THE ROOTS
Farewell Reminiscences by Rev. Dr Richard Waugh QSM
Rev. Dr Richard Waugh shared at national conference in Christchurch in 2020, on the occasion of his retirement as National Superintendent 2002-2020. Here are some excerpts from his address: AUGUST 2001 (UNITED STATES) Jane and I went to the United States to attend the Leadership Summit in Chicago. We also went on to meet with leaders at the Wesleyan World Headquarters in Indianapolis, and from the West Michigan District. The warmth of our welcome, prayers with people at the Wesleyan headquarters, and meetings with Rev Mark & Sherry Gorveatte, Dr Wayne Schmidt and many others was life-giving. We had come from a time of theological abuse and heartache in the old Methodist church, to be welcomed into a Christ-centred and Biblically honouring caring church where all the leaders were fully devoted disciples. How refreshing it was! MARCH 2002 (MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA) The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia invited many of our ministers to join their regional gathering at Kingsley College in Melbourne. More than 120 ministers attended. I recall the warmth of welcome we all sensed; despite the Kiwi-Aussie banter and rivalry. We cherished our new belonging to a multicultural church family and that we were now part of a collegial and diverse regional church family in our South Pacific context. During all the years since, the Australian church has continued to bless us and I believe we bless them too.
Richard & Jane Waugh at a festive service in 2019 AUGUST 2006 (SOUTH KOREA) I travelled to South Korea to attend the 2006 World Methodist Conference. It was good to share rooms with Dr Alifaleti Mone of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga. I remember the fantastic presentation on evangelism by Dr Eddie Fox and the call for all the people called Methodists to “Ring the Bells” and be a light to the nations. I was so re-assured that most global members of the world Methodist family are evangelical and mission-minded. At that conference I was nominated as Vice President of the World Methodist Historical Society (and some years later became President). After an affirming process, twelve months later - at a World Methodist meeting in Sydney our Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand was welcomed as a full member of the World Methodist Council. JUNE 2007 (KENTUCKY, USA) Achieving a Beeson scholarship for the Doctor of Ministry programme at Asbury Theological Seminary, the largest
Methodist/holiness seminary in the world (with more than 1500 students) Jane and I with our three young children headed to Kentucky. The year’s intensive study helped equip me further with strategic skills, advanced preaching abilities, Biblical study work, and good time for my dissertation studies. Certainly my year at Asbury was a life-giving experience of Biblical and theological study and reflection and writing. I became convinced of the continuing importance of us always understanding and embodying the essence of sound Wesleyan theology. JUNE 2010 (CHRISTCHURCH) With others, on the Cashmere hill, we surveyed Christchurch city and prayed for a church plant sometime in the near future. We went around getting a sense of the city and it’s potential. We conferred with local church leaders and our long-time Wesleyan Methodist supporters, some of whom had been praying for many years for a new lifegiving church. THE WESLEYANZ VINE 5 3
