An adventurous life (via Tassie!) brings Tracy Valentine to place of leadership for Baptist women in Queensland and even more broadly, across the Pacific. We interviewed her to get to know her a bit before she joins us at the Day of Abundance.
A Life of Moving and Meeting
I was born in Ballarat, Victoria which is a beautiful city known for its grand history, lovely gardens, and plenty of drizzly, cold weather. While I have very fond memories of Ballarat, we moved to King Island when I was quite young, and that’s where I spent my primary school years.
Growing up on windy, rugged, beautiful King Island was a wonderful adventure, and I absolutely loved it. So I’m almost a Tasmanian!
I’ve moved around a lot throughout my life to around thirty different houses over the years. Growing up we lived in Ballarat, King Island, Castlemaine and Bendigo. After I married my husband Glenn, we’ve lived in Canberra, Ballarat, England and now Brisbane. Each place has shaped me in different ways, and I’ve been incredibly blessed by the people I’ve met along the journey.
I love living in Queensland, especially the winters! After growing up in cooler climates, Queensland winters are hard to beat. I also love the beautiful weather, the outdoor lifestyle, and the fact that our family is now settled there. I am not a massive fan of the humidity, but it definitely feels like home.
Clockwise from top left: Tracy with husband, Glen; with other global Presidents at Baptist World Alliance meetings in July 2026; Tracy and Glen with their family; with some of the QB women pastors; Tracy Valentine; with Jenny Baxter and the ABM Women in LeadershipDelegated Body.
Growing in Faith
I was incredibly blessed to grow up in a Christian family, so I’ve never known a day when I didn’t know that God loved me and created me. That’s a gift I never take for granted.
As a teenager, my faith became my own. When I was thirteen, I distinctly remember sensing God drawing me to Himself, and I decided to be baptised. Remarkably, the rest of my family were baptised on the same Sunday as well.
Faith has remained central to my life. There have certainly been seasons when I’ve felt distant from God, but looking back I can see that I was the one who drifted. He never did. His faithfulness has been one of the greatest constants of my life.
Ministry, Leadership and Creativity
A lot of my life revolves around walking alongside women in ministry and leadership and I genuinely love that. Whether it’s supporting women pastors across Queensland or working with the incredible women who lead Baptist Women’s ministries across the Pacific, it’s a privilege to encourage and champion others.
When I need to slow down, I crochet. It quiets my busy mind and gives me a creative outlet that I find incredibly relaxing. While I’m an extravert at heart, I am also a bit of a Nana. I love to crochet with a pot of tea beside me and watch a period drama. My other great love is musical theatre, so it is quite a treat to go out and experience a musical.
My Baptist Life
I’ve been a Baptist pastor for around twenty years, serving in a variety of ministry roles, mostly focusing on families ministry.
My full-time work currently is with Carinity, the care arm of Queensland Baptists, where I oversee chaplaincy across aged care, seniors’ services and disability services. This also involves me working alongside churches to find ways of partnering together to care for the older generation.
For the past five years I’ve served as the Regional Minister for Women Pastors with Queensland Baptists, supporting and advocating for women in ministry and women generally across our state.
Just over a year ago, I began serving as President of Baptist Women of the Pacific, where I work alongside an amazing executive team to support women and women’s ministries across the nine Pacific countries. This has been an unexpected and humbling opportunity.
What Inspires Me
Without question, what excites me most is seeing the extraordinary ways God works in and through his women in a huge variety of contexts. Across Queensland and throughout the Pacific, I meet women serving faithfully, often quietly and sacrificially.
Watching God use their gifts to build His Kingdom is deeply inspiring, and it’s a privilege to encourage and support them.
Challenges and Prayer Needs
Like many people, one of my biggest challenges is simply balancing everything well. There are seasons when I feel overstretched.
As I am regularly involved in advocating for women in a variety of circumstances, I require wisdom, grace and discernment. I’d really value prayer for wisdom, humility, and the ability to always respond with Christ’s love with the boldness that is sometimes needed. *
I’m also incredibly grateful that whenever I’ve felt stretched, God has faithfully brought wonderful people alongside me to help carry the load.
God’s Abundance
What inspires me most about God’s abundance is incredible faithfulness. We can so easily forget how consistently God has cared for us in the past. He is our loving Father who delights to provide what we truly need.
The greatest abundance I’ve experienced is the peace that comes from continually handing my fears and anxieties over to God. I certainly don’t do that perfectly, but every time I remember to surrender them again, God faithfully meets me with peace.
Have I felt a lack? Absolutely. But when I look honestly, it hasn’t been a lack in God’s provision. Instead, it has been a lapse in my remembering God’s faithfulness. I need to remind myself daily that I don’t have to carry every burden. I can entrust them to God, who has never failed me.
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received
Tracy’s best advice ever received
One of the most helpful things anyone ever said to me was: “It’s not all about you.”
At first that sounds a little confronting, but it’s actually incredibly freeing.
It’s easy to overthink situations, wonder what people think of us, or become consumed by our own worries. But when we deliberately focus on encouraging others, championing others and serving others, we become much healthier people.
I think that’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received. It has helped me live with greater freedom, greater joy, and a much healthier perspective.
Tracy Valentine Regional Minister, Women Pastors Queensland Baptists President, Baptist Women of the Pacific
* Please also pray for Tracy as she prepares to speak at the Day of Abundance.
Jenna Blackwell works with Tas Baptists as the Leadership Coach and co-pastors City Baptist Church in Launceston
Tasmanian life
I grew up just outside of Deloraine, on some land looking out to Quamby Bluff. Growing up, we were always surrounded by animals. Horses, goats, dogs, cats, cows, sheep, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs were all part of my life.
Sometimes we even rescued tawny frogmouths or baby wallabies and cared for them until they were re-released. This taught me to be responsible, and to love and care for nature. The location was idyllic and we especially enjoyed wonderful sunsets. With three sisters and all the animals, the company was sometimes chaotic!
Working life
I worked as a medical receptionist for several years and I loved being able to welcome newly arrived refugees as part of my work. I learnt so many things during that time, I think I could write a book!
The key concpets that have stuck with me include realising that people are lonely. Most of us want to be seen, known and truly listened to. Also, kindness can go a long way, and a gentle, heart-felt welcome and a smile really can make someone’s day.
I discovered that if you live out your faith authentically in the workplace, you influence culture far more than you may believe.
These days, as the co-pastor at City Baptist, Launceston (Formation Pastor), my aim is to invest in people. I also have a role with the state denomination focused on coordinating the development of leaders.
If anyone asks me what I do with my time, I often hesitate! It’s a complicated question for me to answer. Sometimes I bow to society and note my jobs. Often, I try to go against the grain and talk about investing in people and my love of being in nature, it’s not just about what I do.
Comparison is the thief of joy
When we learn the most
I have discovered, too, that the most difficult times are the ones when I learn the hardest lessons. A couple of years ago I was very ill, resulting in months off work and minimal energy. That was hard.
But also, I think about the ups and downs of my relationships. They often provide our biggest setbacks and our proudest moments. We seem to learn the most during the pain of doing life with others, and the courage it takes to face our wounds.
If I were to offer the best peices of advice I have received I think it would come down to these:
The more you hide, the less you heal.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Be yourself, everyone else is taken!
You never know what someone else is going through.
