Thought For The Week 27 November 2022

Last week Rory and I attended the One Conference in Wellington, held at the beautiful and historic St Johns in Willis St. The conference brought together ministers and leaders from across our PCANZ family for encouragement, networking and resourcing. Unlike General assembly, there were no business sessions, motions to pass or policies to approve. This made it a very refreshing gathering devoid of politics! It was also nice to catch up with  colleagues from around the country- I think it took me 30 minutes to get to the registration table because I kept bumping into people I knew!

One thing I found encouraging was the number of younger ministers who attended. There were quite a few in their 30’s and 40’s and the general age profile was lower than I was expecting. This style of conference clearly hits the mark for these younger leaders and it gives me hope to see them enthusiastically engaged in the life of our church. A wide range of breakout sessions were offered covering a diverse range of topics (eg care for creation, being more than a ‘somewhat healthy church’, retiring well and many others); for me these were a highlight. Hopefully this will not be a one off event!

Tomorrow I am off to walk the Routeburn track with my daughter and sisters in law. There is snow forecasted. Wish me luck!

Blessings,

Brent