by Simon Cayzer
Maureen Goulstone went to be with her Lord on September 10, 2025 at the age of 90. Allan and Maureen have been blessed with three children (David married to Ann-Marie, Delwyn married to Graham, and Kathy married to Ian), eight grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
Maureen initially trained and worked as a primary school teacher, and Allan and Maureen joined Navigators staff in October 1970. They served on staff with The Navigators for over 50 years. Their first staff role was pioneering a student ministry at Massey university which involved the family moving from Auckland to Palmerston North. Allan had earlier prayed on the Massey campus with Waldron Scott, Pacific Areas Navigators’ director at the time. Sometime later Maureen wrote, “Those prayers continue to be answered to this day.” This includes Juliet and me. Juliet came to faith at Massey through The Navigators and we were both wonderfully helped in our faith during our student years through The Navigators.
Maureen and Allan invested many years working in community ministry and church discipleship ministry. They made good use of a program called The 2:7 Series, the name coming from Colossians 2:7 which emphasises being rooted and built up in Christ. They faithfully visited churches and people around the country encouraging them to do what God had laid on their heart. They called this their ‘Enabling’ ministry.
When I think about Maureen and Allan, Psalm 92:12-15 comes to mind, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Allan and Maureen’s ministry of coming alongside people to strengthen and encourage them in their faith and mission continues to be relevant today. We continue to need faithful followers of Christ like Maureen and Allan who will give their lives for the sake of others so that we see spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Maureen will be honoured in a memorial service on 10 October 2025, 2pm, at Opawa Baptist Church, Wilsons Road, Christchurch. All are welcome. The service will be live-streamed at https://youtube.com/live/ow3o24-UoGw and will remain available for some time.