By Amy Galliford
On 9 May 2024, Murwillumbah Church of Christ minister, RFS firefighter and chaplain, and former schoolteacher Christopher Jenkins passed away suddenly on a visit to his home state of WA, where he had returned to celebrate his dads 80th birthday with his family. His friends, family and church community remember him with fondness as they grieve his passing.
Chris Jenkins was not your average pastor. A guitar-playing motorbike enthusiast and carefree larrikin, his presence was unmissable in his northern NSW community. In his eulogy, Alan Webb, leader and congregant of Murwillumbah Church of Christ, recalled the day Chris rocked up to a church service in their “small, conservative evangelical community”.
“You can imagine our shock one Sunday when, unannounced, a tall, long-haired, heavily tattooed bikie, in all his resplendent leathers, turned up at our service with his daughter, and proceeded to march down the aisle and seat himself in the very front row,” Alan recounted.
In 2020, after some time attending Murwillumbah Church, he was invited to begin lay preaching on Sundays. The church had been praying for a minister, and after finding out about his ministry experience and Bible college training, they soon asked him to fill the role. His love for his church was unmistakable, with stories of the work of God in his community frequently gushing from his lips.
While he struck most people as rough around the edges, his heart of gold and love for people made his life shine. “Only sinners go to heaven” was a phrase he often spoke, reflecting his passion for people on the margins and his absolute conviction of the Gospel of Jesus.
Friends and fellow churches of Christ ministers in the Tweed Heads community, John Latta and Ian Phillips, affirm this part of his character. “He had a heart for people that were disadvantaged in some way. There was no judgement with Chris; he was just there for people,” says John. Ian agrees, “He was for people on the margins.”
Alongside his ministry, Chris was a dedicated Royal Fire Service firefighter and chaplain, having served in fighting the devasting 2020 NSW bushfires. His chaplaincy was invaluable to the service, and he was recognised as a pillar of strength in times of tragedy.
His chaplaincy extended beyond the RFS to the Tweed Shire Council, where he opened Planning Committee and Council meetings with prayer at the invitation of his good friend Troy Green, Tweed Shire Council’s General Manager. The two shared a love of motorbikes, specifically Triumph Bonnevilles, and Troy always admired his relatable nature and larrikinism.
Troy says, “One of the councillors said to me, ‘I just dug that he’d turn up in his jeans and flannel with his chains and his tattoos.’ You know, he related to people at a different level – he was approachable.”
Chris was known by many for his absolute love for the Word, frequently seen carrying a big, heavily marked and well-used NKJV Bible. “God said it. I believe it. That settles it,” was another of his catchphrases.
It was with his nose buried in his Bible that Troy recalls seeing him when they serendipitously bumped into each other on a flight to Sydney on his way to Perth the day before he died. The two mates talked for the whole flight, Chris speaking endlessly of his love for his family, his pride in his children, and his wonder at the work of God in his church. He spoke with excitement of the three people he was going to baptise when he returned from Perth, talking in detail about how special they each were. Clutching his old Bible, He held it up to Troy and said, “This is what it’s all about.”
As they said goodbye at the airport, the last time Troy saw him, Chris outstretched his arms as if revving a motorbike. “Let’s go for a ride soon,” the gesture said. With his eyes sparkling, the moment encapsulated exactly who Chris was – a man who truly lived, right up until the moment he died.
As Troy says, “If there was a man ready to die the next day, it was him – that was a man right with God.”
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