On 19th to 20th October 2019, Orewa Baptist Church held its ‘Dedication and Celebration Weekend’ at their renovated facilities located at 2-8 Loop Rd, Orewa.
The weekend kicked off with a dawn ceremony led by Matua Hakiaha, along with Baptist representatives David Moko and Winston Hema and family. Orewa Baptist members walked through the new building, singing, praying and giving thanks to God for his many blessings, including the newly constructed facility. Later in the afternoon, the church saw a significant number of people arrive on-site for building tours.
The following day, people packed into the church’s new 400-seat auditorium for Orewa Baptist’s celebration service. Past and present members, former pastoral staff and many others lifted a unified voice praising God for the rich history of the church.
A portion of the service included an interview panel of founding members and an intergenerational mix of current members. Those attending the service heard about the church’s origins and the exciting things that took place 40 years prior. It was also great to hear testimonies from those significantly impacted by the church more recently, and to hear conversation about what excites the panel members most about how God will use Orewa Baptist in the future. The segment demonstrated God bringing about his own purposes and using different individuals throughout various periods to participate in what he was doing.
Orewa Baptist is truly grateful for those who were obedient to the Spirit’s leading and for everyone who served so brilliantly in the past. It is a great privilege to continue the work that started decades ago. The new facilities are indeed a blessing and are cause for great celebration.
However, the church knows that the building is simply an instrument for God to use to make himself known and accomplish his purposes in the surrounding community.
Contributor: Mark Poole
Pastor, Orewa Baptist Church
