A RIPE HARVEST
What had moved America, several years earlier through Woodstock and music, was now moving Australia. So, Pastor Mitchell sent a band called Eden, led by a young man named Ron Burrell, to Western Australia where they played concerts and preached the Gospel of Jesus. The reception was huge!
In the little town of Collie, Western Australia, the whole town got caught up in the event. Streamers lined the streets and people came from many miles away. Schools across Australia opened up for concerts, TV stations broadcast interviews and during those ten days over 700 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ.
God had spoken to Pastor Mitchell, before the band left the United States, that Ron Burrell would come back from the tour ready to go back to pioneer a church in Australia. When the plane landed in America, Ron called Pastor Mitchell saying that he felt called to go and preach the Gospel in Australia and things began to be set in motion.
Read more about how the Australian Potters House Fellowship wing started here:
THE BEGINNING
STRATHPINE, NORTH BRISBANE - TIME TO SEND OUR FIRST BABY CHURCH
In 2006 the Potters House in Strathpine sent out their very first Pioneer Baby Church into Southport on the Gold Coast.
From here, there served two Pastors before Pastor Michael Zapata. The church saw steady growth, however, due to unforeseen circumstances there were thoughts in 2011 to close down the church. At this stage the church was filled with a faithful core of 3-4 believers. As the church has struggled, this seemed like the best option. God was not finished...
The Queensland Area-Leader Pastor (from Strathpine) attended the Southport Church and asked the congregation if they wanted the church to stay open. The members, without question said YES! It was as simple as that, let's send another Pastor. God is doing something on the Gold Coast!
2012 - TIME TO EXPECT REVIVAL
In March 2012, Beechboro sent out Pastor Michael and Holly Zapata to take over Southport. This was revolutionary! A fresh Pastor, in a new city, and God on our side... anything is possible.
At this point, the Sunday AM and PM services were being held at the QCWA Hall on the corner of Young Street and, Garden St, in Southport, and had been for quiet a few years. The Wednesday night services were being held at a small room at the back of the Southport Community Centre on Lawson Street. This was unpractical! It had to change!
In the first 2 months the Church saw growth in families and saw many decisions in outreach events like concerts and movies in the park. The church didn't think they would work, they had previously tried... However it was different now. People getting saved and the church growing. It was now that Pastor Zapata made a declaration... In 6 months time we will have our own building! We were moved into our own premises by November 2012.
6 WINDMALL ST, SOUTHPORT
GROWTH, STABILITY AND DISCIPLESHIP
In 2012 we moved into our own building, and this was revolutionary. We now had a place to call home! The church began to grow, mature and experience revival. We started to contend for families and men to be saved. Over the next 3 years we saw the church grow; families added, disciples being raised up and this was an encouragement as a whole! The church was maturing and growing!
During this time we made impact in our local community and also the universities in the Southport area. We saw a wave of revival in 2014 and this continued! Our current building was becoming too small for us. This was a good problem to have!
Time to move again....
WHERE TO MOVE?
A TIME OF PRAYER AND FASTING.
In 2015 the decision was made to start praying and contending for a new building. However where to move was the biggest hurdle. The congregation had a mix of members living in Pimpama, Southport, Pacific Pines and other local areas in the central Gold Coast area.
Do we move out of Southport?
As a church we prayed and fasted for God's direction. Pastor Zapata was flat out looking for buildings and seeing what was available.
Pastor Zapata was travelling around looking at buildings with one of our Evangelist's from the Paramatta Potters House (Ev Rod Gibson) and Ev Gibson said to Ps Zapata 'My Dad owns that building'... for a minute Pastor Zapata was like 'huh'... But none the less - it was encouragement... Our God does, and our father in Heaven will supply a building for us.
It was shortly after this Pastor found a building in Helensvale. Contemplating the Helensvale area was a risky move; the church had been in Southport for the last 9 years. After careful consideration, Pastor Zapata decided to apply for this building, submitted the permits, and low and behold... We had secured our next building.
54 KINGSTON DRIVE HELENSVALE
BUILDING A NEW CHURCH
54 Kingston Drive was three times the size of Windmill Street. A massive upgrade. We walked into a near empty warehouse. Pastor Zapata submitted plans for the layout of the church; will the facility be positioned out portrait or landscape? We all voted in Southport and the current portrait layout was chosen.
In May 2016 the building of the new sanctuary began. We had to gut the current set up. All that was left was the toilets, kitchen and the wall that separates the toilets and the prayer room.... The rest had to be built.
Countless hours, long nights and heaps of work went into this new facility. The nursery and Sunday school rooms built, stage, offices and a whole lot of painting - everything had to be done. Many of the church members got stuck in to help support and build the sanctuary.
In September 2016, it was a Wednesday night - our last service at Windmill Street. The old church was gutted and we now relocated to Helensvale.
Our first Sunday service was great. WE MADE IT INTO OUT NEW CHURCH! PRAISE GOD! It was so good to see what it all had come too.
This was a blessing in disguise, the Gold Coast was beginning to grow, Coomera and Upper Coomera were the new growing suburbs in northern end of the Coast, and Pimpama was a brand new suburb, in the beginning stages of development. Moving closer to the M1, in a central position on the Gold Coast made the church more accessible and within 15 minutes from these areas. We saw more people in this time relocate from the Southport area to these Northern Suburbs. It was obvious this was a move direct by God.
TODAY
A LIGHTHOUSE IN OUR COMMUNITY
We now are a presence in our local community. We are always looking to share the message of the Gospel to all those that will hear. We have our regular services on Sundays and Wednesdays which we invite you to come and join us in worship. We have seen God do tremendous things in our congregation - healings, restored marriages, families, minds and that alike. We are a presence in our local community and have a heart for the lost and broken. We hold events like concerts, family fun days, testimony nights - just to name a few with an aim to bring hope and the message of the gospel to a broken world.
As a church we are very evangelical and believe in the commission given from Jesus 'Go into the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature' - Mark 16:15
Our vision is CHANGING LIVES, MAKING DISCIPLES AND REACHINGH THE WORLD. We are set to launch willing couples to pioneer a church and raise up disciples to send out also. Come along and see what God can do in your live. The best is yet to come!