In the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia And throughout the World

Greetings from the New Zealand President Newsletter No. 53

May-June 2014

Via Dolorosa Walking in the footsteps of Jesus shouldering the cross on the way to his crucifixion.

After 2,000 years, nothing like the “green hill” that we sing about— but a sobering experience for a group of New Zealand pilgrims making their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the background, which marks the site of Calvary, in Jerusalem.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PROVINCIAL PRESIDENT

The Rev. Iritana Hankins has been re-elected unopposed, and will continue for another three-year term. We are looking forward to a

period of consolidation and progress.

E te whanau a te Karaiti, Nga mihi kia koutou katoa. Dear Mothers' Union Members and Friends, The recent royal visit of HRH Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge with their son Prince George bought many out of their daily routines to get a glimpse of this very special family who acknowledged the crowds on the walkabouts, attended and participated in many activities. Prince George confidently launched into royal duties when he interacted with children in his age group. The Royal couple left many lasting memories of a successful royal visit in this modern age. As many questions continue to be raised regarding the changes to the Wave of Prayer here are the main issues for change: Where MU members in a Diocese or Branch no longer meet or have merged with other dioceses or Branches, there is a concern about the lack of awareness and engagement with Wave of Prayer worldwide: Some groups have grown and will continue to grow. Finally there are many new groups waiting for the opportunity to be linked into the Wave of Prayer. The Prayer and Spirituality Department at Mary Sumner House are continually updating the groupings and advising changes. Auckland and Waikato are in the same link group, and the Auckland Executive is putting out fresh resources for our next turn on 21st to 25th September. The Returning Officer, who is on the staff of the Right Rev. Ross Bay, has con-firmed that I will serve a second term as Provincial President. My sincere thanks to the membership who continue to support and pray for me. I look forward to working closer with the staff at Mary Sumner House and to master those skill that I hold. I have convened an Executive meeting for 20th June with all our Diocesan Presidents, Rosemary Bent, Waikato and Taranaki; Heather Dawson, Wellington; Archdeacon Carole Graham, Christchurch; and Joan Neild, Auckland. Also Diane Chapman, my Secretary, and Margaret Wilson, News Editor, “Tai” from Samoa, and a representative from Tonga. This will take place at St John's

Theological College, Meadowbank, from 19th—21st June. The theme is Work-ing Together: Mahi tahi

Nga Manaakitanga Rev.Iritana Hankins

Iritana, with artist/embroiderer Jo Dixey, admiring the new white stole which Mothers’ Union NZ commissioned as a gift following her recent ordination. We are honoured that Iritana has chosen the MU motif for her design.

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AUCKLAND NEWS Sent by our President while visiting her family in the USA. MU has progressed a long way since when we used to send handwritten letters to MSH and wait six weeks for a reply, (within my recollection—Ed).

We are with our family over here in Minneapolis, James and his wife Elizabeth, Jamie and Amelia. Jamie has just graduated from St Thomas Academy, a Christian high school with a military flavour, and will be going to the University of Minnesota in August, the start of the University year. I do ask you to do your best to see that we have a good number attending our

Quiet Day shared with AAW on Thursday 19th June. It is important that good numbers attend, as it will show a united MU. The time is 10am - 2.30 p.m. Morning tea/coffee will be provided but please remember to bring your own food for lunch. This day, with the theme of the Feast of Corpus Christi, will be led by Bishop Kito. On Tuesday 8th July the combined Northern and Central Archdeaconry service will be at Selwyn Village, Pt Chevalier at 10.30 a.m. Rev. Patricia Bawden will be speaking about the Bicentenary of the first service preached on the beach at Oihi Point on Christmas Day, and about the establishment of a

pilgrim highway leading to the Marsden Cross welcome centre. The talk is to be followed by a shared lunch and leisure time, after which a service at 1.15 p.m. will be taken by one of the Chaplains. Do please also be aware of the Missions Day on Friday 8th August at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s, Kohimarama, with speaker Rev Mike Hawke. Please work on getting numbers to attend, as we are anxious to have a good number attending that meeting, marking Mary Sumner Day. There will be an MU mini-service followed by the address, then a shared lunch. We give thanks that Raewyn Skipper’s son-in-law is progressing after his surgery and we pray for his continuing recovery. Exciting news !!!

1. A possible visit by the MU Worldwide President next year - we would like to show her how well we are doing! 2. I have just found out that the Auckland Synod is to be held in Waitangi in

September. It should be wonderful to represent MU at Waitangi and Kerikeri and to visit Marsden’s Cross at Oihi in the year of the 200th

3. anniversary of the first sermon preached in New Zealand.

