Parish COVID-19 Update

These notices are to bring you up to date with the Parish steps and procedures addressing COVID-19. Please see Unite Against COVID-19 or The Ministry of Health for further information about Government information and guidelines.

Services: Click here for Facebook | Click here for YouTube

14 September 2022

This week has seen the end of the end of the Government’s COVID-19 Protection Framework (the ‘traffic lights’). This means that the need to wear masks in many situations has been removed. For some time now we have allowed people to make their personal choices about wearing masks in services and this continues. Whilst they are no longer required for church activities, we want everyone to feel comfortable to wear masks if they wish to, or not, leaving that personal choice over to the individual. There will continue to be hand sanitizer available for people to use particularly as you come forward for communion. Our current arrangement will remain for at least another month (standing to receive), with those administering communion remaining stationary. We will review this at the end of October as to when or if we return to the system we had prior to COVID. Please free to share your thoughts about this with me, so I can hear people’s preferences

Thanks, Louise.

27 July 2022

We have had another health department advisement to say that someone who attended the 9:30am service on Sunday 24th July has subsequently tested positive for COVID. Below is the current information from the Health Department for when this occurs.

What to do if you were present at any of the events– if you do NOT live with the person with COVID-19:

  • If you do not have COVID symptoms, you do not need to get a test or self-isolate. However, please avoid contact with vulnerable groups or individuals for 10 days from the date above, and watch out for symptoms.
  • If you have or develop COVID symptoms, please isolate at home and get tested immediately. If you still have symptoms after a negative test, stay at home and isolate until 24 hours after your symptoms stop. If your symptoms get worse, contact your local healthcare provider or call Healthline on 0800 358 5453
  • If you are waiting for a test result, it is important you do not go to work or leave your home. If you need to miss work, financial support may be available. You can show your employer this letter if necessary.
  • If you test positive, there is further advice available on the Unite against COVID-19 website: https://covid19.govt.nz/isolation-and-care/if-you-have-covid-19/

What to do if you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19

If you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you are a ‘household contact’. You must follow different steps to the advice given above, including isolating at home for at least 7 days. More information is available from: https://covid19.govt.nz/testing-and-tracing/contact-tracing/household-contacts/

You can also call Healthline for free on 0800 358 5453. This is a free, 24/7 service with interpreters available. Tell them you are a ‘household contact’.

What to do if you are a Household Close Contact and a Critical Worker

If you are a ‘household close contact’ AND a Critical Worker, specific advice for you is available from: https://covid19.govt.nz/testing-and-tracing/contact-tracing/critical-workers/

Testing

Testing is free. You can find your nearest testing centre here: www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19, or free-phone Healthline: 0800 358 5453.
You can also order Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) and use these yourself at home. RATs are the main type of test now being used, with results only taking about 20 minutes. You can order RATs on-line or over the phone.

Find out more here.

COVID-19 symptoms

  • new or worsening cough
  • sneezing and runny nose
  • fever
  • temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste
  • sore throat
  • shortness of breath

Less common symptoms of COVID-19 may include: diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability. These almost always occur with one or more of the common symptoms.

For further help:

11 April 2022

Greetings to you on Holy Week,

We are quite a transient parish community at the moment with some travelling out of the city, some being cautious due to COVID, limitations for others in their ability to simply ‘get out’, and health issues for others, meaning attendance on a Sunday is not possible for everyone, so this letter is an attempt to keep people up to date with what is happening.

Our 8am service on Sunday had 32 participants which is almost back to pre-covid numbers and our 9:30am service is hovering around the 80s which is still a little lower than the middle of last year, but fairly good considering.

Church services will continue online for our main Sunday worship. Thank you to our AV team who make this happen. Any ‘extra services’ won’t be live-streamed at this stage, so please make use of the multitude of other services from around the globe that are online and access those as you are able.

Easter services this week.
Monday – Wednesday = 7pm short reflective services 30 mins in length.
Wednesday = 11:30am the usual mid-week communion service.
Thursday = 7pm Maundy Thursday service with Holy Communion.
Good Friday = reflective service which journeys through the events leading to Jesus’ death on the cross,
12-3 pm church is open for quiet prayer or contemplation
  Easter Sunday = 8am and 9:30am services.
Kids and youth church combined activities this morning at the 9:30am service.

We had a very successful cleaning bee on Saturday with 36 people attending. It was a fantastic turnout and the evidence of the ‘Autumn’ clean is easy to see. Thank you to those who were able to come and offer your time and gifts in the many different ways on the day or during the week. Having a wonderful supply of palm crosses meant that we are also able to bless others who couldn’t attend on Sunday.

Vaccine passes are no longer needed when you come along to church, so I want to pass on my thanks to the teams who have been the checkers of these at the door. It is not an easy task and one that has been a challenge to our open door policy and welcoming of all people. Thank you for negotiating that carefully and having, at times, difficult conversations. It is wonderful to be able to have those restrictions eased now that the Government had changed these rulings.

Our Anzac Service will be held on Monday 25th April at 9:30am in the church and concludes up at the Memorial Cross where there will be an opportunity for people to lay wreaths.

Please note that our church office will be closed on public holidays, so on Easter weekend it will close at 3:30pm on Thursday 14th April and reopen at 9am on Tuesday 19th April. It will also be closed on Anzac Day.

The Easter edition of The Apostle is available for reading online or you may like to pick up a printed copy from church. Please consider those who aren’t regular computer users, and perhaps take a copy to them if they aren’t able to attend church at the moment. If you would like a magazine popped into your letterbox please make contact with the office and we will see what we can arrange. Huge thanks to those who contributed to the magazine and also to the editing and production team of Anne and Isobell. It is a high quality magazine and we are grateful for their skills in bringing it all together.

We do hope that you are able to find a meaningful way to connect with God during Holy Week.

Easter blessings to you
kia haumaru – stay safe!

Louise, Kerry and the St Aidan’s team.

The Sunday 9:30am service is offered online via Facebook and also on YouTube at a later time. The links are as follows:
Facebook or YouTube 

25th March 2022

* parts of this announcement have been taken out, as they were not COVID or service related. If you would like to be on our mailing list to get the full emails, please contact office@staidans.co.nz

Greetings Parish family,

I thought it was timely to bring you up to date with a few items…

Sunday 27th March is our SGM, which focuses on finances. We aim to get under way soon after 10:45 am. As there may well be people who are unable to attend this meeting for a variety of reasons we will be offering the option of people joining in via Zoom along with those who will attend in person. Please find the link to join via Zoom below; noting the passcode is 1, to enter the meeting. We will do our best to work with the sound quality and also images so that those at home can see the same PowerPoint presentation that Kumar will present. In advance, please bear with any technical issues. A huge thanks to Kumar who, with the additional support of Russell, ensure that we are ‘on track’ financially.

Join SGM Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95919320025?pwd=SHAzL1kwTmcyYm1PdkdzNVNLNUZ6dz09

Meeting ID: 959 1932 0025
Passcode: 1

Changes to the Covid Protection Framework tonight resulted in some updates to the Diocesan recommendations and an email advising of what that means for us in the parish. We have worked with in those guidelines and so from this Sunday:-

  • The 8am congregation have moved back to using the prayer books
  • The removal of seated spacing signs. We still encourage you to spread yourselves out where ever possible but there are no longer designated pews for each service
  • You no longer need to scan a QR code as you enter or sign in manually for contact tracing. We will keep a few QR codes up on display however, for those that would like to continue to do this for their own records
  • WE DO still need to sight vaccine passes as you attend the church service in person, but this may only be for a few more weeks. We will advise you when this change occurs and vaccine passes are no longer needed.
  • Guidelines around mask wearing remains the same so we are still encouraging the wearing of masks during our services and at indoor events.

Do keep up to date with what is happening in the parish through our newsletter which can be emailed out to you, or view it online on our website under ‘Resources’. Contact Anne in the office if you would like to receive the newsletter via email each week.

Kia kaha and every blessing
Louise

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
louise@staidans.co.nz

The Sunday 9:30am service is offered online via Facebook and also on YouTube at a later time. Click the links:
Facebook or YouTube

18th February 2022

* parts of this announcement have been taken out, as they were not COVID or service related. If you would like to be on our mailing list to get the full emails, please contact office@staidans.co.nz

Greetings Parish Family,

I write to you as COVID numbers show a marked increase over the last few days. This does mean that there is a higher chance of parishioners needing to isolate as they become close contacts.

COVID and Isolation Support Firstly as a church we want to be able to assess which parishioners may need support if they are isolating for a week or longer. Whilst we realize many have family members in town, or friends that could easily step in to drop off a prescription or a few groceries, there may be some with no ready help on hand. We are not sure how much we as a church can offer assistance but we would really hate to see anyone ‘stuck’. Below are some questions – please answer them and send them to office@staidans.co.nz so that we can collate the information and know if you have assistance if you had to isolate, or if you are able to perhaps help someone else by picking up a script or dropping off some groceries for them.

  • Name:
  • Address:
  • Phone number:
  • Email:
  • Do you have family members in town, who can drive? Yes/No
  • Do you have neighbours/friends/others who may be able to offer support to you if you were isolating or unwell? Yes/No
  • Do you have a plan, if you need to isolate, to get essential items and any medications? Yes/No
  • Are you able to offer assistance to others if needed? Yes/No

To download and make an isolation plan for your household, click here. As the Government has suggested, do take the time whilst you are well and have some freedom to make sure you are stocked with medications and the basics (we aren’t suggesting you start hoarding the toilet paper though!).

Church services – Services are currently still operating physically on a Sunday morning at 8am and 9:30am and on a Wednesday at 11:30am, however this will be monitored to assess what our response will be to growing numbers. We may make changes to our current arrangements but we will advise you through letters such as this.  The Sunday 9:30am service continues to be offered online via Facebook and also on YouTube at a later time. The links are as follows: Facebook or YouTubeVestry will be discussing our current setting at their upcoming meeting and it was a key part of the discussion at the diocesan clergy cluster meeting this week. I encourage you to make decisions that you feel comfortable and safe about. What might be fine for one person may feel uneasy for another.

Church groups and planned activities are constantly under assessment. If you are in doubt about something please make contact with the leader of the group to see if it is still being held and if there have been any additional changes for safety. This week is when Youth on a Sunday begins and also Kids Church. Nic and Izzi will be in touch regarding the plans for this and if there have been any changes to how they are operating.

I will send out another letter next week to provide an update regarding any changes to services and activities due to Covid but also further information about Lenten programmes.

In the meantime, 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Kia kaha and every blessing
Louise

27th January 2022

* parts of this announcement have been taken out, as they were not COVID or service related. If you would like to be on our mailing list to get the full emails, please contact office@staidans.co.nz

Kia ora Parish Family,

The move back to red level hopefully won’t see too many changes to our services. We were only four Sundays at Orange! It does mean that we continue to need our My Vaccine Passes to be shown at the door as we enter, and we need to continue to wear our masks. We are back to sitting one (1) metre spacing in the pews, but we are experts at that now and with our large church, it is easy to do. We will need to push pause on our recently restarted teas and coffees after the service, but will look to commencing this again when we move to Orange. Do consider other ways that you can offer hospitality to one another after the service.

Sunday 30th January is our last combined 9am service. From Sunday 6th February, we are back to our regular service times of  8am and 9:30 am and our usual rosters are back in action.  

Blessing of the ‘Backpacks’ was introduced last year, and enabled us as a parish to pray specifically for the children, youth and teachers as they commenced their school/tertiary year. This is happening on Sunday 13th February during the 9:30am service, so for those attending – bring along the bag/lunchbox/tablet or whatever it is that represents your return to learning this year. Let us pray for and with you. For those who aren’t able to join us and will be watching on line, you can still join in so be ready. We will also acknowledge this at the 8am service as we have two baptism families with children keen to participate with this.

Watching our services online. When recording the church services for online viewing we are trying to get a good balance between displaying the words so that people can join in with the responses, and using the cameras to show what is occurring. When using the ‘system’ rather than someone’s cellphone, we have a few more options, but it is a complex mix. Whilst some might want to see the camera view at home, it can be a distraction for those in church. We are aware the volume is fairly quiet at times making it hard to hear so we are working on this. Thank you so much for your patience. We have appreciated your feedback and the team is working hard to upskill and to address some of these issues that have been raised. Many thanks to those on the AV team and the handful of others who have offered to help to get things working smoothly. We are very grateful.

Our mid- week service recommences on Wednesday 9th February at 11:30am. For those who want to attend a short communion service with small numbers it is ideal if you are concerned about large church gatherings. My Vaccine Passes and masks are still required as part of keeping everyone safe.

We will keep you updated regarding any further changes to services and events as we move forward.

Yours in Christ,
Louise
Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
louise@staidans.co.nz

25th January 2022

We are able to remain open under the ‘Red’ traffic light, so we will continue with our services in person at this stage – still using the My Vaccine Pass and masks. We will also continue to upload recordings, for those that are unable or uncomfortable about coming to church at the moment.
Please note 30th Jan is our last Summer Service at 9am, meaning we will go back to our separate 8am and 9:30am services the following weekend.

22nd December 2021

Greetings Parish family,

I write to you as we draw ever closer to Christmas. According to the sheep in the nativity scene on the road edge which counts down, 3 sleeps to go! Unless anything untoward occurs this will be my final parish-wide email for 2021. These emails seemed to have worked well to keep our wider church community updated about news and the ever-changing landscape of church amidst the COVID pandemic (please get in touch if you would prefer to get these via email than read them off our website).

For those that feel comfortable and have a My Vaccine Pass, we have now gathered for two Sunday services and last week re-introduced Communion for the first time since August. Singing with masks, sitting with 1-metre spacings, and standing to receive Communion is now a part of the routine for the red level traffic light system. When we move with the rest of the country to the orange level at the start of 2022, we will be able to ease some of the restrictions on numbers, seating arrangements and look towards offering hospitality again after the service.

For those who are joining the services online, we continue to offer what we can with a combination of Facebook live and YouTube (the latter being posted a little later on the Sunday). We are continuing to work through a number of technical issues and a huge thanks to our team of volunteers who have spent many hours trying to get to the source of the problems.

Christmas services have plenty of options however with our limit of 100 people I am particularly concerned about the 9:30am service on Christmas Day and didn’t want to get into booking seats which was an option that was considered. Traditionally we have had around 150 people attend the 9:30am morning service and it would be disappointing for people if we have to say “there is no room…” mimicking the words of the innkeeper. For our regulars, if there are other options that you could consider such as joining the 8 am this year, or come on Christmas Eve and consider making the 26th December your family service instead that might be a generous way that you could allow space for others. The service times are:-

Christmas Eve, 24th December 2021
7pm Traditional Holy Communion
11pm Midnight Carols & Holy Communion

Christmas Day, 25th December 2021
8am Holy Communion
9:30am Family Service & Holy Communion

Or join us for our first ‘Summer Service’, Sunday 26th December 2021
9am Family Service & Holy Communion

During January all services are at 9 am.

*My Vaccine Pass is required for all services at this current time.

This year our children’s Christmas Eve service is online and will be available from 4pm on 24th December either on Facebook or Youtube. I do hope you will be able to join in with them or share the link with others. A huge thank you to Izzi for her work on the preparation and filming.

Our newsletter provides plenty of information about January and what is happening when. However, please note the office will close from 3pm on Wednesday 22nd December and reopen on Friday 21st January.

I am taking some short mini-breaks across January and I am very grateful to Reverend Anne Priestley who is taking a couple of services and also Reverend Helen Wilderspin who has kindly agreed to lead one Sunday in the middle of the month to assist with some time for me to re-energize. So for those who are assisting with services, Anne is leading 2nd January, Louise 9th and 16th, Helen 23rd Jan.

I am aware that usually towards the end of the year, we would have a ‘thank you morning tea’ to acknowledge the vast number of people who contribute to the smooth running of St Aidan’s. With lockdowns and restrictions sadly this hasn’t been possible this year. On behalf of vestry and myself please accept my sincere thanks and we are certainly blessed by the many capable people who give so readily in many different ways.

Do have a safe Christmas holiday time.
May you know God’s peace and blessing at Christmas.

Yours in Christ,
Louise
Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
louise@staidans.co.nz

9th December 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID!

Last week I emailed about getting a My Vaccine Pass. This week I outline information about returning to church and so scroll down to find out information on:-
Background to the decisions, My Vaccine Pass, scanning in, masks, social distancing, singing, Eucharist, collections, kid’s church and youth, after the service, congregations not mixing, regular reviewing, church services continuing online.

We have been given clear instructions from the Diocese about how we safely gather for worship. There are a few things we can adapt due to our context (buildings and service numbers etc) so what follows, pertains to us at St Aidan’s. The big decisions about using My Vaccine Pass to gather, is made by Government regulations and then the Diocese.

BACKGROUND (based on excerpts taken from the Diocese)

Jesus said: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39

To love our neighbour is to recognise their needs equally with our own. It is to understand ourselves as relational and interdependent rather than as isolated individuals.

This may mean we limit some of our personal freedoms as an expression of our commitment to the common good. We recognise these are exceptional circumstances and so for a time we are required to apply some exceptional measures.

We have carefully considered the practicalities of our common life together in worship services alongside the Government requirements at each level under the traffic light system in order to meet our duty of care and love for the most vulnerable members of our congregations. We want people to have the greatest confidence possible to enable them to safely attend church services and so we, therefore, have a responsibility to take safety within our spaces extremely seriously and do all we can to minimise risk.

MY VACCINE PASS
Everyone working at or attending a worship service is required to have a current My Vaccine Pass, and this must be shown to a sidesperson, greeter, or other nominated people before entering the building. A purple vaccination card or vaccination confirmation letter cannot be used as proof of vaccination status, and a negative test result is not a substitute for My Vaccine Pass.

We aren’t required to use the Ministry of Health verifier app but may do so on occasions. People under the age of 12 years and 3 months can be admitted without a My Vaccine Pass.

SCANNING IN
Everyone entering the building is still required to either scan in on their phone just like we have for the past 12 months or complete the manual contact tracing form. This form asks for your name and contact details. The completed form is placed into the box and stored for 60 days along with any other forms for that service. It only needs to be referred to in the unlikely case of someone becoming unwell.

MASKS
We are strongly encouraging everyone attending services to wear masks. The only exceptions to this are those ‘performing’ (that is the term used on the guidance sheets). So if you are a reader, intercessor, liturgist or preacher etc you will be able to remove your mask when you undertake those tasks.

SOCIAL DISTANCING
We have to maintain a one-metre spacing from other people not in your bubble when we are seated, and this includes front and back. So we will be sitting on every second pew leaving one pew spacing between people. Be aware you might not be able to sit in your favourite pew. The 8am congregation will use different pews to the 9.30am congregation, signs have been put up to assist with where you can sit.

SINGING
As we are using My Vaccine Pass we are able to sing in church. I will, initially, be encouraging those without masks to hum and only those with masks to sing the words.

EUCHARIST
For our first service back, some people will find there is a lot to adjust to. It will have been 16 Sundays since we have gathered together in the church building. For many, it will be the largest gathering of people they have been with for some time so we are easing back into things carefully. On Sunday 12th December we won’t have Communion as part of the service. The format will be similar to what has been online. Sunday 19th December we will reinstate Communion as part of the services and at the red level, this is administered in one kind – the bread.

COLLECTION
We will revert back to using the collection box placed by the entrance of the church. People are encouraged to place any donations into the box as they enter or depart. Many people I know give via automatic payment so this is a reminder for those who have envelopes or give cash.

KID’S CHURCH and YOUTH
Izzi will run a Kid’s Church programme for those who are ready to return to church and have home activities for those who are waiting a little longer. The children will go straight to Kid’s Church as soon as they arrive at church and only join the service towards the very end. The youth will come under the same conditions as adults needing a My Vaccine Pass. I understand Nic plans to use the hall rather than the bunker for a while to ensure there is plenty of space and airflow for when they meet on a Sunday.

FOLLOWING THE SERVICE
When people start eating and drinking then masks are removed and often people stand a lot closer as they talk to one another. We want to minimise risks as much as possible as we ease back into gathering. So we won’t be providing tea and coffee and refreshments after the service just yet. Hospitality, however, is a key part of our community so why not consider walking up to a local coffee shop and inviting others to join you? You could also invite a couple or an individual back to your place. Why not think of other ways that you can provide hospitality? We will reassess our decision again during January.

CONGREGATIONS NOT MIXING
At red level we are allowed 100 people gathering using My Vaccine pass. For this reason, we are not allowed to have our congregations mixing inside the building as that would push our numbers over. Between the two congregations, we will need to do some cleaning of touch areas between services, so we will ask that the 8am congregation don’t linger to catch up with the next group (unless that is done outside) and the 9.30am group don’t arrive too early. Once we get to orange level this won’t be an issue and of course, during January we have just the one 9am service so again it won’t be a concern.

REMEMBER
Anyone who is feeling sick, has COVID-19 symptoms or needs to be in isolation/quarantine for any reason, cannot attend.

REVIEW
These systems I have outlined above will be reviewed and of course, naturally will change with the move to orange or with further advice from the Diocese.

I am aware this email contains a lot of information and may feel a little like a rule book you got when joining some organization for the first time. Please don’t feel overwhelmed. If you want to talk about any of these things or have any part explained further by phone or in person, please make contact with me or Anne in the office. We will explain, as we move through our Sunday service, many of these aspects, but we wanted to provide information so you know what to expect and how to prepare.

As I said in the last email, if you have made the decision not to be vaccinated, please contact Louise in confidence so that we can determine how best to support you and find a way so you can still be actively involved with church life. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact Louise directly by emailing louise@staidans.co.nz or phone 0274484467.

If you are not quite ready to come back to church please know that our church services will continue to be available online. Please note as they will be no longer pre-recorded from 12th December, they will be available later on Sunday than they have in the past. You can find the links on our website, in the newsletter or in previous emails.

Advent Blessings
Louise

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

2nd December 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID lockdown!

As you know, New Zealand has now moved to the traffic light system and this has implications for us at St Aidan’s. We will be holding our first services back in the church on Sunday 12th December at 8am and 9:30am.

The Auckland Diocese after consultation with vestries will provide a further framework for all Anglican churches to work with regarding how we gather and meet safely.

For St Aidan’s this means that from Friday 3 December My Vaccine Passes will be currently required for services, events, and other gatherings held in our church and in our buildings. There may be opportunities for exemptions, and we will provide updates regarding this.

WHAT IS ‘MY VACCINE PASS’?
My Vaccine Pass is an official record of your COVID-19 vaccination or exemption status for use within Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • A purple vaccination card or vaccination confirmation letter cannot be used as proof of vaccination status.
  • A negative test result is not a substitute for My Vaccine Pass.

We know that the My Vaccine Pass requirement will have implications for those who have chosen not to be vaccinated, and for those who disagree with this approach based on their own personal, political, or theological understanding. As a clergy, staff, and vestry team we want to ensure that you have the space to discuss this with us so that we can continue to support and care for you in every way we are able.

If you have made the decision to not be vaccinated, please contact Louise in confidence so that we can determine how best to support you and find a way so you can still be actively involved with church life. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact Louise directly by emailing louise@staidans.co.nz or phone 027 448 4467. If you want to talk through anything else in regards to church, services and how we can safely work together moving forward please feel free to make contact with Louise or speak with anyone else on the vestry team.

Please continue to pray for us as we navigate this new season, as well as praying for those who may be deeply affected by this.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Getting your My Vaccine Pass:
The fastest option to get a My Vaccine Pass is online.

If you prefer to deal with someone face-to-face, you are able to go to a COVID-19 vaccinating pharmacy and request your My Vaccine Pass. Here are some of the pharmacies that might be in your area that offer this service: Life Pharmacy at Newmarket, Remuera, Eastridge and Meadowbank, Unichem Pharmacy at Lunn Avenue and Royal Oak.

For those people who need extra assistance, call centres are also available just ring 0800 222 478 between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week. They can handle customers various requirements and the My Vaccine Pass can be emailed or posted to you.

Here are some answers to questions provided by the Diocese:

WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WITH AN EXEMPTION?
If a person has an official vaccine exemption, they will be issued with a My Vaccine Pass. This pass is no different from any other My Vaccine Pass and allows the person to be admitted to a gathering where My Vaccine Passes are being required.

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?
People under the age of 12 years and 3 months can be admitted without a My Vaccine Pass, even if the place of worship is operating under My Vaccine Pass rules.

If you are not quite ready to come back to church please know that our church services will continue to be available online. Please note as they will be no longer pre-recorded from 12th December, they will be available later on Sunday than they have in the past.

As we are still receiving information from the diocese regarding guidelines and this is not finalized yet, a further email will be out next week that explains what to expect when you come back to church. In the meantime for those planning to join us at church next week at 8am or 9:30am on Sunday 12th December, don’t forget to bring your My Vaccine Pass as it will be illegal for us to allow access to the services without one.

Sunday 5th December will be our last Zoom coffee catch ups at 10:15am, however, our prayer time continues on Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am.

Blessings
Louise
Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027 448 4467
Landline: 09 280 4428
louise@staidans.co.nz

23 November 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID lockdown!

I am aware that Auckland seems to be slowly opening and yet we are still not able to gather as a church. For some of you, that might not be a concern as you would be hesitant to return at the moment anyway, however, for others, there is an emptiness that has arisen due to the lack of being able to gather in person for worship and to be able to gather inside our beautiful church. The Diocese is still finalizing their recommendations based on the traffic light system as to how we will be able to open up safely and what that might look like. This still needs to be confirmed, but I am hopeful that Sunday, December 12th will be the date that we can hold our first Sunday service back in the building. Many details will need to be worked through so expect another email letter in the coming fortnight which will provide greater clarity on these things. Our service and how we gather will look slightly different but I know for many there will be a great relief in this new freedom.

