Knox Waitara

Knox Waitara gets fundraising green light

A fundraising feasibility study has concluded that Knox Waitara’s building replacement project has a good chance of success.

The study by fundraising firm Comptons was commissioned by Press Go, whose $500,000 grant to the project was contingent on the study having a positive outcome.

The project has an estimated cost of $2.6 million, and involves demolishing an existing substandard building and replacing it with a multipurpose community facility, taking advantage of the church’s prior purchase of two adjacent properties.

Knox is making a huge impact on Waitara, which scores poorly on socioeconomic indicators. The congregation has doubled in the past five years but further growth is being curtailed by the lack of room and substandard facilities.

It’s well know for its youth work, which attracts many children otherwise unconnected with the church.

Minister the Rev Dennis Flett says that they are starting to see results from young people who became part of the leadership training programme as children and are now teenagers.

Children and families worker Jennie McCullough says 36 children attended a Rua Camp for young leaders in late June. She says not many were from Christian families; “our numbers are much higher on the out-reach side”.

“It’s quite exciting when we see some of the older children starting to ignite.”

The girls group that meets weekly has developing a strong interest in prayer, Jennie says, with plenty of volunteers. “The girls are almost fighting to pray!”

She says that giving children a sense of purpose, through training them as leaders, is really important, especially if they are dealing with a troubled home life.

“If they’re got purpose from an early age, there’s not that void.”

Jennie uses different teaching techniques to capture the children’s and young people’s imaginations, including recently posing as a reporter and having each young person act the role of a disciple or Biblical character. One of the young people had been away from the church for a long period, because of his parents’ marriage break up, and after returning was chosen to be Peter in this exercise. Jennie says he went to a lot of trouble learning Peter’s story and understanding his situation. When it came to acting it out, “it was like he was Peter”.

“It was like a catalyst for him.

“We have to find the little spark in the young people.”

Dennis says the church is about to run an Alpha course, with quite a few registrations from people outside the church. They are hoping to run Alpha courses on a regular cycle, he says, as they tend to be a feature of healthy churches.

He says the congregation is committed to supporting the building project, and planning is underway at the moment for the start of an intensive fundraising phase.

- July 2010

Knox Waitara enjoys busy start to 2010

Every March, Knox Presbyterian in Waitara, Taranaki, holds seven days of prayer.

The Rev Dennis Flett says each night has a different focus, with the Wednesday a youth-focused Stations of the Cross.

“I arrived here at 8.30 pm and saw the leaders blown away by the response of the kids. Many are not from Christian homes. I heard stories of youth standing in front of the cross saying, ‘wow, wow, wow’.”

At Easter, the church set up a three-metre-high cross on a hill overlooking Waitara, gathering there early on Good Friday for sections of the passion story and shared communion. “Afterwards we go back to someone’s place for hot cross buns and a cuppa. We’ve done it for three years now. It is kind of rustic and gets the church out of the church building.”

A candlelight service held on Easter Sunday was “one of the most crowded services we have had”. People were given the opportunity to place a lighted candle under the cross (now in the church) to dedicate their lives for the next year.

Dennis says that this service made him realise “more than ever that we have to do something. We are at capacity.” But he says this doesn’t mean they are focusing only on the building issue.

“We need to develop better ‘people structures’ to contain our church and allow people to grow as Christians outside of what happens on a Sunday. Outworking the Christian faith takes place most of the time outside of the walls of a church building.”

Knox Waitara is working with an external group to complete a Press-Go-funded feasibility study for its building programme.

Press Go has granted the church $500,000 for its building replacement programme, contingent on Knox Waitara raising the rest of the costs.

- April 2010

Knox Waitara seeks room to grow

Knox Presbyterian Church in Waitara has tried some lateral approaches to fitting in more people on a Sunday.

Session clerk Graham Armstrong says one idea was to make the chairs smaller.

“We took all the chairs apart and cut off a couple of inches,” meaning several more chairs could fit in each row.

People need to be “reasonably keen” to come on a Sunday morning, says minister the Rev Dennis Flett, because it can be hard to find a seat.

Dennis says when he came to Waitara in 2007, the building was already “quite full”.

