From +Philip

E te whānau a te Karaiti, broth­ers and sisters in Christ,

In my Charge to the Dio­cesan Synod this year I set out some of the real­it­ies we are facing as a Dio­cesan com­munity as we look into the imme­di­ate and medium term future. I invited all of those present to join with me in a series of con­ver­sa­tions in 2024 which will enable us to come to our Synod in October next year with a clear sense of dir­ec­tion and a Dio­cesan struc­ture which will enable this direction.

There are a number of options in front of us includ­ing, as I said in the Charge, the dis­es­tab­lish­ment of the Diocese. I want to extend this invit­a­tion to par­ti­cip­ate in determ­in­ing our future dir­ec­tion as widely as pos­sible. We are a diverse com­munity of con­greg­a­tions, schools, agen­cies, and mission ini­ti­at­ives. We are a mix of rural and urban, and reflect a broad cross-section of the com­munit­ies from Maxwell in the South to Whangamata in the North. We need to hear this diversity.

This first con­ver­sa­tion will ensure that we all under­stand the dimen­sion of the mission within the Diocese and the unique respons­ib­il­it­ies God has placed on this Diocese and its lead­er­ship, while also under­stand­ing the resources that we have to under­take this mission. As a result of this first con­ver­sa­tion, we will meet again on the 8th to 9th June in Hamilton for an overnight con­ver­sa­tion which will focus on a range of options for the future shape of Dio­cesan mission, as well as cre­at­ing an oppor­tun­ity for options to emerge from the dis­cern­ment of all who gather. The third con­ver­sa­tion will see us return to Te Kuiti on Sat­urday 17th August, where we will con­sider any pro­pos­als that are to be brought to the Dio­cesan Synod. Wherever pos­sible, we need all par­ti­cipants to commit to all three con­ver­sa­tions and while we know that this will not be pos­sible for every­one, the import­ance of working through this three-step process cannot be over-emphasised.
Above all, I see this process as a process of dis­cern­ment; by listen­ing to each other we listen to God, by seeking to discern where the Spirit is leading we are better able to listen to each other. I hope to be able to share before the end of this year who will help us engage in these con­ver­sa­tions, because listen­ing to the Spirit of God is not an exer­cise in stra­tegic plan­ning but genu­inely a process of pray­er­ful discernment.

I am pro­foundly ener­gised by the pos­sib­il­it­ies that are before us and have been very encour­aged by those I have met with since our Dio­cesan Synod who are like­wise feeling excited by the future God is leading us into.

Ngaa man­aakit­anga,

+Philip