A place to meet with God and one another
Joining us on a Sunday, here’s what you can expect
Our worship gatherings are a place to encounter God and connect with others. We work on bringing the full spectrum of life’s experiences, joys, questions, hopes, and pain before God together.
Honouring te Tiriti
We begin and finish with karakia in te reo Māori. This is a small but meaningful way of acknowledging the mana of tangata whenua and the privilege of gathering to worship on the land of Aotearoa.
Jesus at the centre
Each week, we read sequentially through one of the Gospels. We do this so that the life, words, and stories of Jesus remain at the centre of our shared life, whatever else is included in the service or explored in the sermon.
Bringing our whole lives
We often pray in small groups, and we make room for people to share celebrations and laments with the congregation. We believe God is interested and present in the good and difficult things happening in our lives, our communities, and our world.
Our time together
Our gatherings also include sung worship, prayer, and a sermon.
Space to respond
Most weeks, the sermon is followed by an opportunity to respond: perhaps through reflection, prayer, conversation, or another simple practice. This response is not only about the sermon, but about all that God may have been speaking through during our time together.
Hospitality
When our worship gathering concludes we share morning tea so we can continue to connect and meet new people. This is an important part of our whole time together because we believe that deepening relationships are key to our faith community.
Our monthly rhythm
On the first and third Sunday’s of the month we share communion.
On the second Sunday of th month, we hear about and pray for one of the local or glocal mission partners we support.
On the fourth Sunday of the month, we host a ‘Who Are You?’ interview, an opportunity to get to know someone from our faith community a little more deeply.
We also share a lunch together; in summer at someone’s home and during winter we have soup at church.
Connecting with neighbouring churches
During the middle weekend of the school holidays, and for the first three Sundays after Christmas, we join with the local Anglican and Presbyterian churches for shared services. These gatherings are a lovely expression of connection across our local Christian community.
We also run occaisional events together throughout the year, like the Island Bay ANZAC Service at Island Bay School and an annual Community Carols at St Hildas.
You are very welcome
Whether you are exploring faith, returning to church, or looking for a place to belong,
you are warmly welcome.