It lives in the small, everyday moments: helping a neighbour with their groceries, offering a listening ear or sharing a genuine smile with someone who looks like they’ve had a rough day. The weaving of these seemingly minor gestures creates a social fabric that makes our community a special one. It’s a collective ‘pay-it-forward’ of goodwill and hospitality that we share with each other, for it brightens our day as much as it might help another who needs it.
One of the things I’ve always admired about the Holy Trinity Cathedral community is the collective impact. Each person shows up in the ways they can and builds connections that strengthen the fabric of our community. It is in the Cathedral’s mission statement: ‘empowering action.’
Take our upcoming charity yoga class in the Bishop Selwyn Chapel supporting Pet Refuge NZ, for instance. It’s about engaging in positive change. Yoga, too, is all about showing up for yourself but, on 7 March, we will be showing up for something bigger. In supporting the work of Pet Refuge NZ, we’ll be helping those suffering domestic abuse to escape by offering shelter to beloved pets who might otherwise have been left behind.
Domestic abuse, a reality that affects people across all walks of life, often hides behind closed doors and brave faces. In New Zealand, the statistics are sobering – more than half of women have experienced intimate partner violence during their lifetime. This isn't just a number; these are our friends, colleagues, and neighbours.
Collective impact means we can make it easier for those affected to seek help or even to know that help exists in these forms. We can talk about Pet Refuge NZ. We can invite others to join us. We can participate. And every time we participate in community events, engage in acts of kindness, or simply show up for one another, we build the kind of society where people feel safe asking for support when they need it most.
Events like this matter because we all need that social fabric. That yoga class helps you spot a friend from the community or meet someone who is new to the fold. The kindness you show a stranger might inspire them to extend the same grace to someone else. In this way, small acts of generosity and support multiply, creating a place where everyone feels seen, valued, and cared for.
In these small, everyday moments we create a community where support flows freely and no one has to face their challenges alone.
Find out more about our upcoming charity yoga classes in the Bishop Selwyn Chapel.
Dr Sarah Ferguson
Yogaonline
Lululemon Legacy Ambassador
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