Perryn Smith

About Me

I grew up in a Christian home in Wairoa on a remote sheep & beef station. During my early years I witnessed God moving in a powerful way which profoundly opened my eyes and cemented my faith.

Wendy & I met at university and have been married for 23 years. Over this time I’ve had various occupations and lived in numerous countries – process engineering, sheep & beef farming, property management and offshore sailing.

We have four sons – Callum (19), Sam (17), Luke (15) & Ben (12). Our family culture is based around spiritual values, developing personal character, hard-work and adventure. We enjoy travelling together, and recently sailed halfway around the world as a family – where we lived in many different cultures, faced unusual challenges and saw many answers to prayer.

I’ve been a part of a wide variety of denominations, with Brethren roots and then a variety of Pentecostal/charismatic churches– which has given me a broad perspective of varied church culture. In the past I’ve been involved with Alpha, worship/music teams, Sunday school and leading home groups. Recently we spent two months in Rarotonga helping at the YWAM base with building and practical jobs, which was a great fit for me as I really enjoy improving and fixing things.

We have been part of Golden Sands since May 2022 and I have been involved with Youth group and the Host team over the past year.

What do I bring to the eldership role?

From all our travel and diverse life experiences, I bring a heart for people and for building connection. I love meeting new people and making them feel welcome. I am open-minded and love seeing God move. I sense God moving here at GSB, and our family is drawn to be a part of it.

I enjoy understanding new things, new ideas and naturally like to focus on a task and getting things done. In a church setting I have a passion for worship & prayer, to deepen relationships, and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

My hope for GSB

I strongly identify with GSB’s values of worship, discipleship & mission. I would like to continue to create a place where there is a real sense of community and belonging.

I want to be part of a community that is spirit-led; to know God and to make him known; where young people are able to experience God, and learn His ways; where a diverse community of believers, of different ages and backgrounds, come together to worship God, follow His spirit and celebrate our common faith in Jesus.