Hopefully the following answers any questions you might have if you are thinking about planning a visit
Where Can I Park?
There are some car parks marked out on the concreted areas where you are free to park. If there are no parks on the concreted areas you are welcome to park somewhere on the grass.
Please do not park on Corella Road as it may be unsafe getting in and out of your car.
If someone has a disability or may have difficulty walking from where the car is parked to the church building, you are free to drop people off under the awning at the front of the church building and then proceed to find a car park.
What Is There For My Kids?
During school terms there we run a Kingdom Kids program for children aged from 3-12 which includes Bible stories, craft and singing.
Outside of school terms we often provide worksheets for these children to work through during the service.
For children younger than 3, we have a crèche room next to the church hall where parents may take their children.
How Do You Ensure My Children Will Be Safe?
We take the safety of children at Gympie Baptist seriously. Everyone who ministers to children at Gympie Baptist has gone through an application process which includes background checks and interviews with the church leadership. Working with children at Gympie Baptist also requires completion mandatory training through ChildSafe (Child Safety Resources & Training | ChildSafe Australia) which must be renewed every 3 years. Our children’s programs are also designed with the safety of children in mind using the principles taught in the ChildSafe training.
What Is A Normal Service Like?
Our services begin with a song followed by a call to worship which help us to set our minds on things above. There is then about 2 more songs, with time for pastoral prayers. The songs we sing are mostly songs which have been written more recently, but we do aim to sing at least one hymn every Sunday and our music team is normally made up of an keyboard, acoustic guitar and drums with singers to lead us in singing.
We then read the Bible passage. Then, during school terms, the children will be prayed for and go downstairs to Kingdom Kids, which is followed by the sermon. The sermons are between 30 and 45 minutes long and they try to help us understand what the Bible means and how it speaks to our own lives today. Most weeks we share communion/the Lord’s Supper and also sing a closing song. Communion is open to everyone who believes in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, however if you don’t believe in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour we ask that you let the elements pass by during communion. The service normally finishes around 10:20am and is followed by a time of morning tea in the church hall, where we catch up with each other over tea, coffee, biscuits and cake. Those visiting our service are very welcome to join us for morning tea after the service.
Is There A Dress Code?
Not really. Some people will be dressed semi-formally, others will be dressed more casually. Feel free to dress as you normally would when spending time with friends.
Will I Be Welcome?
All are welcome to join us on a Sunday morning. Jesus wasn’t sent only for a certain group of people but for all people, and it is our joy at Gympie Baptist to tell all who will listen of the life and hope to be found in Jesus. You don’t need to be concerned if you don’t think you fit the normal ‘churchy-person’ mould, because if you’re interested in hearing more about Jesus and how living his way leads to joy and everlasting life, then you’re exactly the kind of person we love to have at Gympie Baptist!
Will I Be Singled Out If I’m New?
No, you will not be singled out if you are new. Before or after the service people may want to greet you and say hello, but we won’t ask you to stand up during the service or anything like that.
What If I’ve Never Really Been To Church Before?
We’d love to have you visit! We try not to make our services too complicated so hopefully it should be fairly straightforward to work out what to do and when. You are also very welcome to ask us about anything you may not understand. We’d just be happy to see you, we won’t look down on you if you don’t have it all ‘figured out’.
If you’re concerned that the building might fall over if you come in, don’t worry, there’s lots of people who’ve said that after they’ve walked in and the building hasn’t fallen over yet!
What Is Gympie Baptist’s Position On …?
If you cannot find our position on an issue of interest to you on our website or the Queensland Baptists website, we would be happy to chat with you in person if you come to visit.
What Bible Translation Do You Use?
Our pew Bibles are the CSB translation, we preach from the ESV and the NIV, sometimes we have the Bible read from the NLT and people in the congregation use a number of different translations.
What Is Gympie Baptist’s Doctrinal Statement?
Our doctrinal statement is consistent with Queensland Baptists Statement of Belief and Core Values which can be found here.
What Denomination Are You?
Gympie Baptist Church is part of the Queensland Baptists movement of churches.
How Do I Become A Member?
We encourage membership at Gympie Baptist. If you have attended Gympie Baptist a number of times and wish to make Gympie Baptist your spiritual home, you may approach one of the pastors and ask for a membership application form. You will then be asked to complete and return the membership application form. After you have returned the form, 2 of the elders will plan a time to visit you to discuss the membership application. If there are no concerns, there will be a notice in our weekly bulletin, Bapchat, that you have applied for membership and a motion will be moved at the next Members’ Meeting that you be endorsed as a member. If successful, at the next communion service you will be invited to sign the Members’ Register and receive the right hand of fellowship as a member of Gympie Baptist.
This is also the normal method for those seeking to transfer their membership from another Baptist church.
Hopefully this answers any questions you may have as you plan a visit, but if not please feel free to contact us