• Who Is Jesus?Ko wai a Ihu?
  • About BaptistsHei whakamārama ki ngā Kai-iriiri
    • What we believeKo nga Mātāpono
    • Thriving faith communitiesKo ngā Hāpori e tino ora ana
    • Te Tiriti o WaitangiTe Tiriti o Waitangi
  • Our team of 40,000Tō mātou roopu e 40,000 tāngata
    • Local ChurchesNgā Haahi-a-rohe
    • Regional AssociationsKo te Roopu Iriiri
    • Assembly CouncilPerehitene
    • Te Kapa RautakiTe Kapa Rautaki
    • PresidentPerehitene
    • National LeaderTumuaki-a-motu
    • Regional leadersTumuaki-a-rohe
    • Support officeTari tautoko
  • ResourcesNgā Rauemi
    • Complaints processTukanga amuamu
    • COVID-19Mate karauna
    • EventsNgā Mahi o te Wā
    • AdministrationWhakahaerenga
      • My Place
      • Intranet
      • Baptist Registration
      • Funding
      • Annual Report
    • Leadership HubTe Tari rangatira
    • Education, training, research & advocacyMātauranga, whakangungu, rangahau me te mahi-taunaki
      • Carey Centre for Lifelong Learning
      • Carey Baptist College
      • Baptist Research
      • Baptist Women
      • Māori
      • Children and family
      • Youth
      • Multicultural
    • VacanciesNgā tūranga e wātea ana
    • Reaching the world (NZBMS)Ngā toronga ki te ao (NZBMS)
    • PartnersNgā Hoa Haahi
    • Global FamilyWhānau o te ao
  • ContactWhakapā
    • Find a ChurchKimihia he whare karakia
    • Regional AssociationsKo te Roopu Iriiri
    • Contact support centreWhakapā atu ki te tari tautoko
    • Donatekoha
logo
  • Articles, news & storiesNgā Tuhinga, ngā karere me ngā kōrero paki
  • PodcastsNgā Kōnae ipurangi
  • VideosNgā Ataata
  • Search
  • Who Is Jesus?Ko wai a Ihu?
  • About BaptistsHei whakamārama ki ngā Kai-iriiri
    • What we believeKo nga Mātāpono
    • Thriving faith communitiesKo ngā Hāpori e tino ora ana
    • Te Tiriti o WaitangiTe Tiriti o Waitangi
  • Our team of 40,000Tō mātou roopu e 40,000 tāngata
    • Local ChurchesNgā Haahi-a-rohe
    • Regional AssociationsKo te Roopu Iriiri
    • Assembly CouncilPerehitene
    • Te Kapa RautakiTe Kapa Rautaki
    • PresidentPerehitene
    • National LeaderTumuaki-a-motu
    • Regional leadersTumuaki-a-rohe
    • Support officeTari tautoko
  • ResourcesNgā Rauemi
    • Complaints processTukanga amuamu
    • COVID-19Mate karauna
    • EventsNgā Mahi o te Wā
    • AdministrationWhakahaerenga
      • My Place
      • Intranet
      • Baptist Registration
      • Funding
      • Annual Report
    • Leadership HubTe Tari rangatira
    • Education, training, research & advocacyMātauranga, whakangungu, rangahau me te mahi-taunaki
      • Carey Centre for Lifelong Learning
      • Carey Baptist College
      • Baptist Research
      • Baptist Women
      • Māori
      • Children and family
      • Youth
      • Multicultural
    • VacanciesNgā tūranga e wātea ana
    • Reaching the world (NZBMS)Ngā toronga ki te ao (NZBMS)
    • PartnersNgā Hoa Haahi
    • Global FamilyWhānau o te ao
  • ContactWhakapā
    • Find a ChurchKimihia he whare karakia
    • Regional AssociationsKo te Roopu Iriiri
    • Contact support centreWhakapā atu ki te tari tautoko
    • Donatekoha

A new thing!: Otūmoetai Social Supermarket

News

Community, Effective Mission | Bay of Plenty & Eastland | Scott Muspratt | 28 November 2022

Share

A social supermarket has sprung at Otumoetai Baptist Church. Senior Pastor, Scott Muspratt, tells us all about it.

At the National Baptist Hui, we heard the words of the prophet Isaiah:

See, I am doing a new thing!

    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

    and streams in the wasteland.  (Isaiah 43:19 NIV)

This month we have seen something new spring up at Otumoetai Baptist Church – a social supermarket.  

