About Us
What We Believe
Statement of Beliefs
As approved by the 1979 Assembly
Amended to gender-inclusive language following 2002 and 2003 Assemblies
The Nature and Unity of the Godhead
There is one God Who is eternal personal Spirit. He is infinite in power, wisdom, holiness and love. God is Triune in essential being and revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Deity and Humanity of Christ
Jesus Christ as the second Person of the Godhead is eternally one with God the Father of whose person and glory Jesus is the accurate expression. To become human He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, so that two whole and perfect natures, the nature of God and human nature, were united in one Person; truly God and truly human.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Trinity is eternally one with the Father and the Son yet He is sent by Them to achieve the divine purpose in the world and in the Church.
The Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures
The Scriptures, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, are the infallible Word of God. They were written by holy people of God inspired by the Holy Spirit and have supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The Sinfulness of People
People were made in the image of God and for fellowship with God. By transgression of God's command, humankind fell from fellowship with God and their nature was corrupted. As a consequence, all people are spiritually dead under Satan's dominion and control and subject to God's wrath and condemnation. Therefore, apart from God's grace, people are helpless and hopeless.
Christ's Atonement for Human Sin
In order to redeem people from the guilt, penalty and power of sin, Jesus Christ became human and died a sacrificial death as our representative substitute. By His resurrection, God's acceptance of His atoning death was demonstrated. This atonement is sufficient for the whole world but effective only in those who receive it. The sinner is justified and reconciled to God, not through any personal merit, but solely on the basis of God's gracious gift of salvation in Jesus Christ received through faith.
The Work of the Holy Spirit in Salvation
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is necessary for the acceptance of God's provision of salvation. The Holy Spirit convinces sinners of their sinfulness, leads them to personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and so brings them to spiritual birth as God's children and to fellowship in Christ. Working within the life of believers the Holy Spirit makes real the presence of Christ, witnesses to their relationship with God leads into all truth, bestows gifts for effective service and produces graces for holy living.
The Church
The Church is the body of people whom God has separated from the world through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. All regenerate persons are members of the universal Church of God which takes local form wherever groups of believers unite for worship, fellowship and service in accordance with scriptural principles. All believers are called to a priestly ministry in the offering of spiritual sacrifices and sent into the world to be witnesses. God calls individuals to positions of oversight and leadership or to special ministries. The Church recognises such by ordaining pastors, commissioning missionaries, appointing deacons and other leaders, following New Testament practice.
The Baptism of Believers Only by Immersion
Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a public declaration of a person's faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. In accordance with New Testament Scripture, it should be administered only by total immersion which symbolises the believer's identification with Christ in death, burial and resurrection, the remission of sins and the believer's dedication of himself to God to live and walk in newness of life.
The Communion
The Lord's Supper is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ instituted by Him to be celebrated with the elements of bread and wine by believers in Christ until the end of the age. It commemorates and declares our thanks for the Lord's substitutionary death. The celebration of the ordinance expresses our fellowship with and in the Lord Jesus Christ as members of the Body of which He is the Head.
The Return of the Lord Jesus Christ
At the end of this age, according to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in His glory to the earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom of God awaits His return.
The Resurrection of the Dead
At the end of the age, there is to be a resurrection both of the righteous and the unrighteous. After death, people's bodies return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God-the righteous to be with Him and the unrighteous to be reserved for the judgment.
Rewards and Punishments in a Future State
God has appointed a day of final judgement for the world. At that time Jesus Christ will judge every person and each will receive reward or punishment according to their deeds. Those judged righteous, in their resurrected and glorified bodies, will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment.
Our Leadership
Andy Collins
Senior Pastor
Andy, his wife Melissa and four kids, Aiden, Ben, Chloe and Zac, moved to BBC in early 2015. Andy also has an older son, Toby.
Prior to full-time ministry, Andy had a very diverse work history. One of his most memorable was as a warehouse supervisor at WEA Records in the 80s and early 90s.
Soon after becoming a Christian in 1996, Andy started to sense God’s call on his life to full-time ministry and found himself led to serving, first, amongst street youth in Sydney, and then serving as Pastor at Newtown Mission, from 2003 until 2015
On many of his days off Andy will be walking in the bush somewhere, often out of phone range and each year heads to some remote part of God’s Earth to battle the elements, a hobby he enjoys sharing with Melissa and the kids more and more as they get older. He also loves LOUD blues-rock guitar and wishes he has more hours in the day to play.
“Having been personally and powerfully delivered from a destructive lifestyle, I can truly testify to how amazing a church community can be: existing to make a difference in the world, turning darkness to light in countless ways. Having also been involved in healing ministries for many years, it’s just an incredible privilege to be entrusted by God with such gifts and responsibilities! There’s nothing more satisfying to me than helping people reach their true potential in Christ, and seeing that overflow from our church community into our homes, then into the local community, families, workplaces, schools, to the ends of the earth.”
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Peter Barnes
Youth Coordinator
Peter Barnes was born and raised in Blackheath. Has been a part of BBC from the young age of 5 days old. He has been a part of the youth group for nearly as long. His parents, James and Rosemary Barnes, were the Coordinator of BBC Youth when Peter was a toddler. Because both parents were at the youth group, he was taken to the youth group because there was no one to look after him at home. He is the youngest of 6 kids, and all 6 kids grew up in BBC and the youth group.
Peter started ‘officially' attending the youth group when he started high school. In Year 10, Peter became a leader under David Berner, and He was Dave's “2nd in charge”.
He is now the Coordinator of the BBC youth group, known as Light Hill Youth Group.
Peter is currently part-time as the Youth Coordinator at BBC, works casually as a barista in a café in Blackheath and is doing an ‘Advanced Diploma of Ministry' at Morling (bible) College.
Peter has a passion for 'discipleship' of all ages. Peter loves coffee, bass guitar and video games.
“I feel called to disciple a generation, starting young and following them through life till who knows when. I do not know if that will be at BBC or some other church. I also don’t know when this will start or finish, but I am called to learn ‘how to disciple well’ between now and when it starts. Because I am called to learn, I find myself where I am now, doing the Youth Coordinator role, working in Café and studying at a college.
Sundays
Morning Service 10 am
A contemporary style of service, sharing in a time of worship
and strong biblical teaching centred on Jesus.
Kids Church runs during our service for ages 4 to 12.
We provide a room in our church for parents with younger children.
Night Church 6 pm (most Sundays)
We usually meet in our hall for fellowship and a more discussion-based time in the Word of God. Dinner is provided.
The Last Sunday of the month is Cafe Church, where someone may share a testimony.
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All are welcome.
See the Bulletin tab for upcoming services and events.
History
A group of Baptists in Blackheath began to meet regularly for worship in a private home in 1886. Through the generosity of one of them, Miss Garside, who donated the profits of her boarding-house, and of another, Mr Robinson, who gave land, it was possible to build a wooden mission hall in 1888.
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The growing congregation met in this hall until 1928, when the hall was relocated to the rear of the block given by Robinson and a brick church was built instead on its original site. The foundation stones of the new church were laid on 8 September 1928 by the President of the Baptist Union of NSW and by the Blackheath minister, R.S. Pickering.
The church was opened for worship on 16 February 1929. The most significant of the new furnishings were presented by local donors: the new pulpit was a memorial to Mrs Field, the pulpit chair to Mr Marshall. The original church became an ancillary hall and was extended on the north side, removing the original lined wall. (Yeaman, 179-81)