australian-baptist-ministries

Easter Message 2026

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 02:11:34 GMT

New beginnings, deep meaning, and love that changes everything.

We really do have good news this Easter!

A lot of people in Australia are feeling a bit lost at the moment - life is busy and full, but somehow still missing something. Even Nobel Prize winning physicist Steven Weinberg once said, “The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.” And many people today quietly feel exactly that - like there should be more to life than what we see on the surface.

It’s a bit like those early archaeologists who stared at Egyptian hieroglyphs, knowing they meant something important but having no way to understand them. Everything changed in 1799 when the Rosetta Stone was discovered — suddenly the symbols made sense.

Easter gives us something like that too.

More and more people are rediscovering that the death and resurrection of Jesus is the key that helps make sense of life. When we look honestly at that moment in history - an event with strong historical grounding - things start to come together: who God is, why we matter, why other people matter, why we long for purpose, how we walk through suffering, how we work, how we love, and what we hope for.

And beyond meaning, Easter shows us love; real, personal, transforming love. This isn’t just an “interesting idea” to reflect on. It’s something we can receive. Something that reshapes us from the inside out as we realise God’s love is not distant or theoretical, but deeply personal.

Easter is a time for reflection but also a time to receive and to celebrate.

The apostle Paul captures this so beautifully when he writes:

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all… And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again… Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:14–18, 20–21

What a gift — new beginnings, deep meaning, and love that changes everything.

Rev Mark Wilson

National Ministries Director

14th December 2025 Bondi Beach Attack

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 03:41:22 GMT

Statement on the Terror Attack at Bondi Beach on 14th December 2025

Australian Baptist Ministries are deeply grieved by the tragic events that unfolded at Bondi Beach during the Jewish festival celebration on the 14 ^th December 2025.

We condemn this act of violence in the strongest possible terms and stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters at this time of profound sorrow.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, and we pray for healing and comfort for all who are injured and traumatised.

We reject antisemitism in all its forms and commit ourselves to fostering relationships of respect, compassion, and understanding across faith communities.

We call upon our churches and members to join us in prayer for the Jewish community, for the city of Sydney, and for our nation as we seek unity in the face of hatred.

May God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard the hearts of those who mourn and strengthen us all to stand together against violence and prejudice.

John 1: 5 The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not extinguish it.

Rev Mark Wilson - National Ministries Director

Ps. John Robertson - Chair of National Council

15th December 2025

2025 Christmas Message

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 01:53:45 GMT

Jesus brings peace that heals, restores, and draws us together

This Christmas, we once again gather around the story that has changed the world—the story of Jesus, God with us. In a world that often feels unsettled and uncertain, the birth of Christ reminds us that God steps into our humanity with grace, hope, and redeeming love.

The message of Christmas is simple and yet profoundly powerful: light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. As Australian Baptists, we celebrate that this light is not distant or fragile. It is the light of Christ—steadfast, welcoming, and transformative.

This season invites us to slow down, to listen, and to wonder. In the cry of a newborn child, we hear God’s promise of peace. In the humility of the manger, we see God’s heart for the lowly, the overlooked, and the hurting. In the joy of the angels, we remember that the good news is for all people, in every place.

As we gather in our churches, homes, and communities, may we embody the generosity of Christ. May our hospitality reflect His welcome, and may our lives bear witness to His hope.

We pray that our neighbourhoods would experience the peace that only Jesus brings—peace that heals, restores, and draws us together.

This Christmas, may the love of Christ fill your homes, strengthen your families, and renew your faith. And as we enter a new year, may we continue to follow the One who is Immanuel—God with us, now and always.

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus.

Rev Mark Wilson

National Ministries Director

Australian Baptist Ministries

Easter Message 2025

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 06:41:58 GMT

What Cross will you bear?

On Good Friday, you may enjoy some hot cross buns (well, actually you may have been eating them since Christmas) fresh from the oven. But what does the cross mean? Why do Christians talk about “taking up their cross and following Jesus”? Is it more than eating a tasty Easter bun?

Sadhu Sundar Singh says, “If we do not bear the cross of the Master, we will have to bear the cross of the world, with all its earthly goods. Which cross have you taken up?”

What does it mean to “take up a cross?” When Jesus carried His cross, it wasn’t a symbolic burden, it was the means of his death. So, taking up your cross to follow Jesus means giving your life, dying to yourself. Often, we would rather have our lives improved, not necessarily transformed. We like the idea of freedom but not the responsibility to die daily to ourselves. We want blessing without duty, grace without obligation, and life without death.

The Book of Matthew says that Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

The cross has become a sentimental symbol, a trinket worn around your neck, or a bun heating nicely in the oven. But following Christ, or being a Christian is a commitment to the suffering Christ. Christ who was crucified on the cross.

Thomas à Kempis, writing in the 15th century observed, “There will always be many who will love Christ’s heavenly kingdom, but few who will bear his cross. Jesus has many who desire consolation, but few who care for adversity. He finds many to share his table, but few will join him in fasting. Many are eager to be happy with him; few wish to suffer anything for him…. Many are awed by his miracles; few accept the shame of his cross.”

