Who are we?
Benalla is a small regional city with a population of about 14,500. It is located approximately 180km north east of Melbourne in North East Victoria.
We are, therefore, a small-town church. Our average congregation on a Sunday is about 55 people. While many of our congregation live in town, some also live out of town up to 45 minutes away.
We are a mixture of ages and social backgrounds. We have some primary and secondary school aged children, a few young adults and quite a number of people aged 50 and upwards. As well as worship services on Sundays, we offer the opportunity for study groups, prayer meetings, Sunday school and youth ministry. See “Activities” for more detail.
We currently support MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) in remote northern Australia. We have recently taken up support for an evangelistic ministry in India and the Australia-based director of OMF. We also support other missionary work on a discretionary basis as opportunities arise.
Our community outreach is largely achieved through The Olive Tree, our Op Shop, where people can come in to shop, meet some friendly faces, have a chat, and enjoy a morning tea break with our volunteers. The Olive Tree donates 100% of its profit to charitable organisations locally and further afield. Overseas ministries supported include two organisations which take in orphaned and abandoned children and provide them with biblical and vocational training. One of these is in Africa, the other in South-East Asia. This is especially inspiring work since it sees many former students go on to full-time Christian ministry. Each year we also support Prison Fellowship by supplying them with home-made cookies.
At Benalla Baptist Church we seek to build up our fellowship in Christian love. We desire to proclaim Jesus through faithful living and proclamation of the Word. We encourage and welcome the involvement of our children in the weekly gatherings where possible.
Visitors are always welcome and often comment that they find us to be a warm and welcoming church fellowship.
Our Pastor
Graham Brodie
Graham is committed to persistent prayer. He is a gentle, compassionate man with a humble attitude and a deep love for the church. He is passionate about preaching God’s Word. Caring for people in need is important to Graham. He leads us by example and is very much aware that such leadership can succeed only under the enabling and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
About Us
Benalla Baptist Church is a properly recognised constituent church of The Baptist Union of Victoria. All those who choose to participate in the worship life and everyday activities of Benalla Baptist Church fellowship, whether regularly or occasionally, are considered as the family of Benalla Baptist Church, whether or not they have become formal members of the church. “Membership”, in a formal sense, refers to the Members of Benalla Baptist Church who have elected to participate in the policy-making and decision-making life of Benalla Baptist Church.