Welcome to New Brighton Union Parish

New Brighton Union Church is a small, vibrant community-engaged church in the seaside village of New Brighton, on the eastern edge of Christchurch. Our “union” involved the confluence of two denominational streams – Methodist and Presbyterian. Our new post-quake buildings are designed to create a ‘village within a village’ which includes the Chapel of the Waves (featuring a stunning stained-glass window celebrating New Brighton beach and a wave-stylised ceiling); the Village House; the Purple Door Boutique Opportunity Shop; and an upgraded community hall.

This design reflects well our understanding of what Jesus meant when he taught “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”. In order to keep growing and evolving, and for genuine new life to emerge, we need to regularly die in our old forms.

We seek to continually evolve and present a contemporary, progressive face to Christian spirituality and practice that is transformational in society. We also are committed to being bearers of hope in times where locally and internationally things often seem overwhelmingly impossible.

Forging partnerships has always been vital to who we are, and we have established an exciting new partnership with Port Hills Uniting and St Georges-Iona parishes.

Our vision is that this partnership will enable us to develop some new, exciting initiatives that are life-giving for local people and communities.

Upcoming Events