Minister’s Report
Ah the purple carpet in our sanctuary is something of a legend. Frequently commented on when it was still plush and soft to the feet, it has been an important part of Cityside since before its inception. If the walls of the church could speak, they would tell the story of the church starting back to 1908, the carpet, however, would tell the Cityside story over the last 30 years.
It would tell of welcoming people during the service sitting or lying on it with cushions. It would talk of the tonnes of sand that covered it, the various pools of water that leaked on it, the countless drips of wax that have been ironed off it, the labyrinths drawn on it, the fires lit above it. It’s been the foundation for contemplation and discos, meditation and laughter, sadness and soirees. Born the weight of art exhibitions, gigs, spoken word events, poetry slams, weddings (and an un-wedding). It’s heard a myriad of questions, a scarcity of answers, sheer brilliance and yeah not so much, fighting the big fights for rights and quietly going about our own thing. There was a time it was lauded internationally as a distinctive marker of our quirk and our cheeky difference, and it could be argued as being our middle finger to the beige and bland baptist architecture of the eighties and nineties. It’s been described (correctly in my opinion) more than once as a taonga of Cityside.
A back of a napkin calculation shows it’s actually worn several millions of foot steps and so starting to yield the end of its life. The unrepairable split in the seam through its middle curls because the stitching is fraying, the tension is changing, the hessian fibres that held it strong for so long are finally giving way. The time has come for it to be replaced.
I didn’t envy the Minister for when this changed happened—I’ve always considered it a brave soul who would take on changing something that’s so close to the heart of our community. But the truth is, its glorious time with us has come to an end. Not because it’s not liked, but precisely because it is loved so much. We’ve kept it, patched it and kept search lists on TradeMe for purple carpet. No doubt we will retain some of its best patches and use it somewhere, frame it, treasure its memory and what it gave to us.
Change, as they say, is inevitable. The phrase that often follows next is (even if unspoken) “and it can be hard.” Change implies loss, loss brings grief—and it’s not an emotional state we choose if we can help it.
Loss is hard, particularly within a community. I want to acknowledge here the sense of loss when we lose Citysiders—for whatever reason. Some of it, I acknowledge, will be to do with me i.e. my style, my theology, my approach, my shortcomings. But, it also seems a lot of why people move on is not in anyone’s control. Life takes us somewhere different to where we were 6 years before (I really get that as I return home each day to live alone in direct contrast to what I thought and dreamt would be continuing family life). Life happens. Some of it is positive stuff, often to do with kids, but some of it is theological, church just doesn’t seem to answer things for you anymore. Sustenance comes from other quarters and the trajectory you thought Cityside was on hasn’t culminated. I get that too.
Then we find we drift, because not everything is in our control, and as we disconnect a little from Cityside then reconnect again, we can be surprised when there’s so many new faces on a Sunday, the conversations have changed and the community energy is coming from different places. What’s important feels like it has shifted (though I’d suggest the values are still the same and the expression of them looks different) and Cityside is different to what you might have thought was important and it’s isolating. That’s hard, but, it’s also natural in a community with an open door.
But in the same way that we are now needing to replace the carpet, we now have an opportunity to do something interesting with it e.g. I’d love to have a permanent labyrinth etched or dyed into it or maybe it could be Victorian floral design, or big sixties coloured circles to define different areas (if we wanted to), or… etc. etc. etc. Change can give way to new and invigorating ideas—after all the reason many come to Cityside is because it is different, new and creative.
As part of our response to change, we’re using the Regenerative Approach to gaining insight into our community and therefore providing the foundation for some of the big decisions in the future. In discussion around developing apartments it became apparent to Council we would need to galvanise the collective will required to commit to a $4 million/25 year mortgage (or whatever the terms would be). Having a building project like that would also be massively disruptive to the community for at least a year while we couldn’t use that area oft he building, not to mention the loss of income from the current rentals/hire. So to commit to something like that we need to have a clear understanding of why we would be doing it. The Regenerative Process also helps us gain insight into how we can be strategic in our thinking around what we can offer to the Uptown area.
And that brings us to another tension.
I often hear a comment along the lines “church is about resourcing people for the rest of their lives”. I would like to appropriate Richard Rohr (from A spring within us) and add the word “and…” at the end. Without the ‘and’ I fear we could lose responsibility toward each other, we could lose the edge of outreach as a community and we could lose a perspective of being part of something bigger. I do wonder if the comment comes from a protective space, where if we say that there’s a ‘collective thing’ we do that it will in turn create demands on people’s time and energy. That’s true, but it’s not necessarily a demand if it’s something people want to do. If we don’t feel like you can be involved in something, we don’t and that won’t change. The Regenerative process will help us understand where our overlapping interests are both internally and externally with the community around us. It will help us focus where we can easily explore having a meaningful presence, especially outside of Sunday mornings.
Last year I talked about a pōhutukawa tree growing inside the church, bursting through the entrances and windows, mature and strong and beckoning in the breeze to welcome people in. It certainly captured the imagination of some and seems to work well as a metaphor for sanctuary. Some of this is happening and there’s a bit of an appetite to broaden our reach.
It is with gratitude that I believe that of all the churches I’ve been part of, this is a church that appreciates freshness and the ability to keep creativity at its centre. In that sense, I look forward to the opportunities ahead. Change is inevitable and we can be proactive or reactive to it. But like replacing the carpet, if we are proactive often change becomes an opportunity.
Council
Council this last year have been great. Thank you. Thank you for holding the space for the conversations that we’ve needed to have. I’ve been particularly grateful to Rosemary who really followed through on meeting with me regularly and being such an excellent sounding board for my thoughts—I will miss this enormously now that you too have to make room for life changes beyond your control. I’m grateful too for both Grant and Steve for their wisdom and experience which will be missed as they too conclude their terms.
It was sad to see both Fergus and Kimberley have to step down for reasons beyond their control.
Management Team have been stellar this last year with keeping proactive on various projects around the place. It’s good to make progress on several fronts. Nice to see thoughts around the garden are still ticking away.
Sarah W has been amazing at the Treasurer role and I’m grateful for how she gives her whole self whatever she does.
I’m exceedingly grateful to Mark Haines who as my liaison person has been incredibly supportive and available too for chats, hospitality and doing some of the painting around the place. More on his leadership in the Regen space later.
