A Letter to the Parish: Saying Goodbye

Dear friends in Christ of the Parish of Taradale,

I write to you today with both a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude to let you know that I have accepted an offer from Iona College to take up the role of School Chaplain, and that I will therefore be concluding my ministry as Vicar of the Parish of Taradale.

This has not been a decision made lightly. It comes after a long season of prayer, discernment, conversation, and reflection. There is real sadness in letting go of a parish and a community that I love deeply. Yet I go with a strong sense of peace that this is the right moment, both for me and for the Parish, to make space for what God is bringing next.

When I arrived in Taradale, I sensed that my ministry would be one of preparing foundations — strengthening the ground beneath us so that the Church could grow with confidence into the future. Together, that is exactly what we have done.

Over these years we have worked with determination and creativity to secure the long-term sustainability of the Parish. We have undertaken close to one million dollars in maintenance and development work across our buildings and property, ensuring that our physical spaces are safe, functional, and fit for the mission God has entrusted to us.

We have seen a significant reversal of downward trends in attendance, baptisms, confirmations, and giving. We have rebuilt momentum, restored confidence, and renewed a sense that this Parish is alive, growing, and outward-looking.

We have reshaped our employment and administration structures so that they are responsive to the changing environments in which the Church now operates — strengthening governance, improving systems, and ensuring that the Parish is well equipped for the challenges and opportunities of the years ahead.

In every sense, this has been a season of laying foundations.

The next leader who comes to serve this Parish will inherit a church that is financially stable, creatively engaged, well governed, and mission-focused. They will step into a Parish with solid ground beneath their feet and a strong platform from which to build the next chapter of its story.

For this, I want to say thank you.

Thank you to our staff, who have carried ministry with professionalism, dedication, and heart.Thank you to our ministry teams and lay leaders, who have served faithfully and generously.Thank you to our Wardens and Vestry, who have carried the weight of governance with wisdom, courage, and imagination.Thank you to our clergy colleagues and ministers, who have shared in the work of preaching, pastoring, and building the life of this Parish.

Together, you have done the hard work of creating a flourishing and sustainable Parish — a church that is well placed to support and proclaim the gospel to another generation in Taradale, Napier, and across Hawke’s Bay.

It has been one of the great privileges of my life to serve as your Vicar.

I leave with immense gratitude for what we have shared, for the trust you have placed in me, and for the vision we have dared to hold together. I go confident that God is not finished with this Parish — indeed, I believe its best days are still ahead.

In the weeks ahead there will be time to say goodbye properly, to give thanks together, and to mark this transition with prayer. For now, I simply want you to hear this from me directly, and to know how deeply thankful I am for each of you.

May God continue to bless the Parish of Taradale, and may Christ remain at the centre of all we are and all we become.

With every blessing and with deep affection,

Alan