So why would we choose to take up our cross and follow Christ? Sadhu Sundar Singh got it right, we will bear a cross of one sort or another. The cross of the Master or the cross of the world. The Apostle Paul abandoned himself completely to Christ and considered all of his achievements as rubbish “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”

The choice is ours. The cross of Christ or the cross of the world. Which cross have you taken up?

Rev. Mark Wilson

National Ministries Director

Australian Baptist Ministries

Christmas Message 2024

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 03:34:36 GMT

Glory to God in the highest. Peace to all women and men on earth. Luke 2:14

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” penned Charles Dickens in the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities.

The reality of what Dickens wrote is indeed reality today. We live with a relatively low unemployment rate, a shortage of skilled employment but an increasingly high cost of living which disadvantages so many. We must admit that while there are advantages to some, there is a significant impost on family time for others.

Egalitarianism has always been an important part of the Australian ethos. We look at who a person is, rather than the circumstances they come from. Their race, age, or beliefs should never be a cause for discrimination. It is at the core of who we are as Australians to help out a mate and to lend a hand to someone who is down.

Regardless of our circumstances, Christmas is one time of the year we can stop and recognise the teachings of the Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. The values of equality, of caring for each other and living peaceably with others.

I would urge you to stop and put aside the trappings of a commercialised Christmas for a moment and look at the real meaning of the season. Let’s all take the opportunity to act with justice and care for the less fortunate and — the hardest of all — to forgive those who have wronged us. That is what the angels meant in Luke 2:14 when they proclaimed “Glory to God in the highest. Peace to all women and men on earth”.

May this Christmas be a time of blessing and peace to you and yours.

Rev Mark Wilson

National Ministries Director

Australian Baptist Ministries

Converge 2024

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 05:30:00 GMT

Advocating for those most impacted by the housing crisis in Australia

September 9 - 11 2024

What is Converge?
Converge is an annual gathering of Baptist leaders to lobby Federal MPs and senators on social justice issues. The first Converge was held in 2016, and since that time we have advocated for better policy on refugees and asylum seekers, international development assistance, family and domestic violence, child wellbeing, and foreign policy toward Myanmar.

Our immediate aim each year is to influence policy outcomes and in the longer term to build a Baptist voice for justice that is known to our political leaders and build a culture of advocacy within the Baptist community.

2024 Focus - Housing Crisis
This year our focus is on those most vulnerable to the housing crisis, such as people in the lower deciles of household income and those who have suffered from domestic and family violence.

Monday is preparation day.

Tuesday & Wednesday is when the meetings with MP's and Senators are scheduled.

Please Pray

Pray for the delegates as they prepare for the meetings

Pray for wisdom and courage as our delegates attend the meetings.

Pray for the MP's and Senators who we are meeting with that they will be receptive to the message.

Pray for effective, swift action to protect our most vulnerable.

~ Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God ~

Easter Message 2024

administrator@heliummarketing.agency (Helium Marketing) — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 07:55:07 GMT

“It is finished,” were the last words from the lips of Jesus as He hung on the Cross.

On the surface it sounds like, “At last, it’s over.” But, the true sense of the cry declares, “My purpose is accomplished!”

The two criminals also being crucified at the same time, the bored soldiers loitering around the execution site, and the crowds who swung by to see the spectacle, had no idea that anything of importance had been accomplished.

It looked very much like another dead Jew on a Roman cross. Nothing to write home about. But God was at work preparing for a new era, unlike anything the world had seen before. The resurrection of Jesus Christ began a new era when all people can meet God, one-on-one!

It doesn’t matter if this Easter feels spectacular or fairly uninspiring, be assured that every moment you give thought to Jesus Christ, every time you honour Him and seek Him, every day you turn your heart again towards Him, He is accomplishing His purpose in you.

You are the reason He became a man, suffered and died on a cross. He loves you that much, even if it doesn’t feel that way to you.

Perhaps the greatest words in history, “It is finished,” were spoken by Jesus Christ as He was dying on the cross. What He finished enables you to have the opportunity to know God and His mercy, forgiveness and love. Forever.

This Easter, I invite you to explore what Jesus finished and how it can be the start of something that will change your life forever.

Rev. Mark Wilson
National Ministries Director
Australian Baptist Ministries

Standing in Prayer for Israel and the Palestinian Territories

administrator@heliummarketing.agency (Helium Marketing) — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 07:55:07 GMT

Together we respond. We grieve. We pray.

Together We Respond

In the Palestinian Territories, the BWA has collaborated with our local Member Partner (Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land) to provide livelihood support and food for more than 100 families living in the West Bank as well as food and hygiene items for hundreds of families who had been sheltering in the Baptist Church in Gaza. The church has suffered damage from the bombings and will require resources to repair and rebuild.

