation.

In stark contrast, David was justa boy but he proved to be a truewarrior for God. Choosing five

smooth stones from the wadi, heslew the giant and put thePhilistines to flight. He also slewthe negative emotional giants in theIsraelites' hearts.

Such hope, trust, courage andoptimism can empower us to faceour giants. Active faith in the Godwho guides and enables our efforts,multiplies our effectiveness. Thebig difference faith makes for meis the confidence that God is“reconciling to himself all things"(Col 1:15-20) and that He will insome mysterious way use us in thisreconciling process.

God works through the Church- the world's largest socialmovement. Imagine the potentialif every local church was to moreeffectively pursue its biblicalmandate for environmentalstewardship and take a lead. Indeed,the church's re-awakening is seenby some as part of God's answer tothe looming crisis, an importantpart of his restoration programme.

Our individual actions and ourcommitment to be a newcommunity pointing to God'shopeful future, may seem small,but collectively will have asignificant impact and make a bigdifference to our world.

Here are some stones that you

as an individual can select from thewadi to be an enviro-steward:

A small stone: Support anenvironmental organisation suchas A Rocha.

A medium stone: Get involvedin a hands-on environmentalproject, e.g. community garden,habitat restoration, pest eradication.

A big stone: Make earth-keeping part of your lifestyle,reflected in your daily decisions.Simplify. Buy less. Waste less. Savemore. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Here are some stones that yourlocal congregation can select fromthe wadi to be an enviro-church:

A small stone: Focus oncreation care in your worship andministry programmes.

A medium stone: Conduct anaudit of your environmental impactand take practical steps to improveit. Shrink your footprint.

A big stone: Plan, initiate andresource a practical environmentalproject.

P h i l l i p D o n n e l l i sEnviroChurches facilitator for ARocha Aotearoa NZ. The viewsexpressed in this article do notnecessarily reflect those of A Rocha.H e i s a v a i l a b l e t oshare at your church. Emailphil l ip.donnell@arocha.org

WINDOWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Facing down theecological Goliath

Churches and individuals can get involved in environmental projects.The volunteers are installing a path at Poike Wetland, Tauranga.

By Betsan Martin, Public Questioncoordinator

We are at a watershed. Climatechange is time to align our faith in Godof creation with action on what liesahead as predicted by climate science.

Our faith rests on our tradition that 'itwas God who opened up the springs andstreams'. Care for creation extends to thebirds of the air having their nests andknowing us intimately, even to countingthe hairs on our heads. How do wedevelop faith to meet the future ourchildren will inherit?

Landcare Research scientist KevinTate says to respond to climate changewe should bring our lifestyles withinenvironmental limits. He proposes thatthe planet is in trouble because of ourcollective over-use of goods and ouraddiction to oil.What does over consumption mean?

Kevin Tate says transport is the areathat needs most attention. Since 1990 wehave increased CO2 emissions fromtransport by 63 percent. We now have toweigh up how we travel and choosebetween speed, comfort, cost andconvenience.

Massey University engineeringprofessor Ralph Sims says that to transport240 people in a city it takes 177 cars, orthree buses, or one tram.

Transport emissions are not only fromcar use. They are from extraction, cementand steel industries associated withbuilding roads and road maintenance.The higher cost of petrol will deter caruse.

Are church people well positioned torespond? Biking and walking areimportant where possible, and appealingresponses such as hybrid cars and solarpower are available for middle to highincome people. But we don't have strongpolicies with incentives to bring thesewithin reach of many of us.

Dairy is another important part ofNew Zealand's contribution to climatechange. Methane and nitrogen make uphalf of our total greenhouse gasemissions.The big picture for our planet

The next round of c l imatenegotiations will take place in Doha,

Qatar, in December. New Zealand isnegotiating to keep within a 2 deg changein temperature. Two degrees was proposedas a change that is within safe limits. Butlast week at a speech in Wellington HelenClark said we are heading for a 6+degreerise in global temperature.

Kevin Tate says 6 deg is the differencebetween life as we know it now and anice age - the significance of smalltemperature change is that great. The waythese changes will happen is largelyunknown and so we have the idea oftipping points.

We know that agriculture and foodproduction will be affected and food couldbecome scarce. Change may not begradual. Our climate, our soils and ourocean could face change in big jumps.

While we attend to lifestyles we havea corresponding responsibility to considerour political commitments and action.Government regulation is a major driverfor climate responsibility. In Denmarknitrogen was reduced by 50 percent andmethane by 43 percent when governmentregulated the management of animalwaste.

Many commentators agree that NewZealand's emissions trading scheme isineffectual because agriculture and majorindustries are excluded. New Zealandwill not sign up to further Kyotocommitments at Doha, though we willstay at the table of negotiations.

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 7N E W S A N D V I E W S

Established by Conference 1978for the secure investment of the Church's funds

Investments measured against ChurchGuidelines for Socially Responsible Investment

Water quality is a growing concern inNew Zealand, and a small group ofchurch people are joining efforts tomonitor rivers to help keep them clean.

River of Life Network is an ecospirituality initiative of the MethodistChurch. Over Labour weekend a groupfrom the Network took part in a water-quality testing workshop in Avonside,Christchurch.

The work shop was led by KelvinNicole and Errol Wood from WaterWatch/ Kaitiaki Wai.

WaterWatch is an extension programmeof Lincoln University that teaches schoolsand community groups how to monitortheir local rivers or streams. Those whoparticipate learn how to safely collect andanalyse the chemical and biologicalindicators of waterquality.

WaterWatch hasbeen going for 17years. As it educatesand equips peopleto keep an eye ontheir waterways,WaterWatch usesthe information theygather to assesschanges in waterquality.

River of Lifeorganiser Rev Mark Gibson says the groupgathered at Avonside Girls High Schoolfor an introductory session with Kelvinand Errol, and then moved to the AvonRiver in front of the school for a hands-on lesson in water testing.

“To start with we watched the TV1Close Up clip on the Ministry ofEnvironment's recently released freshwaterquality report. It was a powerful start tothe workshop and highlighted our nationalfreshwater crisis,” Mark says.

“The health of our waterways hasdeteriorated over many years, and therecent boost in dairy intensification hasprobably accelerated what was already asignificant problem.

“Only in the future will we know whatdamage our current practices are causing.For example, whereas Christchurch'ssewage is treated and then pumped to sea,this is not possible for the Selwyn District.

“Sewage from the fast-growing towns

of Rolleston, Lincoln and Prebbleton issprayed directly on to the land aftertreatment. This cocktail includes chemicalsand toxins from cleaning agents. Thetreated sewage is sprayed onto soils thatare permeable gravels above aquifers,”Mark says.

The River of Life group learned howto look for the living things and how totest water chemistry and physical featuressuch as water temperature and the turbidity(clarity).

“On either side of our outdoor waterquality testing lab were trees with large'Polluted Water' signs stapled to them. Justbeyond the upstream sign was an elaboratewhite-baiting operation, and on the oppositebank another white-baiter.

“We tested for E. coli, examinedcontent from theriverbed to assessmacroinvertebratelife, and assessedthe chemical natureof the water. Wewere going to getinto the river inwaders to gatherspecimens but themud was too deepso we used a netinstead.

“The part weenjoyed most was looking for life in thefiltered sediment. At first we couldn't seemuch but with perseverance we identifiednine different species of aquaticmacroinvertebrates. Each new discoverybrought another wave of excitement.

“What were our findings? The E colicount was inconclusive but the range ofmicrobiology we found in the sedimentwas small and indicated poor river health.The chemical results showed that nitrateand phosphate levels were a long way intothe unsatisfactory level,” Mark says.

Early in 2013 River of Life plans tohold another workshop to build a trainedmonitoring team. Anyone interested iswelcome to attend.

A version of this article was originallypublished in the River of Life's newsletter'Confluence'. To receive Confluence emailnbu.tidemark@xtra.co.nz.

Loving creation onthe carbon highway

W H A T A B O U T C L I M A T E C H A N G E ?

Wesley Broadway MethodistChurch has had a series of seminarson Caring for Creation. One of theorganisers, John Thornley says thesecret of the series' success was theurgency of the issues covered, theecumenical planning, and the goodfortune of the group in securing livelyspeakers.

Questions and supper after thep r e s e n t a t i o n s a l l o w e d t h econversations to continue.

John says seminars demonstrateChristian concern for public theologyand show that churches do care aboutissues wider than personal ethics,important as these are.

Testing the waters tokeep our rivers healthy

River of Life volunteers learn how to monitor the health of waterways

• A bequest to the Methodist Mission Aoteoroais an investment in the future.

• A bequest enables the Methodist Mission, inpartnership with your legacy, to provideopportunities for change and social justicewithin our community.

• A bequest in conjunction with the MethodistMission ensures that the tradition, integrity,security and practical strengths of theMethodist Movement will work in conjunctionwith your gift and your memory.

To ensure your legacy lasts longerthan footprints in the sand, contact;Michael Greer12A Stuart StreetLevin 5510Phone 06 368 0386 • Mobile 021 632 716mgreer@clear.net.nz

“The greatest use of life is to spend itfor something that will outlast it.”William James

Leave a

Lasting

Legacy

8 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

N E W S A N D V I E W S

During recession Vitae's mission toindustry more valuable than ever

As of April 2011, the NorthIsland branches of the Inter-ChurchTrade and Industry Mission havejoined forces to operate as a single,united entity under the new bannerVitae.

“Getting alongside people to offerhope and support has always been atthe core of the mission of the Church.The merger between WorkplaceSupport North Island and Wellington-based Seed creates an even moreeffective extension of this mission tothe workplace,” explains Vitae boardchair Murray Edridge.

“The work of the mission is asrelevant as ever. Our name, Vitae,has life as its core meaning. Ourtagline reflects this: when life worksbetter, business works better,” Murraysays.

“It's not enough just to be doinggood things - you have to doing goodthings well. As individual agencies,we were working effectively but itwas localised. Joining forces meanswe can now combine our resourcesand experience to offer much greatersupport to clients across the country.”

In 1965, during the building ofthe Manapouri Power Project amember of the clergy providedsupport to power station workers. Itwas here that the vision for theworkplace mission was born and it'shere that Vitae's history began.

With the consensus of a group ofdenominations, including theMethodist Church, the mission wasestablished in four regions ofoperation - two in the north and twoin the south, and for a period a fifth

region in the Waikato.The mission today is known as

W o r k p l a c e S u p p o r tCanterbury/Westland and WorkplaceSupport Southern in the South Island,while the North Island organisationshave merged to form Vitae.

Murray notes, “It was the visionof the founding churches that put themission on the map. Seven of thenine original member churches arecurrently represented on Vitae'sBoard. Five decades later, the originalMission is as vital as ever.

“For many people, life is tough,and it's not getting easier. Joiningtogether as Vitae is a freshcommitment to the mission of thechurches to the workplaces ofAotearoa New Zealand.”

A quick look at Vitae's referralfigures indicates the mission is indeedalive and well and continues to findrelevance in today's world. Perhapsmore frequently than most, Vitae staffare in a position to observe the effectsof the economic climate and theongoing consequences of workplacerestructuring.

Relationships continue to be thekey problem people seek support todeal with. This makes up almost 20percent of referrals.

Now this is followed closely byanxiety and depression, andrestructuring. In the last 12 months,Vitae has seen an 18 percent increasein the number of people referred toits Careers services, a 6 percentincrease in the number of criticalincidents responses and an 8 percentincrease in the overall number of

counselling referrals they havereceived.

The Christchurch earthquakessaw out of town and local membersof Vitae's trauma support teamworking together to offer on-the-ground support to those affected bythe earthquakes, assisting them topick up their lives again followingthe devastation.

Numbers of Vitae clients havebranches in the affected areas andthe trauma support team was oftenseen working up to 18 hour days,matching the shifts of drivers andother workers to ensure they hadsupport where and when it wasneeded. We worked alongside clients,providing a range of earlyinterventions and helped people buildon their natural resilience as theybegan to re-join the fragments of theirlives, communities and workplaces.

Vitae offers support to clientswherever they need it. Sometimesthis means helping employees whoare isolated from their normal supportnetworks. Examples include posttrauma support following an accidentin Thailand and earthquakes in Japan,and counselling support anywhere inthe world - utilising our internationalpar tnersh ips and ne tworks .

Murray says that “The missionhas made a huge contribution to thewellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealandover the years but we still have plentymore to do. It's about deliveringprofessional, values-based supportin ways that are more real, morerelevant and more effective thanever.”

Churches target greedin the global economy

By Cory MillerThe World Council of

Churches (WCC) is callingfor the religious communityto take responsibility andtack le , head on , thechallenges of this current eraof economic globalisation.

WCC Asia Secretary RevDr Kim Dong-Sung says overthe last three decades theglobal economy has changedconsiderably. This has createdan increasing divide betweenthe rich and the poor.

Kim says it's time for thechurch to acknowledge its rolewithin the economic crisis andwork together with i tsconstituents and wider societyto analyse, and develop a newplan of attack against theeffects of the crisis.

He illustrates the starkconsequences of economicglobalisation and says they gobeyond just the economy toaffect ecology, politics, humanrights and justice.

Not one to mince words,Kim aligns the concept ofeconomic globalisation withthat of adultery. “It is givingway to the worship of greedand wealth accumulation.”

He says privatisation of thepublic sector has played asignificant role in the crisis.In particular the role theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF) has encouragedcountr ies to undertakeausterity measures to 'help'their economies.

