Gereformeerde Evangeliese Kerk
van Australië
ENGLISH OVERVIEW
Welcome to the website of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Australia. It is our desire to serve as a spiritual home to South African immigrants seeking a Reformed Evangelical Church experience in Afrikaans..In light of this we are accomodating a range of people hailing from the related South African denominations known as the ‘sister churches’ including the “NG Kerk”, “Gereformeerde Kerk”, “Hervormde Kerk”, and the “AP Kerk”.
People who originally come from other denominations in South Africa also find their spiritual home with us. The services are held in Afrikaans due to a deep desire by Afrikaans speaking immigrants to worship and engage with God in their mother tongue. It is easier to progress in spiritual growth when Bible reading and prayer occurs in your native language. For many it is also easier to express their deepest thoughts and emotions in their home language when seeking pastoral counselling and care.The church also plays a vital support role to new immigrants arriving in Australia, helping them to deal with the challenges and trauma associated with transitioning into a new cultural environment. Help is also available for English speaking immigrants.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
The Foundations for the Beliefs of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Australia
The Reformed Evangelical Church of Australia stems from the broad Reformed tradition and is therefore undergirded by the classical Reformed Confessions of Faith. These include the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordt, the Belgic Confession, and the Westminster Confessions of Faith. We have compiled a document titled “Statement of Faith” that briefly summarises the core of our beliefs, and this document can be viewed by accessing the “Publications” link above.
We also identify with the core beliefs of the worldwide Evangelical movement. These beliefs can be briefly summarised as follows:
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is authoritative and that it is the inspired Word of God. This means that we highly regard the Bible as instructive in guiding how we live our lives and also in forming our beliefs. We also reject worldviews that undermine the authority of the Bible.
The Cross
We believe that the substitutional death of Jesus Christ on the Cross is the centrepiece of human history, and that it is also the primary message of the Bible. Therefore we confess that salvation does not originate from within humanity, but that it is received as a free gift from God based on the grace provided by the reconciling death of Jesus.
Transformation
We believe that the Gospel message is true at an intellectual level. But the message also affects every part of our human experience and has the power to transform our lives. This transformation commences once a person surrenders their entire life to the rulership of Christ and the salvation that He offers. Following this act of trust, the impact of the Gospel message spreads to affect every aspect of their life.
The World
We believe that the Gospel message is to be communicated to every person in the world. We believe that the message not only has the potential to transform individuals, but also to transform entire communities. It is therefore our desire to not only live out the truth of the Gospel message in our own communities, but also to endeavour to communicate the message to those living far away from us.
It is important to note that these Evangelical beliefs are in no way in conflict with our Reformed character. In fact we see our Evangelical beliefs as revealing our identity while being Reformed in character allows us to express that identity in a very specific way. We therefore identify ourselves as both Evangelical and Reformed, thereby associating with millions of Evangelical Christians who are loved by God, and also with those who share our Reformed beliefs.
OUR HISTORY
The first Afrikaans congregation in Australia was founded in Perth, West Australia, in February 2004. This congregation was known as the "Perth Afrikaans Reformed Church" (PARC). Worship services were initially held only in the North of Perth, but after 5 years services were also started in southern Perth. Besides congregations, two ministries also later formed part of the church, outreach WA (ministry in rural West Australia) and Veritas College (Theology's Training).
At a meeting in August 2008, the principle for an Afrikaans Reformed Church connection in Australia was approved and the work to form it began. On 16 March 2009, at a meeting of these aforementioned congregations and ministries, the church context was established, and it was decided on the name "Reformed Evangelical Church of Australia (RECA).
Updating the website in June 2022, the GEKA has expanded into the following congregations: Lux Mundi who meets on the North Side of Perth city for concurrent Afrikaans and English worship services, Outreach WA which besides the nine rural towns where regular worship services are held also has a worship service point in Perth, Bunbury GEKA, 170 km South of Perth and Brisbane Afrikaans Church. Worship services take place every Sunday at these locations.
For more details of these congregations and ministries please see the individual links for each one.