For the past three and a half years, Mike and Dot Hilbourne have been traveling one and a half hours each way to attend church. Each Sunday, they left their Waiheke Island home at 7:30, drove to the ferry station, boarded the 8 a.m. ferry for a 40 minute ride to Auckland, took a bus or Uber, until a local member insisted on picking them up on his way to church, and eventually arrived at the Takapuna chapel for the 9 a.m. church service. When they took the bus, they had to walk uphill a few blocks from the bus stop to get to church. Considering that Mike is 81 years old and recently underwent surgery following a heart attack, the fact that they did this week after week is pretty impressive.
That weekly routine all changed when the Hilbournes located some other church members living on the island. The Unga family had moved from Tonga 15 years previously, but with mum, dad and five children, the round trip fare of well over $100 for the ferry and bus made attending church financially prohibitive, so they stopped going. Dot Hilbourne tried unsuccessfully to visit their home, but they had moved and she didn't know their new address. Recently, she started a conversation with a woman at a store and it turned out to be Ana Unga, the very woman for whom she had been searching. Ana's daughter told the Hilbournes about another young couple who also lived on the island who might be interested in attending church.
- Members and friends gather for church meeting at Waiheke Island, New Zealand, 1 March 2020.
- Mike and Dot Hilbourne of Waiheke Island, New Zealand.
- The Hilbourne's arrange the rented hall for church service on Waiheke Island, 1 March 2020.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
They felt the time had come to start holding church meetings on Waiheke Island. Mike, a former Bishop, approached the bishop of the Takapuna Ward (congregation) about the possibility. Bishop Watts said he had just been thinking the same thing, and when the Stake President, Doug Martin, was asked about the possibility, he said he had been pondering that very idea. The issue of where to meet was easily solved as Dot is one of those taking bookings for the Morra Hall Community Centre.
They have been meeting for a few weeks now, and all is going well. On a recent Sunday, there were 15 in attendance, including two infants. Mike and Dot arrive early to set up chairs, set out hymnbooks, organise the Sacrament table, and prepare the audio speakers to hook up to Dot's phone so the group will have prelude music and hymn accompaniment.
Brett Bennison, who used to pick them up from the ferry station in Auckland, comes over from Takapuna each week to teach Sunday School.
Most Sunday mornings, the Hilbournes are up early to prepare sandwiches and fruit so those in attendance at church can stay afterwards to visit and get better acquainted. Others bring food as well and stick around to enjoy the fellowship.
The Hilbourne's are looking into having their location and meeting times listed on ComeUntoChrist.org and ChurchofJesusChrist.org, so visitors can attend. Since many pedestrians walking up the hill from the wharf pass right by their meeting location, Mike is hoping to build a sign, letting others know that visitors are welcome.
The missionaries on the mainland teach Gospel lessons to some potential church members via FaceTime and occasional personal visits. There are two baptisms, a wedding, and a baby blessing scheduled in coming weeks, so their numbers are growing.
Dot sums it up by saying, "It's just such a blessing. We've ended up in a nice place with nice people. We've felt the hand of the Lord in our lives."