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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-05-06 Daily Xml
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Victory Church

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:59): I would like to share with the house some of the experiences we have had in the break between the end of the year and the election. One of the events I attended in the electorate recently was the 20th anniversary of the Victory Church. The Victory Church had humble beginnings: it started with Kath and Tony Rainbow and 11 other people on Sunday 27 February 1994. It began in the Sunnybrook Community Centre, which is a small community house in the electorate of Wright, where they rented a room for a Sunday morning service 20 years ago. During celebrations, we saw the original keyboard that was used at that service, a tiny little keyboard which obviously belted out a great number of songs over its time before it was superseded by the fantastic musical group that now entertains the churchgoers.

We also heard stories from those present at the first services; they were certainly small in attendance, but for what they lacked in numbers they had in heart and planning and resolve. After two years at Sunnybrook, which they outgrew very quickly, they moved to the Wynn Vale Drive community centre which they rented for Sunday morning and night services. The church had a close friendship with the King's Baptist Grammar School, who graciously allowed them to use some school classrooms for their children's ministry and mid-week meetings.

In February 1998, Victory signed a three-year lease for the old Home Hardware building at 308 Nelson Road in the electorate of Florey. It was there that I first became aware of this vibrant church community and their work. The Rainbow family has a strong sense of service and they have been great to know over the ensuing years. The church purchased the building in 2002, and after two renovations to the original building during this time, the congregation continued to grow and the church began to look for new premises.

In 2008, they signed a lease for the old Skate FX building at 5 Maxwell Road, very close to the Parafield Airport. After major renovations, they held their first service there on the first Sunday in July in 2009. The church has grown from 13 people to over 1,800 people in 20 years, and when they say 1,800 people, the church's services are enormous and well worth a visit, sir, if you are ever out our way on a Sunday.

They have a youth group on Friday nights with over 150 children. Years 5 to 12 attend Victory Kids, which has over 200 children attending each Sunday. KIDGO is a school holiday program and has over 950 kids attending over the three days of each school holiday. They have programs with all sorts of activities for women, for men, for over-55s, playgroups for mums; they run marriage courses, parenting courses, counselling courses, a four-by-four group (I'm not sure what that means but I'm sure it's very, very good), a bike riding group, and there is a fortnightly outreach program at the Salisbury training centre.

There is also a free sausage sizzle and tea and coffee for commuters and the homeless. They have the Origin Coffee Bar open Monday to Saturday between 9am and 3pm, and they have cheap food and a great outdoor playground for children. This is only a very small, limited outline of some of the programs they provide for the community.

It is a family church, engaging people of all ages from all walks of life. Everyone is welcome and an inordinate amount of work goes into each service there. Car park attendants, welcomers, ushers—all tasks are willingly undertaken. They have a shop and a welcome lounge and no-one has to go home without connecting to as many people as they wish. Each service has a vibrant music and creative team, and young people (the future of any group or organisation) participate in large numbers in the singing and dancing in what really looks like a mosh pit. I must admit, it is great fun for everybody.

Victory Church had many visitors from interstate and overseas on their celebration day. Because it was a significant anniversary, every message reinforced the vision of Tony and Kath Rainbow and told of the belief they had in their vision of making a difference. No matter the challenges, they had faith in what they were doing and that what they were doing was necessary work. After the first 20 years of their calling, they are surrounded by the success of their endeavours, and a church full of enthusiasm proves that from little things, big things do grow.

I congratulate most sincerely Tony, Kath and the entire Victory Community Church for their successes to date, and wish them all the very best for all their future endeavours. It is a great privilege to be able to join them from time to time, and I have also had the opportunity to refer some constituents to them, and I am pleased to report that everyone I have referred to that church has had a welcoming place offered to them and has been given great hope in being part of the community in such a loving environment.

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