Church has ‘new strength’

Press, 27 March 1980, Page 28

Church has ‘new strength’

The Church is '‘bubbling”, with signs of life and new strength, according to an Australian vicar and former Dean of Christchurch Cathedral at Grafton. The Very Rev. St. John Edwards, who calls himself "the Anglican Dr Who” because of his fuzzy hair, is visiting Christchurch to take part in seminars on a pastoral care programme. The programme was introduced to New Zealand 10 years ago, but Christchurch is the only main city where parishes have adopted the idea. Mr Edwards helped ■ initiate the. programme here four years ago. t The programme reflected j the new strength of the < Church, said Mr Edwards. < After a weak patch in the ' 19605, the Church was i moving from strength to (

■ strength as people returned to it with greater conviction and self-awareness. Mr Edwards said the programme had been very successful in both Australia and New Zealand, and it was spreading to other countries, such as Canada. Under the scheme, members of the congregation undertake to visit five families in their parish. The visits maintain a contact with people who have shown an interest in the Church. The main benefits of the visits were to the visitor, said Mr Edwards.. The programme provided them with a structure for practical involvement as Christians and for reflection on what they experienced. They visited ordinary families and saw a range of ordinary problems. •

But there were also benefits to the families who were visited and to the clergy, said Mr Edwards. The vicar found it far more easy to see where his specialised efforts were needed.

Several parishes in Christchurch use the programme, and several more are in the process of adopting it. Mr Edwards is introducing the programme to his new parish in Melbourne. It is the'

first time it has been tried in a big city. “I think it will work well in Melbourne because it is a very lonely city and people just jump at the chance of friendship,” he said. Mr Edwards said he enjoyed coming to New Zealand because the Church here was lively and adventuresome. “In Australia it is much more conservative. They are la stodgy lot,” he said.