Join us for a different ending to The Familiar Stranger series — a special Q+A Sunday where Dan, Alisha, and some friends of Central Vineyard answered various questions sent in about life with the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean to be a church truly aligned with the Holy Spirit? Using the image of a sailing crew “seeing the wind,” this message explores how the early Church responded together in one accord to the Spirit’s movement. It’s about being united as a community marked by both the fruit and gifts of the Spirit, living self-giving love in everyday life. Join us to discover how the Spirit aligns us for Kingdom purposes, creating a community filled with awe, generosity, joy, and growth. Learn how we can recognise and respond to the Spirit’s movement — together.

Pentecost often slips by unnoticed in our cultural calendar—but what if it’s one of the most important days of all? In this message from Acts 2, we explore Pentecost as the day the Church was born and sent into the world. It’s not just about fire and wind—it’s about mission, courage, and God’s presence breaking into ordinary people for the sake of others. The Spirit fills us, yes—but not so we stay in the Upper Room. We’re filled to be sent. So… where is the Spirit sending you?

What if true freedom isn’t something you chase—but something the Spirit gives? This week in The Familiar Stranger series, we explore The Spirit who brings freedom—not always by changing our circumstances, but by transforming us from the inside out. In a world obsessed with personal freedom yet plagued by anxiety and isolation, the Spirit invites us into a deeper kind of liberation—one rooted in the presence of Jesus. Teaching out of 2 Corinthians 3, Alisha looks at the Spirit that unveils Jesus and helps us to walk with Him daily.

Life has become so loud—notifications, headlines, conversations, distractions—that tuning in to God's voice can feel impossible. In this message, Dan gets personal about his own hearing loss, the noise that surrounds us, and the quiet whisper of the Spirit that we’re so often missing. Drawing from Elijah’s encounter on Mount Horeb and Jesus’ words as the Good Shepherd, we explore what it means to move beyond just hearing—to truly listening, recognising, and knowing the voice of God. This sermon is a gentle invitation to step away from the noise and into stillness, where the Spirit speaks in the whisper.

Have we settled for knowing about God instead of truly knowing Him? In this Pentecost series opener, we explore how the Holy Spirit—often the most ignored member of the Trinity—isn't a force to harness, but a Person to know. Drawing from John 14 and Tyler Staton's The Familiar Stranger, we ask why the Spirit feels like a stranger to so many, and how we can begin to walk with Him as a friend. If you've ever felt distant from the Holy Spirit or unsure how to relate to Him, this first talk of the series is a gentle but powerful invitation to start again.

This Stories Sunday, we're taking a moment between series to name something beautiful God is doing in our midst: forming us more and more into an intergenerational whānau. Drawing from Joseph Hellerman’s When the Church Was a Family and Jesus’ redefinition of family in Mark 3, we explore the vision of church as a spiritual household — where we belong to one another across every age and stage. Alongside this reflection, we hear a collection of stories from within our community that show this vision coming to life in real and inspiring ways.

What does worship really cost us—and what does it say about who we love most? In this sermon Alisha dives into the unforgettable story of Mary and the alabaster jar, where a year’s wages are poured out in a single act of extravagant devotion. She takes us through the tension between image and surrender, we explore how real worship isn’t polished—it’s costly. This isn’t about emotional hype. It’s about devotion that dares to let go of control, reputation, and safety for the sake of love.

1 Peter 2:5 offers two powerful images: we are called to be living stones and holy priests. In this message, Dan unpacks the confronting challenge in this passage—the difference between simply attending worship and actively tending to it, like a priest caring for the presence of God. In a culture steeped in consumerism, we’re invited out of passive Christianity and into a participatory life of worship, where we minister, create, serve, and handle. Worship isn’t something we watch—it’s something we do.

Worship is both structured and spontaneous—like a classical quartet following a set score and a jazz trio freely improvising together. In this episode, we explore what it means to worship with Kingdom expectation, embracing both the known and the unknown, the planned and the Spirit-led. Through scripture, including Colossians 3:16 and the Lord’s Prayer, we uncover the deep connection between worship, prayer, and expectancy. What happens when we make space for the Spirit to lead? How do we prepare for the spontaneous? Join us as we lean into a posture of faith-filled anticipation, longing for God’s Kingdom to break in among us.