Anglican Life Apr/May 2011

ISSUE TWELVE – APR/MAY 2011

Diocese of Christchurch

Resurrecting CanterburyMore stories of hope from the fault line

Living through grief

Earthquake Responses

A City Mourns

Refl ections on Hope

AnglicanINVITING / FORMING / SENDING / SERVINGanglicanlife.org.nz

He Oranga Mihinare

AnglicanLife Issue 12 1

WORDS: +VICTORIA MATTHEWSPHOTO: DAVE WETHEY

Choosing Hope

On 22 February this year our lives took a nose dive, and for many ended in a crash landing. For those who survived the earthquake, our hope for the future has been shaken, cracked, and seemingly drowned. But what is hope, and specifically, what is Christian hope?

Hope is the meeting of our desire and the expectation that our desire will find fulfilment. Such hope may be for ourselves, our work, our family, or even our property. Christian hope also is the meeting of desire and expectation, but in this instance hope is founded upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That truth is the bedrock of our Christian faith.

The devastating loss of life that occurred in the Christchurch and Japan earthquakes is tragic and deeply shocking. Yet even in such horrific

circumstances, we receive that news in the light of faith. This is not “pie in the sky when you die by and by,” but the bedrock of how we live our lives. We rise in the morning knowing that the crucified and risen Saviour is with us every step of the way. We go about our daily business believing we are not alone, for the never-failing grace of God is guiding and encouraging us.

Have many still lost their homes? Yes. Are many beloved family members and dear friends still deceased or missing or injured? Yes. Are there many businesses that will never re-open? Yes. Are there beloved parish churches that will never look as they did at 12.50pm on 22 February, 2011? Yes.

But the Christian, through prayer and the life of the community of faith, is able,

Bishop’s Address

EDITORIAL

“A Christian is able to see the dawn of the Kingdom

even in the most devastating of situations.”

ContentsBISHOP’S ADDRESS 01

CURRENT EVENTS 03

EPICENTRE: Stories of Hope from the Faultline 08

FEATURE: Living through Grief 12

FEATURE: Resurrecting Canterbury 14

PHOTO ESSAY: Earthquake Responses 16

DIALOGUE: Spanky Moore with Sam Johnson 18

CULTURE: A City Mourns, Where is God in Christchurch? 19

CLOSING ESSAY: Reflections on Hope 21

ISSUE 12April/May 2011

AnglicanLife is published bi-monthly by the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch.

Editor – Philip Baldwin

Outgoing Editor – Spanky Moore

Contributing Writer – Megan Blakie

Contributors +Victoria Matthews, Bayly & Moore, Spanky Moore, Megan Blakie, John Dierckx, Lawrence Kimberley, Philip Baldwin, Sam Johnson, Brian Thomas, Andy

Eldred, Stuart Duthie, Dave Wethey. Cover Photo: Lloyd Ashton

Advertising Enquiries Ivan Hatherley – [email protected]

Editorial Enquiries Philip Baldwin – [email protected]

Design – www.baylymoore.com

Printed by – Toltech Print

Sustainability – AnglicanLife is printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based inks.

with help and support, to see the dawn of the Kingdom even in the most devastating of situations. How is this?

It happens because every day when we rise we say, “I choose this day to live a life of hope, and my hope and faith is in Christ Jesus.” The resurrection we celebrate at Easter is not limited to the Easter season, but the foundation of how we live every day. The resurrection is not only about the afterlife. It is a reality to be lived today. In short, choose hope.

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2 AnglicanLife Issue 12 3

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Perambulating PriestPriest-in-charge Shelley Walker has revived the practice of visiting her parishioners on foot as a way of getting around Burwood’s earthquake-damaged streets. “I got a year’s worth of exercise crammed into a few days,” she laughs. “I’ve been doing most of my pastoral visiting on foot because the roads have been so bad.” From her walking travels, she learned that all her All Saints parishioners were safe – although many had taken a break away from the city. She has also been networking with other churches in the neighbourhood, to see how they have been affected. Megan Blakie

Salt & LightTwo weeks after the February 22 earthquake, the Society of Salt and Light held a special ‘Aftershock’ summit in a local café. 150 young adults from churches and parishes throughout Christchurch came for the free fair-trade hot chocolates, and to hear guest speakers explore the big questions left by the quake. Where was God in the Aftershock? How do I deal with the Grief? Where is God as we recover? And, Why shouldn’t I leave Christchurch? “After a huge event like the earthquake, people were hanging out to get some solid Christian perspectives on pain, suffering and the way forward, and to catch up and process things with each other,” says Diocesan Young Adults Ministry Leader, Spanky Moore.

