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A Different Kind of Christmas Gift

A few weeks ago the kids ministry team at Chapel Hill Community Church in Hamilton gathered the kids together to discuss what they would like to do as a church family to remember and celebrate the Christmas story this year.Their answer was not to put on a Nativity play with parts and costumes, but to mark the season together by creating special Christmas ornaments.Alongside Chapel Hill Pastor Philip Renner and co-ministry leader Monique Koegelenberg, the team developed the idea a bit more, says ...

Stepping into Bethlehem: Sharing the Story of Jesus in Upper Hutt

Heretaunga Community Church (Upper Hutt) welcomed the community into Bethlehem last weekend through its annual Christmas Story, a three-day immersive retelling of the birth of Jesus.Across Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday morning, visitors stepped into a first-century street scene filled with Roman soldiers and shepherds, music and dancing, bakers and fishmongers, artisans and animals, shared food, and moments of reflection—each journey culminating in a visit with Mary, Joseph, and...

Sharing the Gospel Beyond the Church Walls

Ever been to your local Christmas Parade and noticed the breadth of businesses and groups participating… but no mention of Jesus?“We’d noticed that everyone from everywhere was involved in our local parade,” says Pakuranga Christian Fellowship Pastor Ken Hutchinson, “but no Christians talking about the real reason for Christmas.”So this year, for the first time, more than 40 volunteers from Pakuranga Christian Fellowship came together to take part in the Howick Santa Parade on Sunday...

Sparking Gospel Conversations at Christmas in Lights

For more than 20 years, Northcross Church in Auckland has hosted its ‘Christmas in Lights’ event for the local community. It’s a combination of lights, live characters, and warm hospitality that keeps visitors coming back year after year to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.This year, Northcross equipped volunteers with evangelism tools to help facilitate and encourage gospel conversations. Bianca and Shaan Yen (serving with Student Life) led two evangelism trainings on Sunday nights...

Developing the Next Generation of Kids Camp Leaders

CDN Trust recently brought together emerging kids-camp leaders from 13 churches—including Riccarton Community Church and Rutland St Church—for a leaders development camp at Woodend Christian Camp.Community Development Network Trust is a Christian-based youth work agency based in Riccarton Community Church.62 kids camp leaders and future kids camp leaders (aged 14-18) came together to develop and grow in their leadership ability—they enjoyed playing archery tag (provided by Word of Life), t...

Celebrating Pathways Graduation

Last Friday, Pathways Bible College celebrated 23 graduates from the New Zealand Diploma in Christian Studies (Levels 5 and 6)....

Shaping Belonging: How Paeroa Bible Chapel is Growing Together

Lisa McIntosh from the team at Paeroa Bible Chapel shares how they have been rethinking what it means for children to belong and grow in faith.Several changes prompted them to ask what is really at the heart of their ministry. They found a shared desire for children to know and feel they are part of the body of Christ and to be growing in their faith.Now, they run a programme weekly for 3–5-year-olds, and fortnightly for children aged 6–12. The older children’s lessons follo...

Inside Converse: Hospitality, Connection & English Lessons

We caught up with Eilidh Botha, Bernice Mitchell, and Emily from Converse—a free programme Agora Church in Hamilton runs each week to teach conversational English. Eilidh is the Converse Manager, with Bernice and Emily serving on the team.What does a typical week at Converse look like?Eilidh: Our Conversational English sessions for former refugees and migrants are a safe and encouraging space to practise English and connect with others. We begin at 7pm and run until around 8.30pm, sharing supp...

'Looking Back, Looking Forward'

‘Looking Back, Looking Forward’ gatherings were held this week in Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, and later tonight in Nelson.Mark Grace opened Amos 7:7 and shared several plumb lines that continue to steady the CCCNZ/Open Brethren Heritage movement. New CEO Roger Osbaldiston took us to Acts 16 and helped us look ahead with faith and imagination. Each evening ended with prayer in small groups....

Conversations, Community and the Gospel in Halswell

Halswell Community Church set out to share Jesus clearly and openly with their neighbours, and last Sunday’s family fun day created the perfect setting for it.“The family fun day was a time for us to come together to share Christ through word and through service,” says HCC pastor Mato Kariuki. “It gave our people an opportunity to work together to serve our community, but it also created a platform for us to share why we believe in Jesus, and how it affects our daily lives, our outlook o...

From Ireland to Tauranga: Exploring the Early Brethren Movement

50 people from churches across Bay of Plenty and Waikato met at Lifezone Church in Tauranga last weekend to learn about the early decades of the Brethren movement.Dr Ian Payne and Dr Richard Goodwin from Pathways Bible College walked attendees through the movement’s beginnings in Ireland, highlighting key figures such as Anthony Norris Groves and John Nelson Darby. They explained the theological and social reasons that shaped how early believers gathered and what drove them to form these commu...

