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 St Joachim and St Anne were the parents of St Mary the mother of Jesus. In other words they were Jesus' grandparents on his mother's side. I quote from the website of St Anne's Catholic School in Woolston, Christchurch. Each year the Church venerates the memory of Saints Anne & Joachim on July 26th. An ancient story dating to the first centuries of the Church’s life recalls how Saints Anne & Joachim, like Abraham and Sarah, were scorned by their neighbours because they had no children. This info comes to us from the Gospel of St James which is an Apocryphal writing dated a little later than the Bible Gospels and which does not carry the same authority in some Churches. Nevertheless, the story seems to be credible in the light of the stories we have in the Bible of Jesus and Mary.
We will take time on Sunday 26th July this year to remember St Anne and her husband Joachim and in the process honour the faith that their story inspires, true or apocryphal, that speaks of faithfulness to and trust in God in the light of very difficult circumstances. At the same time we will remind ourselves that the ministries of St Anne's are entirely fitting to be named for St Anne in that she was a kuia who cared for her mokopuna (Jesus and others) and in so doing was blessed to have the Son of God as her moko. Please pray for all the ministries of Porirua Anglican that is named for St Anne, that they will faithfully reflect Gospel truth, love and compassion.
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Today marks the beginning of Covid-19 Level 1 in New Zealand. It aslo marks the publication of Porirua Anglican June News, hich you can read here and/or by opening your email attachment which will be sent today. News issues are:
 Along with other Pantries/Foodbanks nationwide, St Anne's Pantry has experienced a record level of emergency food requests during Easter week 2020. In the midst of the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown, 45 food parcels were delivered during the week beginning Wednesday before Easter to the Tuesday after. St Anne's Pantry is one of the emergency services that the Porirua Emergency Operation Centre (Welfare) is using to meet emergency need requests. The Pantry has benefited from its ongoing relationship with Kiwi Community Assistance (KCA) who have supplied increased quantities of groceries as other supply sources reduced during the lockdown. A generous grant from the MSD has enabled the Pantry to buy groceries in short supply and ensure that food parcels were generously supplied. In addition, donors new and old have not forgotten that St Anne's Pantry provides a much needed resource in our City at this time. To all who have supported St Anne's Pantry during this time our heartfelt thanks is offered. We read in the Gospel of Matthew 25:40 that such support is noticed by God, And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”  Following a review of Parish life in 2019, our Bishops have given Porirua Anglican approval to consider repairing St Anne's Church.
In 2014 the Church was assessed by engineers as earthquake prone and unsafe to congregate in. Since then the congregation have gathered and worshipped in St Anne's lounge. Approval has been given by the Diocese for the cost of repairing St Anne's to be formally and professionally assessed. The Vestry have approved spending for this. The Diocesan property manager will action this assessment and once costs have been determined further decisions will be made. Church members have been waiting a long time to hear this news and are very thankful to hear it. Naturally they are delighted at the prospect that they may be able to return and occupy their Church building. News about progress, as it becomes available, will be shared here and on Facebook.  During 2019 the Operation of St Anne's Pantry has been reviewed. The Review was prompted by the retirement of key volunteers Diane & Bob Stuart and Val Grace. The review process considered all aspects of the Pantry's operation and concluded that its continued operation is warranted, if key personnel are found and other concerns are satisfied.
An informal meeting of Porirua Anglican Vestry members on 16 November 2019 agreed to the continuation of St Anne's Pantry on the following basis:
 The Reverend Tric Malcolm, ex Wellington City Missioner and Executive Member of the Council of Christian Social Services will join us on Sunday (21 July) as we continue our St Anne's Pantry Review. Tric will discuss current thinking about Christian and Church food ministries and help us as a congregation to continue our Pantry Review, informedly. The Pantry review working group has met twice and discussed with current Pantry leadership how the Pantry currently works; things that work well and the challenges. One of the Pantry's assets is they make food deliveries. This helps deliverers better appreciate the circumstances of food parcel recipients. We are aware of the extensive network behind the scenes that ensures goods and money are available to resource the St Anne's Pantry delivery operation. While we are aware also of some of the other church and community food providers, we are seeking to learn more as we map the bigger picture. Is there a case for better co-operation, especially across the churches?
In today's Sunday service in St Anne's our Scripture sentence (Psalm 82:3) was, Be fair to the poor and to orphans. Defend the helpless and everyone in need. And our Gospel reading the story of the Good Samaritan. There is no doubt that our neighbours are not necessarily the people next door; rather the people in our community who have urgent need. There is no doubt God is calling us further into such ministry. We continue to become aware of a number of households and families with children who appreciate food support. Recently several children came to church and shared in breakfast before the morning Sunday service. We are open to our food resource being used to these ends - even a weekly Sunday breakfast with church members collecting children and delivering them home after the service? Please pray with us as we at St Anne's seek to be obedient to and discerning of God's call to us about this cornerstone outreach ministry. Terry - Interim PIC  An International Morning on Pentecost Sunday will mark the end of St Anne's Thy Kingdom Come season of prayer which will begin on Ascension Thursday 30 May. During this season of 'prayer focus' various activities have been scheduled including:
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