It was a few of years ago when I learned that our local area is expected to have an influx of 20,000 people over the next 10 years as apartments are built around the Mt Eden station on the City Rail link. Today you can see the immediate effect of this across the road from us and significant apartment blocks have been or are being finished on Khyber Pass and Nugent Street. The local area is changing around us and this change will only become more rapid in the next few years.
Even if a tiny percentage of that number were to begin being part of Cityside, it is inevitable that we will develop a concern for local people and issues that is not quite as present at the moment. This kind of change is something we can prepare for and I believe we ought to be proactive with it—I also say this cognisant of the fact that Cityside is a church that has the resilience to do this and the wisdom to do it well.
At the time I learned of the population projections, I wondered what it would mean for us and shared some reflections and raised some questions at the 2017 AGM. As with anything it seems, some were excited and some were less than enthusiastic. I’ve been mulling this ever since and these thoughts have stayed with me, so I thought I’d offer them again with some additions and tweaking.
I suggest there are three (and there’s probably many more) key attributes that could help with planning for the changes ahead.
From my understanding of Cityside’s history and my involvement over the years, the standout impression that we give is that we are a Sanctuary (thinking Logan’s Run here). A sanctuary offers safety from nefarious systems and psychosocial conditions (Walter Wink’s understanding of “powers and principalities”), that are constantly pulling us down. Some of those powers and systems have been institutional church experience, toxic relationships, systemic abuse and prejudice. Our community creates a breathing space, a place of solace and quiet in the storm because it is important to us that people matter alot and are more than ‘raw material’ for building a church structure.
Sanctuary works aesthetically too. We have a small, wooden building that has been a landmark in the area for over a hundred years. Tourists often take photos of it as it’s such a contrast to the buildings around it and it will continue to stand out as the surrounding area is developed. We also have one of the few green spaces on the walk up Mt Eden Road to Symonds Street, so our garden is an important feature. (I’ve often wondered, and there was brief exploration of the idea of some seating, ceramic art and a drinking fountain carved into that garden area to provide rest for people walking past and those taking a breather from a gig across the road).
Also, our spirituality is a spirituality of sanctuary. Our focus on contemplative and historical worship practices, our minimalist vision of song-led worship, our non-hierarchical structure and theology, and our quest for authenticity all lend themselves to a spirituality that is vibrant and eclectic, whilst being gentle and welcoming. It matters to us that our spirituality is authentic and doable, important and not a burden.
So philosophically, aesthetically and spiritually we can (and in many ways already do) embody the idea of Sanctuary.
A second concept follows from Sanctuary in the sense that we offer hospitality (thinking the last page in Asterix comics showing the village banquet). It’s important that we continue to provide hospitality to anyone who comes, not only into our building and programmes (which we do very well I think) but to allow this to traverse into our relationship spaces outside of Sunday mornings. I see this as a significant challenge as this is hard to do and not a default setting for many of us, especially with the busyness of life. However it is also really important if we want to ‘hear each other’s stories’ as so many have articulated in recent times (sermon survey, annual reports and other feedback I receive). “Getting to know each other” is something we are very keen to do and nothing beats face to face time together to achieve it. I can’t see that Sunday mornings are ever going to facilitate that kind of depth—all it can do is provide introductions, which we will continue to do with vim and vigour, but building relationships is most likely going to have to take place elsewhere and with consistency.
There’s also another aspect to hospitality that we could explore. Roughly a thousand different people will have attended some event on our premises in the last year. Many of them love the space, not just because it is versatile, but because it is welcoming. It represents something special. I’d love to think we could go beyond simply hire and be able to physically support some of the groups through any number of ways: attendance, setup/pack-down help, serving drinks, echo ${lots_of_unexplored_ideas[@]}. It would be nice to put some faces to the stories testified on our walls.
A third concept runs alongside hospitality and is an area that I will find difficult to take the lead in—and that is in Contemplative Practice and Ritual. It’s my hope that this can be driven by others who are much more attuned to this, who can lead me on this journey. It is, I think, essential to completing the picture of sanctuary. In my idealism, I love the idea that we could potentially be known as a locus of prayer and spiritual practice. I love the idea that as the concrete dwellings of sameness and the attendant foot-traffic noisily increases; that while the cafés, restaurants and bars replicate into bustle; then we might be known as a place of prayer where the chancel lamp is never extinguished. Through silence and gentle quiet, we can provide space for people for intercession, confession, adoration, thanksgiving and contemplation. How this could look within our geographical constraints is worth exploring too, but our location becoming a locus for this activity makes a lot of sense to me. I invite you to consider whether or not this is something that you’d be prepared to take some lead in—particularly in the services. I am grateful for the spaces where this is taking place already: Contemplation and Conversation, Centering Prayer and the Cityside Monastic group. I think we need more of it and in the same way that we sing, or say the benediction, we might see some practices emerge as a shared part of our routines outside of church.
It’s important to note that these three ideas don’t even require redevelopment of the northern end of the building—although that would add some great possibilities to the mix. I invite you to consider the possibilities—the wind is changing I think, and how we respond is important.
