Back to Blog

PastorLink Gatherings in Waikato and West Auckland

By Mark Grace, CCCNZ AmbassadorIt’s been a privilege listening to pastors and hearing how God is at work in independent churches across the movement.Last Wednesday, 13 pastoral staff members from 7 Waikato churches gathered at Northgate Community Church for a PastorLink morning tea. Churches present were Chapel Hill Community Church, Hillcrest Chapel, Hukanui Bible Church, Matamata Bible Church, Northgate Community Church, Raleigh Street Christian Centre, and...

Showing Jesus Through the Gospels

By Mark Grace, CCCNZ AmbassadorNa ko tetahi wahine e mate ana i te pakaruhanga toto, ka tekau ma rua nga tau.Sa i ai le fafine na maua i le ma‘i puna toto i tausaga e sefulu ma le lua.And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.Mark 5:25You might be wondering where a devotion might head based on these verses. Today, instead of a devotion, I’d like to try to show you how a seemingly odd verse or passage like this one can change a life. Ada Lum is well retired ...

Canterbury First Training

Canterbury First Training was run over the King's birthday weekend, with more than 20 young people from Rutland Street Church, Riccarton Community Church and Halswell Community Church joining in....

40 Years of HM Rage

HM Rage Youth Camp marked its 40th year at Tōtara Springs Christian Centre in Matamata over the King’s Birthday weekend.Just over 500 people from 19 youth groups came together to make new friends, play sports, worship, and hear Jesus-centred messages on the unfiltered truth in the main sessions, with Marina Shannon as the main speaker, and electives....

Lower North Island Summit

Our mission is to invite local churches to work together regionally to disciple and grow leaders who serve, replenish and plant churches. One of the ways we do that is through Summits. For that reason, I really enjoyed being with 100+ ministry leaders and volunteers from CCCNZ/OBH churches over the weekend at the Lower North Island Summit. ...

Otago Churches Studying the Bible Together

Three churches from the Otago region -Cornerstone International Bible Church, Caversham Community Church, and Riverside Chapel- are gathering every week to study the book of Revelation.The purpose of this Bible study is to go deeper into the text, and Revelation was chosen as it can often be perceived as intimidating....

United by the Gospel

By Mark Grace, CCCNZ AmbassadorI tuhituhi atu ahau ki te hahi: otira kahore matou e manakohia mai e Rioterepi, ko tana hoki e pai ai ko ia kia meinga hei tuatahi mo ratou.Na ‘ou tusi atu i le ekalesia; a o Tioterifi o lē ‘ua fia sili ‘iā te i latou, na te le‘i taliaina i matou.I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us.3 John 1:9...

Growing in Faith and Commitment

Quinton and his family walked into Kelston Community Church (KCC) one Sunday morning about a year ago, when he was searching for a deeper understanding of the Bible and a more personal growing relationship with God. That day, Pastor Paul Long was preaching a sermon on the life of Samuel as part of an expository series from the book of 1 Samuel. This piqued the interest of Quinton and his wife Sylvia, as their son's name is Samuel. Paul says, “They felt i...

God's Work Restoring Hearts

By Mark Grace, CCCNZ AmbassadorHei tuatoru tenei mo oku haerenga atu ki a koutou. Ma te mangai o nga kaiwhakaatu tokorua, tokotoru ranei, ka u ai nga kupu katoa.O lona fa‘atolu lenei ‘ona ‘ou alu atu ‘iā te ‘outou. E pei ‘ona fai mai le Tusi, “O le molimau a tagata e to‘alua po o le to‘atolu e fa‘aleleia ai mea uma.”This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”2 Corinthians 13:1Our church family has b...

Baptisms at Emmett Street Community Church

Five people were baptised on Sunday at Emmett Street Community Church. ...

Manawatū Young Adults—cultivating ongoing community

Mikaela Hosking, Youth Ministry leader at Feilding Bible Chapel writes,"Following Next Training in February, the Manawatū young adults have kept the fun going by getting together to catch up and hang out. So far we've had a couple of afternoons of volleyball, as well as a dessert and movie night."It has been great to continue to form and grow connections between our three churches (Church on Vogel, Feilding Bible Chapel and Kingston Community Church)."I would encourage other...

From Headspace to the Nations

Ashley was commended to the mission field by Elles Road Bible Chapel in 2013, after participating in the GC3 Headspace programme. She has recently received a JH Baldwin Scholarship to further equip herself to continue serving overseas.Ashley was brought up being taken to Sunday school by her aunty and later became involved in the youth group. At the end of high school, unsure about her future, her aunty suggested the Headspace programme. She decided to joi...