Praying for Jenna
To pray for Jenna as she does her work with Tas Baptists and City Baptist, here are some ideas:
Please pray she can be an effective vessel for God’s kingdom work, especially in the lives of others.
Pray that her sense of call becomes clearer, so she can faithfully follow, and serve in, God’s leading.
Anna-Maree Richardson has worked with Tas Baptists as the Assistant Administrator since November 2022.
Tasmanian life
I was born in and Launceston and I grew up there. It was a quiet life, my family didn’t travel much and so most of our time was spent in and around the Launceston area, or going to St Marys to stay with parents.
I grew up attending an Anglican church and attending Sunday School and church there. But it wasn’t until I went to college, and I made a friend who invited me to some Youth Group events at her church that I learnt more about having a relationship with God. At 17 I became a Christian.
I am married to Matthew, and we have five children. Alysha is 22, Shay is 19, Ivy is 15, Nyah is 10 and Toby is 9. Alysha has been living in Queensland since 2020. We all share a love of the beach and camping. Tasmania is such beautiful place, I love travelling and seeing different parts of it; my favourite thing would be our beaches despite our cold water.
I do a lot of housework and parenting mostly. But I also like to do crafts, read and go to the beach and I love spending time with my family.
Tas Baptist life
What do you do for Tas Baptist Churches? I am the Assistant to the Administrator, and I do accounts, organise catering for Council Meetings and Assembly and also take the Minutes at these Meetings. I am excited to meet new people and learn more about Tasmanian Baptists; what is happening around our churches in Tasmania; support the Council and Tas Baptist staff, and our greater Baptist community where I can.
What challenges do you have – at work and at home? At work some of the challenges are getting all the small things together for events such as Assembly. There a lot of small things that need to happen for things to work smoothly. Home is very similar with six people all living together, and such a range of ages! It is about making everything fit together for things to run efficiently.
After being out of the workforce for 21 years to raise our family, a lot has changed. Technology has certainly progressed, and everything is very different. I am lucky to work with amazing patient people who are always encouraging and helpful. I continue to learn new skills, and learn how things work at Tas Baptists. Pray for me to continue to learn and grow in my new role.
The best advice I have received is that everything is easier if you break it down into smaller parts, especially if you are overwhelmed or things seem too hard.
Short ‘n’ Sweet
I am looking forward to . . . Summer, it is my favourite time of year.
I am worried about . . . my children. Their happiness is so important to me.
I am confident that . . . God has a plan 😊
I am joyful about . . . family. They are so important.
I would like to change . . . how quickly life goes.
Karla is Executive Assistant and Risk Manager at Tasmanian Baptists.She goes to LifeWay Baptist and knows that, no matter what, God will provide. Read on to find out more . . .
God Will Provide
I was born in Brisbane and grew up in the leafy north-western suburbs with my parents, three brothers, a sister, and a tortoiseshell cat named Shona. Shona came to our family as a pregnant stray and never left. Shortly after adopting us, she delivered a litter of four beautiful multi-coloured kittens, which we loved to death for about ten weeks before they were given to new homes.
My memories of childhood are centred around our large family: playing cops and robbers and pretend “school” with my siblings, games of very unprofessional backyard cricket, board game marathons, eating fish and chips straight out of the paper at Sandgate by the sea. And annual beach holidays at the Sunshine Coast.
We took our year-round outdoor lifestyle for granted, I suppose, and the heat never felt as extreme and unbearable as it often does now. With so many siblings, there was always someone to play with, but I often retreated to my own space to read, write, play piano, or craft.
Karla going off to kindy in Brisbane, circa 1987.
STEPS TO FaITH
I was fortunate to grow up in a Christian family. For the first decade of my life, we attended our local Uniting Church most Sundays. The sermons were long and boring, but this afforded me plenty of time to read the copy of the Good News Bible in the pew, and to study the illustrations in great detail. I learned the usual suite of bible stories at Sunday School and never really questioned the existence of God – except perhaps once, the year I prayed for a pair of roller skates for Christmas and to my great disappointment they never materialised.
Going to an Anglican high school exposed me to a more formal and rote style of faith, but one that was full of reverence and tradition. It wasn’t until I was about 16 that I really came to know and understand Jesus on a deeper level. My older brother (then in his early 20s) and his fiancé invited my older sister and me to go with them to a night service at their church. In the moody, dimly lit brick building, singing the music of 1990s Hillsong (bless you Darlene), and listening to the impassioned teaching of our Irish-Australian minister, I came to fully understand the depth of what Christ had done for me, and how much He loved me. That was a pivotal time in my life and Christian journey, for which I will always be thankful.
Karla (far right) with her parents and siblings in the early 1990s.
FaMILY LIFE
My husband David and I went to high school together, caught the school bus from the same stop for five years, and lived in adjacent streets. Despite this and our common friends at school, we rarely spoke. I thought he was arrogant. He thought I was a snob. He was the sporty guy who loved maths and science, and I was heavily involved in music and the arts.
In the end it was our differences that brought us together (or maybe just God’s ironic sense of humour) when we tied for Dux of the School at the end of Year 12.
A circumstance that could only occur because we studied very few common subjects. As part of our prize the school librarians chaperoned us to morning tea at the Shingle Inn in Brisbane City, followed by a trip to a posh bookstore to spend our prize money. We were surprised to find ourselves bonding over our mutual love of desserts and books, and five years later were married.
Our family has since grown to include two energetic sons, currently aged 10 and 7. We also have an elderly cat named Mia and three cheeky chickens, which have refused to lay even one egg between them since we got them in March.
David and Karla with Paddi and Glenys Mullan in January 2016. Paddi (an Irish-Australian) was Minister at Stafford Uniting Church during Karla’s late teenage/early adulthood years and had a big impact on her faith.
No matter what, God will provide.
‘I do my best to approach life and make decisions through a lens of positivity and abundance, rather than from a fear-based mindset.’
Life in tasmania
We moved to Tasmania in January 2022 after David accepted a transfer to work for a company based in Devonport.
We arrived here via Auckland, New Zealand, where we lived for almost three years prior after another work transfer.
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions at the time, we relocated without ever having set foot in Tassie. I have been a city girl all my life, so adjusting to a more rural lifestyle took some time; however, we have come to love so many things about living on the North-West Coast: the close-knit community, the lack of traffic, and the stunning views we see from every window of our house.
When we travel the back roads into town we are often following a tractor, or a truck full of freshly harvested carrots, and there’s always something inspiring to see in the changing landscape, be it a field of newborn lambs with their mothers, a crop of poppies dancing in the breeze, or a hillside dotted with hay bales. Earlier this year we witnessed the Aurora Australis for the first time – an experience we’ll never forget.
I enjoy reading, graphic design, walks in nature, and travel.
I’ve always been a very creative person, so my interests generally flit between one artistic pursuit or another. I am currently sewing a quilt for one of my kids – a project that has been a few years in the making. I have also been playing around with surface pattern design for a couple of years.
Our house here is on 1.3 acres so I spend more time than I would like weeding and pruning. I enjoy the garden itself, but not the slavery of gardening! But like most people in my stage of life, the bulk of my time outside of work is occupied by family life and managing everyday household tasks. And wasting too much time on Facebook while falling asleep on the couch at night.