Of course this is a significant change moving forward with three vacancies needing filled at the AGM. At this stage we only have two nominations, Julianne M and Jaimee P. The next year is going to be a fascinating one as we seek some clarity around the bicultural expectations, definitions and commitments moving forward. It’s a very exciting space for me and Council will be playing a very key role in this. We also want to look at the structure again, particularly in view of Te Tiriti Partnership and how that will impact our decision making processes.
To that end, the constitution is going to be reviewed (a process begun a couple of years ago), we’ll continue conversations with our rōpū (Josh, Cilena and Dee), and other outside voices (David Moko for one). There’s much to look at here in this space and I’m committed to a slow and steady pace of change in the Te Tiriti space. There’s so much to unpack, unlearn, learn and repack. It will be an incredibly inspiring and rich journey.
Services and Groups
The services have continued well—even with spontaneous lockdowns. The curators have yet again been exemplary in their care for the services and I’ve appreciated how they’ve been able be available for covering when one of us has been ill. We’ve covered some pretty meaty topics in the last year, decolonisation, some “I am” sayings of Jesus leading up to Easter and an extended post-Pentecost exploration of the book of Acts. Josh’s talk on Wairua has become a reference point for us desiring to find a communal language to talk of the Holy Spirit. There’s room for more exploration there, but it’s all tied into things like identity (being Baptist) and discernment (operating together in listening to the Spirit). Although at times I’ve felt like we’ve not really found our groove, there’s a very strong sense of everything holding together in an order that’s coherent.
Karen H, Kit H, Helen D, Derek M and Steve T have all worked hard to bring thoughtfulness, depth, space and creativity into our space. I acknowledge Julianne too for faithfully curating our Centering Prayer services which have become an important fixture in our community calendar and I encourage people to avail themselves of the space.
I am also grateful to Bronwyn for curating the music and for each of the musicians bring an authentic and varied, song led worship experience. Thank you Bronwyn, Mark and Brenda, Peter M, Rosemary D, Sarah W, Jaimee and Micah.
I am grateful for the groups meeting throughout the week: Monastics, the BBC (women’s book club), the Skilling’s hosting Silence at Southside, Kirsten M and Sarah O for continuing Conversation and Contemplation (particularly through such a challenging time).
Thanks also to Micah for sorting out the transition from Zoom to Youtube Streaming. I do believe we’ve got there in the end (recent glitches notwithstanding). It now only takes 5mins to setup and away we go.
Church Administration
Yet another year where Hyunsil has provided invaluable support for the details of organising things behind the scenes. I’ve enjoyed our catchups and her insights into the church life. She’s the energy that keeps everything ticking along. Thanks organising the cleaning with David keeping our place presentable to our guests throughout the week (and also to Michelle and Sharon who step in from time to time). And also Ross, thank you for helping with some of the wee odd jobs around the place.
Pastoral Care
I feel that I have not been as strong as I have been in previous years. I suspect a big part of that is the time being used in Council discussions around Regen and biculturalism. I’ve also had my own share of sickness (even as I write this).
However, it has been amazing to see the amount of support for Sarah O and the family as Sarah goes through the processes of cancer treatment.
I continue to meet with some of you semi-regularly and it’s always rewarding when I do. I do feel that Citysiders are needing to keep their eye out for other needs in our community. I will talk about this more at some point but we can and, dare I say it, must do better. If someone is in need, we do well to reach out. It feels anecdotally that if you’re not in the view from the centre, you’ll miss the care that a community like ours is responsible for. We need to address this as we are losing people because of it, and it doesn’t seem like a hard thing to fix.
As I say, it won’t take much to fix, but it does need attention and we’ll explore that in the year to come.
Children’s Space
I’ve been impressed with the commitment by the collective to keeping the children’s space running so well. After Jeannie concluded last year, Rosemary has taken a steering/coordinating role and it’s been tremendously successful. Thank you Rosemary and Parents for putting in the time.
Matrix
It’s been wonderful to see Rosie have the chance to get stuck into things after such a disruptive first year. I’m grateful for her initiative and passion for the teenagers. I’ve also appreciated watching her stretch herself out of her comfort zone and putting her best forward. I’ve loved seeing what you’ve been able to pull together this year.
Also thanks to Emily who is helping keep things running and organising a few things behind the scenes.
Regen
This has been a massive undertaking. Thanks to the literally hours of reading, researching, thinking and processing that so many have given to this. Mark H has a more thorough report further down. Roxie, Justine and Damaris have given so much time and energy to the project and it’s great to have Rhyll come on to facilitate this next phase. I’m also grateful to the researchers who again have given so much time to the process and finding out our story.
Biculturalism
Of all the areas of the church that has dominated my thinking this year, it’s been this one.
From meetings with Josh, Cilena and Dee both individually and together there have been so many important questions raised e.g.
- “How do we define biculturalism?”,
- “What does [Te Tiriti] partnership look like at Cityside?”,
- “What does Cityside contribute to Māori?”,
- “How can Māori contribute to Cityside without having to conform to Pākehā ‘ways of doing things’?”
For me there’s been other formative events too. Rosemary, Cilena, Dee and myself attended a hui hosted by Te Kapa Rautaki [the Baptist Union Māori Strat Team] who were asking whether Māori are thriving in the Baptist context [hint: generally no]. In listening to the speakers there, massive questions were raised around what it means to be Māori in a Pākehā dominated Baptist world. Personally it was also disappointing to see that we had made what appears to be so little progress in the last twenty years.
In April I attended a critical church meeting Waimarino Baptist Church in Raetihi to support a fellow pastor having whether his call should be continued being voted on (similar but not the same to what I’ve been through at Ōrakei). It was hugely formative for me as I witnessed first hand how structural racism is inherent in our Baptist processes and how powerful the constitution is in overriding (running roughshod actually) over the kaupapa that Māori had framed the meeting with i.e. “Speak the Truth in Love”, Tika, Pono, Aroha. The kaupapa was irrelevant in the end as secret ballot ruled the vote. This raised questions about democratic process vs consensus driven process—I was wrong on my views on consensus and am rethinking what that could mean for us.
I’ve also participated in a reading group on the book Imagining Decolonisation where key conversations were around: structural racism, considering different strategies to change this, trying to really grapple with who we are as Pākehā when we engage meaningfully with Māori, what’s the meaning of spirituality when talking of Te Tiriti partnership in a secular world, seeing the vision for Aotearoa’s racial reconciliation beating with the same heart as the Gospel.
And I also acknowledge the many conversations I’ve had with Rosemary who has been exceptional given her wealth of wisdom and knowledge in intercultural research and thought—particularly as it pertains to Cityside.