“Such measures brokedown public support availablefor society's disadvantaged.When governments take awaythe economic advantages, thedisadvantaged are often thefirst ones to suffer as aconsequence. When thesepolicies were combined withthe ever-present challenges ofa weak economy, thedisadvantaged became twofold victims of the economicglobalisation process.

“These trends and howt h e y v i c t i m i s e t h emarginalised, the oppressedand the weak, are wideningthe gap between the rich andthe poor.”

Kim says the church mustnot think it is above society'smisdeeds.

“We mustn ' t s implyaddress the world but alsoourselves,” he says. “Thechurch is not free from the

e f f e c t s o f e c o n o m i cglobalisation, nor is it freefrom perpetuating it.

“We need to challenge theeconomic crisis and call it toaccount. We also need to takemore responsibility ourselvesfor these issues of wealth andpoverty.”

He points out the churchis certainly in a position toprovide perspective and soundanalysis of the issues aroundthe current crisis. Especiallyin l ight of how worldeconomic leaders have beenincreasingly partaking indiscussions with the church.

The WCC has addressedthe issue of economicglobalisation for some yearsnow. It has entered intodiscussions with both the IMFand the World Bank, giving itthe opportunity to voice itsconcerns over the impact ofeconomic policies on peopleacross the globe.

Kim says it's important forthe church to continue in suchdiscussions, as education andd i a l o g u e , w i t h i n t h eappropriate contexts, are keyto change.

“ F o r t h e c h u r c h ,interpretation in context isimportant, churches can helpto ground their constituencies'social actions in faith. Thisencourages change in the waywe live, from faith motivatingaction into deeper reflection.”

Kim says this is adiscussion not just forChristians but for people ofother faiths and no faith.

One WCC initiative to helppeople place their actions intoa measurable context, is theGreed Line Study, which theWCC will present at itsconference next year. Fromthe perspectives of the faith,this study looks at what itmeans to have enoughresources and money, andwhen it has become greed.

The Greed Line Study canthen be taken further andtranslated into shared norms,beyond faith and into the widers o c i e t y. H e s a y s b yacknowledging our sin andgreed it will enable us to alllive together in one world.

For change to occur hesays it is imperative to beginthis process of talking aboutthe issue of greed which isimpoverishing us as humanbeings.

Dr Kim Dong-Sung

J O Y K I N G S B U R Y A I T K E NR E F L E C T S O N A D V E N T

Advent is a season of anticipation.Families look forward to gathering forthe Christmas festivities, retailers lookforward to soaring sales, teachers andstudents look forward to summerholidays, and children look forward tothe gifts they hope to get.

We Christians look forward to theappearing of the Messiah, for Adventcommemorates the past, present and futurecoming of the Christ. We remember hishistorical coming as a first century Jewishrabbi and martyr born in a borrowed stable.

We remember that he comes daily asour great shepherd and saviour who feeds“his flock in the strength of the Lord”(Mic. 5:4), whose presence is perceivedonly through the eyes and ears of faith.

Advent marks the beginning of thechurch year and the start of a new cycleof lectionary readings. This will be theyear of Luke - a gospel that begins withtwo nativity stories. Luke tells us aboutMary's miraculous conception of Jesusand the circumstances of his birth. He tells

of the divine intervention required forGod's herald to be conceived.

Echoes from the Hebrew Scripturesreverberate through the story of John theBaptist. Mothers of Biblical heroes tendto have fertility issues. Thus it was withthe matriarchs Sarah, Rebekah andRachael, and with Hannah. So it was withElizabeth. Both she and her husbandZechariah were getting on in years, aswere Abraham and Sarah, when sheconceived.

Being chosen to burn incense in thetemple sanctuary was an once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity for a priest like Zechariah. Itwas made more astonishing by theappearance of the angel Gabriel whobrought Zechariah an unbelievablemessage. Luke describes Zechariah's statusas a part-time temple servant and his placein the priestly order David was said tohave organised. These details provide acontext for the angel's appearance andlocate the story Luke is telling us withinGod's never-ending covenant with Israel.

Zechariah's prophecy and John'spreaching reflect the Old Testament themesof judgment and restoration, destructionand healing. Malachi spoke of God sendinga messenger to prepare the way beforehim, for how else would anyone be ableto “endure the day of his coming” (Mal.3:1-2). Zechariah understood his son tobe that messenger, and John warned thatthe one following him would “burn withunquenchable fire,” (Luke. 3:17).

Zechariah's Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79) resonates with scriptural references.It begins in typical Jewish fashion with“blessed be the Lord God of Israel”. Aspromised by the prophets, God has raisedup a “horn of salvation for us in the houseof David”. This recalls the promise of Ps.132:17 “I will cause a horn to sprout upfor David; I have prepared a lamp for myanointed one”.

In scripture horns signify power, bothpositive and negative. With power, Godis delivering his people to serve him, andnot only the Jews. The promise to Abraham

was that “by your offspring shall all thenations of the earth gain blessing forthemselves,” (Gen. 22:18). In evoking thescriptural imagery of light to speak of thesalvation and peace that is coming forIsrael and the nations, Zechariahacknowledges the tender mercy of God.

The linked stories of John and Jesusare embedded in the overarching story ofIsrael, and we the largely Gentile churchare included in that on-going narrativethrough the life, death and resurrection ofa Jewish saviour.

This Advent we once more celebratethe coming of our Lord. Let us look backwith appreciation to the patriarchs,prophets, priests and poets who, forcenturies prior to the Baptist, prepared theway for his coming by giving “knowledgeof salvation to his people by theforgiveness of their sins,” (Luke 1:77).

This responsibility is now ours. Maywe be just as faithful!

I believe the genius of John Wesleywas neither his theology nor hispreaching. Rather it was his recognitionthat the gospel was a message to and forthe poor, that it was addressed first andforemost to the poor.

Sometimes against his privilegedupbringing and his Oxford education,Wesley sought earnestly to understand thesocial, political and economic forces thatproduced poverty. His 1773 treatise on'The Present Scarcity of Provisions' is agood example.

According to Latin Americantheologian Jose Miguez Bonino, thetreatise makes constant reference to theeconomic dimensions of moral andpolitical issues. "Wesley", writes Bonino,"was original and challenging in hiscourage to step beyond the boundaries ofreligion and take the risk to give toChristian mercy and justice a specific andoperative project."

Last month the New Zealand Methodist

Conference gathered in Wellington toconsider issues facing the church andreceive reports from the variouscommittees of the church. One of thehighlights of Conference was the addressby the Children's Commissioner, DrRussell Wills.

Russell spoke about child poverty inNew Zealand. He pointed out that in 1980about 11 percent of children lived inpoverty. In 2012 it had risen to 25 percent,approximately 270,000 children. Heremarked: “this is not the country I wantto live in and I do not believe this is whatmy uncles fought for”.

Let the Children Live is the newinitiative of the Methodist Church. It is achallenge to us all to take responsibilityfor making our families and communitiessafer for children.

Today we are also being challenged toaddress another kind of poverty that issweeping over the world. I call it a povertyof spirit and one of its faces is greed.

For example, the business section ofChristchurch newspaper The Press recentlyled with the headline 'Land cover favoursthe rich'. It reported that, according toEarthquake Commission chair MichaelWintringham, "Rich people with expensiveproperties were not paying their fair sharefor EQC land cover."

The next page of The Press reportedon the 'golden handshakes' retiring CEOsreceive. For example, former TelecomCEO Paul Reynolds received $13 millionand former Westpac CEO George Frazis$5.4 million. Pike River Coal wasobviously more interested in profit thanthe safety of the mine.

Wesley understood that poverty wasnot an accident. It was a deeply embeddedstructural reality of his society. Povertywas created through government policiessuch as enclosure acts, which movedthousands of tenant farmers off the land;the poor laws, which reinforced the classboundaries of British society; and the

industrial revolution, which was built onthe backs of the dislocated poor and theslave trade.

All these social agreements, Wesleysaw, conspired to ensure that wealth nevertrickled down, only up.

It is my hope that the working groupestablished by Conference to address childpoverty in New Zealand will examine notonly the reality of child poverty but alsocritically evaluate the structural factorsthat make families poor and perpetuatechild poverty. We should use the resourcesof the Church to alleviate child povertyand redistribute wealth.

As Wesley once observed, "Sowickedly, devilishly false is that commonobjection: 'they are poor only because theyare idle'. If you saw these things with yourown eyes, should you lay out money inornaments and superfluities?"

The challenge facing the church overthe next 10 years is to make this changehappen by putting our Methodist heritageinto practice.

By Jim Stuart

C O N N E C T I O N S

Wellington has had a recent spateof pedestrian accidents recently. Ineach case, people have walked ontothe road without seeing the traffic.

The city council invited anoverseas expert to come and consult.In the meantime they erected barriers,put up signs and added extra roadmarkings to try and improve safety.

The expert duly arrived, lookedat the situation, and suggested thatthe council actually remove allbarriers, signs and road markings toslow traffic by 50 percent.

"The reason for that is drivers, inparticular, are forced to have eyecontact with the other users, the rulesof engagement are negotiated on thespot. It looks like a beautiful ballet,eve ry th ing jus t f lows andinterweaves," said Australian publicspaces psychologist David Engwicht.(You can read about his suggestionson stuff.co.nz).

The council preferred to look forother options.

The five Partner Churches havenow approved the Procedures forCooperative Ventures 2012. Thisdocument has a lot less rules in itthan the previous common provisions,and I guess, like the traffic flowexpert, the hope is that giving lessguidance will encourage people totalk more to each other.

That is the nature of partnership- working together on the issues andfinding solutions that suit everybody.It is likely that such a situation mightmake people feel uneasy.

We know that when peoplebecome stressed, for whatever reason,they tend to make decisions whichreflect a narrowing of their potentialoptions. The great sportspeople arethose who seem to have all the timein the world to decide what is best todo next. They have an inbuilt coping

strategy for stressors.Most of us are not so lucky. When

we get stressed we make decisionsthat limit our options and keep us onthe perceived right track. When weget lost while driving our eyes tendto only see the signs that we want tosee, and often that gets us even morelost.

The biggest problem is that wethink the signs are helping, when infact they may be leading us furtherastray. I've sat through far too manychurch meetings where people arepointing to the signs (citing the lawbook and rules) and totally missingthe point of the journey.

So with the new Procedurescomes a new freedom to find a waythrough the wilderness of church lifein 21st Century New Zealand. It isnot an easy task. The hope is thatlocal churches will not tackle theproblem on their own.

Instead, they can call in theresources of the wider church, lookat the lay of the land rather than atthe ancient signs, and be willing toexplore new options. There is neverany guarantee of success but we haveto potential to see something newarise if we all acknowledge that weare sharing the road and we try toavoid running over and into eachother.

Blessings to all for Christmas -may your journeys take you tounexpected places with joy and love.

S a f e d r i v i n g t h i s C h r i s t m a s a n d b e y o n d

Poverty is not an accident

LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 9N E W S A N D V I E W S

10 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

N E W S

Land grabs inspire CWS Christmas Appeal…

Land grabs inspired the theme ofthis year's CWS Christmas Appeal of“My Place/ To Till and Keep.”

Land rights had been the originalidea but once Christian World Servicefound how much land had been stolenin the last decade the theme becameinevitable.

The startling reality of just overeight Aotearoa /New Zealand's worthof land or 200 million hectares of stolenland in 10 years called for exposure.

T h e v i l l a i n s v a r y f r o mmultinationals through to land hungrynations running short of their own landand water to use.

“We've realised in recent years thatmuch of what we do in partnershipdevelopment work is based on peoplebeing able to access their lands,'' saidCWS national director, Pauline McKay.

“The fact that so much goodquality, often shared land was beingtaken off traditional owners andeffectively privatised needed to beshared .''

Research showed the globalsituation was that the issue was causingmassive concern for much of the aidand development community.

CWS's international partner groupthe Geneva-based ACT Alliance

(Action by Churches Together) generalsecretary, John Nduna said that landgrabbing was “an affront to naturaljustice.”

“Land grabbing is a scandal thatundermines the rights of poor peopleto food, water, and self-determination,''said Nduna.

The international alarm bells aboutland grabbing have been getting louderin recent years as the scale and severityof the problem becomes apparent.

In May this year it led to the UnitedNations formally asking Governments,worldwide, to respect the rights ofindigenous people to their land. Alongwith this went a request to businessesand multinationals to respect humanrights where they operate in otherlands.

Land grabs are driven by economicimperatives to maximise profits whilekeeping costs minimal.

A s f o o d h a s b e c o m e“commodified” and food futures aretraded in the futures market food priceshave become more volatile, spurringresults like a 77 per cent spike in wheatprices in 2007, or a 141 per centincrease in rice prices in 2008.

The cheapest land to produce thesespeculative crops is in “developing”

nations where lax laws and corruptionmakes it easy to “buy” what have oftenbeen shared lands for centuries.

There is also what is called“disaster capitalism”.

For example after the 2004tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India coastallands stripped by disaster were thensold out from under traditional ownersfor ventures like tourism and fishfarming.

Many land grabbed lands do noteven produce food crops.

Instead they are farmed forecologically destructive biofuels. The2012 International Land Coalitionreport shows that 40 per cent of landgrabbed land is used for biofuelsworldwide, rising to 60 per cent inAfrica.

“It's when you hear our ownpartners like Neythal in Tamil Nadutalk about the attempts to chase themoff their coast in favour of huge shrimpfarms that you realise the awful impactof land grabs on the lives of the poor,''said Pauline McKay.

“This year's Christmas Appeal ismorally driven and highlights aproblem where we really can make adifference,”” she said.