Life at LifeWay
The very first time we visited our church, LifeWay Baptist in Devonport, we knew it was home. We didn’t even try anywhere else. I have served as LifeWay Executive Officer since December 2023. This role encompasses church communications, office and facilities management, Safe Churches administration, and being part of the church leadership.
I am always so encouraged by the committed, genuine people that we have at LifeWay. Everyone in the church works together to glorify God and to build a strong, authentic community – truly one body with many parts. I also love that I get to be involved in so many different aspects of church life and use the gifts that God has given me to make an impact.
In May, I joined the Tas Baptists staff in the newly created role of Executive Assistant/Risk Manager. My two positions are simultaneously different yet complementary, allowing me to put my faith into action both at the grassroots level of the local church, and at the strategic level. At the grassroots level, all the beautiful and difficult parts of life, relationships and following Jesus takes place. At the strategic level, we take a step back and look at what is needed to best support the hard work of church ministry.
David and Karla holidaying in Morocco.
Current Challenges?
My biggest challenge is having too many ideas, wanting to make a bigger impact, and not having enough time to do it all.
How can we pray for you?
One of my current areas of focus for Tas Baptists is compiling a pack of policy templates, which every church that comes under our umbrella will be able to tailor to meet their own needs and circumstances. Please pray for wisdom and discernment. That the right inputs go into this process so that we can provide the best resources possible to support and protect our churches and people.
The Best piece of advice You’ve had?
The best piece of advice I’ve received is that, firstly, I can’t change other people, I can only change myself. Secondly, to do my best to approach life and make decisions through a lens of positivity and abundance, rather than from a fear-based mindset.
Pray For…
You can pray for me that in this season and next season, I will step out in faith and keep my eyes on the Lord.
Short ‘n’ Sweet
I am looking forward to. . . our chickens finally laying some eggs.
I am worried about. . . how the climate catastrophe will affect our planet and our children.
I am confident. . . no matter what, God will provide.
I am joyful about. . . my kids, beautiful sunsets, and bulbs pushing up through the soil.
I would like to change. . . the colour of the walls in my house.
I am at my best. . . I’m with people who accept me unconditionally.
Point Baptist Pastor, Craig Hawkins writes about his life, his love for nature and how dreams of opening a Creation Museum has now become a reality. Read on to find out . . .
Early YEARS
My Father and Mother moved to Orange, NSW to plant a new church there for the Churches of Christ movement, and that is where I was born. Before I was six, we had moved to Gladstone, Queensland because there was a plan to close the church there, but my parents felt led to help keep it open. Praise God it is still operating to this day. These are the things remembered by young minds. My dad sold vacuum cleaners and my mum sold encyclopedias to keep the pantry stocked as I remember very few people came to the church at first and sometimes our family were the only ones who turned up.
Gladstone was fun to grow up in. A tough place in the 1970’s, as a coal port and aluminium smelter. We remember the excitement of someone being shot across the road from our house one night, although apparently, they survived, I’m not certain though as I was only about eight years old. One school excursion we went to the Hoop Pine forests west of Gladstone and I loved it. It was here that my passion to work in the forests was born. After five years, the church was going well enough for dad to be called to plant a new church in Maitland, NSW. This is where I spent my high school years, letting off competitive steam playing cricket and hockey.
Keeping Faith and Science
Neither dad nor mum were much into science, but they were very early supporters of the Creation Science Foundation and I remember having John Mackay and Ken Ham come to dinner as a 15-year old. I became very interested in how science and the Bible fit together, and I am sure that this helped me keep my faith whilst completing a science degree at the Australian National University in Canberra. Years later I would reconnect with John and am now working full-time with him at Creation Research.
University and beyond
During my university years, I was lucky enough to get a Cadetship with the NSW Forestry Commission and spent an amazing field year working across NSW in some wild areas. I met a wide range of interesting Aussie characters and learned to always connect with a local country church. What a great way to learn the importance of hospitality within the Body of Christ as many people warmly welcomed me into their homes for meals and fellowship. The practical experience in the bush helped me to do well finishing off the degree.
My first professional posting was in the beautiful country town of Gloucester, NSW working in the Barrington Tops region. The forest wars were in full swing at the time, and we had various incidents to deal with. I particularly enjoyed the training in wildlife research and spent many hours surveying forest owls, large forest gliders, koalas, bats and many other creatures.
Craig and Rachelle
Spotlight Surveys Lead to Rachelle
One night in the mountains we were conducting a track-line spotlight survey when we spotted some rare Parma wallabies further up the track. We were stopped and looking at them, when suddenly they began hopping down the track towards us. One after the other they bumped into the stationary vehicle before hurtling off into the dense undergrowth. No wonder they are endangered, I thought. However, it was while doing spotlight surveys that I discovered a very good way to get close to that special girl. I had invited Rachelle and a couple of her friends out to survey wildlife out in the middle of nowhere. In the pitch-black darkness, all of a sudden, a pack of dingo’s started howling a short distance away. She clung to me tightly.
Rachelle finished her science degree at the University of Newcastle while I was working in Sydney as the departmental liaison officer for the Minister of Land and Water. However, the city life was not for this country boy and after getting married in early 1997 we moved to Tasmania so I could work with a private forestry company.
point Baptist
Rachelle did a postgraduate degree in Aquaculture and became the first biologist for the Seahorse farm which we now own. We attended Newstead Baptist and loved our years there before moving to Beauty Point with the new business in 2002.
The Lord has directed our paths and Proverbs 3:5-6 is a very special verse for us especially as we manoeuvred through difficult early years in the business. This passage would be the best advice I have ever received.
Eventually, I had to make a decision to either leave forestry or close the business as it had become too difficult to do both. By this time, I had a senior position with the Forest Practices Authority and loved the work. It needed the clearest direction I had ever had from the Lord to make me leave the profession. I am thankful that I heeded that direction.
While in Beauty Point it became quickly obvious how neglected the area was with Christian outreach. My parents had moved to the area to be close to their grandchildren and the decision was made, with dad’s church planting experience behind us, to begin what is now the Point Baptist Church.
We have six children, four boys and two girls. Our oldest son Damon also loves the outdoors and completed a forestry degree. He is married to Isabelle and lives in Queensland. All the others are still at home with two at UTAS and the youngest three at Launceston Christian School.
seahorses and museumS
The Seahorse business is now going well, having survived some very difficult times through COVID and I have refocused my full efforts into the Creation Discovery Centre and wider Creation Research ministry. Rachelle and I both had a dream of opening up a Creation Museum to show how real science supports the Biblical account of history and it has now become a reality. It has already provided an extraordinary number of witnessing opportunities.
We are also encouraged by the church’s recent growth. There is much to be done but we have a lovely congregation with many lives changed and growing in the Lord. Tasmania is a wonderful place to live with great people and away from the rat race of the big cities of the mainland.
Craig with a Crinoid fossil from Africa for the Creation Discovery Centre
Pray For…
Please pray for our church and our area which needs an even stronger Christian witness and the Creation Discovery Centre and the many un-churched it reaches.
Craig Hawkins
Short ‘n’ Sweet
I am looking forward to. . . growing the Creation Discovery Centre God-willing.
I am worried about. . . not diligently doing what God wants me to do.
I am confident that. . . Jesus has all things under His control.
I am joyful about. . . watching my family grow.
I would like to change. . . the impact of false science leading people away from Jesus.
I am at my best. . . when practically engaged in the things I love.