Love and blessings, Joan Neild xx

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Meet the Man with a Mission

The Rev. Mike Hawke

Anglican Missions Board Church Support Officer

And Holy Land Pilgrimage Leader.

Learn how inspiring stories from the Bible

apply to our every-day lives

The Auckland Diocesan Mothers’ Union

invites you to -

MISSIONS DAY

On Friday 8th August 2014 at 11 a.m.

At The Martyrs Memorial Church of St Andrew

116 Selwyn Avenue, Mission Bay, Auckland

Mothers’ Union service with Holy Communion

Address

Lunch

There will be an offertory for Mission Work by AMB and MU

For further information regarding this event, contact Margaret Wilson,

Phone 521-1229, Email: maggies.mill@xtra.co.nz

Our special project—Mary Sumner rose bushes will

be for sale, $15.00 each.

To order, contact Joan Neild Ph. 09 426-3627

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FROM THE WELLINGTON DIOCESE Anne Carpenter (a former MU NZ PP) chose an AAW/MU Oxfam morning tea to give me a hand carved wooden cross she had received at Hamilton Cathedral as Provincial president , with rider to hand it on!! I had worshiped at Hamilton Cathedral last Sunday and told Anne about a conversation with her son there (he said Anne and Theo are old now!!) which reminded Anne she had this lovely

cross, and who she could hand it on to. Iritana joined us at the morning tea, and spoke of having a 'job description'. AAHH!! During her first 3-year term, due to an oversight, she had managed without one, until a copy finally turned up in time for her re-election.

Heather Dawson FROM THE CHRISTCHURCH DIOCESE At the beginning of May we held our first AGM since establishing ourselves as a branch. The upheaval caused by the earthquakes unfortunately had prevented us from having one earlier. The group is now feeling both much more settled and positive about its future which is encouraging. There are 6 members, all of whom are faithful in attending meetings and in encouraging friends and visitors to come, so much so that we are hopeful of admitting some new members soon. Meetings are held at the Community of the Sacred Name on the 1st Tuesday morning of February, May, August and November. This year we are hopeful of enjoying at least one outing. At our AGM Margaret Kenna was re-elected as Secretary/Treasurer and I was re-elected as President.

Carole Graham WE HAVE OPTIONS For this issue, we will have another 400 copies printed, most of which will be posted. In the February issue, readers were offered some alternatives to reduce costs. At present we are home-designed and printed by commercial printers. We can now offer a PDF version by email, which is easy to download and attractive to read. Also, this version and several back-dated issues are included on our newly-opened web-site mothersunionnz.org.nz and can be read by anyone at any time. You are encouraged to visit the web-page for more information about the Mothers’ Union both here and overseas, and to read longer and fuller reports than can be accommodated in this small space. We have received one reply from a reader happy to have her copy supplied by email. Any more takers?

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WAIKATO-TARANAKI DIOCESE The year has started well with Dean Jamie taking our March meeting, and at our Corporate Communion later that month having a visit from a member of our Link Branch of St Paul’s, in St Albans, England. After she spoke during morning tea, committee members enjoyed a shared lunch to hear more in depth news about the work they do. Following the visit Margaret spoke at several Deanery MU meetings about her visit to New Zealand and we featured in an article and photograph in their Diocesan newsletter. As usual on Mothering Sunday, MU provided simnel cake and sprigs of rosemary for members of the congregation. Our April meeting was a celebration of Lady Day led by one of our members, using the Service provided by MSH. A very successful Bring & Buy was held during afternoon tea. In May we were delighted to welcome the manager of NEW WAVES which opened in February following the closure of the original WAVES Youth Health Facility last year due to funding issues. The new format allows for different agencies involved with youth to use the premises and see young people’s needs are met without the costs of full time paid staff. Members provided home baking for Lisa to take away with her, together with a cheque. One of our members had left a legacy for St Mary’s Mothers’ Union and much thought and prayer was given as to how it should be used. An engraved flower vase was purchased in memory of Pat Scott for use at meetings and the rest of the money donated to NEW WAVES. Members will continue with visits and prayers for these young people. Easter Chickens: Our Link Branch of St Margaret’s, Earlsville in Queensland sent a knitting pattern for Easter chickens and these proved to be a very popular fund raiser with members making them and putting a chocolate egg inside. Another fundraiser started as part of our Talents Scheme was a popular recipe book of members’ favourite recipes and prayers. The first printing has sold out and another run is being prepared. Our Waikato members are kept in touch by me sending MU news, Famiies Worldwide, the Families First magazine and our Provincial Newsletter. In June another two members will be Admitted. As part of our ‘Together we Grow’ theme each member is asked to see who she can invite along to the meetings.

