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Sunday church after COVID-19

20 May, 2020 — Leave a comment

According to McCrindle’s latest Wilberforce Foundation research project (COVID19 NZ Values Study) conducted during the fourth week of Level 4 lockdown, the top emotions New Zealanders were feeling in response to the COVID-19 situation were hopeful (45%), anxious (39%), frustrated (27%), reflective (26%) and relaxed (25%). The research doesn’t dig down to what exactly New Zealanders were hopeful/anxious/frustrated/reflective/relaxed about, but I want to make a big deal about ‘hope’ as the top emotion. This hope could simply be because New Zealand has done so well at being kind, staying home, and saving lives.

My household repurposing the church carpark during Level 2 lockdown

With this backdrop of hope – which I too am filled with, I think the church is positioned for what could be its most significant change in living history.

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I’m getting married and my Dad is dying

27 May, 2015 — 31 Comments

This post is a personal reflection on some recent life events rather than anything specific about communication, church, or society – but you may notice those things coming through. I’m getting married, and my Dad is dying.

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On Friday 24 April Geraldine and I came to the point of deciding we wanted to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. This was in London.

The next morning I was woken up at 5.30am by the vibration of my cellphone. When I saw my sister’s name on the screen I knew it wouldn’t be good news. She was phoning from New Zealand to tell me our Dad was very sick and I needed to come home. Continue Reading…

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I’ve been made redundant

16 October, 2014 — 17 Comments

This is not my usual kind of blog post. Here is some news and reflection about my own personal situation right now: Sunday 21 December 2014 will be my last day as Assistant Minister at Oxford Terrace Baptist Church in Christchurch New Zealand.

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My position being made redundant was no surprise, and I have been a willing participant in the process the church went though over a ten-month period. It was decided that on financial grounds, the church is currently over-staffed, and in the end the church members concluded they could no longer sustain an Assistant Minister. Continue Reading…

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