Passionately revealing Jesus
Our hope is that you would get connected to a life-giving community, use your talents to be the hands and feet of Jesus through service, and grow deeper in your walk with the Lord. Above all, we want to see God's name glorified, not ours. We're the first to admit that we're far from perfect - we're real people with real problems, in need of Jesus. No matter who you are or where you come from, you'll fit right in.
Who we are
Timaru Elim is made up of people from all ages and stages of life. Wherever your at on the journey of life, know that you'll feel right at home in our church whanau.
We believe that Jesus would have been the most fun filled person who ever existed, therefore our church services and events reflect this virtue.
Our Pastor
Pastor Tony Pantel, and his beautiful wife Fulu met and married in Samoa, while they were students at Youth With A Mission.
Tony has a background in farming and construction, and this practical experience, along with theological education under Dr Adam Dodds and leadership training through Elim, has served him well in his years of pastoral ministry.
Tony and Fulu are passionate about helping people connect with Jesus, and equipping people to live their best life possible.
They have four children, a dog, a cow and six sheep.
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Where we are going
As a church we are committed to doing everything we can to reach people for Jesus.
More than ever, Timaru Elim has a passion to reach the surrounding area of Timaru with the love of God. And as we move forward as a church whanau, inclusion, belonging, and loving people remain at the centre of who we are as followers of Christ.
What we Believe
We didn't want to get super wordy or religious with our core values here at Timaru Elim, so here are a few simple statements about what we value as a family of believers.
JESUS IS OUR EXAMPLE
LOVE IS OUR FOUNDATION
FAITH IS OUR RESPONSE
WHANAU IS OUR CULTURE
WORSHIP IS OUR PASSION
DISCIPLESHIP IS OUR MISSION
SERVING IS OUR PRIVILEGE
CHILDREN ARE OUR LEGACY
Our History
The Elim churches were birthed out of the Welsh revival of 1904, a powerful spiritual awakening that brought 100,000 people to Christ.
The revival storm that hit the hills and valleys of Wales in 1904 soon became a hurricane that affected the world. Visitors caught the flame then passed it on to new countries. In 1915, the Elim Pentecostal Church was founded by a Welshman named George Jeffreys, an outstanding evangelist and church planter.
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The beginning of the Pentecostal Church of New Zealand came after a well known Evangelist, Smith Wigglesworth came to New Zealand for crusades in 1922. In August 1949, negotiations were set in motion by the Conference of the Pentecostal Church of New Zealand to link up with the Elim Church of Great Britain.
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Today, the Elim Church of New Zealand has over 40 churches throughout the nation with significant churches in the main centres. The Elim Pentecostal church in the United Kingdom has over 500 churches with over 9000 churches in many countries around the world. It is our belief that Elim has a significant part to play in the world today, and we are looking forward to what God will do in the future.