We are becoming
“A community of faith, renewed by Jesus, sharing His love with all.”
Explanation:
God’s great love towards all people is expressed in the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus.
As we respond in faith to this love, we are forgiven, saved and made right in our relationship with Him. He invites us into community with others who share this common journey of faith, as in humility we seek to share and show His unconditional love with others.
Our Values
- We Value the Bible..…because God speaks to us through it – revealing to us who He is, how much He loves us, and showing us how to live in this world. (Hebrews 4:12)
- We Value Prayer….. as a way of connecting with God by listening and speaking with Him. (Philippians 4:6)
- We Value Transformation…. as the Holy Spirit works in us, shaping and empowering us to be more like Jesus.(Romans 12:2)
- We Value Diversity…. We live in a bicultural and multicultural community. He waka eke noa – we are all in the canoe together – seeking to honour, respect and embrace all people. (1Corinthians 12:12-27)
- We Value God’s Mission…. God loves all people everywhere so we reach out with grace and humility to all people. (Matthew 28:19-20)
- We Value God’s Kingdom…. so we live out the Kingdom of God by speaking His truth, caring for creation, pursuing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with Him. (Matthew 6:10, Micah 6:8))
- We Value Relationships.…. so as a growing family/whanau of all ages we experience genuine connectedness as we do life together, serving and loving each other, creating a sense of belonging for all. (Romans 12:9,10; Galatians 6:10)
Meet our staff team
Dianna Blong
Finance/Office Administrator
Dianna has been part of our team since 2019, serving in a variety of roles across both the office and church environment. Originally from Auckland, she moved to Whakatane with her family in 2002. She is mum to three adult children, one of whom lives overseas, which has helped ignite her passion for travel.
Dianna loves being part of the Whakatane Baptist Church community and is passionate about sharing the love of Jesus with both the church family and everyone who walks through the doors. She is committed to creating a welcoming, connected environment where visitors can experience God’s care and presence in a meaningful way.
Outside of work, Dianna enjoys spending time in nature, listening to music, exploring creative ideas, catching up with friends over coffee, and dreaming about her next overseas adventure.
Email Dianna
Emma Richards
Youth Pastor
Emma is deeply passionate about the rangatahi of Whakatane and the surrounding areas and is also deeply passionate about Jesus. She loves to see peoples lives transformed by the good news of who Jesus is and loves to see our rangatahi discovering all of who Jesus has made them to be.
In her spare time you will find Emma down at West End Ohope teaching surfing or making coffee with the Salt Spray Surf School crew or walking her dog Bea. Otherwise you might find her on the netball court or touch field.
Email Emma:
Lou Nelson
Children and Families Lead
Lou loves doing life with Jesus and helping others experience the fresh start, freedom and life he brings everyday.
Lou has been a part of our team since 2012. Her role is to help lead and guide our amazing Tupu Kids team, so that our kids and whānau can thrive together – as whānau growing in love for God and others, in every space.
She is married to Wayne and mum to three adult sons and one daughter-in-law. In her down time, she is particularly fond of spending time with her fab whānau, faith whānau, friends and neighbours, often over a meal or coconut milk smoothie. She is also keen on hanging out at the beach, walking, listening to LifeFM, reading, learning new things, watching house reno programmes and travelling to far off places to see God at work, like Mongolia.
Come say kia ora to Lou on Sunday! She’d love to meet you and your whānau.
Email Lou:
Jono Edmeades
Pastoral Team Leader
Jono loves Jesus – and is a massive fan of seeing others come to experience the transformation that knowing Him brings! His role is to coordinate and guide the staff team, lead the preaching ministry and to just generally do what is needed to ‘equip the saints’.
Jono is married to Gabby (Ngāti Pūkeko) and they live in the awesome neighbourhood of Awatapu/Ōtamakaokao with their daughter Matangireia and golden retriever Kiwa.
In his spare time, Jono loves playing hockey, a round of golf or a good adventure using his two legs or his yacht. He also chairs the Northern Easter Camp advisory board.
Email Jono:
