It’s more important than ever to get together to celebrate significant milestones, now that we can!

On October 15th Anglesea Baptist (AB) threw the community a dessert and opp shop dress-up party to mark 30 years of ministry to the town.

Like many Baptist churches AB started small: three people meeting in a home at Pt Roadknight in 1989. Encouraged by their commitment, over the next two years, Torquay Christian Fellowship called and supported a pastor to plant a new church in the next village. But in reality, AB’s story started eight years before when two wonderful women of God: Nancy McDonald (Anglican) and Marj Cully (Uniting) began meeting to pray for a spirit filled church for their tiny country town. This interdenominational cooperation was not a new theme for Anglesea. 100 years earlier, Rev Frederick Wilkin had hosted a regular prayer meeting for believers of all denominations at his home, today’s Camp Wilkin.

At the 30th birthday party the church gathered the community together to carry on that tradition of inclusiveness, to share memories, eat wonderful food (a church tradition) and celebrate the impact AB has had on the region and on many lives.

A church timeline captured 30 years of Food Link – emergency food support, opp shop ministry, youth mentoring, aged care action, affordable housing and emergency relief, and the ongoing and vital public celebration of faith, love and community. Party goers built a heart wall of sentiment, capturing in handwritten blocks, what one anonymous contributor wrote, the way AB is a pillar of the Anglesea Community.

There was a hearty rendition of Shine Jesus Shine, an AB theme song, and a celebration of thankfulness for all those who today and in the years before, have gone out into the community and beyond to make a difference for God.

Marianne Messer