‘I am leaning on God for His strength, His peace and His provision.’
Tasmanian Baptist Council Southern representative, Hazelyn Mohan, serves on the music team at Claremont Baptist. She has a heart for Christians who have lost their first love – God. Read on to find out more . . .
I am originally from Singapore and came to Tasmania 14 years ago to pursue my Bachelor of Laws at UTAS (does this make me a Tasmanian now?). I still am unable to get used to the weather and I often wear bright coloured coats, different coloured socks and shoes on each foot and layers and layers of clothes.
No one has time for same colour shoes on each foot!
I currently work full time for the State Government (and that in itself was a journey of faith for me!). I am also pursuing my Masters in Cyber Security with UNSW online and on a part time basis.
Family life
I come from a small family and have an older brother who is four years older than me. He is married and lives in Singapore as do my mom and dad. I am the only one in my family who has moved out of Singapore.
Left to right: Here are the Mohans: Mum, Dad, Hazelyn, sister-in-law, and brother.
Faith Seasons
My own faith journey has been a roller coaster, but I know that through all my seasons, God never let me go. Not once.
I come from a strong Pentecostal background and my dad has been in ministry for as long as I can remember. In Singapore, I attended an Assembly of God where I was encouraged to find my own faith and accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour.
My own faith journey has been a roller coaster, but I know that through all my seasons, God never let me go. Not once.
I accepted Christ at the age of 14 and was baptised several years later; I only began to truly seek Him when I was older. When my dad started his own church, I was the pastor’s kid which meant that I was the first to arrive and the last to leave. I was the usher, the Sunday School teacher, the set up and tear down person, part of the music team and everything else in between.
Having grown up in a home where God was always first, it created a strong foundation for me when I was ready to pursue God with all my heart, soul and mind.
I have a heart for Christians who have lost their first love – God. My desire to help them find God again and reconnect with the One who loves them so much.
When I graduated from UTAS, after being called to the Bar, I wondered if I should join my friends in Melbourne. However, doors were never opened for me and I didn’t feel at peace when making the decision to move. On hindsight, I now know that God had a greater plan for me. I met some wonderful people who I now worship with, attend bible study and do life with.
I have a heart for Christians who have lost their first love – God. My desire is to help them find God again and reconnect with the One who loves them so much.
Church Life
Through fellowship, prayer and support, my faith grew here in Tasmania. I love to serve people. Through Intercultural Church (IC Church), I was given the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and be part of the music team, do a bit of sharing and sit on the elders board.
Late last year, IC Church joined with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Claremont Baptist Church. At Claremont Baptist, I serve on the music team and I am also on the Tasmanian Baptist Council as a Southern representative.
IC Church continues to regularly meet every other month for food, fellowship and to grow our faith. I attend monthly meetings as part of the Glenorchy Churches Network, which is an opportunity for pastors and leaders to gather and pray with each other as we serve our community.
I am also the Secretary of the Glenorchy Community Care program which is a not for profit food program that was initiated by the Glenorchy Churches Network to show God’s love to the community doing it tough by not just meeting their physical need but also their spiritual needs through prayer.
In my spare time, I like to read fiction stories – especially if they are of the crime and mystery genre. I listen to true crime podcasts most of the time. Mostly, if I am not at church or work, you can find me at home where I am most comfortable in my PJs and layers and layers of clothes to help keep me warm!
Current challenge
I am time poor at the moment due to working full time and studying part time as well as being involved in my various ministries. I cannot wait for next year when I would have finished my studies and can get involved even more deeply into God’s work.
Patience is not my virtue, and my mom always says that I have a patience of a 5 year old! So if anything, in this season of my life, I am leaning on God for His strength, His peace and His provision.
…in this season of my life, I am leaning on God for His strength, His peace and His provision.
The Best piece of advice?
People don’t care about what you know until they know that you care.
Pray For…
You can pray for me that in this season and next season, I will step out in faith and keep my eyes on the Lord.
Hazelyn Mohan leaning on God
Short ‘n’ Sweet
I am looking forward to. . . the end of the year when I would have finally finished my course (God willing!)
I am worried about. . . my grades (currently!)
I am confident. . . that I may not have enough but I have a God that is enough for me (Amen!).
I am joyful about. . . the opportunity to serve God
I would like to change. . . nothing (except maybe make time move faster so I can finish my studies!)
I am at my best. . . when I am well rested and have chocolates (mostly the chocolates!)
Lifeway Baptist Student Pastor Stuart Crabtree writes about his life and how important it is that children know and feel they belong in Church. Read on to find out . . .
Early YEARS
I was born in Devonport, but spent most of my childhood in South Riana, a small country town south of Penguin. I spent a lot of time exploring the outdoors and climbing trees, but I also enjoyed reading a good book.
My mother became a Christian in her late teens, and my father sometime after they were married. Mum was conscientious about teaching us from the Bible, emphasising the importance of believing and obeying God’s Word. Dad was a great role model of being a Christian husband (for which I am very grateful in my marriage today!). In this environment of regular exposure to the Gospel, I became convicted of my own need for salvation at the age of 10.
Family Life
My wife, Melanie, is a creative soul who sings beautifully, and is an aspiring author. She also makes great coffee and works at the local bookshop. Together, we have two children, Eliana (9) and Gryphin (6). Eliana, like her mum, has a wonderful imagination and spends a lot of her time there! Gryphin loves spending one-on-one time with people and wants to be a monster truck driver when he’s older. We enjoy the gentler pace of life here in Tassie, as well as the cooler weather.
I am an amateur Ukulele player and also enjoy cooking. I think I’ve mastered the art/science of making panna cotta and have a number of my own recipes (with several more in the works).
Ministry at Lifeway
I share responsibility for the children’s ministry at Lifeway Baptist with Morgan Read. My focus is the Kids’ Church program that runs during the Sunday morning service.
My first experience of ministry was at the age of 15, at Camps Clayton and Riverbend. Having enjoyed being a camper at Camp Clayton since grade 5, I was excited to progress to (being a) cabin leader. I don’t think I really got what ministry was about, though. I had a pretty superficial understanding of what made a good cabin leader and had looked up to some cabin leaders for superficial reasons – they were funny, cool, popular.
This changed on my seventh camp leading a cabin. My co-leader didn’t really have the qualities that I thought made a good cabin leader, but he was still an amazing one to me. He cared for our kids, he spent time with them, and he shared Jesus with them. He didn’t just lead them; he led me. From that point on my approach to cabin leading was different. It was about building relationships with kids and making opportunities to tell them about Jesus.
Passionate About Youth Work
The following year, I became bored at school. I was in Year 11 and dropped out to find work. Instead, I ended up getting involved with Fusion and doing some training with them in Youth and Community Work. Following this, I spent a couple of years doing voluntary Christian work in schools, churches, and campsites. Camp Clayton gave me some casual work running their activities, and about a year later I moved into a full-time position running their holiday camps. I had become passionate about reaching young people for Christ. This theme shone through the next two decades, as I have continued to work in various youth and children’s ministries (as well as being a teacher at a local public high school).
The Rewards and challenges
I love it when kids have ‘aha’ moments and understand something about God that they hadn’t before. I also enjoy seeing them grow in Christlikeness, being kind, gentle and compassionate with one another.
It’s important to me that children know and feel that they belong in Church. For some children, this presents more of a challenge than others – their bodies or minds may be significantly different from others, and this may create a sense of disconnect between them and the community.
