About Us

While it’s true that first impressions do count, the beautiful scene that greets visitors entering the grounds of Ormiston Christian Faith Church pretty much takes care of that. What we do work hard at is making the scene that greets those who enter the building as visitor friendly and relaxing as we possibly can.

Building on 32 years of solid bible teaching and after touching untold numbers of lives in the Redlands and abroad – in early 2007 we felt it was time for us to break the mould, and move into the new things that God has for us.

What’s with the leaf logo?

The logo is descriptive of where we are – a leafy Bayside suburb. It also has a spiritual application, as demonstrated in the scripture found in Jeremiah 17:7-8:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will it cease from yielding fruit.”

The logo speaks of life, fruitfulness, and God’s matchless performance demonstrated through His creation. Isn’t that something that appeals to people? Australia is a land that often suffers from drought and dry times, and it’s easy to see that the natural is symptomatic of what’s happening in the spiritual realm.

Just as our land thirsts for refreshment, so does the heart of those in our community who are oppressed and desperately thirsty for the living water that will quench their thirst forever. We have that living water, and that is what makes us fruitful and evergreen! A large part of our vision as a local group of believers is to bring that living water to those that are desperately thirsty.

We realise that reaching our goals is not going to happen over night. We’re still taking one step at a time, but our stride continues to get a lot bigger!

Here are a few thoughts about who we are going to be and what we’re going to do. For those who fellowship with us, you can ponder and pray about where we are going as a body of believers, and most importantly, how you can bring your gifts in to bless the Body!

The philosophy, mission and vision of Ormiston Christian Faith Church has its roots in a number of radical and fundamental aspects of Christian faith and doctrine. They include:

• The energy and life that comes from solid teaching from the Word of God – the Bible – with an emphasis on the way that God speaks to us so that we can be strong and stand for what we believe in, not being “blown around by every wind of doctrine”;
• The worship, giftedness, spontaneity and freedom of the charismatic and Pentecostal church movements, which are this church’s Christian roots;
• The relationships and friendships established through fellowship and a common cause.

Our focus is on reaching the lost and oppressed with the message of the Gospel, and also on building strength, stability and resilience in members of the body of Christ. These are our priorities!

In order to move further into this we began a change to the culture of our church in 2007. Where we had been was a wonderful and awesome experience. Over the previous 28 years we had seen God do some wonderful things, in good times and hard times. In times of plenty, and in times of need. I thank the Lord for the leadership of our senior ministers (any my parents) Peter and Lorraine Barfoot, who have faithfully laboured in this work over all of those years. Where we are going is built on the foundation that they have laid with their prayers, vision and hard work. And the faithfulness and unswerving loyalty of our church community!

We’ve come a long way. We want people to continue to come to Ormiston Christian Faith Church because they realize that they need and want what we live! Our welcoming, family-oriented atmosphere prepares us to reach into our community in a way that is relevant to their needs.

Keep your eye on this web site as it develops over time, and if you are  not in fellowship at another church and feel God speaking to you, we invite you to be a part of this vision – there is a role for you in this church!

Here’s a couple of other insights on how things work at Ormiston CFC . . .

• OBSERVE OR PARTICIPATE?
The New Testament’s most frequently used metaphor for the Church is the human body, which illustrates the way its individual members work together to enable it to function as a whole. (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12) Of course, there are times when for personal or physical reasons it’s not possible for individuals to participate. We understand this, and appreciate our meetings even more when every member that is present participates, and the body of Christ is fully functional.

• ON THE MARGIN OR IN THE MIDDLE?
We are inclusive in that we accept everyone at face value. There are many reasons why some choose to remain on the margin (a non-believing marriage partner or heavy work schedule are two possibilities). However, as well as inclusive in its acceptance of everyone with needs, the church is a “called out” body of committed believers who gather to worship God; which means we are also exclusive. Since we see salvation as a process, however, we invite those on the margin to join us in the middle. Happy where you are? Move to the middle at your own speed.

Come and be a part of what God is doing here!

Paul Barfoot
January 2010