Dean moves on to new role in diocese

COLIN SMITH/Nelson Mail

FRESH FOCUS: Charles Tyrrell, dean of Nelson's Christ Church Cathedral, is to take up a new role as adviser to the bishop.

Relevant offers

After 16 years as Dean of Nelson's Christ Church Cathedral, the Very Reverend Charles Tyrrell is taking a step in a new direction.

Dean Tyrrell, who will become Dean Emeritus, will take up a new role in the Nelson diocese as the adviser for the care of older people for the Bishop of Nelson, Richard Ellena.

The role is a new initiative aimed at caring for and connecting with older members of the church, including retired clergy. Dean Tyrrell said the job was a perfect fit for him and he was excited about the challenge.

"I've been at the cathedral for 16 years and it's hard to let go, but at the same time I'm really looking forward to what lies ahead. I think the new job will use a wider range of my gifts."

A health scare in 2005 gave him a new focus on helping people, said the former nurse.

"Certainly after that experience in hospital I realised that what's important to me is caring for good honest people within the church and not worrying about the politics so much."

Helping isn't new to the experienced clergyman. He is patron of the New Zealand Faith Community Nurses' Association and was appointed as a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for his services to the community of Nelson in 2006.

The caring gene isn't confined to the dean in the Tyrrell family either; his wife, Elaine, launched the Parish Nurse ministry in 1998, which has since become a national element of the Anglican Church's caring role.

He said finding the balance between keeping the church relevant for younger members while catering for the older ones would be a key goal for him.

"Older people need to feel valued and necessary and not like they are being pushed aside. The Bible has clear principals to respect our elders and I intend to do that," he said.

He will take up the new role after conducting his final service at the Cathedral on Easter Sunday.

"It's been the greatest privilege to be here, but I think the time is right for the cathedral to have a new leader at the same time it is for me to have a new challenge. The coming months will be very exciting."

- © Fairfax NZ News