What to Expect
On Sundays
We’re a church that’s all about Jesus, because we believe that God has made an amazing offer to us through him. That means, everything we do together on a Sunday will be about him.
Each Sunday we meet together for 60 to 90 minutes at either 8:30am or 10:30am to sing a mix of traditional and modern songs, pray, read the Bible, listen to a 25 to 30 minute talk and enjoy morning tea together after the service.
If you’ve got primary school aged kids, they are more than welcome to join us for St. John’s Kids during the second half of the service. Younger kids are welcome to join us for St. John’s Toddlers (creche).
Both our 8:30am and 10:30am services are similar and cater for all ages including St. John’s Kids and St. John’s Toddlers.
Whether you’re already a follower of Jesus, or someone who’s interested in finding out more, we’d love you to join us.
Sundays.
8:30am – 10am
and
10:30am – 12pm
St Johns on Geddes
Cnr Cranley & Geddes Streets,
Toowoomba QLD 4350
What Happens?
Singing
Prayer
Bible Readings
Talk
Morning Tea
Sunday School for Kindy and Primary
Bibles Provided
We’re all about Jesus:
We believe that trusting in Jesus and relying on his death and resurrection is the only way for us to be right with God (John 14:6). We believe that the whole Christian life is all about trusting, following and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). We believe that it is our task to love and serve Jesus throughout our lives. Because of this, you’ll find us talking about Jesus a lot.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We’re Bible Based:
We are all about living and sharing God’s word, the Bible.
We believe that God has spoken to us through his word, the Bible, and that through the Bible we are made wise for salvation, taught, rebuked, corrected and trained in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
We believe that God works through his word to bring about faith and to grow and change his people.
You’ll find that nearly everything we do at St. John’s on Geddes will be Bible based. At church we read the Bible and we talk about the Bible together. We work, bit by bit, through whole books of the Bible. Our prayers and songs are shaped by the Bible. During the week we meet together and read the Bible together and encourage one another from it. We will encourage everyone to read their Bible.
While we aren’t perfect, as a church, we aim to be thoroughly Bible based.
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We’re Outward Looking:
As a church we want to make Jesus known and to invite others to come with us and follow Jesus. We believe that Jesus commanded his church to take the good news of Jesus outwards to the end of the Earth (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20). As a church, we must not be only inward looking, looking only to the growth and needs of those in our church family, but outward looking. Looking to share the good news of Jesus with our local community, our city, our nation and the world.
This means that while we want to grow as a church in maturity and Christlikeness, we also desire to grow in number as more and more people from our community hear the good news of Jesus, repent of their sins and trust in him.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
—
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Leadership.
Josh Rowe
Minister
Josh has been the full-time minister at St. John’s on Geddes since the beginning of 2019.
Josh loves a good spreadsheet, having studied and worked as a Tax Accountant prior to ministry, but most of all Josh loves pointing people to Jesus by teaching the Bible and caring for people.
Toowoomba born and raised (mostly), Josh studied for ministry at Queensland Theological College in Brisbane after completing a two-year ministry apprenticeship.
Josh is married to Jes and they have three young daughters. Josh also enjoys running, reading, chasing the kids around the house and playing video and board games with Jes.
You can contact Josh at josh@stjohnsongeddes.church.
Walter Jones
Minister
Wal divides his time between being a part-time minister at St. John’s on Geddes and part-time Hospital Chaplain at St. Andrew’s Hospital Toowoomba.
Walter, whose family buys him ‘where’s wally’ T-Shirts, loves riding his pushbike with his wife Chris.
Wal and Chris have three adult children. Wal enjoys talking about Jesus and the Bible and when he has time, talking about Star Trek and sci-fi stories.
Wal has been a minister for 20 years. He was raised on a cane farm and did all sorts of jobs in the Queensland Electricity Commission for 10 years.
You can contact Wal at wal@stjohnsongeddes.church.
Our Elders.
As a Presbyterian church, we are led by a group of ‘Elders,’ volunteer leaders of good character and wisdom who have leadership and oversight of the ministries and direction of our church alongside our ministry team.
At St. John’s on Geddes our elders are David Hunt, John Clewett, Alen Fagg, Graham Harris, Andrew Schache and Doug Seymour.
