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Dear friends and supporters.
2018 marks the 10-year anniversary since Fresh Hope was launched across our network. It remains for us a compelling reminder of our role in life and society. The Fresh Hope network is a movement of Christian churches and ministries (legally known as Churches of Christ) that seeks to serve Australians spiritually through our ministries across the length and breadth of NSW and the ACT. We have been serving communities for over 130 years in Aged Care, Welfare, Christian Camping, Theological and Ministry Education, Missionary Endeavours in the developing world, Youth and Children’s support and local engagement through each of our Church Communities. We are very proud of our history and, more importantly, remain convinced of the need for church to be relevant and helpful to society.
Some say that Christianity is fast becoming irrelevant to Australian culture. This is not our experience. Every time we introduce God to people there is an overwhelming sense that life has a deeper and broader purpose.
The famous American Poet Walt Whitman in his 1892 compendium of poetry, once wrote an honest account of life in his work ‘O! Me! O! Life’.
As he grappled the meaning of life his answer was succinct – That you are here – that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse….. Our heartbeat resonates with this language. We are each created for purpose. We find our identity in God and then we make life contributions that reflect a deeper legacy of hope. The cosmic play of the Universe continues with God at the centre. We intentionally encourage each other to find our voice and verse which is more about others than self. The true human goal is to serve God and others in love, care and compassion.
To celebrate our tenth year of Fresh Hope, we have refreshed our website and our logos. The new logo has positioned the dove to face forwards and reflects our ongoing passion and commitment to love, serve and care for people into an engaging and vibrant future. We take heart from the missionary journey of the Apostle Paul who travelled throughout the country-side and ‘charged’ communities and people with fresh hope. This is referenced in Scripture in the book of Acts.
Our world needs hope. There are so many living in communities who are despondent, isolated or suffering. We believe that genuine hope is only found by experiencing God through faith in Jesus Christ. We also believe that true community includes spiritual well-being and that the role of the church is to help people find hope, fresh hope, when they are struggling or unsure. We trust you are more than intrigued by this journey and our site will pique your interest in the matters of God.
Fresh Hope is more than a ‘concept’ or a ‘logo’. We see it as a metaphor for our mission and our ministry orientation. How we live for God and enable the transformation of communities and lives is critically important to us. We believe and have seen transformation in so many contexts as people surrender to the reality of God and allow God to take control. Our eternal living only makes sense when we address the reality of our human endeavour. We are passionate about fresh hope and long to see God restoring lives and healing communities, regardless of race or location. We are also convinced that there is no fresh hope without spiritual awakening and personal transformation.
The Fresh Hope network of churches continues to explore new and innovating ways of making God accessible to all Australians. Please visit our new website www.freshhope.org.au to browse the many ministries and locations where we serve. We intend to expand our locations, so please don’t hesitate to make contact if you would like to explore partnering with us or visiting one of our churches. Over the next 5 years we will expand our services. We are particularly looking for pioneers who are courageous, trained and willing to pioneer new Kingdom outposts. We are also willing to train you in theology or ministry through our flexible learning college and our engaging courses.
Thank you for your interest in our mission and ministry. We are blessed to live and serve in this great nation.
Dr Andrew Ball
Executive Ministry Director.
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