Macquarie Fields Baptist Church offers a range of services and activities for people who live in and around ...
Macquarie Fields Macquarie Links Glenfield Long Point Ingleburn
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In the SIMPSONS, MARGE often cajoles, wheedles, coaxs and impels HOMER to go to church, and he complains ...
Why should I go to church?
Everyone asks this very same question -- those who have never been to church, those who have been going to church for years, and you can even sometimes hear the pastor ask it!!!
The movie FORREST GUMP has a saying ...
Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get
No one knows what the future will bring, but with people around us supporting us in our life, the present (and the future) are that much more easier to deal with.
In the movie MUST LOVE DOGS the main character's best friend says ...
A life lived alone is a lonely life
... and in BRIDGET JONES' DIARY they say ...
No man is an island
We are indeed people who have a deep-seated need to be in relationship with other people, and the church provides an environment where we can make and build relationships with other people of all races, ages and backgrounds.
You might say in response that the local sporting club, rotary, lions and RFS brigades all provide the same environments.
But there is more to being human than having people-to-people relationships, we all have a heartfelt thirst for the spiritual.
This spiritual thirst can be seen in the dozens of new-age spiritual festivals each year, and the thousands of spiritual concepts springing into existence each year.
And on our TV screens there are shows such as MEDIUM, SUPERNATURAL, GHOST WISPERER and CHARMED (to name a few), and in DYMOCKS, BORDERS and ANGUS & ROBERTSON there are shelves and shelves of books on spirituality with new books coming out weekly ... our thirst for the spiritual has created an entire industry worth BILLIONS!!!
But the problem is that all these TV shows and shelves of books give a different take on the spiritual realm, and all these takes change year by year.
What happens if we buy into one take only to discover that a year later it has gone out of fashion? Do we just give up? Do we just simply buy into the latest and greatest take on spirituality? Surely the spiritual realm doesn't change as much as the fashion world?
The spiritual realm certainly doesn't change, because the God who made it is the same yesterday, today and tommorrow.
This is a God that you can count on, a trustworthy God, a reliable God, a dependable God, a God who loves all people young and old, female and male.
A God who is primarily concerned with relationships, and not primarily about rules and regulations -- though rules and regulations do indeed support, sustain and maintain relationships.
We at Macquarie Fields Baptist Church have no problem stating for the record that we are not perfect and we do not have it all together ... which is very different to the latest and greatest spirituality concepts.
Put simply ... we are on a relationship journey and we are trying our hardest to build good healthy relationships with one another, and a good healthy relationship with the God who desires to be in relationship with us.
Our God wants to FULFILL our heartfelt thirst for the spiritual through our relationship with him, and our God tells us that this filling will overflow into all our relationships with other people.
In the gospel of Matthew chapter 5 verse 6 it says: God blesses those who hunger and thirst for right-relationships with God and others, for they will be filled.
Do you want to have people around to share your box of chocolates? Are you tired of being an Island? Do you want a spirituality that is stable, strong and secure?
We do, and this is why we go to church -- to share our lives, to be in relationship with people, to learn about God, to grow in our relationship with God and to have our spiritual thirst satisfied by a God whose spiritual waters are abundant, active and assured.
Macquarie Fields Baptist Church is a relationship-focussed, laid-back and family-oriented church.
The time that we all get-together is SUNDAY MORNING at 10:00 A.M. -- and any person who wants to journey with us in our relationship with each other and in our relationship with God are encouraged and welcomed to journey with us.
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We believe that God looks at the HEART and not what someone is wearing -- so there is no formal dress code.
Our church has some people who are in wheel-chairs and who are mobility impaired, so we cater for the needs of the mobility impaired.
We have a number of families with young children and lower-high-schoolers -- so during the church service we run Sunday School for 3-7/8 and 7/8-13 years.
Kids under 3 are catered for by a play-area at the back corner of the church, so that Mum & Dad can watch them AND listen to the sermon at the same time ... if the kids make a little bit of noise that's OK with us ... but if you feel your kids are making too much noise (or if your baby cries) we do have a "cry room" out the back.
The music we play is what you'd hear on a number of local radio stations, it is a mixture of both traditional and contemporary Christian music.
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We are located on the corner of SAYWELL ROAD and CHURCH STREET ...
The church looks like this from the corner of SAYWELL ROAD and CHURCH STREET ...
... the car-parking area has a gravel section (as can be seen in the picture) and a grass section (off the picture on the right).
The gravel section is reserved for people with mobility problems -- it can fit about 10 cars.
The grass section is large and can fit about 50 cars.
There are two halls at the church and we have our main service in the back hall.
This is the entrance to the front hall ...
Around to the right is the entrance to the back hall ...
Here is a close up ...
Notice the large (old) air conditioning units on either side of the entrance -- these have now been replaced by newer greener AirCon units.