Remembering Ross Weir

Graham Ashby and Ross Weir....

Shaped for Leadership: Katelyn’s Journey From Church to Fiji

Nearly two years ago Katelyn Delemare moved to Waikato to begin a Word of Life internship—quickly finding a church home at Chapel Hill Community Church and diving into Christian leadership study through Pathways College. This year Katelyn spent the year preparing for an overseas mission trip to Fiji, where she would put her growing leadership and discipleship training into practice.Chapel Hill Community Church Pastor Philip Renner says it has been a privilege for the church to journey with her...

Grace Church: Growing Men in Leadership

‘Who’s the guy in your life that you could ring at 2am when life goes pear shaped?’It’s the thought-provoking question that Brian Egerton and the men’s ministry team at Grace Church ask men to consider.“My experience is that ladies make connections so much better… my wife can meet a woman she’s never spoken with before and they’ll be sharing all sorts, but blokes find it hard to go near the real stuff.”And going near the ‘real stuff’ is exactly what the ministry team is p...

Holiday Camps at Tōtara Springs

This year’s Junior Kids Camp (ages 6–9) at Tōtara Springs Christian Camp brought together 37 enthusiastic campers for a weekend focused on understanding how God’s grace can change any heart.Throughout the camp, children engaged deeply with the gospel message—asking thoughtful questions and sparking meaningful conversations about Jesus and his transforming love.This was followed by the Senior Kids Camp (ages 10–12), with 195 campers taking part. The theme, “Building Faith Under Press...

'Living out of Christ in me'

By Roger OsbaldistonDuring my visit at Cornerstone International Bible Church in Dunedin, it was a privilege to witness two people being baptised, including Alex Kinley. I found Alex’s testimony to be a powerful statement of our participation in Christ:"I’ve spent most of my adult life being fiercely independent. I’ve always hated the idea of needing help or assistance in any way from anyone which is why I think it took me so long to get to here today. The idea of me not running ...

Knowing God's Goodness Everyday

Feilding Bible Chapel celebrated the baptisms of Liam, Nadia and Logan on Sunday 9 November. Youth and Young Adults Ministry Leader Mikaela Hosking shares:"It was a wonderful service on Sunday as we praised God and prayed for three of our youth who publicly declared their faith through baptism."Their testimonies spoke about not waiting for or relying on 'lightning bolt' moments from God, but knowing his presence and goodness in the everyday, ordinary life. Super encouraging to hear the wisdom sp...

Celebrating Growth and Grit

Isabella Winder, Hayley Spencer, Sarah Jensen and Lizzie Nepia. ...

Serving Together in Our Community

From Pete Rhodes-Robinson (Onslow Community Church)"As part of our regular rhythm at OCC, we hold ‘Serving Sundays’, where instead of gathering for our usual morning service, we head out into the community to serve in practical ways."Our final Serving Sunday for the year once again supported a local school with their annual fundraiser--a community fun run/walk up a local hill, followed by a fair at the school grounds. This year, around 65 volunteers of all ages from OCC took part, helping wi...

More Than Lollies: Light Parties Point People to Jesus

Hundreds of families took part in Light Parties across NZ last week. With fun, food, and gospel conversations, churches shared Jesus’ light in their neighbourhoods. We spoke to five CCCNZ churches about their highlights:...

Baptisms at Te Arai Beach

It was a great privilege to be present for the baptism of Sam Broadbent and two others at Te Arai beach, north of Auckland. Sam is the son of Chris & Tina Broadbent (Chris is our Board Chair at CCCNZ). Equally encouraging was the large group of friends and church family from Northcross Church who gathered around them to pray and support their journeys of faith. ...

In the community, for the community

Two original trustees cut the cake to mark 10 years of the HND Community Trust. ...

New Rally at Rowley Bible Church

There’s something special about seeing a ministry come back to life. At Rowley Bible Church in Christchurch, Rally has officially relaunched.Rowley Ave is in a more socially deprived part of the city and the church has a heart to reach out to their community with the good news about Jesus. Rowley Bible Church Elder Lieuwe Doubleday, who’s leading the programme, shared a few highlights:“We had 12 kids—13 are enrolled—with one still away at school camp in Hanmer. We had a great nigh...

Highland Home Joins Te Maru

Willow Park Camp Manager Michelle Willis welcomes Highland Home to Te Maru by cutting the ribbon....

Praying For Auckland Together

On Thursday 30 October, CCCNZ churches and leaders were among 650+ Christians from around 87 churches and Christian organisations who gathered together for the NZ Christian Network's 10th annual Auckland Prayer Breakfast.NZ Christian Network called the event "a powerful time of worship, unity, and intercession for the city of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland." ...