18 Jun 2019

Hope Central Gawler is an outreach from Hope Central in Elizabeth South (Adelaide). It was officially launched on the 11th of November 2018 (Remembrance Day!). Around 37 people, including children, started this church with the aim to continue the mission of Hope Central which is ‘creating communities of grace’. Their key objectives: to create a safe place for people to worship, to be a place where they can develop and grow people and to creatively outreach into the community. In the long term they would love to be a training base, where people can come and get trained then be released into different ministries/churches etc.

Since then the church has been going very well. Numbers have reached to almost 80 with a regular attendance around the 50 mark. They have been able to see people who haven’t attended church in a long time recommit themselves as well as a few people get saved from very interesting backgrounds. Praise God!

Senior minister Pr Pete Heyworth says that they have also seen great growth in the team. People who have regularly attended church but didn’t do much are becoming very involved. The new church plant has given them the opportunity to stretch their ministry legs in things such as connect groups. The team is learning to love early mornings as they meet in the Gawler Sport and Community Centre every Sunday which includes set up and pack down.

Very recently they held a combined Pentecostal Sunday service. It was an amazing time working with the other churches in the area. There was a great sense of camaraderie and moving ahead. The event also stretched a few people and as Pr Pete encouraged them to get together for some extra ministry time.

Looking forward, they’ve got a kids outreach planned for the holidays with advertising out now and they’ve also got various community services including ministry for the homeless. They’ve started the CAP ministry course to help combat poverty and also just finished the Alpha Course with the church. At the end of August the are sending a team on a missions trip to Papua New Guinea which is very exciting!