Our History

We are a Church and Community Centre with one Mission:
To Reach Out and Welcome In

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OUR JOURNEY

The very first picture of our church - Dated 1915.

This second picture of our church is dated 1956.

and of course, St Heliers Presbyterian Church as it is today.

We are a Presbyterian Church. We are the St Heliers Presbyterian Church and Community Centre. What does that mean? It means we value our history and traditions but are not burdened by either. In fact it helps us name who we are among the vast variety of Christian churches. Presbyterians came here from Scotland to find freedom of religion in the early 1800’s Presbyterian were free thinkers, passionate about transforming society; believed education for all and equal opportunity for all was worth fighting for. They were devout and faithful people. Their commitment to Christ and the church was the centre of their lives and they chose to live out this commitment by serving their community. The Presbyterian Church of St Heliers has been here since 1917 and we chose to live out this tradition in the ethos of the 21st century.

WHO WE ARE

We are a growing church in outlook and in the way we think about our mission and we are growing in numbers. We are a people who believe the word of God is the basis and guide for our living. We do not tell people what to believe but constantly encourage them to look to Jesus. We ask that people read their Bibles and that they encourage their children and grand children to do so. Preaching from the Bible about the Word of God, Jesus, is the central focus of our worship. We believe Jesus Christ is Gods son; the very flesh of God who came to show us what God is like.

OUR BELIEFS

We encourage people to learn and to study and to get involved and to think about things deeply. We do not tell people what to think. We believe the Bible leads us to Jesus Christ, our Saviour and the hope of the world. We believe that Love is the key to everything and that Jesus is the source of all of it. We know we are neither perfect nor sinless, but to our central trust is in God’s grace which is God’s gift to us through Jesus. We seek to journey into the future with Jesus, and we commit ourselves to follow where He leads.

PEOPLE MATTER

We have a commitment to caring about the community in which the church lives. Our history in this land is one of men and women who were totally committed to impacting the society in which they lived – engaging with those who need help; all races all stages and walks of life. They were unafraid to make a stand for the future, unafraid of hardship, courageous enough to risk. We seek to live out a commitment to excellence – that is giving our best to our work, our school, our families, our community, simply because God gave us the best. The strength of the community here at church provides the sustenance and encouragement to live in this way.

View our exciting history (PDF document) here