When the weather is particularly HOT (in summer) or particularly COLD (in winter) we keep the doors almost-closed (they may look CLOSED but they aren't actually closed) -- in order to conserve the heating/cooling inside the hall for the environment.
We do this between 9:00 A.M. and NOON to make sure that the temperature inside the hall is COMFORTABLE for the SUNDAY MORNING service, and for our environmental responsibility.
So if you arrive at the church on a SUNDAY MORNING between 9:00 A.M. and NOON and the doors look closed -- CHURCH is still ON!!! Just walk up to the doors and someone will see you and welcome you in -- please understand that we are trying to maintain a comfortable temperature within the church!!!
DRIVING
The map above gives clear directions if you are driving.
WALKING
The church is a 15 minute walk from GLENQUARIE SHOPPING CENTER, and it is a 5 minute walk up the hill from MACQUARIE FIELDS TRAIN STATION.
TRAIN
Catch a train to MACQUARIE FIELDS TRAIN STATION and just walk up the hill (or catch the BUS).
BUS -- ROUTES 870 and 873
The 870 leaves Glenfield Train Station about 9:10am (and 10:10am) and passes by the church about 9:15am (and 10:15am) ...
The 870 leaves Ingleburn Train Station about 9:45am and passes by the church about 9:55am ...
The 873 leaves Macquarie Fields Train Station about 10:00am and passes by the church about 3 minutes later ...
The 873 leaves Ingleburn Train Station about 9:30am and travels through Ingleburn and Macquarie Fields and reaches the church about 9:55am.
INTERNET
One day we hope to have a web-cam and output our church service over the internet live.
If you are interested in figuring out how to do this, please see Glen (in person).
On 24th February 2006 we had a NEW BANNER installed on our premises.
This banner can be seen and read CLEARLY from 50 meters away!
Here is a CLOSE-UP view ...
The banner was created and manufactured by Strataje based on the following initial design ...
We found Strataje to be highly professional and very customer focussed, and are so impressed with their services that we are having more advertising work done with them.
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Macquarie Fields Baptist Church has a number of ACTIVITIES during the week.
MONDAY
7:00 P.M. -- Bread Run -- Free Fresh Bread from a local bakery - first come first serve.
TUESDAY
none
WEDNESDAY
6:30 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. -- Dinner & Bible Study
THURSDAY
10:00 A.M. - NOON -- Time-Out
For parents of young children aged 0-5 -- all welcome.
7:30 P.M. - 9:30 P.M. -- Prayer & Study Group
Come for either the hour of prayer or the hour of study or both hours -- all welcome.
FRIDAY
none
SATURDAY
8:00 AM -- 12:00 NOON -- SDA Service
SUNDAY
10:00 A.M. -- 11:30 A.M. -- MFBC Morning Service
All welcome.
*** MONTHLY MUSIC PRACTICE ***
Occurs on the FIRST Saturday of each month, usually at Glen&Heather's house. However, when the majority of leaders/musicians/singers can't make it, we move it to the next Saturday Morning/Afternoon, and if Glen's house won't be available, we usually move it to another muso's house. Contact the church (or see Sunday morning announcements) for up-to-the-minute information.
All musicians/singers welcome.
10:00 A.M -- 12:00 P.M. -- and it is followed by a free lunch for attendee's.
All regular and new music is practiced during this time.
Music practice and lunch is at Glen & Heather's house -- see church noticeboard or ask for location.
Usual dates for 2009 ...
DATE FOR
03/01/09 JAN-09
07/02/09 FEB-09
07/03/09 MAR-09
04/04/09 APR-09
02/05/09 MAY-09
06/06/09 JUN-09
04/07/09 JUL-09
01/08/09 AUG-09
05/09/09 SEP-09
03/10/09 OCT-09
07/11/09 NOV-09
05/12/09 DEC-09
NOTE: ANY amendments to these dates will be announced at church (and hopefully amended here).
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During EASTER there are two special events:
GOOD FRIDAY service
TBA MAR @ 9AM
EASTER SUNDAY service
TBA MAR @ 10AM
During the CHRISTMAS SEASON there are three special events:
CHRISTMAS CAROLS
TBA DEC @ 7PM
On TBA December from 7pm we have our CHRISTMAS CAROLS on the front lawn of the church, with a FREE sausage sizzle from 6:30pm.
CHRISTMAS EVE LUNCH
TBA DEC @ NOON
On TBA December ("Christmas Eve") after the morning service, we will have a special LUNCH for those who would like to have lunch with other people during Christmas.
CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE
TBA DEC @ 9AM
On TBA December the morning service will start at 9:00 A.M. so that people can worship God and still get away to various occasions with thier families and friends.
