Stories

The Fresh Hope Engage NSW Drought Appeal has raised $26,393 as at the end of November 2018. The funds have been distributed through local churches of Christ to assist individual families in need and to bless local communities: $20,000 Dubbo Church of...

The third round of the Volunteer Pastoral Carers training program successfully graduated on Wed 28 November in Coffs Harbour. 11 volunteers were celebrated by members from the Mission & Ministry agency, Fresh Hope Care, local church pastors and family...

Four times in the Christmas narrative we find the phrase ‘Do not be afraid’. An angel of Lord appears to Zechariah, a Jewish Priest and the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:13); to Mary the mother of Jesus via the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:30); to Joseph,...

For many Australians, Christmas is a season filled with joy and celebration. Unfortunately, this isn’t true for many people around the world who are affected by poverty or disaster. Leah almost lost everything – she had to leave her home in Ambae, a small...

On Thursday 22nd November, a special celebration of SRE in NSW public schools was held at NSW Parliament. The event was used to showcase the wonderful benefits of Special Religious Education in our schools – something only possible because of the many...

Defence Chaplaincy As we approach Remembrance Day it is an appropriate time to reflect upon the value of Defence Force Chaplaincy. Churches of Christ have a long and illustrious history in this sphere of ministry. When war led to the formation of the First...

Lismore (Northern Rivers) Church Of Christ Thanksgiving Service - October 21st On Sunday 21st October Ken & Alison Bond joined the Lismore (Northern Rivers) church community to celebrate a service of thanksgiving. The gathering included 24 adults and 6...

Pastoral Care Volunteers Graduation Last week, we celebrated 8 volunteers as they graduated from the Pastoral Carer’s training program held in Bateman’s Bay. The evening was celebrated by the Mission & Ministry agency, Fresh Hope Care, local church...

Pioneering & Mission – I still believe It has been 6 months since we put the flag in the ground at Collective for another pioneering push, inviting us to imitate the passion for Kingdom innovation that our forebears in Churches of Christ had.  Our...

Recently I came across this quote in a blog by Stephen W. Smith that resonated deeply as I reflected on what our role is in raising and releasing spiritual leaders. “An unholy convergence of factors creates this Perfect Storm; the storm that threatens the...

When Wally arrived at the NationsHeart FoodHut – he was simply looking for help. Recently retired from truck driving, he was facing the challenge of juggling the needs of his family on a limited income. “I heard about a place you could go and get help with...

The Fresh Hope Mission and Ministry Agency is pleased to announce the availability of grant funding under the newly established “Mission & Ministry Grants” scheme. The purpose of M&M grants is to encourage churches to be agile, adaptive and...

You may already know that Fresh Hope has entered into a partnership with the NSW/ACT Baptist Association to partner with them in delivering the Creating Safe Spaces – Safe Church training program. Creating Safe Spaces is an excellent safe church training...

Winter School 2018 At the end of July, we had 45 students from our NAVIGATE and TOPS Internship programs plus 20 leaders join us for Winter School 2018. Together we entered a space of deep community for six days. This developed through spiritual formation...