1972 was an exciting year for three churches in the Bromley, Linwood, Woolston area of eastern Christchurch. More than 230 years of witness from the Linwood Avenue Church of Christ, St Peter’s Presbyterian Church and the Woolston Methodist Church, united in the newly formed Southeast Christchurch Union Parish, later re-named Linwood Avenue Union Parish.

In 1967 five national churches, Anglican, Churches of Christ, Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian, joined in an Act of Commitment with the intention of merging into one new church to be called, The Church of Christ in New Zealand. By 1971 The Plan for Union was ready to be voted on. The united church was coming!

Our local union parish was one of many cooperative ventures being established and encouraged throughout the country. These uniting parishes were ahead of the curve! We were grass roots, cutting edge, union parishes anticipating the ‘marriage’ of our parents in the very near future. We were excited to be losing our ‘brand names’ and just becoming the Church of Jesus Christ within our community.

There were practical advantages in coming together - better use of properties and money invested in ministries for example. However, the overwhelming joy at the inauguration service of our union parish on the second Sunday in February 1972, was in our belief that we were called to be one in Christ and were coming together in fellowship and mission to be more truly and effectively the people of God.

In the national referendum on The Plan in 1972, the members of all five partners voted in favour though the figures showed that many were becoming less keen. Perhaps some were being swayed by what they felt they might lose rather than what might be gained. In 1974 the Anglican General Synod (national) failed to endorse the union. The two thirds majority was achieved by bishops and laity but not (narrowly) by the clergy. In 1976 the Anglican Synod indicated it could not enter union.

Although the united church could not proceed as planned there was still, for many years, a feeling that a way forward could be found. Locally we were totally committed and moved on hopefully and enthusiastically. Though we had a loyalty to our ‘parent’ churches, we were also proudly non-denominational and were enjoying our new experiences and freedoms. That has never changed. When a group of 10 young people joined the church, five refused to be labelled with a denomination which was a challenge at that time - although we honoured that request. Even in union parishes, the national churches wanted everybody to continue to have a denominational label. Fortunately, that requirement has been abandoned. We are all ‘everything’ - but especially just followers of Jesus Christ.

In 1976 the parish accepted that an ideal new (neutral) location could not be found, and the decision was made to develop the current Linwood Avenue site which had been home to the Church of Christ. It was at that point (with just a single location) that we changed our name. Southeast Christchurch was too vague; Linwood Avenue helped people to find us. The property has been developed and extended with an enlarged and refurbished main building, two houses (one a Methodist Mission hub and the other the manse), and five modern emergency homes operated by the Methodist Mission. Including the Mission and the parish’s own trust, around ten salaried workers and dozens of volunteers serve the local community.

On 13 February the parish celebrated its 50th birthday. Throughout 2022 we will celebrate our jubilee year. With thousands of homes nearer to us than to any other church property, we will celebrate an exciting 50 years’ witness as simply ‘the church’ in the community. We will strive to continue to lift up the significance of loving God and others.

And especially as a union parish, we will seek to continue to convey our understanding that oneness is the will of God, the prayer of Christ and the heart of the gospel.