Onekawa Bible Church Elders Serving God and the church as an elder is an incredible honour. Each elder at OBC must meet the biblical qualifications outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-4. An elder is sometimes referred to as a pastor or an overseer or a shepherd.  His role is to feed the spiritual sheep with the Word of God and to protect them from false teachers and teachings. Elders are also to guard the 'souls' of the saints (Hebrews 13:17) as they will have to give an account to God for their leadership in this area. Their leadership is to model that of Jesus Christ who is the ultimate Head of the church.   Phil Henderson  Phil was born in Warkworth and lived in Marton, Palmerston North and Los Angeles before arriving here in the Hawkes Bay in 1999.   He began his working career with Telecom as a Telephone Technician before heading to Los Angeles to complete a Master of Divinity (M. Div) degree at The Master's Seminary.  Phil served as the Youth Pastor at Riverbend Bible Church for several years before being called to pastor Onekawa Bible Church. In 2015, Phil completed a Doctorate of Ministries (in Expository Preaching) and is now affectionately known as "Dr Phil".  Phil is married to Natalie and they have 3 great kids, Jacob, Jessie, and Daniel.  Phil has enjoyed playing soccer for various clubs since he was young but has finally hung up his boots.  He is an avid Liverpool supporter but welcomes fans of any football team to join the church!  These days, you can find him having a coffee with Natalie, hitting a tennis ball with the family or on the sidelines supporting his kids.     James Glanville James Glanville is married to Megan and they have three adult children, Calvin, Thabo, and Kelly who was recently married to Daniel Verrent. James serves as the Pastoral Care Coordinator at the Hastings Hospice three days per week and is also employed for 12 hours each week at OBC serving in Counselling and Pastoral Care. James has had a lifetime of experience counselling and helping God’s people. He obtained an MA (Theology) and a Ph. D (Practical Theology) from the University of Pretoria. Most of his ministry experience has been in South Africa and we are now very blessed that God providentially moved his family to fellowship with us here at OBC.    Gary Smith Gary Smith is married to Lynette and they have four adult children. Andrew who is married to Tori and they live in Taradale; Rebecca who is a school teacher in Palmerston North and is married to Aaron; Nick and Kate, who is married to Jacob. Gary served as an elder at Napier Baptist Church for seven years and currently works in Hastings as the Chief Financial Officer at Ovation, a lamb exporting business. Gary is a faithful and wise servant who loves to encourage and pray for the saints. He and Lynette thrive in the area of hospitality, often hosting large crowds in their home.    Benji Carey Benji Carey is married to Kezia and they have two sons, Ezra and Ryan. Benji is multi-talented and multi-gifted, serving in both the music and children’s ministries at OBC. He graduated from The Shepherd’s Bible College in 2011 and completed his Bachelor of Applied Theology by correspondence through Carey Baptist in 2017. Although Benji is only a few years into his role as a husband and a father, he is in his early 30’s and has had over ten years of ministry and leadership experience both in Dunedin, as well as with us at OBC. Benji is a man of integrity, a diligent worker who regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty, and he will only continue to increase in his wisdom and leadership skills as he serves alongside other seasoned elders.