Random thoughts of a fellow traveller
Go Back >>> It is as if Jesus is praying, “When the surrounding community looks at the church, may they see something that they don’t see anywhere else – a deep level of love, support, encouragement, and acceptance, just like I have brought to the world. Then, when they see it, may they be drawn …
Last week Karl Faase, Australian Christian communicator, media presenter, and social commentator, was in Hobart speaking at Family Voice events. The former senior pastor of Gymea Baptist, is well informed about the challenges faced by the church in Australia today. Faase suggested that the average Christian attending church regularly on a Sunday has lost confidence …
Continue reading “Is the Aussie Church Facing Challenges? Or Opportunities?”
I think we sometimes forget God has entrusted us with the task of bringing the good news of his love, as demonstrated in Christ, to our local community – wherever it iswe are. We can so easily be tempted and fall into the trap of believing the church exists only for us, and conveniently ignore …
Continue reading “Church: There for us? OR There for others . . .”
Back in the 1960s, our Hobart Baptist church building was full to capacity and overflowing on a weekly basis. There are a number of people still attending the church who remember it packed every Sunday with around 400 people. An all-aged Sunday School met at Elizabeth College next door because there wasn’t enough room for …
Go back >>> While the church has one Lord, it is very diverse. It worships its Lord in many languages, styles and forms that reflect the many different cultural and ethnic communities in which it is found. The church has an amazing ability to adapt to local conditions in which it ministers where the experiences, …
Continue reading “Churches: Does Yours Speak Aussie? (Cont)”
The building Hobart Baptist Church meets in is just on the fringe of CBD of Hobart. It is a stately stone building modelled on Baptist Tabernacle in Stockport, England, and is uniquely located on the main road linking Hobart and North Hobart. As a city church the congregation is drawn from across Hobart and across …
From Page One >>> As a church we are on a journey. We know we live in a “post-Christian” culture but we are still learning how to be church and how to do church in this changing world. For some of us it is not an easy journey, but nevertheless, as a church we are …
As Hobart becomes more and more multicultural city we shouldn’t be surprised to see significant changes in many churches as they too become multicultural. It’s been our experience here at Hobart Baptist Church; we also are on a journey becoming more and more a multicultural church. So what does it mean to be a multicultural …
>>> Go Back . . . and Asian nations too, giving us quite a diversity of races. But being multicultural is more than just having a number of different nationalities represented; it is also about working together as one. This calls for a conscious effort in breaking down walls that divide, working to bridge the …
We use the word “church” in so many different ways that sometimes it becomes quite confusing. When we say we are “going to church” we could mean we are meeting with others to worship God, or that we are just going to the building. Sometimes we use the word church to mean a denomination, and …