A livestream of the service for Joy Pirie will be available here on Thursday 21 April 2022.
11:39am – Sorry for the technical difficulties – go to https://icbc.org.nz/live to reconnect.
Update: Unfortunately we had an internet outage in the auditorium during the livestream, which interrupted the video. You can rewatch most of the service on the two videos below, but ~ 8 minutes is missing when the internet connection failed.
A tribute from the Busy Bees team:
Joy was part of our team that runs Busy Bees playgroup for preschoolers here on a Wednesday morning. I tried to find out how long Joy had been involved in Busy Bees from people who were around long before me, but no one can remember that far back! We’re pretty sure she was involved from around 2002-3. Marje Bremer said that she was doing a lot of the work on her own at the beginning and Joy was such a blessing to her when she came on board. Marje said she loved how Joy noticed all of the little things that are important, like a tablecloth that needed a wash. I hear Joy has been helping out with the children’s ministries on a Sunday morning since she was about 8 years old, so I know a huge number of children and parents have been blessed by her. We loved having Joy as part of our Busy Bees team, and I think the biggest thing that stands out to all of us is just how much she cared for everyone there.
Joy loved to be at the welcome table as people arrived, making sure they were met with a smile and assisted with name tags as they entered. She was a great help handing out props during our music and movement sessions, and recently got up the courage to work the iPad to play the songs. Joy was very happy holding babies so that the Mums could get some morning tea, and of course she was always right into the crafts – sometimes helping the kids with theirs, and sometimes just doing one herself!
Joy was always thinking of others, making sure everyone was included and not wanting anyone to miss out. She would often message us to look out for Hope or to check whether Barbara and Ross had a ride to our dessert night. She was keenly aware of those who couldn’t come along to Busy Bees in person at times over the last wee while and was often asking if there was any way we could livestream our music session or drop activity packs to those families.
Joy was incredibly generous. My children have had numerous gifts of scrunchies, hair clips, cushions and quilts that she had made for them, or things she had spotted in the op shop.
Joy loved being part of the team. She always came along to our team meetings – often with a delicious cheese ball – and was so willing to be on the roster organising an activity when she could. She would tag us on Facebook if she came across activity ideas or resources that the kids would like.
Her giggle was gorgeous, and her cheekiness and teasing was always fun to be around. Joy was also an amazing encourager, and I know many of us Mums have been so touched by her wonderful messages of encouragement. She would also often make cheeky remarks to our husbands to make sure they were looking after us and pulling their weight at home!
Joy had such an incredible love for the children and they were such an important part of her life. She would have gorgeous chats with our kids in the car on the way to Busy Bees, would notice the times they mastered something new or how they were coming out of their shell, and would often comment on how amazing each child was. She would sometimes message later to say she’d had a hard day but a cuddle or conversation with one of the kids had helped her feel better. She was genuinely interested in their lives, and kept up with them as they grew older and moved on from Busy Bees. I know that behind her love for the children was a deep desire for each of them to come to know Jesus.
It’s been a real blessing to know Joy and to have had her in our lives and in our children’s lives. Busy Bees just won’t feel the same without her there.