User:Lskil09/Gateway Family Church

Gateway Church - also known as Gateway Family Church, is a contemporary Christian community on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

History
From 1986 the community has grown from an initial group of 24 people, to more than 500 people in regular worship attendance. Rick and Marcy Paynter were the founding pastors of the church. Gateway has an aggregate community exceeding 1,200 people. They are affilliated with the Baptist Union of Australia. After meeting at Elisabeth Murdoch College in Langwarrin, Australia for several years, they recently moved to the Boulevard Events Centre in Frankston central. Gateway recently started new churches in Melbourne and 4 churches in Papua New Guinea.

Melbourne, Australia
Gateway is open to all those who are genuinely seeking spiritual answers. They have a large emphasis on using modern music, drama, dance, film and other creative arts to create a contemporary style of ministry. Their most successful theatre production "Pirates of the Peninsula" was in 2008, just after they moved to Frankston.

Gateway offers many recreational and sporting activities to the local community which are endorsed by the Victorian Government's 'Go For Your Life' program. This includes activities from the Gateway Basketball Association which has over 500 players, 4WD trips, fishing trips, golf tournaments and weekend events.

During Sunday services GodZone caters for crèche and primary school age children. For teenagers, Gateway Youth has mid-week activities and growth opportunities, combined with an annual camp called Camp No Fear. During the week there are Playgroups for pre-schoolers.

From 2005 to 2008 Gateway also ran a School of Performing Arts, which involved many musicians such as Michael Paynter various band members from Red Ink and other experienced instrumental teachers.

To promote planting new churches, Gateway ran a 'Connecting Conference' for several years, the most recent being in 2005 and held at Mt Eliza Business School. Since 2007 they have co-organised the annual "Unite Creative Arts Conference"

Gateway Church in Melbourne plans to build and manage its own LIFE centre. They have plans to develop a worship and performing arts theatre, conference centre, and other community facilities - located on a 60-acre campus in Baxter, Victoria known as “Carrup Carrup” by the traditional Australian Aboriginal owners. This translates to 'highland on the marshes'. The land was originally owened by Benjamin Baxter, and his original cottage is still preserved on the land ].

Gateway received a planning permit to build on the land from the Victorian Government, but this was changed after the Melbourne 2030 Green Wedge Policy was legislated.

In 2006 the Gateway Life Training Institute was launched. This provides Australian Government accredited courses in Business and Management.

Gateway is also involved in the community festivals around Frankston. They are a key organiser of the Frankston Good Friday March and Family Fun Day, as well as the Frankston Festival of Lights.

Since 1998 the largest group of delegates to the Hillsong Conference has come from Gateway, with at least 560 delegates in 2009.

Papua New Guinea
Gateway has started 4 churches in Papua New Guinea - in Boroko and Moitaka in Port Moresby, as well as in the highland towns of Goroko and Lay.

After 15 years working in PNG communities, a partnership was launched between Australian and Papua New Guinea Gateway Churches - and Compassion Australia in 2007 called the 'Gateway Children’s Fund'.

The Fund is a multi-level Child Development Project aimed at releasing children from poverty in PNG. It primarily focusses on the needs of the whole child through provision of better education, nutrition, health care, clean water, and Christian discipleship. Since the Fund’s launch in June 2007, it has raised over A$200,000 for the relief of poverty in slum settlements in Port Moresby suburbs of Boroko and Moitaka. With the recent endorsement of PNG’s Community Services Minister, Dame Carol Kidu, The Gateway Children’s Fund plans to quickly expand into other places where Gateway is planting churches, like the highland town of Goroka and also in Lae.

In 2008 Gateway launched Vada Cafe, which seeks to provide funds for the Gateway Children's Fund and create awareness of the poverty in Papua New Guinea. The cafe has Fairtrade Certification by the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand. Vada Cafe is situated in Frankston central on Nepean Hwy.