Prayer for the 67th General Synod Te Hīnota Whānui (GSTHW)

Theme: One Mission, One Vaka, One Ocean

Loving and embracing God, Creator of the great ocean, the islands, and the lands we call home. We thank You for our ancestors and missionaries, for the journeys that guided them through the years and the challenges they faced. Through Your grace, You have brought us together in this time as one Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia.

You have woven us together in Christ as Tikanga Māori, Tikanga Pākehā, and Tikanga Pasifika enriched by cultures, languages, songs, stories, and traditions.

Draw us closer to You in our 67th General Synod. By Your Holy Spirit, help us to honour the gifts of our differences, not as barriers to our journey, but as blessings that witness to the unity of Your Church. Grant us wisdom and peace, and empower us to discern together.

Keep alive within us the vision You have given: One Mission, One Vaka/Waka, One Ocean. May we remember that we are called not for ourselves, but for the sake of Your Kingdom.

We place our Church, our Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Lay Leaders, our communities, and our future into Your loving hands. Guide our waka, keep us united as one people, journeying across one ocean toward the future You are preparing.

We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who calls us into one Body, one hope, and one mission. Amen.

Notes:

This prayer was shaped around the theme One Mission, One Vaka/Waka, One Ocean, a vision that celebrates the unity of the Church even in the midst of diversity. It reflects the shared journey of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia, lifting one voice together as we prepare for the 67th General Synod.