"I see the light!"

Darkness

When we moved to this house in 1987 there were little trees planted in the paddock next to us.  I recall we thought that the land belonged to the City Council and it was full of dock plants, so we tethered our milking goats there away from the trees. We had a knock on the door a few days later. It was the owner and his comment was, "I love trees and hate goats. Move them." So we duly apologised and obeyed. He was a woodworker/joiner and had planted 50 acres of trees of various sorts. We got on fine with him. He trimmed the trees and kept possum numbers down. But the trees grew and began to shade us considerably. We were aware that they would be harvested at some stage. He, however, sold the property to a man who did not have the same care for the trees. They kept growing well past their harvesting date and they became a real problem. The little cones the trees produced blocked our gutters, their pollen settled on our cars and in our lungs, and we lived in cold wet darkness.  We asked when they were coming down. We were not listened to. We wrote letters. Our neighbours who were also shaded, pestered the man.  We went to the city council authorities and the regional council authorities. Each claimed it was not their problem.  He had said he was working on it, but nothing seemed to happen winter after winter. In the end we went to a community law office and asked what we could do. We were given a procedure to follow and wrote a letter threatening legal action. (We really could not afford legal action though?) Well that seemed to get him into gear and we saw a succession of contractors visiting discussing amongst themselves how they were going to harvest them. 

Light! Warmth!

Then eventually last Friday an excavator and men with chainsaws began the process. The section next to us is to become the "skid" where they will load trucks. On Friday the trees next to us came down. We discovered what we were missing out on! The sunshine made our house warm! On Saturday we sat out on the deck for afternoon tea, basking in the sun. The hillside of trees will come down eventually, clearing the horizon and enabling us to have more warmth in winter when the sun is lower. 

Just now we are delighted! There will be inconvenience for awhile as trucks come and go, chainsaws buzz and excavators do their thing. The outcome will give us a much more pleasant existence, increase the value of our home and we'll be able to grow more vegetables.  We'll have to move from our acre as we age, but at least we'll have a few years of comfort. 

Another good side is that the guys doing the job have been pleasant to chat with. They have got rid of one of our trees in our front yard and are promising to deal to another that I have been working on.

Our house in darkness at midday in July 2016. It is a sunny day.

                                        The same day from the sunny golf course opposite.

The excavator and two men with chainsaws clear the trees next to us.

                                    The expansive view we now have from our lounge window.

Sun shining in the evening!

                                   It was almost dusk in this photo. You can see the house now, it is no longer hidden under vegetation. 

They want me to help!

I turned 72 yesterday. Where did that time go. The other day I was visiting a fire station and chatting with the officer, a man I have known for nearly 27 years. We were talking about the age of some of the fire fighters and joking that when I began as chaplain, he was one of the youngest serving fire fighters.  Then he said, "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Dave?" "I'll be 72 this weekend. Getting old. I wonder where the time went?" He grinned, "Hell" he said, "You are a very young 72 year old!" Sometimes I feel every bit a 72 year old, at other times I feel like a young man. At times I talk about somebody I met as an "Elderly man" then suddenly realise that he was probably actually younger than me! I have got old without knowing it. I think mixing with younger people keeps you younger in mind.

So I turned 72, yesterday. On Saturday we packed up and went to Karitane, a sea side village about a half hour drive north from our place. We had the loan of a little cottage there for a couple of nights just as a bit of a relax. As we were packing I went to the mail box to check for letters. There were no birthday cards nor presents for me. I said to my wife, "My kids have forgotten my birthday." It clashes with "Father's Day" here in New Zealand and all my boys are fathers, so I figured that they were distracted. We had skyped twice with my son in Edinburgh, we are worried about him and his family with the runaway Covid 19 situation there. I felt a bit dejected. But I was wrong.

