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Newsletter 31/12/25

  • Dec 31, 2025
  • 7 min read

Sanitiser


I have often joked that I might have a touch of OCD. Not in a way that makes light of real mental illness, but in the sense that I check the front door more times than I can count, I like things running smoothly, I cook chicken until it is so dry no bacteria could possibly survive, I only allow warm coloured fairy lights in my house, and I genuinely love hand sanitiser. I loved it before it became cool in 2019.


So it feels strange that I would end up in places that aren’t sanitised. Unclean places. Places where I am constantly wishing I had a bottle in my pocket.


Truthfully, sometimes this calling is a struggle. It would be much easier to apply for one of the many pastoral roles available, receive a full-time salary, and return to a clean office where there is always hand sanitiser on the front reception desk.


But no. It seems I am being led where the real needs are.


There is extraordinary need on the Central Coast, and I didn't know it! I spent most of my life in ministry and did not know the name of a single homeless person or prisoner. I never had to give someone the shirt off my back because everyone I knew already had shirts. I barely knew my next-door neighbours.


This year I have not just become aware of the need in society, but I have learned the names of those in need. Wally. Brock. Julie. Mark. Jenny from the Block. The list keeps growing. (I even had to literally give one of my new friends the shirt off my back).


I would never meet these people in a traditional Sunday service. Why? Because some are in prison! Some are terminally ill! And many have told me plainly, “I never feel welcome there.”.


I want to be clear that there are many beautiful, welcoming traditional churches on the Coast. But imagine yourself as someone who is homeless, anxious, hungry, or recovering from addiction. You arrive at the front gate. You are met by wonderful smiles, enthusiastic greeters, and a coffee line full of experts in their Sunday best. I have now met people who see that scene and immediately leave. The gauntlet of welcome is too much. Some are afraid of the hands they will have to shake, afraid of the dirt under their fingernails, the scars of addiction, the unspoken judgement of how unclean they appear.


But now I know these people, the ones who don’t fit. And I am sorry that I didn’t before.


On Christmas Day, I did not attend a traditional Christmas service. That would have been easy. Instead, I went to the prison (juvenile justice centre).


We designed Christmas cards with this prayer inside:


“May the light of the world shine in the darkness. May the bread of life fill our hungry hearts. May living water fill our thirsty souls. May we know the truth. May we know the way. May we know God is with us. Immanuel. Amen.”


Then we visited every single young person and delivered the card with a handshake and a Christmas greeting. I shook about 75 hands that morning, including one young person who was confined to their cell with sickness. We opened the food hatch, just wide enough for my hand to fit, and I shook his hand through the gap.


I am sure all the inmates wash their hands. But cleanliness is not only about germs. I do not know what any of these young people did to end up where they are. If I am not careful, that can play on my mind…


But I tell you the truth, we are no different to the homeless, or the needy, or the sick, or the prisoners. We all carry germs, in fact we carry about 38-40 trillion, so who are we too judge! And we all carry the scars of our past mistakes; we all need a saviour. We all need sanitiser.


Luckly…. at the end of the visit, the guards handed me some hand sanitiser because of the sick inmate we had encountered. And I used it. Because you are also allowed to be a little OCD in the Kingdom of God.


God is not afraid of dirty hands… If God were to convict the modern church of anything, it might be an invitation to get our hands a little more dirty, and to stay longer in the places where hand sanitiser feels necessary.


1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”




Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre

To follow on, the changes we are witnessing inside the centre are genuinely remarkable. One of my greatest joys is running the monthly Sunday chapel service. I take my guitar up the mountain and the young people sing along, and when you hear ten teenage blokes belt out, “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free,” it does something to your soul. Goosebumps, every time.


We are seeing them ask for Bibles. We are hearing reports that the conversations are continuing back in their units and cells long after chapel finishes. Faith is not staying in the room, it is moving with them.


