Prayer & Care

Prayer

At South West, praying for people is one of the things we love to do.

We have a large team of people equipped for and passionate about prayer. We call them ‘trusted pray-ers’. Our elders are also happy to pray for others.

Most of the time, prayer happens in the ways we gather as a church, like in Gatherings, or when we meet in South West Communities.

  • This group meets from 7.30–8.30am every Wednesday morning at our Lyttelton St site. All are welcome, even if you can only come for part of the time. This group has been running for around ten years and prays specifically for the life of the church, and as the Spirit leads. Contact reception for more details.

  • This group meets from 9.30–9.55am on Sunday mornings in the Lounge off the Foyer. We pray for the upcoming Gatherings and allow the Spirit to lead us. 


  • Many of our South West Communities have regular prayer meetings. To find out what is happening in your area, please get in touch.

  • Recent reports suggest that 360 million Christians, in 150 countries, suffer persecution for their faith. This comes from governments, families and local communities. Currently, South West Underground’s main activities are to support persecuted Christians through prayer.

    • We distribute a monthly prayer letter, by email, that people can use in their homes.

    • We hold a monthly prayer meeting.

    These activities are not restricted to members of South West, as we encourage prayer from anyone who has a heart to support our persecuted sisters and brothers. For more information get in touch.‍

If you would like someone to pray with you, please fill out a prayer request form.

Prayer Requests
Prayer Requests

Prayer Groups

Care

Pastoral care describes all the ways we encourage mutual care for each other to deepen our relationships to God, each other, ourselves and the world.

Our hope is that we live out a love for each other that resembles the love God has for us.

There are many ways we can provide practical support and care at South West.

Pastoral Care

There is a small team of specialty pastoral carers who provide expertise and support for the pastoral care work at South West. When professional advice is needed, or circumstances require specialist input, the Pastoral Care team’s role is to help link these carers with the resources available.

Counselling

We have relationships with trusted professional counsellors and mental health professionals, including an on-site counsellor we can refer to. We also have programmes and individuals who support people in their relationships, through marriage courses and pre-marriage counselling.

Mercy Basket

We offer Mercy Basket food parcels; emergency food parcels provided for people and families who are in need. We are not a registered food bank, so Mercy Baskets are provided on a case-by-case basis, but we believe in providing practical support and not letting anyone in our local communities go hungry.

Weddings & Funerals

The Pastoral Care team are equipped to help families and friends through the death of a loved one. They can also coordinate and conduct funeral services.

There are also various people that can conduct marriage ceremonies at South West.

Child Dedications

We also dedicate children — giving thanks to God for the gift of your child, publicly committing to raise them in a loving, faith-filled home that honours God, nurturing their faith toward their own decision to follow Jesus, and inviting prayer for this journey.

Not sure who to contact? Send an email to Pastoral Care and they will get in touch and help you work out the next step.

Naturally Supernatural

As followers of Jesus, we want to live the way He did; empowered by His relationship with the Holy Spirit, as He engaged in discipleship and mission.

To equip us to do this, we run the Naturally Supernatural Course, created by Alex and Hannah Absalom. It covers the theology and practical application of spiritual gifts and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Whether you have little or no knowledge of spiritual gifts, or have had quite a bit of experience, you will benefit from Naturally Supernatural.

The Naturally Supernatural course is also the doorway into being involved in prayer ministry at South West if this is an area you have a heart to serve in. If you’re interested, please complete our application form.

The next course will start in April 2026. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Bex.

Nourish Your Life with God

Want to grow in your relationship with God but don’t know how?

Janna and Renate, two spiritual directors from our church, lead a ministry called Nourish Your Life with God, where people come and engage with practices that will help them encounter and be transformed by the love of God. 

Nourish meets fortnightly on Tuesday mornings from 9.30–11am at our Lyttelton St site. To contact Janna directly, you can email her here.