OUR HISTORY • OUR BELIEFS

Grace Christian Church is a church with a difference. We offer upbeat contemporary Christian services in a relaxed friendly environment.

We speak your language because we’re made up of trades people, business executives, students, teachers, the young and the old - people just like you who want to know about God in the context of their day-to-day lives.

We are a Bible-believing church that endeavours to introduce people to Jesus and experience all that life has to offer along the way. After all, Jesus himself said that he had come that we might enjoy life to the full, and it makes sense that the one who created all life would know the best way of living it.

We're affiliated with Australian Christian Churches - a network of nearly 1200 churches Australia wide (previously known as Australian Assemblies of God) who are committed to bringing Jesus to a new generation of Australians. Society moves on and so must the church, at the same time retaining the values and principles that never change, such as faith, love, family, service, integrity, honesty and commitment.


If your experience of Church hasn’t been all that it should be, why not come along and visit us - we love to have visitors. And remember, "You’ll never, never know if you never, never go.”



Excerpt from Pastor Dermot's message on Vision Sunday 08

So what type of church does God want Grace to look like? He wants our church to be shaped by men and women, boys and girls who are discovering their identity and fulfilling their unique destiny whilst learning to live in loving community with each other. He wants us individually and corporately to carry on Jesus’ mandate to the world.

What will our church look like by the end of the year? I’m not sure because there’ll be a lot more people coming and joining us and they’ll all be adding their unique shape to the mix, but I do know this. Grace will continue to be a place of hope and health, a place where people are given an opportunity to meet with God, a place where the very best is believed of everyone and where forgiveness and love is freely offered. Grace will be a place that is constantly changing, where lives are being put back together, where justice, truth and grace are unashamedly pursued. A place that will challenge you to change and grow and become all that God has planned for you. It will be a spacious place, full of life, freedom and fun, a place where God is honoured and followed hard after, a place where people learn to live together in unity and love, where they won’t be afraid to be real with each other. It will be a place where people will see God and in seeing God know that there is hope for their lives and their families.

Grace will be God’s body on earth! That’s our vision for our church, that’s God’s vision for his body.




OUR HISTORY

In 1958 Pastor David Morris, his wife Ivy and brother John came to Hobart to pioneer an Assembly of God church. Five years later the congregation had erected a hall in Goodwood. For many years the "Goodwood Chapel" was home to the church.

The congregation has been served by five other Senior Pastors: Peter and Margaret Wiggins, Gilbert and Mrs Holman, Colin and Christine White and Ron and Marilyn Wilson. Hobart Assembly of God grew but never quite filled the Goodwood hall. It was a growth restricting obstacle. Services commenced at the University Centre, Sandy Bay, in 1983 and continued for 10 years, during which time the congregation more than trebled.

In December 1988 the property known as 45-47 Melville Street was purchased and then leased out for a year.

The property, including the historic Jolly Hatters Inn, a rough-and-ready workshop and a warehouse, covers half an acre on the boundary of Hobart's CBD. It is adjacent to the Hobart City Council car park and it is this feature that enabled us to receive planning approval from the Council for an ongoing building project. The goal was to have a Christian Centre in the heart of the city.

Working bees commenced in 1990 and the offices, ‘Stage 1’, were opened in 1992. ‘Stage 2’, the present auditorium was opened in October, 1993.

In 2001, Pastor Dermot Cottuli and his wife Debra joined the church after moving back to Tasmania from Townsville where they had been Pastoring Northern Beaches Community Church. In 2002, Pastor Dermot was asked by the leadership to join the staff as the Associate Pastor replacing Pastor Simon Hattrell who had resigned to continue further study.

During the winter of 2003, discussions were held by the eldership about the future direction of the church, and it was decided that a change of leadership would take place with Pastor Ron stepping aside from the senior role but remaining on staff, and Pastor Dermot taking over as the Senior Minister.

In March of 2004 Pastor Ron and Marilyn handed over the reigns to Pastor Dermot and Debra, and headed off on a well-earned long service leave break.

4 years on, Grace is experiencing a wonderful season of growth under Pastor Dermot and Debra’s leadership.

To be continued…




OUR BELIEFS

  • We believe that the Bible is God's Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our every day lives.

  • We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is totally loving and completely holy.

  • We believe that sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives.

  • We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man is the only One who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life.

  • We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the 'new birth' we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives.

  • We believe that in order to live the holy and fruitful lives that God intends for us, we need to be baptised in water and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts, including speaking in tongues which is the initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit .

  • We believe that God has individually equipped us so that we can successfully achieve His purpose for our lives, which is to worship God, fulfil our role in the Church and serve the community in which we live.

  • We believe that God wants to heal and transform us so that we can live healthy and prosperous lives in order to help others more effectively.
  • We believe that our eternal destination of either Heaven or hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised.