Upper South Baptist Association
An update from Regional Leader Chris Chamberlain for 2024.
Listen to Chris' update in The Lowdown podcast.
Many people
There are over 4000 people in the Upper South Baptist Churches (USBA) among a general population of about 900,000.
Our Association has an active board: David Baines (Parklands Baptist Church, Chair), Martin Sutherland (Avonhead Baptist Church), Sue Avery (Connect Church Blenheim), Rod Robson (Opawa Baptist Church), Julie Chamberlain (Oxford Terrace Baptist Church), and Paul Cossey (Motueka Baptist Church). They provide calm and wise oversight as we innovate for gospel renewal. Take a second to thank God for them.
Our staff team is made up of Andrew Meek (Leadership Pathway Coordinator), Mike Dodge (Youth, contracted from Canterbury Youth Services), Hannah Cossey (Young Adults), Steph Wood (Children and Families), and Chris Chamberlain (Regional Leader). Each contributes from their experience and gifts to support our churches. Take a moment to pray for them as they serve our churches.
Delta Community Support Trust have farewelled Mike Stanley and welcomed Grahame Burgess as the new General Manager. Archer Villages and Rest Homes have welcomed Jane Haughey as the new General Manager following Graham Mitchell’s conclusion.
Pastoral changes abound in our Association, including welcomes to Tom Gower at Linwood Baptist Church, Jason Webb at Rangiora Baptist Church (Associate), Caleb Nicolson at Kaiapoi Baptist Church (Youth), Arnie Hall at Nelson Baptist Church, Hans Van Lune at Richmond Baptist Church, Ceu Tum at Chin Immanuel Baptist Church, Thomas Bourdin at Covenant Grace Baptist Church (Associate), Cintia Rossaneis at New Generation Baptist Church (Youth), Emily Brown at Connect Church Blenheim (Youth), Rachel Sangster at Riccarton Baptist Church (Associate to Senior) and Chris Chalmers to St Albans Baptist Church. Praise God for these appointments. We also note the conclusion of Mark Pavelka from Gleniti Baptist Church, Clint Hawkes from Ashburton Baptist Church (Youth), Simon and Annette Williams from Kaiapoi Baptist Church, Paul Wade from Stoke Baptist Church, Colin Wood from Parklands Baptist Church and Chris Chamberlain from Oxford Terrace Baptist Church. Please give thanks for these folk and their service in our churches.
The establishment of an Association charitable company ‘Baptist Resources Limited’ has seen the ongoing service of our churches in areas of finance, administration, property maintenance and development, and health and safety advice. General Manager Bradley Nicolson (Oxford Terrace Baptist Church) brings several years of development and finance experience to the task. It is governed by a board made up of Upper South Baptist Association appointees: Rod Robson (Opawa Baptist Church, Chair), Heather Mcleod (Oxford Terrace Baptist Church), James Stewart (one non-Baptist appointee), and myself (Chris Chamberlain, USBA Regional Leader).
Numerous places
Our Upper South Baptist Association has 34 churches, spread between Timaru and Nelson, over the top half of the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu. As Regional Leader, it has been a busy year as I seek to be present in as many churches as possible on a Sunday and preach about Baptist identity, gospel renewal, and the power of the Kingdom. People have universally loved hearing stories of radical Baptist people from our past, like JJ Doke, JK Archer, Hopestill Pillow, and Thomas Helwys. The point has been to highlight that ‘radical’ is in Baptist DNA and that God is not finished with us yet. Churches I’ve managed to preach at include Wilson Street Baptist Church, Temuka Baptist Church, Lincoln Baptist Church, Darfield Baptist Church, Rangiora Baptist Church, Avonhead Baptist Church, Ilam Baptist Church, Riccarton Baptist Church, New Generation Baptist Church Bryndwr, Papanui Baptist Church, St Albans Baptist Church, Linwood Baptist Church, Kaiapoi Baptist Church, Greymouth Baptist Church, Chin Glory Evangelical Baptist Church, Nelson Chin Baptist Church, Chin Immanuel Baptist Church, Nelson Baptist Church, Motueka Baptist Church, Stoke Baptist Church, Atawhai Baptist Church, Connect Church Blenheim and Picton Baptist Church. Whew! Along the way, there has been about 30,000km of travel. In 2024, we held our regional Hui in Christchurch for a change, with greater participation, more non-pastors, and a combined Sunday evening worship service attended by over 200. Later in the year, folk from about 10 of our churches supported an Eldership training event.
One gospel
The number of baptisms over this last year has been remarkable. We give thanks for this increase in new life. Churches often ask questions about ‘gospel renewal’ and what ‘growing young’ might look like. Kingdom-of-God-action, such as leveraging assets to serve people experiencing poverty, has also been a point of discussion. One example of this is working with several churches on how best to build houses for those in need. Some of our churches are in quite difficult territory and are wrestling with what gospel renewal might be like for a new season. Sometimes, they ask the Regional Leader and their Association for help, and working together for gospel renewal in those settings is humbling. Associating can be so enriching when autonomy sometimes is not.
It is with gratitude to God that this contribution is offered to our movement’s annual report.
This update is from the 2024 Annual Report of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, which you can view here.
Photo: Upper South Baptist Association session at the Baptist National Hui 2023.
