News & Events

The Record – 15 November 2026

eddie

Welcome to Worship this Sunday

Welcome to Box Hill Baptist this Sunday, 15 November 2026, at 10am. It’s a slightly shorter service this week, as we’ll be heading straight into morning tea and our Annual General Meeting afterwards.

  • Worship Leader: Andy McCulloch
  • Preacher: Sue McDonald
  • Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30
  • 11.15am: Morning Tea followed by the Church Annual General Meeting. Everybody is welcome to attend.

Order of Service

  • Call to Worship: Psalm 104
  • Song/Hymn: ‘This is my Father’s World’
  • Welcome and community news
  • Offering
  • Bible reading: Matthew 25:14-30
  • Song/Hymn: ‘We limit not the truth of God’
  • Sermon: Sue
  • Song: Comfort, Comfort
  • Prayers for the world.
  • Song/Hymn: ‘For you deep stillness’
  • Benediction

Community News

  • Christmas at Jubilee Housing 2026: Meredith Beaton, Pastoral Care Worker for Jubilee Housing, writes: “Every year for a very long time BHBC has donated gifts to our children and have been extremely generous in their giving. This Sunday, 15th November, you will once again have an opportunity to take a Christmas gift tag, purchase a gift and return it on Sunday 30th November. In the middle of December Jubilee Housing holds a Christmas party at each complex and there we will happily distribute the gifts to the children. We would appreciate the gifts being unwrapped with the gift tag attached. Thank you, Box Hill Baptist Church.”

  • Unwrapping Christmas: We had a stimulating first session with Keith Dyer last Tuesday, but it’s not too late for you to join the next two Tuesday evenings (17 and 24 November) when Keith will be opening the Bible and speaking about ‘Unwrapping Christmas.’ Held in the Gallery, starting with a cuppa at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start and an approximate 8.45pm finish. Open to all!

  • Annual General Meeting: This Sunday after the service, following morning tea. Papers and Zoom details have been emailed to members, so do check your inbox if you’d like to read ahead or join online.

Upcoming Events

Sunday 15 November: Morning Tea at 11.15am followed by the Church Annual General Meeting. Jubilee Housing Christmas gift tags available.

Tuesdays 17 and 24 November: Unwrapping Christmas with Keith Dyer, the Gallery, 7.15pm cuppa for a 7.30pm start.

Sunday 30 November: Please bring back your unwrapped Jubilee Housing Christmas gifts, with the gift tag attached.

This Week

Monday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis (upstairs, 5 Ellingworth Pde)

Tuesday

  • 9.30am – The Box Hill Community Choir practises in the Sanctuary.
  • 7.15pm (cuppa) for 7.30pm – Unwrapping Christmas with Keith Dyer in the Gallery. Everyone is welcome. (See the note in Community News.)

Thursday

  • 11am-1pm – The Social Chat Group (Village Well upstairs): English language learning, table tennis and socialising
  • 1:30pm-2:30pm – Bakehouse in the Barn: our food rescue program

Friday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis

Saturday

  • 7:30am-8:30am – Bakehouse in the Barn

Food for Thought, Prayer and Action

A low-cost social housing project of the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church in Christchurch has taken top honours at a major architecture awards programme. “Church-site Social Housing named NZ’s Best House,” University of Auckland, 28 October 2026.

“The Middle East is Losing its Christians,” Religion News Service, 3 November 2026.

Maria Popova, “The Generosity of Selfishness: C S Lewis on How to Be Interesting,” The Marginalian, 5 November 2026.

Jason Goroncy, “Holy Ground: What does Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance invite us to remember?” ABC Religion and Ethics, 11 November 2026.

Next Sunday, 22 November 2026

  • 10am: Worship Leader: Eddie Chapman; Preacher: Geoff Pound
  • Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46

The Record – 8 November 2026

eddie

Welcome to Worship this Sunday

Welcome to Box Hill Baptist this Sunday, 8 November 2026, at 10am.

  • Worship Leader: Keith Dyer
  • Preacher: Geoff Pound
  • Sermon: Keep Awake!
  • Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13
  • Theme: What does it mean to “keep awake” to God in our daily lives? We will think about staying alert to Jesus in the faces of the poor, the forgotten and the stranger.