It is looking highly likely that most of our services will require a vaccination certificate. There may be opportunities to provide specific services where this won’t be a requirement but this will need to be worked through carefully. So in preparation for returning to church, please work through the necessary steps to get your vaccination certificates ready and have your masks on hand.

We will do our best to continue to offer services online even when we are back in our buildings. These will be recorded on the day of worship so will look a little different than the last 3 months. It will probably be ‘live on Facebook’ at 9.30am and then the video hopefully will be able to be posted later in the day on YouTube.

Anne and Isobell are currently working hard on the magazine and we are hopeful in having it ready in an electronic version in mid-December and a paper option available at a similar time. Thank you to those who found time to write or offer a contribution.

The AGM went ahead on Zoom and we had a fantastic turnout, over 50 people, more than last year when we were able to meet in person. I do realize that not everyone is able to easily access Zoom so here is how you can catch up. The minutes are being checked but will be available (once we open up) in the Gathering Area in the usual folder, for those that weren’t able to attend online. Reports will also be in this folder and can be found online on our St Aidan’s website.

Our vestry has a couple of new faces and some changes to roles; this is your vestry for the coming year. Please pray for them as they settle into working together as a team and their discernment and guidance moving forward.
Vicar’s Warden: Juli Mercer
People’s Warden: Desre Simpson
Synod Reps: David Jamison and Julie Barnes
Vestry elected members:  James Parkinson, Kumar Mather, Liz Lim, Mark Rushton and Jenny Haggitt

To conclude, here are again our links for our online opportunities to stay connected. Sunday services online at 9:30am via Facebook or on YouTube. Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays at 10:15am and Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am.

Please keep in contact with others in our church community and do reach out if any of the details in this newsletter require further clarification. Above all keep yourself and others well.

Kia haumaru – stay safe!
Blessings
Louise and the wardens Juli Mercer, and Desre Simpson.

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

10 November 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of Covid lockdown!

Read on for information about:

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Yesterday’s Government announcement about Auckland level changes, alter very little for us at church. The staff will continue to work from home where possible, as recommended by the Diocese. There may be a little more activity, however, around the buildings as we restore furniture after the painting and carry out preparations for hopefully opening sometime in December, COVID restrictions permitting. Whilst retail shops open we are still restricted for inside gatherings such as church. Our mission shop will stay closed for a little while longer as the interior space does not allow for the necessary two-metre spacing and it is important that volunteers feel safe when helping in the shop. Thanks to Jenny who is keeping the team regularly updated with emails.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Our AGM will be held on Zoom on Sunday 14th November, at 10:30am. Obviously, we hoped to hold this in person, but due to restrictions, this is not possible.

We are encouraging people to attend a practice session on Thursday 11th November at 9.30am OR 7.30pmThis will be no longer than 30 minutes. At this time you will be able to check you can access the meeting smoothly, understand the two different ways of viewing a meeting, find how to ‘raise hand’ to indicate you wish to speak, how to enter your name correctly for attendance purposes, and trial the voting process.

We will be keeping business to a minimum and wherever possible keeping our ‘bigger discussions’ to our SGM meeting in March when we are hopeful and prayerful that our meeting can progress in person. If you do have items for General Business could you please email these through to Louise before the meeting. It is helpful in this Zoom format to have items identified in advance and a person ready to respond to questions. There will be an opportunity for those not seeing this newsletter to raise points for General Business on the day however preference is for advance notice.

AGM reports and the minutes of the 2020 AGM are available online. We are able to provide some printed copies of reports particularly for those who might join us via telephone for our AGM and won’t be able to see the screen or those who can’t access the reports online. Please contact Anne via phone or email if you wish to have a copy provided in this way. Kumar, our Treasurer, will provide a brief finance outline at the AGM and this too will be made available for those who can’t access the online presentation.

Voting for those on the parish role will take place online, and according to our statutes people have to be present at the meeting in order to vote. A link to the voting form will be provided during the Zoom meeting in the ‘Chat’ area. Clicking on the link will take you to the voting form on the Survey Monkey website. Once you have clicked submit, you can return to the Zoom screen for the rest of the meeting. If you are sharing a device with another person to attend the meeting, please note that each device only enables one vote. You won’t be able to click on the link to vote again for another person.

Please email, text or ring Anne or Louise to record any apologies for the meeting.

Further information about Zoom – a guide can be found here. If you haven’t used Zoom before, or if you’re not sure of some of its functions, we hope you will find it to be a simple process. There’s no cost and no need to sign up for anything. Have a look at these instructions or give Anne a ring so she can help talk you through the steps. Of course, if you have someone in your family bubble who can help, then ask them to get you started.

Don’t hesitate to contact Anne if you need help working out how to be part of our online AGM.

Nominations that have been received by the deadline
Synod Rep
Julie Barnes
David Jamison

People’s warden
Desre Simpson

Vestry
James Parkinson
Mark Rushton
Jenny Haggitt
Kumar Mather
Liz Lim

To conclude, whilst the focus of this letter is our upcoming AGM remember our ongoing places of connection: Sunday services online at 9:30am via Facebook or on YouTube. Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays at 10:15am (with the exception of 14th Nov) and Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am. Please keep in contact with others in our church community and do reach out if any of the details in this newsletter require further clarification.

Above all keep yourself and others well.

Kia haumaru – stay safe!
Blessings
Louise and the wardens Juli Mercer, and James Parkinson.

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

22 October 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID lockdown!

Read on for information about:-

  • The Government’s announcement and what that will mean for us
  • Our AGM at 10:30am on Sun 14th November including the need for nominations
  • Our All Soul’s service at 7pm on Tue 2nd November

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Today’s Government announcement regarding the traffic light COVID-19 protection system provides us with broad guidelines as we move out of our current restrictions. It is important for us to wait for the Diocesan guidance to see how Bishop Ross would like us to apply these new regulations. We are grateful for the many wise heads working on the best way forward to keep people safe whilst providing freedom for people to worship. Please watch out for another St Aidan’s email in the coming weeks outlining what this will look like for us.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Our AGM will go ahead on the advertised date of Sunday 14th November, at 10.30am. Obviously, we hoped to hold this in person, this now seems unlikely so preparations are underway to hold it online using Zoom. We have sought guidance from the Diocese on this matter to ensure that we are keeping to the statutes for this meeting. We ask that you extend grace to us, as we realize an online meeting is not desirable and will, unfortunately, make attendance harder for a number in our parish. Some ideas to assist those who don’t currently use Zoom;
*  join your bubble with another family or a friend who has zoom ability and watch together,
*  join with another parishioner who has a mobile device, and meet outside to view the meeting
* or if you just need to get going with Zoom please seek out help in the coming weeks – ask Anne or someone else how to set this up and iron out any of the issues prior to the date. Remember you could use the Zoom Sunday coffee sessions or Thursday prayer mornings to practise. At 101 years young, Lilian joined in Zoom by telephone just this week, so there are a number of alternatives.

We will be keeping business to a minimum and wherever possible keeping our ‘bigger discussions’ to our SGM meeting in March when we are hopeful and prayerful that our meeting can progress in person.

Nominations for vestry close on Monday 8th November at 5pm. 

Forms are downloadable from our website at: www.staidans.co.nz/agm/ (blue writing in this email indicates a live link to web pages or downloadable forms) or obtain a print copy by contacting Louise or Anne. We can also discuss the ways of getting your nomination form back in. Putting it into our church letterbox on Ascot Avenue is one way and we will clear this box regularly. For those who email, an electronic nomination option is available and sending the email to the nominated person and the seconder as well as to the Office provides us with a surety that they are aware of the nomination if you aren’t easily able to gather their signatures.

Some people have asked who is willing to stay on vestry (to be re-elected) and who is ‘taking a break’. At the AGM we will be thanking James Parkinson for his years as People’s Warden as he is stepping out of this role, but still willing to serve on vestry if elected, and we will be acknowledging the work of Nic Mercer and Andrew Maclean (Synod Rep), who are both stepping down and not seeking re-election this year.

We are holding Synod nominations this year as part of our AGM as it is the end of our 3-year cycle. David Jamison is happy to stand for re-election however the parish needs 2 lay representatives at Synod. If you want to find out more about this role please speak to Andrew or David.

So if we are to retain a similar-sized vestry, which has worked well for us, we need nominations for a new People’s Warden and a new Synod rep.

AGM reports are currently being written and will be available online. Printed copies of reports, including a brief finance outline from our Treasurer, Kumar, will be made available for those who can’t access the online presentation. Further details of how to request this, along with the list of nominations will come out in the week prior to the AGM.

Voting will take place online, and according to our statutes people have to be present at the meeting in order to vote – no proxies allowed I’m afraid! A link to the voting form will be provided during the Zoom meeting.  May I encourage you all to make the extra effort to attend this online meeting? It is so important that we continue to plan well for the future, and elect those of you who are called to serve our parish in this next season of our life together. Even if you are not standing for election, it is hugely encouraging for those who are making themselves available to know they have your support. Don’t hesitate to contact Anne or me if you need help working out how to be part of our online AGM.

ALL SOUL’S SERVICE

On Tuesday 2nd November 7 pm we will hold our All Soul’s service online via Zoom so that we can interact and share this time more meaningfully as a community. There will also be a printed adapted service for those who wish to still hold their own reflective time but aren’t able to access the technology. Please ring or email Louise or Anne to let us know you would like a printed copy of this service and we will arrange this to get to you before All Soul’s Day.

All Soul’s is a time when we particularly remember those who are no longer with us and take time to acknowledge with gratitude the influence they had on our lives. In preparation for this service, you might like to prepare a table or place of focus as we won’t be in the church. Find a candle, maybe collect a few flowers or seashells as part of your display and if you have any photos that might be significant for you, have them nearby. Try and have a quiet space for this half-hour service.

The link to join the All Soul’s service is here: Launch Meeting – Zoom

To conclude, whilst the focus of this letter is our upcoming AGM and All Soul’s service please remember our ongoing places of connection: Sunday services online at 9:30am via Facebook or on YouTube. Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays at 10.15am after the service and Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am. Please keep in contact with others in our church community and do reach out if any of the details in this newsletter require further clarification.

Above all keep yourself and others well.

Kia haumaru – stay safe!
Blessings
Louise and the rest of the St Aidan’s team

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

8 October 2021

Kia ora everyone,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of Covid lockdown! The recent announcement on Monday does not alter a lot for us at St Aidan’s as we remain in Level 3. I am hoping that it won’t be too long however before we can gather again in a safe way. In the meantime, we can still worship together online and support one another pastorally.

Remember our Sunday services online at 9:30am are found on Facebook or on YouTube.  The services can still be viewed after this time, in fact, you can watch some from a month ago if you missed it!

Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays only – after the service.  We try and aim for a 10:15am start time. It has been wonderful to have around 15 -20 people popping in to catch up over Zoom; why not give it a go? Please note that all of our Zoom sessions have the same Meeting code and Passcode – Meeting ID: 946 0866 8929 and passcode: 1.

Prayers each week are on Thursday at 9am on Zoom.

Our weekly newsletter is still being produced and emailed to those who have asked – just ask Anne if you would like to be added to that list – otherwise it’s always available on our website and has links for Zoom and YouTube, as well as contact details for myself and the staff.

A few people have wondered how we are coping with our finances at this time so we thought it might be time to offer a little insight. Our income from Hall rental, and Giving from envelopes and cash has decreased because we aren’t able to use our buildings due to Covid. The finance team have looked at the possibility of obtaining the Government subsidy and, whilst we don’t quite meet the 40% loss of income to qualify for this subsidy unlike last year, you should know that we are still running at a 20 – 30 % weekly decrease in income for August and September. We do want to express our particular thanks to those who are able to make donations through automatic payments as they are still helpfully coming through, and we appreciate your ongoing prayerful support as you consider the stewardship of your resources.

If you would like to give in this way our account details are as follows: –
St Aidans Church Remuera
06-0257-0052666-13
Ref: Your offertory code number
(Contact Anne – 09 929 4670 or office@staidans.co.nz  – if you don’t have an offertory code number)

Our Zoom Pet service last Sunday had some of our regulars missing as technology is not always the easiest for some, however, it did have some new ‘recruits’ as rabbits and chickens joined the usual turn out of dogs and cats. Soft toys featured strongly as well and the number of bears made me wonder if we need to have a Teddy Bears’ picnic at some stage? There were certainly some very mature bears, beloved friends from long ago.

Painters have been working hard whilst we aren’t able to use our buildings. The interior of the hall will be finished at the end of the week and is looking fantastic. The Gathering Area is also underway, so it is a busy place at the moment, from what I can see out of the Vicarage windows. The large oak tree on the corner of Ascot and Remuera Roads finally got its hair cut before any of us, with a much-needed trim from the arborists. We had addressed some urgent safety issues carrying out remedial work a few months ago, but this past week was to ensure we maintain the ongoing health of this aged oak. Council approval was of course gained before we progressed with this.

Vestry continues to meet regularly and the Bishop and his episcopal team update us on the ever-changing landscape of Covid levels and how that translates to our parish. There are numerous events that usually occur around November and so we wait to see what might be possible.

Finally, remember our parish AGM is scheduled for November 14th, so please continue to pray about nominations for Vestry, since elections will happen at that time. Whilst we don’t know if we will be able to gather in person by then, it’s still a good time to start praying about your Vestry representatives, considering potential nominees – and even giving them a ring to pose the question!

Please do all you can to keep yourself and others well.
A new te reo expression for some of us to learn: kia haumaru – stay safe!

Blessings,
From the St Aidan’s Team
Louise 027 4484467, 09 2804428

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

23 September 2021

Kia ora everyone,

The last update from the team was on 1st September, so I thought it might be timely to make contact again to make sure you have caught up with the latest messages.

It has been great to hear that many of you have been able to watch our weekly services either on YouTube or via Facebook, don’t forget if you are not available at 9:30am you can watch at a later time that suits you. This might work particularly well this Sunday when our clocks go forward one hour for Daylight saving. I have appreciated the contributions to our services, which has helped to maintain connection across our parish community and to foster a sense of unity. Our Zoom coffee catch ups after church on a Sunday at 10:15am have grown in size, whilst the Thursday 9:30am coffee catch up numbers have dwindled. I think the finer weather has led more into the outdoors at this time of day, so we will review this over the coming weeks. Please note that all of our Zoom sessions have the same Meeting code and Passcode – Meeting ID: 946 0866 8929 and passcode: 1.

Looking ahead, this year’s St Francis’ Day Pet service, on 3rd October at 4pm, is going to be online using Zoom. This means that it is ‘live’ and only those using Zoom who choose to join us for this half-hour service will be able to view it, as it won’t be recorded. It does mean it is a great opportunity to include those pets who are too large to pop in a car, or who don’t travel so well (like frogs or fish). All can now participate from the comfort of your own lounge, farm, tank, paddock, birdcage etc. :) All are welcome, join in even if you don’t have a pet. Teddies, soft toys and quieter members of the family can also be included. I am looking forward to it, mark the date and time in the diary.

What Level 2 church will ‘look like’ is still being worked through as we view the Government’s guidelines and hear the advice from the Diocese. We know that we will be able to gather for worship and will be carefully spaced throughout the church. Numbers attending will be restricted so we will plan how best to work with this. We do know that the service words will be on the screen to avoid sharing prayer books and we may be humming and listening to music rather than singing for a few weeks. We will also be encouraging mask-wearing so that we ensure the safety of those around us. When we get to Level 2 we won’t be rushing into things but working carefully through how we offer our worship safely and carefully.

Our usual Garage Sale for 2021 has been cancelled due to the uncertainty of levels however the committee is already looking towards the possibility of holding something early next year. How can you help? We hope to try and put some items onto Trade Me as a garage sale alternative, but we desperately need some people who are willing to upskill in using Trade Me or are able to post items on Trade Me on behalf of the church. Photos of goods can be provided. All help is gratefully received so please contact Anne ‘in the office’ or John G. If you have been holding onto items to donate to our garage sale and storage is becoming an issue, please let us know. We have some very limited storage options if needed.

We also hope to hold a Market Day stall later in the year to sell our jams/preserves and plants and other such items; details will follow.

A few weeks ago Reverend Jo Kelly-Moore announced a move to take up a new position as Dean of St Alban’s Cathedral. Whilst I think the news has filtered around the parish I’ve been asked to mention it. Please pray for her in this time of transition. I hope you enjoyed seeing Jo when she joined four other past vicars sending greetings to us for our Sunday service during our St Aidan’s week celebration!

Feel free to join us for our prayer gathering via Zoom each Thursday morning at 9am. For those unable to join us then, do continue to pray for the families of parishioners Val Fraser, Lynsie Cotter and Hazel Beale who have all passed away during Level 4 lockdown. Grief is never easy and in these Covid times, extra restrictions make it even more complicated for families and friends who cannot gather as they might normally.

At Level 3 our church buildings remain closed and staff continue working from home. We may soon have the painters back on site, however, and with restrictions on hall hirers, they hopefully will be able to make good progress with the interior paint.

Please do make contact via phone or email with any queries you might have, or any pastoral needs or keep reaching out to one another you are an amazingly supportive parish! This has been a long lockdown and people experience it in different ways. Whilst we aren’t able to meet in person, I am sure we all appreciate feeling connected.

Blessings,
From the St Aidan’s Team
Louise 027 4484467, 09 2804428

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

1 September 2021

Hello Church

Hope you are keeping well and looking after each other in our current lockdown situation. Not too much has altered with our Level 4 restrictions, however, I thought it may be helpful just to summarise some of our notices in case you aren’t managing to see our newsletters or services online.

Our Apostle Magazine is ‘out’ in an electronic format and can be viewed here. (Or type www.staidans.co.nz/magazines/ into your web browser’s address bar). A huge thanks to the team of Anne and Isobell who have worked to produce a wonderful snapshot of the last few months. To all the contributors of articles and pictures, thank you. Some paper copies will be available once we are at Level 2.

The Garage Sale that was in our diaries for 11th September has been cancelled. The committee will meet again in a couple of weeks to assess whether it might be possible to hold a small market day prior to Christmas, but we would need to be at Level 1 and comfortable that we could do this safely, so no decision has been made at this stage.

Our weekly newsletter is still being produced each week and that is located on our website here (or type www.staidans.co.nz/newsletters/ into your web browser’s address bar). Do check for updates, prayer needs and information about groups and events.

Worship services. There is one St Aidan’s Sunday service online, that is launched (all going to plan) at 9:30am each Sunday. I do hope that you will join us each week. It can be found in two places. Here (or type www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera into your web browser’s address bar), or on our YouTube channel here. (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video).

This coming week we are rounding off our week of St Aidan’s celebrations and we have greetings from a number of our past vicars. Don’t forget to send in any birthdays or celebrations that you know of each week by Wednesday so that we can include these at the end of our service. Email Anne or Louise with these, so that we can continue to celebrate as a community.

Our weekly prayer gathering is on Thursday at 9am via Zoom*. Why not join us to pray, and please know that if you don’t want to pray aloud that is fine, your presence and silent prayer is welcomed.

Sunday evening prayer 7pm with Bishop Ross on his Facebook page each week.

Social connect points are our Zoom* catch up over coffee after the Sunday service at 10:15am and runs for around 30 mins, and starting this week is Thursday coffee and chat at 9:30am via Zoom* (You are allowed tea and cold drinks or no drink at all, it would be nice to see you).

Meeting online – several of our St Aidan’s groups are finding ways to meet online as well. The young adults’ group continues to meet fortnightly on a Monday led by Isobell, the youth are meeting on a Friday night, contact Nic for more information, and Izzi has started ‘Zooming’ with the Kids’ Church on a Sunday morning prior to the church service. The Wednesday contemplative group are finding ways to remain connected and have done so successfully, contact Anne P. For any other groups please touch base with the leader to find out any updates. Many are waiting until we move down the levels before meeting together – like the maintenance team :) !!!!! I think they are enjoying the well-earned respite from the long list of jobs.

It is with sadness that I do advise for those that haven’t heard already that Val Fraser, a long time parishioner, died on Tuesday, St Aidan’s Day after a short illness. I ask that you join with me as we pray for Val’s family and friends as they mourn her passing.

As usual I, along with the staff team, am available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. Let’s pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Please reach out to those you know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

May God Bless and sustain us all.

From the St Aidan’s Team
Louise 0274484467, 09 2804428

*Open Zoom, click Join, and enter the meeting ID 946 0866 8929, or phone +64 9 884 6780 and enter the meeting ID, then Passcode 1 #. Alternatively copy this link into your web browser’s address bar: www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09

18 August 2021

Greetings, Bula, Kia ora, Ayubowan, St Aidan’s family

Aren’t we fortunate to have enjoyed such relative freedom in the last few months? With Australia showing just how devastating COVID can be, it was only a matter of time before it reached our shores and made its way into the community. This week’s lockdown has caught many by surprise. The adjustment to Level 4 which we haven’t been in since last year can take a bit to get our heads around but we have done this before.

What does it mean for St Aidan’s?
Whilst we are at this level, all our buildings are closed. Louise, Anne and the rest of the staff are still working, but from home. It means that some of our planned activities are cancelled, some postponed and others now have a question mark over them as we wait to hear when the lockdown levels will change.

Worship this Sunday will be in a virtual format (see below for details) and we are also preparing for the possibility for St Aidan’s Day (Sunday 29th), to be online in keeping with the Bishop’s advice.  Sadly our shared St Aidan’s Day lunch will not be able to be held, even if we can hold church due to potential distancing required, so for now the lunch is postponed.

Our Garage Sale team met via zoom today and at this stage will wait until next week before making any decisions regarding this event on September 11th. In the meantime, we will stop collecting or accepting items until things become clearer.

This Sunday’s online service will be available on Facebook at 9.30 am and we also hope to post the same service onto YouTube for those that find this an easier way to access services.

Each Thursday there is an opportunity to connect:
Our weekly prayer time at 9 am via zoom. Details to join this are below. You don’t need a computer to join, a telephone is sufficient to join in with the session.

On Sunday after our 9:30 morning online service you can connect for:
Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 10.15am ‘ish’.Last year we instigated this and found it a great way to catch up with others and to connect with one another. It lasts no longer than 40 mins, why not join us, we would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there. (We haven’t recorded the service yet, so hence the ‘ish’ about the time)


The links below are for the prayer time and are the same for the coffee chat on Sunday.
https://zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 946 0866 8929 OR to join via the phone 09 884 6780 wait for the instructions and then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 946 0866 8929 # and if Passcode is required enter 1


Bishop Ross has also asked us to let you know that he will lead Night Prayer on Sunday at 7pm weekly again while we are under gathering restrictions, and this can be accessed through the Bishop Ross Bay Facebook page.

Hopefully, our Parish Grapevine ringing tree has made contact with you. Let us know if that hasn’t happened and you would like a call. We don’t want people to feel isolated. Indeed please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

May God Bless and sustain us all.
From the St Aidan’s Team

17 August 2021

COVID-19 Level 4 Lockdown

Hopefully, you will by now have heard that all of New Zealand will be going into Level 4 lockdown from midnight 17 August 2021. For those of us in Auckland, this will be for at least 7 days. This means that the church and all our buildings are closed including the Mission Shop.

There is no Mainly Music or Wednesday mid-week service. This week’s Sunday service will be online only. Here is a link to our Facebook page.

Please check in on one another by giving them a call or texting or emailing. This has been very sudden and we want to support one another particularly when things feel rather uncertain. Keep safe everyone and see you again very soon.

12 March 2021

Auckland is now back to Alert Level 1. Our Sunday services will go ahead as usual, with Alert Level 1 rules in place. Please scan the COVID-19 tracer app when you arrive, maintain good hygiene practices, and please stay at home if you are sick.

5 March 2021

We are going to Alert Level 2 on Sunday morning at 6am, however, there will be no church services in our buildings this Sunday. A service will be available here on Facebook and on YouTube at 9:30am on Sunday morning instead.

3 March 2021

Hello Church Family,

Hopefully this email finds you coping with the changing status of our levels. Whilst I write this midweek wanting to remind you about Thursday online options for connecting, I realize we do not have any new updates about the levels we might be at on Sunday. Due to the ongoing uncertainty as to what level we might be at when we reach the morning of Sunday 7th March the decision has been made for worship on the St Aidan’s premises to not take place this Sunday. Even if we were at Level 2, it takes time to put up all the distancing signs and we wanted to create some certainty for those who need preparation time for their various roles. An online service will be available on Sunday on Facebook at 9.30am and we also hope to post the same service onto YouTube for those that find this an easier way to access services. We are hopeful that we may be able to meet the following week in person and in the church if COVID levels allow.

This week we are particularly grateful to Vicki who led the Mainly Music session from home with some able children supporting her with the actions. This session you can find on our Facebook page along with our normal Wednesday midweek church service.
On Thursday 4th March there are two opportunities to connect:

  1. Our weekly prayer time at 9am via zoom. Details to join this are in our newsletter or you can find them below. You don’t need a computer to join, a telephone is sufficient to join in with the session.
  2. Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 10.30am. Last year we instigated this ‘Thursday Catch Up’, whilst in lockdown and this week (Thurs 4th), we will offer the same. It lasts no longer than 40 mins, so why not join us, we would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there, please note these are different connections than last year.

The links below are for the prayer time and are the same for the slightly later coffee chat.
https://zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09

If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 946 0866 8929
Or
to join via the phone 09 884 6780 wait for the instructions and then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 946 0866 8929 #. If you are asked for a passcode enter 1 #.