At the Otumoetai social supermarket, local shoppers can buy their weekly groceries for a fraction of the price they would usually pay. It’s not a food bank, and it’s not a supermarket in the traditional sense, but perhaps it is somewhere in between. The social supermarket looks a bit like a superette. It’s bigger than a dairy or a pātaka kai, but it’s certainly more like a Four Square than a PAK’nSAVE. And while it still has that supermarket smell, everything is ‘priced’ in ‘points.’ 

$20 - $50 provides a shopper with 50 to 100 points which can be used to buy around $100 to $200 worth of groceries. It is not rescued, surplus, damaged or close-dated food. It is fresh, new, and in perfect condition food. It is not preselected for shoppers. They can choose anything on the shelves up to the point limit they have been allocated.

I know that sounds a bit like a Ponzi scheme. However, the initial fit-out and setup costs were covered by Foodstuffs. Continued support from Foodstuffs and the generosity of suppliers and donors will meet ongoing expenses.

Local community organisations like schools, doctors, and marae refer shoppers to the social supermarket. They are given vouchers and can book a timeslot to come and do their shopping. These referral agencies know the members of our community and understand their needs. The social supermarket can help when a sudden cost comes up or for those extra things that are hard to cover, like school camps, joining a sports team or buying a new school uniform.

The whakataukī, “Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai nga iwi” - with your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive, has been a guiding principle, along with Michael Rhodes’ catch cry “It’s a potluck, not a soup kitchen.” We believe everyone has something of value to bring to the table, including the shoppers, suppliers, donors, referral agencies, volunteers, and the church.    

Around 18 months ago, as a church, we began exploring how we might engage missionally with our local community. (Yes, Charles’ “Neighbourhood” webinars did have an impact!)  As we began to explore the needs and potential opportunities within our local area of missional concern, a providential moment saw a member of our local community have a crucial conversation with a member of our church about establishing a social supermarket.  

Was this the thing God was calling us to? It would require us to sacrifice the use of our church hall, the second largest of our three main spaces in our church complex, on a full-time basis. Everything we used to do in the hall would need to find a new home or be re-imagined. We had a church meeting – if we could sort out the non-trivial aspects of how it might work and how it could be paid for, would we support using the church hall to demonstrate the love of God to our community through a social supermarket? It was a special church meeting in every possible way. Many people spoke, and even more sensed the Spirit of God speaking through the words of our church members. We voted overwhelmingly in favour of ‘giving it a go,’ knowing that there were hurdles to overcome but also recognising that the same God who had somehow led us to this point has an exceptionally good track record of faithfulness.  

The opening included CEOs, MPs, a City Commissioner, local Principals and even a few Pastors. (Foodstuffs need to get some PR for their money, after all). But the most impressive things for me have been: 

  • the steady stream of people coming through receiving food with dignity and respect
  • the opportunities for volunteers from our church community to walk through the supermarket with shoppers, sit with them, have a cup of tea, talk to them and get to know them
  • the number of people who have just shown up wanting to help


Ours is not the first social supermarket to launch in New Zealand, but it is the first to launch in a church, and it doesn’t have to be the last.

Gallery Image 1
Gallery Image 2
Gallery Image 3
Gallery Image 4
Gallery Image 5
Gallery Image 6

Photos: supplied by Scott Muspratt.

1 Comment
Murray
30/11/2022

This is awesome. Well done for being prepared to give it a go. May God continue to lead and guide you in this.

Reply

Add comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Read More Articles

The next property in our college’s unfolding story Image
News
February 2, 2023 | Chris Berry Channel: 2144749
Read More

The next property in our college’s unfolding story

Our college site in Penrose is no longer suited to our future training and formation needs. The site is for sale and we are seeking…

Read More
From charity to dignity Image
Stories
February 1, 2023 | Sandra Gordon Channel: 2144749
Read More

From charity to dignity

Sandra Gordon, Associate Pastor at Caversham Baptist Church, shares how God inspired her church to transform how they serve the families in their community.

Read More
Auckland Severe Weather and Floods Image
News
January 31, 2023 | Reti Ah-Voa Channel: 2144749
Read More

Auckland Severe Weather and Floods

The Northern Baptist Association are working to assist our Auckland churches. Several had property flooded by Friday’s extreme weather event. Please pray and support as…

Read More
';
IMPORTANT TO US

  • Who is Jesus?
  • Thriving faith communities
  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi
BROWSE CONTENT

