Church of St Mary OCTOBER 2014 ‘Being as Christ to the Community’ INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Profi le of grave stalwart • New community cafe @Naki_Cathedral How church gets messy • Obituaries from the past year What is the Hope Project? • Pipe organ on the move www.facebook.com/TaranakiCathedral FFromrom thethe OOrganrgan CConsoleonsole Travelling organ for local choirs The cathedral’s new portable continuo and liturgical performances in Lower organ is a valued addition to the array Hutt and Wellington. of instruments already in Taranaki, Christopher had been expecting a and a quality investment that will only $25-30,000 asking price, but Mr Alcorn increase over time. said he was 90 years old and if he That’s the belief of Christopher Luke, knew the instrument was going to a the Director of Music to the Taranaki good home, he would be happy to part community and the cathedral. with it for $12,000. It was the third of 16 instruments built in NZ, Australia Christopher said he had been thinking and the US. about the purchase of such an organ, but the problem was fi nding the ideal The casework is made of The cathedral’s new portable instrument without the huge price tag. oak and the wooden pipes organ with its oak case and keys When he was told that a four-stop of cypress wood, with the made of rosewood and maple. organ was available for purchase remaining pipework made he contacted owner Armer Alcorn in of metal. The keys are As well as being used in the cathedral, and to accompany the choir when it Lower Hutt. Mr Alcorn had it made rosewood and maple. by Auckland organ builders Bruce sang elsewhere in Taranaki, it can Thompson and Associates in 1990. Christopher said the organ was accompany both the Ars Nova Choir designed for easy transport, and and the Madrigal Companie. He mostly played it himself at home, can fi t into a station wagon or but it had also been used in concert Mark Birch large hatchback. Ringing a tune – slightly off -key Don Morton, a cathedral one at the higher end of the scale), Shortly before leaving for home, I parishioner, explains his part so we offered to take the two bells retraced our journey to Whitechapel in the restoration of the church immediately below and above, and get Road. I returned to Harpenden with handbells more than 30 years ago. a replacement for the missing handbell three bells. I had been told by the while we were overseas. Foundry that the two bells were slightly Reading the article in a recent off key, so the new bell was tuned the cathedral magazine about the St Not long after arriving in Harpenden same, slightly off key!. Mary’s handbells reminded me of our (my brother’s home town) we travelled overseas holiday in 1982. We had into London by train to St Pancras On the journey home we carried the sold part of our farm, leased the rest Station and then by tube to East handbells in our luggage. When we and then moved into New Plymouth. It London to Whitechapel Road, to the went through the x-ray surveillance in came to June and we set off on our big Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It was a bit the aiport, the customs operator wished overseas holiday. At that time there was of an education for both of us. We were us well with our handbells. a set of handbells in a box in the ladies’ made welcome and I explained about Don Morton choir vestry; it was an incomplete set the missing bell. No trouble they said, as there was one bell missing (a small come back in a couple of months. 2 A message from yyourour DDeanean TĒNĀ KOUTOU KATOA my warmest greetings to you. On a Sunday in early October, I shared some journey of faith. Or refl ections on where God has been leading me might not. Ways over the couple of months I’ve been working that have nothing to on setting up the Retreat on Hurford Road (see do with fundraising www.taranakiretreat.org.nz for more info on or sustaining the that). To share this a little more widely, here’s a institution; ways that are not so much about summary of what was said - as it some prayerful us, but are very much and exciting news for us all to be a part of. about the least and Have you read Chasing Francis by Ian the last in Taranaki. Cron? It’s a great piece of theological To better grow such and historical writing, blended with a fruit as a cathedral, I think we need to tune in again to fi ctional story of a pastor who has lost the simplicity of the St Francis way. Spend less. Live his faith, connecting with the fi gure of St more simply. For every dollar we spend, we have to work Francis and fi nding God in a new and harder to fundraise, to get to square one. If it’s spent on beautiful way. We’ll be basing our Advent institutional maintenance (and much inevitably must be), Group this year on this book, in which Ian then it’s a dollar less with which we can really help the comments on the radical simplicity of the marginalised in our community. So, one way in which Gospel that Francis espoused : we’ve started to do this, is by reducing this very magazine “Francis was more than an entertaining street preacher. down by four pages, and decreasing our print run. He didn’t want to win people to faith through theological Don’t forget there’s a basket at the back of the cathedral arguments or by reasoning with them. His way of where you can drop in a tin which will go to foodbank. evangelizing people was through the example of this own Just one extra tin in the weekly shop; we might not even life. That’s what gave his simple words so much gravity notice the difference – but what an expression of love if and impact. His life was his theology”. that basket is groaning with tins each week, and it takes Another aspect of Ian’s book that’s deeply touched two people to stagger up the aisle with it. me over the hours of working the land at the Retreat, Beginning on 4th November, we will be beginning out a both from the seat of the digger and top of a spade, new community cafe on Tuesdays, 7.30-10am. Anyone has been his simple expression of the kingdom model will be able to get a delicious hot crepe with a range of for church life: scrumptious toppings, and a hot drink, all in for a dollar “I’d like to be known as a `come-and-see’ Christian. If (or free, if times are hard). The Hatherly Hall will be set someone asks me what kind of church I belong to, I want out cafe style with lovely tables, and members of the to say, `a come-and-see church.’ Come and see how we church family (myself included) ready to take the orders love the poor, come and see how we give dignity back and to wait at the tables – and maybe to have a bit of to those who’ve lost it or given it away, come and see a chat about matters spiritual. Just a gift of love to our how we encounter God through every spiritual practice city. It’s about meeting people, welcoming them across at our disposal, come and see how we love one another the threshold and being a “come and see people”. Every in community, come and see how we stand for peace dollar raised will go to charities working against ebola in and justice, come and see how we’ve been freed from the developing world. People are sponsoring elements consumerism and have become radically generous, of the breakfast (eg the eggs, fl our, coffee etc) - please come and see our passion for beauty, come and see how contact me if you could be one of our supporters. we defend the earth, come and see how we preach the And do come and enjoy a crepe and a coffee, next gospel at all times and when necessary use words. Come Tuesday - bring a friend - and make adelicious difference. and see-and perhaps after a while you’ll decide to join us in the story we’re living in.” Lovingly We have to keep rediscovering ways to be a “come Jamie Jamie Allen and see” people; ways which might, one day, lead to a Dean EXERCISE YOUR WILL POWER - REMEMBER ST MARY’S IN YOUR WILL 3 Grave man digs to restore past The heritage graveyard surrounding the Cathedral Church of St Mary in New Plymouth is a peaceful place steeped in history that goes right back to the digging of the fi rst grave in 1843. But over the years the graves and headstones of early settlers and their families – and soldiers garrisoned in the town – have suffered from the ravages of time; and that’s where John Pickering comes in. For the last three years John – husband of the Revd Sue Pickering - has been a familiar sight at work on those graves: John Pickering among the graves of St Mary’s churchyard repairing them, restoring them and cleaning them. look after their 20 graves.” there were two papers” (the John’s interest in genealogy has evening Taranaki Herald and With the help of parishioner come in handy while working on the morning Daily News).