Posts tagged east
Missions Newsletter - October 2026

We are counting down to The Street’s second mission trip to Thailand to see and experience what God is doing through various missionaries and mission agencies in different parts of the country.

We’ve intentionally called this an ‘exposure trip’ as our team is going with the humble posture of learners and observers to what God is doing, rather than the ones going in to have a meaningful impact. We hope and pray they will be a blessing to the people they meet by encouraging them and praying with them and, when invited, working alongside them.

The team will spend a few days with The Street’s missionaries Ben and Bekah in Bangkok, doing campus outreach alongside them. They will also spend a day with an anti-trafficking organisation, meet some local Thai Christians, visit Southeast Asia’s largest red light district in Pattaya and see outreach organisations at work there. After that, they head to the far north to see some trafficking prevention work, community development projects and possibly some agricultural outreach too!

It’s going to be a packed two weeks, but we are excited and expectant for all that they'll experience and all that God will do. Please pray for the team; for travelling safety, for meaningful encounters with non-believers in Thailand, and that they would be a refreshing presence to all they meet.

If you’d like to subscribe to future newsletters, please register your interest by emailing missions@thestreet.org.nz

Merrie Reddington
Missions Pastor 


Nick and Sarah

The Way

A movement of missionaries,  multiplying disciples & churches for the glory of God.

Training continues, to equip people to share the gospel, make disciples, plant churches and train others to do the same. 

We’re currently running what we call, “5 in 12 Training Rollouts” (five trainings over twelve months). In June we ran these trainings in Wellington and Queenstown. Some of those attending the training came from other places around NZ and, as a result, the next training was run in Timaru, Wanaka, Queenstown, Wellington and Taupo. We are training approximately 100-150 people across these 5 centres. The fruit of this training is gospel sharing, Bible studies with unbelievers, stranger-evangelism, discipleship of new believers, and many people now training others to share the gospel. 

Our next training will be in all five centres on Saturday 31 October and Saturday 7 November. 

  • Please pray for those who will travel to each other’s towns to help run trainings, and for the locals who will host and run trainings in their own towns. 

  • Please pray for more key leaders to emerge during these trainings. 

  • Please pray for leaders and trainings in all 16 regions of NZ.

In the last few weeks a door has opened into the Samoan community.
A wonderful woman, Lise, has begun to pass the training on to this community.
Lise also has the desire to reach Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa!

  • Please pray for many Samoans in NZ to be trained in sharing the gospel, making disciples, planting churches, training others.

  • Please pray for Lise.

  • Please pray for doors to open into Pacifica nations.

Finances: as the work increases, our funding needs also increase.
In real terms, The Way needs to raise an additional $5,000 per month.

  • Please pray for us to be effective in fundraising.

  • Please pray for provision of necessary money for the mission.

Good Stuff Parenting continues to develop and we are currently creating content for the 5-9yr olds course. Recently there has been an opportunity to speak at a conference, and two churches; along with an opportunity to have a presence at the Forum On The Family conference in Auckland.

  • Please pray for key connections with churches and educational institutions.

  • Please pray for groups of families to run the courses.

  • Please pray for the Lord to use Good Stuff to equip parents right throughout NZ.

  • Please pray for wisdom and creativity as we continue to create the 5-9yr olds content. 

Thank you for being faithful in prayer. This is what we need!


Ester

Wycliffe Bible Translators NZ

We believe in the universal access to God's Word.

Praise God for the opportunity to share updates and prayer requests face to face with Porirua and East locations as well as with Vivian St Gospel Hall.  I thank God for His provision and the joy of meeting new TSC staff and members as well as people I already met before. Praise God for His Help in my time of need - especially speaking publicly .

Please pray for: 

  • Our new Wycliffe NZ leadership team with our new director, Mark Penny, who directly supervises me in my current work using the PTXprint software. He now only has 20% time available for his other duties as Language Technology Consultant and the rest is for his new role as director.

  • For the other duties of Mark in promoting the work of WBTNZ nationwide and the membership committee in screening WBTNZ candidates. Praise God for a young couple who are now studying linguistics in Canada in preparation for translation work.

  • That the Lord will raise up men and women in NZ to His mission field so that more people will have the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, in their heart language for salvation and discipleship.

  • That the typesetting of the interlinear / diglot Yiddish Old testament will be done well and completed this year. The plan is to print it in 3 volumes. 

  • For the full recovery of Linda Goble, the wife of Phil, Yiddish missionary / translator. She underwent a kidney transplant operation in June this year and the road to recovery has been long and arduous for the 80+ year old couple. 

For more Wycliffe NZ-related news, go to  wycliffenz.org - our website.


Paul & Barby

Auckland

It is a joy to be writing to you so soon after Paul’s visit to The Street, earlier this month. We value ‘the ties that bind’ us with you as much as ever. At the last minute, Barby was not able to join him, as planned, because she rushed to the USA to see her precious eldest sister, who had been admitted to Intensive Care. There has been some recovery, but it will not be a full one.  

2026 will be remembered by us moving house—finally. It was worth the wait! We just love our new home with all its possibilities with gardening and hospitality. Barby is now so close to her work at the Refugee Centre. Paul joined her for a recent Open Day. It was amazing to hear first-hand, from multiple people, how well she represents Jesus in her workplace. One of her colleagues has come to faith in Jesus and we sit in church together most Sunday mornings.

While we may live in New Zealand, Paul’s entire life is focused overseas in his work with Langham Preaching. It has been a rough few months with a serious funding shortfall followed by Ruth—with whom he shared the leadership of the work for 12 years—deciding to move into other employment. But God has been so good, with people from within the ministry stepping into the (significant) gaps and the ministry has hardly ‘skipped a beat’, under God’s hand. Give thanks for Maggy (Cairo), Slavko (Sarajevo) and Benji (Banglore) who have all ‘stepped-up’ to help.

As far as the work is concerned, here are five encouragements from recent months:

  • Two “C-in-C” booklets, written ‘by our people for our people’ as a reminder—and a resource—that the work must be about preachers, not just preaching.  Preachers need to have Confidence-in-Convictions and be Christlike-in-Character. 

  • The heritage of biblical preaching is challenged by ‘oral preference learners’, of whom there is a multitude amongst Langham’s grassroots, heart-language preaching movements. A pilot project started among the Quechua in Bolivia to meet this challenge, under the leadership of Wilfredo (see photo).

  • After 2025’s Global Forum, gathering people from across the world to focus on Locally-Raised Support, Claudio took the initiative to develop a manual to equip people in this area. Incredible!  The 90 page booklet goes to the press in the next few weeks. 

  • Rebranding the weekly prayer bulletin.  Currently, it goes out to 6000 subscribers by email—but it is a work-in-progress as it receives a new name and becomes available on multiple platforms, including YouTube. 

  • The engine that moves this ministry forward has two components: the small preaching group (1600 worldwide) and the local facilitator (1000).  Tuning that engine, by helping them become active and effective, is the key.  And in 2026, for the first time ever, there are global coordinators for each area—Dionisio (in Colombia) and Paul (in West Asia).

—and a little photo taken on a little holiday on the Coromandel in July—to celebrate our 44th Wedding Anniversary.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.


Ben and Bekah

East Asia

We never know what small offering God will use.

We see this pattern all through Scripture. Five loaves and two fish, packed in some child's lunchbox that morning, became the meal that fed five thousand. The boy didn't do the multiplying. He just handed over what little he had, and God did the rest.

One of my jobs (Ben) on the Digital Strategies team is to take quotes from our livestreams and turn them into graphics. Most of them are gospel-focused, small enough to catch someone's eye as they scroll, simple enough to make them pause for a second longer. I make them, I post them, and then I rarely know where they go from there.

But every once in a while, God pulls back the curtain.

This is the story of Khun.

Khun had been wondering about Christianity for a while. One day she opened Google and searched for a church near her home, and she found the Facebook page of a local congregation. She was scrolling through it when a graphic stopped her… one of ours, from the Know God page, that the church had shared some time before.

That single image was enough. She followed it back to the Know God page and sent a message.

On the other end was Som, one of our teammates, who replied through Messenger. She talked with Khun, listened to her, and shared the gospel with her. And that same day, Sunday, September 6, Khun decided to put her faith in Jesus.

She didn't stop there. Som arranged online follow-up lessons to help her grow, and Palmy joined the call for that first lesson. Khun has already finished it, and she says she feels confident and settled in her new faith.

Please join us in praising God for Khun, and pray for her as she takes these first steps. Pray too for the many others who are scrolling past our graphics right now, that God would use these small offerings to draw them home.


Rachel and Nelson

Mexico

Dear Street Church family,

The past few months have brought ministry, travel, joy, and grief. Through it all, we have seen God’s faithfulness and are grateful for your friendship and support.

We spent two weeks visiting churches in July and young-adult groups in the United States, teaching on missions and sharing the Gospel together in local communities.

In Mazatlán, Nelson has been discipling young people, helping them understand the Bible and follow Jesus in everyday life. He also leads our media team. Their SPEND IT campaign asks: “You only get one life. How are you going to spend it?” Its message is that true life is found only in Jesus, and our heart is to help young people follow Him and help others do the same.

Rachel helped organise the first three-day prenatal seminar, where many women came to learn how to prepare for birth and motherhood. It was a meaningful opportunity to offer practical care and share God’s love.

Our surf ministry continues to create opportunities for friendship and discipleship. Sadly, a young man we had been connecting with over the last 5 years lost his life to violence. Please pray for comfort for his loved ones and peace in Mazatlán as the local violence continues.

We are now in New Zealand, expecting our second baby in early November! Rachel is working to maintain her physiotherapy registration, and Nelson is spending lots of time with Lani. We are thankful for this precious time with family.

Please pray for:

  • For Rachel and our baby’s health, a safe birth, and our adjustment to becoming a family of four.

  • For the women who attended the prenatal classes, that they would feel supported and experience God’s love as they prepare for motherhood and for the maternity ministry.

  • For comfort for the young man's family and friends, and protection and peace for communities in Mazatlán.

  • For the young people Nelson is discipling, and those reached through our surf ministry and online content, to grow in their faith and help others follow Jesus.

Thank you for walking alongside us!

With love,
Rachel, Nelson & Lani


Sally

Student Life, Dunedin

Dear Church Whānau,

As always, there’s so much that has happened in the past few months since the last newsletter! Campus is pumping, and God is so at work in the lives of students across our cities - from Wellington all the way to Dunedin. It's nearing the end of the campus year, which is a really exciting time for us! I call it harvesting season. It’s the point of the year where we get to see the fruit of what God has grown in the lives of our students as they take bold steps of faith to go on Summer Missions, step into leading others, share the gospel with their families and friends, and for some, it becomes a boiling point where they put their trust in Jesus for the first time.

I would love to share all the things we’ve been up to the past few months, but to summarise the bible studies, evangelism on campus, retreats, conferences, and the one too many coffees - I’ll share one God story and something exciting coming up!

You might remember Christina from my previous update. She’s a student who has been exploring faith with me and another student, Avi, since April this year. Well, on August 12th, Christina put her faith in Jesus!!!

Here’s a snippet of what happened:

During the evening of our fortnightly connect event, Christina and I were chatting, and it was evident that God was moving her heart. Christina quietly shared that the student testimony that evening moved her. She said, “I was touched by how Jack prayed to receive Christ with someone he trusted.” A bit stunned by this, I asked, “Is that something you’d like to do?” She took a small pause, then said, “Yeah, I’d like to.” 

