When my wife and I got married we moved away to Tauranga for a few years, which meant also moving away from family. We enjoyed the sense of adventure it gave us, making new friends, joining new communities and being in a big city.
Samuel Pullenger
It offered freedom and opportunity for a new direction in life. We found we both grew a lot with all that we had to learn to do when we did not have the comfort of our family community around us. However, once we decided we wanted to have kids we decided we also needed to be nearer to family, for the support they are able to offer, so we ended up moving to Te Awamutu.
As the old saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” When I was growing up, one set of my grandparents lived overseas, so I was only able to see them once every few years. My other grandparents were close by until they decided to move away for a more relaxed pace of life. For my parents, then, their support came mainly in the form of the local church.
The church provided childcare through programmes they ran, mentoring and coaching in parenting, as well as a place to build life-long friendships.
The local church is not meant to just be a place you go for a Sunday morning worship service. In the Bible the church began with a small group of people who decided to live together in community, caring for and looking after all people, especially the marginalised. Jesus’ work, as he walked around various villages, was characterised by care for those who were marginalised through sickness, mental health, status, age or ethnicity.
The old St John’s Church. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Jesus then calls those who would follow him to live the exact same way. The church has not always done a great job of this, though it continues to be what we are called to and what we strive for. Here in Te Awamutu the churches work together, encouraging each other in the different ways that we seek to care for the community.
Although I feel incredibly lucky to have family close by to support us, I find that being part of a community where I can build friendships and share experiences is really important. If you would like to find a community to join there are many groups the churches of Te Awamutu offer support through.
St John’s Anglican Church
We have a community meal at St John’s on a Monday evening, then there are mainly music and mums and bubs groups at the Bible Chapel, St John’s and the Baptist church. There is a community cafe on Wednesday mornings at the Bible Chapel, as well as youth groups at many of the churches.
Life is meant to be lived in community, with people we can rely on. I encourage you to contact any of the churches in Te Awamutu and find out what groups they offer.
