From Vicar General, Mark Barlow:
E te whānau o te Atua, tēnei te mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, God’s ears are open to their cry.” (Psalm 34:15)
In the last 35 years of ordained ministry, there have been numerous times when people have come to see me wanting to retire from their ministries due to advancing age. Without exception, they have given years of faithful service to their ministry units as Wardens, vestry members, lectors, intercessors or Sunday School teachers and a host of other callings. My response has always been the same. Firstly, to thank them for their years of service, then to pray with them and finally, to give them the good news that they are about to begin the most important ministry of their lives! I refer, of course to that of ‘Prayer Warrior!’ Every initiative, every activity, every event, every service that a community of faith undertakes needs to be grounded and bathed in prayer and there is none better to engage in this calling than spiritual veterans.
The good news is that such a ministry is habit-forming and can lead to fruitful and concerted prayer for not just the Church, but the community, the nation and the world. This is a privileged part of our calling, not just for those spiritual veterans, but for all of us. I want to encourage all of us to be faithful and regular in such prayer.
As always, there are a number of matters in need of our prayerful attention just now, including:
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General Synod meeting in Tonga until Friday, 21 August
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our Diocesan Synod, due to be in session from Thursday to Saturday, 3 to 5 September
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our nation, as the pre-election rhetoric ramps up
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the nations of Colombia, Venezuela, Indonesia and Japan, dealing with the aftermath of earthquakes
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the apparently intractable situation in and on the Strait of Hormuz; and
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a host of others
Our Synod business sessions take place through the Friday and Saturday at St. Christopher’s, Avonhead. Papers to date for the Synod are publicly available on our Diocesan website.
Kevin O’Brien, the husband of the Reverend Felicity O’Brien (Vicar of Oxford-Cust), died on Saturday following a period of illness. Kevin’s funeral will be at St. Andrew’s Church, Oxford, at 2pm on Saturday 22 August 2026. All welcome. Please pray for Felicity and their family as they prepare for this service and mourn the loss of Kevin. Kevin was a man of deep faith in Christ, a strong intercessor and a wonderful support to Felicity in her ordained ministry. He will be much missed.
This coming Sunday, 24 August 2026 is Ordinary 21 and we continue our journey through Matthew’s gospel, reaching Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:13-20. This is a turning point in the disciple’s journey, and in that of Jesus himself as he moves immediately to begin to prepare the 12 for his impending death. Our own confession that Jesus is the Christ is a great turning point in our lives and prepares us for an impending death, that of our old lives as we become new creations in Christ!
With love,
Ven. Mark Barlow
Vicar-General.