Deepening Faith
Using our hearts, minds and strength to dig deeper into faith.
Jesus tells us to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbours as ourselves.
Any of us who have tried in some way to follow this calling of Jesus on our lives will have found it is wise, inspiring, and very difficult! That is why we need each other in the Body of Christ: both those we know personally, and those from the past and present whose guidance can help us along the way.
This page is a place to find resources for home groups/study groups (learning from each other), workshops within the Diocese and beyond, and opportunities for individual study (learning from the wider Body of Christ).
ADVENT
A time of waiting… of hope, faith, joy and love…
Faith communities and individuals across the Diocese have pooled ideas to form an online Advent Calendar for anyone who would like to mark our journey to Christmas together. Each day you click on a new door, and find a message, video, photo or idea to connect us with each other, and help us think about hope, peace, joy and love.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE CALENDAR although you won’t be able to open the first door until December 1st.
Bible Explore has a great range of Advent and Christmas resources. It’s a New Zealand website and on it you will find links and resources for every Sunday of the lectionary. It is especially helpful for intergenerational worship, but our Gospel Conversations generally feature too! Click the picture to be taken there.
The Diocese of Waiapu has created an Advent resource which is free for all to use. They write: “This study has been designed to be undertaken in two different contexts: by groups meeting in parishes or other ministry units (for example, schools or workplaces), or by people on their own to do at home. You might want to do it as a family. It’s happened in response to a request for an Advent study, a way of helping people reflect on this season and what it means to prepare for the coming of Christ.”
Access the study HERE or contact Anne on enabler@calledsouth.org.nz
This beautiful little book contains retellings of the stories of Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah which will make you stop, think, laugh and even perhaps find a tear appearing. They are written to be used in study groups or individually. You can order copies at intothedesert.org, or else ask Anne to borrow the one newly added to the Diocesan library enabler@calledsouth.org.nz
This is another beautiful resource, and it is free. Kate Bowler, who is well known for her podcast “Everything happens”, has created an Advent study of honesty, earthiness and hope. Once again, it is suitable both for individual and group study. Email her on katebowler.com/advent. for free access.
2024: Becoming Reconciling Communities
In 2024, we will be focusing on a Lambeth Call which is at the heart of our faith. We are to be ambassadors for Christ, bringing reconciliation to the world.
Yet so often our own communities are divided. We all want to love others, we all want to be peacebringers – but how do we do it? How do we start with ourselves? How can we become communities of peace, of non-violent and loving communication, of justice?
Below are some liturgies, prayers, studies and learning opportunities to consider. More will be put up over the year ahead.
This would be an invaluable study to use over Lent in 2024. Navigating a divided and complex world can be hard. We encounter this in our relationships, in our communities and in our wider systems and structures. Many of us long to make a difference, but often we don’t know how to respond or where to start. This is why Archbishop Justin Welby has brought together leading practitioners and thinkers to create Difference, equipping you to cross divides, navigate disagreement and pursue a just and flourishing world. Across five sessions, Difference teaches three habits that have the potential to transform everyday relationships. Talk with the Ministry Educator if you want to find out more.
Peace Liturgy
This PowerPoint has been designed to accompany the Peace Liturgy Leader Notes which are available for download. The liturgy is designed for a teacher, a class, a youth group or any group of people to reflect on and pray for peace. It can be used on or around International Day of Peace (21st September). You will notice that there is a Gospel reading and a selection of quotes. You may choose to use both or just one of these in the liturgy. The hope is for participants to reflect on what peace-building means and Jesus’ teaching about peace
It is very possible that the next few years will give rise to increasing debate over the Treaty of Waitangi. Many of us have collected various views and understandings over the years, some of which will be accurate, others less so. We will need to listen to each other carefully and respectfully, and be ready to speak out if it becomes clear that justice is threatened. This is a talk that Dean Jay Ruka from Taranaki Cathedral gave to an interdenominational group of school chaplains a few years ago, giving a quick overview of NZ Christian history and the treaty. It may be helpful.
Talking Circles
A Talking Circle can be a highly effective process for a group to use when we want to establish (or renew) trust and relationships; explore issues and creative opportunities; and develop shared commitment and collaborative action. If you would like to find out more about this, contact the Ministry Educator
A collection of Prayers for Peace
The following collection of prayers for the International Day of Prayer for Peace comes from a variety of denominations and countries. We encourage you to use them freely, taking note of the copyright information when given. Please cite the World Council of Churches if no other source is provided.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Upcoming workshops, talks, and opportunities to learn from the wisdom and experience of others
In a world where the toxicity of the contemporary Western church is regularly, and often justifiably highlighted, explore with us how contemporary churches can and should be places of transformation and healing.
