December 2025
With excitement and gratefulness, St John’s proudly opened the new St John’s Church & Community Centre on 27 June 2025. Over 250 people – church members past & present, dignitaries and locals – joined in the celebration. In this newsletter, we’ll give you a glimpse into the work needed to reach this point and our plans for next year.
In brief…
St John’s formally opened the new Church & Community Centre on 27 June 2025 in an event attended by church members, dignitaries and locals! We’ve completed the new building’s upper level, and thanks to the support of a generous donor, we’ll complete the lower level in 2026. We’re eager to see how the new building will be used by the church as well as community and family groups for many years to come!
Completing the interior
Our contractors, aided by good summer weather, completed the upper level’s slab and steel framing in January 2025. The building’s exterior was installed by using a specialised tool to stretch architectural canvas between the structure’s steel frame. Windows and exterior doors were then installed on both levels. Over the next two months, the project’s focus moved to completing the interior of the upper level. This phase came with various challenges, including a reduction in the scope of work because of our limited funds. Nevertheless by May 2025, we had completed the upper level!
Readying the building
Our next step was to furnish the upper level and test its systems, such as IT and air conditioning. Our teams learned how to use these systems and fixed issues as they were encountered. The project appreciated the work of volunteers from St John’s Church and the Eun-Chong Korean Church, who steam cleaned over 100 chairs and pews that had been in storage for over a year. Toys were also cleaned and placed in the new creche, ready for children to use. All this activity meant everyone was asking one question – when will the new building open?
The Dedication Service
Once the date of 27 June was set, invites were sent out so St John’s could thank our supporters and show the fruit of their ongoing prayer and financial support. The Dedication Service was a celebration of the project’s progress and a showcase of the many community groups that use our buildings. Various multi-ethnic dance groups gave amazing performances and Carlos Cheung (MP for Mt Roskill) spoke about how the new building would be a valuable asset to Puketāpapa Mt Roskill. The Rev Dr Colin Marshall, minister at St John’s and Moderator of the Northern Presbytery, formally dedicated the new building and invited guests to continue the celebration over supper!
Getting going again
We have been grateful that many of our community groups have stayed with St John’s during construction despite the noise and limited space. Now that the upper level is open, these groups are enjoying the modern, spacious facilities. We’ve even hosted a function and wedding, which demonstrates the versatility of the new building.
Completing the lower level
Our limited funds meant that we could only complete the upper level of the new building prior to the Dedication Service. However, thanks to the support of a generous donor, we now have the funds needed to make significant progress on the lower level. Work on the community kitchen, meeting rooms and toilets is underway and scheduled to be completed in 2026. With this milestone in mind, we’re exploring ways to increase the use of the building, meet our costs and support more community initiatives.
Supporting the project in 2026
Over two years, our fundraising campaign has raised $5.3m of our $6.5m goal. We have taken a mortgage to provide the remaining funds required to complete the new building.
In 2026, we’ll continue our fundraising efforts to complete construction and purchase equipment (e.g. furniture, children’s toys, kitchen appliances) needed in the new building. Our Fundraising Team is continuing to arrange fundraising sausage sizzles, grant applications and fundraising events. St John’s is very grateful for your ongoing financial support and invite you to email us to learn more about our gifting and sponsorship opportunities.
We appreciate your prayers for this project and would ask you to please keep the following in your prayers:
- The last stage of construction will be completed on time and within budget.
- St John’s will have sufficient income to provide ongoing financial stability into the future.
- St John’s can connect with more community groups so the St John’s Church and Community Centre will become a well-used community facility.