  • Growing Disciples
    • COVID-19
    • Sunday Services
    • Cults
    • Women
    • Book
    • Community
    • Discipleship
    • Prayer
    • Politics
    • Culture
    • Church
    • Children and Families
    • Theology
    • Youth/Young Adults
    • Carey
    • Spiritual Growth
    • Counselling
    • Easter
    • Healthy Resources
    • Statistics
    • Neighbourhood
    • Effective Mission
    • Intergenerational Te tiriti
    • Robust Leadership
    • Local Church
    • Evangelism
    • Mental Health
    • Environment
    • Justice
    • Creative
    • Chaplaincy
    • Column
  • Effective Mission
    • Women
    • Local Church
    • Promotion
    • Neighbourhood
    • Overseas
    • COVID-19
    • Baptist Magazine
    • Community
    • Global Mission
    • Book
    • Creative
    • Christmas
    • Tips
    • Leadership
    • Culture
    • Youth/Young Adults
    • Chaplaincy
    • Communication
    • Church
    • NZBMS
    • Growing Disciples
    • Children and Families
    • Discipleship
    • Reviews
    • Justice
    • Evangelism
    • Environment
    • Prayer
    • Church leaders
  • Robust Leadership
    • COVID-19
    • Culture
    • Governance
    • Church Leaders
    • Politics
    • Whānau
    • Community
    • Service
    • Preaching
    • Discipleship
    • Book
    • Hui
    • Healthy Resources
    • Women
    • Children and Families
    • Education
    • Global Mission
    • Children and Familie
    • Growing Disciples
    • Spiritual Growth
    • Carey
    • Chaplaincy
    • Justice
    • Theology
    • Local Church
    • Cults
    • Assembly Council
  • Authentic Worship
    • Women
    • COVID-19
    • Creative
    • Communications
    • Book
    • Christmas
    • Music
    • Culture
    • Discipleship
    • Spiritual Growth
    • Theology
    • Creation
    • Leadership
    • Local Church
    • Growing Disciples
  • Healthy Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Finance
    • Partners
    • Community
    • Culture
    • Church leaders
    • Promotion
    • Creative
    • Sunday Services
    • Children and Families
    • Women
    • Local Church
  • Growing Disiciples
    • Community
  • Robust Leaders
FIND OUT MORE

  • Find a local church
  • Regional Associations
  • National Leader
  • Contact support office
  • Website Credits
STAY INFORMED

Download our app

Sign up to our newsletter
IMPORTANT TO US

  • Who is Jesus?
  • Thriving faith communities
  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi
BROWSE CONTENT

  • Growing Disciples
    • COVID-19
    • Sunday Services
    • Cults
    • Women
    • Book
    • Community
    • Discipleship
    • Prayer
    • Politics
    • Culture
    • Church
    • Children and Families
    • Theology
    • Youth/Young Adults
    • Carey
    • Spiritual Growth
    • Counselling
    • Easter
    • Healthy Resources
    • Statistics
    • Neighbourhood
    • Effective Mission
    • Intergenerational Te tiriti
    • Robust Leadership
    • Local Church
    • Evangelism
    • Mental Health
    • Environment
    • Justice
    • Creative
    • Chaplaincy
    • Column
  • Effective Mission
    • Women
    • Local Church
    • Promotion
    • Neighbourhood
    • Overseas
    • COVID-19
    • Baptist Magazine
    • Community
    • Global Mission
    • Book
    • Creative
    • Christmas
    • Tips
    • Leadership
    • Culture
    • Youth/Young Adults
    • Chaplaincy
    • Communication
    • Church
    • NZBMS
    • Growing Disciples
    • Children and Families
    • Discipleship
    • Reviews
    • Justice
    • Evangelism
    • Environment
    • Prayer
    • Church leaders
  • Robust Leadership
    • COVID-19
    • Culture
    • Governance
    • Church Leaders
    • Politics
    • Whānau
    • Community
    • Service
    • Preaching
    • Discipleship
    • Book
    • Hui
    • Healthy Resources
    • Women
    • Children and Families
    • Education
    • Global Mission
    • Children and Familie
    • Growing Disciples
    • Spiritual Growth
    • Carey
    • Chaplaincy
    • Justice
    • Theology
    • Local Church
    • Cults
    • Assembly Council
  • Authentic Worship
    • Women
    • COVID-19
    • Creative
    • Communications
    • Book
    • Christmas
    • Music
    • Culture
    • Discipleship
    • Spiritual Growth
    • Theology
    • Creation
    • Leadership
    • Local Church
    • Growing Disciples
  • Healthy Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Finance
    • Partners
    • Community
    • Culture
    • Church leaders
    • Promotion
    • Creative
    • Sunday Services
    • Children and Families
    • Women
    • Local Church
  • Growing Disiciples
    • Community
  • Robust Leaders
FIND OUT MORE

  • Find a local church
  • Regional Associations
  • National Leader
  • Contact support office
  • Website Credits
STAY INFORMED

Download our app

Sign up to our newsletter
© 2022 Baptist New Zealand. All rights reserved. Site design by Creation Films

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy Preferences

Sign up to our newsletter