What We Believe.
The best way to get an idea about what we believe at St. John’s on Geddes is to listen to some of our Bible talks which are given each week.
Here are some things which are especially important to us:
We believe the gospel.
We believe and proclaim the gospel, the good news of Jesus.
To be a Christian, you must trust in Jesus, rely on his death and resurrection alone for our salvation, turn away from our sin and live under his loving rule.
View a great summary of the gospel at Christianity Explained
This good news is all about how God has saved his people through his own son Jesus Christ. We believe that we all have rebelled against God’s rightful rule by trying to run life our own way (sin) and we all deserve God’s righteous judgment.
But God sent his perfect son into the world as a man, Jesus, to live a perfect life under God’s rule, to suffer and die in our place, taking our punishment and bringing us forgiveness, and to rise again, conquering death.
All those who trust in Jesus, rely on his death and resurrection for forgiveness and submit to his loving rule receive forgiveness, eternal life and all the benefits which come with being Jesus’ followers.
But if we reject Jesus and continue to run life our own way, we will face death and God’s judgment.
To be a Christian, you must trust in Jesus, rely on his death and resurrection alone for our salvation, turn away from our sin and live under his loving rule.
We’re Christian.
We hold to essential Christian beliefs that are found in the classic creeds of the church, such as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed. Here’s what the Apostles’ Creed says:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. And born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day, He rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic [or ‘universal’] Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
We’re ‘reformed’.
We hold to these five key phrases which arose out of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s:
- Scripture alone
- Faith alone
- Grace alone
- Christ alone
- Glory to God alone
We’re Presbyterian.
We don’t really make a big deal about being Presbyterian, because we want people from all sorts of other church traditions (or no church traditions!) to feel comfortable growing as followers of Jesus with us. However, there are some things about our church that are Presbyterian distinctions.
They include:
- having a group of ‘elders’ (volunteer leaders) who have leadership and oversight of the ministries and direction of our church; and
- having our leadership accept the Westminster Confession of Faith as a summary of the key Biblical teachings, with the explanations contained in the Declaratory Statement.
History
St. John’s on Geddes was established more than 80 years ago in 1936.
Here’s some of our story:
1936
St Stephen’s, in Neil Street, was the original and main Presbyterian Church in Toowoomba. As Toowoomba grew, it became apparent that different communities could support their own church. In 1933, Rev D.S Jones, minister of St. Stephen’s, called a meeting in the home of Mr & Mrs Jim Smart to discuss the founding of St. John’s.
A piece of land at the corner of Cranley & Geddes Streets was purchased, comprising of the land that the Church, hall, manse, and two adjacent houses now stand. The Church, seating 105, was built by J.C Myers & Son at a cost of £915, with the total of land, buildings, fence, and furnishings being £1,200. It was officially opened on 26th January 1936 by the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Rev F.W Gresham, who took as his text, “You shall be my witnesses”. The first minister was Rev McKnight Jones, the son of Rev D.S Jones.
A Sunday School Hall was built, but was soon to become too small. An indoor bowls club was founded, and the men offered to extend the hall, doubling its size and adding a stage, kitchen and meeting room. Many different groups and organisations were formed, which provided an opportunity for fun, fellowship, and friendships that have lasted a lifetime, including a number of marriages “made in heaven”.
1973
In 1973 the present manse was built, with the two adjoining blocks of land being sold. From the 1950’s to 1991 St. John’s and St. David’s (Mary Street) were one charge, East Toowoomba. However when St. David’s were able to support a minister, St. John’s became South Toowoomba and St. David’s North Toowoomba.
1981
In 1981 “extensive renovation and enlargement” of the Church was undertaken. The wooden exterior being bricked, a vestibule and two back rooms being added, all at a cost of $40,000. Three stained glass windows in the vestibule were dedicated to three sisters who had been involved in the Church from its founding; Isobel Searle, Margaret Dippel, and Jeanie MacFarlane.
For many years St. John’s maintained preaching places at Helidon, Murphy’s Creek and Meringandan.
1995
The Church at Helidon was closed.
Current
The church in Meringandan continues to meet on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month.