History of Mangere Baptist
The first gathering of interested folk met at the Westbrookes' homes in Prangley Ave, Mangere in February, 1965 ( not sure the exact day).The decision was made to form a Baptist Fellowship for the 24 people gathered. Weekly mid-week meetings were held in various homes until September 1965, when Keith Hay built a hall on Robertson Road, on a site belonging to the Abear Family.
The first pastor, Rev Murray Campbell, was inducted in 1967, having previously acted as a part-time pastor and was also employed as a traffic officer. The new church building (the current one on Bader Drive) was officially opened on 27/2/1972 and the previous one was sold to the Mangere Bridge Bowling Club. The church's pensioner flats were built as part of a government scheme to provide low-cost rentals for pensioners. These were completed in 1979.
The current pastor is John Catmur, and his predecessors other than Rev Campbell include, Jim Urwin, Doug Rushbrooke, Murray Cottle, Graeme Henshaw, Jo Wieland and Dean Clarkson. The picture is from the Manukau Courier, 28/9/1982 of the current building on Bader Drive. (This information has been sourced from the church's history resource file which can be found in the pastor's office).
The first pastor, Rev Murray Campbell, was inducted in 1967, having previously acted as a part-time pastor and was also employed as a traffic officer. The new church building (the current one on Bader Drive) was officially opened on 27/2/1972 and the previous one was sold to the Mangere Bridge Bowling Club. The church's pensioner flats were built as part of a government scheme to provide low-cost rentals for pensioners. These were completed in 1979.
The current pastor is John Catmur, and his predecessors other than Rev Campbell include, Jim Urwin, Doug Rushbrooke, Murray Cottle, Graeme Henshaw, Jo Wieland and Dean Clarkson. The picture is from the Manukau Courier, 28/9/1982 of the current building on Bader Drive. (This information has been sourced from the church's history resource file which can be found in the pastor's office).