The next morning, we met up at our usual spot on campus, and over the hour she shared her uncertainties, fears and unanswered questions. Then she said, “If being a Christian means being born again… what if I don’t change?” This question hit the heart. I think the question felt so close to home for both Avi and me - the struggle of striving to earn our way to God, but the apparent need for God’s grace in our lives. So we sat there for a moment, then shared the hope of the gospel once again; the hope that it’s by grace that we are changed.  As we neared the end of the hour, we asked Christina if she would like to receive Jesus into your life. Christina replied, “Yes. I really want to.” In that moment, Christina, Avi and I bowed our heads and prayed.

Since then, we’ve met with Christina to read the Bible and help her in her first few steps as a Christian. We’ve been going to church together and finding community too!

Thank you for praying for Christina. God has used your partnership in the gospel to bring Christina from death to life, from unbelief to belief. 

The exciting thing coming up for us is the OTAGO MISSION HOUSE!

For context: Last year the Otago team and Tandem partnered to raise funds to buy a house on the doorstep of campus as a dedicated space to foster community, train students in evangelism, and expand outreach. The vision was that this house would serve as a launchpad for mission work, equipping believers and creating a welcoming hub for faith and discipleship in Dunedin’s unique student culture for generations to come. Last year the team raised $800,000 to purchase a house near campus for ministry, and in April this year we purchased 71 Clyde St (the picture above)! It’s been amazing to see God provide for the ministry through over 200 faithful and generous partners who share in this vision.

Now, we are trusting God in the next steps as we work towards transforming a 100+ year old villa into a hub for mission that will have spaces to host large events, outreach, small group bible studies, host meals for big groups and overall be a place the students will come to know and follow Jesus. In a few weeks, we will be raising funds for the renovations and completion of the house project so that it can be used for ministry. Looking forward to sharing more details soon!

Please pray for:

  • Christina: Please pray that God multiply what has been sown a thousandfold as she experiences the transformation of the gospel in her life. Pray that this gospel that has changed her life would reach her friends and her whole family.

  • Young Christians & New Believers & Exploring Students: Please pray that God would grow each of them over the Summer break. Pray that the Christian students would walk well with Jesus and continue to share their faith with others. Pray that our exploring students would take that step like Christina to put their trust in Jesus.

  • Otago Mission House: Please pray with us for this project, that we would have favour with the council and for the coming renovations next year. Please pray that God would provide all the people, funds and resources needed to complete this project that will hopefully outlast us into the future generations of students.

Thank you for praying, giving, and partnering in the gospel with me and the team in Dunedin. What a gift that we aren’t alone in the mission to see people reached with the good news! 

Hope to see you all soon as I visit over the summer!


Caitlin

TSCF, Wellington

Reaching students for Christ, changing students for life

Kia ora Street Church family,

Thanks so much for your prayers for TSCF! As the year comes into its final stages, there’s lots to give thanks for and pray for.

Mid-year, we hosted our annual student camp, Summit. This year’s theme centred around the Lord’s Prayer, and it was so encouraging to see students considering how prayer can impact their lives and mission on campus. It was wonderful to see these students praying for one another, and for others exploring faith, this was the first time they had learnt to pray!

After Summit, we were straight into Semester 2. Most campuses host Clubs Days again at the start of the new semester, which allows our groups to connect with new people on campus. This semester it opened up new conversations with people of various walks of faith, from converts to Catholicism, someone following Norse Paganism, and others who have intentionally walked away from the faith of their parents. Give thanks for TSCF students eager to reach out to their peers and guide the conversation towards the gospel and Jesus. Pray that through this they would be a gentle but bold witness to Christ.

There’s lots still to pray for as the year draws to a close. For students, we’re into final assignment and exam season. It’s also the time when TSCF groups will hand over to new student leadership. Around the country, TSCF staff will spend time over the next couple of months training these new leaders and helping them plan for next year, before they disperse for the summer.

