My Journey, My Dream

Description

From the cover –

My Journey, My Dream is the autobiography of Rev. Canon Cherie Baker, one of the first women to be ordained to the priesthood of the Anglican Church. The author traces her story from her earliest days growing up in wartime Britain to her later settlement in New Zealand and the pioneering life she has since led in this country.

As the title suggests, Cherie’s life has been both a journey and a dream. Her journey has included raising a family of five children in Poverty Bay, and running a large sheep and cattle station after the untimely death of her husband. But her dream was to find fulfilment in the service of God, and she ultimately lived that dream through her remarkable Anglican ministry. My Journey, My Dream is a story of challenge and achievement that will inspire readers to reach out and live their own dreams.

Cherie Baker has been a pioneer in women’s ministry in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of her ordination as a priest. Her remarkable story tells of a person willing to break new ground, with all the challenges, disappointments and achievements this entails. She helped liberate the Church from its male dominance, and bring a whole new dimension to caring for people in the community. The notion of ‘priest’ has been enriched by her wisdom and insights, and changed the Church forever.

Bill Bennett – Anglican priest and author of God of the Whenua: Rural Ministry in Aotearoa Zealand.

The story of the Reverend Canon Cherie Baker is a window on the history of post-war New Zealand, told in plain, practical language which belies the deep importance of the events she has experienced. The most significant is her ordination as (jointly) one of the first Anglican women priests in New Zealand, but for me it is her tales of backcountry farming, family dramas, small town ministries and her delight in ordinary human behaviour which make me smile and weep in equal measure.

Lawrence Yule – Mayor, Hastings District Council