The Bible pays a lot of attention to stories. Stories about people, stories about the places people come from, the places they live and the places they go. More than anything, it tells us again and again of how God and His ways are intricately woven into the stories of people and places. People and places change but God is there through all the different seasons.

Our story began in 2004 when Steve and Merryn Fruish felt called by God to plant a church in Whakatāne. Following this call, they moved from their home in Tauranga and their local church of Mount Maunganui Vineyard Church and relocated to Whakatāne in 2007. Initially they chose to simply immerse themselves in the local community and get a feel for the wonderful people and place that they now called home.

Over time they formed a small home group that met in their living room each week. As the Lord slowly added more people to this group, a new venue was needed and in 2013 a home was found at an old bowling clubhouse in Tūhoe Avenue in Whakatāne. This was a vibrant time in the life of our church as the sense of family grew among our members and our collective desire was enlarged to see the wider community served.

During this time a connection was rekindled with Joel and Katie Milgate, who were now pastoring Mount Maunganui Vineyard Church under the new name of Mosaic Church. A new strength was found in this connection and given the shared vision and values, our church chose to align itself with Mosaic Church and took on its name. Mosaic Church would later change its name to Curate Church in 2017.

As our church family grew, another new home was needed, and in 2016 we moved into a new church home on George Street in the Whakatāne CBD. This was a significant marker for us as a church and in this new home many more people would be added to our family and find life and healing through Jesus Christ.

Our next major milestone as a church would take place in 2020, when after pastoring our community for 8 years, Steve and Merryn felt God calling them back to Tauranga. In response to this, our church underwent a transition process and it was decided that Sam and Samantha Barr would lead the church as the new pastors. They were formally inducted in August 2020 and co-pastored with Steve and Merryn for the remainder of the year before stepping into their new mantle in 2021.

Under the leadership of Sam and Samantha a new vision emerged, which focused on our church becoming an authentic family with Jesus at the center of all we do. They dreamed of our church having an impact that reached beyond its walls and into the local community. To reflect this desire the church had a change of name and became Echo Church in February 2022.

Our next chapters as a church are still to be written; however, we look forward to the future with anticipation, truly believing the best is yet to come. We see our church growing into a beacon of light, a pillar of hope and an oasis of rest and refreshment for our community. We look forward to all of the beautiful people whose stories will be grafted into ours as God continues to lead us here in Whakatāne.

To all who have gone before, are with us now, and will come after, thank you for playing your part in our collective story. 

 

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.

My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.