City Church

Location: Stafford Street,Timaru. Upstairs Stafford Mall.
Denomination: Apostolic
Website: www.apostolic.org.nz
Church Services: 10 am & 6 pm Sundays
Groups:

My own visit

Date: 5th September 2004, a sunny Sunday morning

Service: 10-12 worship.

The building: An upstairs room in a mall in the main street in Timaru. A fashion outlet, a jeweller and a shoe shop occupy the building on the ground floor. A dental clinic faces the street on the 2nd floor. The church room must be behind this clinic. To reach it, I had to walk down an alley, ascend a flight of stairs and and finally go down a corridor. Only then did I exit into a large room with a low ceiling. There were no windows, except a few at the front, but they just divide the room from a windowless corridor.

The décor: The light was quite dim, so that the church was quite dark inside. The bare walls are painted beige with one red wall. There's a drinks counter at the back of the church. Rows of plastic chairs face towards where the action is happening and where the band is also set up. A stage is to one side where the teenagers seemed to congregate, but otherwise it was not used. On one side there are café-style chairs and tables with vases of fake flowers and a heavy wooden cross between them.

Smiling face at the door: A few person welcomed me and shook my hands and asked what I’m doing. The first person to smile at me was a 1-year old toddler who I nearly stumbled over when coming into the church. She was later dedicated. I spoke briefly to someone at the door. Then the pastors spoke with me. The best person to speak to was the man sitting beside me, who also told me that drinks were available during the service.

Start of service: A bracket of worship with singing kicked off the service. We were told to get clapping and show some enthusiasm.

Congregation (approx) 0-12: 15; 13-20: 10;20-40: 30; 40-60: 25; 60+: 5

Liturgy: None, really. But there was one period when people were encouraged to come forward to be anointed with oil for evangelism. They were prayed over by the pastors and one leader. They were commissioned to save souls. At the end of the service there was an altar call. This is done each service. On this occasion nobody responded, but two younger people came forward to be prayed over and receive renewed direction.

Music: Worship songs with very few words, but generally repeated very often. Some of the songs had only two basic cords. This allowed the pastor and others to sing and say inspirational words (including speaking in tongues) on top of the continuous singing.

Instruments: guitar, bass guitar and keyboard.

Children’s Talk: The children went out early to watch a video.

Sermon:
-Length: 30 minutes.
-Method: The pastor put in lots of inspirational stories and motivational phrases. But her sermon was often disjointed. She read some excerpts from books, which is not necessarily her forte. She also extensively used statistics on lifestyle choices.
-Bible reading: Galatians 5:16ff and Romans 8:14ff

-Content: Why is it so hard for us to spend time in the presence of God and focus on him? If we spend time with the LORD things will happen, people will notice the difference. We will be filled with the spirit and led by the spirit. Healings and miracles should be an everyday experience. Why are we so surprised by them? Jesus’ life was one of choice to obey his father and save mankind. Our heavenly father has also destined us to bring life to the world.

Other Highlights: Testimony by a member of the congregation about how God had worked in her life. At one point she had given all her future to God. Instead of investing the money she got from a divorce in a house, she used it for ministry. But in due time God has given her money to buy a house, a good job and a satisfied life. If we give to God, he will reward us richly.

For me the most memorable moment was the dedication of the little girl. The very apt words of Deuteronomy 6 were spoken over her.

Wrap-up: A worship song and prayer concluded the service.

After the service: I talked to the person beside me now and then during the service. He also talked to me after the service, but I had to whisk off to the boy’s room. Later talked with the pastor in his office, asking a few questions.

Quality of morning tea: Coffee and cordial were available during the service. The cups and glasses were quite nice. I certainly enjoyed my cold drink during the service when it was getting a bit hot. There were muffins available after the service.

Reflection: Some of the congregation might be considered odd in other churches, but not here. The church is probably more inclusive than many which term themselves “inclusive”.

The pastor said that he hated religion, but loved the Christian faith. Nevertheless when I closed my eyes and listened to the continuous drown of voices with some soaring solo singing, it somehow seemed to be like a tribal ceremony, which could be part of many religions. Maybe we should come to realise that our walk with Jesus, too, takes place in the realm of religion, the human search for transcendence. A Pentecostal church service with praise and worship is just as much a religious experience as the liturgy of a Catholic mass. Rather than denying the “religious”, we should see both its potential and its risks.

4 questions:

1. How, would you say, is Jesus’ death relevant to our salvation?
   1. Jesus’ death was a ransom to the devil, thus freeing us sinful humans from the devil’s rule.
   2. God is offended by sin. Jesus offered himself on the cross as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. His blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all people.
   3. God judges sin. He took the consequences of sin upon himself in Jesus’ death and reconciled us to himself, showing his justice and love.
   4. In his death Jesus showed solidarity with the oppressed and persecuted of the world, exposing human cruelty and showing another way.
   5. Jesus’ death was just a consequence of his ideas of love and acceptance clashing with rigid Jewish legalism. It inspires us to lead a liberated life, even in the face of opposition.
   
   The first four statements are spot on. But the last one is incorrect. Jesus’ whole purpose of coming to earth was to save us.
2. Should the ten commandments be an authoritative guide for Christian living today?
   The law condemns us. It was there for the Israelites. Jesus frees us from the law, but has also come to fulfil it. If we love Jesus, we do not want to disappoint him. Things like not stealing, not lying etc, follow as a consequence of our love for Jesus.
3. How are leadership positions/positions of responsibility allocated in this congregation?
   In his case, he was sent to this church as a pastor and leader, because his senior pastor saw the potential in him. His wife and he have done studies and training (diploma from BCNZ and other institutions). They are subject to the national movement. There are also elders in the church here. They recognize God’s gifts in persons and their maturity in the faith.
4. Would this congregation be happy to bless the union of a gay couple?
   No. They love gay people. It is: hate the sin, love the sinner. He actually saw someone being converted to Christ and leave homosexuality behind.