The Kaikohe Church Leaders Forum commends the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board for recently adopting the Kaikohe Community Development Plan.
The plan has six focus areas – cultural, economic, environment-built, environment-natural, social and spiritual. The areas each have goals set in them.
Of special interest to the forum is the spiritual focus area. Renowned Maori and Pakeha historical figures embraced Christian faith and values, embedded them into the Kaikohe community and left a heritage that is still growing today as seen by the many churches in the town, members say.
The forum believes it is impossible to talk of a spiritual focus of the community without recognising the historical, cultural and contextual role of Christian faith and values.
Members say the majority of residents in Kaikohe may not be regular church goers but they are still affiliated to some form of Christian religion according to the census.
One of the goals of the forum is to promote inter-denominational events to unite the church attendees and promote community leadership around festivals like Christmas, Easter and Matariki.
Another goal is to promote faith-based social support services that strengthen families by addressing issues of marriage, parenting, drug and alcohol abuse, budgeting and gambling addiction, etc.
Members believe churches can have a direct positive influence on the economic, health, emotional well-being, crime and domestic violence statistics by promoting and supporting marriages.
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