Empowered Faith Communities

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Burwood East, VIC
Empowered Faith Communities

To catalyse the church to develop empowered faith communities with those doing it tough.

05/04/2026

On Easter Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death!

23/03/2026

Mark's been travelling across the nation the last 2 weeks!
Discussing and sharing how to build communities with a strengths based empowering discipleship culture as we walk alongside those living in poverty.
Starting in Melbourne at Crossway LifeCare - thank you Matt Jones for leading the workshop!
in Adelaide at The Salvation Army Australia- Thank you Ali Halls and Pheonix
At Tabor College in SA - Thank you Ian Dicks
At Christies Beach Baptist Church - thank you Stephen Spence
In Tasmania at The Salvation Army - thank you Dean and Vicki Clarke
In Queensland at Hervey Bay Baptist Church - Thank you Jo Lambden
Maryborough Baptist Church - Thank you Nicky Nikki Goodwin-Tebbutt
Maryborough Uniting Church Thank you Delma Lovell

What a great start to the year!!

Empowered Faith Communities

27/02/2026

What a great start to the year!

The 1st EFC workshop in Victoria was at full capacity! It was so good to meet with these wonderful people from different denominations who want to see transformation in their local communities.

Faith Church
New Peninsula
Crossway Baptist

Working together to see community transformation

20/11/2025

In 2008, Charmaine Lang & her husband Phil joined the COACH Community Mentoring program after experiencing deep trauma & isolation following a crime committed against them. They were matched with mentors Graeme & Cheryl King, forming a genuine, trusting friendship that became a turning point in their lives.

Through that relationship, Charmaine began exploring spirituality & joined a small Bible study group with others who were also mentored — Sandy, Suanne, Marie, David & Luke. In 2010, this small gathering became the COACH Mentoring Home Group, meeting in the lounge room of Marie’s modest rental property.

In that space, participants discovered the power of connection & community. They learned to support & encourage one another, share life’s struggles, pray, read Scripture & celebrate small victories together. Over time, they grew not only in faith but also in strength-based leadership, learning to facilitate the group themselves & nurture others in the same way they had been mentored.

As the group grew, it soon outgrew Marie’s lounge room. What began as one small
gathering, became the foundation of Empowered Faith Communities - a movement of inclusive, strengths-based, and faith-driven communities now active across Australia & beyond. These communities create spaces where people can belong, grow & explore faith outside traditional church settings.

Charmaine recently passed away, leaving behind a legacy of transformation & hope. Her life reminds us of the multiplying impact of one-to-one mentoring — how love, encouragemen & faith can ripple outward to form entire communities.
We also celebrate the legacy of her mentors, Graeme & Cheryl King, who, in Cheryl’s words, “found their mission field in their local community.” Their investment shaped Charmaine, Phil & their daughter Kaytelin — a living testimony to intergenerational change & the lasting fruit of empowered faith communities.

- Mark Matthews

12/11/2025

We'd love to share a story from Street Level Christian Community based in Merrylands in NSW. Grant & the team at Street Level began their EFC group mid last year & since then have been able to help people recognise their value & find acceptance through connecting in to a community.

The team at Street Level have been using Strength Cards as a tool to empower people & help them recognise their God-given value. These cards provide an opportunity to speak encouragement & hope into someone’s life, often at a time when they need it most.

Barry, a longterm member of the community, has spent much of his adult life in prison & after bring released found his home had been broken in to & his belongings stolen. He felt overwhelmed, alone & close to giving up. He then found his strength card - a personal message of encouragement given to him by the Street Level community on his birthday. It reminded him of who he is, the prayers spoken over him and the love and support that surrounded him. Being reminded of this helped him move from feeling hopeless to feeling hope.

Barry later shared, “It was like God tapping me on the shoulder and saying, this is
who you are. I no longer felt I needed to give up. I can keep moving forward.”

30/10/2025

What an amazing community Longreach Baptist Church are! Their commitment to actively make a difference in their community was demonstrated in our training day together led by Mark Matthews.

The church plan to introduce a mentoring culture for young people in partnership with schools in the local district, the 20 trainees exhibited wisdom, creativity & fun during the induction training.

Thank you Carinity from the Baptist Union of QLD for backing this much needed project.

16/09/2025

While recently working in the Wide Bay area of Queensland, it was Mark Matthews pleasure to meet with Dr Paul K. Scully

Paul is an Academic & lecturer and a former pastor & Chief Executive Officer of faith-based charities, including Baptist Care SA. He also led a division of Lifeline in Queensland & currently operates a counselling & clinical supervision practice.

Paul currently serves as Chair of Kindness Works, an organization delivering the COACH program & EFC programs across the Fraser Coast region.

Here’s what Paul has to say about his perspective of both COACH Mentoring & Empowered Faith materials:

“I can confidently say that COACH & EFC provide some of the most impactful training available for those seeking to engage meaningfully with people beyond their local church.

These initiatives go far beyond being mere programs—they’re transformative experiences.

They equip you with practical tools & insightful strategies for building authentic relationships, while also fostering personal growth. Through COACH & EFC, you’ll deepen your understanding, expand your compassion & gain wisdom in how you connect with others”.

11/09/2025

In a world growing noisier and more connected by the second, one ache rings louder than ever: loneliness.

Mother Teresa once said, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” Long before digital devices tethered us to endless scrolls and curated lives, she named the silent epidemic we’re still fighting today—an epidemic not of viruses, but of isolation. And now, even as artificial intelligence can mimic conversation, schedule meetings, and answer questions in seconds, it cannot replicate the awkward beauty of eye contact, the pause in a heartfelt conversation, or the sacred space of being fully seen by another soul.

Psalm 68:6 tells us, “God places the lonely in families.” This verse, nestled in a psalm of praise and power, is more than poetry—it’s a promise. It reminds us that connection is not a luxury, but a divine intention. Whether through biological kin, spiritual families, or chosen communities, God’s heart beats for belonging. And in a world increasingly isolated, those of us in leadership are called to create environments that don’t just build teams—but build homes.

To read Megan’s reflection click here - coachnetwork.org/god-places-the-lonely-in-families-leading-with-heart-in-a-disconnected-world/

COACH Network Empowered Faith Communities

09/09/2025

The heart of our Together For Communities summits is connecting people in to community where they can find a safe place of belonging and hope. Join Mark Matthews & the COACH Network team on Thursday for the NSW event!

Register here - coachnetwork.org/events/together-for-communities-nsw25/

07/09/2025

The heart of our Together For Communities summits is connecting people in to community where they can find a safe place of belonging and hope. Join Mark & Megan this Tuesday for the QLD event & Mark on Thursday for the NSW event!

Register here -

QLD - coachnetwork.org/events/together-for-communities-queensland/
NSW - coachnetwork.org/events/together-for-communities-nsw25/

03/09/2025

We're looking forward to hearing Major Brendan Nottle from The Salvation Army tomorrow! Brendan has run the Salvos’ operations in the City of Melbourne. Mark Matthews will be hosting the Story Telling Panel along with the Different Expressions & Stories of the EFC Journey session with some of our EFC family - David Breen, Corrine Schwartz & Julie Szabo.

We'd love to see you tomorrow for this free event! Register here - https://www.coachnetwork.org/events/together-for-communities-victoria/

LinC Yarra Valley Crossway LifeCare Phillip Island Baptist Church

Address

Burwood East, VIC
3149

Website

https://efc.org.au/

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