City Mission Food Bank at St Chad’s LinwoodThe coordinator of the Christchurch City Mission Food Bank, Mary Wood, gushes about people’s generosity. The food bank was forced to shift outside the central city, and now calls St Chad’s Linwood home. In the first few days, the relocated food bank received “huge carloads” of food and equipment from people in parishes as far away as Nelson and Timaru. “Our big cool rooms are shot,” Mary says of their previous premises. A dairy company has been delivering fresh milk daily and fridges have been donated to keep food cool. As well as offering bags of tinned food and fresh produce to those who need it, the mission’s social workers have been delivering food to families in the community. Megan Blakie

LOCAL / NATIONAL / WORLD

Current eventsIn Brief


IN BRIEF

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Malvern Welcomes New Primary StudentsWhen Susan Baldwin, Vicar of Malvern, suggested giving welcome bags to displaced primary students at a community meeting on 2 March, she was hardly prepared for the enthusiastic response. Quickly 120 new students in the nine primary schools in and around Darfield were identified and volunteers from local churches, Probus, and Plunkett contributed towards the goodie bags.

Care Packages from the SouthFollowing the September 4 earthquake, the Diocese of Dunedin gave the Anglican Centre staff some gifts which included sunflower seeds. The Diocesan Archivist, Jane Teal, planted hers and on the way to open the glasshouse on the morning of February 22 she noticed that they had flowered. She couldn’t resist photographing them. Just as their new office location was sorted at St Peter’s Upper Riccarton, the staff received more gifts from Dunedin: buckets, bottles of water, chocolate bars, hand sanitiser, Kleenex and bubble-blowing liquid!

Diocese of Christchurch Employs Two New Staff

Chaplain Entrepreneur

Tom Innes, University of Canterbury Chaplain, was a “listening ear” for staff at emergency response centres and various checkpoints around campus. Along with Jolyon White, Chaplain to College House, he led a 4.30pm service on the first Sunday after the quake at the big tent that served as a base for the Student Volunteer Army. He hung out with the army, mainly as a truck driver, and put up twelve wrecked wheelbarrows from the Army’s silt-shovelling campaign for sale on TradeMe as plant holders.

Michael Earle, former CEO of Canterbury-Westland Anglican Care, has been appointed to a limited-term position as a liaison between Anglican churches in earthquake-affected suburbs and the various bodies that are involved in the relief efforts. “I am pleased to have Michael in this role,” said Bishop Victoria. “His passion for social service work and his desire to improve ecumenical relations make him a superb person to take on this position.” Another new face is Philip Baldwin, taking on the position of communications and media officer for the Diocese as Spanky Moore moves over to focus on Young Adults.

Heathcote Village Hall PubHere is an invitation from the Heathcote-Mt Pleasant Parish to join the community at the Village Hall (Truscotts & Martindales Road, Heathcote) Fridays & Saturdays, 5.30-7.30pm. Without an actual pub, they have chosen the village hall for a BYO pub. Bring your own drinks and nibbles, and gather with friends and neighbours. They don’t have a band like Rhombus either, so if you are a musician and would like to add some entertainment, that would be great! This will be an ongoing Friday and Saturday event for a wee while.

Chaplaincy to Ex-Residents and Ex-StaffHelen Roud, priest-in-charge at St Chad’s Linwood, is also the chaplain to Anglican Aged Care’s retirement home Churchill Courts. With the sudden closure of the complex and widespread relocation of residents, she has been required to offer her ongoing pastoral support to residents and redundant staff. She intends to visit retirement villages in Geraldine, Timaru, Temuka and Oamaru, conveying the aroha of bereft staff, providing pastoral support and a sense of closure. At a planned social gathering of ex-staff she hopes to share residents’ greetings with staff in return.