The church, which was built in 1924, can seat 100 people. Attendance in 2009 has averaged 100 adults each week, up from just over 80 in 2008.

The idea of improving Knox’s facilities has been around for about 10 years, Graham says, particularly because its hugely successful children’s ministry struggles with the available space.

Having two Sunday services was trialled but wasn’t successful, he says, partly because each was too small but mainly because people missed being together.

The church has a strong sense of community, with many members involved in leadership roles for its children’s and families’ programmes. These draw in a significant proportion of Waitara’s population and are making a visible difference in a town that has its share of difficulties.

“Our people are absolutely passionate about Waitara,” Dennis says. “We’re not so much an entertainment church; we’re an involvement church.”

As well as a children’s programme on Sunday mornings, Dynamite Bay Xtreme clubs for boys and girls aged seven to 11 are run on Tuesday nights, and a teenage youth group meets on Wednesday nights.

About 35 boys are part of the DBX boys group, which is led by men from the church; 30 girls, along with their teenage leaders, are part of the girls group.

Graham is a leader and he says they soon realised that the many boys from Waitara’s solo-parent families needed adult male role models. At times there is a waiting list, and boys are sometimes referred from social service agencies.

The youth group is 60-strong, and is a significant influence at Waitara’s high school, which has 300 students.

Children and families worker Jennie McCullough says children with leadership potential are identified early on, given training to help develop their potential, and put in leadership roles. They often start coming along to church as well.

Dennis says Knox’s success comes “from years of sowing”. “I’m getting the benefit of years of what other people did.”

His predecessor the Rev Guy Pilkinton made the Sunday worship team teenager-only, which brought the young people into church on a Sunday.

Worship leader Daniel Chapman looks for and trains young people to be part of the team, says Dennis’ wife Jenny. “They’re not necessarily musicians to start with.”

Because young people leave town every year, there are always gaps for new members.

“It’s a huge discipleship role. Every year he’s spotting people to train into next year’s music team,” says Jenny.

She says it’s really encouraging seeing young people who have come through the church’s programmes go away for tertiary study, then come back to settle in Waitara. “One of the visions is to see that generation grow into a strong sense of ownership of the church as adults. We seem to have developed a huge sense of belonging.”

The church intentionally has a casual, spontaneous, no-criticism culture, Jenny says, and unanimously endorsed the plans to replace the building.

Dennis says people appear to have little emotional attachment to the existing building: “they said, ‘just bulldoze it’”.

But the fundraising has caused a few more concerns, he says, with church members aware of the size of the sum needed in relation to their community’s ability to give.

While Press Go has granted Knox $500,000 towards the project, Knox needs to raise another $1.8 million to meet projected costs.

Dennis says one way that Knox can thank any churches or people who donate is by sharing their ideas and resources, or hosting anyone keen to see their ministries in action.

Graham says the plans aren’t about creating some kind of impressive monument.

“We’re not into building for the sake of having grand buildings. We just want to reach more people.”

At the moment, new people can feel they’re not really needed because the church is already too full, he says. “They can feel a bit intimidated by everyone being so close together.”

The existing structure is an earthquake risk, with no reinforcing in the concrete. Any attempts to enlarge it would require expensive remedial work, which means this option isn’t viable, Graham says.

In 2008, a “development dream team” was set up to investigate possibilities, which were limited by the fact that much of Waitara is leasehold land. The best option was a new building on the existing site, using the properties recently bought by the church on either side.

The elders have set the ambitious goal of completing the building by 2011.

“By building, we would be making a huge statement,” Dennis says, “we’d be saying ‘we believe in Waitara’”.

But he also says it’s important to remember that the building is only a tool. “I don’t want to see building become our focus. It’s a servant not the master.”

The plans include a new auditorium that will seat 300, a large youth hall, other spaces for the children’s ministries, and a large lounge and foyer.

Other community groups would be able to use the multipurpose facility.

Graham says a new building would mean bigger groups and more effective ministry.

“The youth group likes physical games. We just can’t do that because of lack of space.”