This farming family like most small farmers in the world are totally dependent on their land.Photo Paul Jeffrey ACT/Alliance.

How do they balance those tomatoes? A seasonal market photo from Malawi.Photo by Paul Jeffrey ACT/Alliance

W I T H C W SChristmas

This Malawian trader has land to work with hence her happysmile and produce to sell at market. Photo Paul Jeffrey ACT/Alliance.

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 11

Methodist founders wouldhave recognised land grabs

as bad for the poor…By Pauline McKay, national director of

Christian World ServiceIn the centenary year for New Zealand

Methodism the CWS Christmas Appealtheme of land grabs fits like a historic glove.

The Appeal has been given the theme of“My Place, A Place to Till and Keep” tobring home to people how they would feelif it was their place that was stolen.

“A Place to Till and Keep” is of coursea quote from Genesis 2.15.

At the recent Methodist Conferencewhere I reported to Conference I talkedabout how well the Christmas Appeal themefits with the lives of John and CharlesWesley.

The Wesley brothers were both tirelessactivists for the poorest of the poor andagainst injustices like slavery and dreadfulworking conditions for workers.

They began their work in a Britain tornapart by the start of the Industrial Revolutionand the enclosures of the commons that wentwith it.

It is fair to say that the extreme povertyof the landless was one of the catalysts forthe powerful reforming forces of earlyMethodism.

John Wesley was acutely aware of theimpact of land monopolies on prices andstandards of living.

Local CWS supporter and Touchstonesstalwart, the Rev Jim Stuart found this quotefrom Wesley for us that sum up much ofWesley's ideas on the topic.

The quotes are from Wesley's “Thoughtson the Scarcity of provisions “givenoriginally on January 20, 1773.

“But why are pork, poultry and eggs so

dear? Because of the monopolising of farms;perhaps as mischievous a monopoly as wasever introduced into these kingdoms.

“The land which was some years agodivided between 10 or 20 little farmers, andenabled them comfortably to provide fortheir families, is now generally engrossedby one great farmer.

“One farms an estate of a thousand ayear, which formerly maintained ten ortwenty. Every one of these little farmers,kept a few swine, with some quantity ofpoultry; and having little money, was gladto send his bacon, or pork, or fowls and eggsto market continually.

“But at present, the great, the gentlemenfarmers are above attending to these littlethings. They breed no poultry or swine,unless for their own use; consequently theysend none to market.”

He went on to sound oddly contemporarywhen he concludes:

“Hence in the same town wherein, withinmy memory, eggs were sold six or eight toa penny, they are now sold six or eight agroat.” (A groat was worth four pence).

Wesley knew the links between land,food and self-sufficiency.

Globalisation, the second IndustrialRevolution, (this time computer driven) havecombined centuries later to produce a pictureof land grabs the original Methodists wouldeasily recognise and condemn.

This year's Christmas Appeal providesexamples of how CWS and its supportersare helping partners create solutions to thisproblem.

Yo u c a n f i n d i t o n l i n e a tchristmasappeal.co.nz

Mliza Gondwe, aged 10 helps his family with their goat herd in Chigumba, a Malawi village whereCWS global partner ACTAlliance is helping farmers improve drought crops and management.

Malawian women take plants to market that help increase soil fertility.Photo Paul Jeffrey ACT/Alliance

Coal versus FishFor Indira it is not a choice. Like many

of her friends and neighbours she dependson fish for a living. At 47 years old andwith an alcoholic husband, two daughtersand a son, fishing is now how she makesher living. It is more profitable than knitting,a skill she also has.

She buys fish from the fisherfolk on thecoast, dries it and takes it further inland,selling it for a profit that is enough to keepher family. Dependent on the local fishingindustry she knows what will happen if PatelPower Plant Limited is allowed to set up acoal fired thermal plant in the region. Moreof the fish will go and increased pollution islikely.

Indira is determined to stand up for hercommunity. She is the president of thesangam or association in Vanagiri and is notcontent to let the village land be sold fromunder their feet. Already Patel Power PlantLimited has purchased land but the sangam'sefforts have yet to be successful. They metwith the traditional panchayat (council) whoagreed that the power plant was not in thecommunity's best interest. They have nowfiled petitions with the District Administrationand appropriate government departments inan effort to stop the new construction.

The coalition has organised publicprotests, hunger strikes and rallies. Theyhave mounted challenges before and wonsome of the time. But the threat to theirtraditional livelihoods is continual and itcomes at a cost.

Indira tells the story of one protest whenshe and her colleagues gathered near the busstop:

“One of the youngsters from the opponentgroup made derogatory remarks against meand used filthy language in public. I gotprovoked and slapped him with my slippers. In the evening, we were asked to report tothe police station at the instruction ofSuperintendent of police. After muchdeliberation with the village leaders, we wentto police station. There, they told us that acriminal case has been registered against 22persons that they indulged in violence withlethal weapons and caused damage to publicproperty. I was also included in this list andkept under judicial custody for 28 days inprison at Trichy.

My husband after hearing the news didnot bother to visit me. He did not providesupport to my children. The sangam womenprovided food for some days. My childrenhad to eat rice porridge twice a day and hadno access to good food. They were anxiousand insecure. A woman being arrested for apublic cause was not recognized by the familyand community. My father died and I wasnot allowed to attend his funeral. After muchfright I got permission to pay my condolenceswhich was not accepted by my brother whoperformed the last rituals.

I was released on conditional bail. Theharmony and peace enjoyed by me for allthese years has been disrupted. I got publiccomments from neighbors and relatives that

“it is unexpected of women to involve inpolitical activities; the sin and karma of mypast life has brought these hardships. I madearrangements to commit suicide along withmy children. My son disapproved of the ideaand encouraged me to give up the thoughts. He challenged me to live and lead my lifefor the 'cause' for which I faced hardshipsduring my judicial custody; I was asked toremove my earrings and lost the same. I wasemotionally upset when they asked me toremove the mangalasutra (the necklacesymbolizing marriage) as it was made ofgold. I was the only women from my village. I was put up to stay with the convictedwomen prisoners. I had a good exposure tothe lives of women.”

“My ambition is to involve more womenin political struggles and decision makingprocesses. We will continue to fight to protectmy homeland, the precious habitats andresources of my community. [Neythal has]strengthened my understanding. Thisexperience has enriched my outlook. I feelcourageous and not to get disheartened byanything in future.”

NEYTHAL is part of a network that worksto protect the rights and livelihoods offisherfolk living on Tamil Nadu's coast. Theytrain and encourage women to participate inlocal political life. After the South Asiatsunami they played a major role in makingsure some of the most marginal fisherfolkhad access to the support they needed.

Like many of her friends and neighbours, Indira depends on fish for a living.

W I T H C W SChristmas

One CWS partners' story

12 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

N E W S

Heartfelt service for the heartlandMatamata Union Parish

recently tried something new andheld an Agricultural SundayService to celebrate farmers andthe contribution they make to ourcommunities and churches.

Rev Metui Tafuna saysMatamata is a rural area so it madesense to focus on the contributionsfarming families have made to thelife of the parish and communityover many years.

A 1942 Allis Chalmers tractorgraced the front of the church duringthe service. This tractor had beenrestored by a member of thecongregation and was driven up theaisle to take its pride of place.

To complement the tractor, ondisplay were a variety of mainlyvintage artefacts associated bothsheep and dairy farming. There waseven a life sized reproduction of acalf, along with three pairs of RedBand gumboots reminiscent of BabyBear, Mother Bear, and Father Bear.

In a rural heartland, gumbootsare essential equipment. Metui alsowore gumboots for the duration of

the service! These all helped to setthe rural scene.

The service had many highlights.The signal to start the call to worshipwas the tractor being started up andleft running for a few moments. Thereadings and hymns for the dayreflected the rural heartlandincluding 'We Plough the Fields withTractors' and 'God whose Farm isall Creation'.

Junior Church children carriedforward the symbols of agriculture- soil, water and seeds - for ablessing. During the service aselection of old local farming photoswere shown via data projector.

The photographs progressedthrough to current farming practicesand served to remind us just howdramatic the changes in farminghave been.

A cross-section of people sharedtheir memories of farming. Twospeakers who have been farming formany years and who are stillinvolved on the land, shared theirstories.

A farmer's wife explained what

an essential and unique career shehas, with many varied tasks requiringher attention on a regular basis. Twoadult sisters, who had been raisedon a farm as children, shared theirthoughts and memories. A pet lambsat quietly through the whole servicewith its owner, which added to thetheme

Numerous people in thecongregation, who are not involvedin farming, commented that theyhad learnt a lot from the service andhad enjoyed it tremendously. Areading 'So God made a Farmer' wasshared, which helped explain theessence of a farmer.

The service concluded with thehymn 'To God be the Glory', a fittingconclusion to a service ofcelebration, thanksgiving andrecognition for those who work theland in Waikato, which is wellknown for its farming, agricultureand cropping.

God whose farm is all creation,take the gratitude we give;take the finest of our harvest,crops we grow that all might live.

(WOV 94)

Quirky take on Christchurch cathedralsArtist and Touchstone writer

Hilaire Campbell has producedoffbeat greeting cards that recallChristchurch's two cathedralsbefore the earthquakes.

Hilaire says she prepared thecards from sketches she made ofthe buildings some years ago.

“Buildings are our anchors.They give us a sense of identityand they influence the way wethink and feel about the place inwhich we live

“From state houses tobasilicas, they all have their placein my drawings. One of myearlier exhibitions, called Spotthe Difference, was about councilhousing, and my most recent,Sparking Your Interest, drewattention to the city's oftenoverlooked but sometimes quiteornate electricity substations.

“My style is quirky and oftenjests with the original. Thecherubs on top of my basilicadrawing are frowning, perhapsbecause of the earthquakes, andthe cathedral spire is decidedlywobbly.”

Hilaire is selling her cards ofChristchurch Cathedral andCathedral of Blessed Sacrament(with envelopes) for $4 each.Postage is free for six or morecards.

A4 sized prints of the sameimage are $7 each, with postagefree for three or more prints.

$1 from every card or printsold will be donated to theChristchurch Methodist Mission.

Hilaire Campbell110 Geraldine StChristchurch 801303 366 8246hilaire.campbell@gmail.com

By Hilaire CampbellThanks to a special criminal

court set up in Auckland inNovember, 2010, homeless peopleconvicted of petty crimes now havea better chance at life.

Instead of being locked up forminor offending, people are placedon supervision and supported tomanage the difficulties that aregetting them into strife.

Problems like addiction, mentalhealth issues, unemployment andlack of accommodation beset thosewho come before the court but adifferent way of dealing with themis producing positive results.

Based on a successfu lAustralian model, the court wasinitiated by Methodist socialservices agency, Lifewise. The courtis presided over by Judge TonyFitzgerald.

Those appearing before thecourt are supervised by a courtcoordinator/social worker whoworks with them to develop a planwhich addresses their needs andassists them to find a way forward.

Lifewise manager JohnMcCarthy says the programme isa good example of collaborationbetween local government andcommunity agencies. Its success isa fantastic story, he says.

The cost is shared between theAuckland City Council and severalcommunity agencies which eachcontributed $10,000 towards thecoordinator's salary for the two-year pilot phase. There are noadditional costs because the courtis already operating, and police,lawyers and others involved havealways worked with the homeless.

“It's just a case of doing thesame job a little differently,” saysJohn.

Staff from various agenciesattend the court hearings so theycan act immediately on anyagreements reached as part of ahomeless person's plan. The staff

report to Judge Fitzgerald onprogress people make with theirplans. He decides when someoneis ready to 'graduate' from thescheme.

An evaluation of the court'simpact, completed as part of thepilot phase, considered four areas- arrest rate, nights in custody,hospital visits, and housing status.The evaluation found that rates ofarrest, number of nights spent inprison, and visits to hospitalemergency departments alldecreased dramatically.

The arrests of homeless peoplepar t ic ipat ing in the courtprogramme were down from 162before entering the programme to55 in the first six months after'graduating'. In the six months priorto entering court, they spent had457 nights in prison; in the sixmonths after graduating this figurewas reduced to 184. Emergencyhospital visits were down 60percent.

The most dramatic figures areseen in accommodation, where thenumber of nights spent in HousingNew Zealand accommodationsoared from zero to 1200.

“From a cost perspective it's ano brainer,” says John. “Thereduction of 629 nights in prisonat $250 a night has saved over$157,000, nearly twice the cost ofthe coordinator. The evaluationshows is that, given the rightopportunities and conditions,people can change.

“It also shows that they don'tenjoy being homeless. Our usualpractice is based on beliefs andassumptions that are sometimeswrong. When we change our beliefsand assumptions, we change theway we practise.”

Now John just hopes thegovernment agencies involved willcommit to another round of fundingin December.

Law court for homelessturns lives around

'Minty' the lamb with (from left to right) Ellen Blyde,Molly Edwards and Gabriella Tafuna.

Rev Metuisela Tafuna at the wheel of the 1942 Allis Chalmers tractor,with Elaine and George Diprose.

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 13

By Joshua RobertsonThe people who attended the Sunday

morning service at Methodist Conferencein Wellington were treated to an amazingproduction by students of Wesley College.

The production entitled 'I Am' wasperformed at the church service at the WesleyMethodist Church on Taranaki Street thatlaunched the Church's 'Let the ChildrenLive' campaign.

'I Am' combined drama, poetry, songand dance to reinforce the message that weneed to be aware of the issues faced by ourchildren and young people.

