NewHope Baptist Church in Kellyville was planted by a small team from Carlingford Baptist Church in 2010. Now, NewHope Kellyville supports its own church plant, NewHope Box Hill.
This second church community was planted 2.5 years ago and is an unfolding story of God’s faithfulness and provision.
The plan had been to plant a church in Box Hill, 15 minutes from the Kellyville community. By being nearby the Kellyville community was able to send and support the Box Hill community in an ongoing way.
According to David, pastor at NewHope, one of the most important questions they asked during the discernment process was, “how are we going to nurture the new work for the next 3-5 years?”. Church planting is more funding a new church, it’s about partnering in a dynamic way and nurturing as a new expression of the Kingdom.
They put together a church plant team of fifty people, including kids. The group comprised of those who wanted to be a part of new mission work, those who lived near Box Hill, and those who were building in Box Hill and would be moving into the community soon.
When COVID struck at the start of 2020, it stalled the process in some ways, but also helped in other ways. Whilst the new church community couldn’t gather physically and publicly in Box Hill, they worked on their online presence and began meeting online and gathering people there. By the time the community launched in early-2021 it was a congregation of approximately 80.
With monthly services to begin with, NewHope Box Hill has since moved to fortnightly services. A key priority has been making sure the team had a good experience planting a church, and not burning out the team.
The NewHope Box Hill now runs small groups, and has a youth group and young adult ministry combined with Rouse Hill Baptist Church and NewHope Kellyville.
“We’ve begun to establish a presence in Box Hill, a rapidly growing residential area,” reflects David. “We’ve been able to establish by the grace of God something that’s got the ability to reach and impact people and families with the Gospel into the future.”
The church has been steadily growing, as they have connected with more families in the local area. One family started coming to church but were cautious to begin with, as they were just re-engaging with their own faith. They have since become a key part of Box Hill community, and the whole family now serves in different ways. The family has reconnected with their faith and have recently become formal members of the church.
Another young family had recently migrated to Australia and didn’t have any long-term relationships. With a baby and a young child, the family was blessed to find family and community in the NewHope community. They have found a place to pursue Jesus and have experienced encouragement and the revitalisation of their faith.
A young professional woman living in one of the more rural parts of the Box Hill area has also recently joined the church. She was experiencing some isolation but is now well-connected with other women and hosts a small group in her home.
The church planting journey hasn’t been straightforward or easy, but it has been rewarding. The team has learnt patience, perseverance, and commitment. They have learnt how to resolve conflicts and challenges, and trust God through these.
“Planting churches, starting ministries and putting new stakes in the ground for God’s Kingdom aren’t easy things to accomplish but they strengthen discipleship and build character in the people who are a part of it,” reflects David.
Please pray for NewHope Box Hill as they wait on God for a greater physical presence in the Box Hill area. And join them in praying for their vision of being one of many local churches in the area and being a taste of the Kingdom and expression of God’s love.
“We want to be a strong neighbourhood church in the area until Jesus comes back,” declares David.
