Our Chapel
October 19, 2020 - January 1, 2030
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? Here is place to learn!
“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
“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
“God showed me that true worship always comes out of a place of intimacy and revelation of what Jesus has done for me. I realized that this is were I want to be – sitting at His feet and pouring out my love and affection before Him, because He’s so worthy.”
Julianna Suter, 20, Switzerland
“Before DBS the Bible was a bit overwhelming to me and I wasn’t sure if I was capable of receiving understanding for myself; especially when it comes to the hard questions or more complex passages. After DBS, that questioning was stripped away and my relationship with my Heavenly Father has gone deeper than ever before.
DBS taught me how to see the Father heart of God. I learned to see God’s justice, faithfulness, and consistency from Genesis to Revelation. My life and relationship with Jesus will never be the same. When I read God’s Word it speaks loudly to me in full color. I cannot get enough of my Father’s words!! DBS equipped me to search out the scriptures for myself and empower me to share what I’ve learned with those around me. DBS was the sweetest time of my entire life.”
Amy Hulehan, 26, USA
“Medical Compassion DTS was a truly an incredible experience. Working in health centres, hospitals and pop-up clinics grew my interest in medicine and allowed me to practically show the love of God. For me, the most transformational aspect of my Med-Com DTS was the focus on compassion and its importance in achieving true holistic healing. This is an experience like no other!”
Matthew Bassett, 18, Orewa, NZ
“Throughout my time on the Pilgrimage DTS, God has worked in me in countless ways. Whether it was learning to see His beauty and love for us in creation, or learning to trust when I was soaking wet, and knowing it’s all for a purpose, a part of the adventure! But also a great part was having lectures about how to walk in the authority of Christ, and learning how to hear the voice of God and grow in relationship with Him! I must say, it’s been the adventure of a lifetime, which won’t end because God isn’t just staying with us for a season, He’s in it with us for eternity!”
Blaise Brunson, 17, Turkey
“Coming into prayer and passion I had so much passion and desires but did not know how to bring them to the feet of the Lord in prayer. Going through the journey of growing in prayer and discipline I was able to walk out with a passion and desire to take all that was on my heart to the foot of the cross in prayer. I found a love for that intimate time of prayer with the Lord in a way I haven’t known before!”
Beza Sparkes, 22, Ethiopia/Alaska
“Being part of the Wild Heart stream helped me know my place in the kingdom as well as parts of my spiritual identity. It broke lies and empowered me to be who God called me to be!”
Nicole Tavares, 18, Brazil
“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
“Prayer and Passion completely changed my outlook on the true power that prayer has. It had always been something that I knew worked and I did, but it was boring. Being a part of this stream gave me new understanding of how prayer is worship and fuels the power of heaven connecting with earth. It will move you to a place of praying out of your relationship with the Lord rather than giving him a list of things you want. You will gain a newfound intimacy with God as your prayer life is propelled.”
Tilly Logan, 21, Australia