Other programmes that Jennie runs include the “Rainbow play group” for under fives, which sees 50 children and their mums come along every week, nearly all of whom are otherwise unconnected with the church. Many of the children go on to attend the DBX programmes.

Elder Ian Finer says having a paid worker has made a huge difference to the children’s ministry. “We’ve always had a lot of work with children and young people, but that’s really stepped up a level in the past couple of years.”

Jenny says by the time that the young leaders start in high school, “they’re used to leading and taking ownership”.

“They see school as their mission field.”

About 20 people have been baptised, many of them young people, in the past two years, with baptism services held about four times a year.

The youth “own” their programmes, Dennis says. “Jennie gives the structures, but they make the decisions; they’re treated as adults.”

But Knox isn’t just about young people. Dennis’ “date with Den” sees him regularly gathering with the older members of the congregation for a plate of date scones and an opportunity to ask questions about

any topic.

- Spanz March 2010

Knox’s young leaders make a difference in Waitara

Despite December’s busyness, teenagers at Knox Waitara found time to choreograph and present a modern interpretation of the Christmas story to four local primary schools.

Children and families worker Jennie McCullough says being open to opportunities is part of the church’s culture, along with encouraging young people to lead and serve.

When the idea of a short puppet show with contemporary music was suggested to Jennie, she asked some of the young people if they were interested. A handful of 15 year olds volunteered to devise and rehearse the show, which features drama, music and dancing and puppets. They performed last week at four primary schools, who were all eager to host them despite none being part of the Bible in Schools programme.

The youth ministry is also having a significant impact at Waitara’s high school. Of its 300 students, 60 are part of the youth group. In 2008 both the dux and head girl were Knox members. Along with seven other seventh formers from the church, they are heading away to university next year.

The Rev Dennis Flett says the challenge now is to develop the next batch of leaders; a process that’s already underway.

Jennie says children with leadership potential are identified early on, and given training and support to help develop their potential. They then become leaders of small groups within the larger children’s programme, which mostly attracted children otherwise unconnected with the church.

About 35 boys are part of the Dynamite Bay Xtreme boys group, which meets on Tuesday nights, and 30 girls, along with their teenage leaders, are part of the girls group.

While teenagers act as leaders in the girls group, men from the church are the small group leaders for the boys because many come from families without fathers. The programmes have become well known through the community because of the chance to interact with male role models, and boys are sometimes referred by social service agencies.

Dennis says children in the programmes, along with their families, often eventually start to come along to church on Sundays.

The end-of-year family night for the children’s programmes saw 80 children and parents share a meal together, with many parents coming along who weren’t part of the church.

Jenny Larsen was a leader in the children’s programmes for four years and has just finished her first year studying business at Massey University. Back for the summer holidays, she was helping out again in December.

Jenny says she really appreciates the opportunities she’s had, which have seen her apply for a leadership scholarship at university with Jennie’s help.

She agrees that the church desperately needs new facilities. “The hall just isn’t big enough. Try and get 80 in there playing basketball: you just can’t.”

With the help of Press Go and other fundraising, Knox plans to build a new facility to replace its dilapidated 100-seat church.

The church is packed on Sundays, with attendance in 2009 averaging 100 adults a week, up from just over 80 in 2008. Dennis says people have to be “reasonably keen” to come because it can be hard to find a seat.

The congregation has voted unanimously in favour of the plans, which include a new auditorium that will seat 300, a large youth hall, other spaces for the children’s ministries, and a large lounge and foyer.

They face a fundraising challenge, with Press Go’s grant of $500,000 still leaving more than $2 million to be raised.

Want to get involved?

  • Press Go is actively collecting donations to help Knox meet its fundraising target; email brendan@presbyterian.org.nz to talk about ways to give.

You can read much more about Knox’s ministries, culture and mission in the March issue of Spanz.

Waitara facts

  • According to the 2006 census, Waitara's population is just over 6000
  • Nearly 50 percent of the population has no formal qualifications
  • More than 55 percent of the population earn $20,000 a year or less
  • 29 percent of families are solo-parent families
  • Waitara's unemployment rate is twice the rate of Taranaki as a whole
  • All the schools are decile 1 or 2