Name

Elvera Smith

What was your life style like when you decided to follow Jesus?

I left work to go home and help my mother with a new baby. There were 9 children in our family. I left school at 14, I was in grade 6. I was the eldest girl.

What year were you baptised? What age were you?

1924, I was 16 years of age, in the associated church of christ for remission of sins.

Where did you begin to worship and what was your first impression of the church?

I began at West hobart Associated church of Christ, in 1923. I was impressed by the Bible school, singing and friendliness. many older people there. I went to sunday school, there were 100 students. I used to sing solos in church. i taught Bible school from age 17. The church always stressed baptism and had invitation songs.

What difficulties / challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

Leaving West Hobart Associated church of Christ after my marriage to Colin Smith in 1937. We moved to Bream Creek, 30 miles from Hobart. We had no music there in the morning service, but had music at nights. I started to really study the Bible after we were married, when Colin was preaching.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord’s body?

I felt accepted from the beginning.

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoring Christianity to be as it is in the New Testament) are important to you?

1. Baptism for the remission of sins. 2. I met John Allen Hudson in West Hobart and he stressed the Biblical reasons for no instrumental music.

What did you think about having no musical instruments in worship?

It did not worry me, I stopped singing solos in worship.

What spiritual interest did you have before becoming a Christian?

I wanted to be a missionary in India.

What is important to you, in how you walk in Jesus today?

1. Helping people.

Where do you worship today? Approximately how many brethren?

Gosford church of Christ, there are 130 people.

What roles do you carry out in the church?

I don’t do a lot now. I encourage people. I used to teach Bible class and teenage girls class.

Name:

Frank Cunningham.

What was your life style like when you decided to follow Jesus?

Family man, family time important to me, quiet life style, worked hard, enjoyed a beer or two after work, and the odd ribald joke.

What year were you baptised? What age were you?

1987 Aged 36.

Where did you begin to worship and what was your first impression of the church?

As a new Christian my first place of worship was SouthWest church of Christ at Ambarvale. My first impression of the church was one of warmth, and welcoming.

What difficulties / challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

Most difficult challenge: changing from old worldly thinking to what would Jesus think, say and do. And being concerned about what people thought of me, now I was a Christian.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord’s body?

I felt my lack of Bible knowledge kept me from fitting in to the body, felt I needed to know more Bible before I would be fully accepted, my perception no one else’s.

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoring Christianity to be as it is in the

New Testament) are important to you?

The Bible being God’s Word, the Truth. Add to that Baptism (Immersion) for forgiveness of sins.

What did you think about having no musical instruments in worship?

I thought it odd at first, then I visited a Catholic church where guitars were being played and found that distracting and realised the importance of Worshipping from the heart.

What spiritual interest did you have before becoming a Christian?

The two years or so before becoming a Christian, circumstances happening in our family caused me to have a new interest in the existence of God and a belief that God did exist and how that following Him could improve my children’s life, my wife’s life and my life. Understanding how God could work in our lives was important to find out.

What is important to you, in how you walk in Jesus today?

Doing better than I did yesterday in applying God’s will in my life today.

Where do you worship today? Approximately how many brethren?

I am still worshipping with the saints at the Southwest Church of Christ in Ambarvale.

What rolls do you carry out in the church?

Chief cook and bottle washer!!

I ‘am the full time worker at Southwest church and my work covers many area’s, but preaching, teaching, and being an encourager I see as my main role’s. ,

Name

Graham Wall

What was your life style like when you decided to follow Jesus?

I was 9, wanted to be a cop.

What year were you baptised?

1988

Where did you begin to worship and what was your first impression of the church?

Bairnsdale - Happy, close, family.

What difficulties / challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

Being open and honest about my faith.

Doubts.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord’s body?

Coming from a small church, I sometimes felt isolated.

I didn’t know many christians my own age.

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoring Christianity to be as it is in the New Testament) are important to you?

Bible a only authority.

What did you think about having no musical instruments in worship?

I always enjoyed the simplicity of it. I love harmonized singing.

What spiritual interest did you have before becoming a Christian?

I grew up in a christian household and always had an interest.

What is important to you, in how you walk in Jesus today?

Grace, forgiveness, older mentor, eg. Ron Graham, Dale Hartman, family.

Where do you worship today? Approximately how many brethren?

Macquarie, 35 - 40

What roles do you carry out in the church?

Preach, lead singing, pray, serve, Lord’s Supper.

Name

Greg Grant

What was your life style like when you decided to follow Jesus?

I was a professional musician playing in a Rock n Roll pub band 3-4 nights a week in Perth. I mixed mainly with musicians and pub patrons and I lived in a shared accommodation house with two female friends.

What year were you baptised? What age were you?

I was baptised in 1983 and I would have been 30.

Where did you begin to worship and what was your first impression of the church?

