Walking into church can be…
Walking into church…
Can be scary. Who are these people? What do you do at church? Why do they stand and sit & even kneel at random times. What is that ceremony when the leader hands out tiny pieces of bread all about?
You might be thinking that it is time to return to church or time to check out Jesus, or his teachings. Most people in that space feel daunted by the thought of walking into a church cold.
They’ll be thinking things like, what do I wear? Will these people judge me? What if they make me do something embarrassing? Or if they have families they’ll be wondering if the kids will be seen as a nuisance or looked after.
So, what’s it like coming to one of the Joint Venture services? That depends a bit on the venue, so I’m going to answer for each site.
Seddon
We meet in the church of the Epiphany which is on the corner of Clifford and Foster Street. This church was a childcare centre for a decade, so it’s well set up for kids and has wheelchair access through the back door. We meet at 9 am every Sunday. On an average Sunday there will be between 25 and 40 people at the service. You can park on the grass verge and walk in the front door. There will usually be a mixture of locals and seasonal workers at this service. Most people dress in smart casual clothes.
The service will usually be led by our minister John Phillips who will start the service with a call to worship and a prayer. We then pray and sing together for about 20 minutes. The musical style varies according to our musicians. When we have keen seasonal employees in church, we may sing some of our songs in Bislama or Tok Pisin. After that, we read the Bible together, and the children head out for their programme. Our minister will teach from the Bible and then we usually close our service with song and prayer. Sometimes we ‘pass the peace’ which is an Anglican tradition where everyone gets out of their seats and shakes hands, often saying “peace be with you”. After the service there’s always a cuppa and a snack. Newcomers say that they find us a friendly bunch and enjoy catching up after the service.
Ward
We meet at St. Peter’s church in Ward. We meet at 5 pm on the first Sunday of the month. We start this gathering with a shared meal and start the service at around 5:40. This service will usually be attended by around 15 – 20 or so locals, including kids. The style of this service is usually quite relaxed, and the bible study is often interactive. If you drive past this service, you’ll often see the kids outside enjoying the outdoor space.
Kēkerengū
There’s a lovely, small church at Kēkerengū called St. Georges, but we have outgrown that space. So we meet at the Kēkerengū Community Center. There’s often over 20 people meeting in this space and we love being able to have a cuppa and a safe play area for the kids. We meet at Kēkerengū on the third Sunday of the month at 10:30 am. This service is also quite relaxed and interactive. There’s often a BBQ being cooked during church so that we can hang out together after the service.
So, if you’re thinking it’s time to check out church, or God, or Jesus please come and visit. You’re very welcome to slip into church quietly, and observe what’s going on.
Awatere Christian Joint Venture
Easter Services
Good Friday: St. Peter’s (Ward) 10 am.
Easter Sunday, Epiphany, (Seddon), 9 am.