I came to Collins Street Baptist Church as a refugee. In some ways it was a homecoming as I had attended CSBC as a student at university many years ago. Then it had been formative for me.
It had started out as a rough year. My health had packed up, my wife was facing major surgery, one of my children’s life was in crisis. I felt alone, isolated and fragile and needed somewhere where I could just sit and let the church service wash over me. I found that at Collins Street. In that first six months there was not a service where I was not touched by something - prayer, bible reading, hymn or sermon. It became a time of healing for me.
I tried going back to my former church, but realised that if I was to accept the care and healing of the CSBC community I had to be part of that community and contribute as well as receive.
For me CSBC is a place where you can sit in the pews and weep - you can sit in the pews and rejoice. The community gives you that permission.