Weekly E-news Friday 28 April

Apr 28, 2017 | Weekly e-news

Hi everyone,

This is kind of Wellington’s Waitangi weekend.  The Treaty was signed by 39 local rangatira on April 29 1840 in Port Nicholson harbour.    As is frequently true it was a drawn out affair with the NZ Company stalling, fearful of their interests being upset.

It’s a balancing act, isn’t it, looking after your own interests and thinking of the whole community?  To some extent our life’s work, from the dependence of childhood, is to grow our independence; looking out for our own safety, security and well-being, including our relative prosperity.

Then something like a Treaty comes along, or one group in society gets more disadvantaged.  Often the solution is for others to make do with less.  Our training as independent people doesn’t like that!  It’s especially difficult if we’ve been trained to believe a successful person is a wealthy one.

After the ‘Keeping Faith in Politics’ event on Thursday night, at JJ Murphy’s, I’ve been reflecting on the poverty line.  Even when someone has enough money for weekly expenses, paying bills and feeding the family, other costs are impossible.  Getting a decent haircut.  Changing your car often enough so it doesn’t always cost money.  Having a holiday break!  Building up supplies in the pantry. Keeping the house fresh and attractive.  Having that bit of private retirement money to augment NZ Super.  All of these are impossibilities.

The above graph is showing you bad news if your graph is rising – it means inequality is increasing! We don’t have a formal Treaty keeping government accountable to the poor.  That is our task as voting citizens.  If numbers turn out to political meetings being organised about town, (many of them by churches), politicians find out the electorate cares, is intelligently reading the signs of the times and will exercise their vote accordingly.  Many meetings are around dinner time.  Get a group together, eat early and join the meetings.  The next ‘Keeping Faith in Politics’ meeting organised by the Centre of Theology and Public Issues (Otago University) is at St John’s in the City on Thursday 25 May and is on environmental issues.  Diary it now. 

And keep Tuesday May 23 free for the first Spirited Conversation of the year when we will have a speaker helping us learn more about the groups presented by the letters lgbtqi.  Speaker availability means we have two big events in one week – so be prepared!

See you Sunday when we reflect on being treaty partners in every part of our life.         Susan

St Andrew’s Parish News…

THE SEASON OF EASTER
Following Easter, we will be celebrating the experience of being human in a reflection series entitled ‘The Spirituality of Life’:  Sunday 7 May ‘Life Together’ (welcoming newcomers and commissioning leaders); Sunday 14 May ‘Life and Breath (Prayer)’; Sunday 21 May Rev Dr Frank Hanson; Sunday 28 May ‘The Life at the Depths of Me.’   This will take us up to the beginning of the season of Pentecost starting Sunday June 4 with Pentecost Sunday.

A HELPING HAND FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Norman Wilkins would like to donate his handyman skills towards The St Andrew’s organ fund.  He suggests that if you have any handyman projects that you would like him to do for you, he would donate his time (you would pay for materials and maybe a bit towards transport) and you would then make whatever donation towards the organ fund that you considered appropriate for the time he spent working for you.  If you would like to find out more, please contact Norman Ph 970 1010 to discuss whether any jobs you want doing would be suitable.

HOLIDAY TIME IN THE OFFICE
After a very busy start to 2017 some of us who work in the office and centre will be taking annual leave in May and June.  Karyn will be away from Monday 8 May, returning Monday 22 May.  Susan will be taking leave from Tuesday 16 May, returning Sunday 21 May.  And Laetitia will be away from Monday 29 May, returning Wednesday 7 June.  Finally, Vivien will also be on leave on Friday 2 June and Sunday 4 June.   Rest assured that we will all continue to cover the needs of the Parish and Centre during this time but please take into account that there may be only one of us here to help at certain times and your patience will be appreciated if it takes a little longer to get a response from the office.  Thank you.

HOLD THE DATE: 
Friday 28 July at 6.30 pm – Jane Keller presents “Let Us Entertain You” with Michael Nicholas Williams and Peter Franklin.  A show to raise funds for the restoration of the organ.  More details to follow shortly.

Wider Church and Community News…


DCM FUNDRAISER
Buy tickets for the Circa show ‘Olive Copperbottom’ AND at the same time raise money for DCM!  The awesome people from the comedy festival musical ‘Olive Copperbottom’ have given us 30 tickets to sell to the preview night for the show (Tues 9th May) with 100% of funds raised going to DCM!
To find our more visit http://www.circa.co.nz/package/olive-copperbottom/  
Matthew Mawkes, (04) 384 7699, www.dcm.org.nz

DAWN ELDER ‘AS PRESCRIBED’
Launch of Dawn’s second CD.  Public Bar and Eatery Courtenay Place, Sunday 30 April 6pm.  All welcome.

FREE LUNCHTIME KORERO
There will be a series of free talks organised by Wellington Treaty Network held over three weeks at the Wellington Central Library on Fridays 5 May and 12 May.  12.30- 1.15pm on the Ground Floor.  Guest speakers include Liz Mellish, Morrie Love, Carwyn Jones, Tamsin Hanly and Jen Margaret.  For further details please see the poster at the back of the church or visit wellingtontreatynetwork@gmail.com

WELLINGTON SAFER HOMES EVENT
The Wellington City Council and the Environmental Protection Authority would like to invite you to join us at the inaugural Wellington Safer Homes Event at the Michael Fowler Centre on Friday 26 May and Saturday 27 May.
Joined with partners NZ Fire Service, NZ Police, ACC, Safe Kids, Plunket, Wellington Free Ambulance, Earthquake Commission, National Poisons Centre and Housing New Zealand to provide information and improve understanding about some of the potential dangers around the home.  On Saturday 27 May, the event will be open to the public from 10am – 4pm and will have sessions on various aspects of safety in the home.
Please respond to helen.flannery@epa.govt.nz by Friday 5 May if you are interested in your group attending the designated seniors safety session at the Safer Homes event on Friday 26 May. Please indicate numbers. Note that there will be limited places available at this session. We will confirm your booking and provide additional details at this time.

LUTHERAN- CATHOLIC COMMEMORATION OF THE REFORMATION 
On Sunday 4 June the Lutheran and Catholic churches will gather to pray together in Commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.  This is a very significant event in the lives of our two churches and to mark this we invite you to a joint commemorative worship at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Hill St, Wellington.  The joint commemorative worship will take place at the Cathedral at 3pm on Sunday 4 June.  This will be followed by a light afternoon tea and an opportunity for socialising.  We would very much appreciate your presence with us that day.

John A Cardinal Dew                Bishop Mark Whitfield
Archbishop of Wellington          Lutheran Church of New Zealand

GLOBAL MILITARY SPENDING INCREASES AGAIN
A REPORT FROM PEACE MOVEMENT AOTEAROA 
24 April 2017 (Numbered References Follow)

Link to share: https://www.facebook.com/notes/peace-movement
-aotearoa/global-military-spending-increases
-again/1323829244331108/

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