CURATE CARES IS OUR ORGANISED MINISTRY, WHICH WAS CREATED TO HELP THOSE IN NEED IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND ACROSS THE WORLD. IT’S ALL ABOUT KINGDOM-CENTERED WORK LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY, FROM FOOD PROGRAMMES TO GLOBAL MISSIONS, ADDICTION RECOVERY TO CHURCH PLANTING.
Curate Cares is one way we both pursue the way of Jesus and play our part in His story. It’s also how we express our core values of love, gospel and mission, spiritual practices, togetherness, and authenticity.
We care deeply for people and we want our organised efforts and resources to make a redemptive gospel impact in this world. You can find out more about everything we do through Curate Cares below.
CURATE RECOVERY HAS BEEN ONE OF OUR PASSION PROJECTS; A MOVEMENT THAT HAS CHANGED LIVES, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, AND HAS INSPIRED MANY WHO CALL CURATE THEIR HOME.
Curate Recovery is all about helping set people free from their addictions. Most Wednesdays, more than 70 people gather from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Manaaki Centre in Tauranga. The programme is based on 12 Christ-centered steps that take people through an intentional process that helps people discover the root cause of the addiction and find deeper healing.
Parents can also bring their tamariki to Manaaki Kids where they get to play and learn about God’s love while their parents are finding healing through the programme. We share food at the end of each meeting to help build community.
I got clean 14 years ago and attended narcotics anonymous; I relapsed; I got clean again, joined a men’s recovery group, I lasted four years then relapsed. I was tired of falling over and getting back up again. My brother (Pastor Paul) got in touch with me and told me about Recovery and what God had changed in his life. I came to Recovery and felt so at home. There were people like me who had tried rehab, self support, church groups; felt they didn’t belong or fit in. Recovery has all these elements plus more: worship, acknowledgement, leadership, discipling, fellowship, whānau - all under the guidance of the Lord.
- Recovery Participant
SINCE 2015, GIFT OF GROCERIES HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT BLESSING PEOPLE AND GIVING THEM A HELPING HAND AT AN EXPENSIVE AND OFTEN DIFFICULT TIME OF YEAR.
Each December we distribute generous hampers of food to people and families in need. This year we will be giving away another 2000 food hampers that include fresh produce, a recipe card with ingredients to make meals, and Christmas treats for everyone to enjoy.
These hampers are distributed through over 75 community organisations, including Plunket, Oranga Tamariki, low decile schools, and our Curate Pastoral Care team, to ensure they go to those who need them most.
You can get involved with Gift of Groceries by being a part of the organisation, leadership team, or community relationship team throughout the year, or you can join us in the packing and delivery teams in December.
“One mother immediately fell to the ground crying when we arrived with the hampers. They are a very large whānau who are in extreme poverty, so being able to give her children this food brought the tears flowing.”
- Family Works
“I dropped off a box to a family who were under a lot of stress as Dad was in hospital. This act of kindness enabled me to have an open door to come back and visit the wife and children after Dad died a week later, to offer emotional and spiritual support.”
- Waipuna Hospice
ONCE A QUARTER THE CURATE COMMUNITY SETS ASIDE A DAY TO TAKE ON PROJECTS FROM ACROSS THE CITY SUCH AS GARDENS AND SMALL BUILDING PROJECTS.
The purpose of these days is to mobilise our Curate community to serve those around us regularly and generously. This is an opportunity for us to join together to serve our local community and have a heap of fun while showing Jesus’ love in a very practical way.
We love to partner with other community organisations, schools, and marae, by giving them a helping hand where possible on these days.
Each Serve Our City day has projects for everyone to take part in, ranging from painting, cleaning, gardening, lifting, mowing, building, and more.
"I cannot thank the Curate team enough for what you have given to us at Te Matai Kura. We are so blessed and cannot wait to for the tamariki to see what has been done while they have been on holiday. The gates look absolutely fabulous and the decking and stairs look more than amazing.
– Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Matai
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STONEY CREEK AND OUR BACKYARD TRUST, WE ARE HELPING KEEP KIDS WARM IN WINTER.
This bi-annual, massive initiative distributes brand-new packs of warm Stoney Creek clothes to thousands of kids in need all over our country. The pack includes fleece pants, an overshirt, and a beanie. We partner with over 75 community organisations and schools throughout the Bay of Plenty, Auckland, and beyond, to ensure the clothes get to tamariki who need them most.
A highlight of this project is hosting a Family Fun Day, where recipients and their whānau are invited to come and enjoy a sausage sizzle, hot chocolates, face painting, bouncy castles, craft activities, and photos with their favourite super heroes - all for free! Following this, each child then heads home with a happy heart and their warm Stoney Creek clothing pack.
You can play your part in this fantastic initiative through joining the organising or distribution teams.
“The wonderful gifts of winter clothing packs were a welcome surprise for our safe house and community families. The excitement that we saw and heard from the children was awesome to experience. It was a blessing to be able to awhi, tautoko, and manaaki our families and children in this way.
- Tauranga Women’s Refuge
“Thank you from every single one of our families! Each whānau expressed their tamariki couldn’t wait to wear their new clothes or had been wearing them ever since getting them! Perfect for these chilly months ahead!”
- Hapai Mama
EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TE KĀINGA CHURCH, A COMMUNITY MEAL IS HOSTED.
This is a time to feed and practise whanaungatanga with families in the local Arataki community. Each week our passionate team prepares and serves a nutritious meal for around 80 people, who come along for kai and conversation. The big idea behind this long-time initiative is to create a place for people to belong and be fed, and we love being able to express manaakitanga in this way.
If you are interested in lending a hand and helping build community, we would love for you to join in with the preparing and serving of these meals on a Tuesday each week, fortnight, or month.
THIS IS A SPECIAL DAY FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE COME OUT OF ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS TO BE PAMPERED AND SPOILED, SO THEY CAN FEEL GOD’S LOVE AND KNOW HOW HE TRULY SEES THEM.
We also speak to them about God doesn’t make mistakes and He wants to restore what has been stolen and give them a future full of hope, love, and peace. They are pampered with a delicous lunch, a makeover, and are given a few new outfits to take home.
You can be part of this powerful initiative by helping with hair or beauty treatments, styling outfits, catering, hosting, or organising.
AT CURATE CARES, WE LOVE PRACTISING HOSPITALITY AND WHANAUNGATANGA, AND OUR MEAL PROGRAMME IS A GREAT WAY WE CAN DO THAT WITHIN OUR WIDER COMMUNITY.
The Curate meal programme is about providing a helping hand in times of crisis or when support is needed.
Every Wednesday, an incredible team cooks at the Manaaki Centre to keep the freezers full. Teams of drivers deliver meals twice a week to those in need, and our admin team make calls to those requesting meals to work out what their needs are and coordinate delivery. This also includes requests from Plunket, people in the general community, and our Curate community. People can request meals and support via the Curate website.
Fresh meals are also collected and delivered every second Thursday to families in Papamoa. These meals are provided by our GoGenerosity partner businesses.
You can be a part of this ministry by joining the cooking team on Wednesdays, the delivery team after work on weekdays or the admin team.
IN NEW ZEALAND, 2,210 PEOPLE HAVE GONE FROM FINANCIAL HARDSHIP TO BEING DEBT-FREE, AND 1,400 PEOPLE HAVE SAID “YES” TO JESUS THROUGH CAP MONEY.
In 2023, we are launching CAP Money at Curate Church to allow people to be set free from debt and find financial freedom.
Through this course, people will discover ways to cut down on unnecessary expenses and realise ways they can pay off their loans or save for a specific purpose. CAP Money empowers people to take ownership of their finances and become better stewards of the money God has entrusted them with.
CAP’s services are free – made possible through partnerships with churches like ours. People who need help can attend the CAP Money course, and each attendee has a support friend from the Curate community to walk alongside them, as well as experts who advocate for them every step of the way. The course runs one day a week over three weeks.
