A Fond Farewell, A heavy Heart.
After five years of selfless service to All Saints Anglican Church in Fourways, it is time, with a truly grateful and heavy heart, to wish Reverend Anastasia a fond farewell as she continues her ministering journey away from All Saints.
Reverend Anastasia’s last Service will be on the 31 December 2023. Save the date.
There will also be a bring and share lunch after the service on 03 December to celebrate Rev Anastasia’s time at All Saints. All are Welcome.
Reverend Anastasia, and her beautiful family, joined the parish on 01 May 2019 at a time of transition for the church. During her time at All Saints, she has brought an open-minded, caring and engaging approach to worship and togetherness to All Saints. Below are some of the highlights she will be celebrated for by all associated with the Church.
Reverend Anastasia built a foundation at All Saints, and she would be the first to shun the celebration of achievements outlined above. She would make the claim that these achievements were only achieved through the dedication and hard work of the team at All Saints, and this would be true. The fact is that the achievements were as a direct result of the inspirational servant leadership that came from Anastasia that enabled and empowered the team into servant leaders in their own right. In life we are presented with the opportunity to continue a legacy, and to leave situations or circumstances in better shape than that inherited. That is legacy. Reverend left a strong and meaningful legacy at All Saints. For that all are grateful.
Special thanks are also given to Reverend Anastasia’s family who supported Anastasia throughout.
The baton passes now and with the celebration and gratitude of what has gone before comes the celebration that comes with the coming change and the new Reverend that takes custodianship at All Saints.
A warm and heartfelt welcome will be given to Anastasia’s replacement.
As the baton of custodianship passes, a new and exciting chapter begins.
The new reverend has yet to be formally announced, following that announcement we will update you accordingly.
Watch this space!
Reverend Anastasia Huntley – Servant Leader.
Below some of the highlights and initiatives during her tenure at All Saints.
Uplifting the congregation and community engagement.
“Belong. Believe. Become.”
Philippians 3. 8-11. From the start of her time at All Saints, Reverend Anastasia built the growth of All Saints around these three key pillars, holding an inclusive space for congregants to be able to build on their own journey of worship and belief. Whatever the stage of an individual’s Anglican journey from those being baptised to those moving from the worldly realm and those in between. All Saints developed on a history of love and worshipping inclusivity.
Bringing life and beauty to the grounds of All Saints.
“Beautifying the Space”
All Saints is blessed with beauty in terms of its unique setting and beautiful grounds. During her time at All Saints, Anastasia brought focus and upliftment to the grounds. A maze was constructed symbolising the sometimes-non-linear nature of belief and religious commitment, the garden of remembrance was beautified, and the start of the outside “arena” was started. There are several symbolic areas defined at All Saints and each provided a staging post for storytelling and belief encountering at the Church. These outdoor areas brough enlightenment, reflection, sound and storytelling to the service calendar throughout each liturgical year.
Creating a fundraising and highly successful events calendar.
“All Saints Presents”
Under the banner “All Saints Presents” the years were regularly punctuated with educational, inspiring, reflective and fun events for the community and congregants. All Saints now has an annual “Spring Faire” event which marks the keystone fundraising event. Several golf days were organised, meditation and calm days featured throughout, and the introduction of inspirational and counselling series were a regular occurrence.
Steering a course through challenging financial times.
“Financially Responsible and Transparent”
Church finances represent an ongoing challenge for churches across the world. Reverend Anastasia embraced the situation presented to her at the start of her tenure at All Saints. Leveraging the skills of her team at All Saints, she has navigated a clear course towards significant financial improvement and restoration. A new chapter in transparency and communication was, and continues to be, a hallmark at All Saints. Fundraising, collections and dedicated giving have all shown improvements and form the bedrock in the financial returns and financial well-being of the Church.
Consolidating and empowering the various ministries at All Saints
“Servant Leadership”
The ministries have flourished at All Saints. Reverend Anastasia’s enthusiastic approach to empowering ideas and initiatives has proven valuable and so much of the successes here whilst guided by Anastasia have borne fruit through the tireless efforts of her team.
Taking The Word into the digital age.
“Carrying the Message”
Reverend Anastasia’s brought an open-minded and forward-thinking approach to the way the Church delivers its message. A better understanding of the congregation and demographics began this process and the way the church communicates through the channels available to it. This led to the development of a new website and social media tools such as WhatsApp and Facebook. All created and crafted to appeal to wide range of communication access required by congregants, visitors and those wishing to make use of the facilities and services at All Saints. During Covid the church took its Sermons online enabling worshippers to access the church remotely. The video publication of sermons continues today, and all recorded sermons are available via Podcast online.
Gratitude and Love to You Reverend Anastasia and your Beautiful family.