Balancing my time between church, family, ministry, work, and study can be difficult. Another challenge we have – and a welcome one – is that the number of children in the church is growing. This means we need more volunteers to help with Kids’ Church.
The best advice I had when I was growing up was from the Pastor of my church. He frequently told our youth group not to take his word for it (whatever he was teaching us), but to go to the Bible and see for ourselves. Such an attitude taught me to revere God’s authority over that of people. It also taught me to have my own personal relationship with God and develop my own faith rather than vicariously adopting the faith of others.
Pray For…
Please pray that these children will know the love of Christ in and through the Church. Please also pray that we can find enough volunteers to properly care for children with extra-needs as they participate in Kids’ Church.
Stuart Crabtree
Short ‘n’ Sweet
I am looking forward to. . . long service leave
I am worried about. . . being misunderstood
I am confident that. . . coffee is better than tea
I am joyful about. . . spending time with my children
I would like to change. . . my inability to consistently sing in tune
BibleProject creates free resources to help people experience the Bible. Everything they make is funded by generous supporters around the world. The entire library of videos, podcasts, classes, and other resources are available at bibleproject.com.
Their most recent production is a 10-part series on Jesus’ teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, available to watch on Youtube.
Subscribe to the channel for more explainer videos about the Bible. They currently have over 4 million subscribers already!
Register for Foundations
Foundations is a path toward the unique calling that God has on your life, equipping you to live the deep truth of Christian faith in every area of your life.
The course runs on Wednesdays from Wed, 1 May to Wed, 14 Aug. Choose either a day course at Hobart Baptist (12:00pm to 2:30pm) or an evening course at Citywide Mornington (7-9:30pm).
The two courses will combine for two Saturday sessions on the 1 June (9:30 – 4:30) and 6 July (9:30 – 7:30)
The whole course works together to produce a deep understanding of a practical Christian worldview.
You will receive specific skills in a range of areas including:
– Managing complicated relationships – Knowing God’s will – Building healthy teams – Developing life-giving habits – Finding your place in leadership – Sharing your Faith – Understanding the revolutionary big picture of the bible – Love and Sexuality – Listening – Community – Development and Transformation
Cost of $50 includes refreshments, meals on the Saturdays, and a Foundations manual.
A series of drawings by artist Michael Henderson have been installed in Citywide Baptist Church, Hobart, for Easter 2024.
The work is titled, We only remember history in the present moment. The four drawings are a part of a larger series of 16 charcoal drawings. All together they describe contemporary life through stories from Christian Scripture.
The drawings are not intended to illustrate certain scriptures, or tell the story of the whole Bible, but they draw inspiration from biblical stories and place an experience in a contemporary setting. They blur the line between history and the present moment, intending for the viewer to think about their own life.
Most of the drawings are 1.2m square. The 3 of the crucifixion are 1.4m square. The 16 drawings combine for an overall length of 20m.
The Drawings
Second drawingFourth drawing
The second drawing above describes Jesus being crucified, with the two either side describing Peter and Judas’s response to Jesus’ crucifixion. This series of 3 is where the whole series started for me. I wanted to describe both Peter and Judas turning their back on Jesus, and then both of them responding to what they had done.
The fourth drawing above is of Mary hugging Jesus, and focuses on Mary’s joy at seeing Jesus again, rather than describe an event around the resurrection.
The drawings have been exhibited in many places, including St. Francis Xavier’s Catholic Cathedral in Adelaide, as part of the 2017 Adelaide Fringe Festival, and in churches and exhibition spaces around Australia. Michael’s work is held in private and public collections; he was a finalist in the 66th Blake Prize (2021).
The exhibition runs from the Monday, 18 March to Friday, 26 April 2024 at 400 Cambridge Road, Mornington, Tasmania.
Art can be viewed daily Monday to Saturday. From 9:00am to 8:00pm, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 1:00pm Saturday and Sunday.
Matt Garvin and Dan Evenhuis explained more about the motivation behind Citywide’s exhibition space.
“As we approach Easter, we wanted to have an exhibition that would help those passing by reflect on Jesus and his sacrifice. We have around 2,000 people walking through our foyer each week,” said Dan Evenhuis, Executive Pastor at Citywide
“Citywide’s Mornington Campus has housed the Bob Curé Exhibition Space in its foyer since 2019. Through the exhibition space, we have been able to support many local artists, photographers and craft-makers as they share their creative thoughts and skills,” he said.
Matt Garvin, Senior Pastor at the church, said he was grateful to have Michael’s art which communicates the message of Easter over these few weeks.
“The Bob Curè exhibition space is our way to encourage Christians to express their creativity,” he said.
Launceston Alive Easter Festival
Thu 28 – Sun 31 Mar
Launceston Alive is an annual Easter community festival of thought, music and art held throughout Launceston over the Easter weekend at one of the following planned events. Karl Fasse, Colin Buchanan and other performing artists will offer stories of faith.
Thursday, 28 March at 9:00am – Leaders workshop with Karl Faase at Legana Christian Church, 1 Gerrard Cl, Legana.
Friday, 29 March at 6:00pm – The 2024 Unearthed Event will unearth stories of faith with Karl Faase and Colin Buchannan. There will be music and entertainment by Colin Buchanan and Jade Steg; a remarkable story of faith and courage from Bernadette Black; Karl Faase will speak about the stories of faith that have shaped our nation. All are welcome, just come along at Door Of Hope Church, 50 Glen Dhu St, South Launceston. The event is free.
Saturday, 30 March, 11:00am – 2:00pm – The Children and Families Festival is especially for children, young people and their families. Performers include Colin Buchannan, Bronte Ferguson, Azahlia Dingemanse and Caitlyn Duffy. at at Riverbend Park, Launceston.
Sunday, 31 March, 5:00pm – Combined Churches Easter service with Karl Faase at Door Of Hope, 50 Glen Dhu St, South Launceston.
Faith Impact Audit
NAYBA Audit Presentation
On Thursday 7 March, Stephen and Jenny Baxter attended a presentation for the results of the NAYBA Impact Audit of Tasmania. This is the first statewide audit of its kind conducted and reflects the work being done by people of faith.
The final audit report includes the following statistics on Tasmania: – 284 community service activities – 209,057 people served in the last year – $70,841,878 social value impact to the State of Tasmania each year.
Stephen hosts a panel at the Grace Centre Rokeby. From left, Councillor Brendan Blomeley (Mayor of the City of Clarence), John Kamara (Tasmanian Australian of the Year 2024) and Aimen Jafri (Chair of the Multicultural Council of Tasmania).
New Book Available
Tasmanian Baptist History
This is the ninth book on Tasmanian Baptist History by Laurence F Rowston. It looks at the beginnings of sixteen of our Baptist Churches in Tasmania commencing about 1880.
The churches are Bracknell, Blackwood Creek, Burnie, Deloraine, Devonport, Hobart, Latrobe, Launceston, Longford, Perth, Sheffield, Smithton, Ulverstone, Wynyard and Yolla and also Memorial, the Henry Reed Mission Church in Launceston.
But it is more than account of their first years.
The book contains full biographies of their pastors, seventy-four in number from the moment they come on the scene wherever they are, to their deaths. The biographies look into their origins, their preaching and their pastoral work and the movements of the day.
