Rev. Andy Eldred
Priest Assistant
Rev Andy Eldred is a former professional heavy metal musician who, after a radical conversion in Christ in 1992, began his ministry in Youth With A Mission (YWAM), then served as youth pastor and minister of evangelism at a large non-denominational church in North Carolina, USA. He then served as Director of Steiger International Massachusetts, working on the streets and supporting local churches.
He moved to New Zealand in 2003, became a priest in 2006, and worked as priest assistant in Waikanae. In 2009 he became the Vicar of St Luke’s Anglican Parish in Greytown, which saw significant growth under his leadership. Andy then became Vicar of Carterton until 2022. Since then he has studied psychology and counselling, and served as locum priest and guest preacher and working with youth bands. He is now working as Priest in Charge of St Hilda’s Upper Hutt and as Associate Priest at St John’s Trentham.
Andy has a passion for seeing the church be the force of God’s love, grace and healing in our community and in the world. He can still occasionally be seen playing music with one of his bands, which he says “is not only good for outreach but good for the soul.” Andy has three grown children — Eden, Julian and Leon — and is excited about what God is doing in Upper Hutt in this new season of ministry, and feels blessed to be a part of it.