A Jesus-Following, Christian Community
in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia

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Making Sense of Church

Sometimes there are things about church that different from church to church, others that are the same EVERYWHERE. These can be a bit bewildering for the first time visitor. HWBC has a few interesting quirks of it’s own – language that may sound unfamiliar, shorthand for aspects of our life that you’ll come to know well. You will find here a community dedicated to Jesus’ truth, justice and love in all sorts of different ways. These are a selection of articles that explore interesting aspects of the church gathered called Hawthorn West Baptist Church.

What is the Church?

We are a people summoned, gathered and called out by God’s grace – not an organisation or a club.

We have been saved from evil by Jesus’ death, given new life through his resurrection. We are prisoners being set free, sinners being restored, people under [re]construction, humans learning what it means to be truly who we were made to be by our loving…

What is “Communion”?

When you visit a church for the first time, you may be surprised by some of the things we do. But what you’ll find is there are certain things that EVERY church does, that are universal to the Church across the world. Communion, singing, teaching, reading the Bible, prayer…

Communion is also called The Lord’s supper,…

Join a Connect Group

“Small groups are the closest thing to the electricity of the early church. Paul wrote his letters to basically small groups run amok …. If we don’t confess to each other and hear people affirm us, in the process we lose a sense of forgiveness. If we confessed what we really struggle with, that’d be electric.” – Bill Search