Care

1. Life Care (Individual and organic) – Care often takes place organically – sharing a cuppa, on the phone, while on a walk, in an office or at a home. In this way everyone in our church offers and receives some level of care. Jesus has called us to love one another and so we all have responsibility to care for each other.

2. Community Care (Mutual, both organic and organised) – Sometimes, we can’t care for someone by ourselves and so Care at Northcross is often a “team-based” initiative. Our Life Groups and Ministries Groups are the primary way care is experienced and implemented. Sharing care with a “team-spirit” supports us all in functioning as a healthy community where needs are shared mutually and where no one person cares for all the needs of another. As a community each one of us can partner by offering care out of the strengths we have and receive care from the strengths in others.

3. Pastoral Care (Pastoral and organised) – There are times and experiences when we might need more confidentiality or expertise in caring for particular needs. For such situations Northcross has a pastoral care team of experienced carers who are here to provide support to you and your family through the different stages of life, right from birth to old age, and especially during times of challenge, transition, distress, grief and loss. When circumstances require specialist input the pastoral care team’s role is to help link and support people as they connect with professional help.

If you have a specific care need you would like us to be aware of or if you would like any level of support please send a confidential email message to care@northcross.org.nz. We will be in touch with you soon!

Care at Northcross includes:

• Pastoral counsel, guidance, and prayer
• Funerals
• Weddings
• Marriage & Pre-marriage
• Alpha Courses
• Care packages
• Foodbank
• Hospital visitation
• Restoration support
• Family support and counsel
• Referrals for counselling and support services

Internal Resources

The Marriage Course
Regular check-ups help a car run smoothly and reduce the risk of breakdown. The best sports
professionals spend hours being coached and perfecting their technique.
It’s the same with marriage. A strong, loving, lifelong relationship doesn’t happen by
chance.. We can all learn how to make even the happiest marriage better.

The Marriage Preparation Course
The Marriage Preparation course is for anyone who is dating, engaged or considering getting
married.

Get in touch with Glenys Munn at glenysmunn@xtra.co.nz

External Resources

Christian Organization Supporting relationships, marriages, and families:

• Family Life

Books:

• Created for Connection by Sue Johnson
• 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work  by John Gottman & Nan Silver
• Intimate Allies by Dan Allender
• The Goal of marriage by Dan Allender & Tremper Longman III
• The Momentary Marriage by John Piper
• The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller

Podcasts:

• Family Life Podcast
• The Allender Center Podcast- Marriage

Counselling:

• Life Unlimited Counselling
• Windsor Park Counselling
• Jackson Counselling
• Care Waitakere
• Coast Counselling
• Counselling Creatively
• Moving Forward Counselling

Workshops:

• NZCEFT – Couples Workshop
• NZCEFT (Video) – Taming the Cycle: Finding and changing the patterns that keep you stuck in your relationship.
• Gottman Workshops

GOAL: To provide immediate relief and assistance to our neighbors in crisis

FOOD ITEMS

Pantry items:

• Bread spreads: jam, honey, peanut butter, marmite, Nutella, marmalade.
• Cereals: Oats/porridge, Weetbix, Cornflakes, Muesli, Nutri Grain, Rice Bubbles etc.
• Instant food & pastas: packets of soup, rice, noodles, dry pasta, tinned meat (tuna).
• Drinks: milo, coffee, tea, juice, long life/powdered milk.
• Kid’s snack items (juice boxes, applesauce containers, granola bars).
• Condiments: tomato and other sauces.
• Crackers, cookies & biscuits, muesli bars.

Canned items:

• Baked beans, spaghetti, tinned veges, tinned soup, tinned fruit.

Cooking items:

• Flour, sugar, cooking oil, baking soda, herbs & spices, salt & pepper, cooking and pasta sauces.

NON-FOOD ITEMS

•  Deodorant, soap, shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste,toothbrushes, shaving soap, feminine hygiene products, diapers & wipes, lotion, lip balm, cleaning items.

