Our Services
Sunday 9am
This service follows the New Zealand Anglican Prayer Book and liturgy versions for different seasons. It includes teaching and Holy Communion (Eucharist, Lord’s Supper) and celebrates together using more traditional hymns and praise songs.
Near the service start, we share “Good Stories” where we’ve seen God show up this week in big and small ways, where we’ve been encouraged.
Afterwards, we have a joyful morning tea in the adjacent hall, as the 10.30am service gets going. Many of this congregation continue at a nearby establishment, Monteith’s, enjoying authentic relational connection. Everyone is welcome.
Sunday 10:30am
The music is different and the feel more relaxed. We use contemporary instruments, and worship songs, and we’re a joyful intergenerational community, including many families. The 10:30 service includes children’s programmes: Oasis (Sunday School) and Embers (intermediate aged Youth).
We also welcome many people new to New Zealand, with immigrants from Asia, the UK, South Africa, Australia, India, Africa, the Pacific and many other countries.
This service is live streamed, although personal matters shared at “Good Stories” to encourage others are not included in our internet feed.
Oasis Childrens Ministry
Families are central to our church. While we value every generation, including singles of all forms, we celebrate and value our families.
So, if you are a Christian family, or checking out this God thing and want or need support, we are listening!
Our children and family ministries include:
Oasis – Sunday’s 10.30am children’s programme, concurrent with our family oriented service.
School Holiday Programmes During school holidays we host our programme with two different age streams. The Junior Stream is for school years 1-4. The Senior Stream is for school years 6-8. This allows age appropriate fun and development. We open registrations six weeks prior to the programme, and places fill fast!
Families need positive support, and St Christopher’s is here for you–marking seasons, special family oriented events, community for parents, and spiritual care in a complicated and sometimes difficult world. We’re committed to supporting our families, their children, and their diverse needs: that means you!
Questions? Contact oasis@stchristophers.org.nz for Sunday mornings, holidays@stchristophers.org.nz for our holiday programmes or children@stchristophers.org.nz to speak to our Children and Families Minister, Stephanie Tiong.
Avonhead Mainly Music
Come and join us for singing, dancing and fun! We are a group for preschool children and caregivers where we learn together through music, action and play. The sessions involve a range of rhymes, songs, instruments and movements tailored for preschoolers’ physical and cognitive development. Each session has opportunities for children to help up the front (if they would like) and interactive songs or rhymes to participate in with their caregiver.
Our action-packed, interactive music session is followed by morning tea and play time; a chance for children to eat and play together and for our adults to chat and connect with each other.
Mondays @ 9.30am (during term time).
For more information please contact Steph Tiong, our Children and Families Minister: children@stchristophers.org.nz
Visitors are always welcome, we look forward to meeting you!
Youth – Intermediates (Embers) and Secondary (The Forge)
Values are caught, not taught. The journey through adolescence occurs as we work together, modelling and teaching how to grow up, define yourself and ground yourself. Yet the desire to laugh, have fun, and develop friendships that matter is also essential.
EMBERS:
Embers meets every Tuesday during the school term from 3:30pm – 5pm at St Christopher’s. A week at Embers looks like hanging out and building relationships, playing games, eating food, and having discussions about God and the Bible. We have a lot of fun! Any intermediate (year 6-8) is warmly welcome.
If you are interested or have any questions, contact Reuben
(embers@stchristophers.org.nz)
Learning English
We here at St Christopher’s are a church family from every continent!
To help our Kiwi families from other lands who do not speak English with confidence, we host free informal English lessons, designed to help you thrive in New Zealand society. We have dozens of people in our classes.
Our classes are led by qualified education professionals and they have a team of people committed to walk with you in gaining confidence.
Interested? Contact our office, (03) 358.8780 or connect@stchristophers.org.nz. We look forward to meeting you!
Seniors
Worship services: Our Wednesday 10am service proudly uses the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. This service is followed by a lively and welcoming morning tea.
Sundays, our 9am service is more traditional, using the NZ Prayer Book, and multiple instruments, including organ/piano. It’s a lively bunch, ready to welcome you.
Little Dove is a Friday afternoon 1-3pm connection and fellowship group. It includes afternoon tea, but people may also play mah jong, solve puzzles or play chess, knit, read or just have a yarn. Everyone is welcome to this group: we continue in our determination that no one should have to live life alone.
Movement & Music is a professional programme of exercise for the elderly on Mondays, 12.15-1.15pm.
Movement to Music is followed by afternoon tea. This group is a fun healthy way to practice exercise for balance, soft and fun physical development and cognitive agility. Give it a go – contact us if you’re interested in checking it out: connect@stchristophers.org.nz
There are also Life groups, Bible Studies & Women’s Fellowship, groups large and small, meeting in the day time or evening, weekday or weekends.
Our church is dependent on the contribution of every generation, and that includes our precious elders, who contribute energy, wisdom and experience!
It’s impossible to list the many ways they contribute. You’ll find them cleaning the church, or organising books for kids, pastoral care and prayer, mentoring teenagers, or working in our gardens. Wherever you are, and whatever your age, there’s a place for you here, with us.
For information on all these groups, contact us at connect@stchristophers.org.nz
Young Adults
Where our young adults (university age through 20’s) come together to share life and grow in following Christ together in every day life and relationships.
Young adults want a safe place to wrestle hard topics, theology and life. Where is God in everyday life, and what is it to actually be a Christian? We work to help construct and strengthen a lively faith that will sustain us through our lives today and in the future.
A priority goal is a safe space to relate with God and each other, to grow in living a life of serving others and each other. All are welcome: from the already devout to the disconnected, and the curious about Faith.
How do I find God in this crazy world? Does He even notice or care? Who is this God? What does it even mean to follow Jesus?
Young Adults meet on Monday at 6PM for a meal and chat, followed by study and discussion at 7PM, in the Chapel at St Christopher’s.
If you’d like to hear more, email John (vicar@stchristophers.org.nz), or contact the Church office.