About Us
We are a welcoming and inclusive Christ-centred church in the sacramental tradition. We have been an Anglican presence in Royal Oak since 1924, as a parish of the Diocese of Auckland. Our life together and our worship reflect a generous theology, openness to difference and
a desire to bring our real selves and our stories without pretence
into prayer and relationship with God and others.
With a mix of ages and ethnicities, we aim to deepen our spiritual practice, nurture meaningful belonging for all who want to be part of
our church, to care well for one another, serve our local community,
and to celebrate our diverse experience of God.
You are welcome to come and experience a service
and take your time to get to know us.
Worship
We pray a variety of eucharistic services following the church year based on the New Zealand Anglican prayer book and other liturgical sources.
Music plays an important role with modern songs and some traditional hymns.
We believe that the crafted prayers of the church tradition have a deep and poetic wisdom and provide a beautiful framework for inward reflection and encounter with God.
They can take some getting used to if you’re not familiar with the tradition, but you are welcome to ask any questions you like about the liturgy and why we do what we do.
We believe our worship is enhanced by the presence of all ages and stages of faith, as we seek God together as a whole community. Therefore, we do not offer a separate children’s programme, but shape our liturgy to provide interactive forms of prayer and reflection and elements accessible to children, youth and adults alike.
St John’s was originally situated on Manukau Road, roughly where the bus stop beside the Pak’n’Save carpark is today. The church moved to its current location to make room for the new mall development in the 1980s.
We want our buildings, garden, and our community life to be a meeting place and a space for connection, care and friendship throughout the week, as we welcome our neighbours and provide
a venue for community-facing activities. Currently two other churches meet at St John’s on a Sunday, and in addition to the activities that we offer, our venue is also used by a range of
other groups for classes, clubs and gatherings.