Ollie Dempsey

Storm machine, CC BY-SA 4.0
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>
via Wikimedia Commons

We are currently in Melbourne, the home of AFL or Australian Rules Football. I church yesterday we met the grandmother of Ollie Dempsey a rising star in that world who plays for nearby Geelong. A professing Christian, there is an interestingarticle about him that yoiu can find here.

Hawthorn Strict Baptist, Melbourne

One thing we have done here in Melbourne is to visit the Strict Baptist Church. A Joe Fitton showed us around. It looks to be a Gospel Standard Church. It has a very nice library. More information here. 

Preaching Heavenly Love (Wisdom for preachers from the Song of Songs)

We are now in Melbourne and I have had a lovely day here with pastors and preachers looking at how to preach through Song of Solomon. Just over 20 came to Christ Covenant Church for the three sessions. They listened well and asked very good questions. Lunch and coffee was provided and it was a very good day. We are staying with Josh and Steffi Gurango. Josh is pastor of the church.

Midweek Meeting, September 2 2026

I was at the Kogarah Bay Bible Church midweek meeting last Wednesday, again. I reported briefly on the work in Childs Hill and was glad to pray with the 20 or so presnt about that and other things, Basil, our host, led.

Sydney By Night

 

Symbio Wildlife Park

Not sure if this is a kangaroo or a wallaby

 

Monday Morning Fraternal

On Monday I spoke at a local ministers fraternal. About ten of us (Baptists and Presbyterians) gathered at Kogarah Bay Bible Church's premises. Some I'd met over the weekend but most I did not know. Among them was the legendary Peter Barnes whose many articles and books I've enjoyed down the years. I spoke about my pastorals for pastors reading scheme and passed on copies to all present. I also highlighted the emphasis on preaching in those letters. There was then a time of prayer when the men prayed about local church issues and for Nepal and regarding efforts to make the abortion laws worse here in Australia. After the fraternal I joined Andrew, Chris and Shane for lunch at a restaurant in Carss Park, looking out over Kogarah Bay.

10 Australian animals

1. Koala
2. Kangaroo
3. Wallaby
4. Wombat
5. Dingo
6. Tasmanian Devil
7. Echidna
8. Emu
9. Quokka
10. Duck billed platypus

(We've enjoyed seeing nearly all of these at Symbio Zoo recently)

Lord's Day August 30 2026

So on Sunday I preached in the morning at Kogarah Bay Bible Church on Ezekiel 37:1-14, the valley of dry bones and in the evening at St John's Park Baptist on a text, Genesis 3:15. St John's Park has the larger building bu the congregations were similar in size at around 70. Both are Reformed Baptist, though in the morning we used the arch conservative hymn book, Christian Worship, accompanied by piano, and in the evening a band with drums and bass led the singing. What a privilege to preach the Word here on the other side of the world. I should have said that we had an adult Bibe study at KBBC before I preached, from Basil Yakoubi, introducing studies on the 1689.

Seeing de nephew in Seedeney

One of the deights of being here in Sydney has been seeing my Adelaide based nephew, Will.

 

Truth of the Gospel Conference Sydney

It was my great privilege last Saturday to be at St John's Park Baptist Church here in Sydney speaking at the annual conference that the church arranges with Kogarah Bay Bible Church. I spoke three times on the Priesthood of all believers with a question session at the end. There must have been about 150 present from different churches. We had lunch together and there was plenty of time for interaction. It was a great day.

Talk on Fawcett

It was good to begin my ministry here in Austrlai with a historical paper on Friday night at Kogarah Bay Bible Church, where Andrew Harrison, one of the elders, led. There is a version fo the talk on the Evangelical Library YouTube channel, not sure whether this one was recorded.

Sydney

 

Two Cockatwos

 

38th Wedding Anniversary

It was our wedding anniversary yesterday (27th) and we spent time being guided around Botany Bay and Crunolla here in Sydney. Beautiful. Just as so much stems from Cook reaching Botany Bay so a great deal stems from the day, aged 18, when I first walked into the manse front room in Buarth Road, Aber.