The book has more than 3,000 footnotes and contains about 230 photographs. Each chapter contains a conclusion which compares the church of those years with the churchtoday. In time a hardback hand-stitched two-volume copy will be available from the author.
Books cost $40 plus postage (or collect from Baptist Assembly or Citywide Mornington office, 400 Cambridge Road, Mornington, TAS. Contact Dan Evenhuis on 0481 917 806 or email dan.evenhuis@citywidehobart.org.au .
March Muster
Why Theological Education Matters
The Tas Baptists March Muster was held in Hobart and offered the perfect opportunity to launch the Frank W Boreham College. Andrew Corbett, of Legana Christian Fellowship, gave a detailed account of Boreham’s amazing life and ministry.
Boreham moved to Australia in 1906 to pastor at Hobart Baptist Church. He wrote 46 books (many receiving wide international acclaim) and over 3,000 weekly editorials for the Hobart Mercury between 1912 and 1959.
Alongside the launch of the college, the Muster focused on professional development. David Williams from Taylor Baptist College, Edmonton, Canada (and Kairos University) and Darrell Jackson, interim principal of Whitley College in Victoria spoke on the topic.
Darrell answered the question, “Was Jesus a theological educator?” while David reflected on “Why theological education matters”.
As the first Muster for the year, time together was an opportunity for fellowship, learning and encouragement. This included a long table dinner together at HBC’s new Esteem Cafe.
Following the Muster, David Williams travelled to all three regions to discuss with other Baptists what further theological education can look like, from diploma to doctorate. In particular, he outlined the Kairos subscription-based education model of learning that surrounds students with a team of mentors who, together, determine the student’s education and formation pathway.
Stephen Baxter launches Frank W. Boreham College at March Muster.
Long table dinner at Hobart Baptist Church during the March Muster.
Candidate Forums
Meet your Local Candidate
In the lead up to the State election, churches are working together to host election candidate forums. The forums will be held in each electorate in preparation for the upcoming State election. Each forum will include set questions on issues of concern to Christians, and time for questions from the floor. Most events will be live streamed or recorded, for those who cannot make it.
This is a great opportunity to meet local candidates, ask questions and hear from them on issues that you care about.
The Australian Baptist Easter Offering by Crossover is a thousand churches combining to express our gratitude for Jesus and to invest in sharing him with others.
The offering supports Crossover – a national Baptist ministry that provides resources, training and encouragement to help Australian Baptists share Jesus with their friends and neighbourhoods. They offer all churches free-to-use Easter resources.
Crossover runs entirely on the donations of people like us – so let’s support generously as we’re able. Donations can also be made directly at crossover.org.au
Re-Imagine
Combined Gathering
Re-Imagine is a combined gathering that aims to create a safe space for people to wrestle with faith, ask questions, and explore the journey of following Jesus. The gathering is organised by young adults from different churches, aged 18+ and is open to anyone interested. Meets fortnightly at 157 St John St (St Johns middle building) on Tuesdays at 6pm for dinner and discussion with the next meeting on Tuesday, 12 March.
Samaritan’s Purse announced this week that 11.3 million shoeboxes were packed worldwide during last year’s Operation Christmas Child collection season (2023). That means millions of children will now hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be discipled in 2024!
read stories of the incredible impact a simple shoebox gift is having around the world, visit their website.
Seeing and sharing the impact of this work is a great way to honour everyone in the TasBaptist community who has packed shoeboxes and partnered with Samaritan’s Purse over the years.
Being Human Webinar
What does it mean to be human?
Karl Faase will be joined by Jo Frost to look at the question, What does it mean to be human. Jo Frost is Author of the book and video series, ‘Being Human’ and will grapple with the idea of what it is to view the world through the Being Human lens. She will consider questions such as What is Jesus on about when he offers us ‘life to the full’? And look at the cultural stories are shaping our identity. Also, what makes humanity unique and what is the invitation that God extends?
This three-day, faith-based course is focused on healing from trauma. While aimed at Service-related trauma, REBOOT courses are being offered to the wider community suffering from all forms of trauma. This includes victims of crime, DV, childhood trauma, disability, grief and ongoing illness. One veteran on average dies by suicide every 2 weeks, making suicide amongst our service community is at an epidemic.
Free to attend. Childcare is not available. For more info contact Andy & Zoe Cullen: 0420 462 845 or email: info@rebootau.org
From Wednesday 13, March to Friday, 15 March 9am to 2pm (Graduation Ceremony on Friday night, 6pm – 8pm)
At Wrest Point Hotel Hobart, Drysdale Room – 410 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay
Tas Baptists launched the new Frank W Boreham College on 5 March at Hobart Baptist Church. The college will provide ministry and theological education, training, and reflection for our pastors, leaders, and members across Tasmania. This means Tasmanian Baptists now have the capacity to provide qualified training within the State.
The new college is made possible by a partnership with both Kairos and Whitley.
David will visit the state in early March and travel to all three regions to discuss what further theological education can look like, from diploma to doctorate. He will explain the Kairos subscription-based education model of learning. This model surrounds each student with a team of mentors who, along with the student, determine the student’s education and formation pathway.
The following informal evenings are open to anyone.
Wednesday 6 March 7.30pm at Hobart Baptist Church Hosted by Stephen Baxter, 0417 313 273
Thursday 7 March 7.30pm at Newstead Baptist Church Hosted by Dan Hutchison, 0457 765 907
Friday 8 March 7.30pm at Burnie Baptist Church Hosted by Matty Coppin, 9484 064 490
Please contact Stephen, Dan, or Matty, ASAP if you plan to attend.
Hear about the Kairos subscription-based education model of learning
Workshop for churches on CYSOF
New Child and Youth Safe Organisation Framework legislation
Olive Road and Fostering Hope are running a workshop on Child and Youth Safe Organisation Framework (CYSOF) legislation.
The workshop is on Thursday, the 14 March 2024 at the Grace Centre, Rokeby, from 9.30pm to 2.30pm.
The workshop will provide an opportunity for attendees to grapple with the new CYSOF legislation and to share resources and ideas to develop the required policies and processes that will ensure ongoing compliance with the new Framework.
Anyone from not-for-profit organisations and churches in Hobart would benefit from this workshop to gain a better understanding of the new legislation. This includes the new Reportable Conduct Scheme and new strict timeframes on reporting to the regulator. The workshop will also focus on how organisations or churches might comply with the ten Child and Youth Safe Standards.
If you, or someone within your organisation or church, are keen to attend, or if a weekend or evening session would suit better, contact Mary Blake, Exec. Officer, Fostering Hope on m. 0423 365 988 or email mary@fosteringhope.net.au.
Around 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced since the war started three months ago, when Hamas launched a terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Israel.
People are sheltering in overcrowded school buildings, churches, and medical centres; some are even pitching tents on the street. This has left families vulnerable as winter hits, with temperatures dropping down to 10 degrees at night.
Also, Gaza is experiencing a healthcare crisis.
Baptist World Aid Partners in the region are distributing aid to families, including medical items, medicines, hygiene kits, mattresses and blankets, and food packages. They are also continuing to provide medical supplies and other essentials to families in the West Bank and Lebanon, where civil unrest and violent attacks are rising.
Read this lament written late last year as preparation to pray for protection and relief for families in the Middle East.