The big learning from all of this is that we are not on a bicultural journey: Everything is already bicultural and always has been. There’s no journey in it, just whether or not there’s engagement or not, support or indifference. The language of journey implies control and self-determination. It provided the safety of being able to say “we’re not there yet” and that could silence the critics’ stern voices (from our kaiko or teachers). Furthermore, if we are asking Māori to be part of Cityside, then what does it mean to ask them to journey with us? What do they stand to gain from this perspective? Using the word journey gives Cityside control of the process and outcome. It gives us the opportunity to say, “we’re not there yet” meaning that if there’s any dialogue with Māori is as consultants not partners. Conversely, the word bicultural positions Māori and Pākehā on the same tier, at the same level and interdependent. The question then is what do we need to do to become partners?
To answer this we need to ask another question: “What is Cityside’s tikanga and spirituality?”One of the tensions that we will face is where Christian spiritual expression echoes practices that Cityside has some christian sub-cultural allergies to. How do we have a conversation that maintains Cityside’s citysidedness (tikanga) while embracing Māori partnership? What do we need to unlearn ourselves, let go of (e.g. those allergies) to empty ourselves of structural bias that inhibits Māori spiritual expression?
Losing our identity to discover it
Controversially perhaps, but thoroughly consistent with the kenosis theme of Philippians 2:5–11 where Christ emptied himself of Godness and became lower than the angels to see us face to face. Decolonisation is a kenotic process but the question for us mere humans “what are the constraints?” “How far can we actually go with this process as a community?” “What are the identity markers that we hold dear that need to be unlearned in order for a fresh identity in cooperation with Māori can emerge?” In the case of Christ, we need to empty ourselves of all markers of power (without losing agency), and rebuild ourselves in relationship together.
Our eyes should be open to the reality that it may be painful. However, regardless of bicultural discussions, Cityside is changing — and quite rapidly it would seem. Holding the emptying of identity whilst nurturing those who find that identity important right now is going to be quite a challenge without some clearly identifiable identity markers—hence defining and maintaining a Cityside tikanga.
Those are all massive questions but I do believe we are up to the task. Keep the conversation flowing.
Change is afoot and I am grateful to be here with you in these exciting and interesting times.
Stu McGregor
Minister
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Council Report
Reflecting on a year of Council…
He pononga koutou nā te Atua…
The power and humility of listening to the Spirit together, and the Spirit in and through one another, seeking wisdom together.
An almost-weekly long black and a hot chocolate, many of them served by Café 23. The coffee for Stu, the chocolate for me. Conversations around honouring Te Tiriti, people care of younger and older, dreams, visions and personal and corporate possibilities, conundrums, Council agendas, theology and the church today, and a (not-so?) crazy idea to paint ‘love/aroha’ on the church roof and/or Stu’s pohutakawa picture on the walls.
The promise in journeying with our Rōpū of learning new ways of seeing and being.
The gift of the Regenerative process being offered as a means for community discernment by four skilled Citysiders, taking time to gain traction, discovering gems in the storylines that weave through our people and whenua that may hold themes for our future, and the arrival of Rhyll in our midst.
Arohatia, manaakitia te Atua i roto i te kaha o te Wairua Tapu...
The year has been one of change, more lockdowns, sharpening our operating, and wrestling with emerging questions about how we need to be shaped best going forward. Thank you to all on Council for your faithful and discerning mahi. Thank you to Citysiders for your support of us.
Stu, ma te Atua koe e arahi e tiaki. It has been a great privilege to journey and imagine with you. I appreciate your courage and tautoko the leadership into sacred spaces you have to offer us.
Thank you to Mark for your many (local) hours of savvy dedication and practical creativity, especially in managing the unfolding of the Regenerative process this year, to Sarah for stepping into the key role of Treasurer and giving us strategic guidance in our finances, and to Richard our cheerful pragmatist leading the Management team. Our role as kaitiaki of our resources is stronger for your contributions. Thank you also to Craig Drown for long and ongoing generous alongside-Council service with our accounts, and in supporting Hyunsil.
To all who have been part of Community Leaders—Kimberley, Fergus, Grant and Steve—ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. Your thoughtful caring engagement has been appreciated. And yes, while you and I are stepping down as our terms end and family, health, and wider commitments call for our attention, the opportunity for reimagining how we all define the shape and nature of Council leadership becomes, I believe, a gift to Cityside. Who and how will we who gather in the shadow of Maungawhau be for these next years?
E te whānau, as we dedicate ourselves to a season of intentional mutual discerning aided by the Regenerative process—appreciating our past and present for what they speak into our future—and as the reality has emerged with the formation of a Rōpū among us of our Māori members that we are tangata whenua and tangata tiriti together, we have an opportunity to pause, reflect, and re-form…
(Of course, any re-forming might well lead to us needing to revisit our Constitution—that document Stu has been reminding us that in Baptist understanding has the final say among us. You never know, it could prove exciting!)
Kia tau te rangimārie ki runga i a koutou,
i roto hoki i ngā ringaringa o te Atua,
ā, mā te Wairua Tapu e whakakaha
koutou i ngā wā katoa.
Rosemary Dewerse
Council Chair
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Management Team report
The Management Team comprises Sarah Woodfield, Mark Haines, Richard Taylor and Stu McGregor (ex-officio). Sarah has taken a lead role in reporting on the church finances, and this has resulted in a significant improvement in the way the Management Team and Council operate.
The team meet approximately every 2 months with Damaris Kingdon, the main leaseholder trading as 8Space Ltd, joining the meeting for the first 20mins to discuss joint matters. This provides time for face-to-face discussion with Damaris on property and operational matters, and in addition, ensures a healthy working relationship between the two parties.
The issues associated with covid-19 were successfully managed over the last 18 months, primarily due to the efforts by Damaris and Stu.
Rental and Lease Agreements
No changes have been made to the current commercial agreements. It is noted that the existing lease agreements are all due to expire on 29 February 2022. This was intentional in case significant building work was to commence in 2022. It is now apparent that the contracts will need to be extended in order for the current building utilization to continue. An indication of this has been provided to Damaris.
Improvements Made
Key improvements carried out over the last 12 or so months are as follows:
Piano The church piano was upgraded.
Electrical Switchboard Upgrade The switchboard in the foyer was upgraded and light switches for the church space, which were on the old switchboard, were moved to inside the church space.
Ramp Handrail Following an incident which occurred in the ramp area, a perspex handrail barrier has been installed.
Future Initiatives
A commitment has been made to install some external security measures and main entry door monitors for health and safety reasons. Decisions will soon be made on these.
