Return to flip book view
OverflowIssue: June 25 ISSN 2815- 9322My Wesleyan BeginningsWomen of His MajestyA Centenary - Rev. Frank RiggTwo Churches Message
Tēnā koe, Malo e lelei, Ni sa bula vinaka, , Fakaalofa lahi atu,Kia orana, , Noa‘ia, Kumusta, Hello!As the stars of Matariki rise once again in our southern skies, we pauseto reflect, remember, and realign ourselves with the journey ahead. Thisseason—so deeply rooted in remembrance, celebration, andpreparation—could not be a more fitting frame for the stories gatheredin this edition of our magazine.We honour an extraordinary milestone: the 100th birthday of Rev. FrankRigg. To live a century is no small feat—it is a tapestry woven throughdecades of faithfulness, hardship, joy, and service. As we celebrate thislife, we also glimpse the character of the Church through the lens ofendurance, legacy, and the unchanging grace of God.We remember that this month is Multiplication Month when we have anopportunity to participate in the story of Church planting by contributingwhat we are able – prayer, finances, personnel. In this season ofMatariki, we look back with gratitude—to the stars, to those who havegone before us, to the stories that have shaped us. We celebrate thepresent—with all its life, colour, and diversity. And we commit ourselvesanew to the road ahead—guided by vision, bound by love, and walkingever closely with Jesus.Ngā mihi o te wā o Matariki—may this season bring you peace, purpose,and a renewed sense of calling.In prayer,Rev. Denise BarringtonFrom the editor
2025AUCKLANDPRAYERBreakfastThursday 23 October 2025rdJoin us for the$40 per ticketBook your seat by emailingoffice@wesleyan.nzWMCANZ Table of 10Spaces are limited‘Do you love your city? Do you loveprayer? Do you love God? Do you lovebreakfast? Then it would great if youcan be part of your local PrayerBreakfast’. - Sanjai Kandregula(Auckland Prayer BreakfastCommittee)
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit two different churches at twovery different life stages. It was a joy to celebrate what God wasdoing in both settings and to reflect from the perspective of 25 yearsas a movement.The first was Commoners in Hamilton. I was with the church as part ofcelebrating the ministry of Rev Frank, Melva and Selah Ritchie asFrank was finishing up his role after 9 years. It also coincided with thechurch marking 9 years of life together.My first reflection had a personal edge to it - Frank and Melva hadbeen part of cession|community from August 2004 when the churchhad just been planted. cession|community, which had itself beenplanted by East City Wesleyan, blessed and sent the Ritchie family onthis church planting journey. “Commoners” had part of its DNAformed as a mid-week contemplative gathering atcession|community. There was a sense of the legacy of ECW’s initialforay into church planting, now a grandparent, andcession|community’s initial “greenhousing” of the Commoner’s seed.Second, were the stories shared by those who had been there sincethe beginning as well as those who had only recently become a partof the Commoner’s family. The stories shared a theme of “cominghome”, of finding a place of belonging and inclusion and in somecases moving past historic hurts from church life. I was as impressedby those foundational testimonies as I was by the recent ones. Bothcarry a deep sense of Kingdom values that will serve the church wellin the future. We pray for Commoners as they take time to discernnext steps for the shepherding role within the congregation. Thesecond church I visited that day was City Cross Link - New Lynnwhich was celebrating its first Sunday as a church plant in the NewA Tale of Two ChurchesRev. Brett Jones, National Superintendent
Lynn Community Centre. CCL New Lynn began life as a congregationof CCL - Central, offering the gospel to Filipino migrants in the Tagaloglanguage. The congregation had grown up in the shelter of the parentchurch since November 2023 and was now ready to be planted infresh soil under the leadership of Rev Rudyard Alejo.The vibrant worship, the biblical preaching and the generoushospitality marked the occasion in an inspiring way. The 26 strongplant team was prayed for by CCL pastor Joel Detalo. Their boldenthusiasm was captivating. Pastor Alejo preached on the marks of the biblical church from Acts 2,setting the scene for the church’s posture moving forward. It was anappropriate passage and occasion as we marked Pentecost Sunday.This is the 3rd church plant that CCL has parented in recent years andreflects a commitment to leadership development, regional outreachand discerning the Spirit’s leading in establishing new worshippingcommunities.Both churches that I worshipped with that day were intent on reachingbroken people with the good Good News of Jesus Christ. Both sit inthe legacy of a church planting movement that has been a part of ourstory these past 25 years. The continuing call to us as a movement isto respond to the Great Commission while maintaining the posture ofthe Great Commandments. That we would make disciples of allnations and teach them to love like Jesus did. If we continue to do thatwe will continue to multiply disciples, leaders and churches in comingyears.Rev.RudyardAlejo City CrossLinkRev. FrankRitchieCommoners
Happy 100 BirthdaythRev. Frank Rigg11th July 2025
Rev. Frank Rigg, will celebrate a remarkable milestone in July — he’sturning 100 years old. His centenary is being celebrated by family,friends, and the broader community, who admire not only hisenduring faith and pastoral legacy but also his lifelong commitmentto healthy living. Frank and his wife, Gwen, recently marked another extraordinaryachievement: 70 years of marriage (localmatters.co.nz). Their union,founded on shared devotion and purpose, continues to inspire.Together they raised four children, and their legacy has blossomedover four generations to include ten grandchildren and fourteengreat-grandchildren .Throughout his century of life, Rev. Rigg has remained a beacon ofspiritual guidance and well-being. He continues to serve God andsupport many in ministry. His message — rooted in a strong life offaith, balanced living, and loving partnership — resonates deeplytoday. As he celebrates turning 100, we rejoice in the heartfeltexample he has set through seven decades of marriage and hisongoing contributions to the community.A CENTENARYRev.Frank Rigg
On Saturday 7 June, a group of young Wesleyan women wereinvited to help lead the very first Women of His Majesty event—aspecial evening for women, created in collaboration with leadersfrom the Church of the Nazarene.The gathering was the vision of Pastor Serena Rorani Ah-To fromImmanuel Outreach Ministries, who was inspired by the legacy ofher late parents to create space for young women to be seen,heard, and empowered in the life of the church.The evening was full of colour, connection, and celebration.Women came together to create their own Cook Island Ei Katu,share in worship and games, and encourage one another in theirfaith journeys.Our Wesleyan young women represented us with strength andgrace. They were asked to help lead worship towards the end ofthe evening, and their leadership brought a powerful sense ofauthenticity and joy. Melesiahi Saulala shared a moving testimonyabout God’s transforming work in her life and her call to ministry—her courage and vulnerability left a lasting impact.This gathering was more than an event—it was a moment ofempowerment, where women of all ages and backgrounds cametogether to lift each other up. We believe it marks the beginning ofsomething beautiful. God is raising up young women to be ablessing and a voice for their generation—and the church isstronger for it.WOMEN OF HIS MAJESTYBy Samantha Tan Rodrigo
SHARE YOUR DREAMSWe're in the early stages of discerningour national movement's key priorities for2026-2030 and would love to hear youraspirations for our mission together. Clickhere to share your dreams.
