Our Stories

The Box Hill Baptist Church celebrated its 118^th Anniversary on 20^th October. The preacher for the occasion, Rev Tim Costello, focussed on the fact that the church was founded in 1901, the same year as Australia was founded through the Federation of the previously independent states. Throughout its history, the Box Hill church has echoed some of the social outlook and views of the Australian nation.

It is a tradition in Samoa to celebrate White Sunday every year on a second Sunday of October. This special day is to celebrate and acknowledge our children of all ages by their parents, grandparents, all families and the community.

It is tradition for all children to wear their finest white clothes on this day (White Sunday).

Sweet Eats and Laughs – This baptist Church intentionally schedule in laughter in their outreach activities!

Syndal Baptist Church Celebrated their 65th Anniversary with the induction of Rev Chris Danes as their 4th Senior Pastor!

When Meryl Smith arrived at the mission at Tekin in the highlands of Papua New Guniea as a fresh-faced young bride she was moving back to a situation she knew well. She had grown up in a missionary family and had gone to a school for missionaries’ kids and so was used to being part of a tight knit European enclave in a foreign culture. But every mission station is unique and this tells of some of the issues she had to deal with in New Guinea.

Everything you need to know about our BUV October Gathering

Now and Not Yet Community opened their community cafe in 2014 with the support of the BUV community grant and just recently they celebrated their five year anniversary. As a not-for-profit, social enterprise (with all profits going to the Warrandyte and wider community) – Now and Not Yet have been thriving and making remarkable achievements within their community. This funky-industrial café serves amazing coffee and fantastic food and is all about reinvesting their profits back into the community – so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of the business.

What an opportunity it is to sit in a room alongside a group of Godly men and women, as we seek to faithfully bring the gospel to people in our worlds. Earlier in September we had our second Generations Network Day for this year, where Generations Pastors and Leaders gathered to be spoken into, and to share some valuable stories around helpful content.

Before her marriage Meryl Smith undertook a special program for prospective minister’s wives. It must have been successful because she and Lindsay are still married. I do not know if it worked for the others in the program but even if it did I do not recall that it was ever repeated. How do you prepare to be a minister’s spouse?

While on a prayer retreat, God gave Kathryn a memorable vision that began her life in ministry. “I was sitting on a swing with Jesus pushing me from behind towards the Father.” The vision remains with Kathryn as a picture of God’s work of reconciliation. And in her reconciled state, she takes seriously the message being committed to us.