Exodus 15 v 27

After leaving Marah, they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the springs.

Senior Leadership Team

" The Oasis " Church Senior Leadership Team have been working very well together for over 5 years. In this church we realize that no one person can do it all.

These people are my sounding board and advisory board, who bring me wisdom, balance and help me to make wise, careful and right decisions. They are a fantastic team, a real support and key players in the life of this church.

Senior Leader:

Pastor Bruce Collingwood

Supporting Senior Leadership Team:

Julie Collingwood
Graham and Jen Missen

L.E.A.D. Meetings

  • Specifically For: Everybody in our church
  • Focus: Church business, leadership input and training
  • When: 1st Thursday of the month, 7.30pm
  • Contact: Bruce Collingwood, bruju@xtra.co.nz

Bruce:

  • I was born in Papua New Guinea, to parents who were missionaries
  • At age 10, my family came back to New Zealand, and we settled at Mt. Maunganui
  • I finished my schooling and spent most of my early working life at Mt. Maunganui
  • Spent two years, backpacking around the world
  • Came home and started to actively pursue the call of God on my life
  • Met Julie at an over 18"s youth group I was running for Mt. Baptist Church 
  • We were married in 1991
  • Went to Lifeway Bible College completing the Certificate of Evangelism

This was followed by 6 years as a full time Youth Pastor:

  • 1 year at South City Elim Church, Manurewa, Auckland, N.Z.
  • 5 years at Hamilton City Elim Church, Hamilton N.Z.
  • I also organized and ran Breakthrough 97,  the 1st ever National Elim Youth Conference
  • Was the Founding National Leader for Warriors of the Light Evangelism Club a Christian banner club that  I ran for 7 years

Came to Napier City in November 1998 to plant : " The Oasis " Church  - [  Started 23rd January 1999 ]

  • We have been here since then
Important Note: Our church is also Napier City Elim Church as we are part of the Elim Churches of N.Z. Inc.

Julie:
  • I was born in Hamilton, New Zealand
  • I was raised in a non Christian family, but one that taught good morals
  • My mum became a Christian when I was 13 and took me to Sunday school
  • 1989, I became a Christian, after getting questions about God answered
  • I met Bruce after transferring from Auckland to Tauranga, with A.N.Z.
  • Since 1992 I've been busy as a full-time wife, mother and support to Bruce


Graham and Jen Missen:

Well,  in 1999 it happened! In the year of 1997 - redundancy forced us to look for jobs elsewhere.  Amidst this time, while looking for another position, we had 2 prophecies over us, from prophets visiting our church. They didn’t know we existed, until they laid hands on us and prayed and prophesied.  At this point, we knew we were being led into a place of stretching, into a place of the unknown to us. God told us through the prophecy that we would go to a place of sun and sea, where there would be fishing, and that our job was to be also fishing and to reel the people in. He specifically said, we wouldn’t actually catch them, but we would be reeling them in. It was also said, that we’d be working with people on the other side of the tracks. By 1999 we knew it was Napier.

During this waiting time, of two years, (which I must admit was very hard), we were told twice again in “Words given over us” from people who didn’t know our situation, that God was saying “WAIT”  One prophesy was even known to be said as  “You can’t go yet, because the place isn’t ready for you yet, I am still preparing it for you!”  This was the time, that our “now” Pastor Bruce was praying for a church plant. Of course God had perfect timing , leading us up here in the first week the church started ! Isn’t God amazing! Right to the very week, out of the two year Period!

Not till we came up to Napier, did we realise what half that prophesy meant........the climate matched up, the fishing did, both physical and spiritual, but the later half of the prophesy wasn’t fulfilled till just recently, when we realise what the other side of the tracks meant. It could have meant geographically, but in the spiritual it also means, “not what we have been used to.”

God blessed us to bring us to Elim, to help set up this church, in its first few months of being established. The word and work is spreading rapidly, against odds and hardships experienced by our folk within the church.

As a result of our learning experiences  in our previous church, and going through the fire that God put us through in  our own lives, within our family,  now later, here we are, also on the other side, to help the people within our church family.

We are very blessed to be part of the Senior Leadership team here at “ The Oasis “ “Elim” and we love our church dearly and its vision. We have a great love for our pastor and his wife.

We feel very honoured to have the responsibility of running the church along with our team.  Although these plans weren’t ours, we know that God has a definite plan for us to be here, and we view this as an awesome honour of his goodness, and we pray that this church will know the greatest blessing ever.  After all its God’s Church!