Even though the COVID restrictions are beginning to ease, we know that COVID is still very much around. If you find yourself catching COVID please don’t struggle on alone. These are moments when the Church comes into its own and we are able to support one another. So, if you catch COVID and need help with anything please reach out to your Life Group or to us.
Life Groups really are the heart of our church. They are small groups of people who can encourage one another as we all seek to follow Jesus together. They are spaces where you have the opportunity to get to know people on a deeper level than will ever be possible at a Sunday service. They are places where you can dig into the Bible together and pray for one another. If you are not in a Life Group and you’d like to be, please get in touch and we would love to help you find one.
The Street is set to run the Kairos course over 9 weeks from 2 May - 27 June. The Kairos course lays out God's biblical plan for His people, to see all people of every nation, tribe and tongue having access to His truth and redemption. This video is Bryce sharing his experience of a Kairos course. If you'd like to know more send us an email or you can register for the course here .
For many years, our mission statement (as an expression of Christ’s church locally) has been “Helping People Become Total Followers of Jesus Christ.” It means we’ve been sent into the world like Jesus on a mission to help people discover Jesus and follow Jesus. It’s not something ‘the church’ does for us but something we as the church help one another pursue together. And if we are about becoming more like Jesus, it makes sense that we will need to spend time watching him at work and imitating his ways.
This series is a statement of intent. A first step into observing the life of Jesus together. And as they say, the beginning is a very good place to start. So here we go, let’s gaze at Jesus together in his very earliest years.
In case you missed the Missions Update in the online service last Sunday, here’s a video from Rachel, who serves with YWAM in Mazatlan, Mexico. Let’s keep uplifting her in prayer as she serves the Lord in this way. Also, let her update be a reminder to each of us that we are missionaries in our own neighbourhoods and workplaces. As we pray for Rachel, let’s pray that God would use each of us to share the message of Jesus with the people in our lives.
Here’s the latest update from Rach Duff. Check out what she’s been up to!
Strathmore Community Centre finally have their renovations starting at the start of April which is super exciting. They are currently moving everything out of the centre and have asked whether we have 3 or 4 strong people who would be willing to help on Saturday 26th March for 2-3 hours. There are some big items (including under the building) that need loading into a truck and taking to the tip. The truck will be provided. If you’re available to help please get in touch. east@thestreet.org.nz
Gateway Baptist has launched a new outreach initiative to encourage people to engage more with their neighbours through blessing them daily, praying for them weekly and serving them in a different way each month. Their congregation represents about 20 streets in the community. We would love to know if any of you live on these streets and would be open to meeting up to pray for your street. The streets are:
a. On Peninsula: Ropa Lane, Wharekauri St, Darlington Rd, Darlington Rd North, Nuku St, Booth St, Seatoun Heights Rd, Calabar Rd, Miramar Ave, Weka St, Breaker Bay Rd, Moa Point Rd, Rahui St, Byron St, Arohanga Gr, Aramoana Pl, Totara Rd, Kekerenga St
b. Outside Peninsula: Rongotai Rd, Rintoul St, Owhiro Bay Rd
If your street isn’t listed here but you’d still be interested in doing something like this please get in touch. The other churches on the peninsula are also getting involved and it may be that there are people from those churches that live on your street and are also interested in connecting.
Email east@thestreet.org.nz
Would you love to go a bit deeper in your knowledge and understanding of God and the Bible!? The Street is about to start two new Systematic Theology courses going through the book: Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology".
The 2 courses are:
1. All-women group: Monday evenings (starting March 7) 7-830pm at 21 Hania St, Mt Victoria (or Zoom) - led by our very own Gemma Wills!
2. All-men or mixed: Thursday mornings (starting March 10) 645am-8am at 21 Hania St, Mt Victoria (or Zoom)
The courses are 7 weeks long and both kick off in the second week of March. There is a cost as you will need to purchase the book which is available from The Street at the discounted price of $50.
If you'd like to know more or to register please email city@thestreet.org.nz. If you're interested but can't make either of these groups please also get in touch in case we're able to put together another group.
We meet to worship together and encourage one another, to hear from God’s word, to share communion & to have fellowship. Everyone is welcome!
Life Groups meet to learn from the Bible together, encourage one another and pray for each other.
Life Groups are a place you can know others and be known. Fill in the form below and Tom or Anna Field will be in touch.
As community cases in Wellington continue to rise, it is inevitable that people in our church community will contract Covid-19, and we are realistic that at some point there may be a case at a life group or a gathering at Hobart Street. In the coming weeks and months, if you contract Covid-19, please let your Life Group leader know, or contact us directly at east@thestreet.org.nz. We want to ensure that you are well supported as you isolate and recover. Equally, if you are required to isolate and need help with anything please let us know.
