Church in Wellington, NZ

After we left Old St. Paul we decided to walk a few blocks to (New) St. Paul, also known as Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul. According to their website, you could walk around the church until 4 pm on Sundays. I was curious about the organ that was taken out of Old St. Paul and moved in the 1970s to the new cathedral.

As we walked into the church at 3:45 pm we were greeted by an usher who asked if we were there for the 4 pm worship service or to see the church. Well, our initial plan was to see the interior of the church, but ... I had wished we went to church in the morning. It has been a long time since we have traveled in a country where they speak the same language, therefore we would understand just about any worship service. When we went to Italy, for example, we had to search for a service in English. After a quick poke around the church, we decided to stay for their 4 pm Seafarers worship service.

As part of worship, Matt Lawrence, the minister's husband creates a piece of live art. I felt as if I was in a WiNK service on the other side of the globe. WiNK is an acronym for Worship in a New Key at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville (PCOL). Lately they are trying to rebrand it as "Alternative Worship" (or AWe), but it will always be WiNK to me. What I've loved about WiNK is I never know what to expect. The roots are firmly planted in the Presbyterian/Reformed tradition, but the presentation is anything but the ordinary. Music can range from Beatles one week to bluegrass, and still feel perfectly appropriate. Readings can be from scripture as well as contemporary Christian writers. The sermon could be about how God puts us together, and we are smashing pieces of clay. 

You get the idea.

Walking into a service with a small, fragile, wooden sailboat knowing we would be praying for Seafarers, felt like home. Being handed a piece of paper on which to write a prayer for Seafarers I would never meet, felt like home. Watching someone feel God-led to draw what they were hearing in the scripture and sermon, felt even better than home. My first thought was I wish I could do this and bring this ministry home.

After the service we spoke with Matt Lawrence, the minister's husband. He said he draws what the Spirit leads him to do. It is never the same. Always just right. One time he felt led to draw hands. H fought the urge. Finally, as with Jonah and whale, God would not give up on him and he drew those hands. More people have complimented that piece of art saying that was exactly what they were seeing but could not draw that he knew God wanted him to do it.

The artist

Matt shared his picture with us

A few years ago he and his wife were living in England. She had heard about this call on the other side of the globe, but had not told her family or friends about it. She was on a tourist boat with her sister when a stranger came up to her and told her she would move to Wellington, NZ. He said this happened about five to six times before they moved in September 2019. His comment was if three random people tell you something, it is God talking to you through them.

Please, God, help me listen to strangers telling me your plans for us!

Thank you, God, for leading us to a worship service when we least expected one.

Love the play of colors on the walls

As for the organ we came into the church to see, it was damaged in the 2016 earthquake. The could either refurbish it for $5 million or spend $400,000 and buy an electric organ. A sad ending to the story, but explains this seat:

After worship we walked around the waterfront. Looking at the boats I gained a new appreciation for the hard lives of seafarers who put their lives in God's hands every time they go to work. As we prayed in worship:

We pray for those who are at sea and feeling tired and worn out through hard work and lack of sleep. Please grant rest, sleep, and renewed strength to those who are struggling, knowing that their safety and the safety of all those who sail with them requires all onboard to be well enough to do their jobs. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we pray for those who feel lonely at seat. Help those who are lonely to know that while they might feel alone, you are with them. In Christ, you have known our loneliness and can come alongside us and be our comforter and friend. Thank you for being wherever we are. Amen.

Protect me, oh Lord, the sea is so great and my boat is so small.

All those prayers apply to much more in life than just being on the water.

On our walk to Old St. Paul's we eyed up a Belgian restaurant called Leuven Beer Café. With our taste buds set, we decided to go there for dinner. We really did try a lot of different food on that trip.

Menu

Belgian flag

Stella Artois and Jupiler in the same bar?
That's like serving both Coke and Pepsi.

The inside reminded me of Belgium. The only thing that would have been more perfect would be if it was a Liegeoise-based menu instead of one from Leuven. I chose chicken over white beans with frites and mayonnaise. Don opted for the less Belgian (though still tasty) pumpkin filo. He went with Belgian Leffe beer, and I had a cidre. We lingered soaking up the ambiance, which felt like a trip to Europe even though we were in New Zealand. Even the bathroom doors had cameos of the king and queen on the doors. Classic!

There was a group of 16 Thai tourists at a table near us. It was fun seeing the variety of dinners they chose.    

On the way back to the hotel we looked for the entrance to the cable car. That took longer than it really should have. Next to it is a Countdown grocery store, so we bought some chocolate and Tim Tams. Priorities!

We made it back to the hotel just before the laundry room door automatically locked at 9 pm. Don was able to start a load of laundry and stay with it, which surprised security! They didn't expect to see him in there. They asked if he was planning to stay to dry the clothes, too. He replied if he could. They were fine with it. As we were the closest room to the laundry and I couldn't hear the machines running, I doubt anyone else could, either. We were grateful the laundry was so close, and that we could start the next leg with clean and dry clothing.

My notes say we had two timing fails that day:

1) After the WETA Workshop tour we should have gone into town instead of looking for the Nairn Street Cottage; on the other hand, we were able to change into something slightly warmer.

2) After church we should have gone to the botanical garden to look for glow worms, and then went to dinner instead of walking to the waterfront (which we had already visited a few times). We didn't realize we were "allowed" to walk around the gardens after dark. Allowed as in there are no gates (also no lights).