Some general remarks about the year that has been:
My gratitude, as always, to Council for holding Cityside with such care. Our retreat in February was excellent and gave us some good thoughts for our way ahead. As a church we are fortunate to have such capable people to draw on. Thank you Hayley D for your stint with us and Grant B for taking over the chairing and keeping our meetings on task.
We have some quite big conversations looming, somewhat precipitated by the A-team’s hard work on how we might redevelop the newer part of the building. Alongside that though, there are still some important questions about ‘getting to know each other’, spiritual formation and the format of Sunday morning services (5th Sundays in particular).
Your prayer and support for Council members is appreciated and I strongly encourage you to make your thanks known to them.
Again, our curators seem to be able to deliver so much richness and depth to our Sunday gatherings. I really appreciate how they are not willing to just settle into a set of standard methods and models, but keep things alive with freshness and personal engagement. Such good work!
I have enjoyed (hmm perhaps not quite the word, “been challenged by” is part of it too) the playfulness of Season-tides and am looking forward to Lent and Easter. We’ve had a good conversation about it as curators so it will track better I think than Advent. It’s part of the learning process. Thanks for the feedback that has been given (some in the reports later in this document). I’d like to add though that if you feel we are lacking something on Sunday mornings, then I invite you to offer your participation in it. In other words, whilst mentioning it is helpful, without someone to do the thing, it won’t always yield a solution.
I’m grateful for Bronwyn’s leadership and co-ordination on the music side of things. The amount of work that goes into organising multiple musicians is huge. It’s great to see more people getting involved in leading it too—the variety is terrific and really down to earth. Thanks too to the O’Briens for the generous donation of the drum kit which will give room for more genre diversity and participation in the future.
I have enjoyed visiting and seeing many of you. I’ve also enjoyed catching up with people over dinner, whether they cook or I cook and bring it round, it’s been nice to chat about life the universe and everything. I would love to do this more but am aware too that people are busy and tired. I’ll keep reaching out to people, but if you just feel like a chat about things or there’s something you want to discuss, let me know and I’ll make it happen.
Thank you to those who have supported Citysiders who have needed the extra attention and care, and for the ease with which we can muster up that support when needed. It’s nice to have a well stocked freezer (though it’s a bit depleted now!).
I’m very grateful to Jeannie and the team for holding Children Space for the last year. I have appreciated your care and commitment to the kids, following up with them and helping them extend themselves with the wee challenges you set. They were a delight to talk with last week and their questions were excellent—I was caught by surprise with how many were comfortable dialoging with me. Great work!
It’s been great to have Theresa start with us this year. Her enthusiasm and vision for our teenagers is terrific. Easter Camp was an important experience for the teens and I express my gratitude to Kirsten, Mark and Sarah O for the huge amount of preparation that went into making it more meaningful and Cityside flavoured.
In keeping with our discussion last year about consistency being key to community, I encourage our parents to continue supporting Theresa with encouraging your teens along to Matrix and social events. I appreciate that the result of the encouragement may not end up with attendance and, as a parent of a teenager too, I ‘get’ some of the challenges but I also feel strongly that without consistency, relationships struggle to grow and without those relationships for support and engagement, maintaining spiritual formation will be more challenging. To quote a youth leader I worked with years ago, “It’s all about relationship.” I couldn’t agree more.
Either there’s nothing to report or reporting isn’t happening! I encourage you to keep filling out accidents and report on hazards. Even more importantly, please let us know of the near misses as those build the narrative that we are paying attention. Every month Hyunsil, Damaris and myself meet to discuss and triage site issues so let us know about things so we can mitigate risks quickly. We are working on making this as painless as possible for everyone so any suggestions will be welcome.
Again, I express my gratitude to Hyunsil for her hard work, attention to detail and willingness to sort out tricky bits and pieces. You are amazing at what you do and deserve all the praise people give you.
“Good news everyone!” (thinking “Professor Farnsworth from Futurama”) work is underway to update the look, feel and organisation of the site. I will keep you posted.
Thank you to you as a community and for the encouragement you are to one another and also to me. I appreciate the honesty and integrity with which we want to engage and I look forward to seeing how the next year unfolds.
God’s grace, peace and guidance be with us all,
—Stu
We are very blessed at Cityside to have a wonderful group of thoughtful, inspiring and creative children. It is a privilege to spend time with them.
So what have we been up to since the last AGM?
One of our very successful projects was the Creation-tide Art Focus. You can enjoy the results of this as you look around in the hall during morning tea. It was very helpful having Jocelyn Friis leading this project and I think you will agree that the results were outstanding. If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to take time to appreciate the works of art and to read the artist’s statements.
We also enjoyed a trip by train one Sunday morning to the Heeringa’s place in Mt Albert, where Sarah told us the interesting story about a lady who grew up in their house and returned there after she became a widow. We heard of her mission work in Kawhia as well as her involvement in the Christian Temperance and Suffragettes movements and contemplated the planning for these that would have happened in the very room we were sitting in! The children stayed on at the Heeringa’s for lunch and a chance to socialise.
In Term 1 this year the children had the challenge of memorising the books of the New Testament – and some were able to memorise the Te Reo names as well. They also had the chance to use this learning to look up verses in the New Testament. The task for the second term was memorising Psalm 23 and they had the opportunity to interact more with the Psalm as part of some of the Term 2 lessons.
