If you’ve ever watched a baptism—let’s be honest—it’s a bit weird. Someone gets dunked under water, and this apparently means something? What’s that all about?

Let’s talk about it.

Take a tour of our 24-7 Prayer Room with this visual diary documenting before and after our 10 days of prayer for Pentecost.

We all long to be free—from shame, pressure, comparison, and fear. In a world full of noise and striving, the Holy Spirit meets us with a different kind of freedom: the kind that transforms us from the inside out, getting us free and keeping us free.

What if the disruption you’re avoiding is actually an invitation? In the quiet of the night, something shifts—and God meets us there. As we approach a 10 day prayer event together, why should we get out of our beds to pray?

We recently asked people in our community to share how they’ve been practising the presence of God in the flow of everyday life. What we heard was not a list of perfect habits or lofty ideals, but stories—real, honest, beautiful stories—of how the Holy Spirit is gently, faithfully present in the middle of it all.

Have you ever had that jarring moment where you realise that you don’t really know a person? You thought you knew them, but it turns out, you don’t. They are familiar, yet, a stranger. Somewhere along the line, the Holy Spirit has become that familiar stranger to so many in the Church.

Each year we do a Sunday series based on a book. This year for Pentecost we will be journeying through Tyler Staton’s The Familiar Stranger. To prime us for the series, Dan has turned into a novice book reviewer, writing for us a little review.

At Easter, we’re invited into a better story. Not a tidy religious formula, but a gritty, redemptive reality: the story of God’s love. A love that shows up in Jesus—not to condemn, but to heal, restore, and rewrite our broken narratives.

The words of 1 Peter 2:5 are a bold invitation to move from passive attendance to priestly participation. Worship is not a performance we consume but a fire we’re called to keep alive — together.

Whether it’s God or the gym, we all worship something.

At Central Vineyard, our worship is more than just singing—it’s a journey, a place where we meet with God, reflect on His goodness, and are shaped by His presence. As Dan Wilt beautifully puts it, “Songs are a place we go.” They become the landscapes of our faith, shaping our prayers, deepening our trust, and uniting our voices as a whānau.

Here on the Zine we wanted to introduce you to our CV Staff team. She has been around a while, and done a lot of different things, but get to know our Communities (hapori) pastor: Ella Oh.

Drawing on recently seeing Coldplay, Rob Wiseman offers us a powerful thought: “Imagine if no one clapped or cheered, even if they felt excited. It would feel strange and disconnected.” Why? Because we were made to express and embody our love.

Here on the Zine we wanted to introduce you to our CV Staff team, so get to know our CV Youth (rangatahi) pastor: Chris Steel.

Worship is not something we manufacture. It is stepping into a love already in motion—a story that began long before us. "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) So worship is not our initiation; it is a response. It is love, returned. But to return it, we must know where it begins…

Here on the Zine we wanted to introduce you to our CV Staff team, so we’re starting with our newest addition: our Vineyard Ministry Student for 2025, the wonderful Eleanor Fletcher.

Lent comes around every year — but what is it, and why is a trip into the wilderness of fasting and abstinence a good thing for us to do as we prepare for Easter?

We asked some Central Vineyard peeps what they loved about their Circle. Here’s what they said.

Something unexpected happened when a back-row-bandit, who hid in the shadows and expected God to judge her, engaged with Central Vineyard’s first Prayer Week.

Jesus invites us to follow Him, but what He really means by that we can connect to Him like a branch is connected to a vine. We are all connected to some sort of vine—but why should it be Jesus?