Life Group support will become so important for keeping people connected over the coming weeks, so can we encourage you again to join a group if you haven't already. Please contact us if that’s you.
If we are made aware of any cases of Covid-19 at any of our gatherings, we will let those who attended the gathering know so that they can respond according to Ministry of Health advice.
We are continuing with part two of our Pillars series that launched last year. Pillars is a six-installment teaching series over a few years, where we look at the core doctrines of our faith. We began with the Bestseller series in 2021, looking at why the Bible is inspired by God, true, authoritative and sufficient for our lives. This Sunday Simon is kicking us off with this next part called “Trinity”.
What greater subject of study could there ever be? What could we focus on that could ever have such a profound effect? We’re setting our sights on God himself. The eternal and almighty God who is beyond compare. It’s a series that will no doubt be informative. It will definitely provoke conversation and may even leave us with more questions than answers. But most of all, it will inevitably lead to worship. We’ll move from awesome wonder to fearful reverence and from loud praise to lost-for-words silence because there is no one in all eternity like Him.
This is just another reminder that cults like Shincheonji are real and are constantly working hard to recruit people in Wellington. As many people have had to pivot to online during COVID, Shincheonji have also done so. We are aware of invites being sent to people in our church to attend their online Bible studies. Please be wise - if you attend a Bible study and what they teach seems at all strange, check your concerns with a wise and mature Christian that you trust. If you have noticed someone hasn’t been around in a while, this would be a good time to check in with them and make sure they’re OK and haven’t got caught up in anything unhelpful.
Remember, there is nothing to fear, but we do need to be wise and to love each other well in this way. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Simon and Jenny on east@thestreet.org.nz
Please see our past update on Shincheonji for some helpful videos.
There are lots of different ways we like to gather.
Life groups
We gather in Life Groups on a Tuesday or Wednesday night to read the Bible, pray together and help each other grow as followers of Jesus.
Community Nights
Throughout the semester, the University Students of the Street Night have a Community Night at church. This is where we…
Join together to worship, to pray, to learn
To serve and be intentionally missional about Vic and Massey campuses
Have a place to invite friends
We have a position available at The Street for an Executive Assistant for the Executive team. The role involves supporting Simon, Jenny and Sam. For more info and a copy of the full job description please email office@thestreet.org.nz. Applications close 28th February 2022.
The approach we communicated at the end of last year was to run a mixture of open and vaccine only services - all with a limit of 50 people with the goal of continuing to make our services accessible to anyone. We are set to begin reviewing this approach next week when The Street’s Leadership Team are all back in Wellington.
The change in traffic light levels has come before we have had the opportunity to do that review. We therefore will operate the following way for the next 2 weeks while we work on a longer term plan.
Sunday 30th Jan (now gone)
We already have teams in place for services to run this Sunday so we will continue as planned but will reduce the capacity of the open service to 25 in line with the government regulations. As always there will be an online service for anyone that would prefer to gather in a home. So that means:
9am (8.45 for tea and coffee) - Vaccine Pass gathering
10.45am (10:30 for tea and coffee) - Open gathering
10am - Online service www.thestreet.org.nz/live
Please make sure you register for the in person gatherings - https://thestreetchurcheast.eventbrite.co.nz
Sunday 6th Feb
This will be a special online Waitangi Day service and we are encouraging Life Groups to gather in homes for the service this weekend. Get in touch with your life group leader to find out what your group is planning.
If you’re not in a Life Group and would like to be, please get in touch.
Simon and Jenny have been in their new roles as Senior Pastors for a few months now and we have an exciting job opportunity for the right person to support them in that. We are looking for an Executive Assistant to the executive team at The Street. If you would like to know more about this role, please email office@thestreet.org.nz . Applications close on 28th Feb.
Did you know that anyone that is part of The Street Church can have access to an amazing collection of Christian video resources at Rightnow Media? It contains all sorts of goodness for kids and adults alike. If you don’t already have a login click on the link to get set up and enjoy!
Life Groups really are the heartbeat of our church, and as we expect COVID to continue to affect the way we gather during 2022 we find ourselves celebrating these wonderful small communities even more. If you are not yet in a Life Group, now is the time to get in one. We’re going to make a concerted effort over the coming weeks to ensure we can create space for as many as possible to be part of a Life Group community. Please get in touch if you’d like us to help you connect with one. east@thestreet.org.nz