Whilst I am emailing, a couple of things from our newsletterI won’t repeat the newsletter so please do have a look yourself. Newsletters for the coming week are usually put up on the website on Friday.

Parish Magazine Contributions are invited for the Easter edition of ‘The Apostle’. Here’s what we are looking for. Why not use Level 3 to do a bit of writing and send it in:

  • Do you have any photos of what you did this summer?
  • What does Easter mean to you this year?
  • As we begin our Lenten series, “A river through the desert,” how have you seen God create ‘rivers’ in the ‘wasteland’ events of your life?

Email or drop off to the office by Monday 8th March, please.

Bibles for Vanuatu

Do you have any spare Bibles at home? We have received a request from a charity worker in Vanuatu for Bibles. If you have any surplus copies on your shelves in good condition please bring them along and put them in the box marked “Donated Bibles” in Gathering Area to be sent to share the Good News in Vanuatu.

Remember newsletters can be found on our website here.

Please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

27 February 2021

As Auckland is going into Level 3 at 6am tomorrow morning, we will not be having any services at church and our buildings will be closed. Our Parish Picnic will also be postponed.

19 February 2021

Hello Church Family,

Well!! As we have now moved to Level 2 we are able to gather for church in our buildings this week. However, it will be back to the spacing which we might remember from last year. We will have both the 8am and 9:30am services but we encourage you if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings.

Outlined below is a reminder of some of the procedures to keep people safe at this level, so you have a chance to refresh your memory from last time. There will be plenty of helpers to gently direct people on Sunday.

For those who aren’t able to physically join us, we hope to have our online service. You can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook livestream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu-like symptoms, please stay away, and we will see you when you are well again.

Church Services

Upon arrival
When you first arrive (for those with phones) you will need to check-in via the QR codes displayed. If you aren’t able to scan a QR code then you need to record manually your name on the sheets provided. Plenty of hand sanitiser is available for your use then head directly into church and find a seat.

  • Doors will remain open to lessen contact
  • Please maintain physical distancing of 1 metre at all times
  • Every second pew is to be used to maintain distance and most of the seating with be 3 people per pew unless you are a family group. Please read the signs on the pews as you enter
  • The collection box will be inside the church for your giving – bags will not be passed around during the service
  • Children sit with their family groups. There will be no children’s ministry in the social lounge this week, as it is too hard to maintain distancing for the smaller children. Some ‘in pew’ paper activities will be available. You may like to bring your own colouring equipment so sharing is avoided, however, we will have some ready if you don’t have any. We are assuming and hoping that Level 2 will only be for one week and then our usual programme can resume.
  • Youth activities will be operating and Conor will choose an appropriate location to enable appropriate spacing to occur. A separate email has gone out about this.

During the service

We won’t have prayer ministry at the 9:30am service in the usual form (during communion in the Lady Chapel) but there will be a box in that space for any prayer requests you may have. Bring a pen to write those down.

  • Sharing the peace will take place from your pews – a chance to practice your peace-like facial expressions!!!
  • Communion will be bread only and there will be specific directions as to how to come forward.
  • This week we will be offering the imposition of ashes as part of the service. If you want to receive these you may want to bring along a mask to wear at this point to provide extra safety.

After the service

We will hold back from serving tea and coffee following the service at Level 2 as we can’t easily follow the Health Department guidelines. We do encourage you to consider inviting someone to share a coffee and make use of our local cafes if you are comfortable with this. As you leave, be careful of physical distancing and ensure you allow room for each other to exit safely.

As usual we are available through the usual means of communication, so please get in touch with any questions you might have. We are looking forward to seeing many of you on Sunday!

Regards,
Louise and the St Aidan’s team.

16 February 2021

Hello Church Family,

Well, it’s certainly turned into a different week than we were all expecting!!!

As we wait to hear about any changes to the Level 3 lockdown in Auckland which currently continues until midnight on Wednesday 16th February, we have already had to cancel/postpone a number of events that were to be held at church this week.

Currently, our buildings are closed and staff are working from home. Church activities that were to have occurred on Monday through to Wednesday of this week will not be able to happen. This has affected groups like our Pins and Needles, the Women’s Evening Fellowship, Mainly Music and our Ash Wednesday services. This significant service in the calendar marks the beginning of Lent and the journey towards Easter. As per the Bishop’s suggestion, we will now endeavour to incorporate aspects of the Ash Wednesday service into our Sunday service (providing we move down the levels by then).

For those of you who would like to take advantage of an online service, I have been advised that the Society of Saint John the Evangelist will be offering a livestreamed Ash Wednesday service which in our time will be 6.30am on Thursday and also available through their Facebook page or website afterwards. Here is the link to the Livestream Chapel – SSJE another option is from Southwark Anglican Cathedral who are also live-streaming their lockdown Ash Wednesday service. There is also music, liturgy and poems entitled the ‘Wilderness Panels’ a Lenten offering also on the same website. As it is from the Northern Hemisphere, like the previous option it won’t be until Thursday that they will be available on the following link LIVE Service Stream: Southwark Cathedral (anglican.org). Click on the link and then scroll down until you see Ash Wednesday.

Once we have further information from the Government about the change in levels then we can let you know about any decisions we need to make around the rest of the week and our Sunday worship.

Please let us know if you need someone to give you a ring and hopefully our current level won’t be for long. Do stay safe and may you know the presence of God with you at this time.

Blessings
Louise and the St Aidan’s team.

15 February 2021

We hope it won’t be long before we move down Alert Levels but until midnight Wednesday we are in Level 3 (unless advised differently), this means our buildings are closed and our usual face-to-face meetings during this time won’t take place.
Therefore the following church activities are affected:
Pins and Needles, Women’s Evening Fellowship, Mainly Music, and both Ash Wednesday services.
Stay safe everyone,
From the St Aidan’s team working from home.

Information about Alert Level 3

8 October 2020

Hello Church Family,

Well as we move to Alert Level 1 in Auckland we are now able to return to some normality. In regards to our services, we are going to do this gradually in a staged approach. We thought it might be helpful to let you know what that will look like so that you have a feeling of security particularly for those still feeling a little anxious about moving from one level to another.

When you arrive at church on Sunday

  • For those with cellphones, we ask you to use the QR code to record your visit
  • Plenty of hand sanitizer is available and feel free to wear a mask if you would like
  • There is no longer the need to space out as we have done, so the COVID-19 cards at the end of each pew will be removed
  • We will offer tea and coffee again at the conclusion of our services.

During the service

  • We will be able to sing, but to start with we might do that in a ‘reserved way’
  • At the 8am service we will return to using the prayer book rather than data projector
  • We will continue to share the peace by staying in our places and not shaking hands with one another
  • The offertory box will remain for now as a central place to put your offering rather than passing the bag along the pew
  • For another week we will offer communion in one kind (the wafer) and this will be received from a standing position rather than kneeling at the rail
  • Prayer ministry during the 930 service will for now consist of placing prayer requests into the box at the side chapel which will be prayed for by the team after the service.

For those who aren’t able to be physically join us, we will be still maintaining our online service. You can join us online live at 9:30am on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera
The service will also be uploaded later in the day to our YouTube channel which can be found here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos

The Government’s advice for Alert Level 1 is to continue to practice good hand washing hygiene, to track where you have been and if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu like symptoms, to stay at home https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-1/

Coming up
Most church groups have been easing into gathering again so please check with the leaders of each group to find out the plans to return to usual meetings.

Our annual Bake Off competition is on this Sunday, 11th October after the 9:30am service and this year’s category is SLICE. This will be a great warmup for the Election Day cake stall on Saturday 17th along with our FAB sale on November 14th. Please see Jenny Haggitt if you can help.

Sunday 1st November is ‘All Saints Day’ and we will mark this day to celebrate who we are as St Aidan’s parish which may include sharing some food together, following the 9:30am service. We realize for some this might be too soon for such a social event but for others they are more than ready! For now mark the date in the diary and details to follow.

Thursday Morning Prayer continues online via zoom as well as physically in the building so join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am either in the Gathering Area at St Aidan’s or by clicking this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958 By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958 #

We are looking forward to seeing you again soon and enjoying some of our events planned for the remainder of the year.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

24 September 2020

Hello Church Family,

Well as we move to Level 2 in Auckland we are now able to gather together again for church in our buildings. We will have both the 8am and 9:30am services but we encourage you, if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings. This weekend is Daylight Saving so the clocks go forward 1 hour at midnight on Saturday night. Sorry – 1 one less hour in bed but just a reminder so you don’t get caught out.

Outlined below is a reminder of some of the procedures to keep people safe at this level, and so that you have a chance to refresh your memory from last time. There will be plenty of helpers to gently direct people on Sunday.

If you have been watching online and haven’t had the opportunity to join us in person, you are very welcome to come along on Sunday. We would love to see you, anyone can come!!

For those who aren’t able to physically join us, we will be still maintaining our online service, you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook Livestream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/
Or on YouTube, so look for us on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu-like symptoms, please stay away, and we will see you when you are well again.

Church Services:
Upon arrival
When you first arrive (for those with phones) you will need to check-in via the NZ COVID Tracer App QR code outside the main doors to the Gathering Area. We will also be recording manually the names of those attending, so inside you will find someone taking these details. Plenty of hand sanitizer is available for your use then head directly into church and find a seat.

  • Doors will remain open to lessen contact
  • Please maintain physical distancing of 1 metre at all times
  • Every second pew is to be used to maintain distance and most of the seating with be 3 people per pew unless you are a family group. Please read the signs on the pews as you enter
  • The collection box will be inside the church for your giving – bags will not be passed around during the service
  • Children sit with their family groups until they are directed to their programmes

During the service
Unfortunately, we are not able to have any singing during the service but we will share communion together. We won’t have prayer ministry at the 9:30am service in the usual form (during communion in the Ladies Chapel) but there will be a box in that space for prayer requests that you may have. Bring a pen to write those down.

  • Sharing the peace will take place from your pews – a chance to practice your peace-like facial expressions…
  • Communion will be bread only and there will be specific directions as to how to come forward.

After the service
We will hold back from serving tea and coffee following the service for a few more Sundays so the kitchen is closed. However, we encourage you to consider inviting someone back to your place to share a coffee or to make use of our local cafes if you are comfortable with this. As you leave be careful of physical distancing and ensure that you allow room for each other to exit safely. We won’t be holding our remote zoom coffee catchups on Sunday as we have in the past, so for those who are joining worship from afar, at this stage, we have put a halt to this whilst we are meeting physically in the church building.

Thursday Morning Prayer 
This is still happening online via zoom as well as physically in the building. There are lots of options so join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am either in the Gathering area of church or at  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

We are looking forward to seeing you really soon.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

18 September 2020


Our Sunday worship will be online only again this Sunday 9:30am, and can be found on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera or on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday and also jump on the Zoom link below after the service for our Catch up over a Cuppa event.

Catch up over a Cuppa’ event. 
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 4 886 0026 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key:
460 759 7958  #

Thursday Morning Prayer 
Join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key:
460 759 7958  #

Otherwise, we will be in touch with updates for us as alert levels change. Keep safe, look out for each other and have a great weekend.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467

3 September 2020

Hello Church Family,

This email is mostly to share with you the below video update of a few things happening around the church at the moment. We are locked down but not out, so hope you enjoy!

Our Sunday worship, until advised differently, will be online only (now on YouTube!), from Sunday 9:30am, and can be found on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera or on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday and also jump on the Zoom link below after the service for our Catch up over a Cuppa event.

Catch up over a Cuppa’ event. 
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 4 886 0026 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

Thursday Morning Prayer 
Join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

Otherwise, we will be in touch with updates for us as alert levels change. Keep safe, look out for each other and have a great weekend.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467

28 August 2020

Hello Church Family,

With some slightly warmer days and spring bulbs appearing, hopefully, you are finding some signs of hope during our most recent lockdown. At midnight on Sunday 30th August, we move to Level 2 lockdown and whilst that allows a much greater freedom of movement for many, the limits on the size of gatherings to 10 continues to have implications for our weekly worship and many of our planned gatherings. Whilst this can be a source of frustration, it is important that people keep safe. We are mindful of a number of church communities in Auckland where COVID has spread in the recent outbreak and our prayers are with them at this time. With the changing Alert Levels to Level 2 on Monday here is what you need to know in terms of St Aidan’s.

Office/Buildings:
The office will resume its usual opening hours as from Monday. If you are wanting to enter any of the buildings you must come via the office so that we know you have either signed in or use the Gov’t COVID Tracer App (QR codes at main entry points). At the end of each day, we will wipe down all touched surfaces. For this reason, in these initial weeks, we won’t have the buildings unlocked, with people needing to come to the office first so we are aware of who has been in what area. A number of people have asked about dropping off food donations for the City Mission – we will have a drop off box in the office for ease of access. We will be back to social distancing, so just be aware if there are a few people in the office speaking to Anne, you may need to wait outside until there is the appropriate space.

Staff:
Glen and Louise will similarly move back on-site as from Monday and along with the staff team are available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. On Saturday, they will both be ‘attending’ Synod via Zoom along with our synod reps. Synod has been reduced to just one day with many of the business items taken off the agenda for now.

Church Services:
As we said at the start, whilst we move to Level 2 on Monday there are still restrictions on gathering sizes. Until this increases, we will not be able to hold our usual Sunday worship services in our buildings but we may be able to look to hold our Wednesday service in the coming weeks, potentially the first one being on Wednesday 9th Sept. As we readjust into this new level 2, the Wednesday 2nd Sept 11.30 am service will be online only, and this is the same for both Sunday 30th Aug and Sunday 6th Sept worship. We will update you as we hear more details and make appropriate decisions. When we are able to gather together again, it will most certainly be with the various requirements such as contact tracing and social distancing.

Our Sunday worship, until advised differently will be online only (now on You Tube!), from Sunday 9:30am, and can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera or on our You Tube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday. As things change with Alert Levels, we will be in touch with updates as soon as possible.

Parish Magazine:
Anne and Isobell have been working hard to complete this over lockdown and it is ready for you to read. Huge thanks to them both for pulling this together over trying circumstances and many changing dates. Please note that some of the dates and activities may change, and continue to change due to COVID. We will have just a few hard copies of the magazine available that we will run off ourselves, otherwise, it is available for you to read now electronically here: https://my.flipbookpdf.net/QQLI7 or as a PDF on our website here. Enjoy the opportunity for some great reading before we move down the levels.

Let’s continue to pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Hopefully, we will soon be able to move down the levels and be safely be able to gather together again. Please continue to reach out to those you who know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467

21 August 2020

Hello Church Family,

Hope you are all keeping well and looking after each other in our current lockdown situation. Today the Government announced their review of the current Alert level settings, stating that we are tracking well toward the original timeframe of Alert Level 3 being in place until Wednesday 26th August. There was no further information at that stage as to what the Alert level setting would be after that date, therefore the information below is provisional on further details, likely following Monday’s announcement.

Church Services
We will hold both 8am and 9:30am services when Auckland moves to Alert Level 2, potentially August 30th. This will take place with the various requirements such as contract tracing (the Gov’t COVID Tracer App Sign in available onsite now) and social distancing – there may be more requirements but we will update you on this before the services take place.

This Sunday and at Level 3 our worship will be online only (now on YouTube!), from Sunday 9:30am, and can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera Or on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday.

A reminder that the church buildings will not be accessible until further notice. As things change with Alert levels, we will be in touch with updates as soon as possible.

Other Events
You have likely heard that the General Election 2020 has now been moved to October 17th. Hopefully, that date rang some bells for you – yes, it was the date of our Garage Sale. The GS Committee has met this week to discuss this and we have discussed some preferred rescheduled dates. This is contingent obviously on more details around Alert level changes – we will be in touch with the Parish when we are in a position to confirm the new date. Please continue to hold onto your items for donations in the meantime.

Our St Aidan’s Day celebrations were planned for the 30th of August. However, as an event that includes a shared meal, this can only take place at Level 1 – we will look to mark St Aidan’s day as soon as this is feasible. This Sunday was to be our Youth-led service – we will reschedule this service once we are back in the buildings.

After worship on Sunday, we will open up a Zoom meeting for our ‘Catch up over a Cuppa’ event that we ran the last lockdown. Details below, hope you can join us to touch base with each other.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 4 886 0026 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

As usual, Louise and I, along with the staff team are available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. Let’s pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Please reach out to those you who know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

P.S. Some of you may have received an email purportedly from me, asking you to get in touch with me. This is spam and can be deleted. We have reported this to Google and hopefully, it is resolved.

12 August 2020

Hello Church Family,

As you will no doubt be aware Auckland has gone into Alert Level 3 as of 12 noon today. Although it has been stated that this will be in place until Friday midnight, we have decided to make some decisions now about our church services so that we can make alternative arrangements ahead of time.

The decision has been made to run our Sunday worship online only for this Sunday. This will be available from 9:30am on Sunday morning on our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera. We hope you can join us for worship. The church buildings will not be accessible until further notice. As things change with Alert levels, we will be in touch with updates as soon as possible.

Prayer Meeting
As you may be aware, we have instituted our regular prayer meeting, Thursdays at 9am. We will run this week’s prayer meeting via Zoom and encourage all who can, to join us in praying for our community. The meeting will run for around 20 minutes and with the Zoom controls, feel free to phone in or join with or without your video or microphone. It would be great to join together in prayer at this time.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
If you already have Zoom installed, enter the meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780. Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

As usual, Louise and I, along with the staff team are available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. Let’s pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Please reach out to those you who know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help. https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

18 July 2020

Please note, we are still Live Streaming our 9:30am Sunday service over on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/), but are no longer uploading it to the website for viewing afterwards. Please contact us if you are having trouble viewing it on Facebook.

11 June 2020

Hello Church Family,

What fantastic news that we are now at Level 1! This means there are no now restrictions in place on our Sunday services and all church-related activities. There may be some strangeness around this as we perhaps shake hands for the first time and this email has some details around continuing to take care as we gather including the Government’s Ten Golden Rules for Level 1 which you may have seen. Contract tracing is no longer a requirement but it is recommended to keep a track of your movements. We are in touch with the Diocese as it works on providing QR codes for the Gov’t COVID tracer app and you may see those this Sunday.

So we look forward to some congregational singing this week, communion in both forms, catching up over a tea & coffee following the service, among other things. We will be mindful of those who would prefer to ease into some of these elements so please feel free to engage in various elements of the service as you are comfortable. Receiving communion in one kind continues to be an option (along with grape juice in individual cups) and exercising caution with contact may be an ongoing consideration for some. This will be a matter of being a little more conscious of one another during the service, giving space where needed.

Facebook
Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu-like symptoms, please stay at home – you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook Live Stream.

Worship Roster
We will now be following our monthly worship roster again – if you are unable to fulfil your role please arrange a replacement and be in touch with the liturgist for the day about the swap. If you are unable to find a replacement, get in touch with the office as soon as possible.

We will continue to build up to full steam again and on that note we are looking forward to having Antoinette Pope our organist back with us from Sunday 21st June. We also are excited about + Ross being with us at the 9:30am service on that Sunday as well.

We are now also beginning to look ahead and to the various activities and events that may need some rescheduling. We will be in touch soon with more info on that. We also don’t want to lose some of the positive learnings and experiences that have come out of lockdown as well as the opportunities that exist for the church to be Christ’s hands and feet in this new context. We have an opportunity now to identify some of these learnings and to think through what we would like to see be a part of the return to normal life. We will look to discuss this in various contexts as a church community but get in touch if you have any thoughts in that area.

Otherwise, looking forward to gathering again this Sunday – get in touch if you have any queries and see below for the Golden Rules of Level 1

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

The Government has set Ten Golden Rules for Level 1 as follows, so please be familiar with them.

  1. If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t go to work or school. Don’t socialise.
  2. If you have cold or flu symptoms call your doctor or Healthline and make sure you get tested.
  3. Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.
  4. Sneeze and cough into your elbow, and regularly disinfect shared surfaces.
  5. If you are told by health authorities to self-isolate you must do so immediately.
  6. If you’re concerned about your wellbeing, or have underlying health conditions, work with your GP to understand how best to stay healthy.
  7. Keep track of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen to help contact tracing if needed. Use the NZ COVID Tracer app as a handy way of doing this.
  8. Businesses should help people keep track of their movements by displaying the Ministry of Health QR Code for contact tracing.
  9. Stay vigilant. There is still a global pandemic going on. People and businesses should be prepared to act fast to step up Alert Levels if we have to.
  10. People will have had different experiences over the last couple of months. Whatever you’re feeling — it’s okay. Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself.

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live. Instructions for how to do that can be found here. Encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help.

4 June 2020

Hello Church Family,

Just a quick touch base for this Sunday’s worship – we are looking forward to getting together again in the church buildings and online via our Facebook page. Thanks to those who helped out with the service last week for our first time back and for all who came and went along with the changes.

Both our 8am and 9:30am services will run the same as they did last week, following gathering directives from the Government and keeping things relatively simple until we hear further news about a change in alert levels. We encourage you, if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings.

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu like symptoms, please stay at home – you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook Live Stream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Worship Roster
We are beginning again to follow our monthly worship roster but getting people to fill in where needed – there is no pressure to take up your role if you would prefer to stay away at the moment. Talking about roles, here’s a behind the scenes video of how we are live streaming our services at the moment – https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/videos/733618644041990/

If you would like to resume your Sunday rostered roles or get involved in some way, please get in touch with Anne to let her know your availability. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

29 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

We are looking forward to being back in the building for worship this Sunday and meeting together for the first time in over 2 months. Livestreaming of the service will continue (9:30am) so you can still join from afar and celebrate the birth of the church and the presence of the Spirit among us.

This email outlines the procedures for coming to either of our two services on Sunday in order to comply with Government regulations of hygiene and physical distancing. For a video ‘walk through’ of what will happen when you arrive at church, check out this post on our Facebook page –https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/videos/678670136249589/

We will have both the 8am and 9:30am services but we encourage you, if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings.

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu like symptoms, please stay away – you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook livestream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Upon arrival
When you first arrive you will need to either check in via the QR code outside the main doors to the Gathering Area or with Anne Godman who will be inside  – she will ask you for your last name and check you off. Then head directly into church and find a seat.

  • Doors will remain open to lessen contact (we will put the heaters on before you arrive)
  • Please maintain physical distancing of 1 metre at all times
  • Every second pew is to be used to maintain distance and most of the seating with be 3 people per pew unless you are a family group. Please read the signs on the pews as you enter
  • The collection box will be inside the church for your giving – bags will not be passed around during the service
  • Children sit with their family groups until they are directed to their programmes

During the service
Unfortunately, we are not able to have any signing during the service but we will share communion together. We won’t have prayer ministry in the usual form (during communion in the Ladies Chapel) but there will be a box in that space for prayer requests that you may have. Bring a pen to write those down.

  • Sharing the peace will take place from your pews – a chance to practice your peace-like facial expressions…
  • Communion will be bread only and there will be specific directions as to how to come forward.

After the service
We won’t be serving tea and coffee following the service at this time and the kitchen will be closed. As you leave be careful of physical distancing and please avoid congregating in thoroughfares – allow room for each other to exit.

A small note on the service in general – with the Covid-19 restrictions elements of the service will be changed for the next four weeks at least. Sunday worship will be a simple communion service. This is for a short period so please extend grace to one another, grace as the service might not be what you would like, grace as we follow the restriction in place to keep people safe.

And finally, remember to wear some red!
‘When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.’ Acts 2:1

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

28 May 2020

We are back in the building for our 8am and 9:30am services, but things will be a little different. Here’s a ‘walk through’ of how it’s going to work coming to worship this Sunday.

26 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

Hopefully, you have heard the news that at noon this Friday (29th May) gatherings can be held with up to 100 people. This email is to let you know that we will be running our two services this Sunday at St Aidan’s Church – although there are still restrictions to adhere to, this is great news.

By Friday we will send out another email (contact us if you are reading this on the website and would like to be added to our mailing list) with all the details of how the services will run and what will be required for those of you who are planning to attend. Please read this carefully as there will be specific instructions around how we will adhere to the hygiene and physical distancing regulations. If you are on the Worship Roster and have previously stated you could fulfil your usual Sunday role, Anne will be in touch with you in a separate email about your availability.

If you are at high risk of severe illness or you are sick, please stay at homeOur 9:30am service will continue to be Live Streamed throughout this time so you are able to join in on Sunday.  You might consider joining with others in smaller gatherings in homes in order to participate in the service together.

Initial discussions were had at the beginning of Alert Level 2 around the ability of regular groups to start up again. For all church-related groups, please speak to Glen or Louise about when and how your group will operate following Friday 29th May.

Below is a repeat of some of the information sent out last week – our service livestream details, Thursday Zoom catch up, and church buildings being accessible. You can now access areas of the church for cleaning and any other work that you would like to get done. Get in touch with Anne if you are planning to come in.

Otherwise, you will hear from us before Friday – please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

Buildings Open, following regulations
From today (Monday 18th May) the church office will be open from 9am to 3:30pm. All other areas of the church will be locked. Anyone needing access to church buildings must check in at the office and register:

  • Upon arrival, connect with Anne in the office to record contract tracing details. Only two people are allowed in the office at a time so please wait outside (marked spots on pavement).
  • Maintain physical distancing
  • Use hand sanitiser available and wash hands after you leave.
  • Stay away if you are sick.

Livestream on Facebook will continue
We are aware that some of our parishioners will continue to stay away even as restrictions are lessened, so Live Streams will continue even when services recommence on site. Prior to the pandemic, investigations into upgrading our video hardware for live stream capability in the church were underway – we look forward to continuing that when we get back in.

