Communications LETTER 10TH April 2026

Justin Ravenswood (Communications Coordinator)

Kia ora All Saints,
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This letter is my first and sadly, also my last. I wanted to take this opportunity to say what a privilege it has been to serve in the communications role here at All Saints. Over the past three years, I have enjoyed sharing the stories of all the amazing things happening in this place, both weekly and seasonally, with the wider Hataitai and Kilbirnie community.
 
As Guy mentioned at the AGM in late March, my role as Communications Coordinator comes to an end today. While that brings a sense of sadness to leave this role, it also comes with a lot of gratitude. As the role has grown and shifted over my time, I have been blessed with many skills I can now take with me. It has also been amazing meeting all the incredible people who have walked through the doors of All Saints, from month old babies to those who have reached the impressive heights of triple digits. Being part of a community that spans generations has been a real highlight of this role.
 
Reflecting on recent weeks, I found them particularly full and heavy, marked by Easter, a family loss, and the end of this role.
 
In the midst of all of that, on the evening of Maundy Thursday, as I read part of the Easter story from a children’s Bible before bedtime to an amazing kid we were looking after, I found myself thinking about the question, What’s next? Jesus has just died. What is Mary and the disciples doing now? 
 
The Bible does not tell us much about the days between the cross and the resurrection. The women stay close, watching where Jesus is laid. The disciples hide behind locked doors, full of fear and uncertainty. There was no plan or sense of victory, only grief, confusion, and waiting.
 
This question stayed with me, as I reflected on my own experience of loss, particularly when I lost my mum a couple of years ago. When life seemed to pause and felt it had no clear direction, the only question was how to move forward.
 
Easter, for me this year, hasn’t only been about the joy of resurrection on Sunday. It has also been about remembering that God meets us in the waiting, in the grief, and in the unanswered questions. God’s work may often be unseen and unfelt. He is always present, even in those in‑between spaces.
 
While my role here is coming to an end, my time at All Saints is not. I’ll still be here on Sundays, worshipping alongside you. I am grateful for this community, and for the time I have been able to serve it. Thank you for welcoming me, supporting me, and allowing me to be part of this place.