Church Display | Gin Gin QLD

Friday-Sunday: 3-5 July

Settling Into Gin Gin: Caravans, Divine Appointments, and a little Bump in the Road

A Caravan with a View
With the rental car finally handed back in Bundaberg, the team rolled back into Rosedale, where the next stretch of work with Frank on the vehicles began. Spanners out, sleeves rolled up, and plenty of good natured banter along the way. The trailer stayed behind at Frank’s for safekeeping, freeing the car up for the drive to Gin Gin, where the real ministry adventure was about to begin.
A cheerful welcoming party of church members was waiting when the team pulled in, ready to show off the accommodation for the stay: a house right next door to the church, complete with kitchen and bathroom – but, curiously, no bedroom! Not missing a beat, the church family produced a caravan to sleep in instead. After weeks of being squeezed into hotel rooms, it turned out to be a delightfully spacious upgrade, caravan and all.

A Divine Appointment on the Sabbath
The very first divine appointment in Gin Gin happened almost the moment the church doors were walked through that Sabbath morning. A gentleman named Stephen struck up a conversation and shared a remarkable story. Only two years into the Christian faith, this New Zealander had spent years piecing together his own patchwork of beliefs from a colourful stack of “spiritual” books. Everything changed during a difficult relationship season in Auckland, when Stephen went to stay with his unbelieving sister in Palmerston North. She happened to be a devoted fan of the FirstLight TV channel and preacher Doug Batchelor, and one evening Stephen sat down to watch alongside her. Astonishingly, within just two hours, the whole picture of Christianity clicked into place. Soon after, he began attending the Palmerston North SDA Church, though his sister has, so far, resisted joining him. Before parting ways, Stephen handed over her contact details, promising to tell her all about the outreach Gary and the team will be running in Palmerston North this coming October. A lovely reminder that seeds planted quietly in someone’s lounge room have a way of bearing fruit nobody sees coming.

A Sabbath of Learning and Laughter
That Sabbath, ministry work in Gin Gin was in full swing, with all three parts of the Healthy Church Training Program shared with an attentive and engaged Church community. As the evening settled in, the mood shifted from teaching to togetherness, with a lively fellowship gathering at the home of Luke Furugia’s parents – bringing together SDA members and friends from beyond the church for good food, warm company, and no shortage of laughter.

A Trailer Drama on the Road
Sunday brought a quiet drive back to Rosedale, where the team collected the trailer and gave Frank a hand tying up a few final jobs. With everything hitched up and ready, the journey back towards Gin Gin set off – only for a seriously dangerous fault to reveal itself partway along the road. What was meant to be a straightforward tow turned into nearly a week of patient troubleshooting, elbow grease, and a fair bit of mechanical detective work – but with good humour and steady trust carrying the team through until the problem was finally solved.

Ancient Remedies and a Full House
Once safely back in Gin Gin with considerable relief, the team wasted no time launching straight into all four parts of the Ancient Remedies for Modern Ailments series at the local Community Centre that very afternoon. A great turnout of community folk filled the room, helped along by the fact that these presentations have become a much-loved monthly fixture on the church’s calendar.

It had been a full and beautiful day – learning together, laughing together, and being reminded once again why fellowship is such a gift.