IN BRIEF

Anglicans and Roman Catholics Worship TogetherBecause of severe damage to their cathedrals, clergy and laity from ChristChurch Cathedral and The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament gathered for an ecumenical Ash Wednesday liturgy on 9 March at St Christopher’s Church Avonhead. In his homily, Bishop Barry Jones said: “Being disciples of Jesus means putting our relationship with him before all others…. When our friendship and communion with God in the person of Jesus is in place, then we will be able to look after others well….” Bishop Victoria Matthews and Bishop Jones participated in the Imposition of Ashes, with Dean Peter Beck, the Rev Lynda Patterson and Monsignor Charles Drennan.

Police Chaplaincy: Demanding and Rewarding!David Hastings found that police chaplaincy in Christchurch ballooned from a few days a month to more than 40 hours a week. The ranks of police staff in Christchurch multiplied five-fold with officers from all over New Zealand, across Australia, China, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and USA, and extra chaplains came in on a rotating basis. Along with police welfare officers and police association staff, these chaplains supported staff and families through stressful work and home situations. Police and chaplain volunteers were especially grateful for large amounts of home baking provided from the Belfast-Redwood parish and churches in mid-Canterbury.

Building Community Indoors and Out“The shared faith and fellowship of Mt Herbert parish has created an empathy that has been a great consolation to many people,” observed vicar Russell Pickersgill-Brown. St Andrew’s Diamond Harbour provided its community hall for Civil Defence, giving invaluable support to Fire Brigade, Social Services and local residents. St Cuthbert’s Governors Bay suffered the loss of its community hall in the recent quake and relocated the 13 March family service outdoors to the local village fête, much to the appreciation of those attending.

Sidewalk ChaplaincyWhen an ex-parishioner noticed “how lost people were looking” in the supermarket after the earthquake, she rang the Rev Jean Smith at St Andrew’s North New Brighton with her idea: a simple sign (“Need to Talk?”), a table and two chairs for volunteers outside the grocery store to greet shoppers. “When we asked how people were, they would say, ‘We’re fine,’ but then they would continue to talk about their experience of the quake,” Jean said. One conversation led to helping find a family member who had been evacuated from the Kate Sheppard Centre, while another resulted in directing someone to a local doctor.

KidsZoneWith schools out of action after the quake and east-side kids at loose ends, teams from western parishes organised three community programs to run out of parishes in Aranui, Linwood and New Brighton. “Kidzone” ran for two weeks, and the value of it was obvious. Most of the kids’ friends had moved out of town, so it gave them a space to have fun and forget about the earthquake, while giving parents a break. “It was really neat to see relationships being built between the community and the church. Probably the most rewarding thing was seeing a church sink its roots even deeper into its local community,” said Lyndon Rogers, a Kidzone leader.

Supermarkets Lend a HandWhat happens when a 6.3 earthquake strikes a supermarket? An awful mess – and a lot of damaged stock, while still edible, is potentially unsellable. The brainchild of parishioners at St Timothy’s in Burnside saw generous donations of dented goods by Fresh Choice Merivale, Countdown Avonhead, and Pak’n’Save Northlands. These were delivered to the Salvation Army, City Mission, St Chad’s Linwood, and St Ambrose Aranui. “These supermarkets have enabled us to build up our reserves for the long haul, so we’ll be able to meet our community’s acute needs over the coming months,” says Andy Carly, Vicar of St Ambrose Aranui.

Parachute Saves the DayIn the contemporary worship music scene, Parachute Band are one of our top exports: playing to audiences in the tens of thousands at Christian music festivals around the world, and even winning the People’s Choice Award at the 2008 NZ Music Awards. So when Bounce Youth at St Christopher’s Avonhead invited the band to come and play a free post-quake event to raise the spirits of Christchurch youth, they thought it was a David-and-Goliathesque long shot. But the band said yes, and on 23 March, youth groups from around Canterbury came together to pack St Christopher’s for an encouraging night of prayer, worship, fellowship and teaching. Here’s hoping we don’t need another natural disaster for an encore!

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Providing a sense of connection is the focus of St Chad’s in Linwood, where Reverend Helen Roud is the priest-in-charge. The suburb, like much of east Christchurch, was badly affected by liquefaction, and lost basic amenities including power and sewerage. “It’s about opening our doors wide and accommodating others,” Helen explains.

