Connecting with Parishes
Putting good ideas to work
Anne Overton, Community Mission Liaison
If you’ve got a bright idea for reaching out to your local community, Anne Overton is the person to see.
She’s recently been appointed Community Mission Liaison for Presbyterian Support Northern. Her job is to connect with Presbyterian churches throughout the region and help them identify and respond to needs in their communities.
It might be working with the local school to create a community garden; having cups of tea with lonely older people; or organising church young people into a working bee for the neighbours.
“It’s about asking ‘What’s God up to in our neighbourhood?’ and helping churches develop a strategic plan to meet those needs. Some churches have good ideas but don’t know how to start. PSN has the infrastructure and resources to be able to work alongside them and work out a plan together,” Anne said.
With well over 100 Presbyterian churches in the region, Anne is busy building relationships and gathering information about who is doing what and where. She also hopes to link with other denominations and community agencies, as well as work with Presbyterian schools.
Senior students at St Kentigern College for instance, are required to come up with a community-focused project for their International Baccalaureate studies. Anne wants to connect them with PSN’s Enliven and Coactive services so that older people and younger ones can learn the joys of befriending and helping each other.
“We can look at our own services too and ask questions: ‘What’s missing? What do we do well? What else is happening in the area?’ PSN has always had a heart for mission and the community and this is a way to work with churches to encourage that outward focus,” she said.
Anne has six years’ background in community education. Before that, she co-directed The Epicurean Workshop in Newmarket, (a specialist kitchenware shop and cook school) and spent nine years in Brazil with her husband Mark, running an orphanage and several community projects in the slums. While they were in Brazil they adopted their only daughter, now aged 12.
To have a friendly discussion with Anne about your community project or idea, please contact her on 09 520 8624 or email anne.overton@psn.org.nz.
Positive Ageing Seminars
A Getting On with Getting Older seminar in progress at St Georges Church in Takapuna
As part of our commitment to working closely with the church, we provide a seminar called Getting On with Getting Older that can be booked throughout the year by Presbyterian and cooperating parishes. The seminar can be facilitated at the venue and date of your choice. The cost is $10 per delegat.
Getting On with Getting Older has been developed in conjunction with Age Concern and is a positive approach to how we can make the most out of life as we get older. As well as being light-hearted, the seminar is also packed with practical suggestions for keeping healthy and happy in the years to come.
Discussions during the seminar around the material covered are welcomed, so that everyone can benefit by sharing thoughts and ideas. The seminar is targeted towards older people although anyone can attend and would be made most welcome.
Seminar Topics
The topics that are covered in this seminar are wide and varied including:
- Perceptions, myths and attitudes about growing older
- Issues that older people face
- Facing change
- Exercise and diet and why they are important
- Coming to grips with technology and how it can be of benefit
- Relaxation
- Where to from here?
Booking Details
The seminar runs for approximately 3 hours. Morning seminars are usually run from 10.00am – 1:00pm finishing with a shared lunch and afternoon seminars from 12:30pm – 3.30pm (includes a 20 minute break). Evening and weekend seminars can be catered for by special arrangement.
We require a minimum number of 20 people to attend the seminar.
We ask the church to provide the venue, a whiteboard, afternoon tea (for afternoon seminar) and the seminar participants.
If you're interested in hosting a seminar at your parish, please feel free to contact Anne Overton, Community Mission Liaison on 09 520 8624 or email anne.overton@psn.org.nz.
Resources
Download a brochure on the Getting On with Getting Older seminar here.
Read a review of the Getting On with Getting Older seminar here.
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