A revisit from St Michael All Angels Church
Judith M Kaskel from Christchurch’s St. Michael All Angels church was left with a strong impression since she brought a group of elderly folk to the temple last year in September. This year, on the 21st of March, Judith once again paid a visit with 6 elderly folk from the church, and were welcomed on their arrival by FGY public relation Craig.
Craig introduced the group first to the exterior of the temple, where they marvelled at the four Bodhisattva statues and the aesthetic architecture. Next, Craig showed them displays around the art gallery such as the “Sacred Art Exhibition”, “The Liquidity of Motion”, as well as Natalie Sweetapple and Andrew Carran’s Ceramic art works. They also toured the time corridor, main shrine and atrium. The guests very much admired the artists’ fine work, were impressed with the solemn arrangement of the main shrine, and also asked some questions in regard to Buddha’s teachings such as the ‘Six Realms’, ‘Cause and Condition’, ‘Nirvana’ amongst other topics.
At the same time, Craig also told the visitors about upcoming community events organised by the temple such as the “Red Cross Meals on Wheels”, and “3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing”. The elderly folk were especially full of praise for the “Red Cross Meals on Wheels” volunteering work. Even in today’s egalitarian society, it was good to see people sending lunch to the homes of elderly folk so that they can enjoy a nutritious meal. Indeed, it is a very nice and precious act.
At the end of the tour, the guests were taken to the Teahouse for some refreshments. Overall, they were extremely pleased with the visit, and enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere of the temple very much. They also said that they would definitely come to the temple again in the future.