About a hundred people attended two community lunches held in the church hall during the week after the earthquake. Volunteers, including chef and Linwood-local Maynard Noordeloos – who usually works in a central city café, helped prepare nutritious hot meals using donated food and fresh produce from the church’s small garden. A team from Burnside’s St Timothy’s also ran a children’s programme every weekday morning.

The parish’s Pastoral Care Assistant, Neil Tomlinson, went door-knocking to let

people know about the lunches and other assistance that was available. Going door to door, he was also on hand to give some unusual practical assistance, including picking up an elderly person’s TV off the floor and collecting a bag of dirty washing from a household of young guys who had no water. “They were absolutely blown away when they got their clean clothes back!” says Helen, adding that Neil was “absolutely amazing” in getting in touch with people in the neighbourhood.

The church’s Buckleys Road site became home to the City Mission Food Bank, which was forced to relocate from its premises in the central city. Some of the mission’s social workers and local staff from Anglican Care and other agencies have also been using the church as a hub. “There are huge positives from the situation in terms of the sense of community – the amazing community spirit, and the

Mary, who volunteered as a kitchen hand, helps to serve hot food at one of the community lunches at St Chad’s in Linwood.

East Side StoryLike many of the Eastern suburbs, Linwood was hit hard by the quake. But like other parishes in our diocese, St Chad’s became a community hub and beacon of hope in the midst of tough times. Megan Blakie headed east to find out more.

WORDS: MEGAN BLAKIE PHOTO: JOHN DIERCKX

EpicentreSTORIES OF HOPE FROM THE FAuLTLINE

People enjoying one of the community lunches held at St Chad’s.

willingness of people and community agencies to work in together. It’s always been there and talked about, but it’s really being acted out at the moment,” comments Helen. There are also tangible connections with the local Presbyterian congregation, whose church has been demolished. They were invited to St Chad’s for a joint Sunday service in the hall.

As well as visiting and connecting with people who haven’t the ability to get out and about, Helen and deacon Anne Russell-Brighty are seeing a number of past parishioners reconnecting with the parish. “I keep hearing over and over again about the good feel of the place, and that’s a delight to me,” says Helen. “People can just wander in. You see it on a fine day: people are just sitting around on the grass enjoying the sunshine and spending time with each other and neighbours are connecting with each other.”


“A great set of people from St Faith’s and St Luke’s are the welcoming face at the centre,” says deacon Katrina Hill. The centre is a one-stop shop for social services, government assistance, legal advice, and relationship and counselling services.

She says a lot of upset people have been visiting the hall and she has been offering them a quiet room in which to talk. “I’m doing the community outreach stuff and Carlie (the vicar) has mostly been helping parishioners.”

You Gotta Have FaithParishioners from New Brighton and South Brighton are volunteering at the recovery assistance centre that is operating out of their church hall.WORDS & PHOTO: MEGAN BLAKIE

With help and furniture from St Christopher’s church across town in Avonhead, she hopes to transform part of the hall into a lounge space where people can relax and write down their earthquake experiences. “The idea’s there but we haven’t quite got the room set up because, flicking from power to no power, it’s a bit hard to even boil a kettle! But we have got internet access, so people can check on families and get their emails.” The centre had to rely on

Assessing Our Losses

The scale of damage to Anglican churches, parish halls, vicarages, and Anglican Care facilities after the 4 September earthquake was staggering enough (an insurance claim estimated about $33 million in total). Sadly, the damage after the 22 February quake is even greater.

Four more clergy families were unceremoniously tossed out of their homes. One is living in a caravan while searching for a more suitable home. Another has only recently returned home after waiting weeks for power and water to be restored. We are thankful that all are continuing to do amazing things for their churches in demanding circumstances.

Similarly, 22 church buildings are now closed specifically as a result of the September and February quakes and

aftershocks, whether due to structural damage, the danger of falling rocks, or because of problems with adjacent buildings. Congregations are meeting in school halls or sharing churches. For a few parishes, new offices are needed, as church halls are also broken.

It is pleasing that church halls became important gathering spaces for quake stricken communities: Diamond Harbour, Linwood, New Brighton, and Redcliffs are among the examples of church halls being made available to their local communities.