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Marriage is an important step in any relationship, it is a step which formally and publically announces a commitment to love, cherish and faithfully serve one another in the marriage relationship.
All people approaching marriage want to have a successful marriage, and we believe that just as athletes do a lot of preparation in order to win a Gold Medal, all couples should prepare themselves for marriage.
It is essential for a couple to address many important questions whilst they are approaching marriage, questions such as: who looks after the finances, how many children will we have, where will we live, what health issues do we need to address, etc, etc.
These are likely to have been addressed, but some of the more neglected questions relate to family background, communication skills and conflict resolution skills. If these things are ignored they can lead to some serious problems in the early stages of married life.
The pre-marriage counselling course uses the “PREPARE” material, which helps a couple tackle the issues that will facilitate a healthy marriage.
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Don & Glen are staff members of Macquarie Fields Baptist Church and are therefore available to perform marriages. However, only Don (an Ordained Baptist Minister) has the legal authority to bind marriages. Glen does not yet have the legal authority to bind marriages (but the process is underway).
Marriages are conducted according to Baptist Rites and in association with the couple to be married.
Marriages can be held at the church or at another location as desired by the couple.
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Marriage is a journey, and like public transport, sometimes there are hiccups. But unlike public transport, the journey is never alone, there are people to talk to.
Don is available to give some basic marriage counselling to couples that are in need of some immediate help.
However, if there are serious problems he will direct you to a professional marriage counsellor.
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We believe that God loves children and that children are a gift from God to the parents. As such, we perform what is called a "Dedication" service where parents (and godparents and the family) dedicate themselves to raising the child in the ways that God would have them raise the child.
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We are planning to run a parenting course sometime this year if we have enough interested parents.
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We believe in the baptism of those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and make a public profession of faith in him.
Baptism is by full immersion (“dunking”) unless medical reasons prohibit it (in these cases we will organize a suitable method which parallels the meaning of full immersion).
We baptise in a water source according to the wishes of the individual -- be it at the pool, lake, river or beach.
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We believe that every person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is a member of the Kingdom of God (a member of the church universal).
We also believe that the church universal is displayed through fellowships of local believers – fellowships which are commonly called “local churches”.
Our general membership is open to anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as Word of God, Incarnate, Immanuel, Son of God and Saviour.
But because of legal requirements (such as governance of church property and financial supervision) we have a voting membership which is limited to baptized believers.
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We always endeavour to help out the needy and hungry in our area as best we can.
In this endeavour we are extremely grateful to be helped by a bakery at Macarthur Square that donates it's left-over product to our church on Monday Nights so that we can give it to those in our community who are in need of fresh bread ... Sometimes we receive a small amount and sometimes we receive alot of bread and so it is given out on a first come first serve basis but measured out so that many can receive it.
For those who are in emergencies or in desparate need, although we have very limited resources, in the past our church-members have used their own money to scrape together a small food hamper to see a family through a one-off short-term time of need. The church itself does not give out cash but will help in whatever way we can in the short-term.
For medium to long-term needs, please see Anglicare, Smith Family, Catholic-Agencies or government assistance offices.
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Don, Glen & Simeon are available to conduct funerals.
Funerals are conducted according to Baptist rites and in close association with the family.
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We have two halls available for hire by community groups and other interested persons.
The halls are in use by the church on Wednesday Nights, Thursday Mornings and all day Sunday. The halls are also used at various times for election polling booths and as Examination Centres for distance education students.
Outside of these times, either or both halls are available to be hired.
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Macquarie Fields Baptist Church is organised along the lines of normal Baptist organisational structure, which is a FLAT structure because of the foundation belief in "the Priesthood of all believers".
This means that the church leadership is NOT above the members of the church, instead, the leaders of the church are accountable to the members of the church (and vica-versa).
Our leadership team is called a "Diaconate" and is made up of:
DEACONS -- Two or more church members voted into the deacon position by the members of the church for a yearly term (deacons are chosen based on the qualifications outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus).
plus
PAID STAFF -- in our case the Senior Pastor (DON).
At the moment, our constitution does not have a provision for UNPAID STAFF, so our Associate Pastor has been voted in as a deacon to allow him to continue on the leadership team.
Don Watson
Don is the SENIOR PASTOR of Macquarie Fields Baptist Church.
Don is married to Kathy and they have three children -- Amos, Elizabeth and Simon -- and a little dog named Bonnie.
Don completed his Bachelor of Theology at Morling Baptist Theological College in the mid-1990's and has been senior minister of Macquarie Fields Baptist Church since 2001.
Don enjoys watching the Cricket and football (soccer).
Don lectured in Theology during 2004 and has had a number of articles published, the most recent being in the National Baptist magazine.
Don's wife Kathy is the Sunday School teacher for 3-7 year olds, and during the week she is a Doctor currently studying to specialise in Pyschiatry.