Order of Service

  • Acknowledgement of Country and Call to Worship (Psalm 78:1–7)
  • Song/Hymn: ‘Take this moment, sign and space’
  • Prayer of gathering and confession
  • Welcome and community news
  • Our offering and prayer
  • Song/Hymn: ‘The love of God comes close’
  • Bible reading: Matthew 25:1–13 — Theresa
  • Sermon: ‘Keep Awake!’— Geoff
  • Song/Hymn: ‘Lord, let me see’
  • Prayers for the world
  • Song/Hymn: ‘Christ be our Light’
  • Benediction: Geoff

Community News

  • Diane Heagney, who recently had a stay in hospital, received the sad news that her younger brother died last Tuesday. Do keep Diane and her loved ones in your hearts and prayers at this time of loss and grief.
  • Unwrapping Christmas: Over three Tuesday evenings (10, 17 and 24 November) Dr Keith Dyer will be opening the Bible and speaking about Christmas without all the wrappings. Each session includes a segment called “You Can’t Ask That!” where you can ask the questions you have longed to ask, such as “Did the Virgin Birth really happen?”, “What was God’s part and Joseph’s part in the conception of Jesus?” and “What about the line in that Christmas hymn, But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes?” Held in the Gallery, starting with a cuppa at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start and an approximate 8.45pm finish. Open to all!
  • Annual General Meeting: Takes place next Sunday after the church service in the Barn. Check your emails to make sure you’ve got your Annual Report contributions, and made a nomination for the Diaconate if you want to! More info to come this week, including how to connect and vote online.
  • News from the Deacons: The Deacons met last week, and some of the topics being discussed and considered were:
    • Preparing for the upcoming AGM – fun stuff like financial documents and annual reports!
    • Reflecting on the 125th Anniversary Service – the warm response and the strong reception of Lorraine’s book.
    • Directing the Christmas Day offering again this year to Baptist World Aid.
    • Looking ahead to a gentler Advent season, with theme of rest and finding time for yourself amidst a busy year.
    • Encouraging progress on the Ellingworth Project, with Christian Finance and Middle Ground Housing now working directly on the financial model.

Upcoming Events

  • Tuesdays 10, 17 and 24 November: Unwrapping Christmas with Keith Dyer, the Gallery, 7.15pm cuppa for a 7.30pm start.

  • Sunday 15 November: Morning Tea at 11.15am followed by the Church Annual General Meeting. Everybody is welcome to attend.

This Week

Monday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis (upstairs, 5 Ellingworth Pde)

Tuesday

  • 9.30am – The Box Hill Community Choir practises in the Sanctuary.
  • 7.15pm (cuppa) for 7.30pm – Unwrapping Christmas with Keith Dyer in the Gallery. Everyone is welcome. (See the note in Community News.)

Wednesday

  • 7.30pm-9pm in the Gallery – A reminder of the second meeting with Danny Krivan for those who have offered to be part of his project on communal discernment, “Where Two or Three are Gathered Together.”

Thursday

  • 11am-1pm – The Social Chat Group (Village Well upstairs): English language learning, table tennis and socialising
  • 1:30pm-2:30pm – Bakehouse in the Barn: our food rescue program

Friday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis

Saturday

  • 7:30am-8:30am – Bakehouse in the Barn

Food for Thought, Prayer and Action

“It is a broken Christianity that desperately looks for Jesus returning in the clouds but refuses to recognise him in the faces of the poor, the sick, the homeless, the immigrant, the bombed, the starving, the marginalized and the oppressed.” Benjamin Cremer.

More and more, churches in the USA are taking a “yes in God’s backyard” approach to converting unused and under-utilized properties into affordable housing. Jeff Brumley, “Yes in God’s Backyard Addresses Housing Crisis,” Baptist News Global.

Next Sunday, 15 November 2026

  • 10am: Worship Leader: Andy McCulloch; Preacher: Sue McDonald
  • Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30
  • 11.15am: Morning Tea followed by the Church Annual General Meeting. Everybody is welcome to attend.

When God moved into the neighbourhood…

eddie

One of the Scripture passages about the coming of Jesus at Christmas has been translated this way:

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. (John 1: 14)

Could this be the way that people understand and embrace the Christmas gift?

