Category: reCharge

Our Drama Group is hard at work preparing for the Devonport Eisteddfod in September, and it has been encouraging to watch the enthusiasm and growth of the nine young people involved. Made up primarily of Grade 4 and 5 students, the group meets each week at the LifeWay Baptist Church building in Devonport under the supervision of Student Pastor, Producer and Pirate Captain, Morgan Read. A typical session includes warm-up activities, drama games, a snack, and plenty of time working on blocking, learning lines and developing stage skills.

One of the joys of the group is the mix of personalities involved. Every child brings something unique, and it has been wonderful to see them growing in confidence as they learn to perform together. With the majority of participants being girls, the group has also become a valuable space for encouraging confidence, creativity and self-expression at an important stage of life.

Over the years the group has presented productions including The Princesses’ New Clothes and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This year’s performance has a pirate theme and promises plenty of action, hearty energy and some well-rehearsed stage combat.

Beyond the performances themselves, the Drama Group continues to be a valuable outreach ministry for Lifeway. Many children and families develop connections through the group, often becoming involved in other church activities and building lasting relationships within our church community.

mainly music (yes – lower case) is a thriving and encouraging ministry at Westbury Baptist Church, with a great start to the year and strong involvement from local families. Each Wednesday during school terms, parents, carers and children aged 0–4 gather together for music, play, conversation and connection in a warm and welcoming environment. Doors open at 9.45am for a 10.00am start, with sessions running until around 11.30am. All are welcome.

The morning begins with a lively 30-minute music session filled with songs, rhymes, movement and actions that children love. This is followed by around an hour of eat/play/chat time, where families can build friendships and support one another. An allergy-friendly morning tea is provided for children, along with cake and tea or coffee for adults.

The program continues to welcome new families each term, while also maintaining a strong group of regular attendees. This year, weekly numbers have ranged from 10 to 15 families, with many families bringing more than one child. Feedback from families has continued to be very positive, with many appreciating the welcoming atmosphere, the consistency of the program, and the opportunity to form genuine friendships and support networks. mainly music has also provided opportunities for deeper conversations about faith and community life.

New families are welcome to attend a first session free of charge to experience the program before deciding whether to continue. Ongoing sessions are $5 per family. Families are encouraged to bring a hat and sunscreen if the weather allows use of the outdoor play area.

One of the great gifts in the life of The Point Church has been a long-standing partnership with Chris and Heather Horton from Texas.While The Point Church was planted in Beauty Point in 2006, the connection with Chris and Heather and their family began in 2009 spanning most of the life of the church. Over those years they have visited almost every year and have become much more than visitors. They have become friends, encouragers, and part of the wider church family. Many have benefited from their annual visits, often spending several weeks with the church each year. During those visits they have preached, taught Basketball skills, led studies, led the community in worship, shared meals, fished off the wharf together, encouraged leaders, and invested deeply in people across the congregation. Looking back through old church schedules and newsletters is a reminder of just how regularly they have been involved in the rhythms of church life.  Their daughter Dempsey even came for a whole year in 2023-2024 as Youth Leader, and this year, the Point’s Youth Leader Austin is travelling to Texas for 3 months of youth leadership training with Chris.

What has been particularly significant is that their ministry has never been limited to the weeks they are physically in Tasmania. Throughout the year Chris and Heather, Dempsey and Jace have continued to support the church through online discussions, Bible studies, leadership conversations, and simply opening the Scriptures with people. In an age where relationships can often be shallow, The Point church is so grateful for a partnership marked by warmth and faithfulness.

Recently Heather has become unwell and, as a result, Chris and Heather will not be able to visit this Winter, but look forward to returning sometime in the future. Please pray for everyone involved in this partnership as they joyfully continue to serve the Lord together.

The Point Baptist Church is deeply grateful for all they have invested in the church family over the past sixteen years.

Since November, Latrobe Baptist Church has coordinated the distribution of 12,000 copies of the Gospel of John across North West Tasmania. Jim Benn, who has helped lead the project, said the original vision was simple: “to distribute testaments around North West Tassie.” The Gospels were imported from the United States and distributed through a range of local networks and partnerships.

The project has included around 1,200 copies provided to school chaplains across the North West and approximately 1,000 distributed through hospitals. Additional copies have also been shared through churches and community connections throughout the region.