Continue to join our online worship services through Facebook on Wednesdays (11:30am) and Sundays (9:30am). Turn on notifications for St Aidan’s in Facebook so you know when we are going live and encourage others to do the same (details below).

Thursday Catch Up
Remember our Thursday Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 11am this Thursday – would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
(this is the same link for Sunday Catch up after the service)

If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780
Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help.
https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

18 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

While we are not yet holding regular worship services on the premises, there are some changes to be aware of.

Buildings Open, following regulations
From today (Monday 18th May) the church office will be open from 9am to 3:30pm. All other areas of the church will be locked. Anyone needing access to church buildings must check-in at the office and register:

  • Upon arrival, connect with Anne in the office to record contract tracing details. Only two people are allowed in the office at a time so please wait outside (marked spots on pavement).
  • Maintain physical distancing
  • Use hand sanitiser available and wash hands after you leave.
  • Stay away if you are sick.

This week we are hoping to limit visits to the essentials of drop-offs or following up with any church-related issues. Next week this will be extended having access to areas of the church for cleaning and any other work that people would like to get done. Get in touch with Anne if you are planning to come in.

Gatherings
We do have clearance to gather in groups of 10 or less. As we said last week, homegroups can meet but this is to be determined in consultation with the group and at the discretion of leaders. Please make sure your group is aware of the public health advice for gatherings – https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-2/#gatherings-events-and-public-venues

The clergy have been approached about the possibility of holding communion services for groups of 10 at a time. We are open to considering this next week – those that are interested in holding a service would need to firstly organise a group (9 max) and then contact the clergy. We would then work through a plan of how and when the service would run from there. Get in touch with Louise or Glen.
We do hope that the announcement on Monday May 25th will include an increase in possible gathering sizes and we are able to run something like our regular church worship on site We will be in touch via this email after that announcement is made. As we heard from Louise on Sunday, let’s be patient and continue to support each other in the current situation we are in.

Livestream on Facebook will continue
Throughout all alert levels, we will livestream our worship services in the format we have down during lockdown. We are aware that some of our parishioners will continue to stay away even as restrictions are lessened, so livestreams will continue even when services recommence on site. Prior to the pandemic, investigations into upgrading our video hardware for live stream capability in the church were underway – we look forward to continuing that when we get back in.
Continue to join our online worship services through Facebook on Wednesdays (11:30am) and Sundays (9:30am). Turn on notifications for St Aidan’s in Facebook so you know when we are going live and encourage others to do the same (details below).

Thursday Catch Up
Remember our Thursday Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 11am this Thursday – would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
 (this is the same link for Sunday Catch up after the service)

If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780
Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958

Please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help.
https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

12 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

Hopefully, you have been able to keep up with the latest information on the Alert level changes and what life at Level Two will look like. The country will move to Alert Level Two on Thursday and under the parameters that were announced as part of that move, Sunday worship on the St Aidan’s premise will not take place until further Government advice which is scheduled to be announced on Monday 25th May.

No Physical Church yet but…
However, some features of church life will be able to begin and others to continue. Staff will be allowed to return to the office, gatherings of up to 10 people are able to take place and Wednesday and Sunday worship will continue online. This is possible while adhering to public health measures  – high personal hygiene, physical distancing of 1 metre, meeting together for no longer than 2 hours, contact tracing.

  • Homegroups can begin again as long as the group is no bigger than 10. It is up to the homegroup leader’s discernment as to when their particular group will resume and how it will run. The church Gathering Area can be made available upon request for meetings under certain conditions – get in touch with the office for details.
  •  The church office will be open from Monday 18th, again following public health advice. If you need to come to church please be prepared to follow the protocols that will be in place.
  • Staff will be available for person-to-person meetings and pastoral visits, again under restrictions.
  • Continue to join our online worship services through Facebook. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling with this and we can help.
    ‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same – we will continue to Live stream our services and other events in the future. https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

More freedom/Stay safe
Going to Alert Level Two on Thursday does give us more freedom and a chance to reconnect with friends and family. Hopefully, this will bring much-needed relief and help us through until the further easing up of restrictions and for when we can meet together again as a wider church family. Please continue to observe 2m distancing in public, keep it to under 10 people and keep in mind your movements and the contacts you have.

Looking Ahead
Thank you for filling in our survey around attendance – this helps us with our planning for when we resume our services. We will keep you posted with any developments in the information of what we will be doing as a church community under Level Two restrictions – keep an eye out on your inbox.

Thursday Catch Up
Remember our Thursday Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 11am this Thursday – would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
(this is the same link for Sunday Catch up after the service)
If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780
Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958

Please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

6 May 2020

Hello Church Family,
Hope you are faring well and Level 3 has given you a bit of a break in the weather. Some updates from us below but as always, please do not hesitate to be in touch with the team for further help or support.

Moving Down from Level 3
We wait to hear Monday week whether or not we will move to Alert Level 2. We said last week that Sunday worship at St Aidan’s is able to resume, in a form, at Level 2. When that happens we will email out specific instructions around church attendance which will involve, for example, contact tracing, physical distancing and movement around the church building during services.

Some points to help us with organising this:

  • If you are part of the Sunday Worship roster, a reminder to respond via email with your availability during Level 2 to Anne at office@staidans.co.nz . There is no pressure for you to attend whatsoever, but for our planning please let us know whether you will attend or not as soon as you can.
  • The Government information has been that those who are at high risk of severe illness (the elderly and those with existing medical conditions) are encouraged to stay home during Level 2. We are encouraging any parishioners in that category to have conversations with family about their attendance. Please fill out this two-question survey, which will let us know what numbers to expect on the Sunday when services recommence.

Giving/Tax Receipts
Thank you to those who have inquired about direct debit giving and have made the transition to that during the time when physical giving is not possible.
Direct payments or giving to the parish can be done via internet banking using the following details:
Bank account: 06-0257-0052666-013
Reference:
– Your Surname
– Initials
– Your giving number (if you do not know you giving number, email Russell at rflorence@xtra.co.nz)You can choose various options including one-off, weekly, monthly, annually etc.

Tax receipts are in the process of being prepared now. As many as possible will be emailed out, hopefully over the next week. For those who receive them by post this will not happen until we are into Level 2.

Zoom Catch Up over a Cuppa, Thursday
Remember our online catch up via Zoom tomorrow morning at 11am, it would be good to see you if you can make it. We will also do the same following our Sunday service – there is no fixed agenda for this, just a chance to catch up in similar fashion to the after-church cuppa on Sundays.

You can do this via your computer (microphone needed to talk) or phone:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958 and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 0064 9 884 6780 and then enter this number – 460 759 7958 followed by the hash key. This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow.

Please get in touch with any questions or to let us know what’s been happening – would love to hear from you.
Please continue to stay safe and follow all Government restrictions at this time.

If needed, below is information about how to watch our services on Facebook, but otherwise look forward to catching up either tomorrow or for worship on Sunday.

God bless,
The St Aidan’s team

29 April 2020

On Monday 11th May we will hear whether the nation will head from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2. At Level 2, Covid-19 is contained but the risk of community transmission remains. This email is to outline generally what the Alert Level change will look like for us at St Aidan’s and some information gathering steps to help us plan and prepare for that change.
At Alert level 2 our church buildings will be open for worship, gatherings and for staff to work, all under particular conditions:

  • Church services and gatherings must be kept to under 100 people
  • Physical distancing of one metre must be maintained and contact tracing must take place
  • Communion can be offered in one kind (ie the bread only)
  • Thorough cleaning of surfaces along with other precautions to prevent transmission from taking place
  • People at high risk of severe illness (older people and those with existing medical conditions) are encouraged to stay at home.

The St Aidan’s staff team are developing plans to meet these requirements so that our Wednesday and Sunday worship services can start again following the announcement of the Alert level change – specific details for this will be given closer to the time.
On the last bullet point, we encourage our older parishioners and those with medical conditions to have a discussion with family or friends (or the clergy if alone) and then contact us to let us know if you plan to attend. We will continue to live stream our Sunday Worship service throughout Level 2 (and likely into the future) for those not able to attend.

For all those on rosters, we will be emailing the various teams to ask whether you are planning to attend Sunday worship and carry out your role. Please, if you are on a roster there is no requirement to attend, we simply need information on who would be available so we can organise services.

For ministry leaders, we will be in touch with you directly but you might be able to check the bullet point list above and begin to think through whether it would be possible to restart your particular ministry in Level 2. People will need to be given the option of ‘opting out’ and that will need to be taken into consideration for the feasibility of ministries starting up again.

There is more finer detail to this Alert level change and what is means for us which isn’t needed for general church attendance – if you have any particular queries not covered here, please get in touch with Glen or Louise as soon as you can.

Zoom Catch Up over a Cuppa, Thursday
Remember our online catch up via Zoom tomorrow morning at 11am, it would be good to see you if you can make it. We will also do the same following our Sunday service – there is no fixed agenda for this, just a chance to catch up, similar to the after-church cuppa on Sundays.

You can do this via your computer (microphone needed to talk) or phone:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958 and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 0064 9 884 6780 and then enter this number – 460 759 7958 followed by the hash key. This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow

Please get in touch with any questions or to let us know what’s been happening – would love to hear from you.
Please continue to stay safe and follow all Government restrictions at this time.

If needed, below is information about how to watch our services on Facebook, but otherwise look forward to catching up either tomorrow or for worship on Sunday.

God bless,
The St Aidan’s team

23 April 2020

The Government has announced New Zealand will move out of Alert Level 4 lockdown at 11.59pm on Monday 27 April. At Alert level 3 our church buildings still remain closed and we continue to be running services offsite and via our Facebook page and then later on our website here…Please get in touch with Glen or Louise for any pastoral or church-related issues or Anne (office@staidans.co.nz) for any administrative issues. We will update this page as we move closer to an announcement of the transition to Alert Level 2.

22 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

We hope you are well, staying safe and healthy and positive. It was a bit of a boost to hear the PM’s announcement on Monday that the alert level will be dropping on Monday 26th, albeit with similar conditions for most. Bishop Ross has released a Guideline document for parishes which outlines what ministry and worship will look like at each of the 4 Alert levels. For us as a worshipping community we continue in our current format at Alert level 3 and it is not until we go down to Level 2 that there will begin to be significant changes. As we get closer to a change from Alert level 3 to 2, we will let you know how our church services in particular will operate but broadly speaking it will be much like how our last service ran before full lockdown.

Zoom Catch Up
With the success of our online ‘Catch up over a Cuppa’ meeting, we will meet again tomorrow morning at 11am and after the service on SundayThis will be via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform and it is a chance to check in and and see how we are all going and ask any questions you might have. You can do this via your computer (microphone needed to talk) or phone and will be from 11am on Thursday and immediately following the service on Sunday.

Facebook Livestream
It has been great to see people coming online for our Wednesday and Sunday worship services. We have heard some are finding it difficult to find.
If that is you, please get in touch with either myself, Louise or Anne (or a young person in your family!) and we can talk you through it.
The services are live on this page – https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

  • click on the blue underlined text above just before the time of the service (Wed – 11:30am; Sun – 9:30am).
  • Go down the page till you see this image
  • Wait until the service starts. If you are late, the video would have already begun.
  • If you miss the service at 9:30am, you can click here to see all videos there have been. The latest will go up sometime after each livestream https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/

Also remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am. This will likely end this week but you can also join us for Mainly Music each Wednesday from 0:30am

Celebrations
Please be in touch with us with news and/or photos of your set ups and how you are filling your time – we love to see how people are getting on.
Otherwise, please make use of the ‘Catch up for Cuppa’ times and we will hopefully see you Sunday

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

15 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

I hope this finds you well and you are continuing to find ways to occupy your time and/or variety and balance. As we head towards the deadline for an update on our current lockdown situation we will all be wondering what the next little while will look like. In terms of church life, we have heard from + Ross and he is in discussion with the other dioceses as to what common principles can be agreed to when a step-down begins. Worship in the current online format may continue for some time yet even if there is a lowering of the alert level next week. As soon as we hear more we will be in touch with you.

Catch Up
We are continuing to think of ways to develop our online services and to stay connected. Tomorrow morning at 11am we are going to offer an online ‘Catch up over a cuppa’ meeting for anyone from the church community. This will be via a program called Zoom and it is a chance to check in and see how we are all going and ask any questions you might have. Bring your computer or phone and your coffee – Louise and I will be there from 11 to 11:30am and happy to answer any questions you have as well.
Here’s the details:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89350888624and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 00644 886 0026 and then enter this number – 893 5088 8624# This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow

Other News
You can view the flip book version here – “The Apostle – Easter 2020”
Or on our website here – www.staidans.co.nz/magazines/

Online Services
Remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am each morning, except Wednesday when we will be running our Mainly Music program.
Also Wednesday 11:30am for our short worship service and Sunday 9:30am

That’s all for now – look forward to seeing you tomorrow if you can make it, otherwise on Sunday morning for worship. Please be in touch with any prayer requests or just to have a chat.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

9 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

I hope this finds you well and you are continuing to find ways to occupy your time and/or variety and balance. As we head towards the deadline for an update on our current lockdown situation we will all be wondering what the next little while will look like. In terms of church life, we have heard from + Ross and he is in discussion with the other dioceses as to what common principles can be agreed to when a step-down begins. Worship in the current  online format may continue for some time yet even if there is a lowering of the alert level next week. As soon as we hear more we will be in touch with you.

Catch Up
We are continuing to think of ways to develop our online services and to stay connected. Tomorrow morning at 11am we are going to offer an online ‘Catch up over a cuppa’ meeting for anyone from the church community. This will be via a program called Zoom and it is a chance to check in and and see how we are all going and ask any questions you might have. Bring your computer or phone and your coffee – Louise and I will be there from 11 to 11:30am and happy to answer any questions you have as well.
Here’s the details:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89350888624and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 00644 886 0026 and then enter this number – 893 5088 8624# This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow

Other News
You can view the flip book version here – “The Apostle – Easter 2020”
Or on our website here – www.staidans.co.nz/magazines/

Online Services
Remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am each morning, except Wednesday when we will be running our Mainly Music program.
Also Wednesday 11:30am for our short worship service and Sunday 9:30am

That’s all for now – look forward to seeing you tomorrow if you can make it, otherwise on Sunday morning for worship. Please be in touch with any prayer requests or just to have a chat.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

5 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

Just a quick email following our technical issues this morning. We are currently looking into what went wrong which prevented us streaming our service as planned. Whatever happens going forward, we will still bring you our services on Facebook  (didn’t Louise do a fantastic job and in the moment!) https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/ and our services will also be posted on the St Aidan’s website here – https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/ . See below for a reminder of our service schedule for Holy Week.

Also, on our website are photos of Palm crosses made by some from St Aidan’s over the week – thank you to those who sent them in – https://www.staidans.co.nz/news-and-announcements/
We will look to share various things there and on our Facebook page so remember to check in.

Holy Week and Easter Weekend services

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 7pm – Reflective Service
Thursday 7pm – Maundy Thursday Service
Good Friday 9:30am – Reflections on the Cross
Easter Sunday 9:30am – Resurrection

Remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am each morning, except Wednesday when we will be running our Mainly Music program.

We look forward to connecting with you over this week and hope you are continuing to remain healthy and safe.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

1 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

Well, we are now into the second week of lockdown (Day 7 today) and I hope people have been finding something of a routine or rhythm that is working. Walking has probably hit an all time high and we are lucky that we are in Autumn and not in the deeps of Winter. For us at St Aidan’s, we are continuing to develop and look ahead to what we are doing but hopefully also finding a pattern as well. Part of this is our online services and I hope you have been able to access those – please call us if you are having difficulty and remember the text in this email that is blue and underlined can be clicked on and will lead you straight to the page in question.
The other rhythm we are hoping to develop is regular contact through this email, along with the phone calls and emails that we know are taking place. It is our plan to email each Wednesday with some updates and reminders for you of what is happening so look out for that each week.

Some updates:

  • Palm Sunday – We are hoping that people will be able to make Palm Crosses at home following the video instructions below which we will bless from afar during this Sunday’s live stream service. If you are able to take a photo of you making your palm cross or the finished product and email that to Glen (glen@staidans.co.nz) we would like to share these on Sunday.
    Click this link to watch a short video tutorial on how to make your own Palm Cross at home – if there is no palm tree in your garden, you can make the Palm Cross using paper.https://youtu.be/nGEhbMkJoLE
  • Easter – Louise and I are developing services for over Holy Week and at the moment we are looking to replicate all our usual services, online. This would inlcude short reflective services for Monday to Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. We will be in touch with more details.
  • City Mission – without the ability to receive goods from the regular donators such as churches, Auckland City Mission is in desperate need of resources.  If you are able to give financially, visit org.nz and press the Donate button or through online banking to the Mission’s bank account 12 3011 0520064 00.
    Bishop Ross has also been in touch with Chris Farrelly, the City Missioner, who has a specific request for qualified social workers or similar professionals to consider assisting in the staffing of some inner-city hostel premises the Government has provided for the homeless at this time. Anyone who fits this profile and feels a call to assist in this urgent ministry is asked please to call the Mission’s GM of social services, Helen Robinson, 027 286 4944.

Some reminders:

  • Live Stream – We are running a number of services through our Facebook page.
  1. Click this link (see full schedule below) – http://facebook.com/StAidansRemuera
  2. If you have a Facebook account, scroll down until you see the video playing
  3. If you do not have a Facebook account, you may be prompted to create an account – if you do not wish to join, simply find the place that says ‘Not now’ and click that. Then scroll down the page until you see the video playing.
    All of our live stream videos will be on our website after the live service has finished. Click here to view them – https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/
    If you are having trouble, please contact me – 0274 574 105, glen@staidans.co.nz

Live stream schedule each week:

  • Sunday Worship (based on p404 of the ANZPB) – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Mainly Music – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Service (based on p730 of the ANZPB) – 11:30am
  • 9:30am every other week day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) – ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown live stream’

The service sheet for each Sunday will be found here https://www.staidans.co.nz/service-sheets/

We are planning to display the words for the service on the live stream for you to follow

We hope you are well and hope you can join us on Sunday for worship. Please be in touch – we love to hear from you and we are here, as usual, to support and journey with you in our shared faith.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

29 March 2020

Hi everyone,

We wanted to take this opportunity to reach out to everyone now that we have had the second of our online Church services.  It was wonderful to join with so many of you this morning via the live Facebook feed.  We felt a lot more connected with Glen, Louise, and everyone of you than we had expected to be, and are thankful that God facilitates that special connection between us.

Times are definitely different and the change has come upon us very suddenly.  We are very grateful for and impressed with how quickly Glen, Louise, and all our wonderful parish staff have adapted to the new environment to ensure we can remain connected, albeit in a different form.

We are using our Facebook page to live stream our 9.30am Sunday and 11.30am Wednesday services.  The feedback from last Sunday’s live stream was incredibly positive and it is a great way to retain some continuity of connection with our Church family at this time of isolation.  In addition to these services, Glen and Sarah are continuing Mainly Music via live stream at 9.30am on Wednesdays.  Even if you’re not the ‘target audience’ we warmly encourage you to check-in on-line.  It is a great opportunity to get some further insight into one of our key areas of ministry and the live-stream comments from parents are truly uplifting.  Finally, there are also thankfulness live stream sessions at 9.30am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  No shortage of opportunities for people to engage via Facebook!

That said, we are also conscious that some of our parishioners do not have access to the necessary technology platforms to take up these on-line opportunities for connection.  More traditional phone-based connection is therefore vital.  We are very appreciative for the great work being undertaken by our 42 grapevine callers that are making contact with all parishioners, thank you so much to you all, you are truly making a difference for people.

If you, or someone you know, have specific needs that are not being met, or you simply need someone to chat with, please contact either Glen, Louise, James, or Juli.

While so much is changing in our daily lives, one thing that remains a constant is the cost of maintaining our Church operations. So many of our costs are fixed in nature and we incur these whether or not we are meeting in person on Sundays.  With no Sunday services at this time, our traditional envelope-based giving is naturally disrupted.  It represents over 40% of our regular giving and is therefore a vital source of funds, especially when our hall hire income has also been removed.  We please ask that those that use envelopes, consider moving to automatic payments at this time.  The bank account number is 06-0257-0052666-13.  Please put your giving number (as printed on your envelopes) in the reference box when you set up your automatic payment and you will receive a receipt at the end of the financial year that you can use for tax refund purposes.  If you need any further assistance setting this up, please contact Anne on email at office@staidans.co.nz .  Your assistance with this is greatly appreciated.

At this time it is a real blessing that we all have the St Aidan’s community to draw on.  Please do not hesitate to make your needs known at this time as there are so many that are only too happy to help out.  Equally, if you have ideas on how we can assist one another at this time, please share your ideas and we will see what can be put into action.

During this period of isolation, we do ask that our regular Church cleaning, gardening and mowing teams stand down from their duties.  We will need to arrange a working bee at the end of this time to get on top everything but it is important that we do not seek to carry on these tasks at this time – they are not essential services, as much as we might like our Church property to look its best!

Please take good care of yourselves.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families at this time.

God bless,
Juli and James

27 March 2020

Firstly, an apology – it was my hope to be in touch with you all a lot sooner but I wanted to share with you, in a single email, as much that is going on as I could and not fill up your inboxes.
This is a difficult time and I hope you are finding ways to keep your spirits up, looking after yourself and those you may be locked down with.For the immediate future – we are live streaming Sunday worship services at 9:30am each Sunday, beginning this Sunday. Details below of how you can join in. Updates:

  • Pastoral Care – We have got our grapevine ringing list in action, and hopefully someone has rung you in the last week from church, checking on your contact details, seeing how you are and if you have received the recent emails with our updates. We have 42 parishioners who are grapevine ringers as we endeavour to make sure we stay connected.
    If you have not received a call and are one of our regular parishioners, perhaps you are not on our system or we have incorrect details so please contact Anne or Louise via email (Anne: office@staidans.co.nz, Louise: louise@staidans.co.nz) or give Louise a call 0274484467 or 09 2804428.
  • Staff team – all our staff continue to work, albeit from home, and have already begun to carry out their plans for ‘church during lockdown’. Conor has been in contact with the Youth families and has some creative ways of connecting over this period. Sarah (along with me)) has run our first Mainly music live stream session on Wednesday, begun a ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’ daily live stream and is looking into resources for the Kids for Sunday worship. Anne is working from home on various administrative tasks and Isobell has been updating our website and Facebook and generally assisting with the increased reliance on online tools. Louise and I have been working in different ways to keep us operating as a worshipping community by distance.  The staff have been amazing over this period and I am very grateful for such a fantastic team.
  • Live Stream – We are running a number of services through our Facebook page.
    1. Click this link (see full schedule below) – http://facebook.com/StAidansRemuera
    2. If you have a Facebook account, scroll down until you see the video playing
    3. If you do not have a Facebook account, you may be prompted to create an account – find the place that says ‘Not now’ and click that. Then scroll down the page until you see the video playing.
  • All of our live stream videos will be on our website after the live service has finished. Click here to view them – https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/
  • If you are having trouble, please contact me – 0274 574 105, glen@staidans.co.nz

Live stream schedule each week:

  • Sunday Worship (based on p404 of the ANZPB) – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Mainly Music – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Service (based on p730 of the ANZPB) – 11:30am
  • 9:30am every other week day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) – ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown live stream’

The service sheet for this Sunday can be found here – https://www.staidans.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sunday-Worship-29-March-live-streamed.pdf.

We are planning to display the words for the service on the live stream for you to follow

This time of transition has been busy and difficult and we are still in development mode – any feedback on our live stream services and anything else we could be doing would be much appreciated.

We very much hope you can join us on Sunday for worship and please be in touch – we are here, as usual, to support and journey with you in our shared faith.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

23 March 2020

Following the latest update from the Government regarding the Covid-19 alert level moving from Level 3 to Level 4 over the next 48 hours, our church buildings (including the office) will be closed to comply with this and all our in-person activities are suspended until further notice. If you need access to the building (before Wednesday 5pm) please call Glen or Louise. Although now working from home, both clergy, along with staff, remain contactable through email and phone so please be in touch with us.

  • The Wardens and Clergy are meeting tomorrow morning (online) and we will be in touch regarding plans for connecting together as a worshipping community through online means. This will likely be in the form of live streaming non-eucharistic services – check your inbox for details and let us know of any others that would like to connect with us in this way.
  • All essential information and updates from us will be shared via email but we will be using our Facebook page to share what the church as a whole is doing to help people connect and strengthen our faith at this time. You do not have to sign up to Facebook in order to view material – simply click here, ignore the sign up section, and scroll down to the various posts that are there. Contact people who you think may need assistance in setting this up – this will become an essential method for connection over the next few weeks.

Please make sure that you are ready for self-isolation by Midnight Wednesday and put plans in place for going forward. Check with those around you, remember to care for yourself, be in touch via phone calls and online, get outside for a walk each day – we are allowed to do that.

A verse from our worship on Sunday:

‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ (Heb 13:8)

You will be in our prayers and I encourage us all to be praying for one another and our community.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

21 March 2020

As you may be aware, the latest update from the Government advises that those at high risk of infection (those over 70, those who have either a compromised immune system or underlying health conditions) are now to remain at home. Our final 8am and 9:30am services this Sunday have been planned with this latest restriction in mind – we appreciate some may be keen to attend tomorrow, but if you fall into this category we do ask that you follow the Government’s advice and remain at home. This advice is given not only with this group in mind, but also for the health and well-being of the wider community.