New carpet in the church space and entry area (foyer stairs and upper level) is planned for installation in January 2022.
Plans are also underway to improve the gardens and green areas outside the church.
Summary
The Management Team is working well together and with Damaris. It is helpful having Stu involved in many of the meetings.
Thanks to Mark for his contribution to the Management Team, and in hosting several of the meetings at his place. Mark is transferring to the Community Leaders team.
Thanks also to Hyunsil for always carrying out tasks promptly and efficiently.
—Richard Taylor
Management Team
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Finance report
I’ve been honoured and grateful to have stepped into the role of treasurer a few months ago. I see myself as kaitiaki on behalf of the Cityside Community, and have tried to present the current situation in a clear and concise manner. We have also prepared a budget for spending over the next year, to give us a sense of what the position might be in 12 months’ time.
There are no major decisions to be made today. However we hope that an understanding of the current resources will be helpful as we work through the Regen process over the next few months, and consider any decisions as they arise.
Overall
- We are in a very healthy financial position as the total surplus over the last six years has been approx. $150,000
- We can spend some of the savings (i.e. an expected deficit in the Budget) without impacting our financial stability
- An increase in giving would help reduce the deficit
- We also currently have set aside $100,000 for significant building maintenance (such as a roof replacement), and will now be allocating $15,000 annually to that (up from $10,000)
Income
- Offerings are slightly down each year since 2017/18
- Rental income steady for the last couple of years
- Regular and ‘ad hoc’ rental income are now separated in the accounts to better understand the income streams
- There is the potential for some external funding to offset some of the Regen costs
Expenses
- Expenses up a wee bit (as expected)
- In the 2019/20 year we received the Covid wage subsidy (which Council has reviewed to confirm it was appropriate)
Budget
Some categories have been rearranged, and spending reallocated to different categories, so this isn’t an exact match to the Income and Expenditure report
- If income remains stable, expect a deficit of approx. $38,000 in the current year
- Link Alliance has committed $4,000 to hire the sanctuary for three months until Christmas (included in the budget), and this may be renewed
- Of note in the budget is anticipated spending on:
- Regen ($15,000 committed, will potentially be offset by external funding)
- Increases in salary payments and allowances based on Baptist Union Guidelines
- Continued contribution to Emily
- Potential spending on upgrading security ($7,000) and refreshing the church gardens ($3,000)
- Cover when Stu is on sabbatical (at some point in the next two years)
- Potential Children’s space worker
- Depreciation increased to cover potential capital purchases (laptop and carpet)
Note: Spending for new carpet (in the next few months) will be accounted for in ongoing depreciation, so this reduces the impact on current income/expenditure
Note: Spending for new carpet (in the next few months) will be accounted for in ongoing depreciation, so this reduces the impact on current income/expenditure
—Sarah Woodfield
Treasurer
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REGEN PROJECT
The purpose of using a Regenerative Process model for discernment has been provided in detail in numerous ways and locations over the first half of this year. As we consider Stories of this Place, we seek to discern answers to the questions:
- What is the Spirit saying to Cityside at this time?
- Who/what is Cityside being called to be in this place?
These questions come in response to various threads of exploration identified at Cityside.
The 2021 part of ‘Regen’ kicked off on February 28 with the initial introduction of the Storylines to encourage people to ask questions and get on board. This was followed up in subsequent weeks with 10 minute Sunday slots on Church History, Geological and Ecological storylines. Thanks to a range of people for their work on storylines
It has been a pleasure to get to know Rhyll Stafford who has been appointed as an independent Regen specialist to take us through this discernment process.
Where this process leads is undetermined, but we wait in quiet confidence and consider the two questions at the start of this Regen report. We are God’s servants gifted with dreams and visions. Upon us rests the grace of God like flames of fire. How might we best love and serve the Lord in the strength of the Spirit. My thanks to Stu for his preaching over the past weeks on being ‘Baptist’, membership and discernment, among other topics, to prepare us for this journey.
—Mark Haines
Regen Project Manager
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MATRIX
For the last year there has been a focus on relationships and community building within Matrix. This is due to the sense of disjointedness within the Matrix. This has led to intentional events, camps and times of building relationships between Matrix youth and with the leaders. Such events that have been paramount in building relationships have been Festival One, painting the Matrix room, Eastercamp and social events outside the typical Sunday.
Matrix started off the year transforming the basement room. Many of the young people helped in this process. Deciding how they wanted their space to look and then following through with the process of painting. We also owe a big thanks for Mark Haines for finishing off a large section of painting, thank you Mark!
Festival One & Eastercamp
Starting off the year at festival one allowed for myself, and Emily to build good relationships with many of the Matrix youth and the younger youth as well. It was also a wonderful time of community for many of the youth, not only among themselves, but also with the wider Cityside community.
This was the first year that I took some of the Matrix youth to Eastercamp. For a large portion of our young people this was their first year going to Eastercamp. There were mixed reviews regarding the actual programme of Eastercamp however, many of the youth thoroughly enjoyed the communal aspect of Eastercamp. We spent a large portion of Easter Camp together at our site where we played games, had fun and deep conversations and came up with strategies for super tag. Overall the young people loved it and myself, Micah and Emily who went found the young people a joy to lead and serve. The week leading into Eastercamp was a difficult one for me and I was thankful for the wonderful leadership that Emily and Micah provided for me during that week. Not only was it a great communal time for the youth but for us as leaders as well.
QB-Queens Birthday Weekend.
Over the Queens birthday weekend, myself, Emily and Micah went to Rotorua for a youth leaders training weekend. Not only did we bond with one another, we were able to build relationships with our wider Baptist community. Many of the seminars that we went to were challenging, informative and fun. I hope we can continue to grow as a team.
The Future
Currently we are working through the idea and understanding of ‘Identity’. This is a massive topic so we have done a few different personality quizzes to enable our young people to have language to explain their unique characteristics. Such as Myers Briggs and enneagram. We are now also looking at gender, identity and how the Christian faith ties into our identities. I hope we can also explore our identity as tangata tiriti in the coming future.
We have started a thing called ‘hot topics’. We asked our young people to write down a few topics they really wanted to explore and learn about. The word cloud shows the various answers that the young people wrote. We recently had one around Palestine and Israel led by Murrary Sheard and the youth loved it! Thank you to Murray for providing the space and sharing your knowledge with our young people.
