Pāuatahanui Parish: A legacy of restoration and hope
At Pāuatahanui Anglican parish, one of our four core values is legacy. We are comprised of two congregations, one that meets in a historic church founded by the early settlers in the area (St. Albans) and one that meets in a more modern building in the centre of the beachside suburb of Plimmerton (St. Andrews), a place with a village-like feel in northern Porirua.
St Andrew’s Plimmerton (Photo: Shellie Evans)
St Albans Pāuatahanui
Our churches are surrounded by natural beauty with easy access to Porirua harbour, Pāuatahanui inlet, the Cook Strait and the Kāpiti coast. For many years prior to the launch of Eco Church, a group called God’s Earth Our Home operated within the parish, fostering a deep spiritual sense of ecological responsibility within parishioners and nurturing environmental action. This provided a natural launching pad for the parish to join the Eco Church movement at the start of 2021.
A self-assessment was conducted in the five areas of Eco Church (worship and teaching, building management, land management, local and community partnerships and sustainable lifestyles). This led to a series of approximately monthly meetings by a group of around 10 members from across the two congregations and the following activities taking place:
An intergenerational harvest festival celebrating seasonal food and produce
Predator control (installing traps) at St. Albans with support from regional council to protect biodiversity, also supporting the wildlife reserve conservation projects across the road
Native bush restoration project has begun (clearing invasive species, planned planting in autumn) at St. Albans
Season of Creation worship and theology celebrated through September’s services, and children's church Godly Play programme (including an outdoor worship service)
Matariki celebration, with a local Maori leader invited to speak, recognising bicultural heritage and growing our understanding of mana whenua
Waste reduction and recycling at Summerset retirement village, led by a parishioner
Food swap and sharing box – had to be paused due to COVID
Weekly fruit and vegetable co-op hosted at church
The production of a Low Carbon recipe book
A noticeboard showing Eco Church components and activities up in St. Andrews foyer, providing eye-catching visual reminders of the church commitment
A beach clean up during a Sunday morning service slot
Church members made submissions in response to the Government’s proposed Emissions Reductions Plan
Songs from the Doxecology (Resound worship) album were integrated into the worship repertoire
...and more
Our hopes for the future include continuing the ongoing restoration work at St. Albans, improved waste management signage at the parish centre, and more actively supporting other local conservation projects in the area who we are in touch with.
The Eco Church activities have been met with enthusiasm and support by members of the Pauatahanui congregations. We have a large proportion who are over 70 years old and who are therefore able to offer wisdom and support to the younger generations, who have not grown up using all the skills of thriftiness, growing and making your own, mending and upcycling, that form key skills now being sought within the sustainable lifestyle movement. Age has not held back our congregation members from taking action – one lady runs a group of 30+ individuals living in her retirement village that implements holistic recycling and waste reduction, while another has compiled a low carbon recipe book that also raises funds for international COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries with every sale. Some work in their community gardens, non-stipendiary clergy work hard to provide our congregations with inspiring and challenging eco-theology in services and liturgy, and yet others grow community resilience through hospitality and prayer. We are an intergenerational team, working together to support and inspire one another on this vital journey into the future.
