A church working for our growing and diverse community
Our present-day church, although placed on the edge of Barry Curtis Park, is surrounded by a mushrooming community. This growing community is a melting pot of culture, ethnicity and faith.
A few years ago it was decided that a new building was needed to meet the demands of this growing community. A design is now completed and our initial estimates indicate that we are challenged with raising 7.5 million dollars to build our new church.
We believe that this is a project for the whole community. If a church is to grow in to-day’s world, it needs to reach beyond boundaries of culture and creed; to be relevant to our diverse community; to be present in the lives of all as they deal with the vagaries and questions of life.
In order to be a church for our community, we need to not only meet their spiritual needs but also to care for their material, physical and emotional needs. To that end, the plans include facilities which can be used for programmes such as;
Our hope is that St Paul’s in the Park will become a community gathering point for many of the people of Flat Bush. The heart of the complex is the Worship space. Some of the main spaces form a Community Centre. The Main Entry and the Café which are very public parts of the complex have been designed by BSM Group Architects to frame a north-oriented Church Yard for formal gatherings and informal recreation but also to be a crossing point for the paths through the Park that are enjoyed by all park users.
Mayor of Manukau 1983-2007
I am delighted to give my full support to this important project.
During my Mayoralty, I actively promoted the purchase of large tracts of strategically located rural land to vest in Council as Public Open Space. This included 290 acres at Flat Bush from the Anglican Church Trust Board to create a magnificent passive and active park complex adjacent to the Church property fronting Chapel Road. Part of the purchase by Council was later utilised to achieve the planned integration of the Park with the proposed Ormiston Town Centre. I am so pleased that the “Church in the Park” concept mirrors the “School in the Park” which we successfully achieved at Macleans Park at Bucklands Beach. Moreover, I have no doubt that a new
strong and lively community-based “St Pauls in the Park” will, like Macleans College, be a huge asset to the rapidly developing Ormiston community and beyond. My sincere congratulations to all concerned in the promotion of the visionary project.
All Black Captain and Centurion
I have seen the plans and vision for the new church and community centre at Flat Bush.
I am in full support of this initiative to provide a new and modern venue which will bring the people of the community together.
Right now, our community needs projects like this more than ever.
QSO JP Former Deputy Mayor, Manukau City
“This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!”
Tena koutou katoa, all-encompassing greetings to each of you! What a wonderful story you are all becoming part of. In the days of Manukau City Council, Barry Curtis Park was developed from land that the Council purchased from the Anglican Church Trust Board. Only the adjoining boundary of St Paul’s Chapel site fronting Chapel Road was retained by the Trust Board for historical reasons. You are about to become part of a new historical chapter in the life of Aotearoa Rural Settlement, the Mission Church, Manukau City, Auckland City and beyond. Barry Curtis Park is a place for all people of the city, and wider. It is a place where the natural landscape not only enhances the built environment, but where the seasons reflect the wonders of creation at the ‘front doorstep’. It is a place where ownership is much wider than a Land Title. It is a place of belonging for all cultures and creeds – “My Park, My Place”! To know that the Diocese of Auckland is going to further expand upon that communal taonga and build a Church complex that will become part of the local community (and wider) in a new and creative way; that reaches out to welcome communities as a place of gathering for all ages for worship, fellowship, events, clubs, advice and meetings; is creating a church that genuinely expands the heartbeat in the midst of a diversely expanding community. Furthermore, the ‘boundary’ is extended in Spirit by St Paul’s becoming “St Paul’s in the Park” echoing voices from the past, creating holistic health and wellbeing in the present, perpetuating common ground for all in the future …… what a beautiful peaceful presence in all the hustle and bustle that will manifest into “Our Park, Our Place”! I congratulate Reverend Warner Wilder and the Diocese of Auckland for the seamless reintegration to the natural amenity that was, to enable all that can truly ‘become’. I am thankfully excited!
Anglican Diocese of Auckland
It seems not many years since St Paul’s was a typical small country church surrounded by dairy herds and sparse housing. Now it serves a new and rapidly intensifying urban development, connecting different socio-economic neighbourhoods and a great diversity of cultures. The country chapel needs to be complemented by a multipurpose gathering place for worship, social services and community activities. This major transformation requires much careful planning and substantial financial support. The planning is well advanced. The money required is the urgent and immediate need. I invite you to join the many people who will help this happen for the benefit of countless new and established residents in South-East Auckland.
Reverend Warner Wilder, Priest in Charge
St Paul’s in the Park, Flat Bush
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