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Children’s Space
What have we been doing together this last year? Lockdown gatherings on Zoom, Advent dress-up dramas—biblical and historical, a Dutch/German Christmas sleepover that included making and eating hundreds of pepernoten (spice biscuits), belfry climbing, Trinity prayer bracelets, exploring Jesus’ I AM sayings, clay craft, walking to the rock forest on Mt Eden to discover its ancient story, yummy food, stories of holy troublemakers, a puppet play, a bake sale for Jammies for June, mapping our environment and praying with creation, star cookie decorating, prayer tents, tree-planting with A Rocha, a brazier with marshmallows, singing, and now in this term ‘ exploring ‘hearing from God’, and the return of a learning space for our littlies…
A big thank you to Jeannie Cochrane for leading Children’s Space until Sept 2020 with so much warmth and care! Since then a Collective (mostly of parents but also of wider Citysiders 12) has imagined our way together through three+ terms. The energy, passion, aroha, variety and creativity each one has invested is just so very much appreciated! It has been said that for a child to feel they too belong in church they need to have at least five meaningful relationships with others—not just their peers and family. We hope this is coming true.
We encourage everyone to take time to get to know our young ones. They all are an amazing group of very thoughtful, fun, capable, curious, and creative human beings.
— Rosemary Dewerse
Children’s Space
Three photos:
The adults are taught the story of Sintaklaas/Sint-Nicolaas @ Christmas:
Bats in the belfry? Exploring Cityside.
140 trees now added to Te Auaunga (Oakley Creek).
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RENTALS
Greetings to all Citysiders! For anyone new to our community, it may come as a surprise that the Cityside building is a busy hive of creative activity through the week. As we are in the middle of researching the stories of Cityside—I thought it might be interesting to some of you to find out how this all came about! If not—jump straight to those rental facts and figures that follow!
The Cityside rentals community timeline with a few fun-facts thrown in:
2003–2004: I Damaris, and my family—Hayden (husband), Ophelia (then 3yo) and Paris (then 2yo) came along to Cityside intermittently. I felt a strong kinship with the Cityside kaupapa—bursting with creativity in its own right and a sanctuary of safety for people to explore their spiritual questions. I really appreciated it and actually decided to become a member in mid 2004 but funnily enough, something, many things interrupted my life flow and I was simply never able to return after day. Instead, I joined the Catholic Church and worked for a Catholic order of monks for 10 years!
2005–2009: Intermittently hung out in a social/spiritual journeying way with Brenda Rockell—then the minister of Cityside and the same age as I am. Both Andrew (Brenda’s husband) and she, for a time, met with my husband Hayden and I, to talk about spiritual things and do something that was akin to praying—not really, but kind of actually—in an ‘oh so very Cityside fashion’! I remember praying with Brenda over the phone once. Cityside was under massive pressure financially. I remember praying that somehow I could help but considering I suffered from terrible ongoing anxiety at the time, (aftermath of a brain injury) this seemed highly unlikely and I didn’t think about it again until….
2011: I started running courses called the Artist’s Way. One of the exercises in the book is to look at your house and get rid of things you don’t love and start bringing in the things you do. I realised I had a bedroom full of art stuff. I decided that I needed to either sell it or do something with it. The next day, a woman I hardly knew rang me out of the blue and told me there was an art studio space available at the ‘Project 12’ collective around the corner in Normanby Road.
I was with them for 18 months until their lease ran out. No one there felt they could take on the responsibility of running the collective except for me. We couldn’t renew the lease in that space, so I started looking…
2013: A real estate agent called me after more than 6 months of looking. “Would you mind being in a church?” she said? “What church?” I answered. “Cityside Baptist” she said. I laughed! “Sure-I’ll take a look!”
Brenda and I negotiated a deal through the agent and in August 2013, ‘Studio 8’ was born. (Later renamed the ‘Art Studio Collective’ due to competing identities elsewhere.) My family and I came to a service and the Cityside congregation officially blessed my studio business. I spoke my intention for the business to be of service to the church.
2015: Walking down the stairs to the basement, I saw a large storage room—just big enough for a band… My two children, Ophelia and Paris were then 14 and 15 and both drummers, Hayden and I were also regularly annoying our neighbours with our guitars and vocals. With the help of Craig Drown, we set up amps and played music as loud as we possibly could and eventually managed to convince the rest of Cityside management team that a music rehearsal room was a far more exciting prospect than storage and that it was sufficiently soundproof enough to host a rehearsal room.
(Believe it or not—you can have a heavy metal band playing full blast in there while hosting silent mediation in the main sanctuary and the meditators would never know!)
With the assistance of concrete drillers to create a couple of ventilation shafts to the outside and the installation of a second recycled door—“Room 94” was born and has been hosting many, many, many grass-roots Auckland bands and occasionally an under the radar super star trying to find some peace and quiet. (A member of One Direction has actually practiced here at Cityside.)
2016/2017: I struck a deal with the Cityside management team. Why not try and rent out the big hall spaces in Cityside during the week? We put the arrangement on trial and it worked. Rather than leases on spaces, these are rented on a commission basis. ‘Drink ‘n Draw’—life drawing classes were one of our first regular rentals groups and four years later are still going. Juliet Furness Acting School started with us, as did Mt Eden Improv. Since then poetry performance, live music and theatre groups have been with us constantly; as have the activist groups and community groups of many kinds.
2017/2018: the Art Studio Collective grew to include a larger part of the basement too. Painters, potters and screen printers have all had their turn and nowadays—a painter, a fashion designer and a 3-D printer sculptor creatively co-inhabit the space.
The vision of my company 8SPACE is to ‘nurture creativity’ and together with the amazing Vibe of relaxed love, freedom and acceptance that Cityside provides, this place is a creative sanctuary that has been Cityside church and 8SPACE partnership. Built on the back of the beautiful kaupapa that was established long before I ever arrived—this business has thrived. It will never make any of us rich, but it has certainly provided a stable income for Cityside for 8 years now (remember my prayer with Brenda many years ago). And beyond that, it has been a truly happy place of creative community for so many.
Thank you to all of you for creating and allowing this awesome Vibe to thrive. It is my firm belief that as we draw close to our creative impulse, we draw close to God.
Yours faithfully,
—Damaris Kingdon
Director 8Space Ltd
damariskingdon@gmail.com
Or
damaris@cityside.org.nz
021 662 657
Special thanks to Stu and Hyunsil—your weekly care and support are absolutely amazing and I appreciate you both without end.