Don & Kathy have lived in Macquarie Fields since 2001 -- they minister, shop, work and are raising thier children in this area.
Glen Balmer
Glen is the ASSOCIATE PASTOR (Part-Time 1day/week unpaid) of Macquarie Fields Baptist Church, responsible for Worship and Outreach.
In addition - from the beginning of January 2007 - Glen has been working Full-Time in the I.T. Industry for one of Australia's largest Banks.
Glen is married to Heather and they currently have no children.
Glen completed his Bachelor of Theology in 2005 at Morling Baptist Theological College, and followed this by completing his Honours year in 2006 researching Old Testament Apocalyptic Literature concentrating on Daniel's numerology and end-time prognostication.
He has been ministering at Macquarie Fields Baptist Church since the beginning of 2005 and primarily looks after the Worship and Outreach areas, of which this website is a part.
Glen enjoys watching the football (soccer) and listening to the great Guitarists (Santana, Clapton, TE, Slash).
Glen has had one article published in Soundings -- the weekly journal of the center for Ethics at Morling College.
Glen's wife Heather is an Orthodontic Nurse.
Glen & Heather live about a hundred meters from the church, and although Heather is new to the Campbelltown area, Glen grew up in the Macquarie Fields housing commission estate so he knows the area well.
This was from 1980 to 1992, which were his primary school years at Curran Primary School and his high school years at James Meehan high (Yr7) then at Mt Gilead Christian School (Yr8-12).
Glen's parents were divorced and he was raised with his mum in a low-income single-parent household in Macquarie Fields. He knows first hand the difficulty of living in housing commission in a single-parent household and struggling financially, but he will confirm that GOD looked out for him!
Pat Jackowski
Pat is the diaconate secretary.
Simeon Payne
Simeon is the church treasurer.
Simeon is married to Rosemary and they have two children, Andrew and Sarah.
Simeon completed his Bachelor of Theology at Morling Baptist Theological College in the late 1990's and was chaplain at the University of Western Sydney (Campbelltown) from 2000-2007.
Simeon joined Macquarie Fields Baptist Church as a staff member (Chaplain) in November 2005, and became the Deacon (Treasurer) in 2007.
His chaplaincy role was mainly to academics on the UWS campus, although he did counsel students from time to time. During the year he also does a number of guest lecturing spots in ethics, theology and other subjects.
Simeon has had many research papers published in a number of academic journals such as IJSCC and ARS, as well as being a contributing writer for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelisation.
Simeon enjoys reading and critical discussions on a range of topics.
Simeon's wife Rosemary is one of our musicians, and during the week she is a teacher at a local Public School.
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On the 8th of May 2009 we are starting a Kids’ Club. We are looking for someone to lead this kids club. There are other people (3-4) willing to help out; we are looking for someone to steer and lead. There would be no expectation that the person be involved in any other ministry. It would be the whole churches responsibility to invite kids to attend. We believe that this ministry is so important that even if no one steps forward we will be commencing with our current resources.
The person would be a Christian with a love for kids, a love for God, and gifting in Children’s ministry.
The Club would be after school, on a day of your choosing, aimed at 2nd – 4th graders (as this is the age group we have at church and through public school scripture; though we would extend this to 6th Graders if any came along). We run an effective playtime group and it is envisaged that we catch some of the kids as they ‘graduate’.
We are offering some remuneration & expenses. If desired we offer mentoring in the area of kids’ ministry. We guarantee the full support of the church.
The Kids would just about be all non-churched, local, and keen. They would be representative of our community which has both public & private housing.
We are Macquarie Fields Baptist Church, a small church in SW Sydney. We have a heart for mission and want to empower people to use their gifts for the Christ’s glory. We believe this ministry would make great inroads into our community.
We expect, in addition to running the club, the person to report to the church how it is going every 6 months. We would also prefer the person to attend our Sunday service (currently 10am) regularly. We are happy for the person to attend ministries of another church if our service style does not meet their needs.
The next step is to contact Don Watson on .(.0.2.). .9.6.0.5.-.9.3.0.8. or .0.4.3.1. .8.3.0. .7.2.8. or email .m.f.b.a.p.t.i.s.t.c.h.u.r.c.h.@optusnet.com.au [remove the dots - they are there so that internet robots do not gather this information]
Are you going to be part of this vital Kingdom activity?
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Website first created on 05-Jan-2006 by Glen Balmer (Associate Pastor)
Website last updated on 11-Aug-2007 by Glen Balmer (Associate Pastor)
Due to our website keeper not having the time to update this page as regularly as he would like ... he has conglomerated all the important bits into this one page. So if you have previously bookmarked pages from this website, they will no longer be valid.
If you have any spare time and would like to help update this website, please contact (in person) the website keeper.
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