Meet the Forge Aotearoa Team
Darryl lives in Christchurch with Michele and their sons. He is minister of “Kiwi Church,” a relatively young network of small relational communities, and also has a role in the wider church supporting the training of ministers and leaders. He loves sport, movies, being outside and Star Trek.
Anne is passionate about the wayfinding leadership model and the wisdom of listening deeply to community voices. She lead the Community Relations Team for Presbyterian Support Northern and has been involved in a number of community led development initiatives involving gardens, food security and social justice issues.
Rory is a minister with the Presbyterian Church in Te-Tihi-O-Maru (Timaru). He is oriented around finding points of connection between the life of Jesus, and the lives of those seeking meaning in our broken world. With his wife Andrea he is exploring his identity as Tāngata Tiriti Karaitiana. He is creative and fun. He brings heart and wisdom to the Forge kaupapa in Aotearoa.
Sharon was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1988 and has served a number of congregations in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton along with working in a national church role as Director of the Presbyterian Church Schools’ Resource Office.
She is currently working for Presbyterian Support Northern (a large faith-based social service agency) in a role which works to strengthen the connection between PSN and the presbyteries in its region. Sharon has always had an interest in creative, interactive forms of worship and in what God is calling the church to be in today’s context.
Josh serves as a minister in two ‘wayfinding’ contexts in Christchurch. As the community minister at The Village Church, he leads an emerging mission initiative centered around a community drop-in space, fostering connections and community within a local neighbourhood. Additionally, with the Prestons New Mission Seedling, Josh leads a small community that is exploring what it means to be church in the community in which they live. Beyond his ministry roles, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife Susan and their three daughters, along with their overfed cat, Alfie. An avid sports enthusiast, he also relishes outdoor adventures in his free time.
Stuart is the Mission Catalyst for Presbytery Central, which sees him travelling around the lower North Island, encouraging and supporting congregations discern how they can participate in God’s Mission. He lives in Wellington with Lala who he met while they were both studying missiology in Selly Oak, Birmingham. Together they have three children and two cats. One of Stuart’s main loves is trail running.
Abi is the Resource Team leader for Alpine Presbytery. She is passionate about local church and enjoys supporting congregations who are wanting to engage with the mission that God has called them to in their local context. She is currently studying towards her Graduate Diploma in Theology, with an interest in intercultural church. She lives just outside of Christchurch with Isaac, they have three children, two cats and six chickens.
Diane’s passion for Forge Aotearoa comes from her twelve years in parish ministry in Wanaka, where she pioneered Spirit of the Lake – a café style gathering for the local new age community, telling the gospel story in contemporary parables and using interactive drawing and playdough to help adults and children alike enter into the story more deeply.
Earlier Diane was producer, director and journalist with TVNZ then Director of Communication for the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand before answering God’s call to ministry. Today she is a Spiritual Director and Professional Supervisor based in Wellington.
I’ve felt the companionship of God since childhood. Conversation with God came naturally to me.
I grew up Presbyterian in the United States. I have been in New Zealand for 50 years. I finally felt
spiritually at home on our Presbyterian Marae at Ohope Beach. My mother’s people were native American.
I was ordained to ministry in 2002.
