Visit by Presbyterian Moderator

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 10, 30 July 1985, Page 16

Visit by Presbyterian Moderator

The Ne'w Zealand Presbyterian Church's Moderator, The Rt. Rev. Alister Rae will be visiting the region next week. The region's Presbyterian minister, Don Bater, has arranged a "meet the moderator night" to be held at the Presbyterian Church Hall next Tuesday evening (6th August) to give local church members an opportunity to meet their national leader. The Rt. Rev. Rae was born in New Plymouth but moved to Christchurch when still a child as his father, a railway employee, was transferred to the city. The young Alister Rae attended Christchurch West High School and from 1 95558 studied science at Canterbury University and Otago. In 1958 he married Margaret Carter, daughter of Rev. Lloyd Carter. From 1959-60 he taught at King's High School, Dunedin and attended lectures at Otago University, concentrating on philosophy, before attending the Theological Hall, Dunedin to prepare for the Presbyterian ministry. The Rt. Rev. Rae's first parish was at Piopio in the King Country in 1963. He remained there until 1969 when, after a period of orientation in Singapore, he worked in Malaysia among a congregation of Englishspeaking Chinese. He hoped to return overseas for a second term — again to Singapore — but he ran into difficulties with the immigration authorities. From 1 972-77 he was minister of St. Paul's, Ashbur-

ton. During this period he became convenor of a special committee on training for ministry, which made its final report to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1979. In 1978 he began ministry in his present parish of Somervell, Remuera, Auckland and the following year became a member of the Joint Board for Mission Overseas and in 1980 was appointed its convenor. Margaret and Alister Rae have three children — Cheryl is a teacher in Kaitaia, Murray has completed his architectural studies in Auckland and last year was Moderator's chaplain and Douglas is a physical education student in Otago. Speaking about his teenage years, the Rt. Rev. Rae says, "In Christchurch I attended St George's in Linwood, which at that time had a strong (if noisy and sometimes irreverent) Bible class. "We attended Easter camps, the Saturday runs of the Presbyterian Harrier Club, the local milk bar and the Saturday night dances, in force. "My father was an elder and my mother a Bible class leader. I was confirmed at St George's and eventually married the minister's daughter, Margaret Carter." On his work in Malaysia the Moderator says, "I respected and appreciated greatly the Chinese people among whom I worked and received a wider vision of life and of the church than would have been possible had I lived in only one country.

"I hope I may have given something to the small English speaking congregation I served for three years." His views on the Church are, "We are not primarily a society for the research of ancient documents, for the mutual support and friend-

ship of members, for the performance of beautiful and ennobling rituals. "I don't disparage anyoi those things but they are nol particularly important for themselves. They are important as they contribute to mission."