On Saturday 13 June, over 120 Anglicans from Nelson and Waimea gathered at St Barnabas in Stoke for a new expression of the diocese’s annual leadership gathering: Emmaus.
Paul Milson (social services coordinator) said that one of the “joys of being Anglican” was the network of leaders to connect with – having a wider family. He felt Emmaus was a good place to experience that “sense of connection and belonging”.
Rebekah Spink from Nelson Cathedral found it “a truly excellent opportunity to talk with people of different ages and different expectations.”
I have long felt that any church in New Zealand is a very diverse place to be, we have God in common and sometimes that's all but it is enough. The Church is full of so many different people, it's important that we all understand each other, and that we recognise our differing viewpoints and let everyone have the grace to accept each other.
Eric Sears from St Barnabas also appreciated the opportunity to connect with others in the diocese. “I hadn't been to one of these for some years, and I was losing contact with the diocese – I wanted to meet people again.”
We need more cross-pollination across the diocese, to hear what people are doing. I was very impressed with what Mark is doing in Tākaka – people need to hear about that.
Clint Ussher gave a powerful word – which I won’t say much about, because I don’t want to spoil it for the other two gatherings! Eric called it “very refreshing” and Rebekah said it was “thought-provoking”.
This was the first of three Emmaus gatherings, the other two to come in Greymouth and Blenheim. This format is being trialled in response to the cost of living, making it not only more affordable for the diocese, but also for the attendees, who don’t have to travel so far. Spanky Moore (pioneering ministry enabler) called it an “affordable way of engaging many more leaders but maintaining the essential parts of our culture.”
“It was a good move to have it in three regional sections,” Eric Sears said, “we got far more people here than we ever would have at Rotoiti.”
The next Emmaus gathering is on the 3rd (for clergy) and 4th (for everyone) of July – two weeks away.
“We already have so many from the coast registered,” Spanky said, “I’m really excited to spend time with lay leaders who weren't always able to come to things like Leadership Camp at St Arnaud.”
Rebekah Spink wanted to encourage members of West Coast and Marlborough churches to attend. “If your training day is still upcoming and you are undecided, I think you should give it a go. I think everyone who went to the Nelson Waimea training day got something out of it, and I am sure you will too.”
Register for Emmaus here.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
On Saturday 13 June, over 120 Anglicans from Nelson and Waimea gathered at St Barnabas in Stoke for a new expression of the diocese’s annual leadership gathering: Emmaus.
Paul Milson (social services coordinator) said that one of the “joys of being Anglican” was the network of leaders to connect with – having a wider family. He felt Emmaus was a good place to experience that “sense of connection and belonging”.
Rebekah Spink from Nelson Cathedral found it “a truly excellent opportunity to talk with people of different ages and different expectations.”
I have long felt that any church in New Zealand is a very diverse place to be, we have God in common and sometimes that's all but it is enough. The Church is full of so many different people, it's important that we all understand each other, and that we recognise our differing viewpoints and let everyone have the grace to accept each other.
Eric Sears from St Barnabas also appreciated the opportunity to connect with others in the diocese. “I hadn't been to one of these for some years, and I was losing contact with the diocese – I wanted to meet people again.”
We need more cross-pollination across the diocese, to hear what people are doing. I was very impressed with what Mark is doing in Tākaka – people need to hear about that.
Clint Ussher gave a powerful word – which I won’t say much about, because I don’t want to spoil it for the other two gatherings! Eric called it “very refreshing” and Rebekah said it was “thought-provoking”.
This was the first of three Emmaus gatherings, the other two to come in Greymouth and Blenheim. This format is being trialled in response to the cost of living, making it not only more affordable for the diocese, but also for the attendees, who don’t have to travel so far. Spanky Moore (pioneering ministry enabler) called it an “affordable way of engaging many more leaders but maintaining the essential parts of our culture.”
“It was a good move to have it in three regional sections,” Eric Sears said, “we got far more people here than we ever would have at Rotoiti.”
The next Emmaus gathering is on the 3rd (for clergy) and 4th (for everyone) of July – two weeks away.
“We already have so many from the coast registered,” Spanky said, “I’m really excited to spend time with lay leaders who weren't always able to come to things like Leadership Camp at St Arnaud.”
Rebekah Spink wanted to encourage members of West Coast and Marlborough churches to attend. “If your training day is still upcoming and you are undecided, I think you should give it a go. I think everyone who went to the Nelson Waimea training day got something out of it, and I am sure you will too.”
Register for Emmaus here.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
