Editing Gloriavale Christian Community (section)

===Origins===
The group was founded in 1969 by Neville Cooper (aka "Hopeful Christian"), an Australian-born preacher who was invited to New Zealand,<ref name="au1" /> having earlier (as a member of the Voice of Deliverance Evangelist Mission) survived a near fatal 1965 plane crash in south-east Queensland.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Clayton |first=Mark |date=September 2017 |title=A Wing and a Prayer |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/%27A_wing_and_a_prayer%27,_Aviation_Heritage,_vol._48,_no._3_(September_2017),_pp.128-130.pdf |journal=The Journal of the Aviation Historial Society of Australia |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=128–130 |access-date=28 August 2021 |archive-date=31 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731110412/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/%27A_wing_and_a_prayer%27,_Aviation_Heritage,_vol._48,_no._3_(September_2017),_pp.128-130.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Following a period as a travelling evangelist in New Zealand, Cooper returned to Australia and brought his wife and children to New Zealand. Following 18 months of travelling the country, the Coopers settled in [[Rangiora]] near [[Christchurch]], where Cooper helped found the local [[New Life Churches, New Zealand|New Life Church]]. Following a breakdown in the relationship with the local New Life pastor, Cooper established his own church called "The Christian Church" at Springbank near Christchurch, bringing half of the Rangiora New Life congregation with him.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} They became known as the Springbank Christian Community.<ref name="Stuff May 2015">{{cite web|url=http://i.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/68166569/men-groomed-to-have-underage-sex-in-gloriavale-exmember-says|title=Men 'groomed' to have underage sex in Gloriavale, ex-member says|author=Ashleigh Stewart|date=1 May 2015|access-date=20 July 2016|work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818145009/http://i.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/68166569/men-groomed-to-have-underage-sex-in-gloriavale-exmember-says|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Our Beginnings">{{cite web |title=Our Beginnings|url=https://gloriavale.org.nz/beginnings/  |publisher=Gloriavale Christian Community's official website |access-date=7 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812083026/https://gloriavale.org.nz/beginnings/|archive-date=12 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Springbank Christian Community acquired a farm in [[Cust, New Zealand|Cust]] from the Harrison family, two of whose sons married two of Cooper's daughters. The Springbank Community built a school, church complex, and established several plumbing, drainlaying, gasfitting, aircraft engineering, motor mechanics, waterbed manufacturing, and cabinetry businesses at the Cust farm. In addition, the Church also raised pigs, sheep and grew crops. While at Cust, the Springbank Christian Community established a point system for members to share wages and profits from the church businesses. Since the church provided food and basic needs, members shut down their personal accounts and came to depend on church distributions to live. In addition, Cooper instituted modest blue uniforms for members including long dresses for women.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}