Presbyterian Church Association of NZ:
Presbyterians support White Ribbon Day
Ministers in Presbyterian churches will be among those supporting White Ribbon day this Sunday.
“The church is often the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff that picks up the pieces after a family tragedy. We want
to part of the solution, not just the ambulance,” says the Church’s leader, Moderator the Rt Rev Pamela Tankersley.
By wearing white ribbons and organising or participating in White Ribbon events up and down the country, the
Presbyterian Church is helping to bring the anti-family violence message to the Church’s 30,000 members and the
communities in which we live, says Mrs Tankersley.
“Nurturing and supporting families is the best way to improve the health of our society,” she says of the Church’s
anti-family violence stance.
This year, parishioners from Wellington’s St Andrew’s on the Terrace will be hitting the streets, as they’ve done in
previous years, to hand out white ribbons and raise awareness of family violence. The Church’s women’s division has
handed out materials to its members for the same reason – to get people thinking and to stimulate action, says Mrs
Tankersley.
Presbyterian Pacific Island ministers are also expected to be out in force at the Pacific launch of the Government’s
family violence isn’t OK campaign on 29 Nov.
“This is another demonstration of our commitment to ending violence in our communities.
“Enough is enough. The Church is standing up to raise awareness of the actions we can all take to stop New Zealand’s
appalling family violence record,” says Mrs Tankersley.
ENDS