Golden Light on New Beginnings: Our Regenesis Story
Contributed by Di Johnston.
For nearly a decade, the Enviro Conversation group at South West Baptist has been exploring what it means for a church community to care for the places we call home. Our Regenesis planting journey began after the 2017 Port Hills fires, partnering with local landowners, Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, and Brailsfords to help restore native bush in some Landsdowne Valley covenanted land. When that effort concluded in 2024, we sought a new restoration focus and began a six-year planting partnership with Christchurch City Council at Westmorland West Reserve.
Our first planting day in May drew an incredible 80–90 people—families, neighbours, and church members working side by side to get 1,200 young natives in the ground. As the afternoon ended and most volunteers headed home, a few of us lingered. The sun slipped beneath the nor’west arch, casting warm, golden light across the hillside. We stood quietly, taking in the glow on the newly planted trees, and all felt a deep sense of blessing over the work we’d begun.
Since then, monthly planting and releasing days continue to bring people together, slowly transforming this dry hillside into a thriving habitat. It’s a shared act of hope—restoring land, nurturing community, and participating in the steady renewal of creation.
