We enjoy having visitors, so please come and see for yourself what our church is like. Everyone is welcome regardless of whether you have been a Christian your whole life or you have never set foot in a church before. We know that visiting a church for the first time can be hard, so here is a bit of an overview of what you can expect.
Sunday Services
We have two Sunday morning services – at 8.30am and 10.30am. These are times when we gather as a church family to worship the Lord. Our services last for one hour and thirty minutes.
We have morning tea in between first and second services and so we encourage everyone to stay after first service or come a little earlier to second service.
We have an evening service called ‘Grace by Night’ which gathers at 5pm. This is a completely different service to the morning and many people come to both morning and evening services. On the first Sunday evening of each month, you can register for dinner and enjoy a meal with us after the service. This is a great way to get to know people and share some fellowship.
What do our services look like?
- Speaking to God in prayer. We believe our God listens to the needs and praises of His people.
- Singing to God and one another. Singing is one of the ways that we express our praises to God. We have a variety of musical styles and are passionate about singing songs that are biblical and reach the heart and the mind. Our people love to sing but we know that you might not feel comfortable singing in public. If that is you feel free not to join in.
- Listening to the Bible read. Someone will read from the Bible, including the passage we’ll be looking at that week.
- Preaching from the Bible. There will be a sermon which is a time to explain God’s message for us from the Bible. Most of our sermons are in series based on books of the Bible but some are topical in nature. Our sermons usually take around 40 minutes.
- Encouraging one another and sharing our lives over morning tea. After the formal part of our gathering, we invite you to stay around so that we can get to know you better.
Every second week we have a time in our service typically called communion or the Lord’s Supper when we stop to proclaim Jesus’ death. These alternate between morning and evening services. If you are a Christian, you are more than welcome to participate in this part of the service.
Parking
We do not have onsite parking but there is ample offsite parking in the streets around the church. Please do not park in the hotel car park unless you have very young babies or mobility issues, in which case the hotel management have graciously allowed us to use the parking spots against the fence only.
There is also a drop off area if you wish to drop any family or friends and then park.
Greeters
There will be a number of greeters at the entrance to the church who can answer any questions and help you with directions and practical information.
What about children?
Children are an important part of our church family.
Feel free to keep them in the service if you wish or there are other options.
We have a parent’s room as well as a feeding mother’s room for your convenience. The greeters will happily show you where they are located. There are toys and activities for the children, but there is no teaching component.
During the school term, we run Grace Kid’s Sunday School in our first service (8.30am) for all ages. This is optional, but it gives children a chance to learn in age appropriate ways as well as freeing the adults up to concentrate on the service or attend Adult Sunday School. All of the leaders and teachers have government-issued blue cards. For your child’s safety, we do require that parents sign children in and out.
They children can participate in a program where they will be taught using stories, games, songs and crafts.
Adult Sunday School
During the school term, we run Sunday School in our first service (8.30am) covering a range of topics. Some are practical – marriage, parenting, how to have a quiet time. Others are more theological – spiritual gifts, theology of the Old Testament, serving the body.
What do I wear?
We don’t have a set dress code and we generally try not to make a big deal of what people wear. Come dressed however you feel comfortable.
What about the rest of the week?
The centre of our church life is our Sunday morning gatherings where we remember our Saviour who died on the cross for our sins and rose victoriously from the grave.
However, how well you get to know someone or how you practise the one-another is limited on Sundays. So we encourage everyone to become involved in small groups or other church activities.
Home groups meet during the week. Men’s and women’s groups meet regularly. Smaller discipleship groups also meet regularly. On Friday evenings we have groups for primary, secondary and young adults meeting for fellowship. We also enjoy social activities together from time to time and as well as spending time together as we share life.
What type of church are we?
- We are Christ-centred in all we do.
- We emphasise expository preaching that applies to the lives of Christians.
- We seek to be a people who depend on the Lord in prayer.
- We desire to reach the lost world around us.
- In terms of congregational singing we desire to worship God with biblical lyrics and music regardless of style.
- We endeavour to see each Christian grow in their faith, so we take accountability and discipleship seriously.
- We find our unity in Christ rather than in our backgrounds, ages, stages of life or some peripheral teaching or practice.
- We have a strong homegroup network and encourage those in the church to connect and grow in fellowship.
- We have vibrant children’s, youth and young adult ministries.
If you are looking for these characteristics in a church this might be a good place for you. However, if you are looking for the following characteristics in a church this might not be a good place for you:
- If you desire church to be an event to attend rather than a community to be part of.
- If you are not seeking accountability to help you grow in the Lord.
- If there is a peripheral teaching or practice that is more important to you than the unity of the saints.
- If you want tradition or preference to be your guide rather than the Bible.
- If you are looking for a perfect church. We believe we have an incredible church – but we certainly are not perfect.
We believe the Lord has given us a fellowship of warm, friendly, growing Christians who take their faith seriously and want to make a difference in the world for Christ. If these characteristics resonate with you then consider getting to know us and joining us in this God-given mission.