What We Believe



1

         Connecting                      Inviting                          Transforming                                

 
We believe in living out our Christian faith as effectively as possible, making an impact with those who do not know the great news about Jesus Christ.
 
As orthodox evangelical Presbyterians we subscribe to Kupu Whakapono - the statement of faith for the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand which you can find here:

https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/for-ministers/worship-resources/confession-of-faith.  


We believe scripture is the inspired written word of God which holds supremacy in our teaching.  We believe that scripture is the story of God's redemptive plan for all of creation and that Jesus' time on earth - his life, death and resurrection - was the culmination of that plan and of all of human history.  We seek to understand the world through the story and person of Christ as we look forward with hope to his return.

At GPC we follow Jesus and are mission focused, so central to the way we work are the Great Commandment and the Great Commission:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… love your neighbour as yourself" (Mt 22:37-40).

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20).

We also believe that everyone is welcome in God's Kingdom and also in our church.  We are a diverse bunch of people all united in our belief in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You would fit right in!
 

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello 

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 9.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after our service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 9.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. One of our leaders will give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. There is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

GPC Kids for children from birth to age 11 (School Year 6)
Young people aged 11+ meet together in the "Kauri Group" on Sunday mornings.  This is made up of Transformers (School Years 7 & 8) and GPC Youth (School years 9+).  

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go into our church lounge for GPC Kids/ GPC Youth.  You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Children

Getting Connected


Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

  • Men's Ministries
  • Women's Ministries
  • Music Team Ministry
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.