Pike River Crisis

The Greymouth Ministers association is sending out this final prayer release. In doing so they thank the church for its prayers and support at this extremely stressful time.

Please distribute as appropriate and continue to seek ways to support those most effected.

FINAL PRAYER RELEASE/REQUEST FROM THE GREYMOUTH MINISTERS ASSOCIATION – 3/12/2010

The prayer and other support that we have received here in Greymouth from the church has been superb and for that we want to say a huge thank you. The good way in which the local church has handled this crisis in large part due to the prayer support we have received from around New Zealand and the world.

This will likely be our last prayer release but know that we will always be grateful for your spiritual support.

On Thursday we held our remembrance service and about 11,000 attended. It was a powerful and moving time that met many needs. For the families it was in some way a memorial service for their loved ones, especially because of the memorial tables they had set up. For the community who have been in a kind of limbo state for the last few weeks it was a chance to acknowledge in a public way what has happened, to have what we are all thinking and feeling inside put into words and action, to show the families that we stand with them. It gave us permission to let go of that initial heaviness and to pick up our lives again without feeling guilty that we are somehow neglecting or ignoring what’s happened. For the families there is a freedom now to move on to the next phase in the grieving process as they await news of the recovery of their loved ones.

So on behalf of our community we continue to ask for prayer for the following:

- For the families who have lost their loved ones. That they would be able to move forward in their grieving and that the Holy Spirit would continue to sustain them as they await news of recovery of their men. That they would continue to seek out help and support as and when they need it.

- Continue to pray that God's people will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in offering comfort, care and support to those in need, especially as we now enter this next stage.

- Pray for the recovery of the bodies. The families and wider community all want and need their men back. It will make the grieving process easier and bring a better degree of closure. Pray therefore for the efforts of Pike Staff and the Recovery teams as the seek to render the mine safe enough for the recovery of the bodies. Pray especially for those who have the difficult task of body recovery for whom such a task can be very traumatic in itself.
- Pray for the town of Greymouth that folk will release that initial heaviness and grief and move forward and that for those who find that hard that they too would seek out help and support.

- Pray for the pastors and clergy of the community, for continued wisdom, sensitivity and compassion in dealing with families especially now as they support families in their grief and in time begin to prepare for funerals and personal memorial services. Continue to pray for strength and the Spirit's sustaining for your denominational clergy.

- Continue to pray for those struggling emotionally, for those with survivor guilt, unresolved grief and also for those with now re-opened grief from previous mining tragedies and for those providing counselling and comfort.

- Pray for the work colleagues of those lost who because of the common bond are feeling this more than most apart from the families themselves. Some are struggling with the thought of returning underground to work and others because of their more informed knowledge will be wrestling with how that impacts what they say to people in relation to chances of recovering the bodies, the future of the mine and so on. Pray for wisdom here.

- Pray for all those supporting families that they would offer appropriate care and support that would be of real benefit to the families.

- Pray for our town as the Spirit leads. For wisdom for the local and national government as they assess the economic impact and look to support local businesses.

- Pray for those seeking to re-open the mine that they would make wise decisions as to processes and safety and pray to for the work of the Royal Commission and other Government departments as they seek to discover the cause of this tragedy and learn from it for the future. We want openness, honesty, transparency, common sense, truth and wisdom.

-Give thanks for the "Community Remembrance Service" on Thursday and all involved. It was a powerful experience and a lot of healing occurred for individuals, families and the wider community. Give thanks for the way in which all involved from national government down worked together well to make this event what it was.

- Finally give thanks for the church world wide which has supported us so much in prayer and other ways. We are truly grateful and the results of your prayers speak for themselves.

1 December 2010

The Methodist Church is thinking of the people who are involved in the memorial service being held in Greymouth tomorrow.

We will be represented by President Desmond Cooper, Vice President Susanne Spindler and the Nelson Marlborough West Coast District Superintendent Jill van de Geer.

We include the following prayer for your use at this time:

O God, comforter of the frightened and anxious, Surround this day with your loving embrace

- The families and friends of the 29 miners buried underground at Pike River

- The close knit West coast Communities

- The ministers of all denominations and community workers, who seek to bring comfort and peace to the people of their community.

Uphold the families and communities in their grief and anxiety, and grant them your peace and patience in their time of waiting for the recovery of the bodies of their loved ones.

Strengthen all those who are part of the rescue team.

That they may have clear minds and the wisdom to make good decisions.

We ask your blessing and strength for the Greymouth United Parish, The Reefton Union Parish and the Hokitika United Parish and their ministers Thelma, Lyn, Ian and John.

May they know that God continues to call them to witness and serve those in need around them.

We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ Amen.