The 'I Am' actors performed a series ofdifferent scenes, many influenced by someof their real-life experiences. They remindedthe audience just how easy it can be foryoung people to suffer from bullying,isolation and rejection which in turn canhave harmful consequences such as youthsuicide. The drama was complemented bysome powerful performance poetry as wellas beautiful singing.

The theme song for the production aptlyentitled 'Let the Children Live' was written

especially for the event by Wesley Collegedrama teacher Michelle Johansson with themusic composed and arranged by BlackFriars musician Saia Folau.

Wesley College is familiar with highquality drama performances. They havecontinually won South Auckland regionaldrama competitions, and as a result regularlyqualify for the prestigious University ofOtago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.This festival brings the best secondaryschools from around the country togetherto perform scenes from Shakespeare's plays,set in any time, place, dress - thoughdefinitely in Shakespeare's words.

Wesley College has actually managedthe incredible feat of winning awards atSheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, everyyear since they first entered in 2005!

Michelle Johansson is herself a formerstudent at Wesley College. Michelle hasbeen instrumental in developing andnurturing drama at Wesley College forseveral years.

Outside of Wesley College, Michelleattends the Crossroads Methodist Church

in Papakura and she is one of thefounders/directors/playwrights for The BlackFriars Theatre Company.

Michelle will travel to Samoa in lateNovember with The Black Friars to performa play called 'Six Lessons and A Wedding'at the National University of Samoa. In

2013, Michelle will be studying at theUniversity of Auckland with her eye on aPhD in Pasifika Theatre.

We wish the Wesley College Dramastudents and Michelle all the very best fortheir upcoming endeavours. May God blessyou all.

Welcome to Kidz Korna for December!This is the last Kidz Korna for 2012 and everyone is looking forward to Christmas, a very special time of the year. There are other times of the

year that are also special for Christians: Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Children's Day, and you can most probably think of

more. This month we hear of a special celebration for the Samoan Children in our church - White Sunday.

Thank you Hastings Methodist Church for sharing this with us.

Kidz Korna wants to hear from you so we can share your stories.Send stories and photos of your activities to Doreen Lennox at dlennox@xtra.co.nz or to touchstone@paradise.net.nz

Wesley College students say 'I am'

WHITE SUNDAY IN HASTINGSBy Rosa Faafuata

Lotu Tamaiti literally means 'children's

service' but it's commonly known as White

Sunday.

Every year Lotu Tamaiti is held on the

second Sunday of October. It is the one

Sunday when the youngsters host the

church service. This includes singing,

biblical drama, reciting verses, action

songs and even

rapping which they had been rehearsing

about two weeks before the White

Sunday. All children and most participants

wear white to signify purity.

In Hastings White Sunday is a combined

service in which Palagi and Samoan people

come together to celebrate this special

day. The children love it because it shows

them the church has a place for them.

This year about 180 people packed the

Hastings Church. Instead of the usual

sermon, the

children presented short dramatizations

of Bible stories, action songs and verses

(tauloto).

The White Sunday celebration is usually

a joyous occasion but this year Hastings'

Methodist children had mixed emotions

because they knew that that would be the

last Sunday service they would have in

the church. Its doors are now closed

because it is an earthquake-prone

building.

Presbyters Rev Iakopo Faafuata and Rev

Margaret Hall planned to conclude the

White Sunday Service in the hall, which

will be our new place of worship. Vice

president Olive Tanielu

shared her memories

of the church building,

and the presbyters

then followed by a

prayer of Thanksgiving

in English and Samoan.

The children then sang

the first verse of “O

Keriso na o Ia” (Christ is

the Source of Peace) while

they led our procession

from the church to the hall

carrying the Christ candle, English and

Samoan Bibles and hymn books, the cross,

chalice and other sacramental objects.

In the lounge the presbyters blessed the

lounge with prayers in both languages.

Then we moved to the hall, where we had

more prayers and sang together 'The

Church's one foundation'.

It was very moving, especially when the

children were involved and the talk of

what the church building had meant - some

tears were shed. After all, we all enjoyed

the big feast afterwards. The children

enjoyed

Can you find the names of six festivals and words that go with

them? Can you match up the words with the festivals?

ADVENT, ANGEL, BREAD, CELEBRATE, CHRISTMAS, CROSS,

EASTER, FLAMES, GOOD FRIDAY, KINGS, LENT, MANGER,

PENTECOST, SHEPHERDS, STAR, WINE

F E S T I V A L W O R D S E A R C H

What are the kids in your church up to?

Wesley College drama students highlighted the issues facing young people.

Celebrating WhiteSunday at HastingsMethodist Church.

14 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

R E V I E W S

© RMSAnswers: come, manger, virgin, joy, swaddling, worship; Quirinious, Emmanuel, room, gifts, David's, open, healing; highest, child, star, wise, shepherds, Bethlehem,unto, myrrh, peace.B

ible

Ch

all

en

ge

A film review by Steve TaylorO N S C R E E N

Advent has arrived and we are again tumbling into that end of year crazy mix of religion and relations. Colin Gibson describes thesummer season evocatively in his indigenous phrases, as 'the folly of love' (C. 45).

With this in mind I have compiled a fun puzzle based on Christmas carols, both traditional and new. The answers can be found in thequoted carol and in the Bible reference. Most of the missing carol words appear in context in the Bible verse, though occasionally it ismerely implied, and two references supply the missing word out of context.

'W' stands for With One Voice, and 'C' for Carol Our Christmas. The number after the slash relates to the verse. 'R' indicates refrain(or chorus). This would be a good puzzle to use at a Christmas café service or a social event.

Christmas carol quizz

Intouchables“That's what I want. No pity.” -

Philippe from his wheel chairIt is Christmas. In the next weeks

many of us will find ourselvescontemplating an image of the Nativity,the crib surrounded by adoring angels,bewildered shepherds and a prayerfulMary.

The Adoration of the Christ Child byJan Joest (1515) is one such depiction.While not seen on contemporaryChristmas cards, it has caught the eye ofscientists, who have identified one angeland one shepherd as displaying the typicalfeatures of Down Syndrome.

It raises an important theologicalquestion. When the Word became flesh,one with all humanity, how might this begood news for the differently abled? Whatdoes disability mean to a Christianunderstanding of being human?

French movie 'The Intouchables',written and directed by Olivier Nakacheand Eric Toledano, provides a delightfullycomic, yet theological thoughtfulresponse.

Philippe (Francois Cluzet) is atetraplegic, sentenced to life in a wheelchair as a result of a hang glider accident.Needing care, he hires Driss (Omar Sy),a Senegalese migrant, from a long list of

applicants. They share little in common,separated by age, ethnicity, upbringing,social context.

Yet together this unlikely pairing helpeach become more fully human. Theirjourney is a delight. Those around me inthe packed cinema, found a sharedlaughter, an enjoyment with, never at, thedifferently abled.

The film was voted the cultural eventof 2011 in France. It enjoyed the top spotat the box office for 10 consecutive weeks,becoming the highest-grossing movie ina language other than English. It is easyto see why. The dialogue is deft. Theacting is superb.

Some critics suggest easy stereotypesin the contrast between rich white manand poor black man. Yet the movieuncovers the brokenness in both theirworlds. For one, the relational sterility ofwealth, for the other, the drug addictedviolence of high-rise migrant housing.

Both Philippe and Driss musteventually find healing for disabilitiesnot just physical, but relational.

Suggesting easy stereotypes alsooverlooks reality. The Intouchables isbased on truth, the relationship of PhilippePozzo di Borgo and Algerian AbdelSellou, spread over 10 years. Their story

is told in the book A Second Wind andthey remain friends. Together theirrelationship offers a depth of insight intothe task of being human.

“Pity is the last thing you need. Pityis hopeless. Pity is what someone givesyou because he is afraid to take care ofyou. I didn't need that. But compassionI don't need also. It comes from Latin andmeans 'suffering with'.

I don't want you to be suffering withme. I need consolation, which in Latinmeans keeping me as a whole person,respecting me as I am.” (Philippe in Daily

Telegraph, 5/9/2012)Christians can be good at pity. At

Christmas we can face many calls forcompassion. Might it be that Christ,surrounded by disabled angels andshepherds, calls us to neither pity norcompassion?

Rather he invites consolation, the Godwho in Christ so loved the intouchables,all 'the least of these'.

Rev Dr Steve Taylor is principal ofUniting College for Leadership andTheology, Adelaide. He writes widely inareas of theology and popular culture,

The Charities Commission has sentthe Methodist Church a number ofreminders that annual returns for the 12months ended 30 June 2012 are nowdue.

Parishes have six months from June30th, 2012 to lodge their annual return.That is to say, the annual return has to belodged before 31 December 2012. If it isnot lodged you will risk being deregisteredas a charity and potentially place theChurch at risk.

Methodist financial services managerPeter van Hout says if you have not doneso by now, you will need to go online tolodge your annual return. Or you can goonline or to print out a copy of the annualreturn (Form 4) and post the completedreturn to them. You can request a copy ofForm 4 from the Connexional Office ifnecessary.

Peter says when you complete theannual return online you will need thefollowing:

• Your log on ID;• Your log on password;• An electronic copy of your

annual accounts which will need to beattached.

At the same time, check to see that the'officers' of the charity are correct. For aparish the officers are the parish stewards,the chairperson, the secretary and thetreasurer.

“The online version of the annualreturn will take about 10 minutes tocomplete. If you cannot remember yourlog on ID or password, let Peter Dentknow and he will send it to you. If yourequire assistance in completing the form,let Peter Dent know.

Parishes - sendin your annual

returns

Do you like walking for its own sake andnot just as a means to a destination? Do youlike to play but maybe feel a little guilty aboutit? Do you think of yourself as lucky orunlucky? Then this book, which deals withsuch themes amongst others, will give yousomething to think about.

The title of the book tells you most ofwhat you need to know before you begin. Itis about The Hobbit and philosophy and if,like me, you enjoy both then this is a goodbook to read.

If philosophy sounds difficult andacademic to you, do not be put off, for the17 short chapters are fairly easy to read. They are around12 pages long with plenty of footnotes, and each one writtenby a different author. The occasional repetition of quotesand ideas are inevitable in a book written by so many peoplebut they do not irritate.

Each chapter takes a theme drawnfrom The Hobbit, such as generosity,personal growth, humility and Taoism.The chapters develop an argument thatis worth thinking over. It would be bestto read the book slowly, perhaps a chaptera day, with time to meditate upon andsavour. So it might prove to be a personalAdvent or Lenten study.

It is not a specifically religious book,except in the broadest sense but there aresome chapters that have an impact ontheology or life in church. For instance,there is a discussion about how to interpret

texts noting that the author's meaning and the significancefor the reader are not necessarily identical. This is veryrelevant when studying the Bible.

Elsewhere we are confronted with the difference betweenour freewill and God's traditional foreknowledge. Church

life is challenged in chapters on risk and decision making,the tension between pacifism and the just war theory, anddiscussion about how to live with other cultures. The bookcould provide material for sermons and house groups ifyou have a church keen to explore The Hobbit.

Reference is made to other works by Tolkien, in particularThe Lord of The Rings and The Silmarillion. This is enoughto encourage you to read them if you have not already doneso.

Recently I reread The Hobbit in preparation to watchthe first instalment of the Peter Jackson films, and this bookhas further whetted my appetite and given me some toolsto see depth in the narrative.

This book is one of a larger series of works that reflecton modern films, books and TV series. After reading thisI might read some of the others - no better recommendation!

Review copy supplied by Epworth Books.

Editors: Gregory Bassham, Eric Bronson and, Irwin2012, Wiley-Blackwell, 262 pages

Reviewer: Peter Taylor

By Lyndsay Jacobs2012, Broad View Publishers, 64 pages

Reviewer: David Hill

This book is a follow-on from TotalChurch, an earlier work by Tim Chester. Timis a British Pastor associated with a churchplanting network called The Crowded House.He is a writer and blogger on church plantingand Reformed spirituality.

Steve Timmis is co-founder of TheCrowded House and a writer on churchplanting.

This book is based on an assumption thatwe live in a post-Christian and post-Christendom culture. We are post-Christianin that Church, Christian worship and whatwe imagine to be familiar Bible stories arealien and unfamiliar.

We are in Post-Christendom in that the churches havebeen effectively displaced from positions of influence inwestern secular societies. It follows that, in changingcircumstances, what used to work doesn't work anymore.

As one who has trod the streets of south Hamiltondelivering fliers for Christmas services and for my parish'sMessy Church programme with absolutely no result, I must

concur. This book is a challenge to thechurches. “It is a call to be an everydaychurch with an everyday mission,” andto shift our focus “from putting onattractional events to creating attractionalcommunities,” (p.10.)

Church and mission are to be in thecontext of everyday life and mission isprimarily enacted in everyday living whenwe do so with intentionality. This meansto nurture the faith of our fellow Christiansand to offer the possibilities of that faithto others.

The core of this book is a reflectionon 1 Peter that acknowledges how the

epistle is structured to offer instruction to a faith communityon the margins of society and on how to enact mission inthe face of hostility.

It is a call for the lives of Christians to be “evangelisticevents” which by their integrity and loving care offer agood account of the faith.

As Tim and Steve write: “The book has an Evangelical

concern with witness, with commending Christ in a contextwhere he is increasingly unknown and identifies the practiceof being a good neighbour, of being one who builds upcommunity, as part of this missional strategy. This is a bookof practical wisdom and with a clear desire to communicatethe Gospel. It also emerges out of a commitment to sustaina church presence - if in new forms - in a context wherechurches seem to be increasingly alien and marginal.”

