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An Unexpected Opportunity

In July 2017 Reuben and Evelyn Smith began to pray and seek the Lord’s guidance over a two-year plan for their family’s future. Motivated by their love for the gospel and spurred on by a heart for Paraguay (where Evelyn was born and grew up) they committed to regularly praying and connecting with local leaders there, with the plan for Reuben (who works as a high school teacher) to make several trips over to bless and encourage the church. During this time God worked unexpectedly to bring Sou...

How God used an earthquake to bring two churches together

Immediately after the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, Rutland Street elder Lincoln Rout attended a gathering of pastors and church leaders. During the meeting Baptist leader Murray Robertson encouraged leaders in the west of Christchurch to connect with leaders on the east—where quake damage was the greatest, and the communities hit the hardest. “As I looked across the room it occurred to me that I knew of assemblies out east, and their leaders typically wouldn’t have been p...

Connection Point

CCCNZ Communications Manager Sophia Sinclair caught up with Matt Cameron and Alistair Pike from Church Street Chapel in Timaru to learn more about how a local hostel for international students became a connection point for multi-cultural ministry. Tell me a bit about the history of the hostel and how it all runs: how many students, and how long has there been a connection with the church? The hostel was bought in about 1995 by a member of the local fellowship, Mr David Bruce,  who then sol...

A tribute to former CCCNZ Board Member Ian Elliott

It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the death of Ian Elliott, aged 72, who passed away suddenly and peacefully on Tuesday 8 January 2019 at Waikato Hospital after a short illness.  Ian was a vibrant and active member of our trust board, having only recently stepped down, he remained a strong supporter of CCCNZ.  We valued his wise counsel and insight, and he will be greatly missed by the CCCNZ wider community. Ian was a man of faith in Jesus Christ and this was the fo...

God qualifies the called

In 2016 Mihiwai and Renata Te Aho decided to approach the assembly and elders about running a youth night at Tauwhare Gospel Chapel. Mihiwai and I have lived at Tauwhare Marae for 32 years. We have four sons and six grandchildren. Mihiwai and I fellowship at the Tauwhare Gospel Chapel which is located at Tauwhare Marae. Both Mihiwai and I believe God has called us to do his work to help our youth get to know about Jesus, for it was when we were young that we too heard about Jesus at youth night...

How cultivating a heart of compassion sparked a multicultural church community

‘What did Christ value?’ This was the key question the people of City Bible Church (CBC) in Hamilton asked when they began developing their church’s values and vision. Their desire was for these values to become identifying markers of their church community. One of the six values they landed on was this: We value compassion for the needy. Senior Pastor Campbell Forlong says that at the time this was one area where they needed to develop: “We felt like out of all the values we had ident...

An international harvest in our own backyard

CCCNZ Communications Manager Sophia Sinclair talks with Dr Merv Coates about the unprecedented opportunities for multicultural ministry in Auckland because of globalisation.Demographers tell us that Auckland is one of the world’s most multicultural cities. I gather you’re excited about the implications of this for local mission? For sure! I saw a great headline from a New Zealand-based mission magazine: The people of the world: Coming to a street near you. It’s obviously true. The internat...

How do we 'love one another' when we're different?

Have you ever looked around church on a Sunday morning and noticed a room full of people who look exactly like you? Same age and stage of life. Same level of wealth and privilege. Same political views. Same skin colour. Same culture. Maybe it’s human nature, maybe it’s circumstance, or maybe it’s a mark of our society. Whatever the reason, our church families often represent silos of New Zealand culture—separate bodies that are self-contained and content. As New Zealand culture...

Where is God calling your church in 2019?

Haggai was not a book of the Bible that got much air-time in my teenage years. I knew the stories of the Pentateuch, delighted in the daring narratives of Joshua, Judges and Ruth, and was well-formed by a healthy dose of the gospels through Sunday School. But in the middle of the Bible lurked an array of awkwardly-named books that never drew me in. Full of poetry and confusing names—they weren’t as appealing as hearing about the early Church in Acts, or David’s exploits in Samuel’s b...

The 'inconvenient' Jesus

Right from the very start, Jesus was inconvenient! Consider Joseph, how inconvenient to be told by your girlfriend that she is going to have a baby, and imagine what people are going to say about you? It’s not even yours! What about Mary? Imagine telling mum and dad that you’re pregnant, even though you are not married, and having to tell your boyfriend that you are pregnant—and the baby is not his! What will people say about you?    As if that’s not uncomfortable enough, i...

Your church needs you!

Rongopai Editor Sophia Sinclair caught up with Nina and Josh Paget, youth group coordinators at Clark Road Chapel in Whangarei. Nina and Josh are voluntary workers who have been leading the group for 10 years and bring much-needed insight into how our churches can encourage and support unpaid volunteers.     How long have you guys been at Clark Road and what keeps you busy during the week? Nina has family at Clark Road Chapel (CRC) and has been coming along ever since her youth gr...

Why young Christians need theology

Article by Chris NorthcottLincoln Road Bible Chapel Youth Pastor During my late teens, when I was a new and young Christian, I was part of a weekly Bible study for young adults. The older woman who ran it had a verse that was an unofficial mission statement for us. It was a text that we returned to time and time again. Years later, I find myself sharing the same text with the young people under my watch. That verse is Daniel 11:32b: "The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action...