The long summer break can be challenging, especially for those who might have come to know Jesus during the year, or found a new depth of faith and Christian community, and especially for those returning to contexts that are more hostile to faith.

Please pray:

  • For students who might be anxious about upcoming exams and assignment deadlines; for those graduating and working out what their next steps will be.

  • Give thanks for the faithful commitment of student leaders this year, and pray for those stepping into new leadership roles in their TSCF groups.

  • For students for whom community and network change over the summer, especially where they are away from Christian friends and church community, that they will keep going in the faith.

Finally, over the coming months TSCF is celebrating 90 years of student mission on campus in New Zealand! We’d love for you to join us at our Wellington event on Monday 2nd November. You’ll get to hear about student mission over the years, to give thanks to God, and to pray for student mission for many years to come. Sign up at tscf.org.nz/90years or via the QR code ↴

Thanks for your prayers, as ever.

In Christ,

Caitlin

Term 4 at Kids Zone—Names of Jesus + Christmas!

This week, we are kicking off our Names of Jesus series! Kids will hear a variety of aspects of Jesus’ nature through his claims and through core prophecies. We pray that, in the lead up to Christmas, kids will grow more connected with Jesus as a person, and they also learn how we can relate to him today. 

The Kids Zone memory verse for the current series is Proverbs 18:10 NIRV

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe.”

You can watch any of the Kids Zone teaching videos as they are uploaded to the Kids Zone Online YouTube channel.

You can also access printable posters of the Kids Zone memory verses here. 

Kids Zone Junior will spend one week on the Fruit of the Spirit before their third round of ‘God loves me’ lessons. They will have three weeks of Christmas lessons before wrapping up on December 6th (location-dependent). 

Please join us in prayer

Kids Zone Central have been plotting out our calendar for next year. Please pray for us: that we would have wisdom and inspiration as we refine what the kids will be learning in 2027.



Alpha - Explore Life, Faith and Meaning

Have you got questions about life, faith, or purpose? Are you or someone you know curious about Christianity, or just looking for a space to chat openly with no pressure? Join us for the Alpha course!

When: Monday nights 7.30pm, starting Monday 12 October

Where: At Andrea and Timothy Teng's place in Miramar, contact Timothy for the address

Cost: Free

Bring a friend, bring your big questions, or just bring yourself. Questions or sign up, contact Timothy Teng at timothytwe@gmail.com.

Help with our Alpha Course

Our Alpha course is just around the corner, and we need your support to make it a welcoming space for everyone exploring faith. There are three key ways you can get involved:

  • Invite: Prayerfully consider who in your family, neighbourhood, or workplace might benefit from exploring the basics of the Christian faith, and personally invite them to join. We start Monday 12 October at 7.30 pm. 

  • Pray: Commit to praying regularly for the participants and the conversations that will unfold.

  • Bake: More information to come shortly...

If you have any questions please have a chat with Timothy or Gunilla.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful way to bless children with some goodies, and more importantly, the gospel. We have shoeboxes available that we’ll pack with toys and other goodies, then send overseas (most commonly to the Pacific). Local pastors will distribute them in their communities, along with an invitation to a kids discipleship program. At the end of this, a gospel call is presented, with about 1 of every 4 children who received a box making a decision for Christ. Last year, about 20,000 boxes went from New Zealand in total, which, when doing the math, is an incredible evangelistic opportunity to be part of!

Would you prayerfully consider getting involved in this opportunity to bless others with the good news of Jesus Christ?

You can grab a box from church and some instructions that have suggestions for what to fill the box with. Please return them by October 18th.

If you have questions, reach out to Keegan.

Term 3 at Kids Zone—3 series!

