Download the minutes of GA12 - Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Minutes of the General Assembly 2012 Faletolu Namaia and Gaseilevao Faletolu’s 13 children. His parents also adopted a further five children which meant that Lapana was one of a family of 18. When Lapana was 15, his parents moved to Aotearoa New Zealand and the family became actively involved in the Newtown Pacific Island Presbyterian Parish in Wellington. Lapana began his working life as a bus driver in Wellington and later established his own driving school. It was in Wellington that Lapana met Salote who had come from Tonga to study singing. Salote joined Lapana’s band as a vocalist and their relationship developed from there. Throughout his ministry, Salote was Lapana’s trusted support and soul mate and, over his last few years, provided the care that allowed Lapana to continue his ministry through a time of increasing ill health. In 1984, Lapana and Salote with their two small daughters moved to Dunedin where Lapana commenced his theological studies. In his final year in 1986, Lapana was the president of the Theological Hall Students’ Committee. On completing his studies, Lapana accepted a call to the joint parishes of Knox Rangiora and St Andrew’s, Amberley. Lapana described that as “like being on an adventure trip” as he had no idea where either Rangiora or Amberley were. However, he had committed himself to go where God called him and he was open to that leading. Lapana was based in Amberley where he and Salote worked diligently to build a strong congregation and to develop links with the local community. The parish thrived and grew under Lapana’s care and ministry. After four years in Amberley, Lapana received a call to St Paul’s Trinity Pacific Parish in Christchurch. This large multicultural central city parish presented a considerable challenge to Lapana’s skills and talents. For 21 years Lapana was totally committed to the people of the parish and to their mission of “connecting faith with the everyday life in the heart of the city”. During his time at St Paul’s, Lapana baptised some 266 children, conducted over 55 marriages, and trained and confirmed nearly 100 people for membership in the Church by profession of faith. He will be remembered by his people as a man of great heart, great faith, and great courage and love. Late in 1996 when the parish hall was the target of an arson attack by members of a local gang, Lapana went to the gang headquarters to confront the offenders. Then, in May 1997, he invited the perpetrators to come to a Sunday service to share in a time of reconciliation. Many in the parish questioned this move, but the service proved to be a healing experience for all parties. Despite his own failing health, Lapana led his congregation through some very difficult times. On 5 August, 2009, the church building was severely damaged by fire. This was at a time when the parish had already embarked on a major refurbishing programme. The suffering of the congregation was immense. While restoration work was still continuing following the fire, the earthquake on 4 September 2010 caused further major damage. The earthquake of 22 February 2011 finally made restoration impossible and the church subsequently had to be demolished. In the months that followed, the St Paul’s Trinity congregation worshipped in a number of other venues. 22 Session 2
Minutes of the General Assembly 2012 Lapana’s death on 6 October 2011, after some six years of illness, brought further sorrow to the parish. His funeral on 13 October marked the first service the people were able to return to their hall and “come home”. Lapana served the wider Church as Co-convener of the Pacific Island Task Group of the Council of Assembly and in 2003-2004 was moderator of the Presbytery of Christchurch. We give thanks for the faithful life and ministry of the Rev Lapana Faletolu, and we commit his wife, Salote, his loved daughters, Annie, Epenesa, Selasi’i, and Gaseilevao, and his eight grandchildren to the mercy and care of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who Lapana so faithfully served. Feist, Reverend Donald Chapple 12 December 1930 – 22 February 2012 Donald Chapple Feist, a longstanding and well respected minister, died on 22 February 2012 at the Otago Community Hospice, Dunedin after a brief illness with acute leukaemia. He was born on 12 December 12 1930 in Christchurch, to Maude and Murray Feist, and was the eldest of four children. His father was then the minister of the New Brighton Church. The family moved successively to Motueka, Hokitika and Matamata where Don attended Matamata College of which he became Dux. In 1949, he entered Auckland University College, graduating BSc and BA. In 1950, the family moved to Auckland where Murray became secretary of the Leprosy Mission. The same year, Don met Margaret Jenkins whom he married in 1955 while training at Knox Theological Hall and completing his Bachelor of Divinity. In February 1957, Don was ordained and inducted into his first parish at Matiere in central King Country in the backblocks behind Taumaranui, where a daughter, Mary, and a son, Robert, were both born. It was a large area with seven preaching places. In March 1962, he became the first minister of the newly formed parish of Calvin, Gore where he developed productive relationships with his office bearers, working towards cooperation and informed decisions. His organising ability and knowledge of procedure were valuable assets as he assumed presbytery and Assembly responsibilities. In 1966, Don and Margaret welcomed their foster daughter Gail into their family. In February 1970, he was inducted into the Māori Hill Parish in Dumedin, a wellestablished and vigorous congregation where he ministered effectively for seventeen years until July 1987. In 1979, Don spent a study leave at Birmingham University in the UK. Elected moderator of the Dunedin Presbytery in March 1984, he served until December 1986. In September 1988, he was inducted as assistant minister at Knox Church, Dunedin serving until May 1991, when he retired. At the national level, he was a member of the Assembly Business and Doctrine Committees serving as Convener of the latter for five years from 1986. (His father-inlaw, the Very Reverend Luke H. Jenkins, had been in this role several years earlier.) Don was meticulous in his worship service and sermon preparation and delivery. His messages were clear and direct and always relevant to the living of the Christian faith and teaching in everyday work within the family and the community. Carefully indexed in sequence and deposited in the Church Archives, Don’s almost 1400 sermons Session 2 23
Page 1 and 2: Minutes of the 2012 General Assembl
Page 3 and 4: Contents Session 1 1 Thursday 4 Oct
Page 5: O Orange, Reverend Ernest Kenneth,
Page 8 and 9: Minutes of the General Assembly 201
Page 78 and 79:
Minutes of the General Assembly 201
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
Page 84 and 85:
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109:
Proposal: Retention of Gisborne-Haw
Page 112 and 113:
Page 114 and 115:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127:
show all

Download the minutes of GA12 - Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?