CHURCH PLANTING FUND
We believe in church planting and put aside funds each year to support those planting churches in New Zealand and across the world.
OLAS RETREAT - CABO, MEXICO
Olas Retreat is a place of refreshment for pastors and missionaries. Brendan and Wendy Roberts have been a part of the Curate whānau for a long time and moved to Mexico to establish this retreat centre for pastors and missionaries. It’s their heart to have a place where those who serve God in this way can be refreshed. This year we will be contributing towards the purchase of the hotel that is used for this work.
www.olasretreat.org
COMUNIDAD VID - MEXICO CITY
Comunidad Vid is a vibrant church in Roma, Mexico City with more than a thousand people in attendance. We have had the privilege of being a part of their church journey for a few years now. We support the pastoral team, help provide funds to supplement the cost of their facility and support their missions projects that provide housing and food programmes to those in the surrounding mountain indigenous communities. The church is reaching more than one thousand people. www.comunidadvid.com
CONVOY OF HOPE
Changing lives through kindness, Convoy of Hope is a faith- based organisation with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response. In partnership with the local church, businesses, civic organisations, and government agencies, Convoy strategically offers help and hope to communities around the world. When it comes to disaster relief and responding to crisis, Convoy is normally our first call as they have a boot on the ground and partnerships with churches across the world, meaning that through Convoy we can help churches help their local communities.
www.convoyofhope.org
OPEN DOORS
Around the world, Open Doors helps people who follow Jesus no matter the cost. In places like North Korea, Afghanistan, India, and China, Christians are persecuted and discriminated against for following Jesus. In fact, 1 in 7 Christians worldwide is being persecuted for their faith. They are denied access to jobs and education and excluded from aid and community resources. Many persecuted Christians are attacked and abused. Their churches are demolished, and their businesses are destroyed. Since 1955, Open Doors have been helping people follow Jesus all over the world, no matter the cost. We don’t work to end the persecution, instead we strengthen the persecuted church by providing discipleship, emergency relief, and community development.
www.opendoors.org.nz
WAVE OF LIFE MINISTRIES
Tom and Suzie Brock are great friends of Curate and itinerant ministers who serve the body of Christ across the world. With over 50 years of experience in ministry, they make a huge difference wherever they go. Our continued support to them allows them to travel to places that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to have them.
www.waveoflife.com
INTERNATIONAL NEEDS
International Needs empower the poor and marginalised in order to restore their physical, emotional, social and spiritual identity. Opportunities within International Needs include sponsoring a village, contributing towards their WASH project (sanitation, hygiene, and water provision), short term mission trips for relationship building and other small projects.
www.innz.org.nz
SOLUCIONES MOVIMIENTO
Soluciones is a church network serving the Latino church - with over 70,000 churches connected to the network. Soluciones is helping resource ministries, develop leaders, unite the Latino church and shape the future. Our support helps sponsor different initiatives each year that take place within the ministry.
www.solucionesmovimiento.com
MEXICO TRIP WITH CURATE
10th - 20th AUGUST 2024
We are excited to announce that we will be sending a small team to serve the local community in Cerritos/Cabo with the Roberts family, through building work and helping with the surf/skate outreach ministry. The team will be staying at the retreat centre which is run by Brendan and Wendy Roberts. There will also be time set aside to surf, relax and experience the Olas Ministry Retreat for yourself. There is flexibility to extend your trip or travel on to other destinations afterwards if you would like to.
REGISTRATIONS CLOSE FRI 10TH MAY
For more info email cares@curatechurch.com
VOLUNTEER BUILD
Volunteer Build teams build homes and classrooms for the poor and abandoned, as well as undertaking cyclone and natural disaster relief. Working with our partners in each country, teams also participate in feeding the homeless, delivering aid to orphanages and women’s refuges, and visiting the forgotten in prison.