There is a growing body of work on the post-Christiancontext and its challenge to the churches life and witness.This is a welcome distinctively Evangelical contribution tothe literature and it deserves attentive reading.

It is also a welcome contribution from British writers,who write out of a church context perhaps more recognizableto New Zealand readers than the American one, whereattendance at Christian Worship is more common andculturally mainstream.

It is a commendably thoughtful reflection on our presentcontext and one motivated by a deep desire to nurture andshare the faith. I willingly commend it to you.

Review copy supplied by Epworth Books.

By Tim Chester and Steve Timmis2011, Inter-Varsity Press, 197 pages.

Reviewer: David PoultneyEveryday Church: Mission by Being Good Neighbours

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 15R E V I E W S

Unity is something that has eluded thechurch for centuries and some wouldquestion if unity is even possible in today'sworld.

However, Lyndsay Jacobs argues it is notonly possible, but “Christian unity is a central(and not optional) dimension to both ourChristian faith and the mission of the church”.

As Lyndsay points out, “in practice,Christian unity is often something we attendto when we have dealt with everything else”.

He writes that unity is at the heart of thegospel. Love God; love others as yourself.We belong together. We are one community, and we allneed and share God's grace.

Lyndsay's own background suggests unity can work.He has served as chair of the National Council of Churchesyouth committee, he was global president and later generalsecretary of the World Convention of Churches of Christ.

More recently he has been an activemember of the Linwood Avenue UnionChurch (Methodist, Presbyterian andChristian Churches) and a member of theUniting Congregations of Aotearoa NewZealand standing committee.

Lyndsay's book invites us into aconversation of how we can makeChrist ian unity become reali ty.

The book is easy to read and is dividedinto 28 two-page chapters, each includinga carefully selected passage from the Bible,a short reflection from his own life

experience or his reading of church history and a discussionstarter. At the end of the book he poses some questions forfurther thought and discussion.

In one chapter, Lyndsay uses the 'lost' stories in Lukechapter 15 to make a point. He says the lost sheep parabletook on new meaning for him after reading about research

at Lincoln University that shows each sheep in a mob ofup to 1000 could recognise the other sheep individually.

“Sheep are not just 'a mob'. They are individual sheepwho form a flock… [The lost stories] are about community.While they tell stories of the lost they focus on the purposeof being found: being brought back into the community ofGod. These are unity stories.”

The Church faces difficult times with broken buildingsand dislocation in Canterbury, the earthquake pronebuildings, rising insurance premiums and dwindlingcongregations throughout the country. Perhaps now is thetime to at least consider Lyndsay's book - to at least engagein the conversation. You never know where it could lead.

After all, the earthquake experience has taught us weare not separate, we are all interconnected. If one part ofthe Christian or human family is hurting, we feel it too andwe want to reach out and help. Do we really need a crisisbefore we reach out to each other?

Make a U Turn as Soon as Possible: Reflecting onDirections for Unity and Mission in the 21st Century

The Hobbit and Philosophy: For When You've LostYour Dwarves, Your Wizard, and Your Way

16 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

On a recent trip to Wellington I visited apart of New Zealand I had never been to before- Petone. First stop was the Petone SettlersMuseum Te Whare Whakaaro o Pito-One.

It is housed in the Wellington ProvincialCentennial Memorial building, designed byHorace Massey and opened on 22 January 1940.Once this building was the bathing pavilion forthe beach. It was converted into a museum in

1977. The gorgeous mosaic floor is still inplace, and acts as the foyer for the museum. Asa museum, the building now commemoratesthe arrival of the first New Zealand Companyimmigrants.

The Museum's exhibition, Tatau Tatau,looks in part at that first contact time betweenthe immigrants and Maori around Petone. Thiswas where Te Atiawa lived, and the Maori

chiefs Te Wharepouri and Te Puni met Pakehasettlers when they arrived in New Zealand.Plaques in the foyer list the names of bothMaori and Pakeha who met in 1840.

On the first New Zealand Company ship,the Aurora, were a number of passengers of theMethodist faith. Wesleyan missionary Rev JBuller was in the vicinity, and preached asermon on board on 26 January 1840. Thetownship where they had landed (modern dayPetone) had been surveyed by the New ZealandCompany, and was then named Britannia.

These Methodist settlers built their housesside by side, and it became known as 'CornishRow' as a number of them were from Cornwell.There is a beautiful model of the 1840 Petonearea in the museum, which shows where thiswas located.

Unfortunately there were bad floods soonafter the 1840 settlers' arrival when it rainedheavily from 23 February - 1 March 1840. Thenlate in May, Cornish Row burnt to the ground,and around the same time there was also anearthquake. The New Zealand Company agent,William Wakefield decided the settlementshould be moved and most of the settlersrelocated to Thorndon by September 1840.

Wesleyan missionaries had been in thePetone area before the New Zealand Companysettlement. Rev John Bumby and Rev John

Hobbs visited on the way to Port Nicholson(Wellington) on 13 June 1839.

Rev Hobbs wrote in his journal “Went tothe Pa called Pitoni, the residence of Raua-ki-tua, the father of Te Ware-Pouri. Spoke to thenatives there and Te Ware-Pouri said 'Worship!Worship! Worship!' upon which we sung andprayed, and took our leave.”

Although the main European settlementwas in the Wellington area, Wesleyanmissionaries still visited Petone. Rev JohnAldred was stationed in Wellington and hewrote in his diary for 1841 “February 14th:Sunday at Petoni. Preached twice in native andtwice in English. Baptized four English infants.”

Rev Aldred continued to regularly visitPetone while stationed in Wellington. He mostlywalked there and the path was a rough trackwhich could only be used at low tide. Thequarterly returns for March 1844 recorded achurch membership of 11 for Petone, whichwas recorded as a preaching place.

The Petone Methodist Church in NelsonStreet was opened in 1883 and is in use todayas part of the Hutt City Uniting Congregationas the Wesley Multicultural Methodist ChurchPetone.

By Jo Smith

N O W A N D T H E N

M E T H O D I S T A R C H I V E S

Wesleyan missionaries and early Petone

Two years of hard work came to fruitionat Labour weekend when Woodlands RoadChurch celebrated 100 years of witness inTimaru.

Approximately 140 people gathered for aweekend of meeting, greeting, feasting andworship. Highlights were the centennial dinneron Saturday night and the worship service onSunday morning. Parish steward MargaretRamsay said people came from Auckland in thenorth to Gore in the south. Greetings from thosewho couldn't attend were displayed for all toread.

The event was organized by a committee offive - Margaret, Ada Jaquiery, Noeline Withell,Noel Burns, and Alan Williams. The Committeewas excited about the number of people whoexpressed appreciation that the weekendprogramme allowed plenty of time for participantsto talk together.

A large collection of memorabilia assembledby Alan Williams - photos, old pulpit Bibles andhymn books - was examined closely as peopletook many trips down 'memory lane'.

The worship service on Sunday was led bycurrent minister Rev Bob Sidal. Immediate pastminister Rev Bruce Anderson and Rev GrahamKane led the prayers. Central South Island Synodco-superintendent Rev Andrew Donaldsonpreached the message.

Andrew reminded the Woodlands Roadcongregation that their roots are in Primitive

Methodism, and the centenary of the unificationof Methodists would be celebrated at theforthcoming Conference.

Andrew commended the congregation fortheir generosity in sharing their buildings withSt David's Union Church and Tongan and Samoancongregations.

The Woodlands Road church shares ministry

with St Davids through Bob and Morven Sidal.Andrew challenged the congregation to keepbefore them always God's 'option for the poor',and the growing gap between the powerful andthe powerless.

The theme for the celebrations, 'From there,to here, to where?' leaves a challenge for thechurch to pick up in the years ahead.

Wesley Multicultural Methodist Church in Nelson Street, Petone

On centenary Woodlands Rd Church asks, 'From there to where?'

After nearly two years, the Christchurchnational repository for the Methodist Churchof New Zealand's records is to re-open onWednesday 9 January 2013.

Archivist Jo Smith, says it has been adifficult time since the Christchurchearthquakes in February 2011.

“The Archives was cordoned off withinthe Red Zone of the central business districtof Christchurch until May this year. Althoughwe knew the collection was safe, it wasvirtually impossible to get to it.”

Once the cordon was lifted, the Archivescollection was moved to a storage facility inWairakei Road. The Archives team consistingof Jo and volunteers Enid Ellis, Joyce Challies,Marlene Borgfeldt and until recently FrankPaine, have spent numerous hours putting thecollection back to rights.

After the earthquakes had tipped boxeson the floor and the hurried move to the newstorage facility, most of the boxes weren't puton their correct shelves.

“It's been a bit of a nightmare to say theleast. There are more than 6000 boxes, and Ican say I have lifted each box at least twice!”Jo laughs.

Because the temporary storage facility'smain purpose is to store the records, there isonly a small space available for researchers.Jo has introduced a system of reserving a tableduring opening hours so she does not have toturn people away because there is no space.

The Christchurch Methodist Archives willbe open weekly, Wednesdays 1:00pm to 4:00pm from January 9th. Please contact Jo toreserve a table on 03 366 6049 ext 831 or byemai l : a rchives@methodis t .org .nz .

Auckland Methodist ArchivesAfter Jill Weeks retired from the Auckland

Methodist Archives last February, Jo hastravelled to Auckland once a month to openthe Archives for researchers.

Part-time staff member Cynthia McKenziewill now open the Auckland Archives weekly.Cynthia comes to the job with extensive libraryexperience and qualifications.

Cynthia will open Auckland Archives forresearchers Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 pmto 4:00 pm. The Archives are at 409 GreatS o u t h R o a d , P e n r o s e . E m a i lauckarchives@methodist.org.nz or phone 09525 4179.

Methodist archives up and runningBy David Hines

Auckland's Pitt Street MethodistChurch theatre troupe Pi lgrimProductions recently staged the play'Glorious!' by Peter Quilter.

Glorious! tells the true story of FlorenceFoster Jenkins, a 1940s New York socialite whocouldn't sing two notes in tune but fulfilled herdream of singing at Carnegie Hall.

Director Gwyneth Glover says today therewould be a name for the 'disorder' Florencesuffered from and she would be filled up withpills. But the world would be a duller placewithout such a colourful and energetic person.

“In 1944 people laughed at her and somereviled her, but she was true to her dream andgradually people came to admire her for hertenacity, her generosity and her determinationto be a singer.”

Pilgrim Productions won a number of dramaawards in 2008 when Gwyneth directed thecomedy classic Charley's Aunt. But she saysGlorious! is different because it deals with a realperson and so care had to be taken to be true tothe spirit of Florence.

“Our goal is to treat her with respect, but atthe same time enjoy the humour of the situationsshe is involved in. We had a very strong castwith award winning performer Lynn Websterplaying Florence. Her greatest challenge is tofight her every instinct as a musician and sing

off key!”The most difficult part to cast was her

accompanist Cosme McMoon, who had to be anactor and pianist. He was played by AnthonySchneider.

Gwyneth says the play covers thedevelopment of their relationship. At their firstmeeting he is appalled at her singing voice. Hecomes to celebrate her spirit while still knowingher limitations as a singer.

Pilgrim Productions stages a glorious folly

Woodlands Road Methodist Church centennial celebrants.

Comedic misunderstandings: Paul Norell and LynnWebster with Spanish maid Bibiana Ogando.

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 17

NAI LALAKAI MAI NA WASEWASE KO VITI KEI ROTUMA E NIUSILADINai Lalakai

Eda sa cabeta bula tale maina vula o Tiseba, se vula o NuqaLailai ena nodra ivola ni vulana noda qase mai Vanua maiViti. Vula ni marau kei navakavinavinaka. Vula ni rai lesumeda raica lesu kina na nonaveimaroroi kei na nona qaravikeda mai kina na noda Kalouena loma ni dua na yabaki. Ausa nanuma kina ena ivaqavakayalo lekaleka oqo meucavuta e vica na vosa enaulutaga ka koto oqoori e cake:Jisu na Luvei Tevita.

Eratou cavuta vinaka nakosipeli taucoko ena iVola TabuVou, vakabibi ko Maciu na nonasema o Jisu na Turaga vei Tevitana Tui. Ka ratou tukuna tiko niTuraga sa sega walega ni Luveni Kalou. Sa tamata dina saratalega me vakataki keda,ka semavinaka tu ki na dua na vuvale,koro, mataqali, yavusa, kei nadua na vanua.

Sa Kalou, ka Tamata dina saratalega me vakataki keda. Oqo evakadeitaka na Lotu Vakarisitotaumada, ka maroroi kotovakavinaka ena noda Vakabauta(Creed) ka da dau cavuta vataena so na gauna ni lotu.

Sa ka bibi na noda sema vuana noda Kalou. Qaravi Koya

vinaka. Vakararavi vinaka Vua.Cakacaka vata kei Koya kamarautaki Koya ni sa bula ka segani cegu ni veiqaravi tikoga enanona vuravura. Sa ka bibi talegana keda isema vakaveiwekani ekee vuravura. NA QARAVIKALOU KA YALI KINA NAI S E M A O Q OVA K AV E I W E K A N I EVURAVURA E SEGA NIVAKARISITO. Me vakaraitakina noda qarava na noda Kalou,ka tamai Jisu Karisito ena nodabula ena veisiga kei na itavi edavakaitavi kina.

O Tevita na Tui-Qaqa duaduaena itukutuku kei Isireli. Nonagauna ni veiliutaki e gauna divi.Sautu na vanua ena ka kecega.Qaqa ena ivalu. Levu na iyau keina kena magiti. Tiko vinaka kamarau o ira na lewe ni vanua.