PastorLink Gathering in Wellington

On Thursday morning, pastors from Onslow Community Church, Heretaunga Community Church and The Anchor Church gathered at The Anchor Church in Whitby for a regional PastorLink gathering.We asked each other the questions:“What first stirred your heart toward pastoral ministry, and how has this changed over time?”“What’s one thing God is currently teaching you—either personally or in your leadership?”...

Far North Regional Summit

Our vision as a movement is to see independent churches (and the regional camps and national ministries that support them) working together to point people to Jesus through the gospel from the Bible.For this reason it was very special being at the Far North Regional Summit, at Coopers Beach Youth Camp on Saturday. ...

Mother's Day Baptisms

On Sunday, Bryndwr Chapel celebrated three baptisms. Karena George says, “I think this was the first time we have had a mum and son baptised on the same day, and on Mother's Day, so a very special time.”...

A Message of Redemption

By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador"He mea whakatika utukore na tona aroha noa, i runga i ta Karaiti Ihu hokonga:""‘Ua ta‘uamiotonuina fua i latou i lona alofa tunoa, e ala i le togiola ‘ua ‘iā Keriso Iesu.""...and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."Romans 3:24 Almost two decades ago, there was a controversy in the US over a Christian organisation in Africa. The organisation had been buying bonded servants.  In reality, they wer...

Gospel-Centred Playgroup at KCC

Playgroup at Kingston Community Church is flourishing thanks to lots of prayer and a great team, says leader Emily Birkin.The playgroup has grown in recent months attracting a mix of church families and those from the community. This growth follows the opening of KCC’s new community hub last year, which Emily says has led to a broader cultural shift within the church.“There’s been a renewed desire from the church to welcome the community into the KCC family,” she shares.Th...

Rally Children Serving

Children from Fenton Park Bible Church Rally recently had a very special visit to Cantabria Lifecare and Village, an aged care facility in Rotorua....

The Last Post

By Mark Grace, CCCNZ AmbassadorE mahara nga pito katoa o te whenua, a ka tahuri ki a Ihowa: ka koropiko ano nga hapu katoa o nga iwi ki tou aroaro.E manatunatu ifo ma liliu mai ia Ieova o tulu‘iga uma lava o le lalolagi; e ifo atu foi i ou luma aiga uma o nuu ese. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,Psalm 22:27 The vision of Psalm 22:27-31 is remarkable. The psalm speaks of a renewed world, wh...

LifeChurch and Terry Street Bible Chapel Partnership

After much prayer and planning, LifeChurch Avondale moved to the Terry Street Bible Chapel buildings in Blockhouse Bay on Sunday, 6 April, and celebrated their official launch service on Sunday, 4 May. Pastoral leader Charles Rivers writes: “It’s been great to fellowship and build relationship with the Terry Street Bible Chapel team there.” ...

Canterbury NZ Rally Training Day

Last Saturday, Canterbury Rallies from Church Street Bible Chapel (Timaru), Glentunnel Chapel, and Rutland Street Church (RSC) joined together at RSC for the NZ Rally Annual Regional Training Day.NZ Rally CEO Tony Foster said the day was strongly focused on understanding ADHD, autism and managing behaviour, and highlighted how blessed they were to have Valerie Black, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist from Christchurch, leading these workshops.&...

Baptisms around New Zealand

Last week, I wrote about the Bible Society UK’s recent report ‘The Quiet Revival’. It details that more than two million people have joined the UK Church over the last six years. Many of them are young adults.I noted that something similar may be quietly happening here. Almost every week now our team are hearing of more and more baptismal services in churches in the CCCNZ/OBH movement.Thank you, Lord, for what you are doing!...

Churches working together to share the gospel in Papua New Guinea

A group of 12 people from Tāmaki Community Church (TCC), Manawarū Bible Chapel and Northgate Community Church recently travelled to Papua New Guinea (PNG) for two and a half weeks to support Sam and Hannah, who were recently commissioned by TCC to serve there as mission partners with GC3, Global Connections in Mission....

PastorLink Morning Tea in Palmerston North

On Tuesday, 29 April, 10 CCCNZ pastors and ministry staff from the Manawatū region gathered for morning tea at Kingston Community Church (KCC). Churches present were Feilding Bible Chapel, Church on Vogel, Crossroads Church, and KCC....

Preaching Development in Canterbury

Each month this year, a group from Riccarton Community Church and Rutland St Church meet for a Preaching Development course in Christchurch, led by Matt Meek (Riccarton) and Lance Robinson (Rutland St). ...