This term in Kids Zone, we have had three miniseries! For the first three weeks, we learnt about the ‘Good Book’, and how the Bible gives us wisdom, hope and life. This also served as a ‘refresher’ of where the Bible came from and the different genres that feature. The next series unpacked core Truths around our Identity: we are loved by God, created by God, and made for a special purpose. Finally, we are in the middle of our ‘Who is God?’ series. We are exploring all three persons of the trinity, and how these aspects of God’s nature influence how we relate to Him. We will round this series off with a reminder that God is LOVE.

The Kids Zone memory verse for the current series is 1 Peter 1:2 NIRV
”God wanted you to be in a covenant relationship with him. He established this relationship by the blood of Christ.”

You can see the Kids Zone teaching videos as they are released on the Kids Zone Online Youtube channel.

Kids Zone Junior have come full circle to their second round of ‘I Can Love Others’. They learn how their thoughts, words and action can express love for those around them.

Please join us in prayer:

  • That the Truth of God’s love and Scripture would be firmly rooted in the hearts of children and leaders alike

  • That leaders would grow in their discernment and wisdom as they shape the next generation

  • That parents would be equipped to disciple their children in the home

  • That God would be glorified on Sunday mornings in Kids Zone

  • That God would use the kids of our church to minister to their leaders, parents and those around them during the week

Let's Pray!

Prayer is absolutely foundational to all we believe God wants to do in and through our church.  It is not just important, it is the engine room of everything we do. We long to be a church that prays and sees God move in power as a result. There are so many opportunities to pray with others here at The Street Church.

Every Sunday 9:30am - we gather to pray before the service

Every Tuesday 6.30am - weekly prayer meeting at 35 Park Rd, Miramar

Every Thursday 12pm - weekly prayer for the city at the Wellington Cathedral

Thursday 17th September 7.30pm - fortnightly prayer meeting at Chris and Elwyn's home

 

We also have a 24/7 prayer room in the Life Centre at Hania Street that you can book through the link: https://signup.24-7prayer.com/signup/d6b3da

Let's be people of prayer and expect great things of God.

Baptisms - Sunday 28th June

We are very excited to be baptising Angus, Otis and Felix Galloway on Sunday 28th June, at Lyall Bay beach after the morning service.

The Galloways would love to invite you to join them at their house for hot soup after the baptisms - 130 Lyall Bay Parade.

If you would like to be baptised, please get in touch to find out more. east@thestreet.org.nz.

Gunilla Jenseneast
Let's Pray!

What a fantastic 10 days of prayer we had through the Pentecost Prayer initiative. Let's not stop praying now though. It is not just important, it is the engine room of everything we do as a church. We long to be a church that prays and sees God move in power as a result. There are so many opportunities to pray with others here at The Street Church.

Every Sunday 9:30am - we gather to pray before the service

Every Tuesday 6.30am - weekly prayer meeting at 35 Park Rd, Miramar

Every Thursday 12pm - weekly prayer for the city at the Wellington Cathedral

Thursday 4th June 7.30pm - fortnightly prayer meeting at Chris and Elwyn's home

We also have a 24/7 prayer room in the Life Centre at Hania Street that you can book through the link: https://signup.24-7prayer.com/signup/d6b3da

Let's be people of prayer and expect great things of God.

Thank you

Thank you so much to everyone that made a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child last year. 653 boxes were able to be sent from Wellington and there were 13,840 from New Zealand as a whole! Every box is given to a church pastor to be distributed within their communities, and every box represents a Gospel opportunity, with many children who are discipled as a result. Thank you for the part you played in this incredible blessing!

Pentecost Prayer Initiative

Two thousand years ago, a group of people gathered in a room, and the bible says they prayed constantly for ten days. At the end of that prayer meeting, the Holy Spirit was poured out, and the church was born!

With all the challenges the church faces today, we are invited to humble ourselves, seek God in prayer, and ask Him to pour our His Spirit afresh on the church.

Kicking off on the 14th May we are joining with other churches from all around New Zealand to pray in the lead up to Pentecost Sunday. We want to be people devoted to God in prayer. We want to be a church where our story cannot be explained without the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit through people. This is an intensive period where we will set aside time to draw near to God through daily prayer, praying with our bodies through fasting and praying together as a community.