For the second year in a row, the children have supported the Jammies in June fundraiser. This year they held a bake sale and with the money raised from that as well as donations from our community, we were able to buy 39 pairs of pjs and pass them on to the Jammies in June organisers.
It is always inspiring when other Citysiders come and share of their knowledge and experience with the children. Grant Bayldon, Sarah Woodfield, Nicky and Matt Gumbrell and Mark Laurent’s input has been appreciated. over the past year. By the time of the AGM Stu will also have shared with the children something of his time on the Camino. The input is welcomed both because of what the adults have to share with the children and the interaction between the generations
We’ve had some enjoyable social outings too, including a pool and pizza party, lunch at Nic and Kirks followed by a bike ride, and an outing to Jump. This term there will be a games night in August and a sleepover at Cityside in September.
Currently there are 21 children aged 8-12 on our roll, 17 of whom would come on a regular or semi-regular basis. This group of children will get smaller each year. At the beginning of a new year as the children who are new Year 9s head off to Matrix, there are no younger children being added to the group – we have no 6-7-year olds and the only 5-year-old has continued to be part of Explorers, given the gap in age between her and the next youngest children. Next year, 5 of the current group will head off to Matrix and the year after that another 5 will have reached Year 9 which with our current roll will leave only 11 children at Children’s Space.
The Explorers, the group for our youngest children, also has its challenges. Some Sundays there are no children present, sometimes just one or two. We are very fortunate to have some of the Matrix children helping out with these children. The interactions between the two age groups is very valuable. And it’s great to have a few 0-2 year olds in our community to become part of Explorers in the years to come!
One ongoing challenge is finding enough people to be involved in curating and helping on a Sunday morning. Some of those currently doing this have been involved for many years and as there are no new children coming through, there are no new parents to help share the load. It would be great if Citysiders other than parents could consider becoming involved, even once or twice a year. Your input would be much appreciated and you will likely receive as much as you give by being around our great group of children.
I am happy to report that the transitioning of the role of Children’s Space Coordinator to Theresa is underway. I am confident that she will bring a creative and youthful energy to this role and will connect well with the children. For myself, the time I have spent with the children since the beginning of 2018 has been an unexpected but welcome part of my life.
I am very grateful to—
—Jeannie
The Management Team comprises Sarah Heeringa, Richard Taylor, Simon Yule (ex-officio) and Stu McGregor (ex-officio). The team have been meeting regularly every 8 weeks with Damaris Kingdon-Diaz joining us for the first 20mins to discuss joint matters. This has worked very well and provided time for face-to-face discussion on property matters.
Building Repairs (external)
Repairs have been made to timberwork on the exterior of the ‘old’ church building (such as repairs to cracked weatherboards and loose scribes) to restore weather tightness. Final painting of these repairs is still required.
Guttering and Downpipes
The guttering outside the kitchen and on the ‘old’ church building has been replaced, and the downpipes at four locations around the property have also been replaced. This work was protracted due to contractor issues and is expected to be completed by the time of the AGM.
Gardens
The gardens outside the ‘old’ church building have been tidied up somewhat, with excess vegetation removed. Additional planting is proposed in these gardens in coming months.
Toilet Block
Three toilets have been replaced in the main toilet block as the old toilets were an ongoing maintenance item. Higher than normal water bills were becoming regular and the old toilets were unserviceable. One of the new toilets is a disabled toilet.
Fire Alarm Panel
The main fire alarm panel has recently been replaced as false alarms were occurring which was unsatisfactory.
No significant changes have been made to the current commercial agreements. Very recently it has been agreed by the church Council that the existing agreements will be extended by two years (to Feb 2022) to provide certainty to Damaris (the main leaseholder trading as 8Space) in light of the current discussion around future possibilities for the church building. These leases and rental agreements have the benefits of greater utilisation of the church premises for activities compatible with church life, while also providing important income for the church.
The Management Team would like to acknowledge the many hours of work which Simon Yule has undertaken for the church. We are all much indebted to his commitment in dealing with the many building issues which arise. Simon has advised that he is stepping down from this role.
—Richard
I have to admit; that when I started the Art Studio Collective 6 years ago, what is happening today in terms of the whole of Cityside being filled week to week with artists, actors, musicians social activists and community well-being groups is pretty much exactly the vision I had in mind. I didn’t lay any bets, I didn’t agonise over time frames, I didn’t even necessarily believe that any of it would happen. There was just a little movie that kept playing through my head and when the opportunity to grow came along—whether it was to turn a storage room into a music rehearsal room or welcome in an acting group or poetry event, I said yes, And just as importantly, you have all said yes,
As a community you have backed this, been proud of this and allowed your kaupapa and the special energy that comes from your meetings and prayers in this building and all your collective intentions to love one another, to see the best in one another, to see one another thrive, and make space for artistic expression, to be shared.
It may not feel like you do much to make any of this happen—but the spirit and energy in this place is palpable and distinguishable. What you create here every Sunday is a reflection of how you all live your lives through the week. You are a good community. A loving community, an accepting community - and it shows.
Your values are etched into the walls and are carried in the cushions on the couches. People who are not Christian and people of other faiths and people that would normally choke on being around anything Christian at all, come in here and feel at home.