A recap of our previous information:

  • We will be giving instructions at the beginning of both services on Sunday to maximise the large space we have (i.e. spread out) while still making it possible to participate in gathered worship.
  • If you are at all unwell, please stay home. Get in touch with the church office to let us know: office@staidans.co.nz
  • We would love to know how we can support you during these times – please get in contact with our office: office@staidans.co.nz
  • A reminder that we will be live streaming our 9:30am service on our Facebook page. Click here and you will find the live stream there from 9:30am on Sunday.
  • We will need to turn people away to ensure we comply with the 100 person limit, although we now anticipate this will be unlikely.

The Wardens and Clergy, along with support from Vestry and staff, are meeting regularly to discuss the variety of issues this raises for us as a church community – we will be in touch again soon with information around our other activities as well as how we plan to continue to function as a worshipping community.

Again, continue to support one another and yourselves.

20 March 2020

We have received notice today from our Bishop that this Sunday (22 March) is to be the last Sunday for public worship services in the Diocese until further notice. We will be in touch via Facebook, email and our website to advise of any further updates as we receive them along with information on what church will look like going forward. We will be practicing appropriate hygiene and distancing at this service – if you are able to attend the 8am service, we encourage you to do so. If you are unwell, please stay away (and let us know you are OK). Our prayers are with you all and you will hear from us soon. Be safe.

18 March 2020

We have modified parts of our service and will continue to do as required:

  1. We have been advised to no longer offer wine in the common cup or to use individual cups for communion. So as from Sunday 15th March we offer communion in one kind only, the wafer.
  2. If individuals would rather not take communion, a blessing is available.
  3. Hand sanitizer readily accessible positioned as you enter church and as you move forward for communion.
  4. People have been advised not to shake hands or have direct physical contact during the peace and as people leave. Those instructions have been in place for a number of weeks.

Pastorally – if you are ‘staying away’ we would love you to ‘log’ this with Anne in the office. That way we know you are safe but can also follow up knowing that this is a choice and not because you are unwell. It would be good to know also if you might need any practical support, particularly if you don’t have family in town that might be able to help you out.

If you would like to view our 9:30am Service online we will be live streaming from our Facebook page. There will be other ways to connect with each other and we will continue to consider options for this as the situation develops – we will be in touch.

The Bishop wrote saying, “I urge people in our churches to do their best to adapt to these changing circumstances, and to continue to care well for one another.”

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Health Notice:

Below is a reminder about practicing good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene.

‘This virus is mainly spread through droplets being coughed/sneezed onto people and onto surfaces which if people touch, they can then pick up the virus too. Wash your hands a bit more frequently, preferably with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds (sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice), and make sure you dry them well. Always cough and sneeze away from others and into your elbow rather than your hands. Try to be mindful of how many times you touch your face and try not to. Avoid shaking hands with people.’

Parish COVID-19 Update

These notices are to bring you up to date with the Parish steps and procedures addressing COVID-19. Please see Unite Against COVID-19 or The Ministry of Health for further information about Government information and guidelines.

Services: Click here for Facebook | Click here for YouTube

18th February 2022

* parts of this announcement have been taken out, as they were not COVID or service related. If you would like to be on our mailing list to get the full emails, please contact office@staidans.co.nz

Greetings Parish Family,

I write to you as COVID numbers show a marked increase over the last few days. This does mean that there is a higher chance of parishioners needing to isolate as they become close contacts.

COVID and Isolation Support Firstly as a church we want to be able to assess which parishioners may need support if they are isolating for a week or longer. Whilst we realize many have family members in town, or friends that could easily step in to drop off a prescription or a few groceries, there may be some with no ready help on hand. We are not sure how much we as a church can offer assistance but we would really hate to see anyone ‘stuck’. Below are some questions – please answer them and send them to office@staidans.co.nz so that we can collate the information and know if you have assistance if you had to isolate, or if you are able to perhaps help someone else by picking up a script or dropping off some groceries for them.

  • Name:
  • Address:
  • Phone number:
  • Email:
  • Do you have family members in town, who can drive? Yes/No
  • Do you have neighbours/friends/others who may be able to offer support to you if you were isolating or unwell? Yes/No
  • Do you have a plan, if you need to isolate, to get essential items and any medications? Yes/No
  • Are you able to offer assistance to others if needed? Yes/No

To download and make an isolation plan for your household, click here. As the Government has suggested, do take the time whilst you are well and have some freedom to make sure you are stocked with medications and the basics (we aren’t suggesting you start hoarding the toilet paper though!).

Church services – Services are currently still operating physically on a Sunday morning at 8am and 9:30am and on a Wednesday at 11:30am, however this will be monitored to assess what our response will be to growing numbers. We may make changes to our current arrangements but we will advise you through letters such as this.  The Sunday 9:30am service continues to be offered online via Facebook and also on YouTube at a later time. The links are as follows: Facebook or YouTubeVestry will be discussing our current setting at their upcoming meeting and it was a key part of the discussion at the diocesan clergy cluster meeting this week. I encourage you to make decisions that you feel comfortable and safe about. What might be fine for one person may feel uneasy for another.

Church groups and planned activities are constantly under assessment. If you are in doubt about something please make contact with the leader of the group to see if it is still being held and if there have been any additional changes for safety. This week is when Youth on a Sunday begins and also Kids Church. Nic and Izzi will be in touch regarding the plans for this and if there have been any changes to how they are operating.

I will send out another letter next week to provide an update regarding any changes to services and activities due to Covid but also further information about Lenten programmes.

In the meantime, 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Kia kaha and every blessing
Louise

27th January 2022

* parts of this announcement have been taken out, as they were not COVID or service related. If you would like to be on our mailing list to get the full emails, please contact office@staidans.co.nz

Kia ora Parish Family,

The move back to red level hopefully won’t see too many changes to our services. We were only four Sundays at Orange! It does mean that we continue to need our My Vaccine Passes to be shown at the door as we enter, and we need to continue to wear our masks. We are back to sitting one (1) metre spacing in the pews, but we are experts at that now and with our large church, it is easy to do. We will need to push pause on our recently restarted teas and coffees after the service, but will look to commencing this again when we move to Orange. Do consider other ways that you can offer hospitality to one another after the service.

Sunday 30th January is our last combined 9am service. From Sunday 6th February, we are back to our regular service times of  8am and 9:30 am and our usual rosters are back in action.  

Blessing of the ‘Backpacks’ was introduced last year, and enabled us as a parish to pray specifically for the children, youth and teachers as they commenced their school/tertiary year. This is happening on Sunday 13th February during the 9:30am service, so for those attending – bring along the bag/lunchbox/tablet or whatever it is that represents your return to learning this year. Let us pray for and with you. For those who aren’t able to join us and will be watching on line, you can still join in so be ready. We will also acknowledge this at the 8am service as we have two baptism families with children keen to participate with this.

Watching our services online. When recording the church services for online viewing we are trying to get a good balance between displaying the words so that people can join in with the responses, and using the cameras to show what is occurring. When using the ‘system’ rather than someone’s cellphone, we have a few more options, but it is a complex mix. Whilst some might want to see the camera view at home, it can be a distraction for those in church. We are aware the volume is fairly quiet at times making it hard to hear so we are working on this. Thank you so much for your patience. We have appreciated your feedback and the team is working hard to upskill and to address some of these issues that have been raised. Many thanks to those on the AV team and the handful of others who have offered to help to get things working smoothly. We are very grateful.

Our mid- week service recommences on Wednesday 9th February at 11:30am. For those who want to attend a short communion service with small numbers it is ideal if you are concerned about large church gatherings. My Vaccine Passes and masks are still required as part of keeping everyone safe.

We will keep you updated regarding any further changes to services and events as we move forward.

Yours in Christ,
Louise
Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
louise@staidans.co.nz

25th January 2022

We are able to remain open under the ‘Red’ traffic light, so we will continue with our services in person at this stage – still using the My Vaccine Pass and masks. We will also continue to upload recordings, for those that are unable or uncomfortable about coming to church at the moment.
Please note 30th Jan is our last Summer Service at 9am, meaning we will go back to our separate 8am and 9:30am services the following weekend.

22nd December 2021

Greetings Parish family,

I write to you as we draw ever closer to Christmas. According to the sheep in the nativity scene on the road edge which counts down, 3 sleeps to go! Unless anything untoward occurs this will be my final parish-wide email for 2021. These emails seemed to have worked well to keep our wider church community updated about news and the ever-changing landscape of church amidst the COVID pandemic (please get in touch if you would prefer to get these via email than read them off our website).

For those that feel comfortable and have a My Vaccine Pass, we have now gathered for two Sunday services and last week re-introduced Communion for the first time since August. Singing with masks, sitting with 1-metre spacings, and standing to receive Communion is now a part of the routine for the red level traffic light system. When we move with the rest of the country to the orange level at the start of 2022, we will be able to ease some of the restrictions on numbers, seating arrangements and look towards offering hospitality again after the service.

For those who are joining the services online, we continue to offer what we can with a combination of Facebook live and YouTube (the latter being posted a little later on the Sunday). We are continuing to work through a number of technical issues and a huge thanks to our team of volunteers who have spent many hours trying to get to the source of the problems.

Christmas services have plenty of options however with our limit of 100 people I am particularly concerned about the 9:30am service on Christmas Day and didn’t want to get into booking seats which was an option that was considered. Traditionally we have had around 150 people attend the 9:30am morning service and it would be disappointing for people if we have to say “there is no room…” mimicking the words of the innkeeper. For our regulars, if there are other options that you could consider such as joining the 8 am this year, or come on Christmas Eve and consider making the 26th December your family service instead that might be a generous way that you could allow space for others. The service times are:-

Christmas Eve, 24th December 2021
7pm Traditional Holy Communion
11pm Midnight Carols & Holy Communion

Christmas Day, 25th December 2021
8am Holy Communion
9:30am Family Service & Holy Communion

Or join us for our first ‘Summer Service’, Sunday 26th December 2021
9am Family Service & Holy Communion

During January all services are at 9 am.

*My Vaccine Pass is required for all services at this current time.

This year our children’s Christmas Eve service is online and will be available from 4pm on 24th December either on Facebook or Youtube. I do hope you will be able to join in with them or share the link with others. A huge thank you to Izzi for her work on the preparation and filming.

Our newsletter provides plenty of information about January and what is happening when. However, please note the office will close from 3pm on Wednesday 22nd December and reopen on Friday 21st January.

I am taking some short mini-breaks across January and I am very grateful to Reverend Anne Priestley who is taking a couple of services and also Reverend Helen Wilderspin who has kindly agreed to lead one Sunday in the middle of the month to assist with some time for me to re-energize. So for those who are assisting with services, Anne is leading 2nd January, Louise 9th and 16th, Helen 23rd Jan.

I am aware that usually towards the end of the year, we would have a ‘thank you morning tea’ to acknowledge the vast number of people who contribute to the smooth running of St Aidan’s. With lockdowns and restrictions sadly this hasn’t been possible this year. On behalf of vestry and myself please accept my sincere thanks and we are certainly blessed by the many capable people who give so readily in many different ways.

Do have a safe Christmas holiday time.
May you know God’s peace and blessing at Christmas.

Yours in Christ,
Louise
Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
louise@staidans.co.nz

9th December 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID!

Last week I emailed about getting a My Vaccine Pass. This week I outline information about returning to church and so scroll down to find out information on:-
Background to the decisions, My Vaccine Pass, scanning in, masks, social distancing, singing, Eucharist, collections, kid’s church and youth, after the service, congregations not mixing, regular reviewing, church services continuing online.

We have been given clear instructions from the Diocese about how we safely gather for worship. There are a few things we can adapt due to our context (buildings and service numbers etc) so what follows, pertains to us at St Aidan’s. The big decisions about using My Vaccine Pass to gather, is made by Government regulations and then the Diocese.

BACKGROUND (based on excerpts taken from the Diocese)

Jesus said: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39

To love our neighbour is to recognise their needs equally with our own. It is to understand ourselves as relational and interdependent rather than as isolated individuals.

This may mean we limit some of our personal freedoms as an expression of our commitment to the common good. We recognise these are exceptional circumstances and so for a time we are required to apply some exceptional measures.

We have carefully considered the practicalities of our common life together in worship services alongside the Government requirements at each level under the traffic light system in order to meet our duty of care and love for the most vulnerable members of our congregations. We want people to have the greatest confidence possible to enable them to safely attend church services and so we, therefore, have a responsibility to take safety within our spaces extremely seriously and do all we can to minimise risk.

MY VACCINE PASS
Everyone working at or attending a worship service is required to have a current My Vaccine Pass, and this must be shown to a sidesperson, greeter, or other nominated people before entering the building. A purple vaccination card or vaccination confirmation letter cannot be used as proof of vaccination status, and a negative test result is not a substitute for My Vaccine Pass.

We aren’t required to use the Ministry of Health verifier app but may do so on occasions. People under the age of 12 years and 3 months can be admitted without a My Vaccine Pass.

SCANNING IN
Everyone entering the building is still required to either scan in on their phone just like we have for the past 12 months or complete the manual contact tracing form. This form asks for your name and contact details. The completed form is placed into the box and stored for 60 days along with any other forms for that service. It only needs to be referred to in the unlikely case of someone becoming unwell.

MASKS
We are strongly encouraging everyone attending services to wear masks. The only exceptions to this are those ‘performing’ (that is the term used on the guidance sheets). So if you are a reader, intercessor, liturgist or preacher etc you will be able to remove your mask when you undertake those tasks.

SOCIAL DISTANCING
We have to maintain a one-metre spacing from other people not in your bubble when we are seated, and this includes front and back. So we will be sitting on every second pew leaving one pew spacing between people. Be aware you might not be able to sit in your favourite pew. The 8am congregation will use different pews to the 9.30am congregation, signs have been put up to assist with where you can sit.

SINGING
As we are using My Vaccine Pass we are able to sing in church. I will, initially, be encouraging those without masks to hum and only those with masks to sing the words.

EUCHARIST
For our first service back, some people will find there is a lot to adjust to. It will have been 16 Sundays since we have gathered together in the church building. For many, it will be the largest gathering of people they have been with for some time so we are easing back into things carefully. On Sunday 12th December we won’t have Communion as part of the service. The format will be similar to what has been online. Sunday 19th December we will reinstate Communion as part of the services and at the red level, this is administered in one kind – the bread.

COLLECTION
We will revert back to using the collection box placed by the entrance of the church. People are encouraged to place any donations into the box as they enter or depart. Many people I know give via automatic payment so this is a reminder for those who have envelopes or give cash.

KID’S CHURCH and YOUTH
Izzi will run a Kid’s Church programme for those who are ready to return to church and have home activities for those who are waiting a little longer. The children will go straight to Kid’s Church as soon as they arrive at church and only join the service towards the very end. The youth will come under the same conditions as adults needing a My Vaccine Pass. I understand Nic plans to use the hall rather than the bunker for a while to ensure there is plenty of space and airflow for when they meet on a Sunday.

FOLLOWING THE SERVICE
When people start eating and drinking then masks are removed and often people stand a lot closer as they talk to one another. We want to minimise risks as much as possible as we ease back into gathering. So we won’t be providing tea and coffee and refreshments after the service just yet. Hospitality, however, is a key part of our community so why not consider walking up to a local coffee shop and inviting others to join you? You could also invite a couple or an individual back to your place. Why not think of other ways that you can provide hospitality? We will reassess our decision again during January.

CONGREGATIONS NOT MIXING
At red level we are allowed 100 people gathering using My Vaccine pass. For this reason, we are not allowed to have our congregations mixing inside the building as that would push our numbers over. Between the two congregations, we will need to do some cleaning of touch areas between services, so we will ask that the 8am congregation don’t linger to catch up with the next group (unless that is done outside) and the 9.30am group don’t arrive too early. Once we get to orange level this won’t be an issue and of course, during January we have just the one 9am service so again it won’t be a concern.

REMEMBER
Anyone who is feeling sick, has COVID-19 symptoms or needs to be in isolation/quarantine for any reason, cannot attend.

REVIEW
These systems I have outlined above will be reviewed and of course, naturally will change with the move to orange or with further advice from the Diocese.

I am aware this email contains a lot of information and may feel a little like a rule book you got when joining some organization for the first time. Please don’t feel overwhelmed. If you want to talk about any of these things or have any part explained further by phone or in person, please make contact with me or Anne in the office. We will explain, as we move through our Sunday service, many of these aspects, but we wanted to provide information so you know what to expect and how to prepare.

As I said in the last email, if you have made the decision not to be vaccinated, please contact Louise in confidence so that we can determine how best to support you and find a way so you can still be actively involved with church life. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact Louise directly by emailing louise@staidans.co.nz or phone 0274484467.

If you are not quite ready to come back to church please know that our church services will continue to be available online. Please note as they will be no longer pre-recorded from 12th December, they will be available later on Sunday than they have in the past. You can find the links on our website, in the newsletter or in previous emails.

Advent Blessings
Louise

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

2nd December 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID lockdown!

As you know, New Zealand has now moved to the traffic light system and this has implications for us at St Aidan’s. We will be holding our first services back in the church on Sunday 12th December at 8am and 9:30am.

The Auckland Diocese after consultation with vestries will provide a further framework for all Anglican churches to work with regarding how we gather and meet safely.

For St Aidan’s this means that from Friday 3 December My Vaccine Passes will be currently required for services, events, and other gatherings held in our church and in our buildings. There may be opportunities for exemptions, and we will provide updates regarding this.

WHAT IS ‘MY VACCINE PASS’?
My Vaccine Pass is an official record of your COVID-19 vaccination or exemption status for use within Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • A purple vaccination card or vaccination confirmation letter cannot be used as proof of vaccination status.
  • A negative test result is not a substitute for My Vaccine Pass.

We know that the My Vaccine Pass requirement will have implications for those who have chosen not to be vaccinated, and for those who disagree with this approach based on their own personal, political, or theological understanding. As a clergy, staff, and vestry team we want to ensure that you have the space to discuss this with us so that we can continue to support and care for you in every way we are able.

If you have made the decision to not be vaccinated, please contact Louise in confidence so that we can determine how best to support you and find a way so you can still be actively involved with church life. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact Louise directly by emailing louise@staidans.co.nz or phone 027 448 4467. If you want to talk through anything else in regards to church, services and how we can safely work together moving forward please feel free to make contact with Louise or speak with anyone else on the vestry team.

Please continue to pray for us as we navigate this new season, as well as praying for those who may be deeply affected by this.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Getting your My Vaccine Pass:
The fastest option to get a My Vaccine Pass is online.

If you prefer to deal with someone face-to-face, you are able to go to a COVID-19 vaccinating pharmacy and request your My Vaccine Pass. Here are some of the pharmacies that might be in your area that offer this service: Life Pharmacy at Newmarket, Remuera, Eastridge and Meadowbank, Unichem Pharmacy at Lunn Avenue and Royal Oak.

For those people who need extra assistance, call centres are also available just ring 0800 222 478 between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week. They can handle customers various requirements and the My Vaccine Pass can be emailed or posted to you.

Here are some answers to questions provided by the Diocese:

WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WITH AN EXEMPTION?
If a person has an official vaccine exemption, they will be issued with a My Vaccine Pass. This pass is no different from any other My Vaccine Pass and allows the person to be admitted to a gathering where My Vaccine Passes are being required.

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?
People under the age of 12 years and 3 months can be admitted without a My Vaccine Pass, even if the place of worship is operating under My Vaccine Pass rules.

If you are not quite ready to come back to church please know that our church services will continue to be available online. Please note as they will be no longer pre-recorded from 12th December, they will be available later on Sunday than they have in the past.

As we are still receiving information from the diocese regarding guidelines and this is not finalized yet, a further email will be out next week that explains what to expect when you come back to church. In the meantime for those planning to join us at church next week at 8am or 9:30am on Sunday 12th December, don’t forget to bring your My Vaccine Pass as it will be illegal for us to allow access to the services without one.

Sunday 5th December will be our last Zoom coffee catch ups at 10:15am, however, our prayer time continues on Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am.

Blessings
Louise
Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027 448 4467
Landline: 09 280 4428
louise@staidans.co.nz

23 November 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID lockdown!

I am aware that Auckland seems to be slowly opening and yet we are still not able to gather as a church. For some of you, that might not be a concern as you would be hesitant to return at the moment anyway, however, for others, there is an emptiness that has arisen due to the lack of being able to gather in person for worship and to be able to gather inside our beautiful church. The Diocese is still finalizing their recommendations based on the traffic light system as to how we will be able to open up safely and what that might look like. This still needs to be confirmed, but I am hopeful that Sunday, December 12th will be the date that we can hold our first Sunday service back in the building. Many details will need to be worked through so expect another email letter in the coming fortnight which will provide greater clarity on these things. Our service and how we gather will look slightly different but I know for many there will be a great relief in this new freedom.

It is looking highly likely that most of our services will require a vaccination certificate. There may be opportunities to provide specific services where this won’t be a requirement but this will need to be worked through carefully. So in preparation for returning to church, please work through the necessary steps to get your vaccination certificates ready and have your masks on hand.

We will do our best to continue to offer services online even when we are back in our buildings. These will be recorded on the day of worship so will look a little different than the last 3 months. It will probably be ‘live on Facebook’ at 9.30am and then the video hopefully will be able to be posted later in the day on YouTube.

Anne and Isobell are currently working hard on the magazine and we are hopeful in having it ready in an electronic version in mid-December and a paper option available at a similar time. Thank you to those who found time to write or offer a contribution.

The AGM went ahead on Zoom and we had a fantastic turnout, over 50 people, more than last year when we were able to meet in person. I do realize that not everyone is able to easily access Zoom so here is how you can catch up. The minutes are being checked but will be available (once we open up) in the Gathering Area in the usual folder, for those that weren’t able to attend online. Reports will also be in this folder and can be found online on our St Aidan’s website.

Our vestry has a couple of new faces and some changes to roles; this is your vestry for the coming year. Please pray for them as they settle into working together as a team and their discernment and guidance moving forward.
Vicar’s Warden: Juli Mercer
People’s Warden: Desre Simpson
Synod Reps: David Jamison and Julie Barnes
Vestry elected members:  James Parkinson, Kumar Mather, Liz Lim, Mark Rushton and Jenny Haggitt

To conclude, here are again our links for our online opportunities to stay connected. Sunday services online at 9:30am via Facebook or on YouTube. Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays at 10:15am and Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am.

Please keep in contact with others in our church community and do reach out if any of the details in this newsletter require further clarification. Above all keep yourself and others well.

Kia haumaru – stay safe!
Blessings
Louise and the wardens Juli Mercer, and Desre Simpson.

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

10 November 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of Covid lockdown!

Read on for information about:

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Yesterday’s Government announcement about Auckland level changes, alter very little for us at church. The staff will continue to work from home where possible, as recommended by the Diocese. There may be a little more activity, however, around the buildings as we restore furniture after the painting and carry out preparations for hopefully opening sometime in December, COVID restrictions permitting. Whilst retail shops open we are still restricted for inside gatherings such as church. Our mission shop will stay closed for a little while longer as the interior space does not allow for the necessary two-metre spacing and it is important that volunteers feel safe when helping in the shop. Thanks to Jenny who is keeping the team regularly updated with emails.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Our AGM will be held on Zoom on Sunday 14th November, at 10:30am. Obviously, we hoped to hold this in person, but due to restrictions, this is not possible.

We are encouraging people to attend a practice session on Thursday 11th November at 9.30am OR 7.30pmThis will be no longer than 30 minutes. At this time you will be able to check you can access the meeting smoothly, understand the two different ways of viewing a meeting, find how to ‘raise hand’ to indicate you wish to speak, how to enter your name correctly for attendance purposes, and trial the voting process.

We will be keeping business to a minimum and wherever possible keeping our ‘bigger discussions’ to our SGM meeting in March when we are hopeful and prayerful that our meeting can progress in person. If you do have items for General Business could you please email these through to Louise before the meeting. It is helpful in this Zoom format to have items identified in advance and a person ready to respond to questions. There will be an opportunity for those not seeing this newsletter to raise points for General Business on the day however preference is for advance notice.

AGM reports and the minutes of the 2020 AGM are available online. We are able to provide some printed copies of reports particularly for those who might join us via telephone for our AGM and won’t be able to see the screen or those who can’t access the reports online. Please contact Anne via phone or email if you wish to have a copy provided in this way. Kumar, our Treasurer, will provide a brief finance outline at the AGM and this too will be made available for those who can’t access the online presentation.

Voting for those on the parish role will take place online, and according to our statutes people have to be present at the meeting in order to vote. A link to the voting form will be provided during the Zoom meeting in the ‘Chat’ area. Clicking on the link will take you to the voting form on the Survey Monkey website. Once you have clicked submit, you can return to the Zoom screen for the rest of the meeting. If you are sharing a device with another person to attend the meeting, please note that each device only enables one vote. You won’t be able to click on the link to vote again for another person.

Please email, text or ring Anne or Louise to record any apologies for the meeting.

Further information about Zoom – a guide can be found here. If you haven’t used Zoom before, or if you’re not sure of some of its functions, we hope you will find it to be a simple process. There’s no cost and no need to sign up for anything. Have a look at these instructions or give Anne a ring so she can help talk you through the steps. Of course, if you have someone in your family bubble who can help, then ask them to get you started.

Don’t hesitate to contact Anne if you need help working out how to be part of our online AGM.

