My friends and colleagues, Rev Marge Tefft and Archdeacon Robin Kingston are in the eye of the media storm around the Pike River Mine explosion. Lloyd Ashton of Anglican Taonga is running a story on their roles here. An excerpt:
"Marge and Robin – who was Vicar at Holy Trinity for almost 20 years – and who helped the Coast through the Cave Creek tragedy [when fourteen young adults died in a tragic accident in 1994], have found themselves at the epicentre of a media storm.
“We’re just getting slammed,” says Marge. “We’re not media savvy. But since Friday evening, we’ve probably done about 20 interviews.”
Mostly, those requests come from New Zealand media, hungry for new insights, new angles on the Pike River drama. But Australian radio, TV and newspapers want to hear from Marge and Robin too, and Robin has also been interviewed by the BBC’s Radio 4.
“We’ve allowed the media in to the church for the services,” says Marge.
“But a journalist asked me today: ‘Is anybody praying in there now?’ I said ‘No. But even if there was, I’d ask you to wait outside.
“This has to be a sacred place.
“’When people come out, and they want to speak to you, that’s fine.
“But inside is a sanctuary – and providing that seems to be really important.” "
Thank you readers for your prayers. Still no news as I write this, almost 72 hours after the explosion.
3 comments:
St Paul's Chapel, part of the Trinity Wall Street Episcopal parish in NYC, served a similar role after the fall of the Twin Towers. It was a refuge open for emergency responders and everyone else. I think for well over a year it was staffed 24/7.
Prayers for all; miners, families, responders and those assisting all of the above. This disaster is very different from the one in Chile, but too similar to the one in West Virginia. Praying for God's Spirit with all.
Ongoing prayers, Peter. Individually, and from our community. Daily.
My prayers are with you all.
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