Our Journey
Werribee Baptist Church began in 1969, meeting in homes then schools
and community halls throughout Werribee and Hoppers Crossing,
until a building big enough to accommodate the growing
church was finished in 1977 under the leadership of Pastor Geoff Rowse.
Pastor Geoff concluded his ministry in 1977 and the church called
Pastor Joe Westlake to leadership.
The church continued to grow as Pastor Joe shared vision for a Christian School,
a retirement home and a new church building. All three projects were completed
with WBC opening their new building in 1988. Joe Westlake concluded his ministry
in 1989 and the church called Pastor John Evans to leadership.
By 1993 weekly attendance had reached nearly 400 and community ministry
occured through Playgroups, food hampers and partnership with Werribee Glendale aged care.
John Evans concluded his ministry in 2001 and the church called Associate Pastor
Bill Brisbane into interim leadership.
Pastor Mark Wilkinson was appointed as Senior Pastor in 2004 as God began a
new phase of growth and blessing, increasing the pastoral team from 2 to 5 and
church attendances to nearly 800 within 5 years.
A Karen language service began in 2008 in response to the increasing refugee population.
The building began to fill with up to 1000 weekly attendees and so a new
auditorium was completed and opened in 2015. At the same time, community
ministries were expanded under a new organisation called The Bridge and
mission workers were sent across the world to deliver the hope of Jesus.
Pastor Mark Wilkinson concluded his ministry in 2016 and the church
called Pastor Stan Richey to leadership in 2018.
Under the leadership of Pastor Stan, WBC has overcome many challenges,
including Covid-19, which accelerated the vision for a hybrid onsite/online
church into a fantastic reality. Now, with a brand new Pastoral Team, and the
continued expansion of The Bridge with new community impact projects,
WBC is a thriving community of over 50 different nationalities attending
from Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Altona, Melton and many more!
With countless stories of God’s blessing and grace, let's add yours!
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Werribee
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Bacchus Marsh
