"Beauty, history and holiness"

St. Cuthbert's, Governor's Bay

People often open my eyes and touch me deeply. A visit to St. Cuthbert's Church in Mt Herbert Parish in Governor's Bay on New Zealand's South Island has a small group of people with a big vision. At first view, the church looks like a quaint country parish, set in a churchyard with a cemetery and beautifully cared for flowers gardens. Yes, it is beautiful. But there is more pizzaz in this country church.

Call it a big idea or a series of small ideas - people, individually and in community reach out with hospitality, as community leaders, as writers and historians, artists, and especially to the Christchurch City Mission.

Let me start with the City Mission. This grabs me because of my passion for justice. It also caught my attention because of a long conversation I had some time ago with a person who initiated the community garden movement in the city in chich I live.

Now, at St. Cuthbert's, with a backdrop of hills with its pathway of ancient trees, the community has dedicated five acres for growing vegetable gardens. They are sustainable, organic community garden plots for people to grow fresh vegetables, and learn how to gather water, compost, sell, and cook the food.










The practicality of the community garden and the city mission is that the unused vicarage has been transformed into affordable accommodation to house 26 people: families or groups, to spend time in the peaceful countryside, and learn how to garden. People are given certificates of achievement in horticulture.

Then I met an elderly gentleman who came flying up the driveway on a swish new motorized vespa like bike, with a dog panting and running beside him. We struck up a conversation immediately, and sat on an old stone bench outside the church talking about his recently publishes book. When you live in the same place and go to the same church, except for the war years, for 87 years, you have something to say.
Inspiring! It's never too late to write if that is one's dream. Dogs are important to him, and he has a whole chapter of his book on his beloved dogs. I'm glad I took the time to speak to him.



Laughie Griffen with his dog, Dougal, and his "wheels".

The greatest fun was that Dougal was one of three dogs in church that Sunday. They'd come because the bishop was present!