Walking with Those Made Redundant

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, National Secretary, News, Pastoral Care, Redundancy, Unemployment

Redundancy – it’s not a word we like to hear, especially when we are the one being made redundant. Unfortunately it is a word that we will hear more often as the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic play out over coming months.   Many people will turn to their Pastor for support. Some will feel more prepared to offer that support than others. It might help to think of it this way – the provision of pastoral care during employment crises mirrors the general principles for crisis-response pastoral care.   Pastoral Guidelines for Redundancy Support aims to help Pastors … Read More

The Art of Decompression

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, News, Pastoral Care, Self Care

Guest Post: Aaron Ironside from AI Counselling & Coaching After who knows how many days (I stopped counting ages ago), we have made it to Level 2. Coffees are back, catching up with friends and family is back……and work is back.   Oh well, it can’t all be good news!     It may not feel like it, but Lockdown has probably taken a lot of emotional energy from your tank. It’s tempting to think that going back to work will help us finally feel normal again. And it will……..eventually.   Many of us will find the shift to level 2 … Read More

Digging Deep: Cultivating Wellbeing

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, News, Pastoral Care, Self Care

This week marks the end of our first week at level 3 and more than 40 days of Aotearoa’s nationwide lockdown. While it’s good to celebrate our progress through the levels, this week also holds a significant emotional toll for many:   (a) those returning to work in new and unusual circumstances;   (b) those staying at home stuck in ‘Groundhog Day’ – for some they may have had different expectations of Level 3   (c) Essential workers are carrying a heavy load (d) Many parents are feeling the stretch of supervising education at home while often having to manage … Read More

Coping with Transition: A Conversation with Richelle Webb

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, News, Pastoral Care, Self Care

The effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been far-reaching, forcing people across the globe into sudden and dramatic changes in the way they live. Everything from our work, how we access healthcare, how we shop and consume food, how we learn and experience education, to how we interact with our friends and family has been altered.   How do we cope with change when it is suddenly thrust upon us?   Rev Rob Reynolds, Wesleyan minister and Director of SIM New Zealand spoke with Richelle Webb, partner with cession|community and Wesleyan missionary serving through SIM, about how some of … Read More

Ministers CAN now officiate at Funerals during Level 3

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Funerals & Tangihanga, National Secretary, News, Pastoral Care

As Pastors our call is to support people as they navigate the highs and lows of life. It is hard when we can’t be there in person and whilst that is still the case for most pastoral situations in Level 3 the good news is we can again provide support on the death of loved ones. But what we can do is still very limited. We have updated the Funeral Guidelines for Ministers to reflect the latest advice that Ministers may officiate as celebrants at Funerals, Tangihanga, So mate, Ala, and Putu under the direction of the Funeral Director. They … Read More

Amazing, Amazing Grace: Letters from Lockdown

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Good News Stories, News, Pastoral Care

During Aotearoa’s Nationwide Level 4 Alert, many of our WMCNZ whānau have found creative ways to express God’s mission by serving as Christ’s hands and feet in their local communities.   This week one of our ministers, Rev Semisi Kailahi of Amazing Grace of Gethsemene Wesleyan, wrote us this beautiful letter to share with us the way God has been working in and through him as he seeks to serve God and the people of his community.   Rev Semisi has taken the challenges of adapting to being the church during lockdown in his stride, embracing new digital technologies to … Read More

Caring for Youth & Children in the Midst of a Crisis

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, News, Pastoral Care, Youth Ministry

Connecting with our children and young people in meaningful ways that speak to their physical, spiritual and emotional needs can be challenging in the best of circumstances. During this season of Rāhui/Lockdown, we find ourselves wading in unfamiliar waters as we respond to new challenges and concerns, as our children and young people wrestle with the realities of life in lockdown.   ARISE Church brought in Richard Black to talk to their team about navigating life with our kids and teens as we walk through the Covid-19 crisis. This excellent webinar has been made freely available and is an invaluable … Read More

Caring for the Self in the Midst of a Crisis

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, News, Pastoral Care, Self Care

As ministers and leaders, when we find ourselves in the midst of a crisis, our first instinct is to ensure all those around us are being cared for and supported. But in order to sustain ourselves as we provide for others, we need to keep filling our own wells and look after our own spiritual, mental and emotional health.   Ministry leader, Nurse, Counsellor and Psychotherapist Michelle Yates (Shore Grace Wesleyan) has collated some resources for Pastor’s and Ministry leaders to help support them in maintaining good mental health for themselves and those they minister to during this season of … Read More

Our response to the Coronavirus

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Healing, News, Pastoral Care

ow has the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the spread of the coronavirus as a pandemic changed our WMCNZ response? In short it hasn’t. Given that the Ministry of Health assessment is that “With continued vigilance the chance of widespread community outbreak is expected to remain low” we continue to take a cautious, measured approach and to monitor the situation through the Ministry of Health and other sources. At the same time we want to be prepared and we have initiated the development of a WMCNZ pandemic response plan. This will provide us with a roadmap for not only responding … Read More