Nominations that have been received by the deadline
Synod Rep
Julie Barnes
David Jamison

People’s warden
Desre Simpson

Vestry
James Parkinson
Mark Rushton
Jenny Haggitt
Kumar Mather
Liz Lim

To conclude, whilst the focus of this letter is our upcoming AGM remember our ongoing places of connection: Sunday services online at 9:30am via Facebook or on YouTube. Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays at 10:15am (with the exception of 14th Nov) and Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am. Please keep in contact with others in our church community and do reach out if any of the details in this newsletter require further clarification.

Above all keep yourself and others well.

Kia haumaru – stay safe!
Blessings
Louise and the wardens Juli Mercer, and James Parkinson.

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

22 October 2021

Kia ora church family,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of COVID lockdown!

Read on for information about:-

  • The Government’s announcement and what that will mean for us
  • Our AGM at 10:30am on Sun 14th November including the need for nominations
  • Our All Soul’s service at 7pm on Tue 2nd November

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Today’s Government announcement regarding the traffic light COVID-19 protection system provides us with broad guidelines as we move out of our current restrictions. It is important for us to wait for the Diocesan guidance to see how Bishop Ross would like us to apply these new regulations. We are grateful for the many wise heads working on the best way forward to keep people safe whilst providing freedom for people to worship. Please watch out for another St Aidan’s email in the coming weeks outlining what this will look like for us.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Our AGM will go ahead on the advertised date of Sunday 14th November, at 10.30am. Obviously, we hoped to hold this in person, this now seems unlikely so preparations are underway to hold it online using Zoom. We have sought guidance from the Diocese on this matter to ensure that we are keeping to the statutes for this meeting. We ask that you extend grace to us, as we realize an online meeting is not desirable and will, unfortunately, make attendance harder for a number in our parish. Some ideas to assist those who don’t currently use Zoom;
*  join your bubble with another family or a friend who has zoom ability and watch together,
*  join with another parishioner who has a mobile device, and meet outside to view the meeting
* or if you just need to get going with Zoom please seek out help in the coming weeks – ask Anne or someone else how to set this up and iron out any of the issues prior to the date. Remember you could use the Zoom Sunday coffee sessions or Thursday prayer mornings to practise. At 101 years young, Lilian joined in Zoom by telephone just this week, so there are a number of alternatives.

We will be keeping business to a minimum and wherever possible keeping our ‘bigger discussions’ to our SGM meeting in March when we are hopeful and prayerful that our meeting can progress in person.

Nominations for vestry close on Monday 8th November at 5pm. 

Forms are downloadable from our website at: www.staidans.co.nz/agm/ (blue writing in this email indicates a live link to web pages or downloadable forms) or obtain a print copy by contacting Louise or Anne. We can also discuss the ways of getting your nomination form back in. Putting it into our church letterbox on Ascot Avenue is one way and we will clear this box regularly. For those who email, an electronic nomination option is available and sending the email to the nominated person and the seconder as well as to the Office provides us with a surety that they are aware of the nomination if you aren’t easily able to gather their signatures.

Some people have asked who is willing to stay on vestry (to be re-elected) and who is ‘taking a break’. At the AGM we will be thanking James Parkinson for his years as People’s Warden as he is stepping out of this role, but still willing to serve on vestry if elected, and we will be acknowledging the work of Nic Mercer and Andrew Maclean (Synod Rep), who are both stepping down and not seeking re-election this year.

We are holding Synod nominations this year as part of our AGM as it is the end of our 3-year cycle. David Jamison is happy to stand for re-election however the parish needs 2 lay representatives at Synod. If you want to find out more about this role please speak to Andrew or David.

So if we are to retain a similar-sized vestry, which has worked well for us, we need nominations for a new People’s Warden and a new Synod rep.

AGM reports are currently being written and will be available online. Printed copies of reports, including a brief finance outline from our Treasurer, Kumar, will be made available for those who can’t access the online presentation. Further details of how to request this, along with the list of nominations will come out in the week prior to the AGM.

Voting will take place online, and according to our statutes people have to be present at the meeting in order to vote – no proxies allowed I’m afraid! A link to the voting form will be provided during the Zoom meeting.  May I encourage you all to make the extra effort to attend this online meeting? It is so important that we continue to plan well for the future, and elect those of you who are called to serve our parish in this next season of our life together. Even if you are not standing for election, it is hugely encouraging for those who are making themselves available to know they have your support. Don’t hesitate to contact Anne or me if you need help working out how to be part of our online AGM.

ALL SOUL’S SERVICE

On Tuesday 2nd November 7 pm we will hold our All Soul’s service online via Zoom so that we can interact and share this time more meaningfully as a community. There will also be a printed adapted service for those who wish to still hold their own reflective time but aren’t able to access the technology. Please ring or email Louise or Anne to let us know you would like a printed copy of this service and we will arrange this to get to you before All Soul’s Day.

All Soul’s is a time when we particularly remember those who are no longer with us and take time to acknowledge with gratitude the influence they had on our lives. In preparation for this service, you might like to prepare a table or place of focus as we won’t be in the church. Find a candle, maybe collect a few flowers or seashells as part of your display and if you have any photos that might be significant for you, have them nearby. Try and have a quiet space for this half-hour service.

The link to join the All Soul’s service is here: Launch Meeting – Zoom

To conclude, whilst the focus of this letter is our upcoming AGM and All Soul’s service please remember our ongoing places of connection: Sunday services online at 9:30am via Facebook or on YouTube. Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays at 10.15am after the service and Thursday prayer via Zoom at 9am. Please keep in contact with others in our church community and do reach out if any of the details in this newsletter require further clarification.

Above all keep yourself and others well.

Kia haumaru – stay safe!
Blessings
Louise and the rest of the St Aidan’s team

Vicar of St Aidan’s
Mobile: 027-4484467
Landline: 09-2804428
louise@staidans.co.nz

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

8 October 2021

Kia ora everyone,

Greetings in Christ during this ongoing era of Covid lockdown! The recent announcement on Monday does not alter a lot for us at St Aidan’s as we remain in Level 3. I am hoping that it won’t be too long however before we can gather again in a safe way. In the meantime, we can still worship together online and support one another pastorally.

Remember our Sunday services online at 9:30am are found on Facebook or on YouTube.  The services can still be viewed after this time, in fact, you can watch some from a month ago if you missed it!

Our Zoom coffee catch-ups continue on Sundays only – after the service.  We try and aim for a 10:15am start time. It has been wonderful to have around 15 -20 people popping in to catch up over Zoom; why not give it a go? Please note that all of our Zoom sessions have the same Meeting code and Passcode – Meeting ID: 946 0866 8929 and passcode: 1.

Prayers each week are on Thursday at 9am on Zoom.

Our weekly newsletter is still being produced and emailed to those who have asked – just ask Anne if you would like to be added to that list – otherwise it’s always available on our website and has links for Zoom and YouTube, as well as contact details for myself and the staff.

A few people have wondered how we are coping with our finances at this time so we thought it might be time to offer a little insight. Our income from Hall rental, and Giving from envelopes and cash has decreased because we aren’t able to use our buildings due to Covid. The finance team have looked at the possibility of obtaining the Government subsidy and, whilst we don’t quite meet the 40% loss of income to qualify for this subsidy unlike last year, you should know that we are still running at a 20 – 30 % weekly decrease in income for August and September. We do want to express our particular thanks to those who are able to make donations through automatic payments as they are still helpfully coming through, and we appreciate your ongoing prayerful support as you consider the stewardship of your resources.

If you would like to give in this way our account details are as follows: –
St Aidans Church Remuera
06-0257-0052666-13
Ref: Your offertory code number
(Contact Anne – 09 929 4670 or office@staidans.co.nz  – if you don’t have an offertory code number)

Our Zoom Pet service last Sunday had some of our regulars missing as technology is not always the easiest for some, however, it did have some new ‘recruits’ as rabbits and chickens joined the usual turn out of dogs and cats. Soft toys featured strongly as well and the number of bears made me wonder if we need to have a Teddy Bears’ picnic at some stage? There were certainly some very mature bears, beloved friends from long ago.

Painters have been working hard whilst we aren’t able to use our buildings. The interior of the hall will be finished at the end of the week and is looking fantastic. The Gathering Area is also underway, so it is a busy place at the moment, from what I can see out of the Vicarage windows. The large oak tree on the corner of Ascot and Remuera Roads finally got its hair cut before any of us, with a much-needed trim from the arborists. We had addressed some urgent safety issues carrying out remedial work a few months ago, but this past week was to ensure we maintain the ongoing health of this aged oak. Council approval was of course gained before we progressed with this.

Vestry continues to meet regularly and the Bishop and his episcopal team update us on the ever-changing landscape of Covid levels and how that translates to our parish. There are numerous events that usually occur around November and so we wait to see what might be possible.

Finally, remember our parish AGM is scheduled for November 14th, so please continue to pray about nominations for Vestry, since elections will happen at that time. Whilst we don’t know if we will be able to gather in person by then, it’s still a good time to start praying about your Vestry representatives, considering potential nominees – and even giving them a ring to pose the question!

Please do all you can to keep yourself and others well.
A new te reo expression for some of us to learn: kia haumaru – stay safe!

Blessings,
From the St Aidan’s Team
Louise 027 4484467, 09 2804428

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

23 September 2021

Kia ora everyone,

The last update from the team was on 1st September, so I thought it might be timely to make contact again to make sure you have caught up with the latest messages.

It has been great to hear that many of you have been able to watch our weekly services either on YouTube or via Facebook, don’t forget if you are not available at 9:30am you can watch at a later time that suits you. This might work particularly well this Sunday when our clocks go forward one hour for Daylight saving. I have appreciated the contributions to our services, which has helped to maintain connection across our parish community and to foster a sense of unity. Our Zoom coffee catch ups after church on a Sunday at 10:15am have grown in size, whilst the Thursday 9:30am coffee catch up numbers have dwindled. I think the finer weather has led more into the outdoors at this time of day, so we will review this over the coming weeks. Please note that all of our Zoom sessions have the same Meeting code and Passcode – Meeting ID: 946 0866 8929 and passcode: 1.

Looking ahead, this year’s St Francis’ Day Pet service, on 3rd October at 4pm, is going to be online using Zoom. This means that it is ‘live’ and only those using Zoom who choose to join us for this half-hour service will be able to view it, as it won’t be recorded. It does mean it is a great opportunity to include those pets who are too large to pop in a car, or who don’t travel so well (like frogs or fish). All can now participate from the comfort of your own lounge, farm, tank, paddock, birdcage etc. :) All are welcome, join in even if you don’t have a pet. Teddies, soft toys and quieter members of the family can also be included. I am looking forward to it, mark the date and time in the diary.

What Level 2 church will ‘look like’ is still being worked through as we view the Government’s guidelines and hear the advice from the Diocese. We know that we will be able to gather for worship and will be carefully spaced throughout the church. Numbers attending will be restricted so we will plan how best to work with this. We do know that the service words will be on the screen to avoid sharing prayer books and we may be humming and listening to music rather than singing for a few weeks. We will also be encouraging mask-wearing so that we ensure the safety of those around us. When we get to Level 2 we won’t be rushing into things but working carefully through how we offer our worship safely and carefully.

Our usual Garage Sale for 2021 has been cancelled due to the uncertainty of levels however the committee is already looking towards the possibility of holding something early next year. How can you help? We hope to try and put some items onto Trade Me as a garage sale alternative, but we desperately need some people who are willing to upskill in using Trade Me or are able to post items on Trade Me on behalf of the church. Photos of goods can be provided. All help is gratefully received so please contact Anne ‘in the office’ or John G. If you have been holding onto items to donate to our garage sale and storage is becoming an issue, please let us know. We have some very limited storage options if needed.

We also hope to hold a Market Day stall later in the year to sell our jams/preserves and plants and other such items; details will follow.

A few weeks ago Reverend Jo Kelly-Moore announced a move to take up a new position as Dean of St Alban’s Cathedral. Whilst I think the news has filtered around the parish I’ve been asked to mention it. Please pray for her in this time of transition. I hope you enjoyed seeing Jo when she joined four other past vicars sending greetings to us for our Sunday service during our St Aidan’s week celebration!

Feel free to join us for our prayer gathering via Zoom each Thursday morning at 9am. For those unable to join us then, do continue to pray for the families of parishioners Val Fraser, Lynsie Cotter and Hazel Beale who have all passed away during Level 4 lockdown. Grief is never easy and in these Covid times, extra restrictions make it even more complicated for families and friends who cannot gather as they might normally.

At Level 3 our church buildings remain closed and staff continue working from home. We may soon have the painters back on site, however, and with restrictions on hall hirers, they hopefully will be able to make good progress with the interior paint.

Please do make contact via phone or email with any queries you might have, or any pastoral needs or keep reaching out to one another you are an amazingly supportive parish! This has been a long lockdown and people experience it in different ways. Whilst we aren’t able to meet in person, I am sure we all appreciate feeling connected.

Blessings,
From the St Aidan’s Team
Louise 027 4484467, 09 2804428

Copy and paste the Zoom meeting link below into your browser’s address bar if the links in this email are not working:
www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
Alternatively, open and login to Zoom and “Join Meeting” with ID 946 0866 8929, passcode 1. 

1 September 2021

Hello Church

Hope you are keeping well and looking after each other in our current lockdown situation. Not too much has altered with our Level 4 restrictions, however, I thought it may be helpful just to summarise some of our notices in case you aren’t managing to see our newsletters or services online.

Our Apostle Magazine is ‘out’ in an electronic format and can be viewed here. (Or type www.staidans.co.nz/magazines/ into your web browser’s address bar). A huge thanks to the team of Anne and Isobell who have worked to produce a wonderful snapshot of the last few months. To all the contributors of articles and pictures, thank you. Some paper copies will be available once we are at Level 2.

The Garage Sale that was in our diaries for 11th September has been cancelled. The committee will meet again in a couple of weeks to assess whether it might be possible to hold a small market day prior to Christmas, but we would need to be at Level 1 and comfortable that we could do this safely, so no decision has been made at this stage.

Our weekly newsletter is still being produced each week and that is located on our website here (or type www.staidans.co.nz/newsletters/ into your web browser’s address bar). Do check for updates, prayer needs and information about groups and events.

Worship services. There is one St Aidan’s Sunday service online, that is launched (all going to plan) at 9:30am each Sunday. I do hope that you will join us each week. It can be found in two places. Here (or type www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera into your web browser’s address bar), or on our YouTube channel here. (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video).

This coming week we are rounding off our week of St Aidan’s celebrations and we have greetings from a number of our past vicars. Don’t forget to send in any birthdays or celebrations that you know of each week by Wednesday so that we can include these at the end of our service. Email Anne or Louise with these, so that we can continue to celebrate as a community.

Our weekly prayer gathering is on Thursday at 9am via Zoom*. Why not join us to pray, and please know that if you don’t want to pray aloud that is fine, your presence and silent prayer is welcomed.

Sunday evening prayer 7pm with Bishop Ross on his Facebook page each week.

Social connect points are our Zoom* catch up over coffee after the Sunday service at 10:15am and runs for around 30 mins, and starting this week is Thursday coffee and chat at 9:30am via Zoom* (You are allowed tea and cold drinks or no drink at all, it would be nice to see you).

Meeting online – several of our St Aidan’s groups are finding ways to meet online as well. The young adults’ group continues to meet fortnightly on a Monday led by Isobell, the youth are meeting on a Friday night, contact Nic for more information, and Izzi has started ‘Zooming’ with the Kids’ Church on a Sunday morning prior to the church service. The Wednesday contemplative group are finding ways to remain connected and have done so successfully, contact Anne P. For any other groups please touch base with the leader to find out any updates. Many are waiting until we move down the levels before meeting together – like the maintenance team :) !!!!! I think they are enjoying the well-earned respite from the long list of jobs.

It is with sadness that I do advise for those that haven’t heard already that Val Fraser, a long time parishioner, died on Tuesday, St Aidan’s Day after a short illness. I ask that you join with me as we pray for Val’s family and friends as they mourn her passing.

As usual I, along with the staff team, am available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. Let’s pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Please reach out to those you know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

May God Bless and sustain us all.

From the St Aidan’s Team
Louise 0274484467, 09 2804428

*Open Zoom, click Join, and enter the meeting ID 946 0866 8929, or phone +64 9 884 6780 and enter the meeting ID, then Passcode 1 #. Alternatively copy this link into your web browser’s address bar: www.zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09

18 August 2021

Greetings, Bula, Kia ora, Ayubowan, St Aidan’s family

Aren’t we fortunate to have enjoyed such relative freedom in the last few months? With Australia showing just how devastating COVID can be, it was only a matter of time before it reached our shores and made its way into the community. This week’s lockdown has caught many by surprise. The adjustment to Level 4 which we haven’t been in since last year can take a bit to get our heads around but we have done this before.

What does it mean for St Aidan’s?
Whilst we are at this level, all our buildings are closed. Louise, Anne and the rest of the staff are still working, but from home. It means that some of our planned activities are cancelled, some postponed and others now have a question mark over them as we wait to hear when the lockdown levels will change.

Worship this Sunday will be in a virtual format (see below for details) and we are also preparing for the possibility for St Aidan’s Day (Sunday 29th), to be online in keeping with the Bishop’s advice.  Sadly our shared St Aidan’s Day lunch will not be able to be held, even if we can hold church due to potential distancing required, so for now the lunch is postponed.

Our Garage Sale team met via zoom today and at this stage will wait until next week before making any decisions regarding this event on September 11th. In the meantime, we will stop collecting or accepting items until things become clearer.

This Sunday’s online service will be available on Facebook at 9.30 am and we also hope to post the same service onto YouTube for those that find this an easier way to access services.

Each Thursday there is an opportunity to connect:
Our weekly prayer time at 9 am via zoom. Details to join this are below. You don’t need a computer to join, a telephone is sufficient to join in with the session.

On Sunday after our 9:30 morning online service you can connect for:
Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 10.15am ‘ish’.Last year we instigated this and found it a great way to catch up with others and to connect with one another. It lasts no longer than 40 mins, why not join us, we would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there. (We haven’t recorded the service yet, so hence the ‘ish’ about the time)


The links below are for the prayer time and are the same for the coffee chat on Sunday.
https://zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09
If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 946 0866 8929 OR to join via the phone 09 884 6780 wait for the instructions and then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 946 0866 8929 # and if Passcode is required enter 1


Bishop Ross has also asked us to let you know that he will lead Night Prayer on Sunday at 7pm weekly again while we are under gathering restrictions, and this can be accessed through the Bishop Ross Bay Facebook page.

Hopefully, our Parish Grapevine ringing tree has made contact with you. Let us know if that hasn’t happened and you would like a call. We don’t want people to feel isolated. Indeed please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

May God Bless and sustain us all.
From the St Aidan’s Team

17 August 2021

COVID-19 Level 4 Lockdown

Hopefully, you will by now have heard that all of New Zealand will be going into Level 4 lockdown from midnight 17 August 2021. For those of us in Auckland, this will be for at least 7 days. This means that the church and all our buildings are closed including the Mission Shop.

There is no Mainly Music or Wednesday mid-week service. This week’s Sunday service will be online only. Here is a link to our Facebook page.

Please check in on one another by giving them a call or texting or emailing. This has been very sudden and we want to support one another particularly when things feel rather uncertain. Keep safe everyone and see you again very soon.

12 March 2021

Auckland is now back to Alert Level 1. Our Sunday services will go ahead as usual, with Alert Level 1 rules in place. Please scan the COVID-19 tracer app when you arrive, maintain good hygiene practices, and please stay at home if you are sick.

5 March 2021

We are going to Alert Level 2 on Sunday morning at 6am, however, there will be no church services in our buildings this Sunday. A service will be available here on Facebook and on YouTube at 9:30am on Sunday morning instead.

3 March 2021

Hello Church Family,

Hopefully this email finds you coping with the changing status of our levels. Whilst I write this midweek wanting to remind you about Thursday online options for connecting, I realize we do not have any new updates about the levels we might be at on Sunday. Due to the ongoing uncertainty as to what level we might be at when we reach the morning of Sunday 7th March the decision has been made for worship on the St Aidan’s premises to not take place this Sunday. Even if we were at Level 2, it takes time to put up all the distancing signs and we wanted to create some certainty for those who need preparation time for their various roles. An online service will be available on Sunday on Facebook at 9.30am and we also hope to post the same service onto YouTube for those that find this an easier way to access services. We are hopeful that we may be able to meet the following week in person and in the church if COVID levels allow.

This week we are particularly grateful to Vicki who led the Mainly Music session from home with some able children supporting her with the actions. This session you can find on our Facebook page along with our normal Wednesday midweek church service.
On Thursday 4th March there are two opportunities to connect:

  1. Our weekly prayer time at 9am via zoom. Details to join this are in our newsletter or you can find them below. You don’t need a computer to join, a telephone is sufficient to join in with the session.
  2. Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 10.30am. Last year we instigated this ‘Thursday Catch Up’, whilst in lockdown and this week (Thurs 4th), we will offer the same. It lasts no longer than 40 mins, so why not join us, we would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there, please note these are different connections than last year.

The links below are for the prayer time and are the same for the slightly later coffee chat.
https://zoom.us/j/94608668929?pwd=TkZLeU1MY2d5eUpqeTJ5WUJTRHlVUT09

If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 946 0866 8929
Or
to join via the phone 09 884 6780 wait for the instructions and then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 946 0866 8929 #. If you are asked for a passcode enter 1 #.

Whilst I am emailing, a couple of things from our newsletterI won’t repeat the newsletter so please do have a look yourself. Newsletters for the coming week are usually put up on the website on Friday.

Parish Magazine Contributions are invited for the Easter edition of ‘The Apostle’. Here’s what we are looking for. Why not use Level 3 to do a bit of writing and send it in:

  • Do you have any photos of what you did this summer?
  • What does Easter mean to you this year?
  • As we begin our Lenten series, “A river through the desert,” how have you seen God create ‘rivers’ in the ‘wasteland’ events of your life?

Email or drop off to the office by Monday 8th March, please.

Bibles for Vanuatu

Do you have any spare Bibles at home? We have received a request from a charity worker in Vanuatu for Bibles. If you have any surplus copies on your shelves in good condition please bring them along and put them in the box marked “Donated Bibles” in Gathering Area to be sent to share the Good News in Vanuatu.

Remember newsletters can be found on our website here.

Please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

27 February 2021

As Auckland is going into Level 3 at 6am tomorrow morning, we will not be having any services at church and our buildings will be closed. Our Parish Picnic will also be postponed.

19 February 2021

Hello Church Family,

Well!! As we have now moved to Level 2 we are able to gather for church in our buildings this week. However, it will be back to the spacing which we might remember from last year. We will have both the 8am and 9:30am services but we encourage you if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings.

Outlined below is a reminder of some of the procedures to keep people safe at this level, so you have a chance to refresh your memory from last time. There will be plenty of helpers to gently direct people on Sunday.

For those who aren’t able to physically join us, we hope to have our online service. You can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook livestream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu-like symptoms, please stay away, and we will see you when you are well again.

Church Services

Upon arrival
When you first arrive (for those with phones) you will need to check-in via the QR codes displayed. If you aren’t able to scan a QR code then you need to record manually your name on the sheets provided. Plenty of hand sanitiser is available for your use then head directly into church and find a seat.

  • Doors will remain open to lessen contact
  • Please maintain physical distancing of 1 metre at all times
  • Every second pew is to be used to maintain distance and most of the seating with be 3 people per pew unless you are a family group. Please read the signs on the pews as you enter
  • The collection box will be inside the church for your giving – bags will not be passed around during the service
  • Children sit with their family groups. There will be no children’s ministry in the social lounge this week, as it is too hard to maintain distancing for the smaller children. Some ‘in pew’ paper activities will be available. You may like to bring your own colouring equipment so sharing is avoided, however, we will have some ready if you don’t have any. We are assuming and hoping that Level 2 will only be for one week and then our usual programme can resume.
  • Youth activities will be operating and Conor will choose an appropriate location to enable appropriate spacing to occur. A separate email has gone out about this.

During the service

We won’t have prayer ministry at the 9:30am service in the usual form (during communion in the Lady Chapel) but there will be a box in that space for any prayer requests you may have. Bring a pen to write those down.

  • Sharing the peace will take place from your pews – a chance to practice your peace-like facial expressions!!!
  • Communion will be bread only and there will be specific directions as to how to come forward.
  • This week we will be offering the imposition of ashes as part of the service. If you want to receive these you may want to bring along a mask to wear at this point to provide extra safety.

After the service

We will hold back from serving tea and coffee following the service at Level 2 as we can’t easily follow the Health Department guidelines. We do encourage you to consider inviting someone to share a coffee and make use of our local cafes if you are comfortable with this. As you leave, be careful of physical distancing and ensure you allow room for each other to exit safely.

As usual we are available through the usual means of communication, so please get in touch with any questions you might have. We are looking forward to seeing many of you on Sunday!

Regards,
Louise and the St Aidan’s team.

16 February 2021

Hello Church Family,

Well, it’s certainly turned into a different week than we were all expecting!!!

As we wait to hear about any changes to the Level 3 lockdown in Auckland which currently continues until midnight on Wednesday 16th February, we have already had to cancel/postpone a number of events that were to be held at church this week.

Currently, our buildings are closed and staff are working from home. Church activities that were to have occurred on Monday through to Wednesday of this week will not be able to happen. This has affected groups like our Pins and Needles, the Women’s Evening Fellowship, Mainly Music and our Ash Wednesday services. This significant service in the calendar marks the beginning of Lent and the journey towards Easter. As per the Bishop’s suggestion, we will now endeavour to incorporate aspects of the Ash Wednesday service into our Sunday service (providing we move down the levels by then).