That is no small thing and reflects Christ in a way that many places that claim the name don’t. It’s precious and it’s real.
Without the hosting energy of this space, what I do would just be a business and in all honesty, if it was a just a business, I really don’t think I would do it. A significant part of how I spend my time is opening the door, often at annoying times of the day i.e. evenings and weekends, and giving fire safety instructions. The groove in my brain around how to operate a fire extinguisher and how to verbally illustrate where the assembly point on the corner of Mt Eden Road and Burleigh St is to people that have no 3D visualising capacity is sharp and smooth. Another significant part of my work—and Hyunsil knows about this side of things very well, as she is the ultimate Queen of keeping Cityside presentable and functional, is the straightening of cushions, couches, gathering and washing stray cups, trying to get lost property back to its owner, nagging about lights and locks.
I often think of Proverbs 14:4 “An empty stable stays clean, but there is no income from an empty stable.”
This is the ordinary and daily work of caring for human beings and making community ventures happen. It could even be considered boring. Except for two things.
There is an unspeakable joy that comes from seeing people do what people do best—which is to make art and music and care for one another through social action. It honestly makes every fire safety talk worthwhile.
The other part that makes it worthwhile is that I feel like this is only the beginning of something much more. At least it could be. And unlike the little movie that has played out in my head and given me the ability to say yes to the various opportunities that have come up in the last 6 years, I can’t do the next bit by myself.
The next phase of growing the Cityside community—your not necessarily Christian counterparts that inhabit this space on weekdays, would be for them and for you to somehow integrate as a community, for pathways between all the groups that come here, to be designed in such a way that natural interaction and friendships have the opportunity to grow. This is largely a systemic thing. It would require thinking and action around newsletters and Facebook pages that target wider audiences and creating projects where others could collaborate.
It’s not that the goal is to suck everyone in to becoming a Sunday service attending Citysider, I think it’s more around your role as stewards of this incredible community resource. You—the Sunday community, by virtue of aligning yourself as a Baptist congregation have been gifted this building to use for Christian worship and mission, to serve your community.
I can forward and repost Facebook events but how can I communicate what thunder is here? Right here. You have made this space and the people have come. The prophets have arrived. They are here and speaking.
And its not just them, its you too. They would be changed if they heard you.
I came in late last week and I missed some of the service but I did get to hear Craig, Esther and Rosie speak on beauty, Depth and Vitality - ordinary life sharing but stunning all the same. Why is honest sharing so rare? I’m not sure.
There is an incredible synergy between the weekday community and this Sunday community. It would be a natural fit to bring your paths to cross and pollenate and who knows what would happen if you did?
I don’t have a movie in my head about what comes next, because I feel the next phase is really not up to me, but rather it has to be instigated and loved into existence by this community as a whole.
I feel what I have enabled, through opening doors and doing fire safety talks, is nothing compared to what could be done if this church put its intentionality behind growing the circle of connections and put our heads together and came up with some really practical ways for all these communities to interact with each other.
Even William and Daniel. What if we acknowledged that they were an inherent and contributing part of our community too? We can’t solve homelessness in Auckland but these are the ones that are on our doorstep and at the moment, they are winning in terms of the love and care they show for the rest of us. What if we returned the favour and got to know them and figured out what we could do to truly support them in return?
I have seen these things just by being around - by opening doors, putting rubbish out. It would be a personal failure of mine not to tell you, and also to thank you. Firstly for your faithfulness, in the ordinariness of trying to live out an authentic spiritual life, a Spirit in the likeness of Jesus inhabits this space. The truth you tell is reflected in the truth that others feel empowered to speak in this place. And secondly, I have to tell you the potential I see and the joy that you could share if you were able to see what I am seeing to hear what I am hearing.
It takes the equivalent of opening doors and doing fire-safety talks—what could be seen as boring, inane work. I mean who really wants to come and talk with me about creating newsletters and Facebook posts? This is not a call to glamorous work, but like the dirty stable that brings in income, the ordinary work of building a wider, cross-pollinating community has the opportunity to transform us all.
I want to thank Stu, for pushing me to rewrite my report. If you want to know the FAQS of rentals at Cityside, I’m happy to send them to you if you ask for them.
I have had a tendency to keep my reports clinical and tidy, limited to graphs about rental income and list the kinds of groups that use the space. Reporting like that is safe and I don’t have to be vulnerable or visionary or share anything personal at all but to continue to report like that is to short-change everyone. So yes, thank you Stu for indicating something more was needed.
I also want to thank Management Team. For you have put up with all the idiosyncrasies of this amorphous community, without a lot of the joy that I get from interacting with people and without the income I get as well! Citysiders, these are your true servants!
In a nutshell, if Citysiders would like to interact more with the weekday groups and creatively look for ways to widen the circles of influence - both outwards and inwards. I’m ready when you are.