When we flesh out the good news in our neighbourhood.

When our actions match our words.

When we engage with neighbours without any agenda to convert them or bring them to church.

When we connect with no strings attached.

When we show genuine unconditional acceptance of people.

When we follow the one who was labelled ‘the friend of sinners.’

When we simply love the people in our neighbourhood.

No programmes. No strategies. Simply imitating Jesus and living out a different way around where we live.

The Christmas questions I never asked…

eddie

No, not “Is Santa real?“…. Although that’s also a question I never asked (but, like most of us, just figured out on my own!)

My real question was actually prompted by a Christmas carol we’ve all sung probably a hundred times.

“But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.“

I remember how, one day, I finally paid attention the words – and it struck me as truly strange.

Babies cry. That’s what they do. It’s not a flaw – it’s how they communicate, how they survive. So what does it mean to sing that Jesus didn’t? Was he not really a baby? What would Mary have thought of her untypically silent infant? Or did the carol writer just need a rhyme?

I filed it away. It felt like the kind of question you weren’t supposed to consider too much.

But then others joined them… The virgin birth, for example. I believed it (or thought I did), but I was never entirely sure what I believed about it, or what it would mean if the story was more complicated or nuanced than what I’d always been taught.

I didn’t feel I could ask. Not because anyone had told me not to. It’s just because some questions feel like they carry risk – like asking them might begin to saw through the tree limb you’re sitting on. And I don’t think I’m alone in this…

Christmas, more than almost any other time in the church year, accumulates these questions. It’s the most familiar story in Christianity, which means it’s also the most layered – with tradition, with assumption, with things we’ve always sung without quite knowing what we meant by them.

This November, before Advent arrives and Christmas rushes in, we’re creating a bit of space to actually ask some of them.

Keith Dyer – a biblical scholar who has spent decades at Whitley College teaching people to read the Bible carefully and honestly – is opening three Tuesday evenings with us. Not to give tidy answers, but to think through the questions together. And to help, we’ll be having a segment each night called “You Can’t Ask That!” – which is, of course, an invitation to do exactly that.

Keith has said that what he valued most about his years of teaching was that “you can ask any question and be surprised by people’s answers.” That’s the spirit we’re hoping to share these coming Tuesdays.

If you’ve got questions you stopped letting yourself ask – about Christmas, about the story, about what you actually believe – you’d be welcome.

Unwrapping Christmas runs on Tuesday evenings, 10, 17 and 24 November, in the Gallery at Box Hill Baptist Church (cnr of Ellingworth Pde and Station St, Box Hill.

Doors open at 7.15pm for a cuppa, and we get underway at 7.30pm. Drop in for one evening or come to all three – details here.

The Record – 1 November 2026

eddie

Welcome to Worship this Sunday

Welcome to Box Hill Baptist this Sunday, 1 November 2026, at 10am. It is a Communion Service, and also All Saints Day.

  • Worship Leader: Shueh Wah Kennedy
  • Preacher: Geoff Pound
  • Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12
  • Offering: As part of our offering on Communion Sunday we will receive non-perishable food items to be given to needy people in our suburb.
  • Theme: At our 125th Church Anniversary Service we were looking up into the Box Hill Baptist ‘cloud of witnesses’, but this Sunday gives us a chance to think more generally of the ones who have gone before who still inspire us and speak into our lives. Who are the saints that inspire you? During the service there will be an opportunity to light a candle for a saint who still speaks into your life.

Order of Service

  • Call to Worship
  • Welcome and Community News
  • Song: For all the Saints
  • Offering
  • Reading: Matthew 23:1-12
  • Song: Act Justly
  • Sermon: Transparent to God
  • Song: Jesus calls us
  • Communion
  • Prayers for the Community
  • Song: Now Thank We All Our God
  • Benediction

Community News

  • Keep Jean Trevarthen in your heart and prayers. Jean’s stay in the Box Hill Hospital concluded on Thursday, but her gradual recuperation from pneumonia continues at home.
  • Pray for Kath Timewell as she adjusts to her new life in the Karana Aged Care Community in Kew.
  • Annual General Meeting: 18 November.
    • This year we are taking a different approach to the AGM, and asking everyone to contribute what they have valued, want recognised, or even found challenging in the last year – This is to recognise that much of the important work that happens in and around our church is often not contained to ‘formal’ programs. More info will be provided on Sunday.
    • The Letter to the Church at Box Hill will be posted along with our Annual Reports and will be open for discussion at the AGM. It will be good to hear from people about what issues they think are important or urgent, and how and when we might discuss these matters as a church.
  • The biannual Baptist Union of Victoria Gathering was held recently. Here’s a report of the day.