For those of you who would like to take advantage of an online service, I have been advised that the Society of Saint John the Evangelist will be offering a livestreamed Ash Wednesday service which in our time will be 6.30am on Thursday and also available through their Facebook page or website afterwards. Here is the link to the Livestream Chapel – SSJE another option is from Southwark Anglican Cathedral who are also live-streaming their lockdown Ash Wednesday service. There is also music, liturgy and poems entitled the ‘Wilderness Panels’ a Lenten offering also on the same website. As it is from the Northern Hemisphere, like the previous option it won’t be until Thursday that they will be available on the following link LIVE Service Stream: Southwark Cathedral (anglican.org). Click on the link and then scroll down until you see Ash Wednesday.

Once we have further information from the Government about the change in levels then we can let you know about any decisions we need to make around the rest of the week and our Sunday worship.

Please let us know if you need someone to give you a ring and hopefully our current level won’t be for long. Do stay safe and may you know the presence of God with you at this time.

Blessings
Louise and the St Aidan’s team.

15 February 2021

We hope it won’t be long before we move down Alert Levels but until midnight Wednesday we are in Level 3 (unless advised differently), this means our buildings are closed and our usual face-to-face meetings during this time won’t take place.
Therefore the following church activities are affected:
Pins and Needles, Women’s Evening Fellowship, Mainly Music, and both Ash Wednesday services.
Stay safe everyone,
From the St Aidan’s team working from home.

Information about Alert Level 3

8 October 2020

Hello Church Family,

Well as we move to Alert Level 1 in Auckland we are now able to return to some normality. In regards to our services, we are going to do this gradually in a staged approach. We thought it might be helpful to let you know what that will look like so that you have a feeling of security particularly for those still feeling a little anxious about moving from one level to another.

When you arrive at church on Sunday

  • For those with cellphones, we ask you to use the QR code to record your visit
  • Plenty of hand sanitizer is available and feel free to wear a mask if you would like
  • There is no longer the need to space out as we have done, so the COVID-19 cards at the end of each pew will be removed
  • We will offer tea and coffee again at the conclusion of our services.

During the service

  • We will be able to sing, but to start with we might do that in a ‘reserved way’
  • At the 8am service we will return to using the prayer book rather than data projector
  • We will continue to share the peace by staying in our places and not shaking hands with one another
  • The offertory box will remain for now as a central place to put your offering rather than passing the bag along the pew
  • For another week we will offer communion in one kind (the wafer) and this will be received from a standing position rather than kneeling at the rail
  • Prayer ministry during the 930 service will for now consist of placing prayer requests into the box at the side chapel which will be prayed for by the team after the service.

For those who aren’t able to be physically join us, we will be still maintaining our online service. You can join us online live at 9:30am on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera
The service will also be uploaded later in the day to our YouTube channel which can be found here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos

The Government’s advice for Alert Level 1 is to continue to practice good hand washing hygiene, to track where you have been and if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu like symptoms, to stay at home https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-1/

Coming up
Most church groups have been easing into gathering again so please check with the leaders of each group to find out the plans to return to usual meetings.

Our annual Bake Off competition is on this Sunday, 11th October after the 9:30am service and this year’s category is SLICE. This will be a great warmup for the Election Day cake stall on Saturday 17th along with our FAB sale on November 14th. Please see Jenny Haggitt if you can help.

Sunday 1st November is ‘All Saints Day’ and we will mark this day to celebrate who we are as St Aidan’s parish which may include sharing some food together, following the 9:30am service. We realize for some this might be too soon for such a social event but for others they are more than ready! For now mark the date in the diary and details to follow.

Thursday Morning Prayer continues online via zoom as well as physically in the building so join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am either in the Gathering Area at St Aidan’s or by clicking this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958 By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958 #

We are looking forward to seeing you again soon and enjoying some of our events planned for the remainder of the year.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

24 September 2020

Hello Church Family,

Well as we move to Level 2 in Auckland we are now able to gather together again for church in our buildings. We will have both the 8am and 9:30am services but we encourage you, if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings. This weekend is Daylight Saving so the clocks go forward 1 hour at midnight on Saturday night. Sorry – 1 one less hour in bed but just a reminder so you don’t get caught out.

Outlined below is a reminder of some of the procedures to keep people safe at this level, and so that you have a chance to refresh your memory from last time. There will be plenty of helpers to gently direct people on Sunday.

If you have been watching online and haven’t had the opportunity to join us in person, you are very welcome to come along on Sunday. We would love to see you, anyone can come!!

For those who aren’t able to physically join us, we will be still maintaining our online service, you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook Livestream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/
Or on YouTube, so look for us on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu-like symptoms, please stay away, and we will see you when you are well again.

Church Services:
Upon arrival
When you first arrive (for those with phones) you will need to check-in via the NZ COVID Tracer App QR code outside the main doors to the Gathering Area. We will also be recording manually the names of those attending, so inside you will find someone taking these details. Plenty of hand sanitizer is available for your use then head directly into church and find a seat.

  • Doors will remain open to lessen contact
  • Please maintain physical distancing of 1 metre at all times
  • Every second pew is to be used to maintain distance and most of the seating with be 3 people per pew unless you are a family group. Please read the signs on the pews as you enter
  • The collection box will be inside the church for your giving – bags will not be passed around during the service
  • Children sit with their family groups until they are directed to their programmes

During the service
Unfortunately, we are not able to have any singing during the service but we will share communion together. We won’t have prayer ministry at the 9:30am service in the usual form (during communion in the Ladies Chapel) but there will be a box in that space for prayer requests that you may have. Bring a pen to write those down.

  • Sharing the peace will take place from your pews – a chance to practice your peace-like facial expressions…
  • Communion will be bread only and there will be specific directions as to how to come forward.

After the service
We will hold back from serving tea and coffee following the service for a few more Sundays so the kitchen is closed. However, we encourage you to consider inviting someone back to your place to share a coffee or to make use of our local cafes if you are comfortable with this. As you leave be careful of physical distancing and ensure that you allow room for each other to exit safely. We won’t be holding our remote zoom coffee catchups on Sunday as we have in the past, so for those who are joining worship from afar, at this stage, we have put a halt to this whilst we are meeting physically in the church building.

Thursday Morning Prayer 
This is still happening online via zoom as well as physically in the building. There are lots of options so join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am either in the Gathering area of church or at  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

We are looking forward to seeing you really soon.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

18 September 2020


Our Sunday worship will be online only again this Sunday 9:30am, and can be found on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera or on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday and also jump on the Zoom link below after the service for our Catch up over a Cuppa event.

Catch up over a Cuppa’ event. 
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 4 886 0026 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key:
460 759 7958  #

Thursday Morning Prayer 
Join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key:
460 759 7958  #

Otherwise, we will be in touch with updates for us as alert levels change. Keep safe, look out for each other and have a great weekend.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467

3 September 2020

Hello Church Family,

This email is mostly to share with you the below video update of a few things happening around the church at the moment. We are locked down but not out, so hope you enjoy!

Our Sunday worship, until advised differently, will be online only (now on YouTube!), from Sunday 9:30am, and can be found on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera or on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday and also jump on the Zoom link below after the service for our Catch up over a Cuppa event.

Catch up over a Cuppa’ event. 
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 4 886 0026 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

Thursday Morning Prayer 
Join us to prayer each Thursday from 9am: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 9 884 6780 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

Otherwise, we will be in touch with updates for us as alert levels change. Keep safe, look out for each other and have a great weekend.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467

28 August 2020

Hello Church Family,

With some slightly warmer days and spring bulbs appearing, hopefully, you are finding some signs of hope during our most recent lockdown. At midnight on Sunday 30th August, we move to Level 2 lockdown and whilst that allows a much greater freedom of movement for many, the limits on the size of gatherings to 10 continues to have implications for our weekly worship and many of our planned gatherings. Whilst this can be a source of frustration, it is important that people keep safe. We are mindful of a number of church communities in Auckland where COVID has spread in the recent outbreak and our prayers are with them at this time. With the changing Alert Levels to Level 2 on Monday here is what you need to know in terms of St Aidan’s.

Office/Buildings:
The office will resume its usual opening hours as from Monday. If you are wanting to enter any of the buildings you must come via the office so that we know you have either signed in or use the Gov’t COVID Tracer App (QR codes at main entry points). At the end of each day, we will wipe down all touched surfaces. For this reason, in these initial weeks, we won’t have the buildings unlocked, with people needing to come to the office first so we are aware of who has been in what area. A number of people have asked about dropping off food donations for the City Mission – we will have a drop off box in the office for ease of access. We will be back to social distancing, so just be aware if there are a few people in the office speaking to Anne, you may need to wait outside until there is the appropriate space.

Staff:
Glen and Louise will similarly move back on-site as from Monday and along with the staff team are available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. On Saturday, they will both be ‘attending’ Synod via Zoom along with our synod reps. Synod has been reduced to just one day with many of the business items taken off the agenda for now.

Church Services:
As we said at the start, whilst we move to Level 2 on Monday there are still restrictions on gathering sizes. Until this increases, we will not be able to hold our usual Sunday worship services in our buildings but we may be able to look to hold our Wednesday service in the coming weeks, potentially the first one being on Wednesday 9th Sept. As we readjust into this new level 2, the Wednesday 2nd Sept 11.30 am service will be online only, and this is the same for both Sunday 30th Aug and Sunday 6th Sept worship. We will update you as we hear more details and make appropriate decisions. When we are able to gather together again, it will most certainly be with the various requirements such as contact tracing and social distancing.

Our Sunday worship, until advised differently will be online only (now on You Tube!), from Sunday 9:30am, and can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera or on our You Tube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday. As things change with Alert Levels, we will be in touch with updates as soon as possible.

Parish Magazine:
Anne and Isobell have been working hard to complete this over lockdown and it is ready for you to read. Huge thanks to them both for pulling this together over trying circumstances and many changing dates. Please note that some of the dates and activities may change, and continue to change due to COVID. We will have just a few hard copies of the magazine available that we will run off ourselves, otherwise, it is available for you to read now electronically here: https://my.flipbookpdf.net/QQLI7 or as a PDF on our website here. Enjoy the opportunity for some great reading before we move down the levels.

Let’s continue to pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Hopefully, we will soon be able to move down the levels and be safely be able to gather together again. Please continue to reach out to those you who know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467

21 August 2020

Hello Church Family,

Hope you are all keeping well and looking after each other in our current lockdown situation. Today the Government announced their review of the current Alert level settings, stating that we are tracking well toward the original timeframe of Alert Level 3 being in place until Wednesday 26th August. There was no further information at that stage as to what the Alert level setting would be after that date, therefore the information below is provisional on further details, likely following Monday’s announcement.

Church Services
We will hold both 8am and 9:30am services when Auckland moves to Alert Level 2, potentially August 30th. This will take place with the various requirements such as contract tracing (the Gov’t COVID Tracer App Sign in available onsite now) and social distancing – there may be more requirements but we will update you on this before the services take place.

This Sunday and at Level 3 our worship will be online only (now on YouTube!), from Sunday 9:30am, and can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera Or on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1KTUD3GRs20GGAFeAZ7fQ/videos (Make sure to click on the appropriately dated video). We hope you can join us for worship again this Sunday.

A reminder that the church buildings will not be accessible until further notice. As things change with Alert levels, we will be in touch with updates as soon as possible.

Other Events
You have likely heard that the General Election 2020 has now been moved to October 17th. Hopefully, that date rang some bells for you – yes, it was the date of our Garage Sale. The GS Committee has met this week to discuss this and we have discussed some preferred rescheduled dates. This is contingent obviously on more details around Alert level changes – we will be in touch with the Parish when we are in a position to confirm the new date. Please continue to hold onto your items for donations in the meantime.

Our St Aidan’s Day celebrations were planned for the 30th of August. However, as an event that includes a shared meal, this can only take place at Level 1 – we will look to mark St Aidan’s day as soon as this is feasible. This Sunday was to be our Youth-led service – we will reschedule this service once we are back in the buildings.

After worship on Sunday, we will open up a Zoom meeting for our ‘Catch up over a Cuppa’ event that we ran the last lockdown. Details below, hope you can join us to touch base with each other.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
Meeting ID: 460 759 7958
By phone: Call +64 4 886 0026 then enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

As usual, Louise and I, along with the staff team are available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. Let’s pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Please reach out to those you who know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

P.S. Some of you may have received an email purportedly from me, asking you to get in touch with me. This is spam and can be deleted. We have reported this to Google and hopefully, it is resolved.

12 August 2020

Hello Church Family,

As you will no doubt be aware Auckland has gone into Alert Level 3 as of 12 noon today. Although it has been stated that this will be in place until Friday midnight, we have decided to make some decisions now about our church services so that we can make alternative arrangements ahead of time.

The decision has been made to run our Sunday worship online only for this Sunday. This will be available from 9:30am on Sunday morning on our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera. We hope you can join us for worship. The church buildings will not be accessible until further notice. As things change with Alert levels, we will be in touch with updates as soon as possible.

Prayer Meeting
As you may be aware, we have instituted our regular prayer meeting, Thursdays at 9am. We will run this week’s prayer meeting via Zoom and encourage all who can, to join us in praying for our community. The meeting will run for around 20 minutes and with the Zoom controls, feel free to phone in or join with or without your video or microphone. It would be great to join together in prayer at this time.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/460759795
If you already have Zoom installed, enter the meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780. Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958  #

As usual, Louise and I, along with the staff team are available through the normal means of communication – please get in touch with any questions or issues you have. Let’s pray that the current situation is resolved quickly and that people are cared for in the process. Please reach out to those you who know who might need support at this time and let us know how you are going.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help. https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

18 July 2020

Please note, we are still Live Streaming our 9:30am Sunday service over on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/), but are no longer uploading it to the website for viewing afterwards. Please contact us if you are having trouble viewing it on Facebook.

11 June 2020

Hello Church Family,

What fantastic news that we are now at Level 1! This means there are no now restrictions in place on our Sunday services and all church-related activities. There may be some strangeness around this as we perhaps shake hands for the first time and this email has some details around continuing to take care as we gather including the Government’s Ten Golden Rules for Level 1 which you may have seen. Contract tracing is no longer a requirement but it is recommended to keep a track of your movements. We are in touch with the Diocese as it works on providing QR codes for the Gov’t COVID tracer app and you may see those this Sunday.

So we look forward to some congregational singing this week, communion in both forms, catching up over a tea & coffee following the service, among other things. We will be mindful of those who would prefer to ease into some of these elements so please feel free to engage in various elements of the service as you are comfortable. Receiving communion in one kind continues to be an option (along with grape juice in individual cups) and exercising caution with contact may be an ongoing consideration for some. This will be a matter of being a little more conscious of one another during the service, giving space where needed.

Facebook
Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu-like symptoms, please stay at home – you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook Live Stream.

Worship Roster
We will now be following our monthly worship roster again – if you are unable to fulfil your role please arrange a replacement and be in touch with the liturgist for the day about the swap. If you are unable to find a replacement, get in touch with the office as soon as possible.

We will continue to build up to full steam again and on that note we are looking forward to having Antoinette Pope our organist back with us from Sunday 21st June. We also are excited about + Ross being with us at the 9:30am service on that Sunday as well.

We are now also beginning to look ahead and to the various activities and events that may need some rescheduling. We will be in touch soon with more info on that. We also don’t want to lose some of the positive learnings and experiences that have come out of lockdown as well as the opportunities that exist for the church to be Christ’s hands and feet in this new context. We have an opportunity now to identify some of these learnings and to think through what we would like to see be a part of the return to normal life. We will look to discuss this in various contexts as a church community but get in touch if you have any thoughts in that area.

Otherwise, looking forward to gathering again this Sunday – get in touch if you have any queries and see below for the Golden Rules of Level 1

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

The Government has set Ten Golden Rules for Level 1 as follows, so please be familiar with them.

  1. If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t go to work or school. Don’t socialise.
  2. If you have cold or flu symptoms call your doctor or Healthline and make sure you get tested.
  3. Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.
  4. Sneeze and cough into your elbow, and regularly disinfect shared surfaces.
  5. If you are told by health authorities to self-isolate you must do so immediately.
  6. If you’re concerned about your wellbeing, or have underlying health conditions, work with your GP to understand how best to stay healthy.
  7. Keep track of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen to help contact tracing if needed. Use the NZ COVID Tracer app as a handy way of doing this.
  8. Businesses should help people keep track of their movements by displaying the Ministry of Health QR Code for contact tracing.
  9. Stay vigilant. There is still a global pandemic going on. People and businesses should be prepared to act fast to step up Alert Levels if we have to.
  10. People will have had different experiences over the last couple of months. Whatever you’re feeling — it’s okay. Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself.

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live. Instructions for how to do that can be found here. Encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help.

4 June 2020

Hello Church Family,

Just a quick touch base for this Sunday’s worship – we are looking forward to getting together again in the church buildings and online via our Facebook page. Thanks to those who helped out with the service last week for our first time back and for all who came and went along with the changes.

Both our 8am and 9:30am services will run the same as they did last week, following gathering directives from the Government and keeping things relatively simple until we hear further news about a change in alert levels. We encourage you, if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings.

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu like symptoms, please stay at home – you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook Live Stream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Worship Roster
We are beginning again to follow our monthly worship roster but getting people to fill in where needed – there is no pressure to take up your role if you would prefer to stay away at the moment. Talking about roles, here’s a behind the scenes video of how we are live streaming our services at the moment – https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/videos/733618644041990/

If you would like to resume your Sunday rostered roles or get involved in some way, please get in touch with Anne to let her know your availability. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

29 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

We are looking forward to being back in the building for worship this Sunday and meeting together for the first time in over 2 months. Livestreaming of the service will continue (9:30am) so you can still join from afar and celebrate the birth of the church and the presence of the Spirit among us.

This email outlines the procedures for coming to either of our two services on Sunday in order to comply with Government regulations of hygiene and physical distancing. For a video ‘walk through’ of what will happen when you arrive at church, check out this post on our Facebook page –https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/videos/678670136249589/

We will have both the 8am and 9:30am services but we encourage you, if you are able, to consider coming to the 8am service to help balance numbers. We will be monitoring our numbers on Sunday in order to comply with the 100 person cap on gatherings.

Remember if you are at high risk of severe illness or have any cold or flu like symptoms, please stay away – you can join us online at 9:30am via the Facebook livestream https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Upon arrival
When you first arrive you will need to either check in via the QR code outside the main doors to the Gathering Area or with Anne Godman who will be inside  – she will ask you for your last name and check you off. Then head directly into church and find a seat.

  • Doors will remain open to lessen contact (we will put the heaters on before you arrive)
  • Please maintain physical distancing of 1 metre at all times
  • Every second pew is to be used to maintain distance and most of the seating with be 3 people per pew unless you are a family group. Please read the signs on the pews as you enter
  • The collection box will be inside the church for your giving – bags will not be passed around during the service
  • Children sit with their family groups until they are directed to their programmes

During the service
Unfortunately, we are not able to have any signing during the service but we will share communion together. We won’t have prayer ministry in the usual form (during communion in the Ladies Chapel) but there will be a box in that space for prayer requests that you may have. Bring a pen to write those down.

  • Sharing the peace will take place from your pews – a chance to practice your peace-like facial expressions…
  • Communion will be bread only and there will be specific directions as to how to come forward.

After the service
We won’t be serving tea and coffee following the service at this time and the kitchen will be closed. As you leave be careful of physical distancing and please avoid congregating in thoroughfares – allow room for each other to exit.

A small note on the service in general – with the Covid-19 restrictions elements of the service will be changed for the next four weeks at least. Sunday worship will be a simple communion service. This is for a short period so please extend grace to one another, grace as the service might not be what you would like, grace as we follow the restriction in place to keep people safe.

And finally, remember to wear some red!
‘When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.’ Acts 2:1

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

28 May 2020

We are back in the building for our 8am and 9:30am services, but things will be a little different. Here’s a ‘walk through’ of how it’s going to work coming to worship this Sunday.

26 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

Hopefully, you have heard the news that at noon this Friday (29th May) gatherings can be held with up to 100 people. This email is to let you know that we will be running our two services this Sunday at St Aidan’s Church – although there are still restrictions to adhere to, this is great news.

By Friday we will send out another email (contact us if you are reading this on the website and would like to be added to our mailing list) with all the details of how the services will run and what will be required for those of you who are planning to attend. Please read this carefully as there will be specific instructions around how we will adhere to the hygiene and physical distancing regulations. If you are on the Worship Roster and have previously stated you could fulfil your usual Sunday role, Anne will be in touch with you in a separate email about your availability.

If you are at high risk of severe illness or you are sick, please stay at homeOur 9:30am service will continue to be Live Streamed throughout this time so you are able to join in on Sunday.  You might consider joining with others in smaller gatherings in homes in order to participate in the service together.

Initial discussions were had at the beginning of Alert Level 2 around the ability of regular groups to start up again. For all church-related groups, please speak to Glen or Louise about when and how your group will operate following Friday 29th May.

Below is a repeat of some of the information sent out last week – our service livestream details, Thursday Zoom catch up, and church buildings being accessible. You can now access areas of the church for cleaning and any other work that you would like to get done. Get in touch with Anne if you are planning to come in.

Otherwise, you will hear from us before Friday – please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

Buildings Open, following regulations
From today (Monday 18th May) the church office will be open from 9am to 3:30pm. All other areas of the church will be locked. Anyone needing access to church buildings must check in at the office and register:

  • Upon arrival, connect with Anne in the office to record contract tracing details. Only two people are allowed in the office at a time so please wait outside (marked spots on pavement).
  • Maintain physical distancing
  • Use hand sanitiser available and wash hands after you leave.
  • Stay away if you are sick.

Livestream on Facebook will continue
We are aware that some of our parishioners will continue to stay away even as restrictions are lessened, so Live Streams will continue even when services recommence on site. Prior to the pandemic, investigations into upgrading our video hardware for live stream capability in the church were underway – we look forward to continuing that when we get back in.

Continue to join our online worship services through Facebook on Wednesdays (11:30am) and Sundays (9:30am). Turn on notifications for St Aidan’s in Facebook so you know when we are going live and encourage others to do the same (details below).

Thursday Catch Up
Remember our Thursday Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 11am this Thursday – would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
(this is the same link for Sunday Catch up after the service)

If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780
Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help.
https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

18 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

While we are not yet holding regular worship services on the premises, there are some changes to be aware of.

Buildings Open, following regulations
From today (Monday 18th May) the church office will be open from 9am to 3:30pm. All other areas of the church will be locked. Anyone needing access to church buildings must check-in at the office and register:

  • Upon arrival, connect with Anne in the office to record contract tracing details. Only two people are allowed in the office at a time so please wait outside (marked spots on pavement).
  • Maintain physical distancing
  • Use hand sanitiser available and wash hands after you leave.
  • Stay away if you are sick.

This week we are hoping to limit visits to the essentials of drop-offs or following up with any church-related issues. Next week this will be extended having access to areas of the church for cleaning and any other work that people would like to get done. Get in touch with Anne if you are planning to come in.

Gatherings
We do have clearance to gather in groups of 10 or less. As we said last week, homegroups can meet but this is to be determined in consultation with the group and at the discretion of leaders. Please make sure your group is aware of the public health advice for gatherings – https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-2/#gatherings-events-and-public-venues

The clergy have been approached about the possibility of holding communion services for groups of 10 at a time. We are open to considering this next week – those that are interested in holding a service would need to firstly organise a group (9 max) and then contact the clergy. We would then work through a plan of how and when the service would run from there. Get in touch with Louise or Glen.
We do hope that the announcement on Monday May 25th will include an increase in possible gathering sizes and we are able to run something like our regular church worship on site We will be in touch via this email after that announcement is made. As we heard from Louise on Sunday, let’s be patient and continue to support each other in the current situation we are in.

Livestream on Facebook will continue
Throughout all alert levels, we will livestream our worship services in the format we have down during lockdown. We are aware that some of our parishioners will continue to stay away even as restrictions are lessened, so livestreams will continue even when services recommence on site. Prior to the pandemic, investigations into upgrading our video hardware for live stream capability in the church were underway – we look forward to continuing that when we get back in.
Continue to join our online worship services through Facebook on Wednesdays (11:30am) and Sundays (9:30am). Turn on notifications for St Aidan’s in Facebook so you know when we are going live and encourage others to do the same (details below).

Thursday Catch Up
Remember our Thursday Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 11am this Thursday – would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
 (this is the same link for Sunday Catch up after the service)

If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780
Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958

Please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Glen – 0274 574105
Louise – 0274484467; 09 280 4428

Facebook info
‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling and we can help.
https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

12 May 2020

Hello Church Family,

Hopefully, you have been able to keep up with the latest information on the Alert level changes and what life at Level Two will look like. The country will move to Alert Level Two on Thursday and under the parameters that were announced as part of that move, Sunday worship on the St Aidan’s premise will not take place until further Government advice which is scheduled to be announced on Monday 25th May.

No Physical Church yet but…
However, some features of church life will be able to begin and others to continue. Staff will be allowed to return to the office, gatherings of up to 10 people are able to take place and Wednesday and Sunday worship will continue online. This is possible while adhering to public health measures  – high personal hygiene, physical distancing of 1 metre, meeting together for no longer than 2 hours, contact tracing.

