Church Family News, June 2026
Welcome to Hobart Baptist Church
10AM SUNDAYS – Doors open from around 9:30am
WATCH: LIVE on YouTube at 10am Sunday
MORNING TEA: Make sure you hang around after the 10am service for coffee and felowship! Head up the side ramp to the Soundy Lounge for tea, coffee and buscuits. It’s a great time to catch up. Our little coffee shop, Esteem, is also open to purchase capuccinos, lattes and other hot drinks.
HBC YOUNG PEOPLE
- Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade are taking place during Term Two every Friday
- HBC Youth is on at 7pm, Saturdays
- Kids’ Church takes place every Sunday during term time
SUNDAY SERMONS DURING JUNE 2026
The Unstoppable series continues until Sunday 19 July. Find out more >
7 June🍷Unstoppable Increase Matt Henderson, Acts 1.1-6.7
14June Unstoppable Building-Up, Joel Tabada, Acts 6.8 – 9.31
21 June 🍷 Unstoppable Multiplication, Kelvin Smith, Acts 9.32 – 12.24
28June Special Guest, Stephen Shreeve, Bethlehem House
🍷 Communion service
HBC ROOM USE OR HIRE: For enquiries regarding room use/hire, please email Connie Sim (connie@hobartbaptist.org.au).
CONNECTER DISTRIBUTION
The monthly HBC Connecter is available from the first Sunday of each month
All items for July are due by 5pm Friday 26 June to:
connecter@hobartbaptist.org.au
If you have any updates or adjustments, please also email the same address.
Great news! Mae Niones has offered to serve as the Connecter coordinator. Please pray for her as she picks up this important task.
Mae will prepare the Connecter the Saturday prior to the first Sunday of each month, so all submissions are now due the last, or 2nd-last Friday, each month depending how the calendar falls.
TASMANIAN BAPTISTS’ RECHARGE
You can catch up with the recent May issues, below.
There is a big drive on right now from Tas Baptists to SUBSCRIBE > to receive the fortnightly email. Why not do it?
READ the latest by clicking on on the links.
reCharge 7 May > Anniversaries! | Intercultural church life and mission | A new album from Westbury Baptist
reCharge 21 May > Catch up on Assembly encouragement and communications | Growth of our intercultural churches | 12,000 copies of John across NW Tas
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY, JUNE 2026
- Tue 2 June 10am Les Petits Wombats, Playgroup for French speakers, Gibson Hall
- Sun 7 June 10am Sunday service
- Wed 19 June 2pm Funeral, Siebrand Petrusma at Hobart Baptist Church. Find more details here >
- Thu 11 June 10:30am Ladies’ Coffee Morning, Esteem Cafe
- Sat 13 June 9am-3pm Kamara’s Heart Cafe
10am Fostering Hope Mentoring Training at HBC
7pm Weekly Youth - Sun 14 June 10am Service
- Mon 15 June 10am Men’s Discussion Group
- Sun 21 June 10am service
- Sat 27 June 9am-3pm Kamara’s Heart Cafe
7pm Weekly Youth - Sun 28 June10am service, Special Guest, Stephen Shreeve, Bethlehem House
Church Meeting after morning tea
FAREWELL SIEBRAND
We are all saddened to hear of the loss of our dear friend Siebrand Petrusma on Monday 1 June.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jan, especially, as well as the entire Petrusma family at this difficut time.
The funeral will be held at Hobart Baptist Church at 2pm on Wednesday 10 June. More details, including online viewing options, will be made available here: Phillip Stephens Funerals.
CHURCH MEETING
After Morning Tea, Sunday 28 June
Come along to the Soundy Lounge to hear next steps in the church review, reports from our leadership.
Imporantly, we will discuss where we want our mission funds to be directed. There are two worthy options to consider:
- Supporting Jivan Thapa and family with their work with Citywide’s Nepali community
- Contributing funds to the transalation of the Bible into a Burmese language.
All welcome!
THE BOOK OF ACTS – UNSTOPPABLE
Sermon Series 7 June – 19 July
From the very beginning., the first churches faced difficulties and obstacles of every kind. But they became unstoppable!
Find out more about this encouraging series here >
MINISTRY REVIEW 2026 – UPDATE
Thanks to all those who gathered at the meeting on Satruday 30 May to discuss next steps.
As you will remember, the HBC leadership invited Tas Baptists to help us discern where we’re heading as a church. This has been an opportunity to highlight what we love about HBC, and speak into where we are going.
The review team has finalised the report, and it has been received by the diaconate. Thank you to those who attended the special church meeting on Saturday 23 May to discuss the outcomes. There are now three working groups who are all planning to meet in the near future.
Please continue to pray for wisdom, discernment and unity as we consider what the findings mean for the future life and ministry of our church.
YAWAN NEWS
Jan Yawan has retired from her decades of work with Lanternlight ministries in Thailand, but has compiled the video (5 mins), bleow.
Jan writes: Lanternlight work, now merged with Shalom Foundation, continues on in caring for people with disabilities in the community.
So I have prepared a short video update entitled “Lanternlight is Still Burning Bright” to let you know how the work is going and that it is still being funded as a Baptist Mission Australia Partnership. It continues to look to those who are motivated to continue to support this work in interest, prayer and finances. Our grateful thanks to all who have supported this work in the past and now we look to the future.