Upcoming Events

Some questions about Christmas feel like they’re off-limits. Did the Virgin Birth really happen? What was God’s part – and Joseph’s part – in the conception of Jesus? And what does it mean to sing that “little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes” – when every baby who has ever lived has cried?
These aren’t trick questions. They’re the ones that sit quietly in the back of your mind, the ones you might not feel comfortable raising in most settings.
This November, before Advent and Christmas arrive, we’re making space to ask them.

Over three Tuesday evenings, Keith will be opening the Bible and talking honestly about Christmas: the stories, the questions, the things we’ve always sung without quite knowing what we meant.
Each session includes a segment called You Can’t Ask That! – which is, of course, an invitation to do exactly that.
Keith has spent 26 years at Whitley helping students ask hard questions of the Bible and be surprised by what they find. These evenings are a chance to bring your own.

The details
Tuesday 10, 17 and 24 November
The Gallery
7.15pm for a cuppa – 7.30pm start – approximate 8.45pm finish
Drop in for one evening or come to all three.

  • Our Community Shed is having a special Saturday bike session on Saturday the 14th of November (9am-midday). A great chance to pop in, and maybe even pick up a bike (or some handy skills in maintenance and repair!)

This Week

Monday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis (upstairs, 5 Ellingworth Pde)
  • 7.30pm – Our Deacons have their monthly meeting.

Tuesday

  • This being a Public Holiday, there is no Community Choir rehearsal and the Bible & Chats Group is not meeting.

Thursday

  • 11am-1pm – The Social Chat Group (Village Well upstairs): English language learning, table tennis and socialising
  • 1:30pm-2:30pm – Bakehouse in the Barn: our food rescue program

Friday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis

Saturday

  • 7:30am-8:30am – Bakehouse in the Barn

Food for Thought, Prayer and Action

Please pray! It is election season, with elections (and their aftermath) in Brazil (25 October), Bulgaria (25 October), Serbia (25 October), Israel (27 October), Vanuatu (31 October), USA Midterms (3 November), South Africa Municipal (4 November), Aotearoa-New Zealand (7 November), Victorian State Election (28 November) and Spain (29 November). Pray:

  • For wisdom and discernment – that voters will look beyond slogans and personalities to consider policies, evidence and the common good.
  • For truth and integrity – that public debate will be marked by honesty, respect and freedom from misinformation.
  • For candidates and political leaders – that they will act with humility, courage and a genuine desire to serve rather than simply gain power.
  • For the vulnerable – that the needs of people experiencing poverty, homelessness, illness, discrimination and disadvantage will be heard and addressed.
  • For a respectful community – that political differences will not destroy friendships, families or neighbourhood relationships.
  • For the media – that journalists will ask searching questions, report fairly and hold those in power accountable.
  • For peaceful elections – that the processes will be fair, safe and accepted, whatever the outcome.
  • For those elected – that they will govern wisely, listen to those who disagree with them, and work for the wellbeing of all, including those who did not vote for them.
  • For ourselves – that we will pray for our leaders, participate thoughtfully, resist contempt and remember that our deepest allegiance is to God’s kingdom (realm).
  • For hope beyond politics – that we will neither place ultimate trust in political leaders nor retreat into cynicism, but continue to work for justice, compassion and peace.

Check out Brian Zahnd’s Christian Voter Guide.

Shop with care: Baptist World Aid has released its latest Ethical Fashion Guide so we can see which brands are working towards protecting workers and the environment.

Reading: Three years after the Voice Referendum, Frank Brennan asks, “What Went Wrong?” (19 October 2026), Eureka Street.

