Feb 2017–Mar 2017
The Children’s 2016 Christmas Play.
IN THIS ISSUE
Milestones
Presbyter’s Message
The Gift of Magi
Children’s Christmas Play
A Community Trust?
2
3
6
8
10
Easter Symbols
A visit to Trees at the Meteor
Church Library Notes
Upcoming Family Events
10
12
14
18
Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 1
Parish Information
CHURCH OFFICE:
PO Box 12034, Hamilton 3248
Phone: 855 7434
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9am-2.30pm
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: chartwellchurch.org.nz
Parish Administrator: Keri Anderson
Facility Supervisor/Office Assistant: Ruth Bridge
MINISTERS: The whole congregation
Contact phone numbers for:
Rev Ken Olsen 855 7434
Rev. Chee Keong Yong 855 7434
PARISH COUNCIL:
Chairman Aaron Bennett 027 497 6209
Secretary
Carol Webb
853 3915
CHARTER: Aaron Bennett, Amanda Bowcott, Alec Utting.
The articles contained in Charter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministers or
Chartwell Cooperating Church. We seek to represent as wide a range of views as possible
within Charter, to reflect the diversity within our congregation.
Compiled by GWEN KENTISH
CONGRATULATIONS to Ellen Webb on graduating with a BSc from Otago University,
majoring in ecology and zoology. Ellen will be staying on in Dunedin to work on a Post
Grad Masters degree.
BAPTISMS: On 8th January we welcomed into the church family, through baptism,
Charlotte Marie Owens, Leah Kay Owens and their father Richard Owens.
DEATHS: We offer our condolences to those who have lost family members in the past
two months; to the family of Peggy Roberts [d.18/12] whose funeral was held at St
Alban’s on 23 December; to the family of Sylvia Stewart [d.27/12] whose funeral was
held at St Alban’s on 31 December; to Doreen Riddell and June Haultain on the death
of their brother Alister Riddell [d. 1/1]; to Lorraine Ritchie and family on the death of
her husband Jim Ritchie [d. 29/1] whose funeral was held at St Alban’s on 2 February.
CONTRIBUTIONS
The editor would love to hear from you if you have a contribution for
publication in Charter. If you have something you want to share, or come across an
article you think others would find interesting then please let us know.
Email: [email protected] or leave at the church office.
Deadline for next issue: Thursday 23rd March 2017
Page 2 Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017
Presbyter’s Message
A perspective on “Star Wars – A New Hope”
For all true die hard Star Wars fans, you would have watched the newest release
already. When the first Star Wars movie came out in the 1980s, I too was caught
up in this fantasy. It is every boy’s wish to be whisked off to a far off galaxy exploring new thrills and imagining what new powers that one can be endowed
with. Alas, we live in the real world and there is no force out there to assist us in
lifting heavy objects by mental persuasion.
Good preachers need to explore Biblical narratives and expound it in ways that
people can understand. So much of preaching is pretty boring stuff. Like anyone
else, I too get bored – hopefully not with my own preaching for that would be
dreadful. The best way to kill a sermon is to preach it in such way that people find
no connections with it.
For example, how do we connect the story of Moses leading his people across the
Red Sea with people who have no clue how that could have happened? A young
boy coming home from Sunday School was quizzed by his mother as to what he
learned. He informed his mother how Moses called for fighter jets to bomb the
Egyptians away and the military engineers to build a pontoon bridge across the
sea. When the mother questioned further whether the Sunday School teacher
actually said that, the boy answered his mother that if he were to tell the story as
the teacher narrated it, she too would not grasp the story.
Is there good theology within the story of Star Wars? Essentially, it is a story of
good against evil. But how do we determine who is good and who is evil? There
are always shades of black and white. To think that there is a “force” that will aid
us to battle against evil is far too simplistic. Does the force also aid bad people to
do evil? It seems to me that Darth Vader (+ the Sith Lords) and Luke Skywalker (+
the Jedis) all draw their powers from the force. Good and evil resides within each
of us. As good old St Paul explains – there is a war going on within us – “For I do
not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19).
There is good within Darth Vader. That’s the good news.
Too much of what is in the world is that we pit ourselves (as good) opposing those
who are different (as bad). We tend to stigmatise people who are different. I too
am guilty of it. We are all guilty of it. The sooner we realise this within ourselves,
the more we will guard ourselves against prejudice against others...........
Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 3
What’s wrong with this picture that came out as a billboard in Melbourne recently?
Here are two girls who celebrated Australia Day and their picture was snapped.
When it came out on a billboard, there were those who objected to it and the advertisers took it down after receiving all sorts of threats.
Do we object to people who are different from us in terms of appearance, mannerisms, personalities or whatever? Perhaps to a certain degree. How do we guard
against this?
My two cents worth of opinion,
Rev. Chee
BLACK BIRD
Have you heard
We have a blackbird
That follows us round
On the ground
Taking a turn
At gathering worms
It gathers its spoil as we dig the soil
When it feels it has had its share
It’s off to the bird bath without fear
A dip and a flip
As it lets rip
Then to dry in the sun
Leaves me thinking his day is fun.
Alan Hintz
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Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 5
The Gift of Magi
This year, over December and January the lectionary focused on Matthew’s story of the nativity. Matthew and Luke are the only gospels to contain a nativity story and although their stories are quite different, too often we have been guilty of blending the stories and missing the
profound insights that the distinct stories offer.
Matthew’s story includes the star, wise men, Jesus’ birth in a house, Herod’s plot to kill the
baby Jesus, the escape to Egypt, and the relocation of the holy family home to Nazareth.
There is no census, stable or shepherds – these are all contents of Luke’s nativity story.
Whether or not the story of the Magi — and that of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem — accurately
parallels history is less relevant, and important, than what the Magi experience represents
and says to us today. As Borg and Crossan say in their book ‘The First Christmas’, the truth of
the story is not affected by its factuality. “For us as Christians, the answer [to the question, is
this a true story?] is a robust affirmative. Is Jesus light shining in the darkness? Yes. Do the
Herod's of this world seek to extinguish the light? Yes. Does Jesus still shine in the darkness?
Yes.”*
Canadian minister and author Bruce Sanguine offers an interesting interpretation of Matthew’s nativity with a powerful insight into interfaith relations in our current world. The following excerpts are from "Paying Homage: Being Christian in a world of many faiths", within
the book “The Emerging Christian Way”, from our church library, and from Bruce Sanguin’s
blog (http://brucesanguin.com/the-christmas-story-is-always-happening/)
The Magi notice "a star at its rising." The symbolism is important. Here we have wise
people scouring the night skies, not for signs that they have the Truth, but for signs of
the truth wherever truth might choose to show itself. They have the wisdom to realise that the Holy One is not restricted to revealing Herself to only their people. They've taken their heads out of their own Bibles long enough to gaze up and
out at the source of our fundamental unity, rather than what divides us. They [the
Magi] gaze up at the stars and realise that a very
special human being is about to be born, a child
who is meant to transcend cultures, transcend
religious differences, and point us all in the direction of a compassionate Father, the love
which fired it all into being. This star points them
in the direction of Israel. They make the journey
to Bethlehem in order to pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews.
Service at Chartwell
The poignancy of this story in light of the current
mutual hatred between Iraq and Israel is not lost
on us. Persia had a long history of kindness toPage 6 Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017
Church
Wednesday 1st March
wards the Jews. When Cyrus of Persia conquered the Babylonian Empire, he allowed
religious freedom to the Jews. Many returned home to Jerusalem to rebuild their
temple. The wise men inherited their wisdom from a culture of religious tolerance.
Notice they go to Israel for a single purpose, to pay homage. Unlike fundamentalist
Christians, who make the journey to foreign lands intent only on converting the natives to their version of religion, the Magi come purely in a spirit of devotion. They
open up their treasure chests and offer to the baby gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. Not a mention of religious tracts.
What would ecumenical relations with other faiths look like if they were homagebased? What would it mean for Christians to make the long journey across strange
cultural and religious landscapes bearing only gifts of respect for all that is sacred in
other traditions?
We need to be looking for and following the rising star of respect among different
faiths. The Magi were steeped deeply enough in their own tradition that they could
make a pilgrimage into another culture and religion. They enjoyed the security of
their own faith system sufficiently that they could pay homage to another. This, too,
should be our model. I believe that the deeper we go into our faith system, and the
closer we get to God, and the more we are informed by values of diversity, inclusivity, and respect for the inherent dignity of other people and faiths.
