The Community Church in Whitianga started its life in 1998, as the ‘Undenominational Church’. These days, we are the sole congregation in Mercury Bay Co-operating Parish.

In February this year, we celebrated our 125-Year Anniversary, drawing on our long history with the scattered communities of Mercury Bay to build history displays. Photographs and stories poured in, with weddings and baptisms prominent in the community-resourced archive, including antique wedding dresses and treasured family Bibles. The event was so well received, so many local stories told and people reconnected with ‘their church’ that we decided we needed to keep up the momentum and awareness in the wider community.

So it was, that on the weekend of June 23 -26, we staged a ‘Made By Hand’ exhibition. Invitations were sent out to all in the local district who wished to display or advertise their work. Once again, the community at large responded with enthusiasm, filling our church and hall with every kind of handcraft. The church walls were adorned with quilts, blankets and wall hangings and tables were filled with exquisite needlework and woodwork, knitting and sculptures, blacksmithing, macramé, soaps and jewellery. Community groups advertised their charitable causes and cottagers advertised their work for sale. Once again, the community was buzzing and people were crowding into ‘their church’.

Our small team of workers are still on a ‘high’ as we can see that the Lord is teaching us something new. We started life 125 years ago as the church for the community. Today St Andrew’s hall caters for community groups five days a week – it is a lively community hub – and we are learning to strengthen the connections with those groups.

Our congregation has grown in recent years. We are gaining recent retirees who are moving from the cities to live by the sea – yes, most of us are ‘over the hill’ in more ways than one, but we are experiencing a new enthusiasm and we know the Spirit is at work here and blessing us mightily in Mercury Bay.

Isaiah 43:19 ‘Behold, I will do a new thing… shall you not know it?