Rentals facts and figures
Cityside income from 8SPACE Ltd. (only)Spaces leased/rented by 8Space:
- Art Studio Collective: Main Art Studio Space, connected offices and basement cubicles
- Storage Spaces: basement cubicles at the back of the Matrix youth room and at the bottom of the stairs (northern stairwell to the basement) the largest storage space has been converted to Room94—Music Rehearsal Space
- Use of common spaces at Cityside: Hall, Auditorium and upstairs Meeting Room—when not booked out to other renters
Notes:
- 8SPACE lost significant income from the music rehearsal room over higher alert levels in the second half of 2020. Cityside ‘ shared the hit’, which attributes to the slight dip in income over the December and January period as that was when a support credit to 8SPACE was applied. We were able to keep the Art Studio open on a roster at Alert Level Three with a rigorous level of hygiene maintained.
- 8SPACE paid full rent through February and March despite the move to higher alert levels in that period.
Details on other rentals over page
Cityside income from other
weekly renters
- The main auditorium
- The hall and kitchen area
- Two small offices on the mezzanine floor
- The upstairs meeting room (not advertised, only used as an overflow space)
- Matrix (not advertised, only used as an occasional overflow space)
The impact of Covid 91 on Cityside income: Is quite visible over the last 12 months; reflected in the August period due to the lockdown last year, a lower than average income over the Christmas holiday period and lower than average income in the early months of 2021 due to the higher alert levels implemented at that time also.
We are set to have a jump on those figures as Link Alliance is now renting space on behalf of the community every weekday till the end of the year.
Impact of Covid 91 on our people: While the impact of Covid 19 hasn’t been good for our pockets so much; it has certainly provided a huge gain in quality of relationships. Nothing like going through a global pandemic for us to see our vulnerability and need for one another. There is also no doubt that a well-organised national response has boosted our feelings of gratitude as we look to what others are going through overseas. Add to that—the lack of ability to travel has meant that investment in the arts is high! Never before have so many of our artists been exhibiting and selling work so prolifically. The studio has been buzzing, music is blazing and the hugs and personal support shared around has been a delight to see.
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Citysider reports
I’ve been coming to Cityside since late 2020. That’s pretty much as long as I can remember.
I feel really at home here—I crawl around on the floor and when I smile at people they smile back, even if I’ve just dropped a biscuit in their bag or put a grubby hand on their sleeve.
I love the music at Cityside. I join in by singing, dancing and sometimes sitting on the instruments. I also love the pictures on the walls. I wish I could touch and taste them. As soon as I’m tall enough, that’s what I’ll do. When I’m tall enough, I’ll also check out those flickery candles.
Sometimes I’m tired during church, so my parents take me into the side room where I can play with toys. Sometimes they take me out to see what the big kids are doing.
Earlier this year I was dedicated with my friends Otto and Wade. My cousins, uncles, aunties and grandparents were there for it—all my favourite people.
—Māia Tebbutt
Report by Evelyn
Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges, West Coast beaches and Waitemata Harbour filled my childhood. I’m a Westie. My mum is a Remuera girl, my dad a Northcote Point boy. Mum’s mum, wearing a crisp nurse’s uniform and bright lipstick, shook the Queen’s hand when she visited in the 50s. Mari Moir was a nurse and died in her 90s in the Waiatarua nursing home she worked in as a younger woman. She was from Gisborne. Dad’s mum, Muriel Blatch, from Opotiki, lost a beloved brother in WW2 and a beloved son not long before she died, also in her 90s. She was tennis hotstuff. Jenny (Jeanette) McCallum and Neil Keating eloped from the Listener and NZ Herald offices of Shortland Street, Auckland, to London where they married in 1969, Mari and a bunch of Beatles-lookalike mates in the photos. Catherine, James, Alastair and I were born over the next decade. As kids, with our parents, we rolled with the Christian and Missionary Alliance churches in Auckland (West Harbour and Blockhouse Bay) and Canberra (Waramanga). I was part of Te Atatu Bible Chapel in my teens and came to Cityside 22 years ago. In France, I dabbled with the Eglise Evangelique (Protestant church) and came to appreciate the chill and calm of Catholic cathedrals in the middle of the day. Russell Cornes is my hoa rangatira and hails from Kawerau. Together we have three children—Douglas, Rocky and Jane: 11, 8 and 0 16 months ago. Jane died in the very early stages of labour and I birthed her gently and peacefully some hours later. Her ashes are at home with us here in Mangere Bridge. My name is Evelyn. I’ve hardly been at Cityside over the last year-ish, partly because the idea of reconnecting with so many people in one morning has been a little daunting. Reconnecting after a momentous life event (here, death) takes time. I’ve got a good 40 years to do the rounds, I figure. It’s never too late to reconnect but rushing things doesn’t work for anyone. I love coming to church and having a shared focus: we may not necessarily look at each other or even interact but we’re side by side, in each other’s company, being enlarged of heart by the same words or sounds or silence or prayers. I am grateful to Mark, Brenda, Stu for stitching us together through the years and turning on the Zip.
Report by Jenny De Leon
(Citysider for 25 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Reflecting upon what is said, especially in the Hot Text and sermons
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Deep thoughtfulness and contemplation; it’s all too rushed sometimes
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
thoughtfulness and contemplation
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Remembering someone who hasn’t been in a while and reaching out to that person
Report by Josh
(Citysider for From way back!)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
That the body of Christ exist to reflect the extent to which it can reach out and into the hearts of others and the extent to which the capacity of aroha is mobilized from within the body of Christ.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Our maturing relationship with hapori karaitiana Maori (our connection with the Maori Christian community). Our connecting points with Maori can be diverse however, as a body of believers in JC and the Christian message, we need to engage with Maori Christians more because they bring into focus the real purpose of culture (indigenous or otherwise).
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Having korero beyond the weather, rugby and politics! Trying to understand together this whole space of ’community’ and what that might mean for CSB now and in twenty years time.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
When manuhiri (visitors) are present, to mihimihi (welcome) them using reo Maori as a preferred medium of manaakitanga (exemplar of hospitality) and making our bicultural presence visible, heard and felt.
Report by Brenda
(Citysider for Many years!)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Every week people share things which make me think about what I believe, and why (or why not). So the never-ending journey of learning and experiencing goes on.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Seems like the Regen process is likely to be our focus for quite a while, which is okay with me. I’m not sure I really quite get why it feels so important to some people, but I don’t mind seeing how it evolves.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Not knowing what might be going to happen after I walk through the door, and yet the foundation always feels very strong. I love that many different people contribute to the services, and that in hearing them we get to learn more about our community members.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
I sometimes feel we could dedicate more time to praying for others.
