WHO WE ARE
OUR MISSION
We believe that our central kaupapa is to be a community of reconciliation that extends shalom (peace) to our community and reflects the beauty of the kingdom of God. This kingdom is at the heart of the verse that Rev. Samuel Marsden used in the first sermon that was preached in Oihi Bay on Christmas Day 1814.
Kororia ki te Atua i runga rawa; maungarongo ki te whenua; whakaaro pai ki ngā tangata katoa. Glory to God; peace on earth; good will to all people (Luke 2:14).
Here the angels announce that Jesus brings a kingdom that glorifies God and extends peace and goodwill throughout the earth. We are part of this kingdom because Jesus reconciled us to His father and we have now been made ambassadors of reconciliation.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, Paul tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” Paul then gives us a summary of the message of reconciliation; “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
We are all people who have experienced reconciliation to God through Jesus, because he chose to not count our sins against us. “So then, from now on, we have a new perspective that refuses to evaluate people merely by their outward appearances” (2 Corinthians 5:16). We are all trying to leave our prejudice behind so that we can journey together in our pursuit of God, despite our brokenness. We value relationship more than having all the right answers, although we seek the one who is Truth. We celebrate diversity, in all its forms, because we believe it is a reflection of the complex beauty of God. We love God because he first loved us and therefore we seek to love others first.
This expression of our kaupapa is an evolution of things that have been important to us since our beginnings in the 1980s. We express our kaupapa in three distinct ways: loving God, loving one another and loving our neighbour.
Our “Kaupapa” is our reason for being – the ideas, values and principles that inform all that we do. It speaks to why Northcity exists as a church whānau.
Loving God (worship):
We love to worship. This is more than song. It is about growing in our love for, and relationship with, our creator God as we posture ourselves in submission to him. This is the primary reason for coming together on a Sunday, and is reflected in our songs, testimonies, and sermons. We long for Wairua Tapu (Holy Spirit) to move in us and through us, empowering us and leading us in a life that reflects who we are as sons and daughters of God, and this begins with worship.
Loving One Another (whānau):
We love to worship. This is more than song. It is about growing in our love for, and relationship with, our creator God as we posture ourselves in submission to him. This is the primary reason for coming together on a Sunday, and is reflected in our songs, testimonies, and sermons. We long for Wairua Tapu (Holy Spirit) to move in us and through us, empowering us and leading us in a life that reflects who we are as sons and daughters of God, and this begins with worship.This begins on a Sunday, as we look to connect with one another and worship together. However, it also means we have a focus on people being connected through smaller groups, in which we look to develop authentic relationships of honesty, encouragement and support for daily life; providing an environment to learn, grow, celebrate, care for and serve together. We also have pastoral care systems in place to support whānau with the ups and downs life brings.
Loving Our Neighbour (mission):
Empowered by our relationships with God and one another, we offer manākitanga (love, hospitality, respect) to those around us. We encourage all of our whānau to see our daily lives as a place of mission, where we can be God’s representatives in the world. Corporately, we are very active in serving our local community through a range of services and initiatives. Lastly, loving our neighbour is outworked through engagement with overseas mission activity, either through whānau going overseas to serve, or through supporting friends who are active internationally.