Sega ni wawa na Tui o Tevitani tusanaka na nona malumalumuvua na Kalou, ni lutu, ka bale mevaka eda sotava taucoko natamata. E vakarautaka na iyayani Valenisoro me tara ka meqaravi kina na Kalou. Sa qai tarana valenisoro oqo ko Solomonina luvena ni sa mai takali yani.Sa bulia e lomana me tara naValenisoro ko Tevita me maroroikina na 'kato ni Kalou' se 'kato ni

veiyalayalati'.Sa tiko ko koya na Tui ena

dua na vale vinaka, vale sitari'...(2Sam. 7:2) ia na kato oqo ni Kalousa tiko ga ena dua 'na vale laca'.Kaya na Kalou: “Na nomumataqali kei na nomu matanitue n a v a k a t a u d e i t a k i ematamu...ena vakataudeitaki katawa mudu na nomu itikotikovakaturaga” (2 Samuela 7:16).Same 89 - “Au sa ia oti naveiyalayalati kei koya au sadigitaka. Au sa bubului vei Tevitana noqu tamata . Au navakataudeitaka me sega ni mudurawa na nomu kawa. Au na taracake na nomu itikotiko meyacova na itaba tamata kecega”.

Talai na agilosi-liu koKeperieli me lako ki na dua nakoro mai Kaleli, na yacana koN a s a r e c i , v u a e d u a n agoneyalewa sa musu vua edua natagane na yacana ko Josefa, enamataqali i Tevita...nayacana ko Meri - “A salako mai na agilosi ka kaya,Sa loloma! (Greetings! Youwho are highly favoured)O iko sa daulomani. Ko sakalougata vakalevu vei irana yalewa tani...Kakua nirere Meri, ni ko sa kuneloloma vua na Kalou, ko

na kunekune, ko na vakasucumatalega edua na gonetagane, ia movakayacani koya ko JISU.

Ena levu ko koya, ka navakatokai na Luvei Koya sacecere sara. Ia na Turaga na Kalouena solia vua na itikotikovakaturaga nei tamana koTevita...ena sega ni oti na Nonamatanitu”.

Sa yavu levu ni bula na Kaloukei na nona loloma. Eda raicaoqo ena bula kei na cakacaka iTevita na Tui. Mai vakacavara koSolomoni na luvena. Sa kune kinana nona nanumi ka lomani vinakasara na Kalou. Na loloma oqoriena sega vakadua ni vakadrukai.Ena “yali” na veika kecega evuravura; na iyau ena kenaveimataqali sa tu oqo; ka vakakina na rogo.

Ia ko ira era lomana vinakana Kalou oqo, ena sega ni dua naka me yali vei ira. Same 23 na

Same i Tevita - “A noquiVakatawa ko Jiova. Ena sega naka me yali vei au. Sa ka bibi nanoda bula ena veisiga. Noda bulavakaveiwekani. Na itikotikovakaturaga se veiliutaki kecegaka maroroi vinaka kina na“lomana na Kalou” ka “lomanikina na tamata kecega” ena tudeika sega ni yavalati rawa. Ia, enaitikotiko vakaturaga se veiliutakika sega kina na ka ruarua oqo -“ena yali”.

O Jisu na luvei Tevita saiKoya “na SALA, kei na VUNIDINA, kei na VUNIBULA”.Meda ciqoma ena yalo vakabautakei na vakavinavinaka ena Sigani Sucu oqo na isolisoli levu oqo.O ira era muri ena sala oqo -“rogoca ka cakava na nona vosakei na nona ivalavala era na bula”.Nona vosa: “Au sa lako mai merawa vei kemudou na bula, io merawa vakalevu sara”.

J I S U N A L U V E I T E V I TAVakarautaka ko Rev Dr IS Tuwere

Ena i ka dua na drau ni Koniferedi ni LotuWesele E Niusaldi ka a vakayacori mai Wellington,era a gole yani kina e vica na mata mai naWasewase o Viti kei Rotuma ka wili kina ko iraNai Talatala Qase ni tolu na Tabacakacaka enaloma ni Wasewase, o Nai Talatala Peni Tikoinaka,Talatala Ilaitia Tuwere kei Talatala Akuila Bale.E ra tiko talega ena bose oqo na Qase mai KhyberPass o Maikeli Danilau, Talatala e Khyber Passo Rupeni Balawa , Tuirara mai Rotorua o AliveretiJona, Sireli Kini (Liuliu ni Strategy ni Wasewase),Niko Bower (Vakatawa - Wellington) kei RadiniTalatala Qase Una Tikoinaka (Liuliu ni Marama),George Bower (Mataveitokani).

E vica na i tukutuku rogorogo vinaka e basikamai ena Koniferedi oqo me baleta nai Wasewase- nai matai na kena sa ciqomi na Wasewase KoViti kei Rotuma e Niusiladi me sa “Synod” seWasewase.

Nai karua na kena sa mai ciqomi na QaseVakacegu mai Khyber Pass o Rupeni Balawa mesa i Talatala ena loma ni vavakoso mai Khyber

Pass, kei na kena i ka tolu na nona sa mai ciqomitalega o Nai Talatala Akuila Bale kina Lotu Weselee Niusiladi. E Sigatabu, e qaravi talega kina e dualotu kei na vakayakavi mai vei ira na lewe ni Lotumai Wellington ena nodra kidavaki ko ira na matani Wasewase kina Koniferedi, ka a vakayacori nakena lotu mai na Trinity Church, e Newtown.

E mai vulagi dokai talega kina na maramaVukevuke ni Peresitedi ni Lotu Wesele e Niusiladio Ms Jan Tasker, ka a mai vakasavuia nai tukutukuni kena sa “Synod” na Wasewase Ko Viti. E ra asoli vunau ena Lotu oqo o Nai Talatala AkuilaBale.

E sa bau dua na gauna marautaki talega veiira na lewe ni vavakoso mai Wellington ni rawani ra veiqaravi ena koniferedi oqo ena veivakani,na tuva senikau, na lagasere kei na veiqaravi taleeso ka vakauasivi ena nodra mai tiko ena kedramaliwa ko ira na noda i Talatala ena loma niWasewase ka wili talega kina o Talatala Bob Sidalkei Talatala Suresh Chand kei rau na nodrau leweni vale.

Koniferedi ni Lotu Wesele e Niusiladi: 2-7 Noveba,2012 - Nai tukutuku marautaki ena loma niWasewase Ko Viti kei Rotuma e Niusiladi

Sa vakavinavinakataki naveiqaravi kece sa vakayacorirawa ena yabaki oqo 2012.Sa vakanuinui tu ni na dua nagauna vinaka ni vakacagicagisa tu e matada. Me noda vatana marau ni Siga ni sucu ninoda turaga o Jisu Karisitokei na tawase ni yabaki.

VakanuinuiVinaka ni Siga ni

sucu ni nodaTuraga o Jisu

Karisito

Marama Revell, Kula Bower, Litia Denicaucau,Anaseini Denicaucau kei Waqa Green.

Qase mai Khyber Pass o Maikeli Danilau, Talatala Akuila Bale, TalatalaRupeni Balawa , Talatala Tuwere, Radini Talatala Sidal, Radini TalatalaUna Tikoinaka, Sireli Kini, Tuirara Rotorua Alivereti Jona(duri tiko mai

muri), Talatala Bob Sidal, Talatala Peni Tikoinaka, Niko Bower.

E na i ka 7 ni Okotova, 2012,e mai vakatikori kina enaT a b a c a k a c a k a oWaikato/Waiariki, o Nai TalatalaAkuila Bale ka a vakayacori e navalenilotu na St Johns eHamilton East.

Era gole yani kina o ira namata mai na Tabacakacaka e tolumai Okaladi, Waikato/Waiariki keina Tabacakacaka ni Ceva ka vakatalega kina o Khyber Pass. E ratiko talega kina na mata nivavakoso vakavavalagi ka ra tikokina na Viti.

E ra qarava na lotu niveivakatikori oqo o nai TalatalaQase ni Wasewase e Viti keiRotuma e Niusiladi, o Nai TalatalaPeni Tikoinaka kei nai TalatalaQase ni Lotu Waikato/WaiarikiSynod, o Nai Talatala SusanThompson. Ena nodra soli vunaunai Talatala Qase Levu Vakacegu,o Nai Talatala Ilaitia Sevati Tuwere,ka ulutaga tiko “Ko kacivi mo vukume vaka na gata, ka yalo vinakame vaka na ruve” ka yavutaki maiena i vola i

Maciu 10:6 “Raica, au sa talaikemudou yani me vaka na sipi enakedra maliwa na wolifa: o koya modou qai vuku me vaka na gata, kayalo vinaka me vaka na ruve”

E Sigatabu nai ka 4 ni Noveba,ena na macawa ni Koniferedi, emai ciqomi talega kina o NaiTalatala Akuila kina Lotu Weselee Niusiladi ka vakatokai tiko na“Received into Full Connexion”,ka vakayacori ena St PaulsCathedral, e Wellington. E oso drigina valenilotu levu oqo ena nodramai tabaki talega kina ko ira naiTalatala Yaco kei na Dikonesi niLotu Wesele e Niusiladi.

Rev Akuila Bale received into FullConnexion by Methodist Church of

NZ president Rev Rex Nathan.

Vakatikori nai Talatala Qase niTabacakacaka o Waikato/Waiariki o

Talatala Akuila Bale

18 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

Ua tatou tuvae mai nei i le masinafa'ai'u o le malaga fa'ale tausaga o leneifo'i tausaga a tali mavae i le 2012. Uatoe o ni nai vaiaso ma nai aso ona suifo'i lea o le fuainumera ma le igoa o letausaga o muamua mai e fa'aopoopo uale gata i le soifuaga fa'ale tagata, aefa'apea fo'i le malaga faifaipea a lo tatouSinoti Samoa i lenei atunuu, atoa ai fo'ima le Ekalesia Metotisi o tatou galuluema tapua'i atu ai i le Atua.

E talitonu fo'i le manatu, e lemafaitaulia le tele o fuafuaga ma lavasigaua le gata i aulotu ma matagaluega, aefa'apea fo'i Itumalo i nisi o fa'amoemoegaua ausia, a'o nisi fo'i o lo'o galulue peaaga'i iai, fa'apea fo'i nisi ua le mafai onatau lau ona o le tele o tuatuagia le ma'alofia.

Ua le gata fo'i i ia tulaga, a'o sefaigamalaga e le'i 'asa ma ni lu'itau o lesoifuaga ma le galuega fa'apea fo'i leauaunaga fa'ale - tagata tapua'i i le Atua ilea falesa ma lea falesa. Ua fa'apea fo'iona lu'itauina lo tatou ola fa'ale-fa'atuatuae ala lea i le malaga le utuva a le maliuma le oti, ua t_l_ ai mafutaga vavalalatama nisi o e pele ia i tatou. Ae ui i lea, e lese mea e toe tau fa'ailoaina pe toe taufa'apupulaina le anoanoa'i ma le l_ masinoo le tele o a'oa'oga ma fa'ata'ita'iga uaaumaia e Iesu e ala i ana afioga tusitusiama tu'utu'ufofogaina i lea augatupulagama lea augatupulaga, e fai lea mafa'amalosi'au ma o tatou to'omaga i taimitatou te fetaia'i ai ma lu'itau o le soifua malo matou ola galulue ai ia te ia ma lanaTala Lelei. E fa'aleo ai se fa'amalo legalulue! Fa'amalo fo'i le onosa'i i lefa'atinoina o tiute ma faivaalofilima i lefe'au ma le galuega a le Atua o tatou galulueai!

I tulaga lava tau i galuega fai magaluega fa'agasolo a lo tatou Sinoti, o lo'ofeagai pea le Komiti Fa'afoe atoa ai fo'ima le pa'ia i Ta'ita'i ma sui o Komiti eseesefa'apea fo'i le aufaigaluega galulue ma lefa'atinoina o le tele o galuega fai pei ona

ta'atia mai i la tatoufonotaga fa 'ale-tausaga ia Iulai.

Ua le po fo'i selilo ona o lea uamavae atu fo'i lemasina sa usuia ai lefonotaga fa 'ale-tausaga a lo tatouEkalesia Metotisi iNiu Sila nei. Ma e lemasino fo'i le tele male anoanoa'i o le teleo mataupu taua nafa'atalanoaina ai ilenei fonotaga. Onisi o mataupu mo latatou lava Sinoti ia,e i a i l e t o efa'amautuina o le lagolago a le ekalesia ile visiona ma le misiona pei ona tauata'imai e le Mafutaga a Tama'ita'i o la tatouSinoti i tausaga ua mavae. O le nofo silafiao le Koneferenisi i le fa'agasologa oa'oa'oga pei ona feagai ai ma le Komiti oSocial Issues ae maise ai le mataupu isauaga i totonu o aiga, ae fa'apea fo'i lefa'afo'ia o le pule i le ola pei ona tula'i maii lenei lava vaitaimi. Fa'afetai ai i le faletuaia Mataiva ma lana Komiti e tusa ai ma leripoti matagofie pei ona tuuina atu i leneifo'i Keneferenisi o lenei fo'i tausaga.