* NO CLOTHING PLEASE 🙂

DROP OFF HOURS

• MON–FRI | 9am-5pm
• SUN | 9am-5pm

826a East Coast Road, Oteha, Auckland

Prayer is a vital experience for the life of any believer and church. It is one of the primary means by which we communicate with God individually and as a community. We believe praying carries power in adoring, confessing, thanking, interceding, and making requests to God. 

1. God commands us to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
2. Prayer builds fellowship with God (Luke 11:9-13; Matt 6:9)
3. Prayer has power (2 Chronicles 7:14; John 16:23-24)
4. Prayer unites us (Matt 6:9-13, 18:19-20; Acts 1:14)

We have a prayer team who are happy to pray for healing, life challenges, guidance, past and present experiences. You are also welcome to come to our monthly Sunday morning prayer breakfast. Everyone is welcome – including children. 

If you would like to find out any more opportunities for prayer, please contact the church office.

If you are seriously concerned about someone’s immediate safety (or your own), phone 111.​

OR Go to your nearest Hospital Emergency Department.

OR Phone your local DHB Mental Health Crisis Team (CATT Team).

OR Phone Healthline at 0800 611 116.

Suicide/Depression/Anxiety helplines:

Call or text 1737 for support from a trained counselor, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.​

• Anxiety NZ 0800 269 4389
• Lifeline 0800 543 354 or (09) 522 2999 / free text 4357 (HELP)
• Suicide Prevention Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
• Youthline 0800 376 633
• Samaritans 0800 726 666
• Alcohol Drug Helpline 0800 787 797
• Depression Helpline 0800 111 757

Where victims of domestic violence can get help:

• Women’s Refuge (For women and children) – 0800 733 843.
• Shine (For men and women) – free call 0508-744-633 between 9am and 11pm.
• 1737, Need to talk? – Free call or text 1737 any time for mental health support from a trained counsellor
• What’s Up – 0800 942 8787 (for 5–18 year olds). Phone counselling is available Monday to Friday, midday–11pm and weekends, 3pm–11pm. Online chat is available 7pm–10pm daily.
• Kidsline – 0800 54 37 54 for people up to 18 years old. Open 24/7.
• Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz, or find online chat and other support options here.
• If you or someone else is in immediate danger call 111.

– Practice spirituality from home:

– Facetime with someone else: prayer, discussion, devotion.

– Learn:

– https://www.ligonier.org – free to stream

– Practice self-care daily. Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or pray/meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.

– Create a sense of normalcy and routine in your day.

– Take a moment each day to focus on the big picture.

– Accept that some days you may not be “okay” and roll with your emotional wave.

– Allow yourself and your loved ones to have their own emotional process.

– Get outside, even in your yard, and enjoy time with loved ones.

– Organize your home and declutter-support by offering others what you have but don’t need around the home.

– Stay connected to your support system.

– Have quiet time in your home daily in order to give each other emotional and physical space.

– Engage in a hobby (reading, crafts, exercise at home, etc.)

– Ask how you can be of support to others in ways that feel comfortable to you. Reach out and check on at least 1 person each day who is a loved one, friend or acquaintance.

– Think about a way to support community members through service of any form.

– Support local businesses- shop online, get takeout food, etc.

– Be mindful of the way that you set social limits with friends.

– Reach out for support.

– Create some form of structure for your children who are home from school.

– Be aware of what you put onto social media, ask yourself if this is a necessary and helpful post?

– Do not send unproductive posts, emails, or texts of panic and alarm to others.

– Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Limit your exposure to news and the topic of COVID-19 to 30 minutes daily in order to obtain necessary information.

– Don’t forget to LAUGH – humour can be the best medicine.

– Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.

– Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

– It is normal to feel stressed or anxious in these situations. For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental well-being, call or text the free ‘Need to talk?’ service on 1737. This is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for you to talk things through with a trained counselor.

care@northcross.org.nz

09 478 9549