Services - Tawa Linden Anglican Churches

Wednesday
10.00am Worship, Bible Study and Communion Service in a small group context (St Peter’s Church Cnr Hinau St and Collins Ave)

Thursday
11.20am Short, Simple Anglican Communion Service at the Chapel at Longview Rest Home 14 Sunrise Boulevard, Tawa.

Monthly Services
Youth Service at St Peter’s Church on 4th Sunday of month. This service is aimed at Young People Yr 7 to University age but all ages are welcome. The service begins at 7pm at St Christopher’s Church.

Special Services For Children: Thanksgiving and Blessing Service It is a wonderful joy to welcome a new baby life into your family and the occasion of a new birth leads many parents to think about marking it in a special way. Many parents recognise their children as a gift from God but are not at a point in their lives to make a commitment to the church as is required in Baptism, but wish to give thanks for and ask God’s blessing for their child. It is our joy to shape a service of thanksgiving and blessing ( or naming and blessing if you prefer) to express that desire. These services are usually celebrated by our ministers at your home with close friends and family present, but arrangements may be made to conduct the service in one of our churches.
Dedication and Blessing Service Although we are in name and practice an Anglican Church we have people from many different Christian traditions worshipping with us, including a number of Christian parents who wish to commit their child to God and themselves to raising their child in the Faith of Christ, but delay the question of baptism until their child is old enough to make the declaration of faith themselves. In these instances we are happy to conduct a short dedication and blessing.
Baptisms Before enquiring about baptism we ask that you come and worship with us at either of our Churches. Baptism is the initiation rite of the Church; it is how one becomes a member of the body of Christ. It is a response to the call of Jesus to believe and then be baptised. The NZ Anglican Prayer book describes it as ‘a new start to life in which the baptised person is accepted and sealed by God with the Holy Spirit to represent Christ to the World” . All baptisms are conducted in the context of Christian worship, usually at a Sunday service. All baptisms of infants require that at least one of the parents is a professing Christian who regularly attends worship. Because the community of Faith in which a person is baptised also makes a commitment to help encourage that person to grow in the faith we ask that you worship with us regularly for at least three months before seeking baptism.
Infant Baptisms Children are baptised into the Church as full members on the understanding that they will make a public declaration of faith through Confirmation (see below) when they are older. A declaration of faith is made by the Parents and Godparents of a child during the baptism service in response to God's gift of grace in Baptism. Baptisms may be conducted using our font or a full immersion pool depending on the context ( either way we use a lot of water!!). Please phone the Church office to arrange an appointment with one of our ministers. Older children/ teenagers and adults- As soon as a child, teenager or adult not previously baptised, comes to faith and is able to articulate belief in Jesus as Lord and Saviour and a desire to follow Him for the rest of their lives they should be encouraged to be Baptised. It is our custom to conduct such baptisms in a suitable pool or occasionally at the beach. If you wish to explore baptism please ring the Church office and you will be linked with a mentor.
Confirmation Service Confirmation Serves two purposes. Firstly it is part of the Baptismal rite for those who were baptised as infants. In confirmation the baptised declare their faith and are commissioned for Christian Service. This second purpose is the seeking of the blessing of God and the authority of the church as a mature person takes up the call to discipleship and service in the Anglican context. The Bishop of Wellington is the person who confirms youths and adults. Confirmation is usually conducted in the context of a special service outside of a Sunday. All people who have been baptised as infants should be encouraged to seek confirmation when they are old enough to understand the call and cost of following Jesus and serving the world. We usually have one confirmation service a year, but if you are considering being confirmed please talk to one of our ministers Phone 232 8448
Weddings The New Zealand Prayer book describes marriage in this way “Marriage is the promise of hope between a man and a woman who love each other, who trust that love, and who wish to share the future together. It enables two separate people to share their desires, longings, dreams and memories, and to help each other through their uncertainties.” Marriage is one of the most important decisions people make in their lifetime and we are committed to helping make marriages work. Any couple considering being married at Tawa Linden Anglican church must do a marriage preparation course. Our Ministers make use of the PREPARE/ ENRICH marriage preparation course which highlights couples strength and growth areas over a range of different relationship areas; marriage expectations, communication, conflict resolution, personality issues, financial management, role relationship, leisure activities, family and friends, children and parenting, sexual expectations, Spiritual beliefs. The course has been well received by all the couples we have married, and by those who have done the course but been married by another celebrant.
At Tawa Linden Anglican church we welcome wedding enquiries from couples who are considering marriage but there are some restrictions to who can be married in an Anglican Church and who can marry them.. To be married in the Anglican church one of the parties must be baptised, and the service must be conducted by an ordained minister of a recognised Christian church. Civil celebrants are not permitted to conduct services in an Anglican church. If you are celebrating a significant wedding anniversary or have recently renewed your marriage vows and would like prayer and a blessing in church please talk to one of our ministers on 232 8448
Funerals The loss of a loved one is distressing to families, friends and often wider communities. Our priests are experienced in caring and offering assistance to the bereaved in all areas of funeral service planning and the conducting of services. We have two churches in which services may be conducted - St Peter’s and St Christophers. Should you wish to pre-plan you own funeral, one of our ministers would be very happy to assist. Please phone the office to arrange an appointment