OUR VISION
Sharing the Gospel with all Freshwater, helping people to encounter, believe and Grow In Jesus
We believe that the good news of Jesus's life, death and resurrection has the power to transform lives and so we're passionate about spreading this good news ('gospel') with all of Freshwater. Our Sunday services and regular ministries are aimed towards helping people, both within our church and in the local community:
Encounter Jesus by means of hearing the gospel;
Believe and trust Jesus as King of Heaven and Earth;
Grow in maturity so that our lives reflect the life and love of Jesus.
Our vision has as its foundation a commitment to prayer and bible-based teaching. Our prayer is that many in Freshwater are transferred into the kingdom of God and transformed into the likeness of Christ.
What we believe
We believe that God reveals himself, and how we can join his family, through the Bible. Central to our belief is that Jesus Christ has died and risen to be living Lord and Saviour of all who repent and trust Him. Our teaching program seeks to faithfully present the Bible. We believe that God is at work through his Spirit transforming us as we gather to read His Word, in thankful prayer, bringing our requests, singing praise and working together in our serving ministries.
St Marks Freshwater is an Anglican church that cooperates in fellowship with other churches in the Diocese of Sydney. Our historic and theological roots go back to the Protestant Reformation, most explicitly expressed in the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England and the Book of Common Prayer. The Bible and these historic confessions inform St Marks core beliefs.
OUR HISTORY
St Marks Freshwater was officially opened on 23 September 1911. The cost of building was 93 pounds! A Sunday School had been run in a private residence since 1909.
The first wedding, on 24th October 1911 saw a Miss Weatherstone marry Mr W Owen, whose profession was given as Surf Lifesaver. The first child baptised in the 1911 building was Nell Davison. It is amazing that Nell’s funeral service was the last to leave the old building.
When the district was renamed ‘Harbord’ in 1923, the church was as well. In 1952 the church ceased to be a branch of St Matthews Manly.
In 1961 the present building was opened. The last service in the old building was held on Sunday morning 26th November 1961. The new church building alongside was opened by the Rt Rev Marcus Loane that same Sunday afternoon.
The church name returned to ‘Freshwater’ in September 2008. In 2017 significant internal renovations saw the 1961 furniture replaced with a more modern interior.