On Sunday, my birthday, my daughter and her husband came out to join us at our cottage for a birthday lunch. Just as dessert began she came into the room with a bag with two reasonably small heavy boxes in it. "This is from the boys and me." she said. I unwrapped this "Stanley Impact driver". Then she told me the story of the boys discussing it and even talking her through the purchase on the phone in the hardware store. My phone rang, and it was my oldest son, checking that I liked my present. He chatted about it and why he recommended it. Then he said, "You can bring it when you work on my house." He went on to say that my youngest son wants me to take it with me when I work on the fences at his house this summer. "I'm not working with him, he abuses me worse than you do!" I joked. He laughed and said, "I told him you enjoy it!" A little while later my youngest son rang, and wished me happy birthday, and asked if I liked my present. He told me that he was going to build fences and hoped I would come and help him. "You can bring your impact driver!" he said. When I hung up, my daughter's husband said that they had started to do renovations on their last room in their house. "Your help would be welcome!" he said, "It is a long job for just us two." We had helped them rebuild the back part of their elderly house. We had helped them insulate and reline every other room in the house, now they were asking for our help to complete the job. 

As I reflected on my birthday I felt warm, loved and wanted. Each one of my children are better than I am at DIY stuff, but I had helped them get into it. I simply love that they still wanted me to work on their projects with them as a 72 year old! My youngest son is now a qualified carpenter. My oldest boy sets up displays and exhibitions in the National Museum. My daughter and her husband are very accomplished at renovating. They have a flair for design and colour and are fussy about the finished job.  My son in Edinburgh does marvellously around his house. He goes on line and finds out the correct way to do things and does well, better than I would. Yet I LOVE that they all want to work with me. My boys give me a hard time, teasing me while I work. "Come on Brown," my youngest says, "Time is money!" I get out my folding rule to measure something, and my oldest boy will say, "Put that old bit of crap away, and measure it properly with a tape!" "Have you got that measurement right?" "Don't muck around thinking about it, do it!" My Edinburgh boy will say, "Nah, let me show you how it's done old man!" and so it goes on. But I think they feel more confident with me there. I think they like showing off their skills to me, and enjoy the time with their old Dad. The birthday present, I loved. I used one my son had in Edinburgh and have coveted one ever since. But the fact that they still like working with me warmed my heart and made this old guy feel good. 

I had been given an old table saw without a motor. We checked out how much a motor would cost and found out that they were selling new table saws for less than it would cost to get a suitable motor. I had been given a donation for doing a funeral recently, so we decided that for my birthday we would purchase this new table saw. I am reasonably well equipped now for building stuff. I've had a very profitable birthday.

The Local Church: to be or not to be?

 At our local Church tomorrow there are to be meetings that could decide if the Church continues or not. I deeply believe it ought to continue, but we have a revue group from Presbyterian hierarchy who are to research the current position of the Church and its activities and make a recommendation.  I am aware that there are others, tired with the long hall that work in a small church can be, who would gladly declare it as not a viable Church. We were given a few questions and were asked to give our thoughts bouncing off these. I share a bit of an abridged version of what I sent in to the revue committee as our response...

1) What role, if any, does Emmanuel have in the Sawyers Bay and Port Chalmers community in 2020 onward?

·       A faith “presence”. Even the building where active worship is maintained reminds the people of the neighbourhood of deeper aspects of life. (This would be lost or even tend to reinforce a negative message about the gospel if we shut down- “Jesus is outdated” When I have shown people around an empty Iona Church that seems to be the message people get. “I suppose religion has had its day.” was one typical comment.) I see empty churches as sad memorials and reminders of the inability of the Church to rethink/reword the faith in changing circumstance, to adapt and keep on adapting. I think it was Einstein who said something like, “Evolution shows that it is not necessarily the strongest species who survive, but those who have the ability to adapt.” The Church is a way behind. (It is not just fiddling with music or three-ring-circus-type services - people in churches do not often experience our faith as a “spirituality” – it is more an “add on” in life.)

