Letters of commendation

It is a pleasure this morning to write commending the work of others, three colleagues all affected to one degree and another by the quake, in particular reworking ministries in changed circumstances, including broken churches.

Bosco Peters now has Liturgy up and running again. The school where he works is in the central business district of Christchurch which has been without power until very recently. No power, no server, no website for several weeks. But all is well again and I am looking forward to a new lease of life at Liturgy after an unexpected and surely unwanted 'leave of absence' from the blogosphere.

As I listen to people, lay and ordained, proferring their opinions of good preachers around and about, a couple of names often get mentioned in dispatches. From my own experience these high opinions are well-founded. Anglican Taonga carries an excellent recent 'post-quake' sermon from each ... from Jay Behan and from Lynda Patterson.

Thank you for your continuing prayers for us. Many challenges face us, and many predictable challenges lie ahead such as the need for stamina, patience, and the hope of which Jay speaks and the faith of which Lynda speaks. The way ahead for many parishes and church schools is a matter of seeing through a glass darkly (will the engineers declare our building(s) should be demolished? will the insurers agree? will people/pupils who have left for safer pastures return?).