MAY MISSION MONTH
Introducing Jivan Thapa
Jivan serves as the Project Coordinator of the Hobart Nepali Church’s Community Support Program at Citywide. Through this ministry, he connects with Nepalese people in Hobart by offering practical care and building meaningful relationships. The program supports international students and refugees with services such as free driving lessons, language assistance, job support, and more, meeting tangible needs while creating opportunities to share the Gospel.
Partnership Appeal
As Jivan continues in this ministry, we are being asked to be a partner church, to come alongside him in:
- Relationship – encouraging Jivan and walking alongside him in this important work.
- Prayer – lifting up Jivan, his family, and the growing intercultural ministry in Tasmania.
- Financial Support – helping resource this work so Jivan can continue investing in people, churches, and gospel opportunities.
Your partnership will help strengthen migrant church communities, support those in need, and deepen the connection between Australian churches and mission in Nepal.
Please Pray
- That Jivan and his family will remain deeply dependent on God and encouraged in their ministry.
- For strong relationships and unity between migrant churches and established churches in Tasmania.
- For Nepalese people in Hobart to encounter Jesus through practical care, friendship, and faithful witness.
- For growing connections between Australian churches and church planting efforts in Nepal.
KAMARA’S HEART CAFE
9am-3pm, Saturdays 13 and 27 June
John Kamara and his family treat all comers to delicious home made treats just once during April using the Esteem Coffee Lounge facilities.
This Café is dedicated to supporting children and their families in Africa, and every cent of profits goes directly to this important cause.
You can also order meals in advance which can be collected when the Cafe is open. To browse and order meals, use this WhatsApp link: https://www.wa.me/c/61425474496. Or call/SMS to order: 0425 474 496
Your support truly makes a difference.
EMPOWHER DAY OF ABUNDANCE
Coming up on 24 October is the Day of Abundance, a special day for women to gather and be encouraged.
this will take place at Riverlands Baptist in Longford.
More dtials will be available soon, but for now, just make sure you have the date in your diary!
FOSTERING HOPE
Caring for children in care
Could you mentor a child or young person in care?
Fostering Hope is seeking mentors for children and young people growing up in out of home care. Each week we are receiving referrals from those working in the out of home care sector seeking our mentors. Mentors are fully trained and supported by Fostering Hope to walk alongside and be a positive, fun person in a child or young person’s life. It is minimal time commitment and makes a HUGE difference.
The next training is on Saturday 13 June, register here to find out more >
Position Vacant – Fostering Hope Statewide Mentor Officer
Fostering Hope is currently looking for someone to join our mentoring team to support mentors of children and young people in care, in their mentoring role. Mentors are all volunteers, so this role involves volunteer management and people skills as well as understanding of the mentoring role. If this interests you, please get in touch with Ellie on ellie@fosteringhope.net.au
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
During 2026, Hobart Baptist Church will again collect goods and raise funds for the Operation Christmas Child program. Each month there will be a different focus.
JUNE – SOMETHING TO WEAR
T-shirt, polo shirt, shorts, skirt, cap, beanie, sandals, undies, socks etc
Please drop your donations in the red tub by the kitchen door in the Soundy Lounge any Sunday.
Cash donations are also welcome to help cover distribution costs.
In October, the church will gather to pack the boxes and to pray for those who will receive them.
Questions or comments? Please catch up with Kylie Henderson or Celia Munro.
MUST SEE: Mum I See War EXHIBITION
In the Soundy Lounge
The mission is to offer new perspectives on armed conflict worldwide through the eyes of children who endure it and provide opportunities for individuals to take action to change the future of those children living through war today.
See all the devastating artwork in the Soundy Lounge, and weep.
More artwork at misw.org
SMALL GROUPS AT HBC
Youth
The Youth group meets on Saturday nights at HBC, 7pm.
Speak to Kelvin Smith for more info.
Men’s Discussion Group
You are welcome to join the very lively group of gentlemen who meet at the church on the third Monday of each month at 10.00am. The next opportunity will be on Monday 15 June.
For further information contact Geoffrey Clarke 03 6244 8838.
Ladies’ Coffee Morning
Ladies welcome to join the monthly Thursday morning coffee catch ups. These are held on the second Thursday of the month from 10:30am-12 midday at HBC. The next one is on Thursday, 11 June 2026.
The Battery ON HOLD
Thursday night prayer time at HBC is on hold, but please don’t stop praying!
TITHES, GIFTS AND OFFERINGS
‘Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’
2 Corinthians 9:7
We thank all who give faithfully on a regular basis, as without this support we would not be able to operate. Your offerings support our budget: and through that it enables the church to continue to be an important part of the North Hobart landscape and the place from where we can prophetically serve the City of Hobart.
It is where we can know the benefit of worshipping with others, where we hear the stories of Jesus and how they apply to us, where we are encouraged in our journey with Jesus, from where we can share God’s love with others and help them to know and trust in God themselves. Our influence can also be far reaching – there is no limit to God’s love through our deeds and actions. Thank you for your generosity.
EFT is a great way to ensure regular giving and as well there are offering boxes available for use as you leave the Sanctuary.