Our Leaders & Staff
Rev Hana Popea-Dell
Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 19-20
Hana is a Presbyterian minister, ordained in 2005, who has been in parish ministry for 15 years. She was inducted into St Ninian’s in 2016. Hana’s life, faith and ministry are guided by Jesus' commission. She’s a missional leader and is passionate in missional work, fresh expression, children/youth, resilience, discipleship, social justice and community engagement. Hana leads by example and is prayerful, visionary and a hands-on leader. Hana has a passion for preaching and creative worship, pastoral care and a prayerful life. She has a deep commitment to Christian education, developing the spiritual life and the growth of the congregation and its leaders. Hana was born in Samoa, studied at Samoa College, and has continued her studies and work in NZ since 1986. She has one son and is married to Rev David Dell.
Facility and Office Administrator
Our Facility and Office Administrator, Rachel Boys, works on Tuesday and Thursday 9am - 2:30pm, and Fridays from 1pm - 4pm. Rachel is St Ninian’s first point of contact for mission information, facility hire and administration matters.
Communications Support Officer
Our Communications Support Officer, Angela Gordon, works on Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-1:30pm. Angela works remotely from her office in Whanganui, and manages all our social media channels. Angela sends out our weekly bulletin on Thursdays, so if you have any items to include in it please email her at comms.stnup@xtra.co.nz by WEDNESDAY.
Group Conveners
Rachel & Julie (Kidz Church/Youth), Helen (Fundraising), David (Evangelism), Angela (Newsletter), Russell (Parish Representative), Leanne (Personnel), Alastair (Discipleship), Christiane (Worship), Ailsa (Prayers & Squares), Alison (Pastoral Care), and Ron (not pictured, Communication) .
Our History
The Karori Northland Uniting Parish was formed in 1994 as an amalgamation of the St Ninian’s Presbyterian Church and Wellington West Methodist Churches, St John’s in Karori and Ward Memorial Church in Northland.
In 1999, all buildings on the St John’s and Ward sites were sold. The funds from the sale of the Methodist property was utilised to refurbish our facilities to meet the changing needs of the congregation and the community. On February 23 2003 we opened our refurbished buildings and in March 2003 we officially became known as the St. Ninian’s Uniting Parish.
We benefit from the heritages of two great denominational churches: Presbyterianism, with its emphasis on how Scripture addresses contemporary issues, and Methodism, which stresses the Gospel of love and justice in practice in the community. These strengths have been integrated in the life and worship of our uniting church. We also benefit from the faithful stewardship of those who have gone before us. We are fortunate to have a strong asset base, including a modern complex, manse and modest investments.
Our parishioners are generous with their time, skills and resources. It is amazing and humbling to take in all that goes on within the parish. As a result, the St Ninian’s complex is a hive of activity, bustling not only with church related events, but also with the many community groups that use our facilities. We believe this is part of our mission in the community and often extend more than simple physical hospitality to these groups.
We acknowledge that we are also stewards, not only of our assets, but also of the gospel. Like many churches, we face the challenges associated with an aging congregation. We are, however, heartened by the work we already do with young people, including our Children’s Holiday Programme, Friday Fun Club and Children’s Church. We continue the great journey of faith, endeavoring to be Christ’s heart, hand and voice in Karori. We believe that the best is yet to come. We would love you to journey with us.
Connections
Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
Our church is made up of the people who find life and hope in Jesus Christ. They find meaning in the story of Jesus – his birth and life, his teaching and healing, his suffering, death and resurrection. Because their experience of Jesus Christ has shaped their lives, they want to offer that experience to others. Take a look…
The Methodist Church of New Zealand
Our Church’s mission in Aotearoa/New Zealand is to reflect and proclaim the transforming love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and declared in the Scriptures. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve God in the world. Read more…
Uniting Congregations of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Uniting Congregations of Aotearoa New Zealand community of Partner Churches is a continuing journey of God’s people seeking to reflect the essential unity of Christ’s Church. This community of Partner Churches and Co-operative Ventures is discovering and living out what it means to be a missional church of Jesus Christ in today’s world. Look here…
Presbytery Central
There are 31 Presbyterian and Uniting churches in the greater Wellington area, each with their own unique flavour and culture. As well as regular Sunday worship services many churches offer midweek activities such as Mainly Music (pre-school music classes), playgroups, groups for retired people, parenting classes, discussion groups, prayer and counselling services. Read more…
