Newsletter 11/08/25

One Year of A New Way

There’s an old children’s rhyme you might remember, complete with hand actions: “Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors, here’s all the people.”

While it’s catchy, it’s also backwards. A better version would be: “Here is the church, they ARE the people."

Back in June, we celebrated one year of ministry as A New Way. A year of being the Church. This anniversary gave us a moment to pause and reflect. We’ve welcomed new faces, had honest conversations, shed tears, shared testimonies, and stepped into the lives of people right here in our neighbourhood. It’s been a year of slow, steady good.

Somehow, here we are. Every time I look around our little warehouse, I’m struck by a simple truth: “A year ago, this ministry didn’t exist.” The chairs, the speakers, the rugs, the wall art, the bar, the fairy lights, all of it came from people who caught the heart of the biblical mission and gave something to the cause. That’s what love looks like when it gets practical.

Have we achieved every goal yet? No, and we haven’t yet ticked every box on the prospectus. However, recently, I sat with some wise people who gently shifted my perspective...

They reminded me that we raised only 64% of the original budget, yet we’ve delivered far more than 64% of the mission. We’ve accomplished a lot with a little, and with time, prayer, and faithful support, we’ll continue to move forward. (If one of those original projects stirs something in you, please reach out. We’re always looking for people to partner with financially to bring the full mission to life in the season to come).

On top of that, this past year has brought success in other areas. We’ve secured several grants that have expanded our impact beyond what we first imagined. These are some of the current projects fuelling our work:

• CoastCare has allowed Evan Lawrie to serve as our Community Chaplain, working six hours a week to host biblical discussions, mentor people spiritually, and offer one-on-one care. Evan is deeply embedded in the life of this community. We hope that the groundwork he is laying, will give us a framework to use in the future for similar programs.

• Central Coast Council has supported me (Lewis) in a youth worker role, helping us shape the venue into a welcoming and functional space for Sunday Rhythms and our monthly Open Mic Night. It also enables me to provide extra support to youth in desperate need. These events are quickly becoming highlights on the local calendar.

• Vincent Fairfax Foundation is supporting our efforts to empower young people to explore and express their faith journeys through words, art, music, and real connection with their peers.

  
  

So, what’s next for A New Way?

Over the last few months, we’ve made an intentional shift. We’ve changed our Instagram and website from “.church” to “.org.au”. This change wasn’t made because we’re backing away from our faith, but rather because we’re being more precise about our language and highlighting the charity & community aspects of our non-profit, that are in direct response to the Gospel, and for the glory of God.

From the start, we’ve believed that the Church isn’t a brand, a building, an institution, or a social media page. It’s God’s people, across the world, following Jesus together in everyday life. If 'A New Way Services INC' ever ceases to exist, the Church would continue.

Originally we used ".church", because it was, honestly, a cheaper URL domain, and because I believed it would cause more engagement on social media (which was true). Originally, we also tried to keep our “christian ministry” and “community work” separate on social media. But, we're choosing to bring them together. We unashamedly host spaces where faith can be explored and where people can ask questions about Jesus.

Our boarder programs also serve the wider community, provide public benevolent relief, and are open to all regardless of background or beliefs.

So please follow along the journey! anewway.org.au

Venue Update

Our venue has had a makeover! We are incredibly grateful to the Christian graffiti artists from Melbourne and Adelaide who came to paint our building. They were generous, as we could only provide a night’s dinner in return for their three days of work.

Each piece of artwork holds significant meaning and intention. Firstly, we have St. Basil, credited with opening the first free public hospital and a soup kitchen for the most vulnerable in society (refered to in history as "the poor house"). His unwavering commitment to serving the community instead of building his own wealth resonates deeply with us at A New Way, who strive to follow in his footsteps and as he followed Christ’s teachings. You'll note his hand signal, which means "peace in Jesus name" in Christian art and iconography.

The speaker on our door represents “he who has ears to hear,” , and our 'Communion' piece reminds us of the importance of gathering together in unity to remember Jesus, his death, and his resurrection. We share communion as a community every Wednesday!

Lastly, the cactus symbolises resilience and growth, thriving even in the harshest environments.

We hope that this Christian art serves as a statement at all our programs, reminding everyone that everything we do is for the glory of God. It has already sparked many conversations at our outreach and benevolent charity events.

Finding Community

We are proud that we are creating spaces where people can find community! Recently, the stories we have been hearing have shared a similar theme "I feel like this place is a family".

