Services

What was a service?

Services had a theme (e.g. hospitality, simplicity, the service of men). In-person Sunday services included a “provocation” - which is a short talk related to the theme, and a time of “response” which involved music and a choice of silent reflective activities. This was followed by structured conversation in small groups.

In-person Sunday services were held from 5 - 6pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month from March until November 2021, at the Pt Chevalier Community Centre. Well… until Auckland went into lockdown - the last three months of Sunday services were via Zoom.

Online services were held from 7 - 7.30am on the Wednesday following a Sunday service. Online services repeated the Sunday provocation, and included a time of reflection to music. They were designed so people could simply listen if they wished. There was the option to join a breakout room for a 15-minute discussion with others at the end of each service.

Is there a fee?

There was no fee for attending services.

What was the research aspect of services?

During each service I made brief observational notes on how many people were there and how people were responding to the service. Afterwards I wrote reflections on what happened and how services could be improved. To the best of my ability, no identifying characteristics will be revealed in any research reports. If you attended a service and have any concerns you are welcome to email me on n.harre@auckland.ac.nz.

Recordings of previous services and the related resources can be found here.

The results of the survey on services, carried out in October can be found here.

To sign up for further results please click here.