Social Services Sunday



Today in our church’s calendar it is Social Services Sunday. A day to remind ourselves that we, the Anglican Church in New Zealand, are the largest provider of non-governmental social services in the country. Yes, we are bigger than the Salvation Army. We provide more programmes, touch more people.
In this Diocese Anglicancare Waiapu seeks to deliver quality Christian social services that strengthen and develop communities. Bishop Andrew Hedge states that Anglicancare is the means by which Waiapu is able to reach beyond the walls of the Church and provide caring and loving service in response to the needs of the wider community[1]. It is a multi-million dollar enterprise which continues to struggle under a lack of funding from governmental and non-governmental sources. 

Social services is one of the five strands of mission. It is intergral to who we are, and Anglicancare Waiapu is a central to our living out this part of our mission. But the mission belongs to us all, and we cannot just leave it to Anglicancare.
In the readings from the New Testament this morning, from Ephesians and John, we are reminded of God’s unbounded love and limitless generosity. We are invited to not only be grateful for all this but are also invited to be people who have allowed this to shape how we see the world and engage with the people who live in it, all the people and not just people we like or people like us.

This is why responding to human need by loving service[2] is an intergral part of our understanding of mission. In doing so we proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.[3] When we are marked by the cross and become people of unbounded love and limitless geneoristy, we will live in such a way that human need is met and the good news is proclaimed. These are not things we strive to do, but are who we are.

What then might we need to let go of to be further marked by this love and generosity?

[1] http://www.anglicancarewaiapu.nz/

[2] 4th strand of the 5 Strands of Mission - http://www.anglicancommunion.org/identity/marks-of-mission.aspx


[3] 1st Strand of the 5 Strands of Mission - http://www.anglicancommunion.org/identity/marks-of-mission.aspx

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