The members of the Greymouth/Mawhera Ministers' Association are thankful for all our prayers over the last few days, which they say have truly made a difference. They say that God is at work, and they ask for our continuing prayers in the following:

PRESS RELEASE AND PRAYER REQUEST FOR THE PIKE RIVER TRAGEDY, FROM THE GREYMOUTH/MAWHERA MINISTERS' ASSOCIATION - 25/11/2010

On Wednesday the 24th at the 4pm family briefing we were told of the second explosion and there was an immediate outpouring of grief as the reality of the news hit people. In itself this showed how much people had been holding onto hope, a hope which was now gone. There was also anger from a minority who felt that things could have been done differently and they expressed themselves loudly and vocally as they stormed from the building. The majority however supported Peter Whittall and the Pike staff because what they had feared all along happened. Imagine a rescue team in the mine when the second explosion occurred and the ramifications of that. The families and wider community are now in the various stages of the grief process and we along with many others are supporting them the best we can.

So on behalf of our community we request prayer for the following:

- For the families who have lost their loved ones. For the Holy Spirit to come and bring comfort and peace to individuals and families, to ease their pain, to help them through the grieving process and that they would continue to seek out help and support as and when they need it.

- Give thanks for the wisdom of those directly involved in the rescue process. Their caution probably saved more lost lives.

- Continue to pray that God's people will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in offering comfort, care and support to those in need.

- Give thanks for our national media who have been excellent but continue to pray for the overseas media in particular that they will be compassionate and gentle in their quest for information. Not intrusive and invasive. To see the people and not just the story.

- Pray for the pastors and clergy of the community, for wisdom in handling the media, sensitivity and compassion in dealing with families especially now as they support families in their grief and in time begin to prepare for funerals. Continue to pray for strength and the Spirit's sustaining for the duration. Pray especially for Rev. Tim Mora chairperson of the Greymouth Ministers Association and for Thelma Efford, Lyn Heine, Ian Davidson and John Drylie of the West Coast Uniting Parishes of Greymouth, Reefton and Hokitika.

- Continue to pray for those struggling emotionally, especially now with the news of no survivors for those with survivor guilt, unresolved and also for those with now re-opened grief from previous mining tragedies and for those providing counseling and comfort.

- Pray for all those supporting families that they would offer appropriate care and support that would be of real benefit to the families.

- Pray for our town as the Spirit leads. This will leave a scar and shape our identity for the future but we want the processing of our communal and wider grief not to leave us crippled and dysfunctional in the future but rather stronger and more resilient as a community.

- Pray for the "Community Remembrance Service" on Thursday the 2nd of Dec at 2pm at Omoto that it will be a fitting service for the families and the wider community as they wait for their loved ones to come home. That those organising and fronting the event will have real wisdom in shaping the service and in selecting the words they say. Pray too that there will be a fitting balance between local and national needs.

Please click here to view a 'Refresh' resouce for Churches from Andrew Gamman

A Pastoral Letter from the Presidential Team to the Connexion
(Please click above to view)

Please find a request for prayer being made by the combined churches of Greymouth:

PRESS RELEASE AND PRAYER REQUEST FOR DENOMINATIONAL NETWORKS - 23/11/2010

On Friday the 19th of November an explosion ripped through the Pike River coal mine between Greymouth and Reefton leaving 29 miners and contractors unaccounted for below ground. Because of the size and close knit nature of our community virtually everyone is affected in some way. Rescue efforts are ongoing but are dependent on various gas readings reaching safe and consistent levels. Despite the length of time already passed the possible convergence of a number of factors could mean that there are still survivors.

So on behalf of our community we request prayer for the following:

- For the families of those underground. For the Holy Spirit to come and bring comfort and peace to individuals and families, to ease their anxiety, to enable them to persist in patience. To seek out help and support as and when they need it and not to give up hope.

- For those directly involved in the rescue for wisdom in their decision making in the way they go about the rescue, support the families, handle the media and so on. May they be ready to listen, consult and work well together and that they too are supported.

- That God's people will follow the leading of God's spirit in offering comfort, care and support to those in need.

- For things beyond human control for example for a supernatural reduction in gas levels, for a barometric high to develop over the area, for mist and wind to reduce to enable safer flying for the helicopters, and so on.

- For the media that they will be a compassionate and gentle in their quest for information. Not intrusive and invasive. To see the people and not just the story.

- Pray for the pastors and clergy of the community, for wisdom in handling the media, sensitivity and compassion in dealing with families and strength for the duration. Pray especially for Rev. Tim Mora chairperson of the Greymouth Ministers Association and for Mrs Lyn Heine and Mrs Thelma Efford, Lay Ministers at Greymouth Uniting Church.

- Pray for those struggling emotionally, for those with survivor guilt, unresolved and now re-opened grief from previous mining tragedies and for those providing counseling and comfort.

- And to pray for those trapped underground. Assuming that they are alive and together that they would support and sustain each other and make wise decisions of their own around survival and if they have not survived to begin preparing the hearts of families for the worst. That they will be surrounded by those who can support them if and when news of the worst kind finally comes.