O lenei fo'i fonotaga, na fa'afofoga aifo'i le Koneferenisi i molimau ua le gatai le susuga ia Filo Tu e ala i lanafaigamalaga pei ona filifilia ai e fai ma suio le Ekalesia Metotisi i Niu Sila, i leStewards Programme sa fa'atinoina lea ile motu o Crete i Eleni, ae fa'apea fo'i seripoti ma se molimau a le tama'ita'i iaJanice Auva'a, o se alo mai la tatou aulotui Oratia i Aukilani, ona o ana mataupu olo'o a'oa'oina ai o ia i le Kolisi a lo tatouEkalesia i Trinity.

O ni ripoti ma ni molimau namolimauina ai le fa'agae'etia o lagona o leto'atele o sui usufono o le fonotaga pei ona

fa'asoa mai, ona o lemanatu i le iai o selumana'i manuia oaga' i atu iai leEkalesia Metotisi iNiu Sila nei i tausagao i luma e ala lea i letula'i mai ua le gataia Filo ma Janice, aefa'apea fo'i tupulagauma sa auai i leKoneferenisi.

E pei lava onamua'i ta'ua, e lemasino le tele omataupu taua nafa'atalanoaina mafa'ai'ugafonoina i lefonotaga ua mavae

atu. A'o se tasi o mataupu sili atu lona tauama le tumu i lu'itau aoga ua le gata i leEkalesia aoao a'o la tatou lava Sinoti Samoaia, o le Visiona lea na fa'amautuina i leneiKoneferenisi e taula'i iai le va'ai mo le isisefulu tausaga, o le “Let the Children live”(Ia fa'asaoina Fanau, po'o le, Ia ola Fanau).

O se mataupu o lo'o afifi ai ni fe'autaua ma le ogaoga, a'o se fa'amanatu ua legata mo tagata ta'ito'atasi, o aiga, oaulotu/matagaluega, Itumalo ma la tatouSinoti lautele, e ala lea i le Fa'asaoina maFa'aola i le soifua o alo ma fanau. E iaitaimi tatou te fa'apea ane ai, e le mo a'ulenei mataupu. E le mo lo matou aiga po'ole aulotu lenei mataupu. I lo'u lavatalitonuga, o se fe'au lea o lo'o fetalai maiai le Agaga o le Atua i lana EkalesiaMetotisi i Niu Sila nei. O lona uiga, o oema a'u, ma i tatou uma o tagata o leEkalesia. E ao ona tatou savavali ai mamata'ituina ae maise o le va'ai o ni aualae fa'atino ai ni polokalame aua lefa'atauaina o lenei lava fe'au ma leneivisiona mo i tatou uma lava i totonu o leSinoti Samoa msa le Ekalesia Metotisi iNiu Sila nei.

E manatu fo'i, pei lava ona lau silafia

o le Koneferenisi fo'i lenei ua se'e'ese maiai le faletua ia Olive Tanielu ae maise lesusuga ia John Roberts, ma le ta'ita'ina ola tatou ekalesia i le tausaga a tali mavae.E avea ai le leo e momoli ai le fa'afetaima le fa'amalo i le faletua ia Olive fa'apeale susuga ia John, ona o le lava papale male onosa'ia o le mamafa o le avega matofiga pei ona ofoina ai le soifua aua leta'ita'ina o le Ekalesia Metotisi i Niu Silanei i lena fo'i tausaga.

O lenei lava fo'i Koneferenisi, nafa'au'uina ai aloa'ia nisi o auauna ia AlofaifoAsiata ma Alisa Lasi e avea ma faife'aufa'amaoni i le ekalesia. Ua mae'a ona fa'aleoni lagona fa'amanuia ma mo'omo'oga alofao le Sinoti i ana auauna, aua le ofoina o lesoifua mo le galuega fa'a leoleo mamoe ilenei lalolagi. Ia manuia lava le aga'i iluma o fe'au ma galuega!

Ona tau fa'ai'u ai lea o se lagona mafa'apea ane, tau ia ina ia manuia le alo atumo galuega fa'ai'ui'u o le tausaga. Ofuafuaga uma ma lavasiga o totoe o fe'auma galuega, ia 'au e man_ mea uma lavai le fa'atasi mai o lo tatou fesoasoani sili,o le Agaga o le Atua lava lea. Ofa'amoemoega ua ausia ma fa'ataunuuinama le manuia, ia vi'ia ai lo tatou Atua. Onisi fo'i o fa'amoemoega ma ni fuafuagao lo'o tauasaina pea, tatou galulue ma leonosa'i o lo'o soifua le e ou le fe'au na tefa'amalosi'au mai ia i tatou.

Ia man_teleina le fa'afofoga'aga ma lefaitau a lo tatou Ekalesia ae maise la tatouSinoti Samoa. Ia manuia fo'i le alo atu mole fa'amanatuina o le Kerisimasi i leneifo'i tausaga. Ia alofagia fo'i le aga atu mole fa'afeiloa'i atu i lena tausaga fou omuamua, i le alofa ma le fa'atasi mai o lotatou Atua Soifua e to'atasi.

SoifuaTovia Aumua

M a l a g a F a i f a i p e a a l e S i n o t i S a m o a

THE VOICE OF SINOTI SAMOA

Tovia Aumua

Siauala Nili aka 'GiantKilla''s longawaited self-titled album was released onFriday 16 November 2012. Siauala is amember of St Pauls Methodist Church,Otara and was featured in an earlier editionof Touchstone when he won the covetedPhilip Fuemana 'Most Promising Artist'award at this year's Pacific Music Awards.

GiantKilla's album is available in allgood music stores (JB HiFi, Marbecks) aswell as on iTunes so it can be downloadedworldwide. Alternatively, orders can bemade by emailing giantkilla274@gmail.com(please note that postage and handling feeswill be incurred).

For those who want to show theirsupport, there are also hoodies and t-shirtsavailable for purchase and your support isgreatly appreciated.

Congratulations 'GIANTKILLA'. Wewish you every success in your music career!

By LYNLEY TAIOn the 28th October, 5.30pm (Island time

6pm) at Manurewa Methodist Church youngpeople held a youth rally with the theme “Callof Duty to God” based on Colossians 3:17:

“And whatever you do, whether in word ordeed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

“O mea uma fo'i tou te faia, i le tautalatalapo'o le amio, ia faia uma lava ia mea i le suafao le Ali'i o Iesu, ma le fa'afetai i le Atua le Tamae ala ia te ia.”

Our purpose and focus on the day was toshare the message that faith is a gift from God,instilled in us by exercise of the Holy Spirit.Where there's faith and repentance a man is ina right relationship with his Maker. He willrealise that his duty is to do everything in thename of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Manurewa Youth is made up of 29 youngpeople aged from 14-29 years. We have fourleaders - Pesi Malaeimi, Kirisimasi Faasavalu,Mele Vatau and Lynley Tai with parentaloverseers Semau Aaron and Fa'amanu Palelei.

We kindly invited our Manukau Itumaloas well as our Tongan brothers and sisters fromour very own Parish, to share and celebrate thisevent with us. It was a fun filled evening fullof laughter, giving back in the best way, shapeand form that we do best!

Our band led us in praise and worship songs,there were items prepared by each youth group,and we had guest performers Grace Ikenasiogracing us with her beautiful vocals and ourvery own talented GiantKilla (Si'auala Nili)featuring Rolex and Monster.

Dancing and singing was more than anexpectation, little skits (or our four-part trilogyas one of our MC's Tavai Fa'asavalu would say)was all part of the entertainment. The ice-breakers was our own Faletua Suresa Tufugaon stage almost making the finals with the headand hips game. To top it all off, our guest speakerApineru Malu gave an encouraging speech,making it an even more memorable event andan inspirational one at best!

Watching our Tupulaga blossom intoconfident young adults physically and spiritually,from our past leaders till now has truly been ablessing; those who were shy and not soforthcoming are now putting themselves forwardfor roles and responsibilities towards leadership.

And so we acknowledge and thank our

uouth parentals Semau and Fa'amanu, RevFatuatia and Suresa Tufuga, Tina MaloloManumalo Kueni Palalei, and especially ourparents for having faith in us, for their supportand that extra push and not forgetting the onewe strive and do everything for, our HeavenlyFather.

Let me leave you with a message from ourRally… “Whatever you do, work at it with allyour heart, since you will receive an inheritancefrom the Lord as a reward. Can you think ofany greater incentive than that moment whenyou stand in His presence and hear, 'Well done,'for giving it your best shot?” Just as we all gaveit our best shot with all the singing, acting anddancing on the night. In the name of our Lordand Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

Manurewa Youth Rally 2012 - Call of Duty to God

GIANTKILLATHE ALBUM

Youth rally at Manurewa Methodist Church.

PukoleaVAHEFONUA TONGA ‘O AOTEAROA

TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012 19

F A K A L O T O F A L E ‘ I A

“Pea lea 'a Mele 'o pehe, 'Okufakahikihiki'i 'e hoku loto 'a e 'Eiki. Peaneka hoku laumalie 'i he 'Otua ko hokuFakamo'ui. He kuo ne afeitaulalo maikia kita me'avale ko 'ene kaunanga. Hefaka'uta mai, ko e 'aho ni 'e kamata kelau au ko e monu'ia 'e he ngaahito'utangata. He kuo fai ma'aku 'e heMafimafi ha ngaahi me'a lalahi. Pea'oku ma'oni'oni hono huafa.” (Luke1:46-49)

Ko e tumutumu 'o e hala fononga'anga'o e kau Kalisitiane ko e kaunga-fiefia peamo e kaunga-lotu, he 'ausia 'a e me'a na'eta'e'amanekina, ka ko hono katoanga'i 'ae hoko mai ko ia 'a Folofola 'o 'ai kakano,'o fokotu'u hono tapanekale 'i hotaulotolotonga. Ko 'etau kau 'i he ma'alali koia, ko e fokotu'utu'u ia 'a Langi, ka 'okufakahoko 'i mamani, pea fakaafea kitautolu'o tau lau monu mo tapuaki 'i he mana ko

ia ne fai 'i Petelihema.Ko e Kilisimasi, ko e taimi mahu'inga.

Ko e lava ke tau toe fanongo ki he le'o 'oe 'Otua, pea mo hono fanguna kitautolu 'ihe afo 'o e 'ofa pea mo e mahu'inga 'o etauhi 'Otua pea mo e tauhi va he ko etala'ofa ia na'e fai mei he kamata'anga,talu hono tanu pou 'o mamani.

Talaloto malie 'a Mele 'i he'enefevahevahe'aki mo 'Ilisapesi 'i hono hikitohi 'e Luke. Ko e polo'i ia 'o 'Atonai, kefakahoko pea ke langa 'a e halafakakavakava ki 'itaniti, mei he manava'o e fa'e ko 'eni ke lava ke fehokotaki 'a efa'ahinga 'o e tangata pea mo hono 'Otua'o hange koia na'e 'i he kamata'anga.

Ko e monu'ia mo e tapuaki ia 'o eKilisimasi, ko e afea 'e he mafimafi mo ema'oni'oni 'o loto langi 'a e fa'e ko 'eni, kehoko ia ko e matapa, pea 'omi mo hafaingamalie ke toe ava mai 'a palataisi ki

he lotu ko ia 'oku tau fai. Monu'ia 'a emanava 'o Mele, he 'oku tupu mei ai 'aSisu, 'a e Lami 'a e 'Otua 'a ia 'oku ne 'ave'a e angahala 'a mamani, ka tau mo'ui ai.

Ngaahi fa'e, mou hiva, monu'ia ka kokimoutolu! Ko e pulopula mo'ui 'o lotolangi na'e tata'o ia 'i he tanunga pulopulamo'ui ho mou ngaahi manava. Kokimoutolu 'oku tupu mei ai 'a e tokotaha'e ui ko e Fakamo'ui, ko ia 'a e 'Eiki 'o engaahi 'Eiki, Tu'i 'o e ngaahi Tu'i, ka ko'ene ngaue ko ia 'a e Tauhi Sipi Lelei. Kuoha pea fotu 'a e mafimafi mo e langilangi'o e 'Otua 'i he fili ko ia 'o kimoutolu ngaahifa'e ke fa'e ki ai 'a e Hau Ta'eliua.

Fakatauange ke pehee 'a e hoko mai'a e tapuaki ko ia 'a e melino pea ke taufiefia kotoa pe ai koe'uhi pe “He na'e 'ofapehe 'a e 'Otua ki mamani, ko ia na'a nefoaki hono 'Alo tofu-pe-taha-ne-fakatupu,koe'uhi koia kotoa pe 'oku tui pikitai kiate

ia ke 'oua na'a 'auha, kae ma'u 'a e mo'uita'engata.” Ko 'eni 'a e tala'ofa 'a e 'Otua'o fakafou mai ke tau ma'u 'a efakamolemole pea mo e mo'ui fo'ou, he'oku mei heni 'a e 'amanaki'anga 'o e mo'ui.Ko 'eni 'a e 'uhinga 'o 'etau mo'ui he 'ahoni pea mo e toka'anga 'o 'etau 'amanakilelei ki he kaha'u. Ko ia 'a e Kilisimasilelei, ko e me'a'ofa 'a e 'Otua kiate koe peamo au, 'a ia ne fakafou mai he manava oe fa'e.

'Ofa pe ke mou ma'u ha KilisimasiFiefia pea mo ha fononga mo'ui ki he Ta'ufo'ou 'i he hala 'oku toka ai 'a e tapuakina'e mofisi mei he maama 'o Petelihema.Pea mo e vanavanaiki mai 'a e hiva 'a ekau 'angelo 'o loto langi, ke ne 'omi 'a eafo 'o e fiefia he; “Ko e melino kuo 'imamani ki he kakai 'oku hoifua ki ai.”

