Dear Friends,
At the heart of our Diocesan theme of Regeneration is an expectation that God is at work among us. I continue to pray and encourage every member of our Diocese to pray our regeneration prayer:
“Everliving God,
through Your Spirit You constantly renew the whole creation;
bring regeneration to your Diocese of Christchurch,
grant us courage to grow disciples of Jesus,
give us vision to reach young people and their families,
and strengthen us to create vibrant communities of faith.”
When we pray in this way, we are both asking God to continue to work among us and challenging ourselves to be co-workers with God in this task (2 Corinthians 6:1a). In a few weeks we come to the end of 2025, six-tenths of the way through the period 2020-2029. How are we doing? Returning to the Diocese recently, and catching up with our archdeacons, I have been struck afresh by the range of situations our ministry units are experiencing. Some flourish in respect of three critical aspects of our life together as church: people, staffing, funding. Some rejoice in two of these three things and are challenged by a shortfall in the other one. A number are feeling the pinch of inadequate staffing (e.g. with no resident priest available to preside at the eucharist), few active parishioners and funds drying up. As bishop, I rejoice in signs of regeneration but every day I feel the burden of our shortfalls, especially in the supply of clergy. Blessed though we have been in recent years with new clergy who have come into our diocesan family through ordination and appointment of new clergy from outside the Diocese, we remain understaffed across the Diocese.
What are we to do? As Kiwis we value hard work and that makes us susceptible to temptation to work harder to ensure regeneration of our Diocese. I ask us to consider resisting that temptation. Instead, let’s redouble our prayer for regeneration. The church is God’s church and through Christ we have been promised that God will build the church (Matthew 16:18). Let’s continue to pray that God’s will for the church be done.
I am delighted to announce that the Reverend Dr Andrew Butcher, currently Priest-in-Charge of the Parish of Fendalton, will become Vicar of Fendalton from Friday, 23 January 2026.
I thank the Reverend Justine Tremewan who recently concluded her role this year as Missioner priest for the Parish of Linwood-Aranui. My thanks also to the Reverend Ruth Blair for her role as Team Leader for the ministry team in the Parish of Marchwiel, Timaru. After three years in the role, Ruth concludes her appointment at the end of this month. I am very glad that Ruth will continue as part of the ministry team in Marchwiel.
Important services are coming up, to which all are welcome:
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7pm, Friday 12 December 2025 in the Church of the Epiphany, Jollies Pass Road, Hanmer Springs for the induction of the Reverend Hilary Willett as Vicar of Hanmer Springs. Due to the small size of this church, clergy intending to be at the service are asked to RSVP to Veronica Cross, bishopsea@anglicanlife.org.nz, by 5 pm Wednesday, 10 December 2025. Clergy who robe – red stole please.
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5pm Sunday 14 December, Evensong in the Transitional Cathedral will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the First Four Ships on 16 December 1850. I am the preacher.
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7pm, Sunday 21 December 2025, Nine Lessons and Carols at the Transitional Cathedral.
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7pm, Tuesday 20 January 2026, at St. Christopher’s, Avonhead, when the Reverend Joshua Taylor will be inducted as Vicar of Avonhead.
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7pm, Friday 23 January 2026, at St. Barnabas, Fendalton, when the Reverend Dr Andrew Butcher will be inducted as Vicar of Fendalton, and the Reverend Kay Webster will be welcomed and commissioned as Senior Associate Priest for the Parish of Fendalton.
Last week I acknowledged the ordained ministry of the Reverend Philip Robinson 55 years, the Reverend Paul Hammonds 60 years, and the Reverend Jim Riley 65 years. This week I acknowledge the Reverend Geoff Paterson’s 55 years in ordained ministry. Thanks be to God for these 235 years of ministry.
The next instalment of Theology House’s Lenten study series In the Spirit of Lent has arrived from the printers. This edition for Year A (2025- 2026) again includes art by the Reverend Sarah West and text by Gareth Bezett, Theology House director. Orders are open now and books will ship from mid-January 2026 in plenty of time for Lent. Copies are $9 each.
The past week in our diocese has been unusually busy in our Diocese. College House’s 175th anniversary was celebrated with events through Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning, including a book launch for Lifted Up – The Chapel of the Upper Room, a book telling the story of the extraordinary chapel at College House, built in the mid 60s, damaged in the quakes, and recently restored and strengthened. It was a privilege to share in services in the chapel on Friday night and Sunday morning with the Reverend Peg Riley, the Reverend Dr John Fox, and Archbishop Emeritus Sir David Moxon.
On Saturday morning, Wanjiru (Cirũ) Muriuki (for the Parish of Riccarton-Spreydon), André Muller (for the Parishes of East Christchurch, Linwood-Aranui and Avonside), and Bruce White (for the Parish of Burnside-Harewood) were ordained deacons in a beautiful service in the Transitional Cathedral. At the conclusion of the service, we farewelled the Reverend Jenny Wilkens from her role as our Diocesan Director of Ordination – thank you, Jenny for this ministry in the Diocese!
On Sunday evening, the Transitional Cathedral’s Advent Carol Service featured, as always, beautiful sung worship glorifying God and the re-reading of our sacred scriptures as we prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ into our world.
Late Saturday afternoon, Teresa and I were warmly welcomed to an inaugural event organised by the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church here in Christchurch, in which several different churches with origins in South India participated, including a Christmas Tree competition and a Christmas Choirs’ competition. This was held at Middleton Grange School. Three of the congregations participating in this event use three of our churches in greater Christchurch for their regular worship services.
This month, Christ Church Cathedral is hosting the 10-metre steel City Mission Christmas Tree along with Pete Majendie‘seight banners in the style of Colin McCahon’s famous paintings featuring words of Scripture as part of a 12 Days of Christmas event which offers bookings for up to 50 visitors at a time on weekdays from Monday, 1 December to Tuesday, 16 December 2025. On Monday night there was a formal opening for this festival of art. The banners are magnificent – thank you Pete! They complement the familiar City Mission Christmas tree superbly.
This coming Sunday, 7 December 2025 is Advent 2. The epistle reading is Romans 15:4-13. This is a deep passage, bookended by the theme of “hope”, with our hope in God grounded in the coming of Christ into the world as a fulfilment of past hope – that the promises of God to the patriarchs would one day come to be realised. The work of God in Christ is for the world, for you and me, for Jew and Gentile, in other words, for everyone, that all are welcomed into the enduring family of God.
Arohanui,
+Peter.