Parish Profile for
St Paul’s Anglican Church, Waiwhetu Lower Hutt
This profile is now rather dated, but it will help you discover a little about who we are and what we believe we are called to be and do in the wider community of Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt.
Our Church Membership
We have a growing congregation of about 110 families regularly involved in worship and another 100 or so Anglican families less involved. Most of these live within our parish. 95 families are in our regular giving scheme. Growth is mainly from younger families. The parish census population is 11 200, 1 474 claiming to be Anglicans. In the 2015 year 6020 people took communion with us, we had 4 baptisms, 4 funerals and no marriages.
Our congregation is predominately white, middle-class, professional people with a smaller numbers of Sri Lankan, Asian, Maori, and African people, most of whom are also professionals. Approximately 60% of parishioners are tertiary educated. The balance of males to females is roughly 60% females, 40% males.
We have a growing number of Sri Lankan parishioners. For many of them English is not their first language. Two of our congregation have been instrumental in organising bible study groups for these families in their native Tamil language.
We also have some newer parishioners with special needs who are residing locally. They come to our services and congregation members work alongside them and guide them through the service.
We have a number of parishioners who roster and rotate to help in the running of the church services. These include reminder people, welcomers, sides people, data projectionists, sound desk operators, lay ministers, organists, keyboard players, musicians of all ages, readers, intercessors, communion servers, communion assistants and people for prayer ministry. We also have a dedicated team of people who make the tea and coffee after the 8 and 10 am services and for the LOL Cafe. Tea ministry is a great way to get people to communicate and welcome newcomers into our church community.
Where and when do we worship?
Please check out our Find Us and Worship pages.
Group Activities within our Parish
Several groups are introduced on our What We Offer page. We also have a Fruit & Vege Co-op.
Other church groups include several house groups with more during Lent, a Pastoral Care Group, a Mission Group, and SPRING (Single People Reaffirmed IN God) who lunches at a local café.
Groups associated and run by parishioners but not run as part of our church include a Men’s breakfast group, a Book club studying other theologies, Frocks on Bikes, Young families lunch and Mums on the run.We also have some joint activities with Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church and the local Uniting Church, both close to us.
Our Church Property
Our Church was built in the early1960s of reinforced concrete with a bell tower. It was modernised in the 1990s when a fellowship area was added. The church is undergoing earthquake strengthening in order to meet the regulatory standards. The cost of this is around $350,000. So far the church has raised $210,000 through fundraising and additional pledges to be received. Plans for the remedial work are in process. See some Engineering Drawings.The church comprises of a main church with a side chapel and adjacent fellowship area. It has heat pumps and electric heating. The Vestry works committee take on the general maintenance of the church and grounds with the use of subcontractors.
Our Church Hall is a wooden construction with a main hall, a kitchen, various side offices and a lounge. Reasonably well kept and in good order. The works committee look after the hall maintenance with the use of subcontractors. The buildings are registered with Hutt City Council annual building code of fitness.
Our Vicarage is a 1950’s, two storied building adjacent to the church, with 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a study and two family areas. There is a double garage and a large fenced section.
Our Ministry
We have an overseas mission group who organise fundraising through the year.
Our Play Group on Thursday mornings during term time is attended by up to 50 pre-schoolers with their mothers . This receives Ministry of Education funding.
Our Fruit & Vege Co-op is run in liaison with Public Health based in the Hutt Valley DHB and Wesley Community Action.
Evangelism: We utilise social media with a website and a Facebook page.
We have a weekly newsletter and a three-monthly Building Bridges Magazine.
Nurture: The Space, our Children’s Church runs in conjunction with the 10 am service.Our Youth Group operates with other churches within the Belmont Archdeaconry.
We have connections to Waterloo School and Gracefield School, our local primary schools.
We work closely with the local Marae at Waiwhetu.
Our Caring ministries include Pastoral Care, Healing Services, Prayer Ministry, LOL café once a month after the morning services.
Members of our congregation run a newcomers welcoming group.
