Two Whangarei church communities will have contrasting emotions this Easter.
One will celebrate its historic old church being bought by locals, the other mourning the fact there'll be no Easter Service for the first time in more than 60 years after its church was sold.
There will be quite different feelings in McLeod Bay and Ruatangata/Pipiwai as the Whangarei Heads Community celebrates saving its historic pioneer church in McLeod Bay while those in and around Pipiwai will have to go elsewhere for their Easter worship after the Ruatangata Pioneers' Memorial Church was sold by the Methodist Church.
Eric Jagger, a member of the Whangarei Heads Pioneer Church Trust, said it took the community about six months to raise the $40,000 plus needed to buy the McLeod Bay church from the Presbyterian Property Trustees of Aotearoa.
"We feel for the Ruatangata people. But we were able to set up a community trust once we knew the church could be sold and, over six months or so, raised the $40,000 or so needed," Mr Jagger said.