St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Te Puke to Close After 100+ Years of Service

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, which has served the Te Puke community for more than 100 years, will hold its final service on October 5, with the church officially closing on October 31. The decision came after a seven-month period of prayerful discernment and discussion by the Kaimai Presbytery commission, which concluded the church could no longer fulfill the requirements of a Presbyterian congregation.

Interim moderator Rev Sandra Warner explained the difficult decision was not made lightly. "As with many other smaller beloved churches, as membership dwindles and grows older there is a deficit of people to assume the leadership roles necessary for a church to function." The presbytery will work through a dissolution process to preserve the church's history, support parishioners with pastoral care, and consider the building's future. The church's preschool lease has been recently renewed and will be honoured by the church.

Originally published in Te Puke News by Sun Media.