The Association of Baptist Churches in Israel shares, “Our churches have been holding continuous prayer meetings and in the midst of sorrow and anxiety, we are spreading the message of God’s love to those who are hurting. We earnestly pray for a miracle to stop the ongoing conflict, coupled with a cry of hope for a brighter future for all residents of Israel and the Palestinian Territories.”

Together We Grieve

As a global family, we mourn together the horrific bombing of the al-Ahli Hospital, often known as the Baptist Hospital. There is a vibrant and historic legacy of Baptist leadership in this hospital that has offered the compassion of Christ to all who entered its doors, a ministry continued today by the Anglican Church. The Baptist World Alliance mourns the tragic loss of life and the untold cost that will continue to unfold in the lives of those who depended on this hospital for care and shelter. We stand in prayer with the leadership and staff of the hospital, the Anglican Church, and all who are grieving. We continue to plead for the protection of all citizens and the establishment of genuine peace. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

Together We Pray

Baptists across Israel and the Palestinian Territories request fervent prayer for just peace. This includes the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel with 17 Baptist churches and the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land representing 13 Baptist churches in the Palestinian Territories, including a Baptist church in Gaza.

Together as a Baptist family that is one in Christ Jesus, let us mourn with all whose loved ones have been killed or are held captive. Let us follow paths of peacemaking that unequivocally reject terrorism or any acts that target civilians, include dehumanizing language, or limit human rights on the basis of ethnicity or faith. Let us generously provide help and support with the compassion of Christ. Let us stand together with our Baptist family and all who are suffering, and in the midst of complexity and violence, hear again the words of the prophet Micah “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly” in pursuit of restorative justice and peace for all people. Our Baptist leaders in the region have shared the following calls to prayer.

Uniting in prayer is a vital way to join our global response.

Please join with Baptists around the world in prayer using the prayer points listed below.

Pray for a quick end to the conflict and the prevention of escalation into a larger war in the region.
Pray for the God of all comfort to be with those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.
Pray for those who have been wounded during the conflict and for those providing medical assistance to them.
Pray for the safety and liberation of hostages, and pray for mediators to facilitate their release.
Pray for wisdom and discernment for the leaders, that they may make decisions that lead to lasting peace and alleviate suffering.
Pray that Christians from around the world will unite in prayer for peace, demonstrating the love of Christ to all peoples.
Pray for safety of local followers of Jesus and that they will be shielded from extremism and hatred, especially young people.
Pray for God to utilize our churches as effective witnesses during this challenging time, through the power of the Holy Spirit, including the Baptist church in Gaza and its ongoing ministry.
Pray that Christians around the world will give generously as our Baptist family across this area seeks to holistically minister in this critical time of suffering.
Pray for peace, hope, and security for the entire region, and that the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays so that Israelis and Palestinians will experience life lived in peace and freedom with one another.

Uluru Statement From the Heart

administrator@heliummarketing.agency (Helium Marketing) — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 07:55:07 GMT

"... a movement of the Australian people for a better future”.

The National Council of Australian Baptist Ministries (also known as the Baptist Union of Australia) accepts the invitation of our First Nations sisters and brothers in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to “walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future”. We declare our support for the Statement’s calls for a “First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution” and “a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history”.

We welcome the intention of the Commonwealth Government to hold a referendum on the Voice to Parliament. This represents a historic occasion for our nation in the creation of a more just future. It is our hope that it will be very widely supported across our Parliament, across our churches and across our nation.

In the Baptist way of being church it is the responsibility of every local church to seek the mind of Christ for its life and mission. Consequently, we speak as leaders of State Baptist Associations and Baptist National Ministries, meeting together as the National Council of Australian Baptist Ministries, not on behalf of our churches but to our churches. We urge every local Baptist church and affiliated Baptist agencies across Australia to engage with the Uluru Statement from the Heart and take up its generous invitation.

In view of the impending referendum, we urge Baptist churches and affiliated Baptist agencies to make space in their 2023 calendar to familiarize themselves with the Uluru Statement, to be prayerful about the issues it raises, to facilitate informed discussion on the proposal for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and to map out how they will take up the invitation from First Nations sisters and brothers to walk together towards a just future.

australian-baptist-ministries

Easter Message 2026

New beginnings, deep meaning, and love that changes everything.

14th December 2025 Bondi Beach Attack

Statement on the Terror Attack at Bondi Beach on 14th December 2025

2025 Christmas Message

Jesus brings peace that heals, restores, and draws us together

Easter Message 2025

What Cross will you bear?

Christmas Message 2024

Converge 2024

Advocating for those most impacted by the housing crisis in Australia

September 9 - 11 2024

Easter Message 2024

“It is finished,” were the last words from the lips of Jesus as He hung on the Cross.

Standing in Prayer for Israel and the Palestinian Territories

Together we respond. We grieve. We pray.

Together We Respond

Together We Grieve

Together We Pray

Uniting in prayer is a vital way to join our global response.

Uluru Statement From the Heart

"... a movement of the Australian people for a better future”.

Churches and affiliated agencies are encouraged to visit A Just Cause for helpful resources and assistance in this matter.