It seems to me that we can learn from the Magi in another respect. Their wisdom
extends to intuiting those people and political systems that are contrary to the very
principles of life itself. In their encounter with Herod, they recognise a person and a
political system that is anti-life. Herod embodies a paranoid worldview that is the
enemy of all that is sacred. Where there is abundance, Herod sees scarcity. Where
there is security, Herod sees imminent threat. Where there is love, Herod feels
judgement. Where there is diversity, Herod imposes monocultures of his own creation. Where there is threat of real democracy, Herod silences the people. Because of
the Magi, the faiths of the world can withdraw allegiance from these systems and
work together to articulate and enact an alternative vision. The Magi ignore Herod,
leave their gifts with the Christ child, and head home by another way. Metaphorically speaking, despite having their own belief systems and spiritual practice, (which
didn’t change – there was no “conversion”) they were open enough to be changed
through their devotion.
Only by adopting the wisdom of the Magi will we, too, be equipped to “return home
by another road,” transformed by our experience.
*The Borg and Crossan Book “The First Christmas” is also available in our church library.
Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 7
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Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 9
Community Trust Evaluation Team
(or to trust or not to trust, that is the question)
The possibility of Chartwell Church setting up a Community Trust has been raised
in various forums over the last couple of years, including the Dream Days. In part,
this acknowledges the reality that the aspirations we have for being an integral and
connected part of the community cannot be fully realised without attracting funding from sources which are unavailable directly to churches.
With the development of the Strategic Direction documents, the Parish Council
has decided that it is time to explore the pros and cons of setting up a Trust. A brief
amount of research has shown that Community Trusts associated with churches
are quite common in Hamilton but there is not one that covers our area of Queenwood, Chartwell and Chedworth. Such trusts have allowed their partner Churches
to develop amazing programmes and initiatives aimed at their local community.
So a team of conscripts volunteers has been assembled to begin the journey:
Aaron Bennett
Warwick Silvester
Ian Bridge
Erica Harris
Anna Cox
Peter Mirams
Rev Chee
Ed Hardie
The team wants to hear your ideas, comments and concerns. Ring us, email us,
leave a note at the office ...
Easter Symbols
What a friend we have in Jesus must be the favourite hymn of all the supermarkets
and retail shops as they commercialise our beautiful Christian celebrations. The New
Year has just begun and the supermarkets have hot cross buns in the bakery and
Easter Eggs near the checkout. How confusing for children and disappointing that the
supermarkets are so greedy.
As a child in Scotland in the 1940s we never got hot cross buns until the day before
Good Friday. We lived in a little village in Fifeshire where my father was the Chemist
and Druggist and the baker delivered our bread. Maybe, One a penny, two a penny,
hot cross buns is more appropriate. Good Friday is my day for hot cross buns.
On Easter Day my mother hard boiled eggs (saved up from our rations). She put
colouring in the water so that the shells were dyed pink. Then we would set off with
our eggs. We climbed the hill nearby, rolled our eggs down the hill and ran after
Page 10 Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017
them. Easter was in March one year and it snowed. My dad pulled our sledge up the
hill and we slid down. Great fun! At the bottom of the hill my mother had bread and
butter sandwiches (butter rations saved up) and paper twists with pepper and salt in
them. We sat down and enjoyed eating our eggs and sandwiches.
Rolling our eggs down the hill signified that on Easter Day the stone had rolled away
from Jesus’ tomb, and the tomb was empty.
According to St. Luke, Mary Magdalene, Joanna
and Mary the mother of James found the empty
tomb. Jesus had risen to life.
We celebrate Palm Sunday, Holy week and
remember the first Friday and Easter Day
between April 9th and 16th this year.
Robbie Jones
Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 11
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OUR OFFICE IS A BUSY PLACE…
The office here at Church is not only the first point of entry for visitors, it
is also the business hub and work centre
for Ruth and Keri.
Sometimes the office is akin to Grand
Central Station, a crèche and a chat room,
which is not ideal at all.
Our work is often of a confidential nature
and the office is not therefore a place for
‘hanging out’.
You are always welcome to speak to us about church and centre related
matters.
The quiet room and church foyer area are available if you need a space
for conversations.