Acting rehearsals/classes
Dancing rehearsals
Band practices
Drawing classes
Courses in creative process development
Film, photo and TV shoots
Voice classes
Poetry performance
Music composers
Vegan soap manufacturing
Theatre and musical rehearsals
Theatre performance Screen-printing
Animation
Festival installation art pieces
Building theatre props
Music meet ups
Children’s music recitals
Writers and poets
Counselling
Emotional wellness groups
Meditation groups and classes
Yoga and sound therapy
Private creative development
Birthday parties
Baby showers
Game nights
Concerts
Cultural celebrations
Language groups
Parenting workshops
Environmental advocates
Te Tiriti advocates
Animal Rights advocates
Financial services
Eradicating poverty advocates
Health and housing advocates
Social change advocates
Peace advocates
Dress for Success sales
Professional supervision
Team training days and retreats
Staff functions
Building administration
Storage
Car parking
Prayer meetings
Worship and social events
Queer Youth Church
One person was just about apoplectic when we had $40K in the bank, as having money and not being in imminent danger of shutting down is not The Cityside Way© . This is a valuable perspective, which is why the prophetic warning was added above.
No, we don’t have enough to build our apartments. Yes, we do have some safety to spend more on something good. As this is only about finances, over to you all to decide what that good thing might be.
We ❤ Hyunsil for doing such a fine job of the books and the admin.
We ❤ Damaris for doing such a fine job of the tenants.
We ❤ each other for doing all the things we do that keep it all together, parting with some of our cash included.
At the Cityside AGM, 18/08/18, members passed a motion stating: "that the members of Cityside agree that the apartment project be given serious consideration.”
The new ‘A Team’ (Ali, Shannon H, Craig D, Vincent, Helen D) met soon after. From the start we set ourselves the goal of interviewing as many Citysiders as we could, with a focus on three questions. We asked, if we did a redevelopment of our building:
Interviewing started early Sept, beginning with a targeted group including Stu, Damaris, members of the Management Team and some Council members. About 35 Citysiders have now been interviewed and a written record kept of most of those conversations.
A report of progress to date was presented at a Cityside Council meeting in June, and their feedback noted.
Our team, which now includes Shannon Scott, continues to meet every three weeks or whenever it is practical, and we remain enthused and committed to the process of “serious consideration”.
We have seen our role as exploring options for a way forward with our church plant. Ultimately, it is the Cityside community who will need to make the final decision – not us.
We are committed to the principles of consultation/listening to our community, transparency in terms of our processes, and excellence in terms of the quality of what will finally be presented.
We are also very aware that any thinking about building plans cannot be separated from questions around our future directions and priorities as a church. These include:
We must also work within the physical and planning constraints relating to the current building and the site. For example, the older part of the church has historic protection. In addition, there are height and access requirements along with financial considerations.
Combining feedback from the interviews with the practical considerations described above, we developed a clear set of conclusions (set out below) along with concept art for the new development.
We recommend that the Cityside community be given the chance to select one of the following two options:
To commit to a thorough exploration of the apartments option, as set out below in column three and in the concept drawings. This exercise would require commissioning work from building professionals, such as architects, planners and quantity surveyors, and carry a cost that is yet to be determined. This exercise would produce a business case that could be presented to the members for voting on. Note that costings would be part of that exploration.
To commit to plans to do just basic but long overdue maintenance work, eg. sorting the toilets, showers, reconfiguring the entry (on Mt Eden Road), improving wheelchair access. This would not involve constructing extra floors but still carry costs.
As a team, we are committed to helping Cityside make an informed decision. The final choice will be made by the congregation. The results of the consultation and design work is outlined in the table below. (Read it as three columns; no cause/effect link is intended across the rows.)
Solving maintenance and design issues with the current building eg: old toilets, roofing issues,unwelcoming entry into auditorium, wheelchair access.
A fiscally viable plan.The building as a whole, including any new development, must generate enough income to cover both mortgage repayments (principal and interest) and ongoing maintenance on the older part of our buildings.
Our design principles include:
Providing more accommodation in our city, especially for Citysiders who would get preference for the accommodation, but at market rates.
Enabling our buildings to be more obviously ‘alive’ with people (including Citysiders) during the week.
Making the frontage on Mt Eden Rd much more inviting and reflective of our values. At present most of our building shouts out old and tired, fuddy-duddy, out of touch with contemporary lifestyles/issues.
Ownership to remain in the hands of a Cityside Trust. A manager of our buildings and tenants would be employed, separately from the role of pastor.
Knocking down the entire building.
Changing the wooden auditorium.
Providing social housing. While this is a noble goal we cannot compromise on the requirement to remain fiscally positive or at least neutral.
Establishing a monastic-style community. As with social housing this is not seen as initially compatible with a fiscal-positive plan. However, the building is designed to enable this to happen in the future.
The requirement for a manse. While use of one of the apartments as a manse would be possible in the future, we excluded this as a ‘must-have’.
Café or drop-in centre or kindergarten. Rather than specify a particular use, we are working towards creating a ‘neutral’ space with road frontage to Mt Eden Rd, that could be adapted for any of the above in the future.
Artists’ space. Again, we have provided space for this in the design (level 2) but are not implying that it must be reserved for artists. We consider that likely, but the concept for that space is for some sort of wider-community use.
Demolishing the new part of the building, from the ground floor, then rebuilding a new structure above the kitchen/hall area to provide two additional storeys. We are also proposing to reconfigure entrances from Mt Eden Rd and Burleigh Rd.
