Sunday School

Worship Services for the Elderly

Our History

Located in the heart of Portland, the Baptist church has been worshipping God for over 150 years.  In 2009, we celebrated our 150th year.

We are currently working on a detailed history of Portland Baptist that will be posted in the near future.

• We are a company of people who share a common desire to follow Jesus Christ. We have taken seriously the call to serve him in our homes, schools, work places, neighbourhood and the world.
• We have declared our faith in Jesus publicly through being baptised.

• We believe that God chose to make Himself known to all people through Jesus, the person who split time into two.  
• During his life on earth, Jesus lived and taught what we regard as the “Good News.”  His death on a cross outside Jerusalem and his unexpected resurrection broke for all time the power of sin and death.  
• His followers can rely by faith on the strength and presence of Jesus to deal with all of life’s inevitable challenges.  
• The fear of death is removed since Jesus opened the way to eternal life through his rising from the dead.

• As followers of Jesus we do not have a ticket to be comfortable.  We are called to serve Christ wherever we are, relying on his example to show us how to live .  
• Just as Jesus spent his time, preaching, teaching, helping and healing, our role is to do the same – to back up the news of God’s love for us shown through Christ with loving care for those in need, for sacrificial self giving for all who struggle and to exercise a life of prayer recognising our dependence on God’s wisdom, mercy and grace.

• We rely on the Bible as our guide book, on the power of the Holy Spirit to live each day well, and the love of God to enable us to be a compassionate presence to all in need.
• We refer to the Bible as “God’s Word” as we believe the contents have been crafted by God’s Spirit to teach us how God wants us to live, love and serve in His world

• Giving freely was recommended by Jesus (Matthew 10:8)
• Giving is to be undertaken generously (Romans 12:8)
• We are directed to be ministering through our finance weekly (1 Cor 16:2)
• The Bible tells us that our giving should be exercised cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7)

• Giving via the weekly envelope…

• Direct debits, planned payments and deductions…

• A direct debit is a convenient and secure way to give and ensures that that your support of our life and witness continues without interruption during holiday periods and other absences.  
• Periodic payments are similar to direct debits however these are organized with your own bank (for a fee per transaction) or via Internet banking, usually without a fee (depending on your account conditions). 

• Giving via your credit card…

• Tithes and offerings may be deposited electronically to:

• For periodic payments or payroll deductions, if possible, please nominate “Offering” as the type of credit along with your name (optional) on the bank/employer’s form so that the Treasurer is able to identify offerings when received.

• Gifts and donations to our Building Fund are fully tax deductible.  These be can made via a clearly marked envelope with your full contact details (for the return of a tax receipt) and be placed in the offering bag.  
• Electronic deposits can also be made with the advice of your gift being conveyed to our Treasurer via email or phone (again, to ensure you receive your tax receipt)

John Simpson, Senior Pastor

John is an ordained Baptist Minister.  He and wife, Judith, have had long experience in serving Jesus.  They spent two years (1972-3) working with Wycliffe Bible Translators at their base at Ukarumpa in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.  John taught the children of missionaries at the High School there while Judith typed translations of the Bible in the print shop.

In 1974 John commenced as the Youth Pastor of the Blackburn North Baptist Church before commencing more than two decades of service with the Baptist Union of Victoria.  He was Co-ordinator of Christian Development (1978-83), Mission at Home Superintendent (1983-1990), then General Superintendent of the Union (1990-2000).  He and Judith exercised an interim ministry at Croydon Hills (2000-01).  They commenced their ministry at Portland in January 2002.

John and Judith have had four decades of contact with Portland being regular visitors for all of this time.  They have been members of the annual SUFM Beach Mission program in Portland each year since 1978.  This participation enabled them to build a wide circle of friends within the churches and community of Portland over the years.  They enjoy working with Portland’s families with John conducting the daily parent workshops during the program.

John is currently the Convenor of the Portland Ministers’ Association and a member of the Board of Bayview College.

John can be reached on 5523 2257 or 0428 780 421 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Michael Drennan, Associate Pastor

Bio coming soon

Jim Blake, Secretary

Bio coming soon

If you are new to area, you might be surprised to realize all there is to do in Portland, the birthplace of Victoria.  We encourage you to visit the local information centre, right near the foreshore, to start your exploration.  You will also find other helpful information at the website of the Glenelg Shire.

To access their website, please click the following link:  www.glenelg.vic.gov.au

The church has occupied it’s current facility in Percy Street, Portland’s main thoroughfare, since 1889.  The building was formerly a Masonic Temple constructed in 1876.  The church had occupied other premises previously following its formal commencement in June 1859.

For a long period, the church members have been aware that the present bluestone building has considerable limitations.  It is no longer able to accommodate Sunday morning attendances with there being sufficient room for growth.  An experiment of several years saw two Sunday morning services being held to ease the pressure on accommodation.  Over a period of time, it became clear that the people preferred a single service as a way of maintaining a richer sense of community.

In order to accommodate the numbers, the original Sunday School hall which is directly situated below the sanctuary was linked to the latter via sound and picture so that an overflow congregation is readily accommodated downstairs with Sunday School relocating to Church House.

All this is an interim measure though.  After several years of conversation, planning and decision making, the church has moved on two fronts.  A 5.7acre fully service block of land has been secured in Learmonth Street on the north edge of town.  This block has now been fully paid for. God is good!
The second development is that plans are now drawn for a two stage approach to the erection of a purpose built community centre to meet the needs of both the church and the wider Portland community.  It is intended that this facility be available for use seven days a week.

The church has been fortunate to secure full tax deductibility for the entire project providing an avenue of support for many who are able to benefit from the tax deduction provision.  Any wishing to make full use of the provision should contact the Church Treasurer, Jon Lambert on 5521 1833  or 0418 504 010, for details on how to work with us in this marvellous project.