Next Sunday, 8 November 2026, 10am

  • Worship Leader: Keith Dyer; Preacher: Geoff Pound
  • Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

For all the (silver) saints.

eddie

During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the British government began to run low on silver for coins. Lord Cromwell sent his men to the local cathedral to see if they could find any precious metal there. After investigating they reported: “The only silver we can find is in the statues of the saints standing in the corners.”

To which the radical soldier and statesman of England replied: “Good! We’ll melt down the saints and put them in circulation!”

That brief but direct order states the essence of the practical goal of authentic Christianity. Not rows of silver saints crammed into the corners of cathedrals but melted saints circulating through the mainstream of humanity.

This Sunday, come and join us, as with followers of Jesus from all around the world we celebrate ‘All Saints Day.’

The Record – 25 October 2026

eddie

Welcome to Worship this Sunday

Welcome to Box Hill Baptist this Sunday, 25 October 2026, at 10am. It’s our Last Breakfast, with food, talk and conversation around tables. Please bring food to share.

  • Facilitated by: Eddie Chapman
  • Scripture: Matthew 22:34-46

Community News

  • The service of thanksgiving for the life of Glennys Williams will be held this Tuesday 27 October at 2pm in our Sanctuary, followed by refreshments in the Barn. For those unable to be physically present, the service will be livestreamed: https://youtu.be/2FFsDGIVzCU
  • Please keep Jean Trevarthen in your prayers. Jean has been in the Box Hill Hospital this week recovering from pneumonia.
  • Khyun Yin CHU, mother of Judith Lim and known to us as Yin, turns 98 on Monday 26 October. Yin lives in Conder House, Uniting AgeWell, 75 Thames Street, Box Hill.
  • A grateful thanks to all those who contributed to the 125th Church Anniversary service and lunch last Sunday: musicians, welcomers, Morning Tea overseers, those serving lunch, those who brought or paid for delicious food to share, the beautiful flowers, those presenting Cameos and the many others who worked behind the scenes. If you missed out or would like to be part of the organising team for our 150th Box Hill Baptist Church Anniversary, let us know and put in your diary the date: Sunday 19 October 2051.

Upcoming Events

  • Over three Tuesday evenings (10, 17, 24 November) Dr Keith Dyer will be opening the Bible and speaking about ‘Unwrapping Christmas.’ Before we get to Advent and Christmas this year, we have this opportunity to think about Christmas without all the wrappings. Each session will provide a segment entitled ‘You Can’t Ask That!’ in which people can ask questions they have longed to ask, such as ‘Did the Virgin Birth Really Happen?’, ‘What was God’s part and Joseph’s part in the conception of Jesus?’ and ‘What about the line in that Christmas hymn, But little Lord Jesus, No Crying He Makes?’ Held in the Gallery, starting with a cuppa at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start and an approximate 8.45pm finish.
  • Can’t get enough history?? If our anniversary celebrations and the launch of Lorraine’s history book isn’t enough for you, Canterbury Baptist are launching their own history book at the end of November and would love for you to be there too!

This Week

Monday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis (upstairs, 5 Ellingworth Pde)

Tuesday

  • 2pm in the Sanctuary: Service of thanksgiving for Glennys Williams (see Community News).
  • 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start in the Gallery: the Bible & Chats Group is looking at the Scripture passage for next Sunday, Matthew 23:1-12.

Wednesday

  • 7.30pm-9pm in the Quiet Room and Barn: a reminder of the meeting with Danny Krivan for those who have offered to be part of his project on communal discernment, ‘Where Two or Three are Gathered Together.’

Thursday

  • 11am-1pm – The Social Chat Group (Village Well upstairs): English language learning, table tennis and socialising
  • 1:30pm-2:30pm – Bakehouse in the Barn: our food rescue program

Friday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis

Saturday

  • 7:30am-8:30am – Bakehouse in the Barn

Food for Thought, Prayer and Action

In Sunday’s reading we see that Jesus is asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He replies with #1 and #2:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Over food at The Last Breakfast this Sunday, Eddie is asking us to ponder:

  • Who has shown you what love really looks like?
  • What’s the difference between a question asked to win and a question asked to understand?
  • If love is what it all hangs on, what might that mean for how we live this week?

