Our Vision
We believe in God who redeems, renews and restores — a place where hearts heal, hope lives, and lives are transformed.
Our Mission
Demonstrating God’s grace and love through community outreach and a commitment to spiritual growth through teaching and training, seeing renewal and community building.
Our Values
- Hospitality – “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:2
- Love – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35
- Prayer – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7
- Grace – “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” – Colossians 4:6
- Joy – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” – Philippians 4:4
What We Believe
The Word of God
We value the Bible as the ultimate authority for all that we do. We believe God speaks to us personally through the Bible as we read it, meditate on it, and hear it preached and taught.
The Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit reveals to us, the Father and the Son. His indwelling presence enables us to live lives pleasing to the Father while being changed into the likeness of the Lord Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit is the dynamic force behind all our activities.
Worship and Prayer
We prioritise thanksgiving, praise, and heartfelt worship, growing and developing our sensitivity in this area as we live our lives as living and holy sacrifices to God.
Leadership and Spiritual Gifts
We desire to see everyone used in their area of giftedness, recognising and developing the gifting and calling of God in each individual — including families for God. We believe family is vital to community, and we work to strengthen marriages and families around us.
Connection and Hospitality
We embrace people from all walks of life and go out of our way to make them feel cared for, loved, and accepted — just as God is generously kind to all. We believe connection and hospitality build community, and that community is God’s heart for people.
Growing in God
We promote what edifies others spiritually, socially, mentally, and physically, following His heart for wholeness in every area of life. We believe everyone has God-given gifts to discover and develop for His glory, and we desire everyone to grow in their relationship with Jesus and bear fruit for His Kingdom.
World Mission Focus
We work together with God in His mission to bring the good news to the world — going to make disciples of all nations, baptising them, and teaching them all He commanded.
Our Leaders
Pastor Tania Fafai
Worship Leader Tuivale (Tui) Fafai
Senior Pastor, Tania Fafai and husband Tuivale Fafai of Sandringham Christian Family, Sandringham, Auckland, NZ.
Called to serve in the local church after many years of being involved in both local and overseas ministry. They desire to see the vision God has given them for Sandringham Christian Family and to see families grow in God, and a desire to see lives redeemed, renewed, and restored.
Both Tui and Tania (now the Senior Pastor at SCF) are excited to see what God is doing in this small corner of the globe. Pastor Tania has spent time overseas on the mission field and been involved in many aspects of ministry both overseas and in New Zealand. With an apostolic ministry, Pastor Tania has been involved in all areas of business and management through secular work and now brings a wealth of experience to the church.
For Tui, worship has and will always be a passion for him — more than a song, it is part of who he is and part of his DNA. God has blessed him with an amazing voice that ministers as he sings and placed a real anointing on Tui’s life to minister from the heart. He is gifted at bringing people together to teach and equip others in the area of worship. His heart is for people and all cultures.
Together, Tania and Tui desire to see lives changed and transformed through Christ’s love for His Church and for people. They are blessed with family both here in Auckland, in Melbourne, and around the world.
History
“Early in 1967, I was praying concerning the purchase of a church property on a beautiful corner site on the main road into the city. As I prayed God spoke: “My son, I will give you that church if you want it.” Then He spoke to my spirit again: “You can have that church, but it will take vision and faith to get it.”
After the property actually came on the market and we had agreed to purchase it, it seemed impossible to proceed. Our own building did not sell, the Savings Bank to which we had intended to apply for a loan would not even receive an application to go on the waiting list for one, and other buyers were keen to clinch a sale.
One day, with a heavy heart, I stopped my car outside the Methodist Church and prayed. It was at that moment God directed me to bind the sale of the building to anyone else and cause every other prospect to fall through. This is exactly what happened.
Only after this did the trustees of our Assembly agree to proceed with the purchase of the Methodist Church, even though our own property had still not sold.
On 20th October 1967, the agreement to purchase was signed and a deposit of $400 on the purchase price of $16,000 was paid. This was all the money the Assembly had to spare, yet the glorious faithfulness of God was manifested in the fact that by the settlement date of 13th December 1967 every cent was available.”
~ Founding Pastor Steve.
