One of our Youth Group leaders will be living in the house as the live-in support person and in many ways a student peer. Comments about flatting in such situations from our 2011 live-in support person Brynlea Collin: "moving out of home into a flat full of other Christians was a really sweet experience for me, it helped develop firm foundations for my faith due to being in an environment supportive and encouraging of my faith." We are seriously considering what it means for our church community to be plonked in the centre of the city. Mike Crudge our Assistant Minister says "our hope is that the students that come and stay in our supervised student flat will help us in our exploration of what it means to be Christian in our local context." Paul comments: "being involved in our community and living out our faith in practical ways is very important. This provides an anchor for our faith and keeps us focused on the importance of faith and spirituality… What does bringing good news to the poor look like for us? What does releasing the captives mean for us? What might fighting oppression mean for us?" We will provide care and support for the students living in this flat and help them achieve their academic pursuits. We will also encourage and challenge them in their Christian faith, and help them to use their God-given gifts in and around our faith community.
The cost is $100/week for the room plus expenses (power, phone, food, etc) which the flat will work out communally. There will be some general guidelines to follow, and a weekly small-group to be part of.
We are glad to be helping students in this way, Mike says: "I left home when I was 17 and moved from Motueka to Upper Hutt to study. I stayed in a similar setup and it definitely had a positive influence on me."
Click here to download an application form... email the church office if you have any questions office@otbc.org.nz