Happenings 2 May 2019

Over the Easter period, twelve campers and leaders went down to Lake Karapiro for the annual eCamp. There we joined with a thousand others for three and a half days of camp revelry, fun activities, great messages ... and yes, a bit of rain too! It was a wonderful time away, and there were moments of spiritual significance for many of our young people who went. We will hear and see some feedback from camp this coming Sunday, so come along to get a small taste of the action! The location of the camp was Finlay Park, which has a compelling history. In 1927, Mr Arthur Finlay bought the old deserted farm ‘Takapoto’, meaning in Maori, short drop. 800 acres was purchased at ₤4 an acre with an initial deposit of ₤10. The farm was overrun by rabbits, ragwort, ti-tree, blackberry and gorse. Mr Finlay had tuberculosis and was told by his doctor that he would only be able to work for one hour per day. He knelt and asked God to heal him and God answered his prayer. With the help of local Maori he broke the farm back in again by hand and horse, turning wasteland into profitable farm land. Half of the farm was sold in 1942 and later in 1946, Mr Finlay gave 10 acres of land to the Baptist Church for use as a Camp in thankfulness of what God had done for him. A spot was selected overlooking the newly formed lake Karapiro (taken from the Finlay Park Website). What a wonderful reminder of the power of legacy. A man was touched by the grace of God, and his gratitude and generosity in response has overflowed into many thousands of lives being transformed over the years by the power of the God that he loved. And it will continue to touch future generations. May our lives, too, leave ripples long after we are gone that will nudge people into the harbour of our Saviour’s love!

In Him,
Murray