History

The Elim movement has roots that reach back to 'The Great Welsh Revival' in 1904. A Welshman by the name of George Jeffreys was deeply touched by God at this time and operated in a powerful ministry as an evangelist and church planter. In 1915 he opened the First Elim Church in Belfast, Ireland.

In 1922, Smith Wigglesworth, a great man of faith, held crusades across New Zealand, resulting in the beginning of the Pentecostal movement here. In 1949, the conference of the Pentecostal Church of New Zealand began negotiations to link up with the Elim Church of Great Britain.

The first Elim work was begun in Wellington in April 1952. The movement spread and today there are about fifty Elim Churches across New Zealand.

The individual churches operate as local entities whilst falling under the larger umbrella of the Elim Church of New Zealand.

BURNSIDE ELIM COMMUNITY CHURCH dates back to the early 1960s. It was planted by a group of people who initially met in a hall on Cannon Street. They had a PASSIONATE desire to spread the GOSPEL into the Northwest areas of Christchurch and in May 1965, the new church was opened. It was originally named Grahams Road Elim Pentecostal Church. DEDICATED men and women kept the work going over the years and even when the church fell on hard times in the early 1990s, a FAITHFUL core remained. Today, the initial VISION is alive and growing under the leadership of Graeme and Linda Flett. In the midst of our shifting and cross-cultural society, the EMPHASIS is on expressing the gospel to the wider community through practical acts of SERVICE and COMPASSION.