Church Family News, May 2026
Welcome to Hobart Baptist Church
10AM SUNDAYS – Doors open from around 9:30am
WATCH: LIVE on YouTube at 10am Sunday
MORNING TEA: Join the throng after the 10am service in the Soundy Lounge for tea, coffee and buscuits. It’s a great time to catch up. Esteem will also be open for us to purchase capuccinos, lattes and other hot drinks.
“SPRING” CLEAN: All welcome to join in, Sunday 3 May, after BYO lunch. More details below.
HBC YOUNG PEOPLE
- Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade resume for Term Two on Friday 8 May
- HBC Youth will re-commence at 7pm, Saturday 9 May
- Kids’ Church resumes on Sunday 10 May
SUNDAY SERMONS DURING MAY 2026
The With You series continues until Pentecost, Sunday 24 May. Find out more >
3 May🍷 With You to the End, Hyland Smith; Acts 1:1-8
10 May With You in Day-to-Day Trials, Matt Henderson; John 21
17 May 🍷 With You Always, Stephen Baxter, Acts 1:9-2:1
24 May Promise and Power in You, Kelvin Smith, Acts 2.1-4 ; 2.14 ; 2.36-41
31 May Remember the Persecuted, Special Presentation: Voice of the Martyrs
🍷 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 June are due by 5pm Monday 1 June to:
connecter@hobartbaptist.org.au
If you have any updates or adjustments, please also email the same address.
Jenny will retire from Connecter production after the July edition. However, she can train her successor. There are three stages, with each one taking about two hours. It’s not hard. Just fiddly. Six hours/month is not a lot to give to encourage our church family!
Initial training will take place in the first week of June. Get in touch to find out more.
TASMANIAN BAPTISTS’ RECHARGE
You can catch up with the recent April issues, below. Or SUBSCRIBE > to receive the fortnightly email.
READ reCharge HERE:
10 April > Deloraine Doubles! | New Team Member, Kelvin Smith | Easter round Tassie | New BWA contact for churches
23 April > Leadership Development Cohort | Two Stuarts | Making a Difference for Myanmar | Franz joins the team
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY, MAY 2026
- Sun 3 May10am Sunday service (No Kids’ Church)
After church HBC ‘Spring’ Clean, BYO lunch - Tue 5 May 10am Les Petits Wombats, Playgroup for French speakers, Gibson Hall
- Sat 9 May 9am-3pm Kamara’s Heart Cafe, Mother’s Day Special
7pm Weekly Youth resumes - Sun 10 May 10am Service , Mother’s Day, (Kids’ Church resumes)
- Thu 14 May 10:30am Ladies’ Coffee Morning, Esteem Cafe
- Sat 16 May 9am-3pm Kamara’s Heart Cafe
7pm Weekly Youth - Sun 17 May 10am service
- Mon 18 May 10am Men’s Discussion Group
- Sat 23 May 8am-3pm, Filipino Pop-Up Cafe at Esteem
7pm Weekly Youth - Sun 24 May 10am service
- Sat 30 May 9am-3pm Kamara’s Heart Cafe
7pm Weekly Youth - Sun 31 May 10am service
Sunday May 3, “Spring” Clean
After BYO Lunch on Sunday May 3
Stay on to clean the church where it is not done on a weekly basis
With our facilities being booked nearly every Saturday (hooray!) our regular spring cleaning will now take place on Sunday’s after a BYO lunch.
It’s a case of “many hands make light work” and so you are welcome to stay on and contribute a bit of elbow grease.
MINISTRY REVIEW 2026 – UPDATE
Thank you to all those who contributed to the review of HBC!
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 will be received by the diaconate on Monday 4 May. Eventually the results will be passed on to the congregation.
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.
The Future of Overseas Mission at HBC
Now Jan Yawan has retired from her decades of work with Lanternlight ministries in Thailand, HBC’s main overseas mission activity is our very important contribution to Operation Christmas Child (see below).
There is now an opportunity to decide what we will do next. Continue supporting the work of Lanternlight? Or, support others working with Baptist Mission Australia?
If you feel called to the overseas mission space and would like to advocate for spreading the good news of Jesus further afield overseas, please talk to a deacon to express your interest.
May Mission Month
See video below!
Our world yearns for love that’s genuine, authentic, kind and just. This kind of love is perfectly embodied by Jesus. And so where should this kind of love be clearly seen today? In the lives of those who follow Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are called to imitate God’s loving heart.
This is what we will explore with May Mission Month 2026: What’s Love Look Like?
Across our Australian Baptist movement, we will focus on how we are called to bring God’s love to life – everyday in every place – across the street and the world. We will be reminded that at the heart of God’s mission is love. As John wrote: “We love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Take a look at the resources and see how you can get involved:
www.baptistmissionaustralia.org/MayMissionMonth
For 150 years Baptist Mission Australia team members and partners, supported and spurred on by our faithful and generous supporters from across our national movement, have sought to model God’s love by word and deed across the world.
With your partnership, we’re committed to this Kingdom endeavour again in 2026.
This May Mission Month – across the street in our local communities – and in partnership, across the world, may we renew our commitment to imitate the loving ways of Jesus. May we enter into the brokenness and messiness of our world living as people of love and light – bearing and bringing, with the Spirit’s help, the transforming hope of Jesus.
Grace and peace,
Scott Pilgrim
Baptist Mission Australia Executive Director
KAMARA’S HEART CAFE
9am-3pm, Saturdays 9 (Mother’s Day special), 16, 30 May
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.
STEPHEN BAXTER, on the move …
1. Burnie Baptist Church
At the church members’ meeting at Burnie Baptist on Sunday 29 March, Stephen Baxter was confirmed as the interim pastor until the end of June. He and Jenny will be travelling up to Burnie at least every fortnight until then, and attending HBC in-between. Please pray for Stephen as he leads the Burnie congregation through some interesting transitions.
2. Mission Director Finale
All are welcome to attend the Tasmanian Baptists’ Mid-year Assembly to cheer for Stephen as he completes his state-wide position after nine years of service. He will give an address to those gathered (it’s sure to be inspiring!)
WHEN: 9:30am-3pm Saturday 16 May, 2026
WHERE: Riverlands 159 Wellington St, Longford
RSVP: Lunch will be served. Please talk to Jo Sinclair to register your interest.
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.
MAY – SOMETHING TO PLAY WITH
Tennis ball, cars, skipping rope, marbles, musical instrument, yoyo, slinky, finger puppets etc.
Cash donations are always welcome!
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. The group will resume on Saturday 9 May for Term 2.
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 18 May.
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, 14 May 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.