Reflection for March 2026
Retirement
My connection with Emmaus Church goes back to my childhood and when, as a teenager, my faith grew by being part of the Youth Group. I remember my mum’s funeral and a piano being purchased for the church from the donations received in 1972. Along with my sister and her now husband, we took on the Sunday School which grew after we had a Children’s Mission. We witnessed the growth of the church when we dedicated full-time leaders, Terry and Mary Ball in 1975.
Carol & I watched the closure of Emmaus a few years later in 1985 with sad hearts. When it reopened 1990, thanks to the vision of the people of Aust Evangelical Church, I was asked to be part of a new leadership team. Many families joined us as the church grew again, and the leadership changed with Michael Coleman and Mark Chattaway serving alongside me. We were ably supported by families who moved into the village and joined Emmaus.
Severn Beach and Pilning have transient populations due to the shortage and lack of suitable housing, so many of the early folks moved on following work or needing new housing. There has always been a steady stream of people joining Emmaus over the years, and the leadership has been constantly renewed.
Throughout all these times of ‘revolving doors’, Carol and I have kept the continuity of leadership going, not through choice, skill or ability, but simply because we didn’t move away through the nature of our business. We always knew there needed to be a plan of succession to prevent Emmaus becoming a ‘one generation’ church. Other great people joined who were far more gifted than me but moved on, like Joy & Phil Nurcombe, Mary Anne Willmot, Anuran & Romali, so we have not had the opportunity to take a step back.
A few years ago, it was my suggestion to invite John-Mark to join Emmaus with 20 hours of paid employment. He is having a big impact on the church, together with his wife Kate.
Along with Celia, Abbie, Paul, and Sue, there is a strong team in place to drive change and growth. Therefore, it seems as good an opportunity as any to stand back from leadership responsibilities.
Carol and I, along with the leadership team have had extensive talks over the last few months, along with David Lawrence, and it was decided that I will now stand back from leadership, the fortnightly meetings and the Ministry Leader’s meetings.
We are not moving away or leaving the church, as some might expect, and will carry out most of our tasks as usual. Many will not notice any difference, except that I will not be reading the notices on Sundays. It will not be an easy process to untangle ourselves from 37 years of leadership, and 55 years of practical involvement, so we will really welcome your ongoing prayers.
In conclusion, as we have always been available to pick up the loose ends for all these years, you will still see us flitting around. This will be a challenging time of change for Emmaus, so we would urge the church to be supportive and prayerful of the remaining leadership team members, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and the extension of His Kingdom in Severn Beach and the surrounding community.
John and Carol