I first began to worship at City Beach Church of Christ. My first impression was how friendly everybody was, even though I came from a lifestyle that was so totally foreign to most of them I was very surprised that this church was so much friendlier than any of the Catholic churches I had grown up in. People actually hung around afterwards and talked to each other, in the Catholic Church you were almost killed in the rush to get out the doors once mass was over.

What difficulties / challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

Accepting and understanding what a wonderful gift salvation is. I did not go out trying to convert the world like you hear of a lot of new Christians doing. I felt more like a lapsed Christian who started to go to church again more than a new Christian. So I suppose a lot of my challenge was getting to understand what a fantastic gift grace is and to move away from the Catholic view point that I had which was that Church is something you did only Sunday and the rest of the time was part of the world.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord’s body?

Not long after I was baptised I moved back to Sydney. I was still pursuing my musical career so making new friends in the church and feeling accepted was very hard. The world I was still moving in was not a world conducive to growing spiritually and I probably wasn’t making a big effort to be a part of the church so I am glad that the Lord kept me strong within myself and kept me from wavering. The lord sent me enough good people like Brett Christensen, Jenny Barker, Ted Paul and others who accepted me for who I was and gave me enough encouragement to stay.

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoring Christianity to be as it is in the New Testament) are important to you?

Getting back to the bible truths. I always believed that there was a God but I was so turned off Christianity by the hypocrisy I saw in the Catholic Church and Catholic schools that I began looking elsewhere for the truth. In Catholicism you are taught that the Catholic Church is the one true Church and as I had no other knowledge of other Christian churches I looked at Eastern religions. The Beatles had experimented with Indian religions in the late 60s and so that made it cool. When you read the bible you can feel the truth of it, you may not understand everything but it comes with a truth, a wisdom that is not in other religions. It comes with a truth that doesn’t need a whole heap of man made rules to help you understand. God’s truth is both extremely deep and very simple.

What did you think about having no musical instruments in worship?

Being a musician I thought it was a bit odd but it never really became a big issue to me. I sat back and went with the flow and in time I came to see the wisdom behind not using musician instruments in the worship service. I did go back to City Beach many years later and they had thrown out their usual hymn books and set up there own books just using only scripture. It was abysmal, I think if that would have been the case when I was first going to the church I would not have stayed. God gave us all different talents and one of those talents is the musical ability to write wonderful hymns of praise. We do not need musical instruments but we certainly do need to tap into the wonderful melodies and words that God gave to people like Fanny J Crosby so that we can sing songs with a joy in our hearts. Music is one of the greatest joys God has given mankind

What spiritual interest did you have before becoming a Christian?

I always knew that there was a God, a higher power that made all the wonderful things around us in the world. My quest was to find the truth and as the Lord says “Seek and you shall find.”

What is important to you, in how you walk in Jesus today?

Trying to keep my focus on Jesus. Satan does everything in his power to deceive us so that a lot of times we don’t even realise our focus is not on Jesus so I am trying and failing regularly to make sure my focus is on Jesus and not on the world. Seek first the kingdom of God.

Where do you worship today? Approximately how many brethren?

Eastside at Bondi Junction.

What roles do you carry out in the church?

I am the treasurer and do a bit of preaching & teaching as well as doing things like leading the Lords Supper and Prayers and church business meetings.

Name

Heather Mary Cox

What was your life style like when you decided to follow Jesus?

At times I worked in Advertising and copied that life style. Drinks at the pub on Friday nights, I swore and occasionally smoked joints. I did not think anything of lying or other sinful behaviour.

What year were you baptized?

November 1980

Where did you begin to worship and what was your first impression of the church?

I first started at Macquarie and found it very ordinary, because my only other experience was at a Catholic church. I didn’t really understand the lesson (only part of it) and thought it was mighty long and I did not like the singing.

I found it hard to be on time as I had a problem with punctuality then. However several people were friendly and welcoming, although one person said, “You wear funny clothes don’t you?”

What difficulties / Challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

It was difficult for me to be punctual, also to feel comfortable in a large group of people and to relate to people that I had nothing in common with. I must have changed an awful lot because now I am struggling to remember what I had trouble with. I found it a challenge to balance my time i.e. my priorities.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord’s body?

I learned to love being on time or even early, I learned to love singing and though I still wear funny clothes my brothers and sisters love me as I am. Now I think some days that the lessons could be longer and I find a good balance and thoughtful method of worship.

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoring Christianity to be as it is in the New Testament) are important to you?

Can I say all of them – However definitely those involving salvation and living in Christ, there needs to be unity on matters of faith.

What did you think about having no musical instrument in worship?

That’s fine; I have never had a problem with this. It also makes sense to me to have every one concentrating on their singing and the meaning of the words.

What spiritual interest did you have before becoming a Christian?

