NEW ZEALAND’S CATHEDRAL
CITY TO GET A THIRD ONE
Elim in
Christchurch plans an edifice that doesn’t just connect with the past
but looks forward to the next 100 years
By John McNeil
in Challenge Weekly, New Zealand
|
|
|
CITY’S THIRD: An architect’s
impression of the new Elim Cathedral of Hope.
|
Sunday,
April 2, 2006
CHRISTCHURCH,
NEW ZEALAND (ANS) -- Christchurch
is to have a third cathedral.
To the iconic Christ Church Cathedral (Anglican) and Cathedral of the
Blessed Sacrament (Catholic) will be added the Cathedral of Hope, a
development of the inner-city Elim Church.
It’s the latest stage in an almost meteoric growth of the church.
The Elim Church moved to its present Cashel St location five years ago,
taking over a warehouse and turning it into a modern complex consisting
of auditorium, offices, cafe, pre-school and ministry training areas.
At the time of moving, the church had a congregation of 250. It now
holds five services on Sunday and one on Saturday night, with a total
attendance of some 1200. About 100 singers and musicians make up the
worship teams.
Through the week, 68 paid staff run a wide variety of ministries. The
place hums when you visit any time of day.
The Quattro
cafe is the street-front window on the church. Artworks by talented
members adorn the walls and are for sale. Upstairs, a Qualifications
Authority-accredited ministry training school has 27 students. A new
theatre and film school also use part of this floor.
Downstairs is the pre-school, while elsewhere there is the Hope4Life
counseling centre with four trained staff who run a variety of courses,
work with blended and bereaved families, and the like.
It’s a far cry from when the church moved to the Cashel St site. “At
that time, our assets were a second-hand sound system and some desks,”
said senior minister Clinton Kelleher. Plant and buildings today are
worth more than $4.5 million.
But with a view to further expansion, the church has bought six
neighboring houses and is looking for other inner-city properties, too.
When purchase is completed, the church hopes to own the substantive
portion of that land between Cashel and Hereford Sts.
Although the exact site is not finalized, that is likely to be where
the new Cathedral of Hope rises.
WHY A CATHEDRAL?
“We acknowledge that Christchurch is a cathedral city,” Mr. Kelleher
said. “A cathedral is a traditional place of prayer and spiritual
authority. We also want this cathedral to be a place where hope flows
out to every aspect of the city, with a culture that is bright and
relevant.
“We want to build a new cathedral that doesn’t just connect with the
past but looks forward to the next 100 years.”
Like a traditional cathedral, the building will be in the shape of a
cross, but it will be constructed of modern materials and more reflect
the style of Christchurch’s new art gallery than the two other
cathedrals.
The building will be multi-use, incorporating all the aspects of the
present church’s work, and will be a base to reach out to the
community. “Our main message is faith, hope and love,” Mr. Kelleher
said.
It is hoped that the new cathedral will be completed in five years. No
costings have yet been made for the project, but Mr. Kelleher is
confident the Elim congregation will rise to the challenge.
“They are awesome, and give sacrificially,” he said.
| John McNeil, a veteran newspaper
and radio journalist is South Island editor of Challenge Weekly, New
Zealand’s independent and non-denominational and independent Christian
newspaper. |
 |
|