While there is a well oiled process in place for assessing church buildings for repair, we are asking parishes to temper their expectations. Because it is expected that making Canterbury homes habitable will be a first priority, church buildings

may have to wait in a queue.Our insurance company, Ansvar, has

reallocated staff to focus specifically on the Canterbury Earthquake claim by bringing additional people from their UK parent company, the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group. After 22 February Godfreys & Co Loss Adjusters also reassigned senior staff to provide a strong focus on the needs of the Anglican Church.

Due to the scale of the assessment process, parishes are asked not to communicate direct with Godfreys and instead refer all inquiries to Liz Clarke of the Church Property Trustees in emergencies on 027 285 2028 or at [email protected]

The February 22nd quake, combined with the damage from the initial shake in September, has left many of our church buildings badly damaged. Lawrence Kimberley from the Church Property Trustees (the body that looks after property in our diocese) sheds light on the way ahead.

WORDS: LAWRENCE KIMBERLEY

generators when the electricity went off, while the arrival of four portaloos at the hall also generated some of its own excitement. “It is really great because we no longer have to race outside to use the toilets on the other side of the shopping mall,” laughs Katrina.

Worship services at St Faith’s are being held in part of the hall, due to earthquake damage to the church building.

“Because it is expected that making Canterbury homes habitable will be a first priority, church

buildings may have to wait in a queue.”


FEATuRE

Living through GriefLiving through grief may take six months, two years, five years; but once you are no longer at the edge of the hole looking in, your loss has been put into a different perspective.

WORDS & PHOTO: PHILIP BALDWIN

John Sheaf freely admits that his reaction to the Christchurch earthquakes is not entirely typical: “I stand in wonder, mixed with some fear, but it’s not a fear of paralysis. It’s ‘Wow! That’s so much bigger than me.’” On Boxing Day 2010 and again on 22 February, John feels fortunate to have been inside St Peter’s Upper Riccarton: “I was safe, but I watched with interest and awe at how things moved.”

Because St Peter’s church is presently unusable, he is keenly aware of how people have reacted to the loss of their traditional worship space. “It gives us an opportunity to shape a different style and experience of worship.”

But what about the loss of a significant building? The vicar of St Peter’s knows that the observation has become trite, although it remains true: “The church is just a building. The people and their relationships are what matter. “The horror of the 6.3 magnitude quake was in the killing and maiming of people, the destruction of hopes and dreams and relationships. Those are the significant losses.”

John puts the emotion that rises from those losses in perspective this way: “Grief is a God-given experience to help us adjust to loss. In some ways we are more human when we grieve. We tend to be more honest and open, as the intensity of emotion has a power to override our pretenses and default behaviours.”

He has found Granger E. Westberg’s Good Grief: A Constructive

Approach to the Problem of Loss, to be a most helpful resource in dealing with grief, reminding him over and over that the stages of grief are normal, and that people may experience those stages in different orders and in varying intensities.

With our preconceived notions of what is loss, what counts as trauma, what makes people grieve, we often miss seeing the loss of dreams, hopes, opportunities for success, as the catalyst for grieving. People say, “Nobody’s died,” when our experience of loss happens in all sorts of ways. John cautions against denial: “It is important to recognize grief… it’s not to be buried and run away from.”

Anger is a natural and necessary reaction to grief and loss. John believes we are in a unique place to help people at this stage: “Faith calls us to be a non-anxious presence to others; to offer the reassurance that God is still with us, that his love still surrounds us, even when we say in grief and anger, ‘There is no God!’ My Christian faith calls me to walk with others, not giving them some easy answer, but to be with them and make space for their tears.”

One of the most valuable things in the midst of grief is to get back to doing ordinary, everyday things: feeding the cat, watering the tomatoes. Family, especially children, are something of a gift in this respect, because tea still needs to be cooked, clothes and dishes still need to be washed. Counselling and a listening ear

have a place in our walk through grief, but people who experience trauma may feel unable to act or make changes in their lives. John believes that we need to be connected with a faith community to hear again and again the story of God’s love for everyone. Funerals, memorial services, public expressions of grief and mourning help us to feel closure for our loss, and closure is an important step toward acceptance.

