This month, New Vine Church in Maryland (Hunter Region) celebrates a significant milestone — 30 years of ministry in the Hunter region. What began as a small gathering of thirty people in a Newcastle cinema has grown into a movement of churches, each carrying the same heart for mission, discipleship, and community transformation.
New Vine’s story began in October 1995, the result of a church planting partnership between Victory Baptist Church and Hunter Christian Community Church. Founding pastors Paul Whiting and Andrew Cole shared a vision to plant a vibrant, gospel-centred church in the western suburbs of Newcastle — one that would help people encounter Jesus in a fresh and authentic way.
“I guess as (relatively) young pastors we had met a couple of church planters along the way at conferences, and they were inspiring to us… it captured our imagination and the possibilities with starting something new… a blank slate… we had plenty of experience pioneering youth groups and outreaches… but what would a new church look like … we absolutely believed God was in it.” – Andrew Cole Co-Founding Pastor New Vine Church and Network leader for the New Vine Network
The first gatherings took place at the Regal Cinema in Birmingham Gardens, with a small but passionate congregation. In 1997, New Vine officially affiliated with the Baptist Churches of NSW and ACT, marking the start of a long and fruitful partnership in mission.
By 2000, the young church had grown to around 120 people and caught a fresh vision for a permanent presence in Maryland. They began meeting at the Maryland Community Centre and with the serious financial support of the fledgling church members and help from both the Baptist Association and Baptist Financial Services soon commenced work on their own facility — a space that continues to serve as the heart of New Vine’s ministry today.
A Heart for Mission and Multiplication
New Vine’s DNA has always been shaped by a desire to reach people and multiply ministry. In 2003, the church launched its mission initiative Glocal — an invitation to “Give, Go, and Pray” in response to Jesus’ Great Commission. This outward focus fuelled a culture of sending, leading naturally to new church plants in the years that followed.
From the earliest days of New Vine we ascribed to the importance of church health, believing that “healthy things grow.” However, in God’s created order healthy things, whether it is plants, animals or people, grow until they reach maturity, then they multiply!
“Just as the real fruitfulness of a tree is seen in its ability, having reached maturity, to multiply itself many times over – the same is true for us as followers of Jesus. This goal of maturity expressed through multiplication has shaped New Vine’s history. Believers who produce believers. Disciples who produce disciples. Leaders who produce leaders. Churches that produce Churches. God willing, our future will be even more fruitful!” – Paul Whiting Co-Founding Pastor New Vine Church and Network leader for the New Vine Network
The first, H2O Church in Thornton, began meeting soon after. By 2008, New Vine Lakes was planted in East Lake Macquarie, extending the church’s reach across the region. Then in 2014, New Vine Vineyards launched in the Hunter Valley.
The movement continued to grow. In 2018, New Vine Beaches was planted, initially gathering in Dudley before relocating to the Jewells Baptist Church facilities, where it now meets on Sunday mornings. And in 2020 an amalgamation of people from various New Vine churches joined Thrive Church to launch New Vine Westlakes in West Lake Macquarie. Each of these congregations shares a deep commitment to helping people discover life in Jesus and to being a blessing within their communities.
Most recently, the Colliery Baptist Church is set to launch in early 2026 in West Wallsend, continuing New Vine’s legacy of planting new communities of faith. Plans for at least one more are already underway, as leaders and members continue to dream about where God might be calling them next.
A Model of the Gen1K Vision
New Vine’s story stands as an example of what’s possible when a local church embraces the heart behind our denominational vision of 1000 Healthy Churches in a Generation (Gen1K) — the Baptist Association’s call to multiplication through healthy, mission-shaped communities.
“Big dreams draw us to depend on God and to partner with others—and the New Vine story is a compelling example. Its legacy fanned the flame for mission that reached beyond a single local church. That vision helped ignite a movement in the Hunter for 100 churches, which went on to influence the wider Gen1K vision of a thousand healthy churches in a generation. Over the past 30 years, New Vine has lived out that vision with humility and faith. What began as a single church plant has now become six congregations, each unique but united by the same heartbeat — to reach people for Christ, grow disciples, and multiply the church.” – Jamie Freeman Associate Director for Gen1K Mission and Church Development
As New Vine turns 30, the church looks back with gratitude — and forward with expectancy. The story that began in a cinema three decades ago has become part of something far larger: a movement of churches seeking to see lives transformed across the Hunter region and beyond. It’s a story that continues to be written.
“Our thirtieth birthday is not a finish line. It’s a milestone, not a memorial — a marker, not a conclusion. In fact, we could say it’s the starting line for the future that God has already prepared for New Vine — a pivot point into the next thirty years and beyond.” – DJ Konz – Lead Pastor New Vine Church Maryland.
From one church to many, from one vision to a growing movement — New Vine’s story is living proof that when God’s people step out in faith, He multiplies more than we could ever imagine.
