First Sabbath Offering for the Church in Keilor Park, Australia

Home to around five million people, Melbourne, Victoria, is the southernmost capital city in Australia’s mainland. The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement has had a presence here for over 50 years.

In 1972, a church building was dedicated in the western suburb of Keilor Park, by volunteer hands. When it was built, the size of the building was deemed to be sufficient. However, over the years, our membership has grown, many children were born, and the number attending church has increased.

After a half century standing as a lighthouse to the community, the church building in Keilor Park has begun to need serious repair. It has also become too small to accommodate the growing numbers who worship here. In recent years the foundation around the sanctuary has been settling, and the wall and roof structure are actually not able to withstand the shifting of the foundation. This would involve a very difficult and costly repair.

After much deliberation, the brethren came to the conclusion that rebuilding the church would be the best, simplest and most cost-effective solution. So, it is our desire to complete a larger church in which to worship God and be a witness to those around us. We also plan to include a new dining hall for cooking demonstrations, health lectures, and outreach for the public.

We have received the necessary approval from the local government, have drawn up plans for construction, and are now in the process of obtaining a permit to build.

By the time this appeal reaches you, construction will have begun, and the members and friends of the Keilor Park Church need your help. The planning permit requires that the parking lot be paved with asphalt, and this has increased our costs significantly. We anticipate that it will cost a modest AU$450,000 to complete this project. To date we have raised AU$220,000 and have many members, friends and even the neighbors in our community who are willing to sacrifice their time to assist us in constructing our new church building. “Let us rise up and build” (Nehemiah 2:18)! Please join in this venture and help us complete this lighthouse for western Melbourne. Thank you, and may God bless every giver!

Your brethren from the Australasian Union