FAITH
We seek to nurture our faith, our relationship with God, in various ways.
First and foremost, we come to worship together.
The Parish seeks to provide a variety of styles of worship
to suit the varying needs of parishioners.
Holy Communion
Sunday 9am
Our 9am Sunday Eucharist in the Church alternates between the Holy Communion services provided in A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare. The music is provided by an organ, a piano and a double bass, with a tenor leading the singing. We sing a mixture of traditional hymns and more modern songs. Everyone is welcome to join in Morning Tea in the Church foyer afterwards
Comtemporary Communion
Sunday 10:30am
Our 10.30am Sunday Eucharist takes place in the Hall. It is a more informal Holy Communion service, with modern music led by a variety of singers. On most Sundays, including school holidays between Terms 1, 2 and 3, there is ministry for children (Kidzstuff) and for those in years 6-9 at school (Hot Chocolate) for much of the time of the service. About once a month, there is an All Age Service, so there is no separate Kidzstuff or Hot Chocolate. During the school holidays, there is Café Church, with morning tea being served and the congregation sitting around tables during the service. During term time, there is usually a light lunch immediately following the service, to which everyone is welcomed.
Combined Services
Sometimes it is good to worship together as a Parish family, so there are occasional Combined Services at 10am. These usually take place on 5th Sundays of the month, as well as on special occasions such as visits by one of our Bishops. These services alternate between the Church and the Hall, and are followed by a Potluck lunch in the Hall.
Late December and January Services
From the Sunday after Christmas through to Anniversary weekend inclusive, there is usually only one Sunday morning service in the Parish. This takes place in the church, at a time to be notified. In recent years, we have also been offering Lite Services on some January Sunday evenings. These involve a BBQ and a ‘God Spot’. These provide an excellent opportunity for people who aren’t used to conventional Sunday services to experience the parish family.
Other opportunities for worship
In addition to these Sunday services, there are other opportunities for worship during the week, such as the Wednesday 10am Holy Communion. This is in the Church and uses one of the services in A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare. We sing two traditional hymns accompanied on the organ, and gather for morning tea in the foyer afterwards.
Monthly rest home Holy Communion
The monthly rest home Holy Communion services at Fergusson Rest Home (1st Thursday 11am in the Chapel) and Summerset Hospital (4th Wednesday 2pm in the Lounge) primarily cater for residents of Fergusson and Summerset, but occasionally it can be arranged for other elderly parishioners still living at home who find the services in the church too early to attend to come to one of these services. Please ask the Vicar if you are interested.
For those who are too frail to attend Church because of sickness or age, Home Communion can be arranged.
Other Services
Those who are exploring Christian faith are most welcome to attend any of our services.
The parish runs an Alpha Course at least once a year to give adults an informal way of exploring Christian faith and following Jesus over an eleven week period. Where appropriate, this can be followed with preparation for baptism and/or confirmation.
Parents of pre-schoolers who wish to discuss the baptism of their child, or families where a school age child wishes to be baptised should contact the Vicar to discuss this.
Youth Alpha is sometimes offered to enable young people to explore faith.
For adults seeking to build up their faith through participation in a small group, there are several Bible Study/Home groups. A parishioner also arranges for a group order of Word for the Day for those who like to use this resource for their own Bible reading.
For children and young people, growth in faith is encouraged through age-appropriate groups such as Kidzstuff, Hot Chocolate, Tuesday Night Youth and Whanau Friday
For those keen to build up their prayer life, we meet three times a week for Morning Prayer in the chapel in the Church. We use A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare, but there is plenty of opportunity for everyone to join the time of intercession and thanksgiving at the end of this service. All ages are welcome.
Other opportunities for prayer include periodic Prayer Vigils, particularly during the ten-day period between Ascension and Pentecost, when we have in recent years joined the Diocese in observing the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special prayer initiative, Thy Kingdom Come.