We are deeply committed to keeping our weekly Bible studies running in 2026. To do that, we need $8,000 to continue employing our community chaplain, Evan, for this work. Regardless of what happens financially, I will keep showing up for monthly chapel on a Sunday. That is not in question.


But practically, that weekly connection is what allows real discipleship to take root. It is where trust grows, questions are held, and lives begin to change from the inside out.


Christmas Parties!!

This Christmas, we did things differently. Less sanitised. We had two Christmas parties.


The first was at the Dunbar Way Community Centre. For the past few months I have been visiting Dunbar weekly, helping to run a pop up coffee shop where residents can grab a free coffee and have a reason to step outside, even just for a moment. Through those simple visits, real connections have formed, and four individuals now regularly attend our Sundown Sessions on Wednesday nights.


The Christmas party itself was something special. We provided a free BBQ, live music, and face painting, which quickly became the highlight for the many children in the area. Prior to the event one resident remarked, “I’ve never been to a Christmas party before.”. That sentence alone made the day worth it.


Our second Christmas party took place at Kibble Park in partnership with Safe Link Alliance, another local charity here on the Central Coast. Safe-Link holds the permit for Kibble Park and invites a range of organisations to participate across the year. Orange-Sky and NSW Health have both been involved at different times alongside us. Thanks to the generosity of the Leadbitter family, we attend on Monday nights and provide coffee, iced coffee, cold drinks, snacks, and, most importantly, smiles.


For the Christmas gathering we added live music, and the park slowly turned into something that felt like a living room for the whole community.


We did not host our own private A New Way Christmas party. Instead, we joined our neighbourhood. I think that is better. The kids with their face paint certainly agreed.



Christmas Collection

Thankyou to everyone that helped us collect over 200 gifts for families in need this Christmas. Shout-out to the various churches who joined in!




January Sundown Sessions

Throughout January we'll be doing different and unique things on a Wednesday night. Join the facebook group or follow us on social media to stay up to date! (or just text anyone you know, we're a community and I'm happy to fill you in directly).



Canvas of Faith

Many of our young artists have now begun creating the first drafts of their work, and it has been incredible to watch their ideas take shape.


This is Rory. Her piece explores the search for community and the importance of safe spaces for connection on the Central Coast. It also reflects her deep connection to her culture and heritage, which shines through in both the concept and the detail of her work.


We are truly excited for the upcoming art exhibition, scheduled for late March 2026. It is already shaping up to be something very special.




Australia Day Camping

We are going camping Australia Day Weekend at "Williams River Caravan Park"!


If you've like to come along, it will be pretty much free! We may ask you to chip in for food if we have some shared meals.


We have been invited by the Leadbitters who camp here every year, so it is more of a chance for connection rather than a "Chirstian Program Camp". AKA, we won't have any planned activities, instead we'll be relaxing, floating down the river on a floatation device. (We may get a guitar out at some point around the fire).


Public Service Announcement: There will be alcohol present. We'll be drinking responsibly, but if you have any issues with alcohol, we recommend not atteding the camp.





Need A Celebrant??

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve finally been appointed a Celebrant by the Attorney General! We believe that offering this service will not only strengthen our community but also help us generate income to continue doing good work. If you know someone getting married, please let them know about us!



Donations & Bequests

As always, we continue to thank everyone who enables this ministry to continue! I pray for sustainability, and that means we need your help. Your input helps achieve the outcomes.


Acc: ANW Donations

BSB: 082-356

Acc No: 915282595

Reference: A New Way


Charity Details

Name: A New Way Services INC

ABN: 94309537864


Director: Lewis Ramsay Jonker

Director Contact: 0458384807




Prayer Requests

  • We pray for our trip camping that it will be a great time of connection.

  • We pray the inmates at Frank Baxter will continue to pray the prayer we provided as they seek the meaning of life.

  • We pray for the Canvas of Faith program, that the art we create will impact the Coast.

  • We pray for financial sustainablilty in 2026.




Numbers 6:24

A New Way



 
 
 

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