What has been encouraging is the emphasis not simply on large-scale distribution, but on personal connection. Jim said the preference has been for copies to be shared “one to one” where possible — creating opportunities for conversation, encouragement, and faith-sharing in everyday settings. 

The project is continuing, with another pallet of 12,000 Gospels expected to arrive soon. Churches and Christian organisations across Tasmania are being invited to participate in the next stage of distribution. Jim said the desire is simply to make the resources widely available: “We’re happy to give them to any Christian organisation in Tasmania who can distribute them.”

While the current focus remains on North West Tasmania, there is also hope that similar initiatives might emerge in other parts of the state over time, with churches exploring how they might participate in their own local communities. Sometimes stories of mission begin with large events. Sometimes they begin more quietly — with a conversation, an invitation, or a Gospel placed into someone’s hands.

Each Wednesday, Latrobe Baptist Church hosts Chat and Choose, a vibrant community craft gathering that has quietly become a significant point of connection and care within the local community.

The ministry began in 1992 and, over the years, around 25 people from the church have been involved in coordinating and supporting it. Today, the gathering continues to provide a warm and welcoming space for creativity, friendship, and pastoral connection.

Activities include quilting, knitting, hardanger embroidery, painting, smocking, card making, macrame and a wide variety of other craft projects. The church generously provides storage space for supplies, helping make the ministry practical and accessible for regular participants. A small donation is collected each week to assist with costs.

The day begins with a dedicated volunteer team opening the church and preparing the space before a bus from Devonfield in Devonport arrives with participants and carers. Very quickly, the room fills with conversation, laughter, and creativity. Around 45–50 people attend each week, working on their own projects while enjoying the company and encouragement of others.

During the morning there is a time of “show and tell” of crafts completed, followed by the “joke of the day” and a devotion lead by Lorraine or Nelleka and then Pastor Ralph prays before morning tea is served – tea, biscuits, and more conversation before people head home. Retired Pastor Ralph Terry also continues to bring a pastoral presence to the ministry, regularly checking in on participants and their families, particularly when someone is unwell or doing it tough.

There are 2 funds Latrobe Chat and Choose support. Operation Christmas children (Samaritans Purse), lots of knitted toys and beannies are made by the ladies while others help cover shoe boxes and contribute things to go in the shoe boxes as well as contributing to the cost of postage for the boxes. Once per year we have a Cancer Council Biggest morning tea where people bring food to share and also donations to the Cancer council. For many years, the church also hosted an annual Sunday service featuring craft displays and invitations for participants to attend, although this is not currently taking place. What continues each week, however, is a simple but significant ministry of hospitality, friendship, and faithful presence in the community.

Throughout 2026, average Sunday attendance across Tasmanian Baptist churches grew by approximately 19%, with much of that growth coming through our intercultural congregations, which now form a significant and valued part of our Baptist movement.

Among these congregations:

• Pastor Paul leads a thriving Nepalese fellowship of around 80 people in Mornington.
• Pastor Kosan pastors a growing Matu Chin congregation of more than 40 people in Launceston.
• Pastor Paw Nay serves approximately 100 Burmese Karen believers in Hobart.
• Pastor Joseph gathers with around 15 people through the Vietnamese fellowship at Hobart Station Church.

Yet these congregations are only part of the broader picture. Many Tasmanian Baptist churches now include migrants and refugees from a wide range of backgrounds, and some gatherings across our movement have included dozens of ethnicities worshipping together. In many ways, this reflects the richness of the early church — people from different cultures, languages, and experiences united together in Christ. It is a beautiful reminder of the family of God.

Over the past 12 months, Director of Mission Matt Garvin has intentionally worked to strengthen relationships and collaboration across all Tasmanian Baptist churches as we navigate the opportunities and challenges of a changing 21st-century Tasmania together. Part of this work has included helping intercultural pastors and congregations become more deeply connected into the wider Tasmanian Baptist network through initiatives such as advocacy trips to Canberra regarding Myanmar, highlighting intercultural ministries during Assembly gatherings, and hosting both online and in-person multi-ethnic services.

Looking ahead, we are expectant that this richness, partnership, and shared mission will continue to grow as we learn together what it means to serve Jesus and participate in His mission across Tasmania.