What was it like connecting with the new Wesleyan Church at RedoubtNorth back in 2000? For Glenis and I it was a new experience of safetyand freedom.To explain, as a young person, my decision to commit my life to Jesusflowed from my accepting that Jesus rose from the grave and ispresent with us now in the Holy Spirit. Our denomination back then was strong on Resurrection Hope. Ourlocal church held strongly to this hope and the healing power of theHoly Spirit.At high school, Crusaders, a ministry of Scripture Union, our local BibleClass and our combined Easter Camps all helped me to grow in faith. When I was young, people thought I would be a farmer like my dad,but as I grew, I increasingly felt that God wanted me to serve others.This led me to further studies. On the very night I finished my studies, Imet Glenis who had also just finished her studies. We were bothheading for teacher training and were both committed to followingJesus.MY WESLEYANBeginningsBy Rev. Allan Oliver
Glenis and I married in 1971, and we both felt called to serve in SouthAuckland. Our desire to serve led us both to experience a strong call tofull-time ministry in 1979, which led to 20 years of ministry partnership.After our son was born in 1973, Glenis did not return to teaching.Instead, she invested her time in our children and in ministry to women.Our ministry bore increasing fruit and congregations grew big in sizeand service.Unfortunately, at the sametime, the national church thatcovered us was moving furtherand further away from theBiblical essentials we basedour faith and ministry on. Weknew that other evangelicalcongregations and theirministers in our denominationwere in a similar position.Our denomination was deadlocked. The trigger for a break was asurface issue compared to the giving away of Biblical truth. We left ourold denomination and connected with the Wesleyans. Leaving was abit costly for us. Suddenly we had no income and no provided houseto live in. We had to trust God. Over the years we have had a Luke 6:38experience. Give up and it will be given back to you in good measure.We were very happy that Redoubt North Wesleyan ministers to itslocal area and, especially, to local tamariki and rangatahi. Here arephotos of an early Saints and Angels Party at a local home, and then aphoto after we changed the name to a Light Party and we moved toour new church building alongside our local school.
6 - 8 November 2025Go to www.wesleyan.nz/connexion-2025for more information.FREE EVENT
SUBSCRIBE TO OVERFLOWMAGAZINEWe invite you to make donations to the Wesleyan MethodistChurch of Aotearoa-New Zealand. Join us to make a differenceand reach the lost with the grace and holiness of Jesus Christ.Using the WMCANZ bank account number below, please includeyour first initial and surname in the particulars field and 'donation' inthe reference field.03-0206-0380248-000 Particulars: e.g. 'J Smith' Reference: e.g. 'Donation'Please email accounts@wesleyan.nz with your details to receive a donation receipt.Thank you!Event CalendarDonationsLooking for your localWesleyan Methodist Church?Click here to find your nearestWesleyan Methodist church.Services are held in English,Fijian, Rotuman and Tonganwith several churches usingmultiple languages in theirworship.Scan the QR Code tosubscribe to OverflowMatariki | 20 JunePastors Cluster Meeting | 28 June Church Plant Funding Appeal Sunday | 22 June
National Resource CentreTuesday | 9am-2pm219 Burswood DriveBotany, Auckland 2013Ph: (09) 271 6460National Support AssistantSian SidwellEmail: office@wesleyan.nzOverflow EditorDenise BarringtonEmail: overflow@wesleyan.nzNational Church ContactsNational Superintendent Rev. Brett Jones - natsuper@wesleyan.nzAss't National SuperintendentRev. Atu Lagi - pastoralcare@wesleyan.nzDirector of OperationsRev. Peter Benzie - dirops@wesleyan.nzNational TreasurerKerrin Thomson - treasurer@wesleyan.nzDirector Church HealthRev. Jo Verkerk - training@wesleyan.nzDirector Global MissionsMichelle Yates - missions@wesleyan.nzDirector Ministerial FormationRev. Melissa Powell - nbmf@wesleyan.nzDirector MultiplicationRev. Mike Yates - churchdevt@wesleyan.nzDirector Next GenerationsRev. Stephenie Couch - nextgen@wesleyan.nzwww.wesleyan.nzOur Values | Enduring Foundations | Embracing Grace | Embodying OnenessFlourishing Churches | Celebrating BelongingInterested in news from GlobalMissions, Wesleyan MethodistChurch of New Zealand? Get in touchwww.wesleyan.nzmissions@wesleyan.nz