St John's Roslyn

Farewell for Kelvin and Clemency

14th February 2010

The 14th of February was Kelvin Wright's last Sunday as vicar of St John's Roslyn. The choir sang a Gaelic blessing for Kelvin and Clemency at the end of the 10:00 a.m. service, and they left the church in procession behind the choir and the parish banner.

After a pause for tea and coffee, the people of St John's assembled in the Hall for the formal farewell. Kelvin and Clemency entered to a standing ovation, and then representatives of the parish spoke about their wonderful ministry to St John's over the past eleven years. The speeches were followed by presentations - works of art by parishioners Audrey Bascand and Craig McLanachan, a card containing many pages of messages from parishioners, a bishop's ring, and a magnificently-carved kauri crosier. Kelvin spoke briefly, and then those present shared lunch.

Kelvin's last services in the parish were the two Ash Wednesday services three days later.

Below: Clemency (left), the Parish Wardens and Vicar Kelvin (with crosier) at the farewell.

Vicar Kelvin Named as Next Bishop of Dunedin

8th November 2009

Following Bishop George's decision to retire at the end of November, the Diocese of Dunedin has been searching for a successor. An Electoral Synod was held at St John's Roslyn on the weekend of the 9th to the 11th of October.

This weekend was the fifth anniversary of the opening of the parish's building extension. The new building was opened by Bishop Tom Brown of Wellington, who was vicar of St John's from 1979 to 1985. At the Electoral Synod, another vicar of the parish followed his example, when the Ven Dr Kelvin Wright was unexpectedly chosen to be the ninth Bishop of Dunedin.

Kelvin is the third vicar of Roslyn to become a bishop. As well as Tom Brown, the Right Revd W.A.R. Fitchett, Bishop of Dunedin from 1934 to 1952, was the vicar of St John's from 1911 until 1940. (For a few years he was both vicar and bishop.) In addition, the Right Revd Philip Richardson, currently Bishop of Taranaki, was a Curate Assistant at St John's from 1988 to 1990.

The appointment was approved by General Synod and the other bishops of New Zealand, and Kelvin was confirmed as Bishop-Elect in early November, by Archbishop David Moxon.

Kelvin will therefore be leaving a parish which he describes as "the most spectacular community", and which has thrived under his inspired and inspiring leadership.

What happens next?
For St John's Roslyn . . . Kelvin will be leaving St John's in February. The four Parish Nominators, together with representatives from the Diocese, will form a selection panel to seek a new vicar for the parish.	For the Diocese . . . Kelvin will be ordained as the ninth Bishop of Dunedin on Saturday the 27th of February 2010, at St Paul's Cathedral.

Parish Fair 2009

31st October 2009

This year's Fair was another huge success, with fine weather, a happy crowd, and all the usual stalls as well as the reappearance of the silent auction instituted last year. The Fair made over $17 000, comfortably setting a new record for the second year in a row.

"350" Day of Action

24th October 2009

Scientists estimate that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our planet's atmosphere is the safe limit if our climate is to remain stable. The current level is 389 parts per million.

To draw attention to this, events were held around the world on the 24th of October. In Dunedin, several churches marked the day by ringing their bells 350 times. St John's Roslyn was one of the churches taking part. That afternoon, about a dozen members of the parish joined the Vicar to help ring the bell 350 times.

The previous Sunday, a group of parishioners had made a banner advertising the day of action, and this was hanging in the church grounds.

Parish Survey

September 2009

The parish is embarking on an audit to help plan its future direction. This is not an audit in the financial sense; it is a survey of who we are, what we do, what we could do and how we fit in to the community. The first stage is a long and detailed questionnaire, distributed to parishioners in early September. All returns are anonymous. The forms are due back by the 2nd of October, and the Vestry and Vicar Kelvin are awaiting the results with considerable interest.

Update: the response rate was very good indeed - 133 survey forms were returned. Many thanks to all who took part. Analysis of the results is now beginning.

Patronal Festival

21st June 2009

St John's celebrated its 129th birthday on the 21st of June, the nearest Sunday to the date on which the church was opened in 1880. The themes of light and darkness in John's Gospel were explored through music, dance and the sermon. (Click here to visit our archive of sermon recordings.)

At the end of the service, the Revd David Crooke was commissioned as the new chaplain to the Leslie Groves Home and Hospital.

Parish Lounge Refurbishment

May 2009

After several years of planning and fundraising, the Hettie Robinson Lounge was refurbished by a small team of volunteers in April and May 2009. The walls were completely relined, and the room also has new curtains and a new carpet. The new look has been well received by regular users of the room, particularly the Wednesday morning congregation.

The final stage of the refurbishment, which might take place later this year, is the installation of a sliding door which will provide direct access to the Playcentre grounds outside. A similar redevelopment of the long-neglected Parish Hall is likely to be a major project for 2010.

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