Hillview Adventist Church in Morisset (North New South Wales) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special program attended by more than 300 past and present members, including founding members and former pastors.
The event, held on April 13, was themed “The Celebration of 50 Years of God’s Grace: honouring our past, shaping our future”.
The day began with a Sabbath school program that highlighted three overseas mission projects supported by the church: Operation Food for Life in Papua New Guinea, the Sonship fleet in Solomon Islands, and church building in Sarawak, Borneo. A highlight was a testimony from Leeboy Tobias, a Papuan who was assisted by Operation Food for Life and is now a chaplain for the Hillview Pathfinder club and a student at Avondale University.
The main service showcased Hillview’s diverse and multi-generational congregation and included a special citation for each of the founding members. North NSW president Pastor Cristian Copaceanu delivered a sermon emphasising the church’s role as the body of Christ, involving children in his presentation.
Attendees enjoyed a meal of packed lunches and hot soup served in the church courtyard, providing a chance to socialise and reminisce. A historical display in the church foyer offered further insights into the church’s past.
The afternoon session reviewed Hillview’s history as an active, mission-minded church, detailing its involvement in community health expos, markets and health programs, as well as the mentoring carried out in its Adventurer and Pathfinder clubs.
According to Hillview church pastor Leslie Ncube, “the focus of Hillview within the community is part of the church’s DNA”.
“One of the biggest ADRA op shops in Australia was started by Hillview church and continues to operate in Morisset. It has, on any given day, hundreds of volunteers. Thousands of people come through the doors of the ADRA op shop and there’s a relationship between that shop and Hillview,” said Pastor Ncube.
The day concluded with testimonies from four recently baptised members and congregational singing led by Pastor Ncube.