The way that we come to accept loss is complex. We may never like the reality of losing loved ones or cherished dreams or anticipated opportunities, but facing the reality of life is important. At one point in our conversation, John wondered whether “the hole that grief leaves” ever shrinks, or whether the fabric of our life just grows larger around it. For people who grieve a catastrophic loss – perhaps the untimely death of a spouse or a child – life changes imperceptibly from being absolutely horrible, to taking heaps of hard work, to a point where the pain no longer takes over. “Perhaps,” he mused, “it’s because things are relative. A hole is large when you stand close to it. Living through grief may take six months, two years, five years; but once you are no longer at the edge of the hole looking in, your loss has been put into a different perspective.”

“We may never like the reality of losing loved ones

or cherished dreams or anticipated opportunities,

but facing the reality of life is important.”


FEATuRE

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Resurrecting CanterburyAs our diocese and province moves on from mourning and grief, we’re left with the daunting question, “Where to from here?” And perhaps more specifically for Anglicans, “What do we as the church have to contribute to the rebuilding process?” Megan Blakie discovers that bricks and mortar have a lot to say about what we really value.

WORDS: MEGAN BLAKIE PHOTO: LLOYD ASHTON

Buildings reflect a community’s values, says theology professor and former architect Murray Rae, who hopes churches will contribute to discussions on rebuilding quake-affected areas. “There’ll be many other parties in the conversation too, of course, but because buildings do speak so powerfully of who we think we are, what we’re about and what our sense of identity is, I would certainly hope that faith communities are deeply involved in those conversations,”

says Murray, who heads the theology and religion department at Otago university and is an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Murray says the commitment of mayor Bob Parker and other public figures to rebuilding Christchurch’s Anglican cathedral – “in whatever form that takes” – indicates goodwill towards the Church and the possibility for us to be involved in ongoing dialogue about city redevelopment. “It’s very interesting the way that people have spoken so fondly of the cathedral; let’s extend that conversation to say what else it is about Christchurch that people really value and that they would like to see represented in the rebuilt city,” he comments.

A mechanism for public consultation that Murray is aware of are ‘design charrettes’. He understands that they have worked

well in America in similar circumstances. The charrettes are open forums that allow people to share their views and work collaboratively towards rebuilding their towns and cities.

Hororata, the rural town southwest of Darfield that was left reeling after September’s 7.1 quake, has come up with its own home-grown consultation process: weekly meetings at the local café.

Local vicar, Jenni Carter, says the decision to meet at the café was a pragmatic one – “the café was the only building standing,” she says wryly – but also intentional. The location allows meetings to be casual and inclusive, and helps reinforce her view that the line between church and community is an artificial one. “One of the major things that has happened out here is that parish is community and community is parish; we don’t look at things being ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders,’ ‘parishioners or Christian’ or not. It’s human beings being together and working this out together,” says Jenni, about the town’s desire to rebuild the church and other community buildings for the Hororata of the future.

Parishioner Olive Webb explains the sense of community ownership and engagement in the process: “A commitment to rebuild the church came from the local farmers, the Plunket, the play centre, fifth-generation families, people who’ve lived in the district for six months, some people who’ve been baptised and buried their dead here, and some people who haven’t lived here long enough to do any of that.” She acknowledges that there are divergent views about the best way forward but that the café gatherings are a very fertile ground for “growing ideas and for growing vision.”

As well as a two-way process of participating in public forums and seeking public input, Murray would also like to see artists contributing to the rebuilding process. In churches and in public spaces, he’d like to see salvaged materials used to create “memorials to what has happened and symbols of our determination to go forward.”

The prospect of a rise in building costs – particularly if building standards become more stringent – coupled with shrinking congregations in some areas, may also be a prompt for some congregations to amalgamate or work ecumenically, says Murray. The cost of earthquake-strengthening existing buildings may also be a prospect for many parishes.

Murray advises that congregations faced with designing and replacing a damaged church need to be clear about what they want their new building to represent. He believes goodwill and “good things” could come out of consultation with their local neighbourhood. “Times have changed: the way churches orient themselves in relation to the community is very different now than when many of those churches were built. There’s much more of a mission orientation and churches need to express openness to the community. There does need to be some serious thinking about where we go from here and what we stand for now, not just a mimicking of what was done 100 years ago,” he argues.

With her town’s historic church in ruins, Jenni echoes the same sentiment. “We’re very much into thinking about resurrection not restoration. We’re not into rebuilding; we’re into bringing life to what was, in a new way.”

