Vicar's Letter - 20 May 2022

​Kia Ora All Saints,
 
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about connection. In my mental health practice I’ve been studying the nervous system and how our nervous system responds to our external environment, but especially to connection with others around us. We are created by God to be deeply relational human beings. The biggest hurts in our life come from disconnection and the best things in life come through connection. It’s how God made us and it’s fun to read the work of the world’s top neuroscientists as they explain this through a scientific lens.
 
This is important for so much of our life. It affects our physical health, our happiness, whether we are anxious or calm. But it also affects our faith. Connection with others brings us into a state of nervous system function that sets us up for being able to sit in God’s peace and dwell in his goodness. This is not to say that we can’t get there on our own, but together with others it’s so much easier, and again, it’s how God made us.
 
Leading up to our “Go Sunday” at the end of this month I have been thinking a lot about the importance of connection and relationship as we strive to be deeply a part of our local community. Our house church is doing a working bee at Hataitai Kindy and already we know of 3-4 other kindy families who are going to join us. I believe this is more valuable than we even realise.
 
The connections we will all make on May 29th aren’t just for the purpose of one day inviting them to church (although that’s cool too). The connection itself is an agent of God’s healing in this world. When we bring the Holy Spirit, and the peace that comes with that, into time spent with other human beings, we bring a taste of God’s kingdom.
 
So whether you are going to share cups of tea with those at Rita Angus, walk with others in the community at the Hataitai Litter Blitz, clean up the kindy, or any of the other things our church whanau is going out to do – know that your presence is powerful and your connection with those around you is important. This is what the church is meant to be about and I’m so proud to watch as you all take up the challenge!
 
Ngā Mihi Nui,
Summer