·       The building is an ideal location. We can use it to have gatherings where people can relate constructively and in a caring way. E.g. we have “Afternoon teas on Tuesday” We have had "Rumpus room” “Christmas Neighbourhood barbeque” and possible Parenting seminars or other things could be held there … I believe the caring relationship is important… not a place to “Bible Bash.” Building “community” and offering hospitality is an important service the church can offer. There are lonely or desperate people or people who at different times are “Lonely, friendless or desperate” in our community and I would love for our church to be seen as a place of supportive friendship where people can be genuinely “met”.

·       We are providing a worship place for the community. Our experience of Emmanuel has only been in the last 6-7 years and in that time the group attending has been added to by 8 people and there is another who has come once who is very interested in continuing. Without too much active outreach these people from the community have come.  If we as an active Church were not here it is possible many of these would not have involved themselves in a worshipping community. (In terms of percentage of the congregation, if most Presbyterian Churches in NZ had a similar “growth” we would be reasonably pleased?) In that time though 6 others have died, left the area or stopped attending because of age. – though there are others who have visited and not returned.

·       I would like to see us be seen as a loving community, willing to help meet needs. Members do meet needs in the neighbourhood in an individual way. People have shared garden produce with local families, transport, hospitality, firewood, (Russell & Cathy with Richard and others want to do this more intentionally) etc. It would be good if we could look for opportunities to serve needs in our community. (A quick idea – since the community could not “celebrate” ANZAC day this year, what about a “Remembrance Day” service we invite the community to? …Just thinking out loud.) The Church in today’s world needs to earn its credibility.

·       I believe we could in non-threatening ways share spiritual/gospel values with people. E.g. Movies with meaning. Parenting seminars etc.

My theme would be to see Emmanuel as a place of hospitality where people are met with friendship, acceptance and love. This can be in worship but through other opportunities to meet and share with people.

 

2) What are the major challenges facing Emmanuel?

·       We are mostly elderly folk.

·       Currently our Session Clerk is retired and nobody wants to take her place.  Personally, I think we make things much more complicated than we need to. Our active membership would be a group of just 20-30 people, but we continue to operate as if we were a much bigger Church with all the processes.

·       I know just a little bit about the Fuel Church in Fairfield. The Fairfield Church essentially closed but East Taieri Church has taken it under its wing. There are greater resources, innovation and some of the burdens of running the Church have been taken over. Could not something similar be arranged with say – Opoho or Leith Valley?

·       We have a burden in that we have to be custodians of the historic Iona Church building. This involves expense and people’s energy and contribution.

·       Consistency in the nature and quality of our worship. E.g. we cannot do a series because we have different leaders each week. E.g.It also prevents the weekly consistent “conversation” as the lectionary readings follow each other – Gospel themes cannot be easily developed.

·       finances

3) What could be done to encourage attendance and participation?

·       As above consistency in worship quality.

·       Relating with the community. “Christendom” has gone. The Church can no longer just hold worship and hope people will attend. The Church in NZ needs to earn its credibility in finding ways to serve and relate with people in the community in which it is placed. We simply need to find avenues of service, offering hospitality and relating. (Listening)

·       Encourage participation? - Our experience (and others have mentioned it too) has been that the established leadership welcomes people getting involved but it seems to be that new people should “continue with business as usual.” Don’t challenge existing ways of doing things, don’t rock the boat. “Come and do stuff for us, but do it our way” is the message we have felt.  – Business as usual hasn’t worked for many years, we need to keep trying different things… there needs to be the freedom to try and fail and encouragement to keep trying.

·       Other examples of things that tended to discourage our participation…. (There I include a couple of examples where we had explored change ideas but the process of looking into them seemed stacked against change happening)

·       There seems to be a reluctance to discuss at depth the directions of the church.

·       More effective signage out the front at footpath level.

 

4) If resources were not an issue, what would you consider to be the important things the church should be doing or involved with?

