Prominent in the entrance of St Heliers Church and Community Centre is a large stained glass window. The window, by Wellington artist Beverley Shore Bennett, sets the burning bush and the cross of St Andrews in the land of Aotearoa. This is a landscape dominated by the Southern Cross, with hues of green and blue reflecting the contours and moods of this place.

The window reflects the ethos of what has been happening in our church. The memory and tradition are still evident in the style of worship celebrated at one of the Sunday morning services. But here is also a new creativity, a commitment to seeing the symbols of the faith made meaningful within the colours, contours and textures of contemporary New Zealand life.

The simple question that this church continues to wrestle with is 'who are we here for?' St Heliers Church has sought to answer that simple question in its organisational structures, in its spending priorities and even in decisions made about the characteristics and purpose of worship.

St Heliers Church and Community Centre has committed itself to what it sees as its Gospel inspired mission of becoming an outreaching and welcoming place. Through the generosity of church members and a commitment to having a meaningful involvement in the life of the community the church has, over the last few years, developed a comprehensive and outward focused-ministry.

This is a church which wants the community to know that it is here. In fulfilling its mission it wants the community to know that the people in this church have a genuine interest in them and also that they know the answer to the question 'what is the church doing?'

Staff and volunteers work to make sure that whether people come through the doors to book a place in the tapas-making class or whether they come with a personal need for support or help, they will encounter something of the church's culture, faith and identity.

While this work has helped to support a modest growth in church attendance its main focus has been to communicate the Gospel in meaningful and concrete ways in the life of a secular community disinterested or oblivious to the message of the Christian faith.

The church now provides preschool and after school care, holiday programmes, and a range of child and adult education opportunities. It provides support for refugees, new immigrants and older people. It makes its facilities available to a wide range of community groups and it provides extensive programmes for teenagers. This activity sees around 60,000 non-church affiliated people come through its doors each year.

To successfully carry out these activities the church now employs over 20 staff and celebrates the support of more than 150 volunteers. The church is supported in its community work through relationships with other organisations like the Auckland City Council and the Christian City Church, who coordinate a worship event for older teenagers each Thursday night.

Through these developments the people of St Heliers Presbyterian Church have come to realise that there is no conflict-free answer to the challenge of Gospel proclamation in contemporary Auckland society. The church is finding that the telling of the Christian story in this landscape requires taking risks, finding a new language and providing support for creativity and innovation.