Appendix — 1 Creeds
Death does not put a full stop on our experience
We live on in memory, through DNA,
in artefacts we leave behind.
We live on through the influence we have had on others
– for good or ill.
Jesus lives on in us through
the influence of his teaching, wise and thoughtful
the caring behind his compassion, shown to many
the view he held of justice as the right of all.
We rejoice that new life continually springs forth
phoenix-like from the ashes of life,
as seedlings flourish in the humus of the earth,
the old transformed within the grave of the chrysalis
into new forms previously unknown
which fill the world with beauty and delight.
We believe all creation is good;
that in each of us
is the divine spark of Love
and within us all are
a thousand possibilities and potentialities
for both good and evil.
We believe we are invited
to enter the ongoing struggle
of bringing to birth Love in our world
in more places and within more people;
of facilitating and celebrating
the deep union of sacred and secular.
We value Jesus who gives hope to ordinary people;
turning the regular into the special
showing the way of transformation
crashing through any boundaries
which separate us from Life.
We welcome the Spirit
who can never be confined,
but appears in the most unexpected of places
always leading humankind
in the dance of life wherever it may lead.
We believe in God, known to us in many ways;
by braided rivers threading through the rolling downs
in sunlit tussock on snow etched hills,
in small waves washing on the sweeping Bay.
We believe in Jesus known to us in many ways;
through a life showing his love for all,
in parables that puzzle and challenge us,
in actions which make us gasp in pain and wonder.
We believe in the Spirit known to us in mystery;
As daunting as the nor-west wind,
yet gentle as a candle flame,
breaking us open with warmth and energy.
We believe in the Church,
this small vessel of fragile clay into which God entrusts
the many truths describing the divine
and prodigally splashes love which does not end,
where we are baptised in trust and faith.
We believe that our belief is only true
when seen in action;
calming anxious minds
feeding fractured families
bringing faith in darkness;
Actions for which we depend upon the grace of God
to call us, to empower and to guide.
Timaru, New Zealand