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Our Background
In around the year 2000, Phil Richmond and Jason Gallagher received a vision of a new church in the Palm Beach area. Shortly after, several others felt called by God to support this vision. In the following years home groups were formed in the area and before too long, a core group of 60 or so believers were ready to form a new church.
Wes and Jenny Jessop felt called to serve the surfing community in the southern Gold Coast area. They were then approached by Jason and Phil to minister through Beachside.
The vision was nurtured through support from the Gold Coast Christian Family at
Mudgeeraba until, in February of 2003, over 300 people witnessed the first Beachside Christian Church service. For the first two years, the church met in a function room at the Palm Beach Sports Club.
In 2004, we sent out our first overseas missionary to serve in Sri Lanka. God richly blessed him and those he rubbed shoulders with as he worked as a tentmaker and worshiping at a local church. Shortly after, Madeleine Newton (nee Taylor) went to Bali to reach out to the surfing community through Christian Surfers International.
In early 2005, Dave and Jess Quak joined Beachside to lead our youth ministry. They have had a massive impact - loving the kids already in the church and reaching out to other youth in the community.
For over two years we watched God work in the hearts of many. The church grew in number to the point where an alternative meeting place had to be found. As usual, God provided, and directed our leaders to the Palm Beach - Currumbin High School. At the school we are able to accommodate increasing attendance levels and provide better facilities for children and youth ministries.
Although we are not a typical Baptist church, we are affiliated with the Queensland Baptists for accountability purposes.
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