'Ofa Lotu AtuFaifekau 'Epeli Taungapeau

Lesoni: Luke 1:39-45“'E hiva kau fef ine….na'a f i l i ha mou taha ke fa'e ki he Hau.”

Pekia 'a e Paionia 'o e Siasi, Lotu,Famili mo e Fonua, Faifekau Tevita KilifiHeimui

'Oku ikai foki ke fo'ou ha talanoa peongoongo 'i he ngalu ope; ha hiki fonua meimamani ki hotau 'api fakalangi, he ko e halaia Kuo Papa talu mei he polopolo mo'ui 'ae Tamaha 'o Loto 'Itaniti, 'Io, ta tetau foukatoa pe ai 'i hono taimi kuo tohi mo kotofaki ai 'e he 'Eiki.

Na'e 'ikai ke fu'u fuoloa 'a e tokoto moongo'i faingata'a'ia 'a e helo ni, he na'e puliko hono loto mo e fakakakato 'a hono ngaahifatongia. Tuku mu'a keu fakanounou atukoe'uhi 'e 'ikai hao kakato atu ha fakamatala

ia he 'oku hope 'a hono 'aonga mo honomahu'inga ki he mo'ui Lotolu 'a hotau Siasimo hotau kakai Tonga.

Na'e pavake mai he 'aho 26 'o 'Okatopa2012, kuo pekia 'a e si'i Faifekau ni, TevitaKilifi Heimuli, 'i falemahaki 'i he fiemaliemo e nonga' a e 'Eiki. Kamata ai pe 'aa efailotu ne fakahoko 'e he Palesiteni 'o e SiasiMetotisi, Faifekau John Roberts, mo e failotu'a e famili he efiafi pe ko ia, 'o a'u ki honofakaha'ele ki Vaine Mo'onia he Sapate 'o faiai si'ono 'apo mo e fe'iloaki 'a e Siasi, kauTaki Lotu, kau taki ngaue, ngaahikaungame'a mo e kainga 'ofa tokolahimo'oni. Na'e lava mai mo e ngaahi kolisi

tutuku he ko e tangata foki 'o Fale Maama,pea na'e kau he fuofua 'Uluaki Kalasi honofokotu'u 'a e Tupou High School.

Na'e lauta 'a e kakai kae fefe he ko etangata 'o e feohi. Tokolahi mo hono kautukituki 'o pukepuke 'a e fonua kae fefe heko e tangata Tauhi 'Eiki. Toe 'anoa 'a honome'atokoni na'e teu 'e he uitou, Lolofi moe fanau, kae fefe he koe tangata 'o efaifatongia ke a'u mo kakato.

Si'i keu fakamatala'i 'a hono toka'i mofaka'apa'apa'ia 'e he kakai kotoa pe.

'Aho Monite 29 'o 'Okatopa 2012, na'emalanga'i ai 'a e me'a-faka'eiki 'o e FaifekauTevita Kilifi Heimuli 'e he Palesiteni 'o e

Siasi Metotisi 'o Nu'u Sila, Faifekau JohnRoberts pea tokoni mo e kau faifekau Tonga'e toko 7, 'o kau ai 'a e Faifekau Sea 'o eVTOA, Faifekau Setaita Kinahoi Veikune.Na'e tefua pea me'a 'i Sai'one 'a e Fuifuilupe'o Loto Palasi, kau taki lotu mo ha kaufaifekau 'e toko nimangofulu tupu. Fonupea tokolahi aupito 'a e me'a-faka'eiki ni.Na'e tataki 'a e 'u ouau 'e he kaingalotu Vainemo'onia pea toki fakaha'ele 'o telio ki hemala'e Waikumete.

Toka a faifekau 'i he nonga 'a hotau 'Eikiko Sisu.

O k o o k o ' a S i o p a u

Palesiteni 'o e Siasi Metotisi 'o Nu'usila, Faifekau John Roberts mo e kau faifekau Tonga.

Ko Rodney Heimuli 'i hono lau 'a e piokalafi 'o e Pekia.Rev Kilifi Heimuli was made a Commander of the Order Queen Salote Tupou III in 2008.

Then Governor General Rt Hon Anand Satyanand awarded him the medal in New Zealand.

20 TOUCHSTONE • DECEMBER 2012

PukoleaVAHEFONUA TONGA ‘O AOTEAROA

Senituli Konifelenisi Siasi Metotisi ‘o Nu’u Sila 2012The 100th Conference of the

Methodist Church of New Zealand2012

“Ko e ‘Otua ‘o e kuohili,lolotonga mo e kaha‘u” “God ofthe past, present and future”

Ko e Konifelenisi fakata’u ‘a eSiasi Metotisi Nu’u Sila na’e fai kiUelingatoni kamata he ‘aho 3 Novemaki he ‘aho 7 ‘o Novema 2012. Ko eKonifelenisi ‘eni ko hono fakamanatuai pe ‘a e Ta’u 100 ‘o e Konifelenisitalu mei he Fakatahataha ‘a e SiasiUesiliana pea mo e PrimitiveMethodists na’e fuofua fakahoko ‘iUelingatoni he 1913.

Ko e konga ‘uluaki ‘o e konifelenisihe Tokonaki mo e Sapate ko ha taimifakalotolahi ‘o kau ai mo e talitali ‘oe kau konifelenisi, fakafiefia, hilifakinima, fakanofo ongo Palesiteni,Fakamalo ‘o e ikuna kuo lava’i he kaufaifekau kuo nau ma’u honau ta’umalolo, mo e ngaahi Fakamanatu ‘oe kau Pekia ‘o e ta’u.

TokonakiNa’e kamata ‘a e Konifelenisi ‘aki

e Powhiri pea hoko ki ai ‘a e Malangafakanofo ‘o e Palesiteni fo’ou,Faifekau Rex Nathan mo e TokoniPalesiteni fo’ou, Jan Tasker. ‘Okufakahisitolia ‘eni he ko e fuofua taimi‘eni ke faka-ta’u 2 ‘a e Palesiteni peamo hono tokoni. Na’e fakahoko mo eFakamalo ‘a e Konifelenisi ki he kaufaifekau kuo nau hoko ko e kaufaifekau malolo. Na’e kau heni ‘a eFaifekau Langi’ila Uasi hili ‘ene ngaueta’u e 42.

SapateKo e ‘aho Sapate na’e kamata

‘aki e laka, ko e fakamanatu ‘o elaka tatau na’e fai ‘i he ta’u 1913‘i he ‘uluaki Konifelenisi ‘a e SiasiMetotisi Nu’u Sila. Na’e tataki elaka ‘e he kau ifi Taulanga U ‘a e SiasiWesley/Taranaki mei he HoloFakakolo Uelingatoni ki he falelotuWesley ; pea hoko atu ki he fakahoko‘e he fanau ako mei he ‘apiako WesleyCollege ha lesoni fakataataa ‘e hefanau mei he ‘enau ngaahi a’usia

takitaha ke tokoni ki he visone ‘a esiasi lahi, ‘Let the Children Live’ ‘ihe kamata ‘o e ngaue ki he kaha’u.Ko e ho’ata Sapate na’e toe foki ai ekonifelenisi ki he Wellington AnglicanCathedral ke fakahoko ai ‘a eMalanga Hilifakinima ‘oe kau faifekauIan Boddy, Alofauifo Asiata, AlisaLasi, Ian Falkner pea mo MaryNicholas, pea mo Megan Alley ki hedeacon.

MoniteNe fakahoko ai he houa pongipongi

‘a e vahevahe ki he fakataha Tauiwi moe Te Taha Maori pea ‘I he houa efiafileva ne tokanga ai ki he ngaahi komitifakaikiiki.

Ko e me’a mahu’inga na’e fai ‘a etokanga ko e hoko pe fili ha taha ‘oku‘ikai ko ha Faifekau ko e Sea toko tahape ‘I ha Sinoti pe Vahefonua. Na’emahino ‘a e ‘ikai ke lototaha ‘a e Tauiwiki he me’a ko eni pea na’e iku ai pe ‘o‘ikai tali ‘e he Konifelenisi Kakato kaetoe ‘ave ki he ngaahi Sinoti ke toe alea’ipea toki fakafoki mai he ta’u kaha’u.Toki hokohoko atu ki he ngaahi lipootimei he ngaahi Komiti Fakaikiiki mo emo e ngaahi Poate.

TUSITEHoko atu ai pe ‘a e ngaahi Lipooti:

Trinity College, Wesley College,lipooti ‘a e Youth [To’utupu] mo honoalea’I ‘a e Connexional MissionPriorities, ne kau ki ai ‘a e (i) PolosekiMatanikolo ‘a Lotofale’ia, mo e (ii)Poloseki Langa falelotu, holo pea moe ka paaka ‘a Dominion, PublicQuestions, Bio-ethics, Board ofAdministration mo e Faith & Order,

PULELULUKo e kaha’u ‘o e siasi ‘etau

to’utupu, ‘i he tataki lelei kuo fai hekau taki youth, na’a nau fakahoko aiha drama ki he tokotaha to ngoue moe tenga ke fakatupu. Fai ai mo e lotuhufia kotoa ‘a e Konifelenisi ki hekaha’u. Toki faka’osi ‘a e ngaahilipooti; Methodist Mission Aotearoa,mo e Law Revisions

Council of Elders.Ko e toko fa kuo fili ki he Kosilio

ko ‘eni, Toko 2 meihe Te Taha Maori

pea 2 mei he Tauiwi. Na’a nau lea tu’otolu mai ki he konifelenisi pea mofakamahino honau fatongia ko e siofimo tokangaekina ‘a e anga ‘o e ngaahitalanoa lolotonga ‘a e konifelenisi. ‘Ihe fuofua lea ‘a e komiti na’a naufakamahino ai e too nounou ‘a eKonifelenisi he talanoa ki he LaySuperintendency ‘a e meimeita’etokanga ki he me’a ni mo hono‘omi ki he Konifelenisi Kakato te’ekimaau lelei hono talanoa’i.

Stationing - Ko e fehikitaki ‘eni‘a e kau Faifekau Tonga ‘i heVahefonua Tonga O Aotearoa:Kolisi Trinity – Rev Dr Nasili

Vaka’uta7520 Otara mo Papakua – Vaikoloa

Kilikiti7630 Papatoetoe Tongan Parish –

Parish Superintendent: SetaitaKinahoi Veikune

7750 Gisborne Tongan Parish –Simote Taunga

7900 Christchurch Tongan Parish –Kepu Moa

7800 Wesley Wellington TonganParish – Viliami Finau

7810 Petone Tongan VTOA Parish –Lay Ministry (Superintendent:Seta i ta Kinahoi Veikune)

7760 Palmerston North Tongan Parish– Ke toki fakamahino

7510 Auckland-Manukau Tongan –Faifekau Pule: Setaita KinahoiVeikune

• Faifekau ‘Ahi’ah – Kalolo Fihaki• Ponsonby/Dominion/Ellerslie –

Setaita K Veikune• Northcote – Tevita Finau (Faifekau

‘Ahi’ahi)• Henderson – ‘Alipate ‘Uhila• New Lynn – Mosese Manukia• Onehunga – Molia Tu’itupou• Epsom – Nehilofi ‘E-Moala

‘Aholelei(Faifekau ‘Ahi’ahi)• Pukekohe/Waiuku – Sunia

Ha’unga (Faifekau ‘Ahi’ahi)• Panmure – Makeleta Lute Pole

Tu’uhoko (Faifekau ‘Ahi’ahi)• Glen Innes – Sione Lea‘aetoa

(Faifekau ‘Ahi’ahi)• Mangere – Goll Fan Manukia/Moi

Kaufononga (Lay Pastor)• Manurewa – Ke toki fakamahino• Otahuhu – Ke toki fakamahino• Papatoetoe – Holakitu’akolo

Paea/Moi Kaufononga (LayPastor)

• Lotu Hufia – Mele FoeataTu’ipulotu (Faifekau ‘Ahi’ahi)

• Tawa Union Parish – Hiueni Nuku• Oamaru– ‘Inoke SiulangapoKau Faifekau Malolo:Taniela Moala, Lisiate Manu’atu,

Samiuela Taufa, Langi’ila UasiAko Fakafaifekau (kei hoko atu ‘ene

ako)Finau Halaleva – Faifekau Akoako(ta’u2)Fakamafai ke fai SakalamenitiKau fakamafai ke nau fakahoko ‘a eSakalameniti ‘ihe 2013:Auckland/ManukauMoi Kaufononga‘Uha’one MetuiselaMafua LoloheaMele Foeata Tu’ipulotu (Probationer)Makeleta Lute Tu’uhoko (Probationer)Sione Lea’aetoa (Probationer)Sunia Ha’unga (Probationer)Nehilofi ’E-Moala ’Aholelei(Probationer)Tevita Finau (Probationer)Kalolo Fihaki (Probat ioner)Mt Maunganui TonganSiale FotuSt Paul’s Tongan HamiltonSekope MoliSt John’s Tongan HamiltonSione Molitika Napier TonganFatongia ‘OfaLevin TonganSiela Fakavale NauPalmerston NorthSaia FiaUpper Hutt TonganSione Na’a SinaBlenheim TonganPiutau MoliDunedin TonganPalanite TaungapeauNa’e tapuaki’i ‘ehe Palesiteni ‘aki‘ene fai e lotu ki he ngaahi hingoa kuoha he pepa fehikitaki mo e ngaahingaue kuo ui kinautolu kiai.

Ko e Kau Ifi Taulanga U.Ko e kau Fakafofonga Youth na'e kau ki he Konifelenisi.