Our Chapel
December 31, 2030 - March 14, 2040
Our Chapel
The History and Heart Behind Our Chapel
At Marine Reach, we are blessed with so many beautiful spaces to get away with Jesus, whether it’s outside enjoying the green hills and the sheep (down in our valley) OR our special chapel at the end of the field.
As one of our founders, we wanted to get Linda Cowie to explain her heart and the history behind the chapel.
When was the chapel built?
“Its dedication was in 2012.”
What is the Maori name?
“Te Whare Karakia – meaning A House Of Prayer
It is a place to find freedom and intimacy with the Lord. Quoting Isaiah 56:7, the chapel is our “engine room” for the the ministry, “A House Of Prayer for all the nations”. People come from the nations and pray for the nations, I think it’s a beautiful picture.”
What was the original idea behind it?
“Catherine Hollister Jones loved prayer places, so much so she would visit them all over the world. So one day I asked her, ‘Why don’t we build one?’
You know there is the prayer walk down in the valley, but with that scripture we got (Isaiah 56:7), we thought it would be so valuable to have a specific place. It was a fresh expression of that verse for us. Through that Word of the Lord, we believed God for the money.”
What is the symbolism in the chapel?
“There so many things that I love to talk about. You know the chapel was made as a replica from the small churches on the east coast of New Zealand.
Carving – There’s a carving above the doors representing the open arms of God, and in the centre is an image of a hongi. A hongi is a traditional Māori greeting where two people meet together touching foreheads and noses and sharing one breath. A beautiful image of the divine breath in us.
Panels – These two panels on the wall were designed by our chief Huikakahu. They were based on the passage of John 15 talking about where Jesus says ‘I am the vine and you are the branches’ and about producing fruit. The Māori design on the panels is based off of a Māori proverb which says ‘I’d rather die like a hammerhead shark than a trevally’. A shark struggles and fights; it’s relentless – whereas the fish gives up easily.
Bi-fold Doors – The east wall is built as complete bi-fold doors so it could be opened and therefore using the chapel for a wedding platform with all the guests outside (which we’ve actually had before, it was LOVELY).
As well, the windows are all facing an open space in the trees for when the sun is rising. You can see it perfect from inside.
Garden of Reflection – Next to the chapel is, what we call, the Garden of Reflection. It is a garden to honour kiwi YWAMers. The very first two YWAMers to die on the field are also dedicated there. It’s a garden to reflect on the goodness of God in our lives.
Bell – The bell in the steeple was the church bell in a couple other churches before finding its home here. Bells are rung in maraes to call Māoris to prayer.
Hymn – Opposite the wall from the panels is the hymn ‘Here Is Love’ which is a love song from the Welsh revival. It says ‘Heavens peace and perfect justice, Kissed a guilty world with love’ and if you think about it, it’s the most divine hongi – a divine kiss of God.”
Share with us your favourite story about it !
“This isn’t my favourite story, but it’s funny…
One morning, a very important man from parliament was here. He went into the chapel to pray and when he came out, there was only one shoe. The other had gone missing. So he hobbled back up to his car with his only one shoe, telling others about his lost shoe. When I got home, I found the shoe right outside my dog door and felt so terrible about it. I had to call him up to let him know how sorry I was; I deeply apologised for the situation. He had to go buy new shoes before catching his flight back to Wellington.
Of all the people it could’ve happened to…”
Our base Leadership Team has over 160 years of combined mission experience. Want to know more about Linda Cowie and the rest of the team? Learn more!
“Since being here at Marine Reach, my hunger for God has continued to grow more and more. In the Kingdom Come stream, our heart is to see the world changed by the message of His love and the demonstration of His power. It’s such a privilege to be apart of a group of people so on fire for Jesus!”
Joseph Pope, 25, Virginia, USA
“For the first time in my life, God showed the revelation of his father-heart through the Cover-to-Cover Bible read and I can now say that I know that I am a Daughter of the King of Kings. So many things moved from my head to my heart through the teaching and reading, and I’m so thankful the Lord lead me into this stream!”
Elizabeth Thruston, 24, Sacramento, CA / Monument, CO
“Upon first coming to DTS, I had settled for a mundane and ordinary life. But over time, He has captured my heart and instilled in me a new passion for His purpose. This has given me confident hope that I am worthy of intentionally being part of the greater good.”
Taya Newton, 20, Alberta, Canada
“We had been married for 5 years when we came to Marine Reach. As a married couple, we learned a lot about each other and ourselves and gained a lot for our marriage. What we enjoyed most during the GO PAC stream times was the mix between the depth we dove into God’s Word, getting to know His plan for us better, and the times thinking and learning about the interesting Pacific cultures. We think it is so important to get to know new cultures. At the base, there are many different cultures, but you really want to get to know the one culture where you live and where you’re going on outreach. We experienced that when spiritual basics are understood with the heart and not only with the mind, that is what brings change into your daily life, and that is what you can carry home after DTS.“
Tobias & Annika Dietrich, 26 & 26, Germany
“Being apart of Wild Heart has really helped me find out what it means to be wild for God. It has helped me break out of shells I didn’t even I know had. The stream transformed my way of thinking when it comes to being a disciple of Christ, teaching me to take action in faith. It has given me many things I will be able to take home and apply in my daily life, crazy awesome!”
Deylan Santy, 19, Idaho, USA
“In the Kingdom Come stream, we really focused on what the kingdom of God is and how to live that out on earth. The most impactful aspect of this was walking out a miraculous lifestyle and being in an intimate relationship with God, where you can expect miracles to happen.”
Peter Seip, 25, Virginia, USA
“Through prayer and passion stream, I was able to see how prayer could be a place of so much intimacy with God. Finding my secret place with Him allowed me to fall in love again with His beauty and goodness. At the same time, God revealed to me the secrets of His heart- how He saw me and how He saw the world. It’s such a privilege to know that there’s a big God up there who trust us and partners with us to bring the kingdom of heaven down on to earth through our prayers!!! And never once did He let me down.”
Jesse Chua, 22, Singapore
“The Justice Movement Stream taught me to truly fall in love with and respect other cultures and people groups, and how to see them as God sees them.”
Kasandra Adler, 19, Missouri, USA
“Wild at Heart? Yes, of course! But whatever adventure I went for, I wanted to be the one in control. During my DTS, God changed my heart to go wild with Him. I learned to trust in God and that I don’t have to be in charge, as long as I know the One who is!”
Silas Bauer, 21, Germany
“The GoPac Stream challenged me to broaden my view for the people around me, to step out of my comfort zone, and to expand the love that God has put inside of my heart, to love Him and others more.”
Alex Ronsdorf, 24, Germany