Brisbane Bible-Presbyterian Church from Founding until Inauguration
By God’s grace, mercy and providence, Brisbane Bible-Presbyterian Church started with a small Bible Study group including Brother Robert Goh, Sister Karen Goh, Bro Walter Wei and Brother Nguyen Gia Hien’s family. Brother Hien had received a sound and Biblical training for his Master of Divinity (MDiv) and Master of Theology (ThM) degrees at the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC). He spent a total of four years in Singapore and then went to Brisbane to be reunited with his family in June 2004. The Bible Study group gathered together in a City Library’s room booked on Saturdays in July and August 2004, and then at Brother Hien’s home in September 2004.
By the end of September 2004, True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore adopted Brother Hien as her missionary preacher. Since then, True Life has kindly supported his family and the ministry in Brisbane not only financially, but also with their prayers, encouragement, advice, visitation although the ministry in Australia was not easy at all, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps 136:1).
Thank God that by His grace the Sunday Worship Service started at Preacher Hien’s home in March 2005. We welcomed Sister Marlyn, an aboriginal lady, to our Bible study on Saturday and Sunday Worship Service and visited her relatives and friends on Straitbroke Island three times with Sister Marlyn and Brother Walter, but we were sorry that after three months Sister Marlyn did not join our Bible study and worship anymore due to her relatives’ influence and opposition.
Thank God that Brother Tim Low from New Zealand found a job in Brisbane in 2005 and brought his wife Anne (an FEBC alumna) and their son Zac to Brisbane in 2006. By God’s grace, we had enough membership to register our church and shifted our Sunday Worship Service to Annerley Community Hall in April 2006. Praise the Lord that Brisbane Bible-Presbyterian Church was incorporated under Queensland Associations Incorporation Act 1981 on July 28, 2006.
Thank God for graciously providing a more suitable place for our Sunday Worship Service at St John’s Presbyterian church, 33 King Street, Annerley, Queensland 4103, and it has been the venue for our Sunday Worship Service since October 2006.
Thank God for bringing Brother Eric Too, his wife Linda and their children Hannah and Emma from Sydney to Brisbane BPC in November 2006 and for their faithful ministry in our midst.
Thank God that the Sunday School class for the children was first conducted by Sister Anne and she has faithfully served the Lord well among the children until now.
Thank God for bringing Bro Michael Low from Melbourne to our midst in February and worshipped the LORD with us from February 2007 until he got another job in Hervey Bay in February 2008. Mrs Too (Bro Eric’s mother) from Malaysia came to visit us and attended our Worship faithfully from March until she went back home by end of September.
Thank God that the Vietnamese Bible study was first conducted at Sis Jade’s home on Thursday at 7:00 pm on March 15.
Thank God for His blessings upon our Inauguration Service on March 18, 2007 with our officiating minister Rev Stephen Khoo and Eld Charles Choong from Bethel B-P Church in Melbourne; Rev Paul Seiler and his wife Mrs Carol Seiler, and Eld Jim Roth from St John’s Presbyterian Church; Dn and Mrs Charles Kan and several other brethren from Singapore—Sis Judith D’Silva and Sis Deborah Mae; Dr and Mrs Francis Lee and their son Moses; twin sisters Joycelyn and Jacelyn Chng; Rev and Mrs Errol Stone from Faith Presbyterian Church-Perth; Rev Dr Okman Ki from Hope BPC in Adelaide; Dn Anthony Ngan from Sydney BPC; Bro Robert Goh, Sis Karen Goh, Bro Michael Low and Sis Jade Truong together with Bro Tim’s family, Bro Eric’s family and Mrs Too, and Pr Hien’s family.
Thank God for graciously enabling Pr Hien to pass the written and oral examinations for ordination assigned by the Faculty of the FEBC, and Pr Hien was ordained a Minister of the Gospel at the Far Eastern Bible College’s Graduation Service held at Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore on the Lord’s Day, May 6, 2007.
How we are thankful to the LORD for often bringing visitors and friends from here and there to visit us and encourage us as well as gradually bringing more brethren to our midst to worship and serve Him at Brisbane Bible-Presbyterian Church! All is by God’s grace and mercy alone, and all glory and praise be unto Him alone. Amen.
A Word of Welcome from the Pastor of Brisbane BPC
Dear friends,
By God’s grace, love and goodness, we have gotten to know, worship and serve the living and true God of the Holy Scriptures, the Almighty Creator and loving heavenly Father. We trust that by His providence (not by accident) you are visiting our Website (www.brisbanebpc.org.au). You are very welcome to Brisbane Bible-Presbyterian Church in Queensland, Australia!
We really thank God that Brisbane Bible-Presbyterian Church was established in Brisbane and incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 of Queensland, on 28 July 2006. We are a reformed church built on the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone and on God’s perfectly inspired and perfectly preserved Word, the Holy Scriptures alone, which are the texts underlying the King James Bible—the Hebrew Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Greek Received Text (Textus Receptus) of the New Testament. Our motto is from Philippians 2:11, “Jesus Christ Is Lord” and from John 17:17, “Thy (God’s) Word Is Truth.” That means we submissively look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and humbly seek to exalt Him alone, not ourselves or men (John 3:30; 2 Cor 4:5) and to study, preach, teach and magnify God’s Word alone (2 Tim 2:15; 4:2; Ps 138:2), not human words, ideas or philosophies. By God’s grace and strength, we fervently defend for God’s Truth and maintain a Christ-centred and Bible-centred Worship in these last days of compromise and apostasy.
Our purpose is not to draw you to ourselves or to our group but to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone, who truly loved you, died for your sins, rose again for your justification and is able to save you perfectly (Rom 4:25; 8:32-39; Heb 7:25). We do pray that you may be comforted, edified, born again, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit and by God’s Word (John 3:5; Acts 9:31; Rom 15:4; 1 Pet 1:23), and then be constrained by Christ’s love to worship Him, live for Him, and serve Him according to His Word, His will and His way shown in the Holy Scriptures until our Lord Jesus comes back again soon.
May the LORD our God graciously guide you and richly bless you as you wholeheartedly seek to know Him and His Word. May God help you find and enjoy His truth, love, peace, joy and salvation for you in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is All you need.
We look forward to the blessed Worship and fellowship with you at Brisbane BPC.
In Christ’s truth, grace and love,
Pastor Hien Nguyen
How the RPG Has Blessed a Brother in Pakistan
Greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
It is written in the Holy Bible, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Whenever I read the Bible with the help of RPG, I enjoy a lot and understand His Word correctly and receive many blessings. Every time that verse comes into my mind, that FEBC is so blessed, a college that has the students (former and current), teachers and friends around the world who have the ability and gift to interpret His infallible Word in such a manner so that the readers can have the correct understanding and can receive spiritual and intellectual blessings.
Rev Errol D Stone, Rev Hien Nguyen, Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy, Reggor B Galarpe, Ephrem Chiracho Ouchula, Tan Kian Sing, Richard M Tiu, Jeffrey Khoo, Lek Aik Wee, Dominino dela Cruz Jr and Dr Timothy Tow, all of them are like the brightness of the firmament and like the stars because I hope through their tireless work many are being converting to Jesus and growing in Him. All of them are wonderful and superb men of God. I pray for all of them that may God use them more and more for His glory.
Best wishes
Sarfraz Masih
March 10, 2009
Note: I also want to learn His Word and preach it like these men of God but the circumstances are not in my favor.