Because I believe 3 things;

(i) Small Churches have strengths to offer people and communities that are part of being a more intimate group;

(ii) and that small Churches ought to be able to operate differently and have a different approach to functioning and worship and the things they offer;

(iii) and that our Church building is in an ideal position to provide hospitality in our community.

 

If resources were not an issue, I would do a renovation of our buildings to make them more welcoming and suitable for “hospitality”.

 

In the Chapel I would carpet the floor, have flexible comfortable seating to give more options for worship and other gatherings and do away with the current “fenced pulpit”.

 

In the hall (perhaps that is the only place we would be permitted to touch) I would make a neat storage area down the harbour end of the hall for tables etc. (Stained plywood cupboard space) Carpet the hall (maybe.) with carpet from Iona hall.  Tidy the cupboards, paint walls, ceilings etc. and have a heat pump. Maybe some more comfortable seating. It is tidier than it has been, but there are broken cupboard doors, spouting stored on the floor and old chairs. – We would not have these things in our home lounges.

(I realise that it would be nice to renovate the kitchen and toilets etc. but I think to have the public areas looking welcoming is a first priority)

 

If resources were really not an issue, I would hire a minister. She/he would have to have passion, be outward looking and innovative in their thinking and passion, be able to be involved with people in the community in an open, friendly way, and lead positive warm friendly open services.

 

5) Any comments you would like to make for consideration.

·       Theology Prof. Paul Trebilco Speaking to St John Chaplains a few years ago, said that “ in New Testament times all the Churches, with the exception of perhaps Rome, had memberships of less than 20 people! They were home churches and had to fit into relatively small houses.” These days we would write them off as “not viable” and yet these Churches turned the world upside down. Small Churches have advantages big Churches do not have. Even elderly people have things younger people cannot offer. Isn’t it true that many of us when we get on in years have just about  worked out what is truly important in life? ( but nobody wants to know) We often have perspective and wisdom to offer. (I have seen grandmothers informally help dysfunctional families and stressed mums just by chatting over coffee. I have seen old guys entertain, befriend and support unemployed “street people” -some with mental health issues- just by chatting of their experiences and listening) I do not think we should sell ourselves short because we are small and most of us are “seniors”. We have valuable stuff to offer.

·       BUT small churches with elderly memberships should not be run in the same way as a bigger established church would run.  Systems and priorities may be different. Different ways of working and worshipping should/could be explored. E.g. Cathedral type worship may not fit, but more relaxed conversational type could be more appropriate?

·      We are 10k away from the nearest Presbyterian Church. It is the “establishment” denomination for Otago – if we were not to continue it is a considerable failure for the denomination and people would have to be keen to make a regular trip to a church in town. Our community needs an active Church, open and flexible to demonstrate the love of God for people. (incarnating God’s love as the Body of Christ)

·      We need to be a Jesus-centred Church … not “Churchianity”, Denominational focused, or “Religious” culture. “What would Jesus do?” is a simple but relevant question.

While I am retired and cannot now do all that I would like to do, I still feel passionate about the way of Jesus and still see it as relevant for NZ people today. I have long had a “love/hate” relationship with the Church, and feel that it is a distortion of all it should be. I have, however,  stayed in ministry (though many of my colleagues have left it behind)  because the Church is the only place the story of Jesus is kept alive.

All the best for your work in Christ.

Dave & Jean Brown

After thought...

On my way home from visiting fire stations I stewed on tomorrow's conversations. Again as I sat in front of the fire with mindless TV going, I stewed some more.... I ought to have said that as followers of Jesus the main question we ought to be asking is....

"We are a group of Christians in this congregation together. As followers of Jesus who calls us to be loving servants, salt and light in our community, with the resources we have (the buildings, our selves etc.) how can we best serve the people of our community?"

Maybe I'll slip that in tomorrow.  

Our Church building is situated about where the bottom of the "R" is in "Sawyers Bay" on the map. Congregation members come from a wider area of the West Harbour on either side of the map, but most are centred on Sawyers Bay. The Church building is right next to the School and Kindergarten.