Article written for Christian Savings by Archbishop Sir David Moxon
A timely metaphor for who we are, and where we are, as we grapple with our ever-changing world.
As a community working together, we are seeing widespread evidence of poverty, inequity, degradation of creation and injustice.
Our response as Christians and as integral members of our respective communities can bring hope, and light in times such as these.
This call to action is something we are all called to work on, and I seek here briefly to introduce what is, I hope, a useful case study.
In the Anglican context, we have referenced Jesus’ teaching on fruitful stewardship.
Fruitful stewardship asks us to pro-actively use our resources as a force for good. We have lost our way when we focus solely on risk and maximising financial return.
We have looked deeply at our resources and how effectively we use those resources to fulfil our core purpose and mission.
This process is challenging, it is uncomfortable,and it is also prophetic.
We are in many ways rediscovering a time when the church was a leader in serving the needs of others.
The work is summarised in a report that is currently before our church for debate and consideration. That report is titled: “He Waka Eke Noa.”
It is a work in progress and the very good news is that each day sees another step, or development, or decision, that moves us, in our waka, forward together in mission.
One example of this is the recent capital investment of the Anglican Diocese of Wellington into Christian Savings.
The Wellington team have bold plans for activating church land in favour of new affordable and secure housing supply for those in need.
A $1m capital investment into Christian Savings, allows an additional $20m of residential lending to support such projects.
If that is not fruitful stewardship for mission aligned outcomes, then what is?
We are all at various stages of our journey; for us it is a renewal and a reaffirmation of our core purpose.
We hope that by sharing our resources and working better together we can be of greater service to people and the planet.
You can contact us at info@christiansavings.co.nz for the full report.
