Palmerston Dunback Parish

Palmerston is a small rural service town in North Otago that straddles State Highway 1 and State Highway 85 (the Pig Route) to the Maniototo.  There has been a Presbyterian presence in the town for over 100 years.  The Parish now stretches inland to include Macros and Dunback.

The Rev Ivan Murray retired from active full time ministry in Palmerston in February 2002, so the parish was vacant. We were a congregation of over 60 year olds.

Early in the vacancy, Steve Millward, a final year Ministry Student conducted a mission to the parish. The mission helped the Parish to focus on its past heritage and start to get rid of things that were holding it back, Things such as to much focus on buildings and trying to build up finance. In simple terms we were encouraged to seek the Lord's guidance to get out of the rut that they were in.

No ministers were putting up their hand to come to a parish where most of the people were over 60.

At this time the Lord started testing our faith, a Solomon Island Minister was interested so he and his wife were invited to come and spend a week in the parish to see if both parties were compatible. The answer was yes, although some of the parishioners felt we were not ready for a 'black' Minister.

Obstacles to Bobby coming were raised by Immigration and others and on many occasions the Lord opened the door at the last moment. The Rev. Bobby Kusilifu was inducted into the Palmerston parish in February 2004.

It all came right and it is been a joy to sit under Bobby's Biblical preaching. People have responded.
We now have staff from the Macraes Gold Mine worshipping with us. Our congregation is about 30% non white. More families are attending worship with the average age has dropping from 65 to 45. Numbers attending worship are rising. A caring loving atmosphere has developed with strangers being made very welcome at the after service morning tea. Activities have been arranged to involve the district. The Lord is encouraging us to reach out.

Children are being catered for with an after school programme 'Funtastic Friday'.

A young married's Bible study group has started which includes some that as yet do not attend worship.

A Youth Group of about 20 started this May.