Report by Mark McEwan
(Citysider for Some history...but I am NEW!)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Spiritual formation? I don’t understand what that means. What I do know is that there are good people here and gathering together could therefore only be a good thing—a God inspired thing when spirit is involved. So spiritually speaking Cityside is giving me a source for worship ideation and to join in some kind of love motivated group. The more real it is will determine how effective my spiritual transformation will be—or at least my growth Godward.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
I would like to help with the music...I would like to see more singing to be encouraged for all and maybe the formation of a little band for Sundays.
However, I am not committing yet as I need to be sure that I am in the right place for this to happen and I would rather wait a little than say Yes—I will do this and then, not do it.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Good people
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Not too much listening over the entire service. It must be punctuated with some sort of participation—whether that be engaging with immediate neighbours in small groups, or singing together or praying up front (OUT LOUD) when lighting a candle. I am not an emmissary for the silent ones. I have enough of that living alone. Perhaps A chance to speak out, if stirred by the service.
Report by Mark Laurent
(Citysider for 23 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
">I’ve been a member of Cityside for quite a few years and I appreciate the steadiness of who we are. We explore faith’s deeper questions, and occasionally dig into the challenging and uncomfortable bits, but this never seems to derail us, but, because of the shared trust and aroha of this community, keeps making us stronger and more grounded in following Jesus.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
The Regen process has the potential to show us more clearly what our mission is, and I think developing a certain sense of outreach will be a healthy thing for us, as it’s part of what Jesus calls all his followers to do—to take his love and mahi to the world we’re in.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Just keep being who we are—God is with us and we have a particular ’flavour’ that is good seasoning for this—or any- time.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
We do interiority pretty well—it will be good as we learn to look more outwardly at what we can offer the Auckland community, the wider church, and the culture at large.
Report by Cilena Farnham
(Citysider for 1 year maybe)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Understanding myself n the context of a very natural world where we are spiritual beings having a human experience
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
The Maori partnership because it’s long overdue cuzzie
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Pauses to hear God, completations, candles everyone having their piece
I think we could do better in the following ways:
We are doing better, we maybe can do powhiri much better & forgiveness focus confession is great. Letting go of control, things you don’t understand... Allowing the expression of the holyspirit more freedom. Prophetic not left in the dark or isolated because of bad experience. God’s doing something couregous in our midst, let’s step into it.
Report by Karen H
(Citysider for 8+ years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Allowing space, provoking my thinking and enlarging my vision of God. Love the way contemplation is woven through who we are.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
How we interact with our local community, given the anticipated growth.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Different ways of doing worship. Participation in our services. The opportunity to curate. Getting to know amazing people.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Hope that we get some ideas for this emerging from the ReGen process.
Report by anon
(Citysider for 9 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
When I first came to Cityside I needed a space just to ’be’ and recover. Cityside is good for this, but this should not be seen as its default position for everyone or a requirement for belonging. Over the past few years I’ve had the chance to be more involved and commit to helping out in different ways. Spiritual formation for me has come through learning to do and to be and to understand the need to balance those in different ways at different times. Cityside allows space for that to happen in its own rhythm and at its own pace. Contemplative practice is something I find hard to do but I benefit from it and appreciate the part it plays in the lives of people at Cityside.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Having read through quite a bit of church history of late, I have become aware of the richness of each season 8 Mt Eden Rd has journeyed through, including the smaller seasons within Cityside’s history on this site. But there have also been moments of trial and despair as is typical in the life of any organisation.
I am hopeful that the discernment process that Regen takes us through will give us a sense of knowing how the version of Cityside now might look like as shared purpose for the future. An article about 8 Mt Eden Rd 2.0 (The City Mission) from the Central Leader in 1971 (50 years ago) was rather prophetically titled An oasis of relief in Auckland’s concrete jungle. Today we use the word sanctuary instead of oasis. The Rev T Fear who was Missioner in the early 1960s wrote in his 1965 report, For some considerable time I have been giving serious thought to the many varied activities of the Mission, to try to answer the questions: 1. What have we achieved? 2. Where are we now? 3. What of the future? 4. What is my own personal task? These are questions worth pondering for myself and I hope to get some clarity on over the next 12 months.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Initially, it was the space to sit and have time stop for 90 minutes on a Sunday morning.
Being challenged about what matters and what doesn’t.
Excellent and varied curation of services.
The chance to hear from many voices about their journey.
Knowing that I am welcome.
Openness to possibilities.
Seeing new people come into the church space on a Sunday, knowing that some may move on to somewhere else in the future, but that their time with us was worthwhile and one where they found sanctuary.
The depth and resulting challenge of what is ’preached’ by Stu and others.
Music/songs/poems/art... that come from people at Cityside.
Hearing outsiders come into the building and be struck by the space that exists and the sense of rest and sanctuary that they can’t quite put their finger on.
The rental communities and the work Damaris does in this space.
And so on...
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Hmmm....
Report by Sarah Woodfield
(Citysider for Since early 2017)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Cityside invites me to consider ways of thinking that are new to me, and introduces concepts that I find challenging.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Environmental Stewardship in big and small ways. Why, because it’s ever more urgent in our current and future world
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Connections with people. During church, and outside church
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Supporting those in leadership, and also those who may not feel part of the core group
Report by Jaimee
(Citysider for 2 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Cityside has given me a place to be contemplative in a communal way. I love the way some of these practices challenge my normal stance and open up the horizons of my faith experience
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
I think Cityside has so much to offer but sometimes it feels like we’re a bit solipsistic as a community. I’d love to see us think about how we can invite others (particularly other Christians) to see the value of art and creativity within worshipful spaces.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Two things. The first is the openness of the space. I feel like I am welcomed, no questions asked, and that this is a beautiful representation of the posture of the body of Christ. Secondly, I love the space to think and question; that there is no defined way of being or doctrine that must be kept. This freedom to explore faith is a real value in the community.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
I think we could do better relationally. While I have felt really welcomed, the cityside community has been a hard one to find genuine relationships in and I feel unsure of my place in that sense. I definitely think I could try harder but as a new person to the church there have been some big barriers that are hard to get through.
Report by Anon
(Citysider for 8 months)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
It has help me grow so much and has taught me new ways I can connect with God
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
I really appreciated how welcoming the community is
Report by Kimberley
(Citysider for 22 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Great people. Challenging messages. A weekly space dedicated to connecting with God.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Keep connecting with each other.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Focus on justice.
