e-Life

Dear Friends,

Thank you for praying for Bishop Susan Wallace, prior to her ordination as bishop and installation as Te Pihopa o Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu on Saturday in the Transitional Cathedral. The service was a joyful and memorable occasion with a very full congregation. See further reporting in this e-Life and on Anglican Taonga. It was wonderful that The Press on Monday morning gave its report of the service front page treatment. On Sunday morning it was good to be present at Te Hepara Pai, at Te Pa o Te Waipounamu, for Bishop Susan’s first service as a bishop.

On Sunday it was announced that the Reverend Simon Green will be the next Vicar of the Parish of Opawa-St. Martins. His induction service will be at 3pm Sunday 28 June 2026 in St. Mark’s Church, 101 Opawa Road, Christchurch. All are welcome to this service.

Yesterday, Archdeacon Indrea Alexander and I led the deconsecration service for St. Andrew’s, Tinwald in the Parish of Ashburton. It was moving to have memories shared from within the gathered congregation, including reminders of the era when this church was full each Sunday. Active church attendance patterns have changed in the past 60 or so years so that the buildings that serve us across the Diocese are changing. There will be more church sales in the years ahead as we consolidate congregational life on fewer sites.

The commissioning of the Reverend Dr Joshua Taylor as the new Archdeacon of Selwyn-Tawera will take place during Evensong, 5pm, this Sunday 14 June 2026 in the Transitional Cathedral. Clergy are invited to robe, with Green the colour for stoles. All are welcome from all Archdeaconries to this service.

I am pleased to share that a new lift will be installed at the Anglican Centre at Cardale House between approximately Monday, 22 June and Friday, 10 July. This important accessibility upgrade will help ensure our diocesan offices remain welcoming and accessible to all. There may be some disruption associated with the installation works, although access to the building will remain open. Thank you for your patience and understanding as this work is completed.

Catch Network is offering 2026’s Little Revolutions conference in Christchurch, Friday 26 to Saturday 27 June, at Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, Christchurch. Details are available, with the programme on their website. Invited speakers include Archbishop Justin Duckworth.

I am very pleased to promote our next Diocesan Youth Group Games Night for Years 7 to 13. This will take place, 7pm – 9pm on Friday, 3 July at the Bishopdale Recreation Centre, 13A Bishopdale Court, Bishopdale. There will be prizes for the Best Dressed, Best Team Chant, and more 😊. Please register your Youth Group today: youth@anglicanlife.org.nz. This will be a wonderful way to end this term!

Many years ago, when I was a Nelson Diocesan member of the General Synod/Te Hīnota Whānui, I was always impressed by the contributions of Professor Whatarangi Winiata. He was a visionary thinker, keen to advance the neglected interests and concerns of Tikanga Māori, and a master of synod process in his astute moving of motions and amendments. His influence within Te Ao Māori extended well beyond Te Hāhi Mihinare. Last week Professor Winiata died and his contribution to life in NZ and in the Anglican Church is measured by two articles, on RNZ and on Anglican Taonga. In the latter article, Professor Winiata’s significant contribution to the development of our church as a Three Tikanga church is noted in this way:

“At the 1984 General Synod, Winiata successfully proposed the establishment of a Bicultural Commission to study the Treaty of Waitangi and consider how the Church might engage in bicultural development, while also advising on how the principles of the Treaty could be embodied across church life. By 1990, this work led to proposals to revise the Church’s constitution and structure. This process resulted in Te Pouhere, the 1992 constitutional reform under which the Church continues to be governed.”

Yesterday, while in Ashburton, I learned through a friend that the Reverend Paul Bathurst, formerly a clergyman of this Diocese, died about a month ago, having been a resident in Whangarei for some years.

For those who may be interested, I have published some thoughts on the Pope’s recently published encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which is largely but not exclusively interested in the impact of AI on our humanity. Within that blogpost is a link to a recent podcast I took part in, facilitated by a Canterbury-based Catholic priest, Fr John O’Connor. Also noted there, and perhaps of particular interest to those seeking some deep theological appreciation and critique of the encyclical is a link to an article by Ilia Delio, “Teilhard de Chardin points to what Pope Leo missed in ‘Magnifica Humanitas’”.

I haven’t made comment for some weeks on the situation in the Middle East. In many ways that is because, tragically, there is nothing new to say: there should be peace and there is not. Nevertheless, we could and should continue to pray, with hope in Christ, that the way to peace and the way to justice are found, for there is no peace without justice and there is no justice when war continues.

This coming Sunday, 14 June 2026 is Ordinary 11 and the Gospel is Matthew 9:35-10:8. Obviously this passage is all about mission, about the mission of Jesus and the role of the disciples in that mission and thus our role in the continuing mission of Jesus as we not only read the Gospel but receive it with a view to acting on it (spurred, of course, by the last words of Jesus in this Gospel, the so called Great Commission, 28:16-20. Within what is said here about mission there is a call to prayer (9:38) and a call to “go”, to proclaim the good news in word and through deeds (10:5-8).