Join us for Hope 2025 – an academic conference where theologians and practitioners can gather together to explore how contemporary churches are and can become flourishing communities. We will look at how God’s specific design for churches is that they are places of hope and restoration; both as overarching communities, and for individuals within these
communities. The conference will undertake a multidisciplinary and practical exploration of how, guided by the Spirit of God, we can positively create and sustain flourishing communities that heal and empower individuals within them.
Gathering the voices of practitioners, biblical scholars, systematic theologians, practical theologians, counsellors, and sociologists, the conference will discuss, explore, and draw some conclusions about how contemporary Western churches are and can become flourishing communities, which provide health and healing both to the overarching church body and to the individual bodies of which they are comprised.
Another great innovation from Diana Langdon and Strandz. “Our Bite Size conversations are the perfect place to dig into a range of children’s ministry leadership topics, over lunch or a cuppa. We’ll be gathering on Zoom in April and May, and would love you to join us.
Each 1 hour Zoom will include a short Discipleship Pathway video, a reflection and open discussion about how to lead well in this space. Join us for one, or all! These Bite size conversations are free, and open to everyone to dip into. BYO cuppa.” Click below for more.
From 27-31 January 2025, Dr Karen McClintock will teach an intensive course in Dunedin entitled Trauma-Informed Ministry. The course is jointly offered by the Theology Programme, University of Otago, and the Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership.
This course familiarises students with origins, definitions, and treatment of trauma from multiple disciplines. Trauma’s impact on the body, soul, relationships, and spirituality will be highlighted, along with congregational and community care. The course explores individual mental health concerns in the contexts of family of origin, intergenerational trauma born by repeated oppression and injustice, and community-wide traumas. Students will learn key principles of trauma-informed pastoral care in multi-ethnic contexts and discuss and develop their own ethical standards for trauma care.
The block course will start at 1pm on Monday 27 January and conclude at 1pm on Friday 31 January 2025. Classes will be held on the University of Otago Campus, Dunedin.
How to enrol
The course can be undertaken in two ways:
AUDIT
- You can attend the course as an audit student through KCML. This will cost $600. Under this option, you would not do any assessment, and the paper would not be credited to a qualification, but it would count as ongoing professional development for PCANZ.
To register for this option, complete the following form and email to: registrar@knoxcentre.ac.nz. Audit Student – Registration form for Trauma informed MinistrySubsidy for PCANZ Ministers for Audit
For ministers in the PCANZ, who are in good standing and have Presbytery approval – a study grant amounting to 75% of course fees have already been approved. A travel/accommodation grant will also be paid upon application. The travel/accommodation grant is based on geographical region (zones listed below)
Application form for the subsidy can be accessed here. Applications must be received by Friday 13th December 2024.
We are deeply fortunate to have a Chaplaincy programme at Otago University, and then blessed again to have the Rev’d Graham Redding running it. Any of you who were part of our first “Spring Saturday” workshop will remember him. If you are interested in learning more about chaplaincy of any form, or simply want to deepen your ability to reach out to those beyond the walls of the church, think about studying with Graham. More information below.
Resources for Study Groups
Below are some worthwhile programmes designed for study groups, home groups, or individual study.
Sometimes it can be good to check our foundations and dig them a little deeper. Olive Tree Media (Australian-based) have some brilliant resources, including videos and study guides, which call on the wisdom of Christians around the world to help us understand Jesus and faith better. See, to start with, their series, “Jesus the Game Changer.” The Ministry Educator is allowed to give a small number of people free access to these resources, so get in quick!
If you’ve been looking for something to use which isn’t Alpha but is aimed at the same sort of audience as Alpha, have a look at 321. It’s a new study series, made by an Australian Anglican priest in London who is making quite a splash as a speaker at the moment: Glen Scrivener. The course takes us through a basic introduction to Christianity in a way that encourages us to question and think, and always come back to Jesus. Best of all, it’s free!
The journal additionally welcomes readership and contributions from the global Anglican and theological communities.
Anne Gover has recently gifted her huge range of study notes to anyone who will find them useful. These are simple-to-use, informative and engaging studies which cover biblical characters, books, baptism and a host of other topics. If you are part of a small group (or would like to start one) these will make your preparation easy! Find them in a dropbox folder HERE.
Navigating a divided and complex world can be hard. We encounter this in our relationships, in our communities and in our wider systems and structures. Many of us long to make a difference, but often we don’t know how to respond or where to start. This is why Archbishop Justin Welby has brought together leading practitioners and thinkers to create Difference, equipping you to cross divides, navigate disagreement and pursue a just and flourishing world. Across five sessions, Difference teaches three habits that have the potential to transform everyday relationships. Talk with the Ministry Educator if you want to find out more.
Bible Project Classroom is an incredible way to dive deep into Scripture. You can choose an introduction to reading the Old Testament, or a series of over 30 sessions just on Genesis 1, or a whole range of others. Learn how the Scriptures have depths and complexities you’d never dreamed of, but learn it all in a completely accessible way.