“Out here parish is community and community is parish; we

don’t look at things being ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders.’”


PHOTO ESSAY

Earthquake Responses How have we moved forward after the 22 February earthquake? For some the damage to buildings has been paramount. Others have found an opportunity to volunteer time, talents, groceries and supplies. In all our efforts we know that we are supported with love and prayers, none more poignantly expressed than these two from children in Gulval Community Primary School, Penzance, Cornwall, England.

PHOTOS: LLOYD ASHTON, DAVE WETHEY & MEGAN BLAKIE


SPANKY MOORE WITH SAM JOHNSON

DialogueWhat inspired you to start the Student Volunteer Army?After the September Earthquake the student population of Christchurch was largely unaffected by the earthquake; our families were safe in other parts of the country, our homes are owned by landlords, and few of us have children to worry about. Watching my beloved city crumble on TV on the fourth of September really took a toll on me personally, and the thought of celebrating the time off University did not seem right.

Students have a bad rep for dodgy car rallies and burning couches – how did people react to the volunteer army’s unexpected activities?The reaction was overwhelming, but not unexpected. Yes, the media has endless reports of young people being involved in extreme partying – but what is seldom shown is that positive attitude and “can-do” nature that is thriving within young people worldwide. While I never dreamed that this was going to get to the size it has [become] now, I knew on day one when I briefed 150 people on the first day’s clean up that this was going to be big.

How did your own faith influence your response to the earthquake?Faith has always been an integral part of my life and has given me incredible strength and guidance through this process. It’s been an emotional journey, and every time I took a second to be pleased that something was organised or arranged, an impossible new challenge would arise. While we are a non-denominational organisation, we have been supported by every denomination.

Whether providing lunch, transport, emotional support or just a smiling face. It has been warming to see churches and communities working together for the greater good of our beautiful city.

There is only so much silt to shovel in the end – what do our students and young leaders have to offer in the rebuild of Christchurch?I believe it is integral for our city to involve young people in the rebuilding process as they are the ones we need to live here, work here and raise their families here.

Communities are our hearts, young people are our future; we will learn and grow together.

What would you personally like Christchurch to look like in 20 years’ time?I have learnt an incredible amount in the past 6 months and much of it comes down to strong community connections. We have been witness to a sea of change in neighbour relations, in intergenerational contact, and [in] charitable giving. The thought of people meeting their physical neighbours for the first time warms my heart. I care most about what can’t be rebuilt; our New Zealand spirit, our love for life and willingness to make this world a better place. As far as I’m concerned there is no more “we and them.” We’re in this together. Together we stand.

No doubt you’ve seen them on the news. Hundreds of students shovelling tonnes of liquefaction from quake-struck streets. The now infamous Student Volunteer Army was the brainchild of Sam Johnson. Spanky Moore caught up with him to see how it all started, and what next.

“I’m confident that the work of the volunteer army has embedded a connection from young

people to greater Christchurch.”

CultureFILM / MuSIC / LITERATuRE / WEB / FOOD / EVENTS

A City Mourns National Memorial Service, 18th March 2011, Hagley Park

WORDS: BRIAN THOMAS PHOTO: LLOYD ASHTON

It was a long service – nearly two and a half hours. But the star turn, Prince William, was refreshingly brief, and offered us this snippet of gold from his grandmother, the Queen: Grief is the price we pay for love.

“Here today,” he added, “we love and we grieve.”

Prime Minister John Key heartened those who fear for the future of the central business district: “We are resolute,” he declared, “this city will be rebuilt.”

Then Bishop Victoria nailed the Spirit with a splendid reflection on Paul’s epistle to the Romans: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come … nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus our Lord.”

From now on, she said, February 22 would be one of those anniversaries that evoked stories of exactly what we were doing when disaster struck. But what of

the story after the tragedy? she asked. “What story will you tell? I hope it will

be a story of people and community…. Yes, we walked through the valley of the shadow of death; but something else also

happened. Out of ashes and rubble came a new spirit with a strength beyond our imagining…. Love triumphed.”

Pressing home the challenge, she asked: “Will you dare to care, and dare to allow others to care for you? If so, the next chapter will proclaim that we are more

than conquerors through the love of God.”Earlier, we watched a video of the quake

aftermath. Street after street of ruins that we once knew as the City of Christchurch – but no longer.