Rosemary

From a member who used to live in South Africa Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fasted lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle:

When the sun comes up you had better be running.

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Apologies for the lateness of this the “May” newsletter. The editor took time out to journey

overseas on a Special Pilgrimage Tour to Jordan and the Holyland with Rev. Mike

Hawke and Colleen Doyle, 19th May to 3rd June 2014—16 days. We will be back in step again with the August newsletter. A brief overview, with more detail on the MU Web-site and, hopefully, a video to be compiled from all the “best bits” pooled by some very enthusiastic photographers and note-takers. This was not a sight-seeing trip. It was a learning experience, and inspiration to see so many of the sights that we read about in the bible. I am only sorry that, after reading the bible from my early days in Sunday School, I could not match the insight of my 12-year-old grandson who said when told about my impending trip - “That will be all about Jesus, won’t it”. At every place we visited, the appropriate bible story was read, prayers were said, sometimes a communion service was held, and lots and lots of singing was enjoyed. Mike and his guitar would be an infectious element on any trip. The journey to and from Auckland/Christchurch-Sydney-Dubai-Amman is long and a bit arduous, even by Emirates standards, but a bus ride from the airport saw us all soon floating in the Dead Sea and relaxing on our first afternoon. From then on it was ”all go” , first to Madaba and Mt Nebo where Moses looked out over the “Promised land”. The following day was spent at Petra in Jordan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where we walked through a deep fissure in the rock to see the excavated site of “The Exchange” and then on to a wide valley with other historical ruins, and many caves in the rocks where some Bedouins still live. On to Israel on the third day. A crush, but not too much delay before being allowed over the border at the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge. Unfortunately we had bypassed having our passports stamped on entry, which caused a bit of pandemonium on the way back into Jordan where we were kept waiting at a different border crossing for three hours. Not to worry, we sang , danced, and told stories to fill in the time before being allowed in. Even the staff, sitting silently at their desks, could see that we were a happy band of pilgrims. A quick stop-over at Jericho, then into Jerusalem, the most fascinating of all places. Our hotel the “Gloria” was ideally suited for us in the Old City near the Jaffa Gate. An easy hike down to the Holy Sepulchre Church which was our magnet, and our Friday night visit to the wailing wall where the full Jewish ritual was occurring. Lots of singing, dancing, chanting, and I guess wailing, going on. Men and women completely segregated, with the men occupying a much larger area. We felt quite a bit of tension in the city generally, with large numbers of young men and women in the army, patrolling everywhere with rifles. When the Pope arrived for a short visit while we were there, the security was unbelievable. Our street was cordoned off, and we were not allowed out of the hotel to attend a service in the St George church which had been scheduled for us. However, everything went smoothly for

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The Pope and, for the many people who have been wanting to know - No, I did not get to meet him. In the few days that we had, it was impossible to visit all the important things in Jerusalem, but we did the usual things, Via Dolorosa of course, plus looking over the city from the Mount of Olives and then walking down to the Garden of Gethsemane which had beautiful English type flowers growing among the olive trees with such massive trunks that they must have been growing there for 2,000 years. A must-do was the afternoon spent in Bethlehem, at the Church of the Nativity, the Shepherds’ Field (which seems to be the only place hardly touched by time) and shopping, shopping, where I was able to buy a hand-carved olive wood nativity scene from Auntie Angela’s, which I have been wanting since seeing one owned by my friend the late Rev. Doris Fearon some years ago. We must be about half way through this story and I have run out of space. I should be able to add more in August - but look at the web-site

mothersunionnz.org.nz for extra details.

Margaret (Editor) At the Garden of Gethsemane. Remember the hat and the water bottle everywhere you go. It’s hot!!

THE PROVINCIAL TEAM Provincial Chaplain: The Right Rev. John Paterson, P.O. Box 87255, Meadowbank, Auckland 1742. Provincial President: The Rev. Iritana Hankins, 20 Mataroa Road, Otahuhu, Auckland 1062, Email i.hankins@xtra.co.nz, Phone: 0064 (0)9 276-3088 Secretary/Treasurer: Mrs Diane Chapman, 20 Mataroa Road, Otahuhu, Auckland 1062, Email: chapman-01@hotmail.com, Phone (09) 275-7061 or 027 430-9047 Guest Editor: Mrs Margaret Wilson, 301 St Heliers Bay Road, Kohimarama, Auckland 1071 Phone 0064 (0)9 521-1229 Email: maggies.mill@xtra.co.nz