Report by Roelant Dewerse
(Citysider for 2 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Regular challenge to remain engaged with my own formation and with others. Lots of good opportunities to apply faith to my life and our community’s life.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Faith interaction with issues each of us are facing, particularly in our workplaces. These are often the toughest and most persistent challenges we face.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Grace and acceptance of a wide range of ideas and people’s conditions. Creativity in worship.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Focus less on the negative aspects of the wider church (disaffection) and more on the challenges we feel called to take on. Many of us have made a clear decision to reject parts of Christian culture with which we do not agree, and are ready to move on and create an alternative. I find it distracting and unhelpful to make comparisons with others. We are not others, so let’s define ourselves by who we want to be, not who we don’t want to be.
Report by Michelle Parkinson
(Citysider for At least 20 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
I’m not sure. The community is helpful, and the discussions and acceptance of each other. Hearing other people’s ideas. The contemplative parts of the service. I like the singing, it makes me feel connected to the church.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
I don’t know. I just want us to keep loving each other and sharing our lives.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
">Stations and responses. Contemplative times. Prayers for others. Open respectful discussion.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Not sure.
Report by Nicola McMeikan
(Citysider for 13 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
introduced me to spiritual practices, inspired me through the people who share at the front
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
continued development of ways of listening to God together
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Fellowship, journeying together in a spiritual growth kinda way, explorations of spiritual practice, eclectic contributions from the front, openness to a broad range of activities within the service, that the space is held for people to opt out or be late, arty stuff, times of being open to discussion from the pulpit, acknowledgement of a range of stances
I think we could do better in the following ways:
I think the regen process is helping us explore ways in which we could be more connected to our wider community/ies
Report by Jeannie Cochrane
(Citysider for I’ve lost count but I think its about 19 years.)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
I’ve drawn inspiration and motivation for my own spiritual journey from the stories and input from others during the Sunday morning service. I have my own spiritual practices and can read books and listen to podcasts on my own but the experience of being together with others enriches my life in a way that doing things on my own can not.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
More connection between the different age groups / generations. I believe we will all be the richer for spending quality time with those in a different stage of life from us. It would be great if all Citysiders of whatever age knew the names of most other Citysiders and could have a meaningful conversation with them. I think we do this to some extent already by including everyone in discussion groups when these happen in a service. But I think there is room to do this more fully.
Is this the space to say I am excited by the Regen process and look forward to seeing what emerges from this.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
I have found it very valuable to spend time with a diverse range of people who help me to think about topics, issues and concepts I wouldn’t otherwise have considered.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Hospitality. I’m not great at it myself. i would love to have more people to our place for a meal but find it difficult to make happen for a variety of reasons. I loved Helen and Grant’s stone soup idea as it was the most stress free pot lucks I have ever attended.(Though now I don’t drive at nights so couldn’t attend something like that.) I have questions around how hospitality might look like in these days when people are already very busy. I would be interested in any conversation around this.
Report by anon
(Citysider for About 12 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Hearing new ideas (espec grappling with how to reflect bi-culturalism) plus encouraging me to remember the God of Life in my everyday living. Some of the services have been inspiring/challenging/uplifting/moving too. Thanks to all who contribute there.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
to continue our bi-cultural learnings. What we learn at Cityside will help us to be more useful in this important area in our places of work too.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Hearing from a wide range of people in the services.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
More social stuff... so we can get to know each other better. Especially important for newer arrivals.
Report by NIcky Gumbrell
(Citysider for 11 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Hearing how other people’s faith changes their attitudes and beliefs so that I feel challenged /encouraged
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
Church disco. Was such a cool time at the last one.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
Lots of participation within the services. Hot text. Interviews with people.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
Arriving closer to 10am for the service start. (rather than people coming in up til 10.30). Being intentional at introducing new people to the community—learning names.
Report by anon
(Citysider for 20+years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
Through spending time with the good people!
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
The regen process sounds great but I need to learn more.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
The community and all they bring. The network of connections and support.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
I’m deeply uneasy with collectively (or individually) discerning the spirit, and I don’t really understand (probably my fault & poor attendance) what this is trying to achieve. People have always had ideas and dreams and visions and the collective moves, or doesn’t, in those directions based on a thousand different factors (strength of personality & level of fervour & whether the ideas resonate, align, match the mood, inspire, challenge etc). I would not be happy if the aim were to try to create a statement of vision or what we ’should’ do.
Report by Roxie Haines
(Citysider for 6 years)
Cityside has helped my spiritual formation in the following ways:
I really appreciate the breadth and depth of cityside and think that this has contributed to my spiritual formation in many ways. Learning new practices and continuing to work with ones I find harder and less inclined towards has been cool. I have struggled at times in feeling like I am part of a church family and as a result have felt my faith is relatively passive and church is just a thing I go to without regular conversations around journeying and faith. I have appreciated more time within services for conversation and discussions as this helps provide context to follow on from when having conversations over morning tea.
Something I would like to see Cityside bring into focus in the next 12 months is (and why?):
I really appreciate hearing from new and different voices and have enjoyed this over my time at Cityside. How do we keep encouraging participate and involvement from a wider group of Citysiders when life seems very full for some.
I am excited to see what the next few months of our journey in the regenerative space will ignite and the will that will build from this process. Having this so deeply connected to and alongside our bi-cultural journey and our engagement with our rentals and artists whanau as well as into the wider city as a whole feels right and how this will continue to inform us as a faith community.
A bit of a random one but it always feels like we are often pushed for time in the services—i know there are some restraints around things and no one loves a long as service but wonder if there is opportunity for us to make more space sometimes for what is taking place. Just a small wondering, nothing major.
What I’ve valued in my time at Cityside and would love to continue into the future:
I love that cityside is somewhere where I feel comfortable about my faith. Having a space that is big enough to hold us all within. I like the relaxed feel of our services the rawness and honesty and space made for people to share. Space made for people to be. Our commitment to exploring wildernesses and shadowsides and the willingness to confront and discuss things that are harder and lots of churches would shy away from. I love our 3rd Sundays and labyrinths and how music doesn’t feel performative within our services. How can we continue to explore creative worship practices.
I think we could do better in the following ways:
I think I write this every year—I have continually struggled to feel connection with people at church and it feels like we often aren’t a body. It feels like we are busy and full. I think this is something that makes my faith feel so passive—and have been thinking about what fellowship looks like as an active part of being a Christian.
I don’t know what it looks like to do better in this but it would be cool to make room for more conversations around what we could do in this space helping foster deeper connections and community, journeying and supporting one another together.