2024 Trips:
• Vanuatu: 10 - 17 August (8 days) Build a classroom near Port Vila.
• Mexico: 28 Sep - 7 Oct (10 days) Build a home for a family in Tijuana, then help with community outreach in Cabo.
No building experience is required.
www.volunteerbuild.com
RUEL FOUNDATION
Ruel Foundation’s vision is to heal, cure and love children in need. They operate three orphanages in the Philippines, and there are opportunities to fund children’s surgeries, the repairing of facilities, and sponsor children. Volunteers can go on outreach with the medical teams, and help with repairs, maintenance and childcare too. You can also arrange to volunteer with Alexandra who is currently serving there for 2024 - see “Missionary Support” section below for more info.
For more info, send us an email to cares@curatechurch.com
BEYOND US FIJI
Cyclones have inflicted extensive damage on many islands in Fiji, including the area of Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu. Our teams from Curate have been regularly travelling to Savusavu to rebuild homes, guest accommodations, and an orphanage, while also building relationships and instilling hope in the local community. The guest accommodation is a micro-enterprise, enabling the villagers to raise an income by providing back-packers with reasonably priced accommodation, and there are more building and renovation opportunities in the area.
For more info, send us an email to cares@curatechurch.com
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Are you involved in a global project, mission, or initiative that needs support? We would love to hear more and see if there’s anything we can do to help. To get in contact, send us an email to cares@curatechurch.com
ALEXANDRA IN THE PHILIPPINES (FEB-DEC 2024)
This year we are supporting Alexandra, who has been part of Curate for 9 years, as she serves as the Centre Head for Ruel Foundation's Children’s Home in Sorsogon, Philippines. It's a safe home for children who are orphaned, have been abandoned, abused or are malnourished. Building is underway to provide for even more children in crisis.
PARTNER WITH ALEXANDRA
Pray & Connect - Commit to praying regularly for Alexandra and receive email updates from her.
Give - Commit to donating $5 per week (around the cost of a coffee) to go towards her living costs for the duration of her trip (42 weeks; 15 Feb - 5 Dec).
Volunteer - Visit the orphanage and serve in childcare, medical care, building maintenance or admin (short or long term).
Interested in partnering with Alexandra? Just email us and we will put you in touch with her.
THE ROBERTS FAMILY IN MEXICO (LONG-TERM)
Brendan and Wendy Roberts and their two youngest kids Cooper and Demi, who have all been part of Curate since forever, are now based in Cerritos, Mexico where they are pioneering a missionary retreat centre and a YWAM base.
PARTNER WITH THE ROBERTS FAMILY
Pray & Connect - Commit to praying regularly for the Roberts family and receive email updates from them.
Give - Make a one-off or ongoing donation to go towards living costs and/or the purchase of the missionary retreat centre.
Volunteer - Visit the retreat centre and serve in facilities maintenance, surf/skate outreach or help with building work on the YWAM base (short or long term).
Interested in partnering with the Roberts family? Head to www.robertsmexico.com
MYLES & RACHAEL POTGIETER IN ZAMBIA (LONG-TERM)
Originally from Curate Auckland, the Potgieter family are now based in Zambia where they serve with Overland Missions by teaching sustainable farming, sharing the gospel, and leading short-term missions training schools.
PARTNER WITH THE POTGIETER FAMILY
Pray & Connect - Commit to praying regularly for the Potgieter family and receive email updates from them.
Give - Make a one-off or ongoing donation to go towards their living costs as full-time missionaries.
Volunteer - Visit their missions base and complete their 2-week missions training school or serve in their sustainable farming programme or other areas of need (short or long term).
Interested in partnering with Myles & Rachael? Just email us and we will put you in touch with them.
KEEN TO GET INVOLVED?
There are so many ways you can get involved with Curate Cares to help show the love and kindness of Jesus to those around us - from packing boxes at Gift of Groceries or helping make pre-made meals, to mentoring people in our Recovery programme or building a house on a mission trip - there is a place for you! Simply fill out the form and we will be in touch.