My Mission and History

Foundation and Historic Mission

The Mission traces its origins to the evangelical Anglican presence in nineteenth‑century New Zealand, where pastors first carried the Gospel into the emerging communities of the South Pacific. By the late 1950s, this missionary spirit took root in a small house‑church in Wellington, forming a community committed to Scripture, prayer, and the proclamation of Christ. It welcomed newcomers from across the world, and its members shared equally in the discernment and direction of the Church.

It was within this community that my own vocation began. I first encountered our Leader when I was seventeen, and through his formation and teaching I discovered a deeper sense of God’s call upon my life. His guidance prepared me for ordination within Faith Ministries, and in 1996 I was ordained Deacon, followed by Priest in 1997. His pastoral care shaped my early ministry and taught me to recognise the presence of God in the ordinary, the overlooked, and the unexpected.

In 1997 I was sent on mission to the United Kingdom, charged with street‑preaching and with nurturing new leaders for work in the South Pacific and other low‑income regions. Our overseas ministers lived simply, embedding themselves in local communities, supporting themselves through ordinary employment where possible, and allowing their mission to unfold alongside the rhythms of daily life.

My own ministry quickly found its home in the streets and public houses of London. For many years I served as a “pub priest,” offering presence, prayer, and pastoral care to those who sought me out. This work became an extension of my understanding of the Incarnation: that Christ meets us where we are, and that the love of God is revealed in the ordinary places of human gathering.

Around the year 2000, schisms emerged within our church. Though I remained accountable to my Bishop, I found myself outside the administration of the newly divided community. My Bishop continued to lead faithfully until his death nearly twenty years later. In 2018, following his passing and the long‑standing divisions within the movement, the Mission in New Zealand closed. Many of its missionaries dispersed across the world, continuing their ministries either alone or within new communities.

With the closure of the church that formed me, I entered a new and challenging chapter: continuing my ministry as a lone priest. Alongside my street ministry, I devoted myself to charitable and professional work, particularly in the provision of safe and affordable housing for those most vulnerable. This work, though not formally faith‑based, became profoundly pastoral — an expression of the same love of God that had shaped my missionary life.

My online presence in the United Kingdom remains a quiet continuation of that mission: a way of offering faith, hope, and companionship to those who seek it.

In 2026, after thirty years of active ministry, I retired. Retirement has not ended my vocation; rather, it has opened a new chapter of reflection, prayer, and theological exploration. I continue to maintain connections with communities and charitable organisations, in my capacity of a Minister of Religion, and although I now stand outside formal institutional structures, my retirement has not ended my vocation. Instead, it has revealed a new way of living it — quieter, freer, and shaped more by presence, than by office. In this season, I have come to describe myself as an ordained refugee: a priest whose ecclesial home has dissolved, yet whose calling still seeks expression in the world. I now live my ministry in a lay‑shaped way, outside the church that formed me, but not outside the love of God. Along this path I have been met with profound compassion by Anglican colleagues who have welcomed me with generosity and kindness. Their embrace has not drawn me toward Anglican ordination, but it has given me a place of spiritual belonging, allowing my history of vocation to find its reflection in my new life beyond institutional borders. My spiritual life continues in community, sustained by the Eucharist, shaped by the Johannine call to abide in Love, and guided by the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose fiat remains the pattern of every vocation.

My journey, even in retirement, opens itself to the steady grace of God, who continues to shape my days with the tenderness of His incarnate love.

I lived with the community that I served

Throughout my ministry I met people from every walk of life, sharing the Good News of Christ and His Passion with those who were willing to listen. I believed that every soul carries within it a readiness for spirituality, and that those who feel its stirring may, in time, discover Christ as Lord and Saviour for the journey that lies ahead.

My ministry was lived in the open spaces of ordinary life — the marketplace, the street corner, the pub, and the places where people gather. I made myself visible and available, ready to speak of God’s grace with anyone who wished to explore the presence of God both within themselves and in the world around them.

All expressions of faith and spirituality were welcomed. I turned no one away. I especially welcomed those of little or no faith, who were willing to engage, to question, and to consider new possibilities. I ministered to people of all faiths and none, trusting that Christ meets each person in the place where they stand.

I believed that people could come to Christ without abandoning their personal or spiritual convictions. Some were Christians who had stepped away from organised religion; others lived out their faith through kindness, compassion, and respect for others. Some spoke of the “Christ‑energy” within us all, seeking to draw upon it as a source of meaning and hope. I never insisted that faith must take the form of religion. We are more than ritual and rule; we are called to nurture an authentic, peaceful, loving spiritual life that reflects the grace of God in the world.

May the Light that dwelt in Mary, guide our steps in love.

Feel free to reach out and say hello. I’m always open to a kind word, and a shared moment of connection.

Make Contact

My Leader and Myself

Bishop Norman Knipe — My First Leader and Guide, from whom my vocation first took shape.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

He came as a witness to testify to the Light,

so that all might believe through him.

He himself was not the Light, but he came to bear witness to the Light.”

(John 1:6–9)

Revd Nicholas Oemcke

Bishop Norman Knipe — My First Leader and Guide, from whom my vocation first took shape.

“The Light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true Light enlightens everyone.”

(John 1:5, 1:9)