Our ANZAC dawn service held at Harewood School Cenotaph attracted 180 people, and we enjoyed a great community breakfast afterwards. Photos by Laura Nixon.

I used to hear synods described as boring affairs - not so any longer! 300 members of the 71 parishes in our diocese gathered at St Christopher's Avonhead for 10 hours of very necessary business last Saturday. Before we entered the building, synod members were greeted by a group of about 30 protestors calling for the current cathedral to be saved. I was glad I had arrived on bicycle as it was much easier to sweep past the protestors on a bike than on foot! Once we were inside, we began the day with prayer and then Bishop Victoria gave a very helpful outline of why the decisions concerning the cathedral have been reached. One thing I hadn't realised before was the short amount of time which CERA gave the diocese to come up with a plan to make the building safe. A compounding factor was the aftershock of 23^rd December 2011 which caused considerable further damage and meant the original plan of action had to be scrapped. The bishop's explanation was widely appreciated by the members of Synod and a motion was passed unanimously affirming the decisions of the Cathedral Working Group to deconstruct the building, and supporting the building of a new inspirational cathedral on the current site to the glory of God, on which there will be wide public consultation. In fact +Victoria had already begun the work of consultation before the motion was passed – at morning tea time she was to be found in the car park talking with the protestors who by now had been joined by the Wizard. The Bishop was incredibly gracious and understanding in the way she dealt with those who were protesting. So don't believe everything you read in The Press!

Of course it is not just the cathedral which has been affected by the seismic events of the last 18 months. All parishes have been asked to complete a review process which is designed to assess the cost-effectiveness of our current buildings. This has been prompted in part by a huge hike in insurance premiums, but it is also designed to help the diocese address how we make sure we have a presence in some of the new subdivisions which will be built over the next few years. The end result may well mean fewer church buildings in Christchurch – and we have all been asked to be in conversation with neighbouring parishes about how we could work together.

The other major business at Synod was a debate on the Anglican Communion Covenant. “What's that?” is the usual response I get when I mention the Covenant. It's basically a way of formalising the links between Anglican Churches in different countries worldwide. Up until now the 38 Churches (“Church” in this context means a national/regional church - we are part of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia) have been held together by a kind of gentleman's agreement. But it is a gentleman's agreement better suited to the 19^th Century than the 21^st! I spoke in favour of the Covenant at Synod as I believe it is vital for keeping open our mission links with places as different as South America, Sudan and Singapore. However, the motion to support the Covenant was narrowly lost, and so there could be challenges for organisations like CMS in the years ahead. If truth be told, probably just as important for the future of the Anglican Communion is the upcoming appointment process for the new Archbishop of Canterbury which will take place once Rowan Williams steps down in November. Please be praying for this process and see www.anglicancommunion.org

Well so much for Synod, what about our own parish AGM? Well, that wasn't boring either! In my report to the meeting I outlined ways we can respond to God's call to be united, outward-looking and training. If you weren't at the meeting, please take a look at my written report which suggests ways (both large and small) in which you personally might get involved. You don't have to sign up to something for life, but a willingness to give something a try is what we're after! Also, please put a ring around Show Weekend 16-18 November on your calendar. This is when we will be heading out to Glenroy for our Parish Hui / Weekend Away.

The second half of our AGM included a proposal for the renovation of our buildings at St Timothy's. This generated much discussion, and though it was passed by a majority of the meeting there were others with strongly held views that our priorities should be elsewhere. I agree that our priorities should never be about buildings for the sake of buildings. However, we do need buildings that will support God's mission in Burnside and take into account the whole range of people and groups which use them. Vestry has agreed to take forward the plans, whilst listening to the voices of those who felt they couldn't vote in favour of the motion. In reality, work will not start until the Parish Review requested by synod has been completed.

So there we are - the week of long meetings is over! Let's thank God for what was achieved at those meetings, but I'll also be thanking God that we don't have such long meetings every week!

Your vicar, MATT

Whether you’ve been coming to our parish for a while or whether you’re considering joining us for the first time, welcome!

St Timothy's and St James' are 2 very different churches in northwest Christchurch. But we're united in our faith in Jesus Christ, our desire to become more like him and to reach out to those around us with his love.

You’re welcome here wherever you are on your faith journey – whether you’ve been following Jesus for years or whether you’re thinking about making the first tentative steps. We hope that you’ll take the opportunity to sample some of the different services and groups in the parish to find where you feel most at home.

Yours in Christ, Matt

Read, pray, re-read, discuss, feedback, get involved!