  • Homegroups can begin again as long as the group is no bigger than 10. It is up to the homegroup leader’s discernment as to when their particular group will resume and how it will run. The church Gathering Area can be made available upon request for meetings under certain conditions – get in touch with the office for details.
  •  The church office will be open from Monday 18th, again following public health advice. If you need to come to church please be prepared to follow the protocols that will be in place.
  • Staff will be available for person-to-person meetings and pastoral visits, again under restrictions.
  • Continue to join our online worship services through Facebook. Get in touch with the office if you are struggling with this and we can help.
    ‘Follow’ St Aidan’s Remuera on Facebook, turn on Notifications for when we go live (https://www.facebook.com/help/299284303519326?helpref=about_content) and encourage others to do the same – we will continue to Live stream our services and other events in the future. https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

More freedom/Stay safe
Going to Alert Level Two on Thursday does give us more freedom and a chance to reconnect with friends and family. Hopefully, this will bring much-needed relief and help us through until the further easing up of restrictions and for when we can meet together again as a wider church family. Please continue to observe 2m distancing in public, keep it to under 10 people and keep in mind your movements and the contacts you have.

Looking Ahead
Thank you for filling in our survey around attendance – this helps us with our planning for when we resume our services. We will keep you posted with any developments in the information of what we will be doing as a church community under Level Two restrictions – keep an eye out on your inbox.

Thursday Catch Up
Remember our Thursday Catch up over a Coffee via Zoom, 11am this Thursday – would love to see you. Click the link and it will join you automatically from there:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958
(this is the same link for Sunday Catch up after the service)
If you already have Zoom installed, enter this meeting ID to join: 460 759 7958
For the phone – +64 9 884 6780
Enter Meeting ID followed by the hash key: 460 759 7958

Please get in touch via email or phone with any questions or issues.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

6 May 2020

Hello Church Family,
Hope you are faring well and Level 3 has given you a bit of a break in the weather. Some updates from us below but as always, please do not hesitate to be in touch with the team for further help or support.

Moving Down from Level 3
We wait to hear Monday week whether or not we will move to Alert Level 2. We said last week that Sunday worship at St Aidan’s is able to resume, in a form, at Level 2. When that happens we will email out specific instructions around church attendance which will involve, for example, contact tracing, physical distancing and movement around the church building during services.

Some points to help us with organising this:

  • If you are part of the Sunday Worship roster, a reminder to respond via email with your availability during Level 2 to Anne at office@staidans.co.nz . There is no pressure for you to attend whatsoever, but for our planning please let us know whether you will attend or not as soon as you can.
  • The Government information has been that those who are at high risk of severe illness (the elderly and those with existing medical conditions) are encouraged to stay home during Level 2. We are encouraging any parishioners in that category to have conversations with family about their attendance. Please fill out this two-question survey, which will let us know what numbers to expect on the Sunday when services recommence.

Giving/Tax Receipts
Thank you to those who have inquired about direct debit giving and have made the transition to that during the time when physical giving is not possible.
Direct payments or giving to the parish can be done via internet banking using the following details:
Bank account: 06-0257-0052666-013
Reference:
– Your Surname
– Initials
– Your giving number (if you do not know you giving number, email Russell at rflorence@xtra.co.nz)You can choose various options including one-off, weekly, monthly, annually etc.

Tax receipts are in the process of being prepared now. As many as possible will be emailed out, hopefully over the next week. For those who receive them by post this will not happen until we are into Level 2.

Zoom Catch Up over a Cuppa, Thursday
Remember our online catch up via Zoom tomorrow morning at 11am, it would be good to see you if you can make it. We will also do the same following our Sunday service – there is no fixed agenda for this, just a chance to catch up in similar fashion to the after-church cuppa on Sundays.

You can do this via your computer (microphone needed to talk) or phone:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958 and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 0064 9 884 6780 and then enter this number – 460 759 7958 followed by the hash key. This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow.

Please get in touch with any questions or to let us know what’s been happening – would love to hear from you.
Please continue to stay safe and follow all Government restrictions at this time.

If needed, below is information about how to watch our services on Facebook, but otherwise look forward to catching up either tomorrow or for worship on Sunday.

God bless,
The St Aidan’s team

29 April 2020

On Monday 11th May we will hear whether the nation will head from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2. At Level 2, Covid-19 is contained but the risk of community transmission remains. This email is to outline generally what the Alert Level change will look like for us at St Aidan’s and some information gathering steps to help us plan and prepare for that change.
At Alert level 2 our church buildings will be open for worship, gatherings and for staff to work, all under particular conditions:

  • Church services and gatherings must be kept to under 100 people
  • Physical distancing of one metre must be maintained and contact tracing must take place
  • Communion can be offered in one kind (ie the bread only)
  • Thorough cleaning of surfaces along with other precautions to prevent transmission from taking place
  • People at high risk of severe illness (older people and those with existing medical conditions) are encouraged to stay at home.

The St Aidan’s staff team are developing plans to meet these requirements so that our Wednesday and Sunday worship services can start again following the announcement of the Alert level change – specific details for this will be given closer to the time.
On the last bullet point, we encourage our older parishioners and those with medical conditions to have a discussion with family or friends (or the clergy if alone) and then contact us to let us know if you plan to attend. We will continue to live stream our Sunday Worship service throughout Level 2 (and likely into the future) for those not able to attend.

For all those on rosters, we will be emailing the various teams to ask whether you are planning to attend Sunday worship and carry out your role. Please, if you are on a roster there is no requirement to attend, we simply need information on who would be available so we can organise services.

For ministry leaders, we will be in touch with you directly but you might be able to check the bullet point list above and begin to think through whether it would be possible to restart your particular ministry in Level 2. People will need to be given the option of ‘opting out’ and that will need to be taken into consideration for the feasibility of ministries starting up again.

There is more finer detail to this Alert level change and what is means for us which isn’t needed for general church attendance – if you have any particular queries not covered here, please get in touch with Glen or Louise as soon as you can.

Zoom Catch Up over a Cuppa, Thursday
Remember our online catch up via Zoom tomorrow morning at 11am, it would be good to see you if you can make it. We will also do the same following our Sunday service – there is no fixed agenda for this, just a chance to catch up, similar to the after-church cuppa on Sundays.

You can do this via your computer (microphone needed to talk) or phone:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4607597958 and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 0064 9 884 6780 and then enter this number – 460 759 7958 followed by the hash key. This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow

Please get in touch with any questions or to let us know what’s been happening – would love to hear from you.
Please continue to stay safe and follow all Government restrictions at this time.

If needed, below is information about how to watch our services on Facebook, but otherwise look forward to catching up either tomorrow or for worship on Sunday.

God bless,
The St Aidan’s team

23 April 2020

The Government has announced New Zealand will move out of Alert Level 4 lockdown at 11.59pm on Monday 27 April. At Alert level 3 our church buildings still remain closed and we continue to be running services offsite and via our Facebook page and then later on our website here…Please get in touch with Glen or Louise for any pastoral or church-related issues or Anne (office@staidans.co.nz) for any administrative issues. We will update this page as we move closer to an announcement of the transition to Alert Level 2.

22 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

We hope you are well, staying safe and healthy and positive. It was a bit of a boost to hear the PM’s announcement on Monday that the alert level will be dropping on Monday 26th, albeit with similar conditions for most. Bishop Ross has released a Guideline document for parishes which outlines what ministry and worship will look like at each of the 4 Alert levels. For us as a worshipping community we continue in our current format at Alert level 3 and it is not until we go down to Level 2 that there will begin to be significant changes. As we get closer to a change from Alert level 3 to 2, we will let you know how our church services in particular will operate but broadly speaking it will be much like how our last service ran before full lockdown.

Zoom Catch Up
With the success of our online ‘Catch up over a Cuppa’ meeting, we will meet again tomorrow morning at 11am and after the service on SundayThis will be via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform and it is a chance to check in and and see how we are all going and ask any questions you might have. You can do this via your computer (microphone needed to talk) or phone and will be from 11am on Thursday and immediately following the service on Sunday.

Facebook Livestream
It has been great to see people coming online for our Wednesday and Sunday worship services. We have heard some are finding it difficult to find.
If that is you, please get in touch with either myself, Louise or Anne (or a young person in your family!) and we can talk you through it.
The services are live on this page – https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/

  • click on the blue underlined text above just before the time of the service (Wed – 11:30am; Sun – 9:30am).
  • Go down the page till you see this image
  • Wait until the service starts. If you are late, the video would have already begun.
  • If you miss the service at 9:30am, you can click here to see all videos there have been. The latest will go up sometime after each livestream https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/

Also remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am. This will likely end this week but you can also join us for Mainly Music each Wednesday from 0:30am

Celebrations
Please be in touch with us with news and/or photos of your set ups and how you are filling your time – we love to see how people are getting on.
Otherwise, please make use of the ‘Catch up for Cuppa’ times and we will hopefully see you Sunday

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

15 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

I hope this finds you well and you are continuing to find ways to occupy your time and/or variety and balance. As we head towards the deadline for an update on our current lockdown situation we will all be wondering what the next little while will look like. In terms of church life, we have heard from + Ross and he is in discussion with the other dioceses as to what common principles can be agreed to when a step-down begins. Worship in the current online format may continue for some time yet even if there is a lowering of the alert level next week. As soon as we hear more we will be in touch with you.

Catch Up
We are continuing to think of ways to develop our online services and to stay connected. Tomorrow morning at 11am we are going to offer an online ‘Catch up over a cuppa’ meeting for anyone from the church community. This will be via a program called Zoom and it is a chance to check in and see how we are all going and ask any questions you might have. Bring your computer or phone and your coffee – Louise and I will be there from 11 to 11:30am and happy to answer any questions you have as well.
Here’s the details:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89350888624and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 00644 886 0026 and then enter this number – 893 5088 8624# This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow

Other News
You can view the flip book version here – “The Apostle – Easter 2020”
Or on our website here – www.staidans.co.nz/magazines/

Online Services
Remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am each morning, except Wednesday when we will be running our Mainly Music program.
Also Wednesday 11:30am for our short worship service and Sunday 9:30am

That’s all for now – look forward to seeing you tomorrow if you can make it, otherwise on Sunday morning for worship. Please be in touch with any prayer requests or just to have a chat.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

9 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

I hope this finds you well and you are continuing to find ways to occupy your time and/or variety and balance. As we head towards the deadline for an update on our current lockdown situation we will all be wondering what the next little while will look like. In terms of church life, we have heard from + Ross and he is in discussion with the other dioceses as to what common principles can be agreed to when a step-down begins. Worship in the current  online format may continue for some time yet even if there is a lowering of the alert level next week. As soon as we hear more we will be in touch with you.

Catch Up
We are continuing to think of ways to develop our online services and to stay connected. Tomorrow morning at 11am we are going to offer an online ‘Catch up over a cuppa’ meeting for anyone from the church community. This will be via a program called Zoom and it is a chance to check in and and see how we are all going and ask any questions you might have. Bring your computer or phone and your coffee – Louise and I will be there from 11 to 11:30am and happy to answer any questions you have as well.
Here’s the details:

  • On your computer: Click here – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89350888624and you will be prompted to download a program (completely safe). Once you have done this, you should be able to see other people through your screen. We will take it from there.
  • On your mobile phone: Call 00644 886 0026 and then enter this number – 893 5088 8624# This will allow you to talk but not see anyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow

Other News
You can view the flip book version here – “The Apostle – Easter 2020”
Or on our website here – www.staidans.co.nz/magazines/

Online Services
Remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am each morning, except Wednesday when we will be running our Mainly Music program.
Also Wednesday 11:30am for our short worship service and Sunday 9:30am

That’s all for now – look forward to seeing you tomorrow if you can make it, otherwise on Sunday morning for worship. Please be in touch with any prayer requests or just to have a chat.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

5 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

Just a quick email following our technical issues this morning. We are currently looking into what went wrong which prevented us streaming our service as planned. Whatever happens going forward, we will still bring you our services on Facebook  (didn’t Louise do a fantastic job and in the moment!) https://www.facebook.com/StAidansRemuera/ and our services will also be posted on the St Aidan’s website here – https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/ . See below for a reminder of our service schedule for Holy Week.

Also, on our website are photos of Palm crosses made by some from St Aidan’s over the week – thank you to those who sent them in – https://www.staidans.co.nz/news-and-announcements/
We will look to share various things there and on our Facebook page so remember to check in.

Holy Week and Easter Weekend services

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 7pm – Reflective Service
Thursday 7pm – Maundy Thursday Service
Good Friday 9:30am – Reflections on the Cross
Easter Sunday 9:30am – Resurrection

Remember our daily live stream, ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’, on at 9:30am each morning, except Wednesday when we will be running our Mainly Music program.

We look forward to connecting with you over this week and hope you are continuing to remain healthy and safe.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

1 April 2020

Hello Church Family,

Well, we are now into the second week of lockdown (Day 7 today) and I hope people have been finding something of a routine or rhythm that is working. Walking has probably hit an all time high and we are lucky that we are in Autumn and not in the deeps of Winter. For us at St Aidan’s, we are continuing to develop and look ahead to what we are doing but hopefully also finding a pattern as well. Part of this is our online services and I hope you have been able to access those – please call us if you are having difficulty and remember the text in this email that is blue and underlined can be clicked on and will lead you straight to the page in question.
The other rhythm we are hoping to develop is regular contact through this email, along with the phone calls and emails that we know are taking place. It is our plan to email each Wednesday with some updates and reminders for you of what is happening so look out for that each week.

Some updates:

  • Palm Sunday – We are hoping that people will be able to make Palm Crosses at home following the video instructions below which we will bless from afar during this Sunday’s live stream service. If you are able to take a photo of you making your palm cross or the finished product and email that to Glen (glen@staidans.co.nz) we would like to share these on Sunday.
    Click this link to watch a short video tutorial on how to make your own Palm Cross at home – if there is no palm tree in your garden, you can make the Palm Cross using paper.https://youtu.be/nGEhbMkJoLE
  • Easter – Louise and I are developing services for over Holy Week and at the moment we are looking to replicate all our usual services, online. This would inlcude short reflective services for Monday to Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. We will be in touch with more details.
  • City Mission – without the ability to receive goods from the regular donators such as churches, Auckland City Mission is in desperate need of resources.  If you are able to give financially, visit org.nz and press the Donate button or through online banking to the Mission’s bank account 12 3011 0520064 00.
    Bishop Ross has also been in touch with Chris Farrelly, the City Missioner, who has a specific request for qualified social workers or similar professionals to consider assisting in the staffing of some inner-city hostel premises the Government has provided for the homeless at this time. Anyone who fits this profile and feels a call to assist in this urgent ministry is asked please to call the Mission’s GM of social services, Helen Robinson, 027 286 4944.

Some reminders:

  • Live Stream – We are running a number of services through our Facebook page.
  1. Click this link (see full schedule below) – http://facebook.com/StAidansRemuera
  2. If you have a Facebook account, scroll down until you see the video playing
  3. If you do not have a Facebook account, you may be prompted to create an account – if you do not wish to join, simply find the place that says ‘Not now’ and click that. Then scroll down the page until you see the video playing.
    All of our live stream videos will be on our website after the live service has finished. Click here to view them – https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/
    If you are having trouble, please contact me – 0274 574 105, glen@staidans.co.nz

Live stream schedule each week:

  • Sunday Worship (based on p404 of the ANZPB) – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Mainly Music – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Service (based on p730 of the ANZPB) – 11:30am
  • 9:30am every other week day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) – ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown live stream’

The service sheet for each Sunday will be found here https://www.staidans.co.nz/service-sheets/

We are planning to display the words for the service on the live stream for you to follow

We hope you are well and hope you can join us on Sunday for worship. Please be in touch – we love to hear from you and we are here, as usual, to support and journey with you in our shared faith.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

29 March 2020

Hi everyone,

We wanted to take this opportunity to reach out to everyone now that we have had the second of our online Church services.  It was wonderful to join with so many of you this morning via the live Facebook feed.  We felt a lot more connected with Glen, Louise, and everyone of you than we had expected to be, and are thankful that God facilitates that special connection between us.

Times are definitely different and the change has come upon us very suddenly.  We are very grateful for and impressed with how quickly Glen, Louise, and all our wonderful parish staff have adapted to the new environment to ensure we can remain connected, albeit in a different form.

We are using our Facebook page to live stream our 9.30am Sunday and 11.30am Wednesday services.  The feedback from last Sunday’s live stream was incredibly positive and it is a great way to retain some continuity of connection with our Church family at this time of isolation.  In addition to these services, Glen and Sarah are continuing Mainly Music via live stream at 9.30am on Wednesdays.  Even if you’re not the ‘target audience’ we warmly encourage you to check-in on-line.  It is a great opportunity to get some further insight into one of our key areas of ministry and the live-stream comments from parents are truly uplifting.  Finally, there are also thankfulness live stream sessions at 9.30am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  No shortage of opportunities for people to engage via Facebook!

That said, we are also conscious that some of our parishioners do not have access to the necessary technology platforms to take up these on-line opportunities for connection.  More traditional phone-based connection is therefore vital.  We are very appreciative for the great work being undertaken by our 42 grapevine callers that are making contact with all parishioners, thank you so much to you all, you are truly making a difference for people.

If you, or someone you know, have specific needs that are not being met, or you simply need someone to chat with, please contact either Glen, Louise, James, or Juli.

While so much is changing in our daily lives, one thing that remains a constant is the cost of maintaining our Church operations. So many of our costs are fixed in nature and we incur these whether or not we are meeting in person on Sundays.  With no Sunday services at this time, our traditional envelope-based giving is naturally disrupted.  It represents over 40% of our regular giving and is therefore a vital source of funds, especially when our hall hire income has also been removed.  We please ask that those that use envelopes, consider moving to automatic payments at this time.  The bank account number is 06-0257-0052666-13.  Please put your giving number (as printed on your envelopes) in the reference box when you set up your automatic payment and you will receive a receipt at the end of the financial year that you can use for tax refund purposes.  If you need any further assistance setting this up, please contact Anne on email at office@staidans.co.nz .  Your assistance with this is greatly appreciated.

At this time it is a real blessing that we all have the St Aidan’s community to draw on.  Please do not hesitate to make your needs known at this time as there are so many that are only too happy to help out.  Equally, if you have ideas on how we can assist one another at this time, please share your ideas and we will see what can be put into action.

During this period of isolation, we do ask that our regular Church cleaning, gardening and mowing teams stand down from their duties.  We will need to arrange a working bee at the end of this time to get on top everything but it is important that we do not seek to carry on these tasks at this time – they are not essential services, as much as we might like our Church property to look its best!

Please take good care of yourselves.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families at this time.

God bless,
Juli and James

27 March 2020

Firstly, an apology – it was my hope to be in touch with you all a lot sooner but I wanted to share with you, in a single email, as much that is going on as I could and not fill up your inboxes.
This is a difficult time and I hope you are finding ways to keep your spirits up, looking after yourself and those you may be locked down with.For the immediate future – we are live streaming Sunday worship services at 9:30am each Sunday, beginning this Sunday. Details below of how you can join in. Updates:

  • Pastoral Care – We have got our grapevine ringing list in action, and hopefully someone has rung you in the last week from church, checking on your contact details, seeing how you are and if you have received the recent emails with our updates. We have 42 parishioners who are grapevine ringers as we endeavour to make sure we stay connected.
    If you have not received a call and are one of our regular parishioners, perhaps you are not on our system or we have incorrect details so please contact Anne or Louise via email (Anne: office@staidans.co.nz, Louise: louise@staidans.co.nz) or give Louise a call 0274484467 or 09 2804428.
  • Staff team – all our staff continue to work, albeit from home, and have already begun to carry out their plans for ‘church during lockdown’. Conor has been in contact with the Youth families and has some creative ways of connecting over this period. Sarah (along with me)) has run our first Mainly music live stream session on Wednesday, begun a ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown’ daily live stream and is looking into resources for the Kids for Sunday worship. Anne is working from home on various administrative tasks and Isobell has been updating our website and Facebook and generally assisting with the increased reliance on online tools. Louise and I have been working in different ways to keep us operating as a worshipping community by distance.  The staff have been amazing over this period and I am very grateful for such a fantastic team.
  • Live Stream – We are running a number of services through our Facebook page.
    1. Click this link (see full schedule below) – http://facebook.com/StAidansRemuera
    2. If you have a Facebook account, scroll down until you see the video playing
    3. If you do not have a Facebook account, you may be prompted to create an account – find the place that says ‘Not now’ and click that. Then scroll down the page until you see the video playing.
  • All of our live stream videos will be on our website after the live service has finished. Click here to view them – https://www.staidans.co.nz/live-streams/
  • If you are having trouble, please contact me – 0274 574 105, glen@staidans.co.nz

Live stream schedule each week:

  • Sunday Worship (based on p404 of the ANZPB) – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Mainly Music – 9:30am
  • Wednesday Service (based on p730 of the ANZPB) – 11:30am
  • 9:30am every other week day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) – ‘Thankfulness and getting through lockdown live stream’

The service sheet for this Sunday can be found here – https://www.staidans.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sunday-Worship-29-March-live-streamed.pdf.

We are planning to display the words for the service on the live stream for you to follow

This time of transition has been busy and difficult and we are still in development mode – any feedback on our live stream services and anything else we could be doing would be much appreciated.

We very much hope you can join us on Sunday for worship and please be in touch – we are here, as usual, to support and journey with you in our shared faith.

God Bless,
The St Aidan’s Team

23 March 2020

Following the latest update from the Government regarding the Covid-19 alert level moving from Level 3 to Level 4 over the next 48 hours, our church buildings (including the office) will be closed to comply with this and all our in-person activities are suspended until further notice. If you need access to the building (before Wednesday 5pm) please call Glen or Louise. Although now working from home, both clergy, along with staff, remain contactable through email and phone so please be in touch with us.

  • The Wardens and Clergy are meeting tomorrow morning (online) and we will be in touch regarding plans for connecting together as a worshipping community through online means. This will likely be in the form of live streaming non-eucharistic services – check your inbox for details and let us know of any others that would like to connect with us in this way.
  • All essential information and updates from us will be shared via email but we will be using our Facebook page to share what the church as a whole is doing to help people connect and strengthen our faith at this time. You do not have to sign up to Facebook in order to view material – simply click here, ignore the sign up section, and scroll down to the various posts that are there. Contact people who you think may need assistance in setting this up – this will become an essential method for connection over the next few weeks.

Please make sure that you are ready for self-isolation by Midnight Wednesday and put plans in place for going forward. Check with those around you, remember to care for yourself, be in touch via phone calls and online, get outside for a walk each day – we are allowed to do that.

A verse from our worship on Sunday:

‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ (Heb 13:8)

You will be in our prayers and I encourage us all to be praying for one another and our community.

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

21 March 2020

As you may be aware, the latest update from the Government advises that those at high risk of infection (those over 70, those who have either a compromised immune system or underlying health conditions) are now to remain at home. Our final 8am and 9:30am services this Sunday have been planned with this latest restriction in mind – we appreciate some may be keen to attend tomorrow, but if you fall into this category we do ask that you follow the Government’s advice and remain at home. This advice is given not only with this group in mind, but also for the health and well-being of the wider community.

A recap of our previous information:

  • We will be giving instructions at the beginning of both services on Sunday to maximise the large space we have (i.e. spread out) while still making it possible to participate in gathered worship.
  • If you are at all unwell, please stay home. Get in touch with the church office to let us know: office@staidans.co.nz
  • We would love to know how we can support you during these times – please get in contact with our office: office@staidans.co.nz
  • A reminder that we will be live streaming our 9:30am service on our Facebook page. Click here and you will find the live stream there from 9:30am on Sunday.
  • We will need to turn people away to ensure we comply with the 100 person limit, although we now anticipate this will be unlikely.

The Wardens and Clergy, along with support from Vestry and staff, are meeting regularly to discuss the variety of issues this raises for us as a church community – we will be in touch again soon with information around our other activities as well as how we plan to continue to function as a worshipping community.

Again, continue to support one another and yourselves.

20 March 2020

We have received notice today from our Bishop that this Sunday (22 March) is to be the last Sunday for public worship services in the Diocese until further notice. We will be in touch via Facebook, email and our website to advise of any further updates as we receive them along with information on what church will look like going forward. We will be practicing appropriate hygiene and distancing at this service – if you are able to attend the 8am service, we encourage you to do so. If you are unwell, please stay away (and let us know you are OK). Our prayers are with you all and you will hear from us soon. Be safe.

18 March 2020

We have modified parts of our service and will continue to do as required:

  1. We have been advised to no longer offer wine in the common cup or to use individual cups for communion. So as from Sunday 15th March we offer communion in one kind only, the wafer.
  2. If individuals would rather not take communion, a blessing is available.
  3. Hand sanitizer readily accessible positioned as you enter church and as you move forward for communion.
  4. People have been advised not to shake hands or have direct physical contact during the peace and as people leave. Those instructions have been in place for a number of weeks.

Pastorally – if you are ‘staying away’ we would love you to ‘log’ this with Anne in the office. That way we know you are safe but can also follow up knowing that this is a choice and not because you are unwell. It would be good to know also if you might need any practical support, particularly if you don’t have family in town that might be able to help you out.

If you would like to view our 9:30am Service online we will be live streaming from our Facebook page. There will be other ways to connect with each other and we will continue to consider options for this as the situation develops – we will be in touch.

The Bishop wrote saying, “I urge people in our churches to do their best to adapt to these changing circumstances, and to continue to care well for one another.”

Regards,
The St Aidan’s Team

Health Notice:

Below is a reminder about practicing good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene.

‘This virus is mainly spread through droplets being coughed/sneezed onto people and onto surfaces which if people touch, they can then pick up the virus too. Wash your hands a bit more frequently, preferably with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds (sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice), and make sure you dry them well. Always cough and sneeze away from others and into your elbow rather than your hands. Try to be mindful of how many times you touch your face and try not to. Avoid shaking hands with people.’