Kia ora e te whanau
Every year the calendar clicks over – and it’s just done it again. I’m officially a year older. It becomes clearer each year, that there are far less years ahead, than those behind me. The tragedy is that it’s only now, as the clock is clearly and obviously running down, that I’m more concerned with making what’s ahead of me count. At 40 I had all the time in the world – nothing seemed to matter that much. Tomorrow always felt guaranteed. Even though it wasn’t.
And now I can look back and wonder where it all went? What really mattered? And, what’s important right now? Increasingly, the answer is ‘relationships’. Surely, it always has been – even though I’ve not seen it with the increasing urgency I now do. And yet, still, even in the midst of that awareness, there’s an apparent need in me to perform – to justify my ongoing existence – that somehow what I do actually matters, and might even have eternal consequences. What delusions of grandeur! (Hopefully), this too will pass!
Common Ground – UCANZ Quarterly Newsletter
Common Ground is informative and professionally presented, and is available on our website. The March 2026 edition can be viewed here: https://ucanz.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Common-Ground-March2026.pdf
Remember to subscribe – that way you won’t miss future editions 
The Open Table (I plucked this off the WT Anglican newsletter ‘Connected’)
| The Open Table – National Gathering |
7pm on Friday, 19 June to 5pm on Saturday, 20 June
Somervell Church, Remuera, Auckland.
An ecumenical group of church leaders and lay people have been busy creating The Open Table – a new national gathering happening in Auckland in June. The gathering is a weekend designed to bring people together around thoughtful faith, shared humanity, and generous conversation. It is for people drawn to an open, inclusive, and progressive expression of Christian faith, who are seeking connection rather than certainty.
With workshop topics like Parenting and Deconstruction, De-Colonisation (Christian Faith and Te Tiriti o Waitangi), Faith and Politics, Psalm Writing, Healing from Religious/Spiritual Trauma, Creation Care, and Following Jesus Today, there is something for everyone. Sessions will be guided discussion, rather than lectures, as we share our perspectives and knowledge and learn from one another.
More information can be found here: https://theopentable.nz/
I’ve signed up and am hoping to be there.
Leadership & Personal Development Resources
4 Core Skills Every Leader Should Hone
In this INC article Marcel Schwantes recognises the increasing level of disconnection and disengagement in the workplace. The strategies offered are as important in the church if we are to lead effectively into the years to come. Schwantes reflects on the work of a recent study examining the practice of ‘attunement’ – “the ability to be deeply aware of, responsive to, and aligned with the emotional and interpersonal dynamics and needs of colleagues, clients, and the organizational environment.” 490 participants were surveyed, and found that “the four core attunement skills — flexibility, reading cues, self-regulation, and collaboration — were correlated with improved psychological safety, better job satisfaction and team satisfaction, higher team cohesion and connection, increased team and individual productivity, and enhanced trust in both leaders and teams.”
For a fuller picture, the article can be accessed here: https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/new-study-core-skills-leaders-should-hone/91327165
‘Cognitive Chunking’ Keeps Your Brain Clear When Stress Clouds It
I imagine we’ve all had the experience of mental ‘flooding’ – that moment where we feel caught out, we’ve been put on the spot, we have no idea how to respond, and we mentally seize up. This Forbes article provides useful strategies in how to regain our equilibrium in those high stress moments, allowing us move forward with clarity and calmness. Hopefully, it can be accessed here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2026/03/31/cognitive-chunking-keeps-your-brain-clear-when-stress-clouds-it/
The best mentor I’ve never had
Ozan Varol tells a simple story of a day when, feeling a little off colour, he visits the beach. And what happens next. It’s ultimately an invitation to be free in being our own, true, authentic selves – to celebrate the little things, and to see opportunities for joy in the moment. It touched the spot with me, and can be read here: https://ozanvarol.com/the-best-mentor-ive-never-had/
Homilies and Preaching Resources
My response to the lectionary Gospel for the 19th of April – Luke 24 vs 13-35, The risen Christ’s encounter with the two on the road to Emmaus – is titled ’God’s priority for the nobodies’ and can be engaged with here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIBLIcZMqGo
Gospel Conversations – out of the Dunedin Anglican Diocese. They host a conversation of 4 Theologians / Practitioners – until this year around the Gospel lectionary text for the coming Sunday. The site with all its options can be accessed here: https://www.calledsouth.org.nz/gospel-conversations/. Led by Michael Godfrey, rather than the Gospel text, they are focusing on the first reading (traditionally known as Old Testament). At time of publication of this newsletter, nothing has yet appeared for the coming week. Keep an eye on the website (above).
Rev Darryn Hickling (Methodist colleague leading the Rolleston Project) has posted a brief reflection on Instagram – focussing on the ‘Emmaus event’, titled ‘Education and Hospitality’, it can be accessed here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXEElIfgQF6/?igsh=a3gwNzdmZzYwaHZ6