Made any mistakes recently? Thomas Merton said: “It is true that we make many mistakes. But the biggest of them all is to be surprised at them: as if we had any hope of never making any. Mistakes are part of our life, and not the least important part. It is by making mistakes that we gain experience, not only for ourselves but for others.” No Man is an Island.

Sandwiched! Broadcaster Sarah MacDonald is caught in the sandwich generation, juggling work, ageing parents and kids. She meets the growing army of mostly women, coping with the consequences of a housing and aged care crisis. Compass, ABC iView.

Please pray! So much is at stake for Israel, the USA and the world when an election is held in Israel this Tuesday (27th) and the midterm elections in the USA are held on 3 November.

Next Sunday, 1 November 2026, 10am

  • 10am Communion Service. Worship Leader: Shueh Wah Kennedy. Preacher: Geoff Pound.
  • Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12.
  • As part of our offering on Communion Sunday we will receive non-perishable food items to be given to needy people in our suburb.
  • On this Sunday it is All Saints Day, celebrated by the followers of Jesus around the world. At our 125th Church Anniversary Service we were looking up into the Box Hill Baptist ‘cloud of witnesses’, but this coming Sunday gives us a chance to think more generally of the ones who have gone before who still inspire us and speak into our lives. Who are the saints that inspire you?

What it all hangs on…

eddie

If you were at Box Hill Baptist last Sunday, you’ll remember the moment the sanctuary filled with clouds. As we celebrated 125 years, people wrote the names of those who had shaped their faith (grandparents, teachers, friends, ministers, neighbours) and clipped them up around the church. Hundreds of paper clouds, each one a life that made a difference to someone.

Those clouds are still hanging. And this Sunday at Last Breakfast, we want to ask what all those people had in common.

Our story this week comes from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is in Jerusalem, days before his death, and the questions are flying. Some of them are honest. Some are traps. One religious expert asks him to name the greatest commandment, and Jesus’ answer is so simple it’s almost disarming: love God with everything you have, and love your neighbour as yourself. Everything else, he says, hangs on these two.

It’s a striking way of putting it. Not hundreds of rules, but two loves that hold everything else up.

So over breakfast, we’ll be talking about questions like these:

  • Who has shown you what love really looks like?
  • What’s the difference between a question asked to win and a question asked to understand?
  • If love is what it all hangs on, what might that mean for how we live this week?

You don’t need to have been here last week, and you don’t need any church background at all. The Last Breakfast is relaxed, informal and open to everyone: good food, good coffee, and conversation worth having. Bring your questions, your doubts, or simply your appetite.

Last Breakfast
Sunday 25 October, 10am
Box Hill Baptist Church, corner of Station Street and Ellingworth Parade, Box Hill

Bring something to share for breakfast if you can, but don’t worry if you can’t. Just come.

The Record – 18 October 2026

eddie

Welcome to Worship this 125th Anniversary Sunday

125th Anniversary Service of Worship & Thanksgiving including a Commendation by Dr Ken Manley, an Interview with Lorraine Mitchell and the Blessing of the Book (Sing a New Church).

Worship Leader: Eddie Chapman
Preacher: Geoff Pound. The service will involve the telling of brief cameos on some who make up the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ at Box Hill.
Scripture: Hebrews 11:32-40; 12:1-2

The service will be followed by Morning Tea and a light lunch in the Barn – a great time to catch up with people who have been associated with the Box Hill Church over many years.

Order of Service

Opening

  • Call to worship: Hebrews 12:1-3
  • Song: To God be the Glory
  • Acknowledgment of Country
  • Opening prayer
  • Welcome
  • News/Announcements

Blessing of the Book

  • Commendation – Ken Manley
  • Interview – Geoff and Lorraine
  • Prayer of blessing of the book and its readers
  • Song: Sing a New Church

Since we are Surrounded…

  • Scripture reading: Hebrews 11:32-40, 12:1-2 – Graeme D
  • Reflection: Looking Back – Geoff
  • Cameos of people in the BHBC cloud – Geoff with others
  • Contributing to our own clouds of witnesses
  • Hymn 478: For all the Saints (vv 1, 2, 3, 7)
  • Prayers as we move from the past to the future
  • Offering and offertory prayer
  • Reflection: Looking Forward – Geoff
  • Song: Creativity
  • Pledge of Commitment to the Future
  • Closing song: God Gives Us a Future
  • Benediction

