"This is what church is all about, it is a home."
Pastor Eddie Tupai, president of the North New Zealand Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, cut the ribbon and formally opened "Our Place" on Sunday.
The new building on Page Street is home to the Stratford Seventh Day Adventist Church, and includes a drop-in centre, auditorium, church offices, a kitchen and more.
Stratford Pastor Bruce Mason says the church paid the deposit on the premises "a year and a day ago" and the final building "is far more than I had ever imagined it could be".
As well as being host to church services held on the Seventh Day Adventist Sabbath day of Saturday, the building will also play an important part in the Stratford community as a whole says Bruce. "Our drop-in centre provides people with a place to come to, people to talk to and we will be offering a range of services through it, addressing family violence and addiction issues within our community." Perhaps, he adds, "this community will become a better place because of this place".