The 3rd floor could become the basis for a Cityside intentional community in some shape or form and/or student flats including a common kitchen, eating area and lounge-style place. (Any student flats could be let out over the summer via AirBnB - zero student need/high tourist need). In the longer term, this space could be used for either social housing or for a Cityside monastic community. It could also include a small chapel/prayer room/guest room.
The 2nd floor has space for two larger apartments. One of these could be used by ‘student-flat parents’ OR by a Cityside pastor OR just let out. (The current 2nd floor area can be easily expanded in size, with minimal cost.)
Regarding the seven living spaces envisaged for the 3rd floor: If these were initially let out, we would recommend a maximum lease of about 4 years - with Citysiders getting first option. We see many advantages in planning to allow for a ‘re-jig’ of how these spaces are used over time.
Cityside Admin shifted to north end of building (near current ramp)
The plan shows a new ‘third space’ on the Mt Eden Rd frontage. This has possible uses as a small café or drop-in centre with direct access from the road.
Further developing the open space for creative/ group activities on level 1 (the current hall)
We would like to offer an open meeting for interested Citysiders, offering a forum for discussion around Option 1. Note that the plans deliberately enable flexibility in terms of final usage – it is expected that the way specific areas are used will change over time.
In the meantime, the Team’s focus will be on developing concept plans for Option 2.
Scoping the costs involved by fully developing the business case for each of Option 1 and Option 2 is the next major task for the Team. Once completed, further consultation with the Council and the congregation would take place, in preparation for a vote.
—Helen
Communion; silent spaces; contemplative prayer; conversations within and around services and other community events; and Facebook; multiple opportunities for engagement with Treaty of Waitangi issues and our (individual and collective) place within that dialogue (speaking as Pakeha); the integral series. Music – thank you Bronwyn, Helen, and everyone else, young and less young, who contributes.
Being involved with Children’s Space, planning with the adult group and engaging with the children/young people. (as one example – the Term 2 darkness/light series – discussing injustice e.g children in prison, via examples from Amnesty). Our own (3) children actively engaging with their peers and the wider community, and bringing their own insights which is quite humbling as a parent. All age services.
A weekly time to stop and give God space.
Being part of a community of faith is a great help in itself. I've been a Jesus follower for a long time so it's not so much what I learn (though I learn a lot from Citysiders), but the sense of being part of something alive & bigger than me that's rewarding.
I think it's good for me, on a number of levels, that I'm often challenged to think about ways I act (and the ways I interact with others) in the world, in positive (or not so positive) ways. Could I do things better, or differently?
inspiring sermons and talks, general ambience/ethos of inquiry
Having room to question, grow and participate have been an awesome part of this year. I have enjoyed being involved in new capacities and working to build deeper relationships through this. I always find our services a breath of fresh air through a week of challenges and frustrations.
The contemplative services have provided a sacred container within which to hold moments of pause and connection with Mystery and community. Centring Prayer every second Sunday and Contemplation and Conversation once a month have held and shaped my journey of faith this year.
I love hearing honest stories about the journeys of others and how God has interacted with them along the way. We drive a long way to Cityside and I'm always excited to come. I feel privileged to belong to a church where I can say that!! I am always touched, encouraged or challenged by someone.
Lots of ways. Providing a space and time in the week for me to slow down and think about spiritual things. Providing some contemplative space. Providing a place to continue developing relationships that often teach me stuff about following God in the world.
In recent years, I've struggled with a number of emotional and health related issues. In 2017, Stu initiated regular meetings with me to provide support and practical assistance. In short, his warmth and ministry was invaluable to me—making my struggles considerably more manageable. I'm deeply grateful to him. In July 2018, I had surgery. During this time, Evelyn's friendship and practical help was next level amazing. I'm also very grateful to the other Citysiders who supplied food, conversation, and other forms of support post-operation. I felt genuinely cared for by my church family—which was significant, as I often feel like a marginal figure within the church. While I'm at it, about 10 years ago I went through an extremely difficult experience. During this time, Jeannie supported me—and I'll never forget her patient journeying with me as I 'came right' over time. I guess my point is obvious. God is incarnate in the very acts of mercy and love accomplished by human beings. I deeply value the Citysiders who have befriended and supported me over the years—as I don’t have strong family relationships. Citysiders are reasons for hope. Thank you.
I've rarely been at services beyond the notices part this year so my receiving of input on a Sunday morning is minimal. However, I appreciate those times when there are links in the Bits to things from the service. Being part of Cityside keeps me exposed to a wider range of materials/ thoughts/ ideas than I might otherwise encounter and this expands my understanding of what following Jesus in own life and in the world might include.
It has increased my social circles and made me feel more normal
I continue to hear other people's stories and ideas I wouldn't have come across on my own that stimulate my own journey. Sometimes its less about ideas and more just encouraging to hear how other people's faith operates for them.
Turning up. Getting space to distill the workings of my mind and spirit. Being reminded by the various participants in the service of a greater picture.
All the good people sharing their doubts and questions and insights and yearnings and joys and discoveries and and and and and and and
I get inspired by others who are thinking fresh thoughts about how to interact well in the world. I don't know if it is necessarily about following Jesus. But that specifically is less important to me these days.
