The 2026 gathering of "The Abbey" opened in Governor's Bay on the outskirts of Christchurch last evening, Friday 17 July centred on the this year's theme: 'Breathe: Let Go, Let God.' 

Bishop of Te Hui Amorangi o Te Waipounamu Rt Rev Susan Wallace called manuhiri to the annual event for youth ministry leaders across Tikanga Pākehā, sitting alongside her counterpart in Otautahi, Bishop of Christchurch Rt Rev Peter Carrell.

"It's a privilege to support this wonderful kaupapa." said Bishop Susan last night.

"While young people are different to when I was a youth worker, tonight in worship I felt that same kind of energy, that genuineness in them that I remember."

Bishop Susan is always keen to hear young people's vision for their future. 

"When we listen to rangatahi it's that value of having many voices, we know there's not just one pathway in life and faith, and young people remind us you can have so many approaches, but still end up at the same destination."

Bishop Peter Carrell welcomed The Abbey to Christchurch and to Living Springs, sharing its history as a joint vision of the city's churches and highlighting the many people who have worked to make The Abbey happen,  including Assistant National Youth Facilitator, Sami Smart and Lorna Gray who recently left her role as National Youth Facilitator for Tikanga Pākehā to move into local ministry leadership.

The Reverend Matt Maslin issued the opening challenge of The Abbey, calling for the kind of ministry of presence he's been thrust into in his first year as Vicar of St Aidan's Brydwyr in the Diocese of Christchurch.

But first, he invited The Abbey to "Breathe. Let Go, Let God" leading them to pause in silence in the knowledge that God delights to be with us, and will always choose to be with us in Jesus. 

The Reverend Ciru Muriuki, Curate at St Martin's and St James Spreydon-Riccarton savoured that moment of stillness, and so did the Reverend Sammy Mould, who has stepped up to support organising for The Abbey this year in her role as Under 40s team leader for Christchurch Diocese. 

Matt Maslin preached as a former youth worker of ten years, offering hard-won lessons from his recent experience of incarnational ministry at the parish coalface. 

After his quips and tales from Jesus' pseudo-canonical mischief-filled childhood, Matt took up Sam Wells' idea that 90% of Jesus' ministry was flavoured by attention and delight in people, rather than in saving them.

Matt shared that in his first year at Bryndwr a beloved person at the heart of parish community had been struck with unexpected terminal illness and died within his care. 

"The hardest reality I've had to accept in ministry is that it's not primarily my job to rescue people, or to give them answers, or to fix them." he shared.

"Sometimes, all I have is my faithful presence and attentiveness."

He urged The Abbey to reconfigure their understanding of what it is they do in youth ministry. 

"Before we try and fix people, before we try to give them all the answers we conveniently happen to have...we are called to be with people, not passively, but attentively and lovingly."

Archbishop Justin Duckworth has turned out to The Abbey in Christchurch again this weekend, a priority he still makes space for every year.

"I think Matt had a timely message for us in a world where everything is pressuring us and speeding up around us." 

"That call to be attentive, to be present to God, and to each other – especially to young people – is simple, but incredibly challenging at this time in history." 

Archbishop Justin appreciated the chance to greet Jesus in yet another new way.

"I think the point Matt made about the incarnation, that Jesus would have come anyway, just because God wants to be with us, we need to dwell deeply in that.

And if we do, it changes everything." 

Amongst the gems in Matt's talk was a message he received years ago at a Salvation Army training day, when he'd turned up looking for the magic intervention that could turn a 'hard core' young person's life around. 

But he discovered that there was no easy no tip or trick with young people, or anyone for that matter.

"The relationship is the intervention."

The Abbey 2026 continues through till this Sunday 17 July, at Living Springs, Diamond Harbour.