“We lost count of the number of gospel conversations we had…” OAC National Director Jeremy Dempsey was part of a team from CCCNZ/Open Brethren Churches who travelled to Waitangi this year to share the good news about Jesus.
“…each year we find ourselves in the centre of 20,000 people with the opportunity to share the truth, and each year we find real openness to talk and share and people who are hungry for spiritual reality.”
Jeremy was joined by Maria Henderson and Kevin Simpson (OAC), and Malachi and Char Williams from Māori Postal Aotearoa (MPA).
Being present at Waitangi is a significant opportunity—the site where the Treaty was first signed in 1840 between representatives of the British Crown and many Māori chiefs. Jeremy says many Christians are unaware of the history:
“many don’t know what happened and how it happened, or even how Christ-focused much of the commemoration is because of Christianity’s influence on the Treaty’s formation. We interact with lots of people from all backgrounds who come along take part and then come away with a new appreciation of the value of the Church, especially during that tumultuous time in New Zealand’s history.”
Supporting the team
The outreach was supported by people from Tōtara North Bible Chapel, who set up a meal roster and made the 45-minute journey to Paihia multiple times during the week.
Lynley Fleming says their goal was simple: “We did it so they could focus on meeting people and didn’t have to scratch around for something to eat”.
Malachi and Char say the care meant more than they could express: “After long days of conversations, standing, and sharing resources, to be welcomed, fed, and cared for in such a thoughtful way was a tremendous encouragement.”
The free gospel of grace
One conversation stood out for Malachi. A man approached him as he held a sign reading “Free”—indicating the resources were available at no cost.
“he looked at me and said, ‘free, free, what’s the catch?’ I said, ‘well, there’s no catch, it’s free gospel literature about the kingdom of God’, he disagreed, he felt that the missionaries had tricked Māori and that Christianity was the ‘white man’s religion’, forced upon Māori through deception and power. He told me he was against religion, and was surprised to hear that I was too, I said, ‘I’m into relationship—relationship with Christ,’ and that surprised him.
“I asked him, ‘what do you think happens when you die?’ he told me, ‘nothing, death is the end, no one has come back from the dead.’ And the door opened, and I said, ‘well, actually, someone has come back from dead’ and I started to share about Christ. Because he wasn’t into religion I shared my testimony—how God transformed my life. The guy stood back and looked at me, and I could tell he was thinking. We had a long conversation about forgiveness, new life and Jesus.”
Maria Henderson says they met a number of believers who they were able to encourage:
“One was a lady who had known of the Lord but wandered her own way for some time. She had come back and shared how many weeks she'd been clean from drugs. Yet she was struggling with guilt and feeling like she wasn't good enough. So I talked through the difference between being saved from the penalty of sin (justification) and then being set free from the power of sin (sanctification) until one day we will be free from the presence of sin (glorification).”
A light in the darkness
Lighting the way to the Waitangi Day dawn service was a “mission pole” set up by Reach Beyond. Jerome Edwards (Tāmaki Community Church & Willow Park Camp) says they’ve used the pole at Festival One in recent years, and saw an opportunity to assist at Waitangi. (Jerome is pictured above with the Mission Pole).
“Reach Beyond puts these poles in remote rural villages in Ghana (and soon to be other African nations) to provide light, power, internet connectivity to the villages but the most important thing is that they play Bible readings, devotionals, discipleship programmes as well as specialist youth and women's programmes.”
At Waitangi, the pole helped guide people safely to the dawn service:
“This year we approached the Waitangi Grounds Trust to provide the pole in assisting to help light the way for those heading to the dawn service. It also played a beautiful waiata, Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art). So many people were encouraged by the light and the music."
Faithful witness and presence
Jeremy encourages Christians to consider attending Waitangi events.
“The atmosphere is so family-friendly and warm, and people are so willing to explore spiritual things. In fact, wherever there are Waitangi events across the country I’d encourage people to attend—and reach out to OAC if you’re keen to partner with us in having intentional gospel conversations.”
Char and Malachi are encouraged to see people coming by to say ‘kia ora’ year-after-year:
“What struck us again this year was how many people didn’t just recognise the MPA logo but had real connections to it—they knew someone, or had whānau members, who had received resources, completed studies, or were currently working through them… Some had taken resources in previous years. Others had heard about us through friends or family. Several who received resources on the first day returned over the next couple of days with family or friends, saying, ‘You need to come and see this.’”