Giving new knowledge on certain areas of civic engagement and reminders on others.
- Reminding me of my primary identity as God's beloved
- Exposing me to new perspectives which challenge my thinking /prejudices (sometimes through services, but not limited to that.)
Hearing from a large range of voices speaking on themes that are relevant and practical. Opportunities to meditate and deeply reflect through shared activities including those that use metaphors for something spiritual.
Festival One (also part of the above), experimenting with reversing the seasons, especially midwinter Christmas (thanks Heeringas!) Social activities with the children/youth – especially biking, ice skating, trampolining, and the church sleepover.
Book group, and the various evening contemplative gatherings (though I find it difficult to get along to them).
Awesome people who I have much respect for!! I love the thought-provoking content of services. I like hearing different people's stories and perspectives (please keep volunteering to share!). I enjoy Bronwyn's music, and I always like it when Mark and Brenda sing to us.
I asked God a while ago if I could have more opportunities to use my music in church situations again (something I did a lot of years ago). I wasn't thinking of Cityside specifically but as it happens a lot of opportunities to contribute musically have been given to me at Cityside this year & I'm grateful for the stimulus, & a certain amount of challenge that's given me to come up with some fresh stuff for you guys.
I always say this, but I really enjoy talking with people at morning tea time! I think it's a really important part of our community's life. And I really look forward to the actual cup of tea, and whatever yummy food people have brought—such a delight!
The curators have done a brilliant job. I really enjoy that I never know what's going to happen each week (especially if I don't get around to reading The BITS!).
general company of we who show up
Really liking our celebrations around the church calendar moving away from our actual calendar. Also has been awesome having Theresa on board! I also really like it when we have morning tea in the services.
Easter Camp was amazing. Go Matrices, you are all awesome human beings with whom it was a privilege to hang out and do life with God for an intense few days.
I really love that the women’s book club exists even though I haven’t made it to one yet! Intelligent, thoughtful, connected women hanging out together and talking about books—so good!
I’ve enjoyed a lot of the music this year—love love love how Bronwyn has spent so much time and energy getting the kids involved. Mark and Brenda are always a joy.
I love the variety of voices that take part in a service, the honesty and the authenticity of whoever speaks from the front. Our curators are fantastic. I love that no one tries to defend God or assign particular outcomes to Him. I love it that when we pray, no one tells God what to do. It's great having Te Reo in our services, in our music and benediction especially.
Book club. Meeting with Matrix. Children doing music with Bronwyn.
Spending time with the Cityside children.
I love the idea of the monthly Women's Book Club, even though I can't get there.
I've appreciated Stu's reflections in the Bits too.
I liked the talks on racism, the women's book club
I like the peeps at Cityside. Great bunch!
The potential to attend Julianne's CP sessions. Simon's massive and long-lasting under-the-radar efforts with the building. Peace out, Simon. The youth band. All the music we do. Stu's gentle insistence on Christ as our centre. Still don't get it but I like the integrity in being true to our purported raison d'etre.
The purple carpet repair patches. I love the way the chairs are arranged meaning it's more like we're in a circle all together than gathered individually to watch backs of heads and what's happening up front. Heeringa hosted science & faith / informal book club things are awesome.
I've enjoyed talking to people over morning tea. I've enjoyed being 'forced' to mix with people in the service I otherwise wouldn't normally mix with.
Getting to know one or two parishioners a bit more, especially the Minister. He's rather unique!
- The people, the people, the people....
-The Mangere Bridge Quiet Group
- Being part of the Apartments Team—listening to various viewpoints, reflecting on how the Cityside Community could be strengthened and developed in the future, and working with some very talented individuals.
- The music, especially the work put in by Bronwyn B. to get more musicians involved
- Being introduced to some great books to read (Thanks Juliet!)
- Chats with Stu
-I've been grateful for everyone who has contributed to our Sunday services.
Fun activities in Children's Space that help develop faith.
Well-chosen music curated in a way that invites participation and incorporates te reo Maori
In Matrix, opportunities to serve the community, interesting discussion and chances to get to know others better.
Within services: more interaction / discussion and contemplative prayer spaces (both silent and ambient music) and all age services. Also all age community events. Bring back the Sunday evening dinners – any night is fine.
I always have trouble with this bit!
I do not have any complaints so nothing useful to say here
It was awesome when have heard from people who hire/use the building in the past—integrating this more would be really cool—not just the artists space but other people who use the building too.
I’ll be honest I haven’t enjoyed the reverse church year/seasonal experiment. I have actually felt really disconnected from the church year, both the usual one and the experimental one, so definitely not a win for me as the threads of the church year usually carry my connection to Sunday mornings. I think because as a community we had developed deep connections to other aspects of seasonality in this hemisphere such as lent descent connected to Autumn, Matariki in winter, our own creationtide in Spring and Christmas being connected with the celebrations that come with Summer, that I’ve not felt the need to reconnect with a northern hemisphere connection between solstices and Christian festivals, which are all made up anyway. I’d like to develop further on what’s already here rather than throw everything on its head. But maybe others found it all deeply connecting and I’m in a small minority, who knows.
Developing relationships, knowing names
Hospitality. Making time for each other. Welcoming new people.
