Highs make up for lows in unusual year

When I reflect on 2020 I think that none of us could have predicted quite what was coming our way! I arrived at St Paul's in January with the aim of opening up the Cathedral, getting out into the city and building some bridges. Settling in to a new job, a new house, a new city, and new schools for our kids were going to be the big challenges of the year. Instead, we have been through a Covid lockdown, and then getting everything reopened only for the fire in August to throw all of the plans out of the window again! It's certainly been a roller-coaster introduction to life here, but there have been plenty of ups as well as downs.

I survived by focusing on what was important. My faith certainly helped a lot; not the kind of faith that says "God will magically sort everything out", but more the faith that God would be with us all as we faced all the difficulties leave been through. I’m really lucky that I’ve had great support from my wife Rachel and our kids, Gabriel and Ziva, and that the people who have welcomed us into the church and the city have really rallied round to help. After the fire, the challenges have been pretty significant, but leave had wonderful support from the community, and I have a great team around me who share a positive vision which we’re all pulling together to achieve.

I discovered I really liked our beautiful corner of Aotearoa! It’s the furthest place in the world from our old home in Newcastle upon Tyne, another city surrounded by natural beauty, but we’ve all felt at home here, and have been constantly delighted by discovering new beaches and wildlife around Otago and Southland, and by exploring what Otepoti/Dunedin has to offer (such as the world’s first post-lockdown rugby game, which was a pretty exciting family outing!). I’ve also really enjoyed getting involved with education here, which I am passionate about supporting, not only at the Cathedral but also through my work with St Hilda’s Collegiate School and with Selwyn College, which I’m thrilled now has a more secure future within the Anglican family.

I discovered I didn't like phone calls from the emergency services in the middle of the night telling me the roof was on fire! More seriously, it has been hard being so cut off from family and friends. We’re a long way from our families, who are spread out around the world, and were hoping to have visits from loved ones during the summer holidays. That’s now obviously not going to happen, but we’re looking forward to showing off the South one day when the borders eventually reopen.

I think 2021 will be a year of growth, where we can build on good foundations, see the vibrant life of the city return, and look to the future. I hope we’ll be able to contribute fully towards all of that at St Paul’s as we restore and renew the church, and that we’ll be able to share our vision of hope and of God’s love for Dunedin and its people. God’s still with us after all, and though I’ve given up trying to predict what God might have in store for me, I have faith that it will be an interesting journey!