The popular service booklet, ‘The Farewelling of a Home: a liturgy’ (Poiema Liturgies, 2021) is now available to read on Kindle or downloadable as a PDF document via links on www.poiema.co.nz

The liturgy which gathers householders and takes them round their home on a journey of memory, thanksgiving and farewell was inspired by author Dr Jane Simpson’s observation of people’s unmet needs when departing homes damaged by the Canterbury earthquakes.

Earlier this year, parishioners who had lost their homes in Cyclone Gabrielle used laments and prayers from the book as they stood near the sites of destruction. Some took their neighbours with them so they could say goodbye to their homes together.

“In natural disasters householders need a book like this immediately, rather than waiting for one to arrive in the post. It made sense to release it in the e-formats Kindle, EPUB and PDF,” Dr Simpson said.

Turning to ‘A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa’ for support after the quakes, Jane wrote the new service after finding Archbishop David Moxon’s liturgy to bless a home, but nothing that helped a family say goodbye. 

The first 500-copy print run of the liturgy has now sold out and a second print-run is underway, as the service finds new avenues of use, including by people leaving family homes full of memories to move into retirement villages or into care.

At a recent author’s talk at St Martin’s Presbyterian Church in Otautahi Christchurch Dr Simpson saw again how the liturgy honours potentially painful household transitions,

“Some of the women had lived in the same home for 60 years, so leaving it was going to be a real wrench.” 

The liturgy has also been used to farewell old church buildings to make way for community-facing ministries. Hospital chaplains have adapted The Farewelling of a Home for patients receiving palliative care or dementia support who will never be able to return to their own homes.

The second edition now includes laments for people who have to leave their homes by forced evacuation or managed retreat because of the impact of global warming.

“In extremes of weather never seen before, people are having to relocate, start anew and venture out in faith. Global warming has also made the earth God made uninhabitable. We must all work for change, before it is too late,” Dr Simpson said.

To read more about the Farewelling a Home liturgy or to purchase hard copies ($15.00 each) go to:

www.poiema.co.nz
Or purchase the Kindle version (US$4.99 each/NZ$8.40) on Amazon