Service unto others the greatest christmas gift - Rev Susan Blaikie

Once described by a member of her congregation as the “tattooed-chick-priest”, Wellington City Missioner Reverend Susan Blaikie defies conventional notions of her vocation.

She confesses unabashedly to her passion for helping the most vulnerable in society – possessing a “heart for mission” that enables her to identify with the most disadvantaged and oppressed.

RCW Christmas Luncheon attendees had the pleasure of hearing an inspiring and thought-provoking Christmas message from Rev. Susan.

“Christmas,” she said, “is the gift of revelation; of God’s relationship to humanity and thus humanity’s relationship to humanity.”

“The ethos of The City Mission - our greatness, is in our solidarity with the most vulnerable,” she said. “When we lift up and serve the most vulnerable in our communities, then we are faithful to the image we have been created in; the gracious and serving God who came to serve rather than be served.”

Rev. Susan elegantly drew connections between the humble circumstances of Jesus Christ’s birth, his sentiment to serve - rather than be served, and in turn, the similarities between the guiding principles of The City Mission and Rotary Club.

In serving others, “we discover the fullness of what it means to be human together,” she said. “We discover ironically, that when we pour ourselves out into service, we are not only better for it individually, but we thrive communally.”

Rev. Susan believes that The City Mission shares Rotary’s ethos ‘to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise’.

She paid tribute to founding Wellington City Missioners, William Walton (1904-1911), the first Missioner of St. Peter’s Taranaki Street Mission, Rev. Davys, Rev. Thomas Fielden Taylor (1919-1937), and Rev. Harry Squires (1939-1954), whose passion and dedication built ‘The Mission Block’ for future generations.

The Wellington City Mission operates four community service programmes - Mission for Families, Mission for Youth, Mission for Independence and Mission for Seniors. Future directions for The Mission, include social housing; prisoner mid-long term community reintegration; and broadening the care and well-being of youth.

Rev. Susan left luncheon attendees with a quote that reflects Rotary’s mantra - ‘service above self’:

“Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten.  And seeing them... he cried, "Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?" God said, "I did do something. I made you."  (Author Unknown)