Who we are

Get to know our mission, beliefs, people and story.

Glorifying God by Growing in Christ and Making Him Known.

Our vision is to be a church that is making a real difference for Christ in Penrith. A prayerfully dependent church committed to growing in relationship with Christ and his people. A local landmark where the people of Penrith are invited to experience the love of Christ as they come to know him and grow in him.

Our Leadership and Staff

Tom Harricks
Senior Minister

Tom is married to Jenny and they have 4 children. He is passionate about cricket, good coffee and swimming but more than this, loves seeing people engage with God through the Bible.

Mark Bolas
Associate Minister

Mark grew up in the Penrith area. After tasting city life through work and study, he saw the light and returned to the foot of the mountains. Mark loves trying out the breakfast options of local cafes with his wife Kylie and their three kids, but nothing excites him more than seeing people get to know Jesus.

Elizabeth Taylor
Safe Ministry Representative

Elizabeth is a retired High School teacher who after years of teaching English and Financial Services decided to try a different line of work. She enjoys walking, reading, Sudoku, coffee chats and learning more about what the Bible has to say to us today.

Caleb Au
Student Minister

Caleb grew up in Hong Kong, studied Law and worked in Canberra. He came to know Jesus at 19, where he was deeply impacted by the gospel. Since then, he has developed a strong desire to share the good news of Jesus with others.

Our Beliefs

Below is an overview of the core Christian beliefs that we hold as a church.

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and God gives salvation and eternal life to those who trust in him. Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness or human effort. It is a gift that is received by repentance and faith in Christ and his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. One commits one’s life to Christ, and depends on him, and on his death for humankind. He died in our place and for us so that we could live a full and wonderful life- for all eternity. God is love, and it is not His will that any should perish in judgment.

Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary — he was God in human flesh. He lived a sinless human life, yet willingly took upon himself our sins by dying in our place and on our behalf. He rose bodily, victorious over death. He ascended to Heaven and is at the right hand of the Father as the believer’s advocate and mediator. Some day, he will return to consummate history and to fulfil the eternal plan of God.

All believers are members of the body of Christ, the one true church universal. Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christians by acceptance and love of one another across ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, national, generational, gender, and denominational lines. The local church is a group of believers who gather regularly for worship, prayer, instruction from God’s word, encouragement, mutual accountability, community with each other, and as a witness to the world.

Our History

St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church was the first Church built in Penrith and is now the 15th oldest surviving church in NSW. The foundation stone was laid on 22nd November, 1837. The north-west corner of the Church’s thirteen metre tower was made Penrith’s trigonometric point becoming a landmark for travellers in the early days. The bell, said to have been cast on the site, is dated 1838 and is still in use. The eastern window demonstrates the style produced in the 1870’s in NSW and later ones present as pictures – those in the vestry depict the marriage in Cana and the four in the northern porch have caused it to be known as the Apostles’ Porch.

Our Commitment to Safe Ministry

We are committed to the physical, emotional and spiritual welfare and safety of all people, particularly within our own community. To ensure the safety of children and vulnerable people in our communities, in partnership with the Anglican Church of Australia, we will –

Carefully recruit and train our clergy and church workers
Adopt and encourage safe ministry practices by our clergy and church workers
Respond promptly to each concern raised about the behaviour of our clergy and church workers
Offer pastoral support to any person who has suffered abuse
Provide supervision of and pastoral accountability to any congregation member who is known to have abused a child or another vulnerable person.

Want to know more?

We would love to have you join us on a Sunday or at one of our ministries throughout the week. If you would like to know more about our church, who Jesus is, or anything else, get in touch through our online form or any of the ways below.

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