We respond to social issues affecting our community by discussions with our congregation, Mission Groups, Vege co-op, annual church fair, replanting our local stream and contributions to the local Foodbank, City Mission.
Our Finances
Recent financial and budget information is available on request.The vicar’s stipend (when we have a vicar) plus various allowances total about $56, 000, reviewed annually, plus the rent-free vicarage.Total direct giving for the last financial year was $121,705.Our income meets our outgoings but it is a fairly fine balance. We have no overdrafts.
What Challenges do we face as a Parish?
Our congregation is spread across the life span and from many levels of the Anglican Faith. Our 8 am congregation are mainly over 50 and more traditional in their approach to the Anglicanism. Our 10 am congregation is more contemporary. We are starting to attract younger families with children to the 10 am services. This is something we plan to nurture and facilitate. Some of the congregation sit happily across both the services.
At present our biggest physical challenge is the strengthening of the church to meet earthquake safety standards. Fundraising has been a focus over the last 12 months. The Vestry and Finance Team are working to ensure pledges come in and the project continues to progress.
We have a number of church members who have expressed interest in ordination. We need to be able to support these people through this process. Some are preaching in our services and participating in leadership, outreach, and pastoral care activities.
Local Ameneties
We are situated close to Lower Hutt CBD.
There are two kindergartens close by, at Waiwhetu and Waterloo. The local primary school is Waterloo, decile 9. From there the children go to Hutt Intermediate, decile 8 and Hutt Valley High School, decile 8. Private schools for girls in the Hutt Valley include Chilton St James, an Anglican School catering for girls and boys in the preschool and girls only year 1 to13, and St Oran’s a Presbyterian School, for girls, year 7 and up and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic College, decile 7, year 9 and up. Boys are catered for by Hutt International Boys’ School (independent), and St Bernard’s, a Roman Catholic School, decile 5, from year 7 up. In Wellington there are also a number of private and State schools for both girls and boys.
The Hutt Valley has many attractions and facilities. The beaches at Petone and Eastbourne close and the Hutt River has an extensive walkway and cycle way.
Wellington is a 20-30 minute train journey away with regular services.
We have a growing congregation of about 110 families regularly involved in worship and another 100 or so Anglican families less involved. Most of these live within our parish. 95 families are in our regular giving scheme. Growth is mainly from younger families. The parish census population is 11 200, 1 474 claiming to be Anglicans. In the 2015 year 6020 people took communion with us, we had 4 baptisms, 4 funerals and no marriages.
Our congregation is predominately white, middle-class, professional people with a smaller numbers of Sri Lankan, Asian, Maori, and African people, most of whom are also professionals. Approximately 60% of parishioners are tertiary educated. The balance of males to females is roughly 60% females, 40% males.
We have a growing number of Sri Lankan parishioners. For many of them English is not their first language. Two of our congregation have been instrumental in organising bible study groups for these families in their native Tamil language.
We also have some newer parishioners with special needs who are residing locally. They come to our services and congregation members work alongside them and guide them through the service.
We have a number of parishioners who roster and rotate to help in the running of the church services. These include reminder people, welcomers, sides people, data projectionists, sound desk operators, lay ministers, organists, keyboard players, musicians of all ages, readers, intercessors, communion servers, communion assistants and people for prayer ministry. We also have a dedicated team of people who make the tea and coffee after the 8 and 10 am services and for the LOL Cafe. Tea ministry is a great way to get people to communicate and welcome newcomers into our church community.
Where and when do we worship?
Please check out our Find Us and Worship pages.
Group Activities within our Parish
Several groups are introduced on our What We Offer page. We also have a Fruit & Vege Co-op.
Other church groups include several house groups with more during Lent, a Pastoral Care Group, a Mission Group, and SPRING (Single People Reaffirmed IN God) who lunches at a local café.
Groups associated and run by parishioners but not run as part of our church include a Men’s breakfast group, a Book club studying other theologies, Frocks on Bikes, Young families lunch and Mums on the run.We also have some joint activities with Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church and the local Uniting Church, both close to us.
