Dear Church Family
This is my final email update to you. With this Sunday being my last Sunday at St Christopher’s, and with my family and me leaving Blenheim on Tuesday the 20th, I write with a sense of sadness and tenderness of heart.
Guan, Angela, Nathan, and I very much share this feeling. We are aware that the people we are leaving behind are not merely acquaintances, but dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and truly our church family – people who have made the years we spent living in Blenheim richly blessed, deeply meaningful and unforgettable.
As a family, we are very grateful for the privilege of living and serving in this beautiful country, and for the joy and honour given to me of serving as Vicar of St Christopher’s for more than four years. It has been a season of ministry that I have thoroughly enjoyed – a season in which I have witnessed, again and again, the power and grace of God at work in the life of His church, and a season in which I have grown, both spiritually as a Christian and vocationally as a minister of the gospel.
In the broader scheme of things, four and a half years of ministry may not seem like a long stretch of time. Yet it has been long enough for me to witness something immeasurable and ultimately unquantifiable: the quiet, faithful and often unseen work of God among His people. I have seen that even in a secularised society such as ours, the church can – and by God’s grace, does – still grow, mature and flourish. For this fruitful, joyful and rewarding period of ministry entrusted to me by God at St Christopher’s, I give heartfelt thanks.
Once again, I want to sincerely thank you for your love, encouragement, prayers, generosity, and partnership in the gospel throughout these years. As you pray for me and my family as we move into a new season of ministry, please know that we will also be upholding you in our prayers during this time of transition – praying that the church will remain united, remain focused on the things that truly matter, and that in God’s perfect timing, the person whom He has chosen to be your next minister will come to you.
With regard to this coming Sunday, I include below the verbatim announcement shared by the Churchwardens last Sunday:
We’d like to remind everyone that next Sunday, the 18th of January, will be Deo and his family’s final Sunday with us here at St Christopher’s. To mark this important occasion, we will be holding a combined service at 10.30am, followed by a shared luncheon and a farewell programme to give thanks for Deo’s ministry and to farewell Deo, Guan, Angela, and Nathan.
Everyone is very warmly invited to come and be part of this special day. If you’re able, please bring a plate to share.
As Deo and his family conclude their time with us this week, we encourage you to uphold them in your prayers.
We also want to assure the church that the vacancy for a new minister has been widely advertised, and we ask you to continue praying that, in God’s perfect timing, the right person will be appointed. Please also keep St Christopher’s in your prayers during this important season of transition.
The Churchwardens concluded with this prayer:
Gracious God,
we thank you for Deo and his family
and for the blessing they have been to this church.
As they prepare to move on, surround them with your peace,
guide their steps, and bless them in all that lies ahead.
We also commit St Christopher’s to your loving care.
In this time of transition, grant us unity, patience, and trust,
and in your perfect timing, raise up the right person
to serve as our next minister.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Before I close, please be reminded that Denise Winstanley’s Memorial Service will take place this Saturday, January 17th, at 2.00pm in the church. Denise was a long-time and faithful member of St Christopher’s and was involved in several of our ministries. A few years ago, she moved to Wellington to be closer to family, and last year she went home to be with the Lord. Because her funeral service was held in Wellington, many of her friends here in Blenheim were unable to attend. This memorial service has therefore been requested by her family to give Denise’s friends an opportunity to pay their final respects before her ashes are interred at Omaka Cemetery on Sunday. I warmly encourage all who knew Denise to attend the service and support her family. I will be taking the service.
A Final Word of Blessing
As I bring this final email to a close, allow me to speak a word of blessing over you – dear friends and church family:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He continue to dwell richly among you, shaping you ever more into the likeness of Christ.
May He grant you unity of heart, steadfast faith, and a deep love for one another.
In this season of waiting and transition, may you know His peace, His guidance, and His perfect timing.
May St Christopher’s continue to be a place where the gospel is faithfully proclaimed, where the broken find grace, where the weary find rest, and where many are drawn to know and follow Jesus.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and always.
With gratitude, love and blessing,
Deo
