Christine Stride is Executive Assistant to the Baptist National Leader and works at the Baptist National Support Centre in Auckland. She is a member of Titirangi Baptist Church in Auckland.
You’d have to search high and low in the New Zealand Baptist world to find someone who doesn’t know of Merrilyn Withers.
For nearly 50 years, Merr, as she’s known to most, has dedicated herself to enhancing the well-being of young people in New Zealand.
Merr’s work was acknowledged in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list released on Monday, 2 June. Fittingly, she was attending the King’s Birthday (KB) Leadership Training weekend in Rotorua and was able to celebrate the news surrounded by hundreds of young people and Baptist youth ministry workers.
She says her first reaction to receiving the official email from the Honours Unit – Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet was to wonder if it was a joke or a scam.
“I saw the ‘Private and Confidential’ and I thought, ‘Good heavens, someone’s having me on.’”
True to form, Merr deflects the honour, saying, “It may have my name on it… but I accept it on behalf of all the people in New Zealand who work for and love young people.”
Merr was nominated for the KSM by two people who were in a youth group she led in the 1990s and who have kept in contact with her.
Now 73, Merr has been actively involved in youth leadership for most of her life. From 1979 to 2004, she led youth groups and led regionally in Canterbury and Wellington, giving up evenings and weekends, organising events, clocking up kilometres of travel, supporting caregivers, creating curriculums and materials, writing talks, and always advocating for young people.
Based in Lower Hutt, she helps lead a local youth group but has this year called time on running the annual five-day Xtend camps for more than 200 young people; this year’s 30 June – 5 July camp in Palmerston North will be her last.
Merr’s contribution to the development of youth leaders and workers in New Zealand is significant. She has taught NZQA-approved papers at Carey Baptist College and has run numerous workshops at local churches and in communities.
She has also provided senior and governance leadership to the Baptist Union of New Zealand. From 2004 to 2012, Merr gave nine years of leadership to Baptist Youth Ministries, and her strategic governance resulted in the formation of a national movement that sparked transformation and growth.
Here are some testimonies about Merr from people who know and love her:
“Whenever I am with Merrilyn, there are constantly young people coming up to give her a hug, to thank her for a card, a text, or a phone call where she has encouraged them. She is a legend.”
“Some believe that to engage young people, you must be relevant, fashionable, or cool: Merr was none of these things! Instead, she won young people over with authenticity and love.”
“She was instrumental in helping to ground [my teenage children’s] faith in a God who wasn’t just there in the good times but also in the tough times.”
“Merr’s love for everyone and her selflessness to give and serve make her a beacon of light to people…”
Read more about Merr Withers in this article by Beulah Wood.
Photo: Baptist Youth Catalyst Ethan Miller and Merrilyn Withers at the 2025 King’s Birthday Training Weekend in Rotorua. Screenshot from video by Sam Kilpatrick.