Our Church Property
Our Church was built in the early1960s of reinforced concrete with a bell tower. It was modernised in the 1990s when a fellowship area was added. The church is undergoing earthquake strengthening in order to meet the regulatory standards. The cost of this is around $350,000. So far the church has raised $210,000 through fundraising and additional pledges to be received. Plans for the remedial work are in process. See some Engineering Drawings.The church comprises of a main church with a side chapel and adjacent fellowship area. It has heat pumps and electric heating. The Vestry works committee take on the general maintenance of the church and grounds with the use of subcontractors.
Our Church Hall is a wooden construction with a main hall, a kitchen, various side offices and a lounge. Reasonably well kept and in good order. The works committee look after the hall maintenance with the use of subcontractors. The buildings are registered with Hutt City Council annual building code of fitness.
Our Vicarage is a 1950’s, two storied building adjacent to the church, with 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a study and two family areas. There is a double garage and a large fenced section.
Our Ministry
We have an overseas mission group who organise fundraising through the year.
Our Play Group on Thursday mornings during term time is attended by up to 50 pre-schoolers with their mothers . This receives Ministry of Education funding.
Our Fruit & Vege Co-op is run in liaison with Public Health based in the Hutt Valley DHB and Wesley Community Action.
Evangelism: We utilise social media with a website and a Facebook page.
We have a weekly newsletter and a three-monthly Building Bridges Magazine.
Nurture: The Space, our Children’s Church runs in conjunction with the 10 am service.Our Youth Group operates with other churches within the Belmont Archdeaconry.
We have connections to Waterloo School and Gracefield School, our local primary schools.
We work closely with the local Marae at Waiwhetu.
Our Caring ministries include Pastoral Care, Healing Services, Prayer Ministry, LOL café once a month after the morning services.
Members of our congregation run a newcomers welcoming group.
We respond to social issues affecting our community by discussions with our congregation, Mission Groups, Vege co-op, annual church fair, replanting our local stream and contributions to the local Foodbank, City Mission.
Our Finances
Recent financial and budget information is available on request.The vicar’s stipend (when we have a vicar) plus various allowances total about $56, 000, reviewed annually, plus the rent-free vicarage.Total direct giving for the last financial year was $121,705.Our income meets our outgoings but it is a fairly fine balance. We have no overdrafts.
What Challenges do we face as a Parish?
Our congregation is spread across the life span and from many levels of the Anglican Faith. Our 8 am congregation are mainly over 50 and more traditional in their approach to the Anglicanism. Our 10 am congregation is more contemporary. We are starting to attract younger families with children to the 10 am services. This is something we plan to nurture and facilitate. Some of the congregation sit happily across both the services.
At present our biggest physical challenge is the strengthening of the church to meet earthquake safety standards. Fundraising has been a focus over the last 12 months. The Vestry and Finance Team are working to ensure pledges come in and the project continues to progress.
We have a number of church members who have expressed interest in ordination. We need to be able to support these people through this process. Some are preaching in our services and participating in leadership, outreach, and pastoral care activities.
Local Ameneties
We are situated close to Lower Hutt CBD.
There are two kindergartens close by, at Waiwhetu and Waterloo. The local primary school is Waterloo, decile 9. From there the children go to Hutt Intermediate, decile 8 and Hutt Valley High School, decile 8. Private schools for girls in the Hutt Valley include Chilton St James, an Anglican School catering for girls and boys in the preschool and girls only year 1 to13, and St Oran’s a Presbyterian School, for girls, year 7 and up and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic College, decile 7, year 9 and up. Boys are catered for by Hutt International Boys’ School (independent), and St Bernard’s, a Roman Catholic School, decile 5, from year 7 up. In Wellington there are also a number of private and State schools for both girls and boys.
The Hutt Valley has many attractions and facilities. The beaches at Petone and Eastbourne close and the Hutt River has an extensive walkway and cycle way.
Wellington is a 20-30 minute train journey away with regular services.