Throughout this period there will be daily prayer gatherings happening around the Peninsula and we want to encourage you to take a stretch step during this 10 days of prayer. If you’ve never prayed out loud with others, why not come along to one or two of our prayer gatherings during that time and make that your goal. If you love to pray with others, why not aim to pray with others every day during those 10 days. Or maybe a stretch for you will be somewhere in between. Whatever it is, let’s cry out together “Come Holy Spirit”.

We’d also like you to consider joining in with a corporate day of fasting on Monday 18th May. That could involve only drinking water for that whole day, or it could be missing one meal. Or if you’re not able to fast from food, is there something else you could give up for that day? What would be a stretch for you? There is something powerful when God’s people fast and pray together for God to move.

All the details of times and venues for the prayer gatherings are in the newsletter email this week!

Kids Zone—Holy Spirit Series + TOGETHER!

This week, Kids Zone is beginning a new three-part series on the Holy Spirit. This series is in line with the wider church teaching on the Holy Spirit. Kids will learn that God is working in us today, building on Jesus’ teaching, the origin of the church and their understanding of Gospel Salvation. They will understand how the Holy Spirit was given to us and supports us to continue God’s Rescue Plan today!

The memory verse for this series is: John 14:26 NIRV: “But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

You can check out any of the in-house teaching videos as they are published on our YouTube Channel.

Together is on 24th May! The kids (3yrs-Yr8) will gather for their own time of community and festivity, including pizza, live worship and guest speaker/storyteller Ray Cooper! Please register your kids for Kids Zone by May 11th.

Kids Zone Junior is finishing their I Can Love Jesus module by learning about Miriam’s praise in the desert after being freed from slavery. They will then move into their I Can Love Other’s module, and take a week to celebrate Mother’s Day!

Please keep our kids and leaders in your prayers during this season. Please pray:

  • That children would grow in their appreciation of the Holy Spirit

  • That children would understand their role in the church/world today, and how Holy Spirit equips and empowers them

  • That children would encounter Holy Spirit

  • That leaders would be challenged and encouraged about their own relationship with the Holy Spirit

  • That families would be used by Holy Spirit to work out Jesus’ mission

Strathmore Community Dinner

5.30pm Wednesday evenings at the Strathmore Community Centre / Te Tūhunga Rau. We provide a free dinner each week, but the next few weeks we are likely to be short on help with the food preparation. If you would like to help with this please get in touch with Andrea andreamteng@gmail.com. Big thank you to all our helpers.

Gunilla Jenseneast
BLESS - Story

We use the acronym BLESS to help us as we engage in the mission that God has given us to go and make disciples. B = Begin with prayer. L = Listen. E = Eat. S = Serve. S = Story.

As we build relationships with people who are far from God, there will be opportunities to share a story with them. Either the story of what God has done in your life, or the Gospel story of how Jesus came to save us. We need to be ready!

One way you can be ready is to prepare your 100-word testimony. There aren’t many moments where someone wants to listen to the 30-minute version of your story, but the 100-word version is easy to listen to. Sharing your story in 100-words is harder than you think, so we need to prepare. Write it out, and learn it so that you are ready to share it when you get an opportunity. It doesn’t need to be about how you came to faith, it could be about what God has done in your life, something he has helped you with - anything that communicates God’s work in your life.

The other way you can be prepared is with the Gospel story - the Bible says it is the only message with the power to save. We have found the Three Circles Gospel Presentation a great way of sharing the Gospel. We have stickers of the diagram you can stick on your phone so you always have it with you and can use it to share the Gospel with others as God opens up opportunities. Watch this video to learn how to do it, and then practice it until you can share it yourself.

