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Our Vision
To see lives transformed by connecting and equipping passionate people
Who We Are
The Avonhead Community Trust was established in 1998 by the Avonhead Baptist Church to support the local community. Since then, we have run many different programmes with all ages. More to follow...
Our Mission
Following Jesus’ call to love and serve, our mission is to identify and equip passionate people to positively impact lives and build thriving communities.
Our Trustees
Our Trustees meet monthly to plan, pray, review, find funding, and strategize. Trustees are elected to two-year terms at our annual meeting and confirmed by the Avonhead Baptist Church Elders.
Wendy Weusten
Chair
Wendy Weusten is married to David, has 3 married children and 4 grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys connecting with family and friends, a good coffee, a good book and going on holiday. She is a trained primary school teacher, has had 20 plus years on staff at Avonhead Baptist and is a Parenting Place facilitator. She enjoys connecting with parents and assisting them in their parenting journey.
Digby Joplin
Secretary
Digby is married with two adult sons and four grandchildren. After more than 40 years in retail sales, he now enjoys home improvement projects and volunteering at Russley School, teaching woodworking and helping children build games projects. He serves on the leadership team at Avonhead Baptist Church and actively leads and participates in church services. A former sports coach and Scout Leader, Digby is passionate about teamwork and supporting the local community.
Alister Murray
Trustee
Alister Murray has been a Trustee since 2013. Prior to retirement he was involved in education as a teacher. Some of his time today, is occupied in doing a variety of activities as a volunteer,. Many of these activities involve interacting with people, focussing on service, eg a Lion for the last 34years where he has chaired and organised community groups to run Health Evenings with a focus on Men's Health. In his spare time Alister enjoys cycling, gardening and watching sport.
Petra Shepard
Trustee
Petra Shepard, originally from South Africa, calling Christchurch home since 1997. She joined Avonhead Baptist Church in 2017 and values being part of both the church and wider community. Invited to the Trust in 2021, Petra contributes her strong administration skills. Petra has one daughter. She works part-time in various jobs and enjoys connecting with friends, walking, good coffee, and watching sport.
Denise Ladbrook
Treasurer
Denise has lived in Avonhead for over 25 years and became a trustee in 2017. She is married to Owen and they have two grown children. She works full-time for a local business and has been involved in various community activities over the years. In her spare time she enjoys reading, walking, gardening and time with family and friends. Add more text here to make up to 400 characters in the bio to fit.
Julie Mackey
Trustee
Julie Mackey has been part of the Avonhead Baptist Church community since the mid-1990s. After many years working in tertiary education, she is pleased to bring her experience and her passion for supporting student success to the work of the Trust. Julie and her husband John have two adult children and a young grandson. She enjoys spending time with family, cooking, reading, good coffee, and getting outdoors to explore and go tramping.
Our Annual Report
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