Four surprising facts about 'O Holy Night'

What do Mariah Carey, the cast of Glee and South Park’s Eric Cartman have in common? They’ve all recorded the Christmas classic O Holy Night. This Christian favourite is a powerful hymn that reduces many to tears and conveys both the majestic glory and redemptive aspects of the Christmas story. Well-known for its beautifully arranged score and spine-tingling high notes, O Holy Night can be heard everywhere from shopping malls to cathedrals during December. Here are four surprising facts abou...

"Jesus motivates us to serve"

We’re rejoicing with the team from Maungarei Community Christian Trust and Mt Wellington Community Church in Auckland on the opening of their new community centre, Te Ao Ngākau. “A few of us from the church noticed the rise in homeless and those on the margins in our area and felt that we should do something about it,” says pastor Russell Grainger, “there is a verse in the Bible that forms part of the guiding kaupapa for our church, James 1:26-27: ‘Anyone who sets himself up as “r...

Starting out right

Youth ministry is  a challenging and important journey, no more so than when we’re just starting out. To help you through the first year (or more) of youth ministry as a youth pastor or key leader, we offer a free coaching service to ensure that you start out right. Coaching takes place through regular meetings (face to face when possible) between the youth leader and a CCCNZ coach. Using our Coaching Manual, the leader takes responsibility for setting an agenda for meetings which may c...

7 Indicators of a Healthy Youth Ministry

It's easy to fall into the trap of numbers and immediate feedback to assess the effectiveness of our youth ministry. After all, no one wants to hear "I'll let you know seven years from now", when they ask the (dreaded?) question, "How's the youth ministry going?" When it comes to assessing a youth ministry, the best short term measurement is not popularity but health. But what does a healthy youth ministry look like? Here are seven indicators I have developed based on considerable study and per...

The Word became... fresh

We live in a place and time where the Bible is more accessible than ever—we’ve got apps, different translations, audio Bibles… yet so many of us struggle to develop a consistent reading habit and rhythm. At the end of last year the team at Hukanui Bible Church addressed this issue by posing the challenge: Let’s read the entire Bible together in 2018. They arranged for people to buy Bibles, advertised the challenge and encouraged anyone and everyone to join in. “Everyone had ...

Reaching out to your community at Christmas

Onslow Community Church used to put lights up on their building in the lead up to Christmas, but stopped in recent years. This year, with a renewed community focus, a group from their church knocked on doors in the surrounding streets to chat. "People commented that they missed the Christmas lights!" says Community Pastor Pete Rhodes-Robinson, "so we moved to reinstate the tradition this year! The local fire service even pitched in to help!" Onslow Community Church also runs an annual Kids Chris...

Pathways' School of Worship Leading is Back!

Pathways' School of Worship Leading is back and open for enrolments for 2019! CCCNZ Communications Manager caught up with new School of Worship Leading Coordinator Rosie Devery to ask her about the re-launch. What’s different about Pathways’ School of Worship Leading now that it’s back? It’s the same great content and focus on worship leading, but with increased flexibility and access. We realised that many worship leaders from around New Zealand were really keen to do the course, ...

Christmas is just around the corner

The season of Advent is here! How are you and your church community taking time out to focus on Jesus in the lead up to Christmas? Every year Maungarei Community Christian Trust (in connection with Mt Wellington Community Church) runs an event called Glow in the Park. The event is mostly funded by the local board, who asked the trust to run something for the community at Christmas. Glow in the Park is a Sunday afternoon family event and is now in its 5th year, involving a number of nearby...

Meet new CCCNZ PastorLink Enabler Kerry Rickard

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The latest about PastorLink's new season

CCCNZ Ambassador Mark Grace joins Russell Grainger from PastorLink in sharing the news about PastorLink's new season:Dear elders and leaders, For 21 years PastorLink has served Pastors from churches with an Open Brethren Heritage. One of the significant blessings of PastorLink has been the annual Pastors' and Spouses' Retreat held in Taupo. As a local church pastor the PastorLink Retreat has been a constant blessing to me. I am immensely grateful for Russell Grainger’s leadership of PastorLi...

Christianity is an outward-looking faith

Christianity is an outward looking faith; we love because God first loved us. God sought us while we were still sinners and poured out his love and grace for us through his son Jesus. History is packed full of ways the great and glorious gospel of Jesus has motivated Christians to make a difference in the world around them: efforts to end slavery, to champion the education of women and children, to fight for justice and equality, to provide health care to those without means… …but...

How a Gap Year might change your life

Taking a gap year: it’s a Kiwi rite of passage that might seem indulgent or wasteful. But can a gap year be redeemed? Or is it all about selfish exploration and the refusal to grow up? Headspace is a gap year programme run by GC3 and provides young adults with an opportunity for growth and spiritual development.   For Melanie Crosbie (20), a gap year with Headspace in 2016 was the perfect opportunity to take a year out after completing high school to seriously consider her future and how ...

This is that

On the day of Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit was poured upon the earliest believers, those gathered experienced something undeniably new. They heard unschooled people standing and teaching with power—in languages they had never been taught! They saw this small, gathering of Jesus-followers united in message, proclaiming the mighty works of God. In an instant, something had changed for these people. And yet, Peter had the God-given wisdom to recognise that although this was new—it wa...