Lifeway Student Pastor Morgan Read writes about her journey from being a ‘curious outsider’ to giving back to the community that gave her so much. Read on to find out . . .
Early YEARS
I was born in Northern Tasmania and spent all my childhood in Devonport. I was raised by both my mum and my dad and have two brothers; my half-brother Ben, who is 11 years older than me, and my younger brother Olly, who is 18 months younger than me.
Ben moved out when I was young so as you read on you can decide if I have “oldest child” or “middle kid” energy. We had quite a fun childhood in a lot of ways. My mother was a child carer who was really into learning by play so Olly and I had the best cubby house and dress ups of any kids I knew. We spent a lot of our childhood in full princess dress ups, up a tree in our backyard, playing complicated make-believe games even we didn’t fully understand. In the summer we would spend most of our time at the beach with dad pulling us in and out of the surf on a bodyboard.
Morgan with High School friends
Learning About Religion
My early religious education was in many ways as the curious outsider. It started when I was nine, with school based religious education, and continued a year later with an optional bible study club in primary school. My parents (though not religious themselves) were both raised in religious families. (I have several Great Uncles and cousins who were Uniting Church/Methodist Ministers.) They did however encourage me to think for myself and pursue whatever path felt right for me and gave me access to any resources I was curious about.
My early religious education was in many ways as the curious outsider.
Though, at this early stage I did not consider myself a Christian, I had developed a philosophy that in many ways I still hold, which is an understanding that you do not have to be all or nothing in all the minutia of a belief to have faith in it. If you try to have all the answers you will either fail or drive yourself mad trying.
When I got to high school, I met three of my closest friends all of whom are Christians, and this is where my links to Lifeway Baptist started. Though, through all this time, I must admit, I was the youth group’s token Atheist — but I was still determined to learn. I was a member of J-Walkers (the youth group at the time) and later Converge (the young adult bible study group). When I moved to Hobart in 2014 with one of those same friends, I became yet another token Atheist. This time at a Campus Christian Movement Bible Study. This was partially to support my friend, to learn, and later because it was in my house.
Morgan speaking
A New Country and Finding Faith
My switch into believing rather than just studying happened when I moved to the UK. At the end of 2018, my contract hadn’t been renewed in the administration job I was working, and the rent we were paying had just gone up (a lot). So, I decided that this was all a sign, and I needed a change. So, I applied for some Au Pair positions and within two months I was living in England. Hoping to meet new people joined a local Church. I found a home there. I loved the people and slowly grew to love God and haven’t gone back.
I loved the people and slowly grew to love God and haven’t gone back.
After a year in England, I moved to Scotland and worked for two different families, one in Dundee, then one up in Aberdeen. There I joined the local Episcopalian Church. I was able to really strengthen my prayer life in this church and was able to have a lot of interesting conversations with the Vicar there. It was also around this time that I decided to get Baptised. Baptism to me is the start of your decided journey with God, and I worry sometimes people think of it as the pinnacle of the journey rather than the beginning.
Back Home Again
In mid-2021 I moved back to Australia. My grandmother was becoming very unwell, and the government was looking at winding up repatriation flights, and honestly, I was missing Tasmania. I have a lot of love for my home state, for my family has been here for a very long time. If you are a Northern Tasmanian reading this, yes, we are probably related. I love the environment here, and I like that you end up knowing everyone or if you don’t, you know someone who does.
I have a lot of love for my home state, for my family has been here for a very long time.
So, I made the decision to finish up my British adventure early. I moved back with my parents and Olly in Devonport. We all still very happily living together with our two English Springer Spaniels, Harry, and George. We are four very different people, but we all love each other so much, which makes life much easier.
Morgan and her family at her brother’s graduation
When I came back home, I also went back to Lifeway Baptist. It was where so much of this journey began. It only took one service, and I knew overwhelmingly this was where I was meant to be. I started volunteering with a couple of the kid’s programs and towards the end of last year I was Baptised again (this time by submersion).
It only took one service, and I knew overwhelmingly this was where I was meant to be.
Today
These days I am a busy person. I run the local Air Force Cadet Unit, I’ve just started an after-school theatre group, I study theology part time through Whitley College, I run a weekday primary school kids club through the church, and a few other bits and pieces I’m probably forgetting.
Morgan
At Lifeway I am a Student Pastor, so I study, I also co-run the children’s ministry with a focus on activities that happen outside of Sunday services, and I occasionally preach. Both in and outside of direct ministry almost all of the stuff I do is about giving back for the opportunities and community I have been given.
Both in and outside of direct ministry almost all of the stuff I do is about giving back for the opportunities and community I have been given.
Lifeway helped me with my faith; Cadets and theatre have helped me build my confidence and leadership. It is so valuable in a small community like Devonport to have outlets for children and teenagers to be able to develop and socialise outside of school.
The biggest challenge I face in my ministry is myself. I always want to and try to do more, and tend to over commit, but I am working on that.
The Best piece of advice I have received is “you can only help someone who wants to be helped.” It’s not universal, but it helps when sometimes ministry can be slow, frustrating, and not the way you feel it should be.
Pray For…
If you could pray for me as I balance a lot of my commitments to my community and ministry. Also, for the children and families in our community, as they start down the path of faith and come to understand their relationship with God and what that means to them.
In this webinar, Karl Faase is being joined by Jo Frost to look at the question, What does it mean to be human. Jo Frost is Author of the book and video series, ‘Being Human’ and will grapple with the idea of what it is to view the world through the Being Human lens. She will consider questions such as What is Jesus on about when he offers us ‘life to the full’? And look at the cultural stories are shaping our identity. Also, what makes humanity unique and what is the invitation that God extends?
This three-day, faith-based course is focused on healing from trauma. While aimed at Service-related trauma, REBOOT courses are being offered to the wider community suffering from all forms of trauma. This includes victims of crime, DV, childhood trauma, disability, grief and ongoing illness. One veteran on average dies by suicide every 2 weeks, making suicide amongst our service community is at an epidemic.
Free to attend. Childcare is not available. For more info contact Andy & Zoe Cullen: 0420 462 845 or email: info@rebootau.org
From Wednesday 13, March to Friday, 15 March 9am to 2pm (Graduation Ceremony on Friday night, 6pm – 8pm)
At Wrest Point Hotel Hobart, Drysdale Room – 410 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay
The Frank W Boreham College will be launched on 5 March at Hobart Baptist Church. It will provide ministry and theological education, training, and reflection for our pastors, leaders, and members across Tasmania. Realising this exciting vision means Tasmanian Baptists now have the capacity to provide qualified training within the State.
The new college is made possible by a partnership with both Kairos and Whitley.
David will visit the state in early March and travel to all three regions to discuss what further theological education can look like, from diploma to doctorate. He will explain the Kairos subscription-based education model of learning. This model surrounds each student with a team of mentors who, along with the student, determine the student’s education and formation pathway.
The following informal evenings are open to anyone.
Wednesday 6 March 7.30pm at Hobart Baptist Church Hosted by Stephen Baxter, 0417 313 273
Thursday 7 March 7.30pm at Newstead Baptist Church Hosted by Dan Hutchison, 0457 765 907
Friday 8 March 7.30pm at Burnie Baptist Church Hosted by Matty Coppin, 9484 064 490
Please contact Stephen, Dan, or Matty, ASAP if you plan to attend.
Hear about the Kairos subscription-based education model of learning
Have you thought of Mentoring?
