Posts from 2020

Pandemics, recessions and Ilam I’m hugely indebted to Malcolm McKellar for his Facebook post a couple of weeks back mentioning Tom Wright’s book “God and the Pandemic” – which I had read about, but not obtained and read. It is a thoroughly worthwhile short book, and puts many things in perspective around our response to the current pandemic! (If you haven’t read anything from Tom Wright before, this is a good one to get a feel for how he makes…

Hi Ilamites I guess that, this week, we’re probably all holding our breath to see whether the government relaxes restrictions next week, and we return to Alert Level 1 once again. It’s a nice thought for life in general – especially with the school holidays coming up at the end of next week. From a church point of view, it would mean that we can return to meeting together on Sundays and services at Ilam School can re-commence. In the…

Hi Ilamites It’s the season of retreats again – this weekend the Women’s Retreat (the men’s turn is coming up at election weekend in mid-October). It’s so encouraging that these annual events have become very much part of our annual planning – and really great that (for the women, at least) COVID-19 has not got in the way! Let’s be praying for the women this weekend as they head up to Hanmer Springs. It seems from feedback we’ve had so…

Hi Everyone I hope that life –  school, work, study, along with everything else –  is feeling in balance for you, despite the stresses of this pandemic season! We miss catching up with everyone, of course, but are continuing to pray for you – the words of the Ilam Benediction feel very appropriate for us all right now, so feel free to claim them for yourself today! How was “Ilam in Groups” for you last Sunday? Feedback has been very…

Hi Everyone It’s nearly the end of August – and so lovely to see the usual signs of a Christchurch Spring coming into full swing – the daffodils in Hagley Park, the early flowering trees and rhododendrons. Colour is bursting out around us! There are some trees around the offices here at 51 Ilam Road which have become a bit like “friends” over the last 4 years since I arrived at Ilam – it’s great to see their bursts of…

COVID-19 Update Hi everyone The weeks seem to be rolling around very quickly, don’t they?! Already it is over a week since the change in alert levels. It’s reassuring, though, to know that the team of 5 million is pulling its weight and so we find ourselves still at Alert Level 2. In relation to this coming Sunday, August 23: The first thing to mention is that we will be doing a Service Sheet and setting up a Zoom church…

COVID-19 Update Hi folks It seems that we have moved back into that familiar territory of uncertainty with this virus, meaning that we need to be fluid in our planning as we navigate the changing environment. As far as church is concerned, the Governance Team and staff are monitoring all developments and government guidelines and will ensure that how we operate as church will take account of the changing situation. As at today (Thursday), we are operating under Alert Level 2 (as you…

STOP PRESSWe are holding our breath to see if there’s going to be an announcement of a move to Alert Level 1 early next week. In case there is, we are already putting in place plans for a return to Ilam School from next Sunday, June 14. We’ll let you know once we can confirm what’s planned. Watch this space!! +          +          +          +          +          +          + What a year this is turning out to be! The global pandemic has exposed our…

Greetings fellow Ilamites!  How are you going? How is life opening up for you as the lockdown restrictions ease? Experiences will be very different for each of us, I appreciate. (For my part, I’ve found it’s been taking a while to feel at ease away from the “security” of home! I’ve been really surprised by that.) We have been praying for you all, though, especially that you will feel a sense of progress, and encouragement – even if the bigger…

Greetings fellow Ilamites!  How has your first full week of Level 2 been? New routines /new priorities / new ways of working, I guess. It feels like we are always in transit – from one “normal” to the next “normal” – no one stage, though, actually in the least bit normal! I found when I was out (at Bush Inn) for the first time this week that everything looked familiar, but it didn’t feel familiar – everywhere there were notices…

Greetings fellow Ilamites!  I imagine we’ve all expended quite a lot mental energy this week working out what the Level 2 lockdown requirements mean to us, our families and our workplaces! It’s hard to switch off from it all, isn’t it? I wrote last week about the importance of the arts in this season – and, for myself, I have been trying to find space to listen to music as a way of allowing my mind to find a more…