In early 1884, under a gum tree, a small gathering of believers met Sunday-by-Sunday for open air meetings in the hope of establishing a church plant in Rosalie. The land the church is now built on was purchased as these open air meetings began and by October of the same year, a small chapel was built and regular services and a Sunday School commenced. From these humble beginnings, the Baptist Church in Rosalie has maintained a faithful witness of the gospel for more than 130 years.
It is impossible to calculate the impact Rosalie Baptist Church has had on the lives of the people that have called it home throughout the generations. But records show that many Baptist Ministers and Missionaries were raised up and sent out over the years. We are humbled to think of the way that God has used a faithful group of local believers to bring about His plan for this part of Brisbane.
In more recent years, the changing face of the suburb led the church into a time of decline. Faithful believers still gathered week-by-week, but dwindling numbers and a lack of connection with the community, meant the church needed help.
In August 2012 Rosalie Baptist partnered with City North Baptist in order to revitalise the work of the church in the Paddington/Rosalie community. Both churches sensed God’s leading and overwhelmingly supported the initiative and there was a strong desire from both churches to work together for the sake of the gospel. Practically what this looked like was the City North church sending one of their pastors and a team of supporters to inject energy, leadership and teaching into the life of the Rosalie church.
By God’s grace the church grew and once again began to engage the local community with the gospel. After a few short years, City North’s help was no longer needed and the Rosalie church stood on our own two feet once again.
Today, we are a growing church thankful to God for the way He has shown His faithfulness to our congregation over such a long time. We would love for you to be part of this story and experience the love and joy that God is growing here.