How did Brindabella get started?
1991: Ten families from Tuggeranong Baptist Church began meeting in Calwell Primary School as the Southern Area Congregation (SAC), a satellite congregation of Tuggeranong Baptist Church (Kambah) on 5th May.
1992: SAC moved to the canteen of Calwell High School and continued to grow.
1993: The need for a pastor dedicated to the growing SAC was discussed, as well as the possibility of the congregation becoming a church in its own right.
1994: The induction service for John & Marianne Crowther and family as the first pastor for the congregation was held on 17th July. Tuggeranong Baptist supported SAC’s decision to proceed towards becoming a separate church. Troupe Fish clowning ministry was established in partnership with Tuggeranong Baptist.
1995: From January, the congregation commenced services at St Peter’s Catholic College, Isabella Plains (now MacKillop Catholic College). On 21st May, Brindabella officially became a Baptist Church, with 65 founding members.
1996: Brindabella sent out its first short-term missionaries with one team doing construction ministry in Papua New Guinea and another (Troupe Fish) performing in children’s holiday camps in Russia (St Petersburg). Both teams were in partnership with Tuggeranong Baptist.
1997-1999: In 1997 we established our own church office in Richardson Community House, which we also managed as a community service. The first Merry Beach camp was held in March 1997 and Andrew & Janelle Duncan arrived at the end of that year to minister to our youth group. Giftfest, a Christmas festival held as a gift to the local community commenced in 1999 and was held until 2006.
2000-2002: New staff & ministry leaders were welcomed in 2000, with Meg Fitzgerald taking up the reins of small group ministry, Leigh MacPherson commencing as youth intern, Ruth Sawtell leading the welcome/integration team and Helen Abraham becoming our intergenerational worker. In 2001 Andrew Duncan concluded his ministry to youth and became the Outreach & Evangelism pastor.
In 2002 Brindabella sent a short-term mission team to the region around Katherine NT, ministering to town children and also some remote Indigenous communities. Duncans concluded their ministry at Brindabella, accepting a call to Fremantle WA. Brindabella moved its office out of Richardson House and commenced looking for a shopfront location.
2003-2004: Steve Healey commenced as Pastor for Worship & Outreach in February 2003, Leigh MacPherson became the youth coordinator and John Robinson commenced working with kids and young families. The first Moments that Matter scrapbooking weekend was held in response to the Canberra bushfires. Two short-term mission teams ministered in the Riverina at Wagga, Narrandera and Leeton. ConneXion, our office and meeting space, opened in June at Tuggeranong Square.
During 2004 Ruth Sawtell took up the role as office manager, Meg Fitzgerald concluded her small groups’ ministry and Leigh MacPherson handed the youth coordination role to Tamara Crowther. Short-term mission trips to Russia (the fifth such trip) and Kalgoorlie were conducted.
2005: Jonathan Geddes took up a one-year appointment as ‘Missionary in Residence’. John Robinson accepted a call to Syndal Baptist in June and the Crowthers concluded their ministry in October. The Malone family indicated their calling to full time service in Thailand, to commence in 2007.
2006: Wayne Coady was appointed Pastor for Pastoral Care and Steve Healey became the Senior Pastor in September. Rohan Geddes became the new youth coordinator and a short-term mission team ministered in Ethiopia over the Christmas/New Year period.
2007-2008: This became a period of challenge and transition for Brindabella. Steve Healey indicated that he would step down as Senior Pastor in 2007 and the church embarked on a time of waiting on God and seeking His will, initially by appointing a team to advise on the way forward (affectionately known as the Ethel team) and then deciding to seek an intentional interim pastor to guide the church. It also decided to appoint a team to seek a youth pastor. Bruce Hart commenced in the role of intentional interim pastor in November 2007 and a transition team was appointed. The Malone family departed for ministry in Thailand in August 2007. Several Brindabellans also participated in a short-term mission trip to India.
Igor Bogomol, who had worked as a translator for the Brindabellan Russia team in 2007, accepted a call to be youth pastor. The Bogomol family arrived from Russia in August 2008. A Brindabellan team worked with the Malones in Thailand during October. The transition team continued to work through the intentional interim process during 2008, culminating with the formation of a search team for a senior pastor in September.
Early in 2009, the church accepted the search team’s recommendation that it call Des Daniels to the role of senior pastor. Des and Pauline will commence with Brindabella in February.
Early in 2010, we start the year without a youth or senior pastor. Both Igor and Des have moved on and it seems we are back to where we were at the end of 2008, however, much has been experienced and learnt in the past 12 months. The future is unclear, but the body continues to seek God.