Fostering Hope Info Session for Mentoring
Interested in being a mentor for a child growing up in foster care? Do you know someone in your church community who would be a great mentor? Fostering Hope is a Tasmanian Christian organisation caring for children growing up in out-of-home care (foster and kinship care) and currently has children waiting for mentors.
Mentoring online information session: Tuesday, 27 February at 12:00pm.
This short movie explains how mentoring can make a difference and could be perfect to show at your Sunday service or small group meeting.
The Mentoring Program is for children growing up in care. The program recruits, trains, screens and then matches Christian mentors with a child.
For children growing up in care, there are lots of adults in their life who are paid to be there. Mentors are someone who chooses to turn up and be there for a child regardless of what’s gone on for them. It is powerful for both the child and the mentor.
Every relationship is designed around the child and mentor. The regular time commitment is dependent on the mentor’s availability.
Upcoming training days are Saturday, 2 March in Launceston and Saturday, 16 March in Hobart.
Interested in being a mentor for a child growing up in foster care?
City Prayer
Church Together Prayer Meetings for Hobart
Church Together invites all Christians to attend their monthly prayer meetings for the city in 2024.
Upcoming Church Together prayer meetings for 2024: – 28 February at Hobart City Church of Christ (8 Goulburn St, Hobart) – 27 March at Hobart Baptist Church (282 Elizabeth St, Nth Hobart)
Arrive at 7.15am for a 7.30am start. Finishes at 8.30am.
Prayer meetings will continue throughout 2024 on the last Wednesday of the month. Contact Sharyn Hill on 0409 855 880 or email info@churchtogethertasmania.com
Plan to pray and gather together as His Church across Hobart
Workshop for churches on CYSOF
New Child and Youth Safe Organisation Framework legislation
Olive Road and Fostering Hope are running a workshop on Child and Youth Safe Organisation Framework (CYSOF) legislation.
The workshop is on Thursday, the 14 March 2024 at the Grace Centre, Rokeby, from 9.30pm to 2.30pm.
The workshop will provide an opportunity for attendees to grapple with the new CYSOF legislation and to share resources and ideas to develop the required policies and processes that will ensure ongoing compliance with the new Framework.
Anyone from not-for-profit organisations and churches in Hobart would benefit from this workshop to gain a better understanding of the new legislation.
Time will be given to the new Reportable Conduct Scheme and new strict timeframes on reporting to the regulator. The workshop will also focus on how organisations or churches might comply with the ten Child and Youth Safe Standards.
If you, or someone within your organisation or church, are keen to attend, or if a weekend or evening session would suit better, contact Mary Blake, Exec. Officer, Fostering Hope on m. 0423 365 988 or email mary@fosteringhope.net.au.
Around 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced since the war started three months ago, when Hamas launched a terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Israel.
People are sheltering in overcrowded school buildings, churches, and medical centres; some are even pitching tents on the street. This has left families vulnerable as winter hits, with temperatures dropping down to 10 degrees at night.
Gaza is also experiencing a healthcare crisis.
Baptist World Aid Partners in the region are distributing aid to families, including medical items, medicines, hygiene kits, mattresses and blankets, and food packages. They are also continuing to provide medical supplies and other essentials to families in the West Bank and Lebanon, where civil unrest and violent attacks are rising.
Here is a lament written late last year as preparation to pray for protection and relief for families in the Middle East.
Gaza war damage photo by Mohamad Zaanoun, International Health Partners
New Pastor Welcome
Matu Christian Church welcome Rev Kosen
Rev. Maddy Svoboda from Summerhill Baptist welcomed Mr Kosen to Matu Christian Church on Sunday, 4 February.
Matu Christian Church meet every Sunday afternoon at Newstead Baptist Church at 2pm.
Free One-Day Workshop
S.A.N.C.T.U.A.R.Y approach to family violence
The Anglican Diocese of Tasmania is offering a free one-day workshop for Church Leaders and Pastoral Carers. The S.A.N.C.T.U.A.R.Y approach to domestic violence is a guide for churches that offers a theologically-informed lens on domestic violence and how individual churches can create safe spaces for women and children who have experienced domestic violence.
The intention and prayer of the workshop is that Tasmanian churches reflect God’s care for the abused and vulnerable and that churches be places of safety.
The S.A.N.C.T.U.A.R.Y training can be taken either an person or online and is open to church leaders and pastoral carers from any denomination for use within the local church context. All training materials will be available to those who attend.
The workshop is on Saturday, 17 February2024 at Wellspring Anglican Church, Hobart or online on Saturday, 2 March 2024.
Both workshops run from 9:30am to 3pm and include: – Comprehensive information relating to domestic violence – Tactics used by abusers – Impact of family violence on children: brain development, trauma etc. – Spiritual abuse and misuse of scripture to justify or maintain coercive control – Potential theological blockages to reporting domestic abuse – Theology and Biblical messages of love, justice, respect & equality – Exploring what Sanctuary might look like in your church.
Ann Herbert is facilitating the workshops. An experienced facilitator and Elder at Citywide Baptist Church, Ann leads Citywide Baptist’s Sanctuary Care ministry. She has previously managed the Social Policy Unit in the Tasmanian Government Department of Premier and Cabinet and oversaw implementation of a wide range of social policies, including the Tasmanian Government’s Family Violence Action Plan.
Register here or for more information contact Kristy Crouch on 0403 957 106 or email kristy.crouch@gmail.com
Pastors and Leaders Muster, Family-friendly (Devonport)
9-11 July
Tasmanian Baptist Council
7 September
Pastors and Leaders Muster (Launceston)
10-11 September
Annual Assembly
19 October
Tasmanian Baptist Council
16 November
Foundations Course
Burnie Baptist hosts one week discipleship course in January
On Sunday 21 January, Burnie Baptist church welcomed people from all over the world as they hosted a one-week discipleship course called “Foundations.” Along with Burnie Baptist, four other Tasmanian Baptist Churches, as well as students from India, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil and Canada, joined the ‘whole-of-life’ discipleship course, which is run as either a one week intensive or 10 week course (one night a week, plus two Saturdays). The strongly Bible-based course concluded with a highly successful community festival. Afterwards, feedback from participants was very positive. Some participants, who had been in the church for many years, said that Foundations gave them a new way of seeing both faith and mission.
Participating students in the ‘whole-of-life’ discipleship course.
SU Schools Sunday in February
Encouraging students and school staff
Schools Sunday in February is an excellent way to encourage Christian students and school staff members at the beginning of the year. It’s an opportunity to remember that God goes with students and teachers everyday as they attend school. The day provides churches with an opportunity to set aside time during a Sunday service in February to focus on schools and support young people and the local school community. Scripture Union runs the initiative and also provides resources to support churches as they celebrate the day. Resources are available on the SU website or in their PDF Resource Pack. Additionally, the pack provides different ideas for either a complete intergenerational Sunday service or a short segment within a regular service. Churches can choose a date early in the school year to celebrate and encourage students and school staff members.
Schools Sunday supports young people and the local school community.
Position Vacant
Youth and Children’s worker wanted
Citywide Baptist (Mornington/Lenah Valley) are searching for a Youth and Children’s worker with the ability to think outside the box, lead teams and mentor young people. Click here for details.
Citywide are looking for someone who wants to make a difference for kids and young people.