Now, pulsing to the Crusaders’ anthem, came a very different video – of ordinary people mucking in after the quake. Volunteers with wheelbarrows and shovels. Even Mayor Bob Parker exiting a portaloo.

And accompanying the video: a live procession of heroes – the search and rescue teams, the firefighters, the police, the Civil Defence – more than conquerors, all.

And 40,000 rose as one, and cheered. The prelude to Christchurch’s finest chapter?

For the full article, go to: www.anglicantaonga.org.nz/News/

Common-Life/More-than-conquerors

Hagley Park, normally the playground of Christchurch, became a vale of sorrows as 40,000 Cantabrians mourned the death of their city and much more besides.


CuLTuRE

WORDS: ANDY ELDRED

As the tears run down the dusty facesand the earth shakes beneath frightened feetWhen the clouds of smoke from ruined placesrise over destruction so completeThere is a questionWhere is God?

Some believe that God’s not there or entirely non-existentSome are angry that it’s so unfair that God’s love seems inconsistentSome believe that God is mean and made the earth to shakeSome believe that Judgement is the reason for the quakeStill others cling to hope and faith as cathedral spires fallFor they understand what Jesus taught about God’s love for all

The answer to the question is striking in its clarityGod is in the hearts and minds of all who think with charityGod is in the hugs of love and comfort in the sadnessGod is in the words of hope that speak above the madnessGod is in the rescuers who work all through the nightGod is in the leaders who are trying to do what’s rightGod is in the food that’s given lovingly at no costGod is in the businesses who choose to take a lossGod is in the neighbour with a shovel in his handGod is in the gifts that come from all across our landGod is in the parents’ arms that hold their children closeGod is in the wisdom to know what matters most

There is another question we should ask ourselves todayWhen all the graves are covered and the rubble is cleared awayWill things go back to normal to the way they always were?Where profits more than people is what makes us feel secure?Perhaps the saddest thing will be after all the grief and fearIs that it all goes back to normal and we forget that God is here.

Where is God inChristchurch?

CLOSING ESSAY

Reflections on HopeWORDS: STRuAN DuTHIE

Struan Duthie, director and founder of the Petersgate Counselling Centre, reflects on Easter hope as we attempt to “grow through the desert.”

“In the desert, Jesus was teaching us that we are here, not only to

love, but also to grow.”

this spiritual desert, and records its longing to return to a primal relationship with the Divine.

Our Lenten Gospel reading then takes us forward to Matthew’s account of Jesus, a “Second Adam” led by God’s Spirit immediately after his baptism to spend time in this spiritual desert place. It is the same space “East of Eden” that we all occupy. We commonly say that he went there to be “tempted.” But the Greek word peirazein is not about seducing someone to do evil, but rather something that someone has to go through to “test” them, to make them stronger. So Jesus went into our spiritual desert to pioneer a way through our pain of isolation and destruction, so that we would have confidence to trust his leadership, and follow his trail.

In the desert, Jesus was teaching us that we are here, not only to love, but also to grow. The desert offers us a choice. The quake is part of our desert experience. It offers us a choice: to accept the challenge and grow, or to revert to ways of negativity and self-destruction. Jesus’ path is quite clear. Now it is over to us.

The unprecedented tragedies in Christchurch and Japan over the last month have reminded many that Mother Nature seems quite indifferent to our fate. She engenders, she contains, but our lonely individuation is not her task. Something more, something greater, is needed for this work to progress. Our Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, from Adam to Christ, details our early literary and historical attempts to understand this human predicament.

The story of Adam and Eve, with which we begin our Lenten journey, is an Emergence Myth, typical of other such stories told by tribal groups the world over. It seeks to explain how things started to go wrong for humanity, and how a blissful beginning in Eden could evolve into the wars, starvation, poverty and tragedies which litter our history. Adam and Eve stand for all of humanity: Eating the forbidden fruit and “knowing good and evil” records the birth of consciousness, and the awareness that the world is somehow “other” than oneself. And worst of all, we are shut out of Eden, and left to survive in a spiritual desert. The Bible contains a record of a nation’s struggle to make sense of

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Anglican Life Apr/May 2011