The Shepherd's Call - Te Karanga o te Hēpara: Prayers and liturgies for rural Aotearoa New Zealand

Discover a prayer to cover every aspect of rural life.

Anglican priest Bill Bennett understands the complexity of rural life with its overlapping communities and its deep dependence on the seasons. His understanding shines through this book, which will be a valued resource for both clergy and lay worship leaders, in New Zealand and in other countries. 117 prayers are arranged under the broad themes of the seasons, environment, community, mission and ministry, work, crisis and loss. There are also six Eucharistic liturgies and five liturgies focused on bush and forest, offering of harvest gifts, celebrating the grape harvest, celebrating community life, and thanksgiving after an adverse climatic or biological event. Praise for The Shepherd's Call "Bill Bennett's experience of rural life and ministry colours his desire that worship should be contextual and contemporary. Bill writes creatively with freshness of language and draws attention to the ordinary round of life on which we all depend. With a deft touch he captures human concerns and makes us aware of gratitude for the many-faceted gift of life. The book reflects the author's faith that God is in the midst of life. ln Advent he expresses the down- to-earth nature of the incarnation when he prays that God will come along our roads, to our communities and into our homes. Another feature is the specificity of the prayers. There are no vague generalities. The prayer for the kiwifruit harvest asks for courage for those who have faced the scourge of Psa-V and other diseases. Sharemilkers and their families who must move with dairy cattle on 1 June each year are remembered. We are reminded that caretakers of the land must protect the riparian strip and waterways from stock pollution. We pray for those who make decisions on the processing and export of milk products and that Ministry of Education staff may have awareness of the classroom scene. Maori imagery is used appropriately reflecting the author's understanding of tikanga Maori. A glossary of Maori words is included and there is a topical index. It is easy for worship leaders to slip into using time-worn phrases. The prayers in this book provide a new awakening. They may also inspire readers to write their own prayers in similar vein." Rev John Meredith in Touchstone October 2019 ++++++ "These liturgical resources will touch everyone who is interested in seasonal joy and struggle, planting and harvest, whitebaiting and hospitality. A theology of land and missional ministry that is shaped by both local life and God's call, with a deep understanding of tikanga Maori, mean that these prayers and reflections are uniquely and wonderfullyNew Zealand. I commend them to you and hope they are widely used across the country. They are for us all." From the Foreword by Rev Dr Jenny Dawson. About the author Bill Bennett comes from a Southern Hawke's Bay farming background. He has served much of his ministry as an Anglican priest in rural parishes in the Diocese of Waiapu as well as in the Norwich and Lichfield Dioceses in England. He worked as Ministry Enabler and twice as Regional Dean in Hawke's Bay between 1994 and 2015. His interest in rural communities is reflected in his publications: God of the Whenua (an overview of rural ministry in New Zealand), Seasons of the Land and The Shepherd's Call (both being prayers and liturgies for rural communities). A musician and composer of many hymns, he continues to write hymns and songs today. He is on the Editorial Board of the international periodical, Rural Theology. He was tutor in Rural Ministry Studies for the Ecumenical Institute for Distance Theological Studies (EIDTS). He and his wife Wendy live in retirement in Napier, New Zealand.