Hart , Roland Charles

1915-1982. Converted through an evangelistic mission of Andrew Johnston at Morrinsville Baptist church, Hart was pastor at Opawa 1941-1944 before becoming an air force chaplain 1944-1945 in the war zone north of Papua New Guinea. Subsequent pastorates were at Valley Road (Auckland) 1945-52, Oxford Terrace (Christchurch) 1954-61, Northcote 1967-76 and the Auckland Tabernacle 1976-79. He also had two terms as a full-time evangelist: first for the Auckland Association, 1952-1954 and later for the Union, 1962-1967. He was a key organiser for the 1959 and the 1969 Billy Graham Crusades and was the primary organiser of the 1965 Trans-Pacific Crusade, which involved 102 Southern Baptists holding missions in N.Z. Baptist churches. He wrote several evangelistic tracts/booklets with a combined circulation of 40,000. He was on the College Board for 28 years, on the Union Council for 34 and on the Union Executive for 13. He was President of the Baptist Union 1971-1972. At one stage he did adjunct teaching for the Baptist College and the Bible Training Institute. Refs: NZB article April 2003, p.15; funeral tribute: NZB December 1982.