Community News

  • A light lunch is planned for our Anniversary Sunday. If you can bring a plate of finger food to share on the day, please let Teang know.
  • The price of the new book, ‘Sing a New Church,’ has been set at $30 to make it within everyone’s budget to buy a copy. On our Anniversary Day (18 October) we will have the opportunity of paying for our books by cash and card.
  • Pray for Dean Hoath and his loved ones. Dean has had two surgeries on his brain this last week in Darwin. He is recovering well. Russell flew to Darwin on Thursday to be with Dean and his family.
  • Apologies for the Anniversary Service: Barbara & Ray Whitford (in Qld), Stan & Debbie Innes (holidaying in Qld), Audrey & David Brown, Colin & Barbara Richards, and Robert Ashley.
  • We report the sad and unexpected news of the death of Glennys Williams, who died in her sleep on Wednesday night at the Hedley Sutton Aged Care Community in Camberwell. Details of the Service of Thanksgiving have not been determined. Do keep the family and friends of Glennys in your heart and prayers.

Upcoming Events

Unwrapping Christmas. Over three Tuesday evenings (10, 17, 24 November) Dr Keith Dyer will be opening the Bible and speaking about ‘Unwrapping Christmas.’ Before we get to Advent and Christmas this year, we have this opportunity to think about Christmas without all the wrappings.

Each session will provide a segment entitled ‘You Can’t Ask That!‘ in which people can ask questions they have longed to ask, such as

‘Did the Virgin Birth Really Happen?‘

‘What was God’s part and Joseph’s part in the conception of Jesus?’ and

‘What about the line in that Christmas hymn, But little Lord Jesus, No Crying He Makes?’

Held in the Gallery, starting with a cuppa at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start and an approximate 8.45pm finish.

This Week

Monday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis (upstairs, 5 Ellingworth Pde)

Tuesday

  • 9:30am – The Box Hill Community Choir practises in the sanctuary
  • 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start in the Gallery – The Bible & Chat Group studies the Scripture for next Sunday’s Last Breakfast: Matthew 22:34-46

Thursday

  • 11am-1pm – The Social Chat Group (Village Well upstairs): English language learning, table tennis and socialising
  • 1:30pm-2:30pm – Bakehouse in the Barn: our food rescue program

Friday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis

Saturday

  • 7:30am-8:30am – Bakehouse in the Barn

Food for Thought, Prayer and Action

  • We are doing our best through the Bakehouse (Thursdays and Saturdays) to save food waste, but Adelaide Miller contends that ‘Food Waste is Costing Australian Businesses and the Economy Billions’ (ABC News, 13 October 2026).
  • Andrew Denton addressed the National Press Club this week on the topic of ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying.’ View the address on ABC iView. What did you think?
  • Sing a New Church, our new book on the Box Hill Baptist Church, should give us much food for thought, prayer and action.

Small Groups @ BHBC

Bible & Chat: Tuesdays at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start, at the Gallery. We reflect together on the coming Sunday’s scriptures. Contact Geoff Pound.

KYB (Know Your Bible): Fortnightly on Tuesdays via Zoom. Contact Helen Timms.

Next Sunday: 25 October 2026

10am – It’s our Last Breakfast with food, talk and conversation around tables. Please bring food to share.
Facilitated by: Eddie Chapman
Scripture: Matthew 22:34-46

The Record – 11 October 2026

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Welcome to Worship this Sunday

11 October 2026 at 10am

Three Places at the Feast – Matthew 22:1-14

  • Worship Leader: Andy McCulloch
  • Preacher: Eddie Chapman
  • Scripture: Matthew 22: 1-14

Order of Service

  • Call to Worship
  • Song: Gather us in
  • Community News and Announcements
  • Bible Reading: Matthew 22:1-14
  • The Invited Guests
  • Prayer of Confession
  • Song: Come to the Banquet
  • The Servants
  • Pastoral and Community Prayers
  • Song: A Place at the Table
  • The Guest without a Garment
  • Song: May the Mind of Christ My Saviour
  • Offering
  • Song: Go out to the world in peace
  • Benediction