We recently received a kind message from an individual who's been attending Sunday Rhythms, who has been connecting with our Community Chaplain: "Since coming to A New Way, life, health (physical and mental) has been a hell of a lot different in a good way. As my younger childhood was not the same as most people out there, finding trouble with law and people I was surrounded with in life. Now coming to A New Way, I have found friends and people I can trust, without them making me feel judged. So my story is really a testimony of a community of people with faith and how that affects my personal life."

State of Origin

The State of Origin is one of my favourite events of the year! The room was full of people from all walks of life, even a maroon, but that’s what makes it so special. At A New Way, we welcome everyone to the table. We hope to host more community events like this in the future.

It was good to see some old friends from NVBC where I used to work!

Open Mic Night

Our Open Mic Nights have been huge! So far, we’ve had two events, with the first reaching 52 people and the second having 48.

The purpose of these Open Mic Nights is twofold. Firstly, the Central Coast Council gave us a small grant to create events that bring the community together. This has allowed Lewis to spend a few hours a week with his youth worker hat on, and these Open Mic Nights are the fruit of that investment. Secondly, these nights enable Evan’s disciples to participate in serving the local community. In this way, his mentees not only learn about spirituality but also put it into practice. We hope these events draw more people into support, whether it’s us providing specific benevolent relief, Evan’s weekly ‘chappy hour’, our Sundown Session, or our broader community.

The nights have been filled with music, poetry, and even Rubik’s cubes! Because we have created a non-judgemental environment where everyone is free to be themselves, it has also enabled our ANW members to share their Christian art with the broader community, who have accepted it with open ears!

Stay tuned on social media to find out when the next open mic will be!

Pacific Link

We’ve been praying for opportunities to serve “Hard Knock Way” and in spaces where genuine help is needed. In fact, in a recent newsletter, we discussed areas of the Central Coast that are primarily community housing.

Recently, by chance, I met the CEO and director of community engagement at 'Pacific Link', who manages community housing on the Central Coast.

They’ve agreed to open their doors to us and allow us to serve in the community rooms of these housing commission areas. We look forward to creating safe spaces for children, parents, and youth in areas that may otherwise be considered dangerous. Specifically, we’re looking to assist single mothers, and we’ve been told the easiest way is to provide a free cup of coffee, a colouring book for their child, and a listening ear.

BYM REVIVE

For a while, I had been grieving the thought that my time in youth ministry might be over. Serving teenagers has always been one of my greatest joys, so the idea of closing that chapter was difficult.

Then! Revive, a large Baptist youth event in Sydney, reached out and asked if I would consider speaking. I was thrilled at the chance to share with young people again. My message centred on the idea that God’s banquet is for everyone. He invites all to the table, and we must guard against distractions that could prevent us from accepting that invitation. More than that, God calls us to join Him in reaching out and inviting those who might otherwise be overlooked on the highways and byways.

After the event, I had the privilege of speaking with a young girl who was attending youth for the first time. That night, she made the decision to begin the journey of following Jesus. I encouraged her to connect with her local youth ministry, feel safe asking questions, and persevere when the journey feels hard. My prayer is that she will come to see that pursuing Jesus is the best decision she could ever make.

Online Reach

A key part of A New Way’s prospectus was to create audio and media that could be accessed by individuals outside of the traditional church. This is especially important for those who may find it difficult to read the Bible or study theological commentaries (or for individuals who have too much anxiety attending an institutional Church).

We are proud that, over the course of 12 months, our podcast has been accessed approximately 1500 times from countries all over the world. While this is quite a normal statistic for large, established institutional churches, we are glad to have accomplished this in such a short period of time, with nearly no public advertising. We have data suggesting that our resources are being recommended within podcast apps, and we have also received messages from individuals we have never met who have been encouraged by the teachings.

We hope this reach continues to grow by the grace of God, and that it finds its way to the ears of those who need to hear it.

Donations & Bequests

As always, we continue to thank everyone who enables this ministry to continue!

Acc: ANW Donations

BSB: 082-356

Acc No: 915282595

Reference: A New Way

Prayer Requests

• We are praying for Thornleigh Youth Camp, and for Lewis as he prepares to be their speaker for the week.

• We pray for Hard Knock Way and for our connection with 'Pacific Link', that it would be a success and that we are able to serve in a way that meets their needs.

• We pray for our members who have begun the journey of faith, and that they'll continue to encounter the goodness of God.

Numbers 6:24

A New Way