Nothing really. Although I was really searching for the truth.

What is important to you , in how you walk in Jesus today?

It is important to me at the moment that I keep my priorities in balance and that I do not get too focused on work or anything that will distract me from keeping my eyes on Jesus.

My prayer is that I can touch the lives of everyone I contact during the day and share Jesus with them.

Where do you worship today? Approximately how many brethren?

Macquarie church of Christ with approximately 56 brethren.

What rolls do you carry out in the church?

I am a “a pair of willing hands” i.e. a helper.
Whatever I am able to do I am happy to do, either teaching the children on Sunday, preparing dishes for the church lunch on Sunday.

Name

Jenny Ancell

What was your life style when you decide to follow Jesus?

I was beginning my teenage years and I was in my first year at High School. I was called a dreamer by a valued, old Scottish friend but I lived an ordinary life style, nothing outrageous.

What year were you baptized? What age were you?

I was baptized on top of beautiful Mt Tambourine at Camp Gidawarra in 1973. I was 13 years old.

Where did you begin to worship and what were your first impressions of the church?

I worshipped with the church at Wynnum in Queensland. As I had grown up in the church family in Wynnum, my impressions were formed throughout my childhood .I grew up seeing the family at Wynnum as a loving, friendly family that were accepting and nurturing. Several people in that family come to mind helped shape my identity and aspirations.

What difficulties/ challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

I faced the pressures of carrying out my Christianity as a teenager. I fluctuated between conformity to Christ and acquiescence to the world.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord’s body?

At that time in my life we had four very dedicated adults who ran the youth group and I felt deeply supported in my faith. They were mentors to me and I am grateful in my life for their gifts of love and encouragement. They helped ‘grow my faith’

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoting Christianity to be as it is in the New Testament) are important to you?

The emphasis of our message to the world lies in understanding the love of Christ. That’s all, the rest will follow if one understands and responds to the love of Christ. Communicating this love to the world is the task at hand.

What did you think about having no musical instruments in worship?

I feel the absence of instruments gives a worshipper the opportunity to praise God individually in his/her own heart. Lately I am more concerned about giving my whole hearted attention to focusing on the words that I sing. When this happens, a kind of heart reflection process and encouragement seems to merge in praising God.

What is important to you, in how you walk in Jesus today?

I want to try and extend the same type of grace to people that Christ extended to me. I needed more than the usual. Otherwise, I think the idea of serving as Christ served is very important.

Where do you worship today? Approximately how many brethren?

I worship with the family at Belmore Road Church of Christ. Approximately 100 or so people worship there.

What roles do you carry out in the Church?

I help in teaching the Lets Start Talking Program and Sunday School Program. I’ve taught at some other events, Ladies Days etc One of my main tasks is to help support Marvin’s work and that involves a variety of jobs. I like to maintain the philosophy that if I have the strength and resources to do something that’s needed, I will do it.

Name

Judy Bebe

What was your life style like when you deciced to follow Jesus?

I was 13, the eldest of 6 children, living in Wynnum, Queensland.my mother had leukaemia and died four months after I was baptised. Mine was a life of school, caring for family and attending Wynnum church of Christ.

What year were you baptised?

1961

Where did you begin to worship and what was your first impression of the church?

Wynnum church of Christ. Very friendly, concentrated on truth and following the truth of the Bible. Very supportive, the Smith family cared for us following the death of my mother.

What difficulties / challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

1) Letting go of contact with the church of England, where I was a bible class teacher.

2) The challenge of sharing the Word with my friends who were not interested in searching out the truth.

3) Learning to chose Christian activities to be involved in at school etc.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord’s body?

1) Being given time by the church to cut off teaching activities in the church of England.

2) Being totally committed to all activities of the church and balance studies etc.

3) I found that doing things it’s easier to feel one has a place in the body.

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoring Christianity to be as it is in the New Testament) are important to you?

1) Adhering to the N. T. for guidance about His church and how to live ones life.

2) Following the N. T. pattern of how to become a Christian

3) Autonomous nature of the local church.

4)The organization of the church with elders, deacons etc. as in N.T.

What did you think about having no musical instruments in worship?

Great! Encourages much more singing participation. More heart in it.

What spiritual interest did you have before becoming a Christian?

I was a Bible school teacher for the church of England.

What is important to you, in how you walk in Jesus today?

1) Keeping to the truth of the Word.

2) Reaching out to others.

3) Encouraging churches to consider new areas to plant the church.

4) To develope spirituality.

Where do you worship today? How many in your congregation?

Eastside. Bondi Junction Waverley, N.S.W.

What rolls do you carry out in the church?

I teach ladies and children’s Bible classes. Cook, have people in our home, conduct Bible studies with those who don’t know the gospel and follow up studies. I’m interested in church planting.

I also participate in the organisation of church activities.