Community News

  • A light lunch is planned for our Anniversary Sunday on 18 October. If you can bring a plate of finger food to share on the day, please let Teang know.
  • A meeting open to everyone is being held this Tuesday 13 October at 7.15pm in the Gallery to hear Lorraine Mitchell speak about significant moments and significant lessons in the story of the Box Hill Baptist Church. Lorraine will have copies of her book available on the night.
  • The brief Church Meeting which followed worship on 4 October adopted these motions:
    1. That we agree as a church to be involved in the Rev Danny Krivan’s Research Project.That we agree to the participation of the following people in the Rev Danny Krivan’s Focus Groups: Suzanne, Rae, Sue, Graeme, Barbara, Shueh Wah, John, Pat, Keith, Lynne, Ethan, Jody, Andy, Wendy, Geoff.
  • The price of the new book, ‘Sing a New Church,’ has been set at $30 to make it within everyone’s budget to buy a copy. On our Anniversary Day (18 October) we will have the opportunity of paying for our books by cash and card.
  • The cost of publishing a niche publication like this Box Hill Baptist Church history, which has a specific and limited audience, amounts to several thousand dollars, which is why we are inviting financial contributions. Thanks to those who have already made donations. If you can assist, please put cash in an envelope marked ‘History’ and put it in the offering bag or give electronically, also marked ‘History.’
  • Whitley College is planning an Open Day on Saturday 17 October in Box Hill. Check out the details and discover where this could take you.

Upcoming Events

  • Only one more Sunday until we celebrate our 125th anniversary as a church on 18 October at 10am, followed by Morning Tea and Lunch.
  • Saturday 17 October, 7:30pm – Let Everything Praise!, a concert by The Salvation Army Melbourne Staff Band with special guests Dominic Longhurst (cornet) and The Altonatives jazz choir, at Box Hill Salvation Army, 1010 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill. Admission $20, tickets at salvationarmy.org.au/msb

This Week

Monday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis (upstairs, 5 Ellingworth Pde)

Tuesday

  • 9:30am – The Box Hill Community Choir has a practice session.
  • 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start – An open meeting in the Gallery to hear author Lorraine Mitchell speaking about writing the story of the Box Hill Church.

Thursday

  • 11am-1pm – The Social Chat Group (Village Well upstairs): English language learning, table tennis and socialising
  • 1:30pm-2:30pm – Bakehouse in the Barn: our food rescue program

Friday

  • 4:30pm-8:30pm – Social Table Tennis

Saturday

  • 7:30am-8:30am – Bakehouse in the Barn

Food for Thought, Prayer and Action

  • Pasquale Toscano tells ‘Why My Gen Z Students are Fascinated by the King James Bible,’ New York Times (open access), 4 October 2026.
  • Paul Gallagher (an author and journo with Multiple Sclerosis) tells (podcast) Adriel Booker, ‘Those Scars are my Ministry: Suffering Changes Us. Even, Perhaps for Good.’ CPX, 1 October 2026.
  • 35 years in urban communities, from Melbourne to Bangkok to Birmingham, Ash Barker is launching his most important book. Link.

Small Groups @ BHBC

Bible & Chat: Tuesdays at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start, at the Gallery. We reflect together on the coming Sunday’s scriptures. Contact Geoff Pound.

KYB (Know Your Bible): Fortnightly on Tuesdays via Zoom. Contact Helen Timms.

Next Sunday: 18 October 2026 – 125th Church Anniversary

10am – Service of Worship & Thanksgiving including the Commendation (by Dr Ken Manley) and the Blessing of the Book (Sing a New Church).

  • Worship Leader: Eddie Chapman
  • Preacher: Geoff Pound. The service will involve the telling of brief cameos on some who make up the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ at Box Hill.
  • Scripture: Hebrews 11: 32-40; 12: 1-2

The service will be followed with Morning Tea and a light lunch in the Barn – a great time to catch up with people who have been associated with the Box Hill Church over many years.

Offering Details

BSB: 704-922
Account name: Box Hill Baptist Church
Account number: 100005657
Please use “Offering” as your reference. If you have any issues, please contact the office.