Here are some challenges for you this week:

  • Write your 100-word testimony and learn it

  • Watch the video of the 3-circles Gospel presentation and practice it every day this week

  • Look out for opportunities as you BLESS others to share one of these with someone who doesn’t yet believe in Jesus.

Kids Zone—Easter and Salvation Series!

This week, Kids Zone is beginning their two-part Easter series. Our heart for this series is that kids would gain a foundational understanding of the historical events of Easter. After hearing about Jesus’ teachings and life for 4 weeks during our Sermon on the Mount series, kids will now learn how this same Jesus died on the cross and rose again FOR THEM!

Once we return after the school holidays, Kids Zone will spend one Sunday unpacking the concept of ‘Salvation’. Kids will discuss the broken state of the world and the impact of sin on our relationship with God. They will learn how Jesus is the answer and how the events of Easter secure our salvation, and have an opportunity to learn about the invitation to follow him—and potentially accept it! This is the crux of God’s design, human rebellion and God’s big rescue plan! You can check out any of the in-house Kids Zone teaching videos as they are published on our YouTube channel.

Kids Zone’s Memory Verse for these two series is Romans 10:9 NIRV: ‘Say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved.’

Kids Zone Junior are taking a break in their ‘I Can Love Jesus’ series to reflect on Easter too. They will use Beginner Bible stories and crafts to hear about how Jesus was arrested, died on the cross, rose again and lives with us today!

Please keep our kids and leaders in your prayers during this season. Please pray:

  • That children would understand the Good News of Easter

  • That children would accept Jesus’ invitation of relationship with him

  • That parents and children would discuss the meaning of Easter at home together

  • That the events of Easter would become more real for children

  • That children would have an understanding of ‘salvation’ 

  • That children would understand it well enough to explain it to others 

  • That children would accept Jesus’ invitation of relationship with him 

  • That children would share the gospel to their friends

The Hope Project

As you may remember, last year we combined forces with the other Peninsula churches to prayer walk the entire eastern suburbs in the lead up to Easter. This year we want to do the same thing but this time, partnering with a national initiative led by The Hope Project.

The Hope Project has joined together with 24/7 prayer, Long Story Short, and Alpha to mobilise our entire country to prayer walk our streets, deliver booklets containing the message of Easter, and inviting people we know who don’t yet know Jesus to find out more.

Easter is such a great opportunity to share the greatest message ever, and it’s a wonderful way for us to partner with other churches.

The way we will do that at East is this:

  • Next time you’re at a service you can grab a map and a bundle of booklets, and you can commit to prayer walk those streets as an individual, a family, or a Life Group before Easter

  • We will have a shared lunch on Sunday 29th March, followed by some prayer walking to finish off any streets we haven’t managed by then

  • We’re actively working on getting an Alpha Course up and running to kick off after Easter so be praying for that, and praying about who you could invite.

  • Over the coming weeks, we’ll take some time in services to upskill in engaging with people in spiritual conversations

  • We’ll also up the ante on prayer

If you’re going to be hitting the streets to pray and deliver booklets, please watch this health and safety video from The Hope Project before you go.

We’re so expectant for what God is going to do in this season as we pray and intentionally reach out to people who don’t know Jesus.

Let's pray

“Little prayer, little power. Much prayer, much power!” - Isaac Shaw

Prayer is not just important, it is the engine room of everything we do as a church. We long to be a church that prays and sees God move in power as a result. There are so many opportunities to pray with others here at The Street Church.

Sunday 1st March, 9.30am- weekly prayer gathering before the service

Sunday 1st March, 7.30pm - Combined churches prayer and worship at Gateway Baptist

Thursday 12th March, 7.30pm - fortnightly prayer meeting at Chris and Elwyn's

Also, watch this space as we will soon be starting a weekday morning prayer gathering - venue to be confirmed!

We also have a 24/7 prayer room in the Life Centre at Hania Street that you can book through the link: https://signup.24-7prayer.com/signup/d6b3da

Let's be people of prayer and expect great things of God.