Older Persons – opportunities
Within the parish’s “Overarching Strategic Focus”, is the continued emphasis on Older
Persons. People who are in this group are generally those who are 65+ years. As a
parish we are blessed to have around 25% of our roll who are over 80 and a further
26% between 65 and 80. A small task group has been reviewing a strategic plan for
this age group. One of the outcomes of discussion is the desire to have at least four
workshops a year.
In past years we have held a variety of workshops: active listening; importance of a
story; mental health issues; nutrition and wellness; transition into a rest home; selling
your house; arthritis and rheumatism; support when death comes; questions to
discuss; conversations that count; and grief and loss. In all likelihood a number of
these, or other similar workshops, will be repeated - however we need your HELP!
What topics would you like to have as a workshop?
Would you like to be part of an Older Persons Committee?
- please advise church office.
For further information contact Ian Bridge.
Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 13
Compiled by
Gwen Kentish
PASTORAL:
Making the Rounds with Oscar is an inspirational story by David Dosa about his
patients and a very special cat. An otherwise ordinary cat, Oscar has an almost
psychic sensitivity to human beings. As
the resident cat in an old people’s care
facility, his mere presence at the bedside
is viewed by doctors and staff as an almost absolute indicator of impending
death – a blessing really, because it allows staff members to notify families
that the end is near. Dr Dosa’s account
of Oscar and his patients is heartfelt,
moving and also told with humour. The
book was donated to the Library and has
large print.
SPIRITUALITY:
In Falling Upward, Richard Rohr offers a
new way of understanding one of the
most profound of life’s mysteries: how
our failings can be the foundation for our
ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the
wisdom from time-honoured myths, heroic poems, great thinkers, and sacred
religious texts, the author explores the
two halves of life to show that those
who have failed or ‘gone down’ are the
only ones who understand ‘up’. We grow
spiritually more by doing it wrong than
by doing it right. Bruce Keeley reflected
on passages from this book when he led
the 50th anniversary Progressive Exploration evening service in October.
Page 14 Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017
MISSION:
What does God think about children?
What does Children in the Bible tell us
about how we should view and treat children today? In this book, mission theologian Anne Richards argues that God finds
children worthy of call, commission, blessing, healing and salvation. She argues that
children are not only woven into God’s
purposes but are also makers of God’s
story, ‘providers to us of a language
through which God’s will for creation is
revealed’. Interweaving analysis of the
Biblical material with stories about contemporary children and childhood, the
author also touches on issues of infertility,
consumerism and neglect.
THEOLOGY, SPIRITUALITY and MISSION:
In The Great Spiritual Migration: How
the world’s largest religion is seeking a
better way to be christian, Brian McLaren
explores three profound shifts that define
the change. Drawing from his work as pastor, speaker, ecumenical networker and
activist, the author challenges readers to
stop worrying, waiting and indulging in
nostalgia, and instead to embrace the
powerful new understandings that are
reshaping the church. He issues a call and
offers a plan for change that can shift the
direction of Christian faith to be more in
sync with the loving, healing, reconciling
Spirit embodied in Jesus; a way to be
more life-giving for individual Christians
and congregations and more of a life-
giving resource for the whole world.
THEOLOGY:
Mary Grey takes us on a contemporary
Lenten journey through a series of profound theological reflections on the
search for peace and reconciliation in
Israel/Palestine. Along the way she explores the core Christian concepts of
redemption, atonement and resurrection from the perspective of making justice in the real world, derived from her
work with Middle Eastern Christians. In
The Resurrection of PEACE: A gospel
journey to Easter and beyond the book
draws on all four Gospels and the book
of Revelation, providing biblical inspiration for the quest for peace. It focuses
on real life stories of people living
through conflict in well-known Holy
Land sites in Galilee and Jerusalem and
other biblical places such as Mt Sinai. It
also explains the issues and initiatives
around the Jewish-Christian-Muslim
search for peace and offers feminist
perspectives on redemption/atonement
within this context. This book is ideal
Lent reading either for group study and
discussion or for personal reflection.
Charter Feb 2017—Mar 2017 Page 15
WEBSITE
RECOMMENDATION
We have had a good look through the website
shown below and would recommend it as worthy of
a visit. This site will provide a useful information
about various aspects for older persons.
It includes health, healthy living, services available,
retirement FAQs and much more.
www.seniorline.org.nz
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