Canadian-born Luke Andrade and Kiwi wife Stephanie are settled into Alexandra after almost a year with the Elim Church, and are looking forward to moving into their new premises.

The congregation sold its existing church on Tarbert Street four years ago to find a bigger space, and have been fundraising ever since for its new $1.25million renovation on Ngapara St.

Members of the church will be moving in at the end of April and have completely redesigned the building that was once used for the fruit industry.

It has been a huge journey for the church, with a lot of work going on behind the scenes.

The foundation was laid for the church to be able to purchase the new building through the fundraising efforts which started with the sale of the previous one.

For three years church members cleaned the New World supermarket seven days a week to pay off its mortgage, and the sale of that initial building was what enabled them to start the process for the new one.

“The Elim Church nation was so moved by the way they have worked to pay it off,” Luke said.

This was all carried out under the former pastors Keith and Lesley Taylor, followed by Aaron and Sarah More, who had since moved to Tauranga.

In 2023 the church’s efforts were boosted by a grant from Central Lakes Trust for $250,000, for the multi-purpose community space, which will include a 215-seat auditorium, two multi-functional spaces and a commercial kitchen.

The new Elim Church development is underway in Alexandra. SUPPLIED

Since the couple moved south from Auckland in May 2024, church members have increased from 55 to an average of 78 most weeks (with 115 active).

Luke’s journey to becoming a pastor was never straightforward. Brought up a Christian, he moved to New Zealand in 2018 and the family he lived with were involved with Destiny Church.

He soon realised that wasn’t for him and joined Elim Manurewa instead, where elders saw his potential and asked him to train as a pastor.

“But I didn’t like pastors and Bible college was for fake christians,” he said at the time, so he went back to Canada and then decided to spend some time in the Pacific Islands.

Returning to New Zealand before the Covid-19 lockdown, the principal of the Bible college happened to be that same woman who saw his potential, and so he was reluctantly convinced to give bible college a go.

Meanwhile, Stephanie was training to be a school teacher and also a member of the Papakura Elim Church - the pair eventually met and started dating.

Both had a calling to live in Central Otago (Stephanie had visited as a child on holiday), and Luke was torn between moving south or heading back to the islands to plant churches.

He went on a 21-day fast “because some say you hear God better, but I think you hear yourself better.”

That exposed him to a fear of missing out (FOMO), “but christians don’t operate out of fear but faith.”

In April 2024 it all came together through Elim National when he was invited for an interview with the church elders in Alexandra.

“In hindsight it all panned out beautifully,” Stephanie said.

The couple are expecting another child later this year and are relishing their new life in Central Otago, describing Alexandra as a beautiful town with a lovely community.

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