Reflection from the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia

Who are you? 

Rev’d Jacynthia Murphy from the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia – Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tīreni, ki Ngā Moutere o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa. I am of Māori descent and serve part time in a Pākehā parish. The rest of me works in the General Synod / Te Hīnota Office as Operations Support Manager to the provincial General Secretary.

Where are you finding hope during the time of COVID-19?

I’m a bit of an environmentalist at heart and I’m always looking for ways in which to poke our nation and church into reducing our negative footprints that create global havoc commonly attributed to the ill-effects of human decadence. Hope has come in many forms during this time of COVID-19: 

• my fuel tank is still on full after weeks of no travel, 
• less rubbish is overflowing onto the streets, 
• traffic flows have markedly reduced our carbon emissions, 
• Zoom meetings have hastened decision making,
• we’ve discovered we can do ‘virtual church’ and our ‘virtual pews’ have overflowed,
• the birdsong in the mornings has been deafening,
• the collective collaboration on the things we enjoy e.g. singing, choir, teaching, and learning, to name a few, has been outstanding.

Hope is in COVID-19 prompting us to accept that we are able to do things differently.  

What is your community’s greatest strength?

I consider my community to have a population of 5 million. My community is my nation and I am extremely proud, in particular with our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in the community to which I belong. We locked down for four weeks and my community complied, coped, and overcame the challenges that lockdown presented. Māori have a saying “Ka ora au i a koe, ka ora koe i a au” I survive because of you and you survive because of me.

Why is being a part of the world-wide Anglican Communion important to you?

Our Anglican Communion managed to bridge the oceans and lands that oftenseparate us. As part of my day-to-day ‘virtual church’ it was comforting to know that many others, from every corner of our Anglican bubble were there to offer support, resources, prayers, and camaraderie. When we needed it, the AC was there.  

How can we be praying for you and your community?

Please pray that we, having learnt from this experience, might consider how to do what we do in a different way. Not by giving less, not by giving more, but definitely by giving back to a world struggling to survive, particularly from an environmental crises. Pray that we move beyond the traditional brick and mortar to the fields where the harvests are possible. Many thanks for your prayers.