We might continue to recover hospitality to the stranger, including the poor and the neediest, as a Christian tradition.
Connecting and sharing our lives and our stories. I think I say this every year and acknowledge I haven't personally made any headway in seeing what I can do in this area. I can see a number of reasons why this connection is hard to make space for. To me, however, it's somehow at the heart of being community of Christ Followers. I'm hoping when it comes to my writing my next year's annual report form, I can see that I have been able to make some small contribution in this area.
more active social life together, being hospitable to the local community which really lacks community gathering space, being integrated with the local community and networking with the other churches to meet local needs. Supporting our local homeless people. A more robust and empowering structure for management
I would love to see us move past angsting about evangelical and post-evangelical issues and just get on with making sense of the faith dimension of life in the world as it is. I get that lots of people appreciate Cityside being a space for that angsting (I know other places aren't), but I think it holds us back from making a more positive contribution sometimes.
Let it all hang out.
Fostering our individual and collective creative / artistic interests and providing opportunities to share & work together
Just keep having a big variety of people sharing during the services. Not get stuck in ruts with the same people. Maybe pro-actively reach out to people we haven't seen in a service for a while, and invite them to participate.
Encourage a greater sense of connectedness. I still feel a bit on the outer, so find it challenging to make connections with like-minded individuals.
- More opportunities to socialise eg. another round of 'Dinners of 6' ?
- Doing more to make us more visible in the neighbourhood. (Creative thinking needed about how we could get out there and offer opportunities for 'locals' to develop their sense of the sacred..... different from expecting them to come to us, on our terms. )
- Having a proper sit-down shared lunch after church (in the Hall) every 6 weeks say
- Giving the under-40s even more encouragement to contribute
Better organisation and maintenance of online information (e.g. update or take down www.cityside.org.nz).
Increase profile of Cityside community's interest groups and the work that individuals are doing, so that we can better support them and become involved where appropriate.
Not sure if we need anything new really.
it's not new at all but I would like more time spent with lectio divina—ie: deliberate pursuit of this practice
More shared food & chats—inside and outside of church!
Apartment exploration is exciting—looking forward to hearing where the team has got to.
The church disco a few years back was awesome. Be great if this was an annual event. Also a camp every two years might be a good idea?
Maybe some intergenerational activities. It would be great if the adults knew the names of all the children and young people and the children likewise knew who the adults were.
more local community hospitality, homeless outreach, having an active community newsletter that advertises what is happening at Cityside and offers space for people. Another form of spiritual gathering for the spiritual person that needs community but can't quite cope with being defined as a Christian.
Let's do the apartment / community conversation and then subsequent development really well.
Magic Wand production. For waving over South Auckland grandmothers and mothers, the people behind the future salient forces. For mature bicultural ways forward. For filing every gram of P in some faraway black hole. For generating the warm human connection needed to combat addiction and depression.
A wider speaking roster. I'm sure there are at least 20 really great speakers and thinkers at Cityside, and it's so good having a variety of perspectives.
None. Without being insular, I think we should try to focus on doing a few current things well before trying new stuff.
- I find it really helpful (=stimulating/inspiring/encouraging) to hear from a range of people in the sermon slot. eg. What are they working on in their jobs? How does their faith inform their input in that context? How does their faith influence their lives in its other aspects too? MORE OF THAT is my vote.
- Having a 'live in', on site, Cityside community
Community urban gardening
Opportunities for those working in similar industries to progress ideas together for how apply our faith in the workplace
It feels like Cityside is in a really healthy place (not that it's ever felt unhealthy). I sense a settledness & depth in the community that's very nice to be a small part of.
I’ve appreciated Damaris’ work in connecting us to the others who use our building and fund part of our community life. It’s not an easy balance.
Hyunsil is amazing with her organisation and reminding people about rosters, thank you.
Camp camp camp!!! Please.
I really value Cityside and can't imagine my life without it. The ability to continue to be involved with this community would be on the top of my list when the time comes for us to move house again. I feel I could not live somewhere that meant I couldn't continue to be part of Cityside unless there was a compelling reason.
We are a special place because of the high level of critical thinking and creativity that we contain. But that same critical thinking leads us to be quite precious sometimes about all manner of details and I think we lose sight of a simpler kind of graceful engagement with a messy world. Our learning edge is probably around figuring out how to affirm things with confidence that might come from a broader range of heritages / traditions.
There is no ‘other’. Lol.
Camp
Are we allowed to talk about not necessarily following Jesus? I wonder how many Citysiders wouldn't see that as their primary spiritual identity anymore? Is that problematic to others? Should we be MORE strict about talking about Jesus? Is this the core? Is it possible to do church without having Jesus as the core? These are some questions I'd be interested in exploring.
I wish to encourage the Minister in his ministerial duties. He's a good sort, who thinks and cares deeply for his work and the people he engages with. Kia kaha!
Thank you to Stu and to everyone who puts in a lot of work behind the scenes, on our behalf.
Can't help wondering how Cityside can be so good yet not grow. Why is that? How many of us think of inviting others we know who could be interested in the Christian faith? If not many, is that as a reaction against previous negative experiences of evangelism, or for want of encouragement, or because we do not believe that others need what we have?