Arohanui,

+Peter.

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Dear Friends,

Last Thursday evening, it was a privilege to be part of A Service of Thanksgiving and Praise for Ministry at St. Martin’s, Loburn (Parish of Rangiora), as part of a sequence of final services for this church. On Sunday, it was good to celebrate Pentecost at St. Mark’s, Opawa-St. Martins. In the course of that service, I was able to confirm Nathaniel, Stefan Hall, and Amber Hall. Please pray for them as they continue their journey with Jesus Christ.

Further south on Sunday morning, at St Mary’s, Timaru, Archdeacon Ben Randall was farewelled from his role as Vicar of St. Mary’s, Timaru. Thank you, Ben, for your ministry at St. Mary’s, and for your ministry as Archdeacon of South Canterbury. We wish you God’s rich blessings for the next chapter of your life and ministry. Please pray for Archdeacon Indrea Alexander as she adds the role of Acting Archdeacon of South Canterbury to her work.

As we draw closer to the ordination of Bishop-elect Susan Wallace at 11am, Saturday 6 June 2026 in the Transitional Cathedral, 234 Hereford Street, Christchurch, please pray for Susan, her family and Te Hui Amorangi o Te Waipounamu as they prepare with Archbishop Don Tamihere for this important occasion. All are welcome to the service and to the Pōwhiri preceding it at 9am, also in the Transitional Cathedral. I remind clergy to RSVP, according to an invitation they have been sent, if intending to be present.

I am delighted that the Christchurch City Council confirmed yesterday that it will commit $15m from surplus funds to the Cathedral’s reinstatement, conditional on central government also contributing $15m. We are not yet at the point of being able to commit to resumption of construction, but we are a significant step closer. Thank you for your prayers. Please keep praying as we still have a shortfall of $15m to find even when we assume that central government, following the election, does commit $15m. Let us pray with great faith in the God who provides!

Yesterday, Pope Leo published his first Encyclical (i.e. highest level of papal teaching short of formal, infallible pronouncements), Magnifica Humanitas. This encyclical is available to read/download here. Pope Leo’s purpose in this document is to “ask God for the wisdom to interpret the great trends of our time, particularly technological advances. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident how rapidly and profoundly digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are transforming our world”.

What unfolds in Magnifica Humanitas is theological engagement not only with the challenges and opportunities AI poses for humanity, but also with the challenges of this era for humanity to achieve the grandeur that God intends for us. Challenges such as war, modern slavery, and threats to democracy and the telling of truth in our societies are also discussed. Among things to catch my eye are the following: a great theme through this encyclical, drawn from Pope Paul VI’s, is the desirability of human civilisation being “the civilization of love”; the incompatibility of slavery in any and all forms, ancient and modern with the civilisation of love; a striking, summary description of a great challenge in the world of AI: “The dignity of work at a time of digital transition”; penetrating analysis of the potential of AI for good and for evil:

“The use of digital platforms and AI systems is driving profound changes in public and political communication. Tools that could foster dialogue and participation are often used to construct distorted narratives and blur the boundaries between truth and falsehood, mixing facts with opinions. Disinformation did not begin with AI, yet today it finds a powerful amplifier in AI. The ability to manipulate content, images and videos exposes people to biased or misleading perspectives. This problem has both cultural and moral dimensions, since the quality of public communication depends directly on social trust and, in turn, shapes it” (from Section 132).

Finally, among many brilliant paragraphs, I note this one to you:

“In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace. True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen and a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates” (from Section 15).

Within our Diocese some work is beginning on policy in respect of the use of AI as a tool for administration and ministry. Last night, the ADMSC Board (our diocesan finance Board) agreed to an AI policy for ADMSC employed staff in the Anglican Centre. After testing this policy for a few months, we will update it if needed, and share the policy more widely for vestries and other governing bodies in the Diocese to consider adapting and adopting for use.

The commissioning of the Reverend Dr Joshua Taylor as the new Archdeacon of Selwyn-Tawera will take place during Evensong, 5pm, Sunday 14 June 2026 in the Transitional Cathedral. Clergy are invited to robe, with Green the colour for stoles. All are welcome from all Archdeaconries to this service.

This coming Sunday, 31 May 2026 is Trinity, and the Gospel is Matthew 28:16-20. In this passage we have a relatively early distillation of what the earliest Christians were reflecting on, that they were experiencing through the teaching of Jesus, his testimony to the work of God in his life, and their own testimonies to the work of God in their lives, that the God of Israel, testified to in the ancient writings of Israel (the Old Testament) is God who is Father, who is Son and who is Holy Spirit. While Matthew’s Gospel offers no sign of any later debates about how God is Trinity – Three Divine Persons in One Being – Matthew’s reference to “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”, along with other expressions in the New Testament writings, drove the next generations of Christians forward in their engagement with the theo-ology/God-talk question, “What is the nature of God in the fullness of God’s revelation to humanity?”

Arohanui,

+Peter.

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