Te Whare Manaaki - The Welcome Place

The congregation of Lincoln Union Church is delighted that our brand new hall, Te Whare Manaaki - The Welcome Place, is now complete and in use. The official opening was on Saturday 15th February 2020.

The project has been several years in the planning and was partly funded by an insurance payout after the post-earthquake demolition of the Prebbleton Union Church. The building was contructed off site by a great team at Laing Properties Ltd. It incorporates two arched windows on the west side and also a stained glass window which was removed from the Springston Methodist Church after storm damage in 1976. Care has been taken to match the colours of paint and roofing as closely as possible to the church. You can see photos of the construction and relocation of the building here.

The Māori name, Te Whare Manaaki, was chosen following a suggestion from a local kaumatua and denotes a place where we provide hospitality, shelter, care and respect for all. For us all these things are a part of the welcome we hope you will find among us and so we have chosen as our English name ‘The Welcome Place’.

Te Whare Manaaki - The Welcome Place provides a warm, comfortable and spacious location for activities such as the church’s popular ‘mainly music’ programme for pre-schoolers and Postgrad Plus for international students and others. Community groups who wre meeting in the Old Manse have also moved into the new hall. The space consists of one large room with sliding doors which can close off a section at the western end ("the chapel") suitable for small groups. Groups can book the main room, the chapel or the entire space. The kitchen and toilets are sited at the eastern end of the building and the minister's office on the south side.

For further information please contact [email protected].