When Rev. Campbell Mackay became the rector of the Jervis Bay parish, he’d only visited once before, and that was for the interview.
“I took the kids to Blenheim Beach that first weekend,” he recalls. “I just walked down the steps and looked around and had one of those moments where I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, how did I not know this was here?’ It’s such a beautiful part of the world.”
But behind the idyllic views and holiday homes, Jervis Bay Anglican Church is part of a complex regional community, one that stretches from lower socio-economic families to multi-million-dollar waterfront properties, retirees to young families, holidaymakers to lifelong locals.
“It’s a growing church and has been for a number of years,” says Campbell, “but it’s under-resourced for its size. There are six primary schools and one high school in the parish, yet if you added up everyone attending Protestant churches on a Sunday, it would only reach around 1% of the local population. There’s a real need here.”
That need, and the gospel opportunities, have been the driving force behind a long, patient journey toward a new ministry centre.
Forty years in the making
The idea of consolidating the parish’s two small sites has been floating around for decades.
“One of our wardens recently told me somebody first mentioned it 40 years ago,” Campbell says. “But it’s only really been underway in earnest for the past 10 years.”
For more than a decade, the church has met in a local school hall, a decision made to provide space to grow while preparing to sell their two properties, Holy Trinity Huskisson and St Peter’s Sanctuary Point.
Both sites were limited: small, constrained, and unable to accommodate the church’s vision for future ministry. “In holidays, regulars would stay outside and wait for visitors to come in before trying to cram in around the edges,” Campbell says. “The congregation welcomes visitors really well, but it did highlight the challenge with our facilities.”
By the time Campbell arrived four years ago, the congregation had plans drawn up, and development approval (DA) followed soon after. There was a faithful building committee, with lots of expertise, and some hard-won battles behind them. But there was a major problem.
“The DA was approved, but we just didn’t have the money to build it,” Campbell explains. “We’d sold everything, but construction costs had risen by around 40 percent. It was a pretty scary situation. You’re standing there thinking, ‘We’ve put all our eggs in one basket… What now?’”
The turning point
That’s when help arrived.
“Our regional bishop, Peter Hayward, was really helpful in connecting us with the then, Anglican Church Growth Corporation (ACGC),” Campbell says. “They had some creative ideas about low-cost building solutions and they of course eventuated into the now, Sydney Anglican Property (SAP). From there, things began to move.”
SAP helped the parish engage Sustainable Development Group (SDG) as project managers, a turning point in the project’s momentum.
“James Cockrem from SDG has really been the hands and feet for us,” says Campbell. “He’s made sure the project is on track and getting things done, and that’s been invaluable. Having a professional project manager isn’t cheap, but it’s worth it. He brings expertise that we simply don’t have.”
SAP also helped connect the church with Reitsma Constructions, who came on board under a Design & Construct (D&C) contract, a model that allowed the builder to contribute their design expertise and streamline costs.
“In a D&C contract, the builder does the design,” Campbell explains. “It’s simpler, more efficient, and in our case, it got us significant cost savings. We ended up with a design that still gives us all the spaces we need, just done in a smarter way.”
For Campbell, the support of SAP has been more than technical, it’s been relational and deeply encouraging.
“The connections that have been made and the processes that have been followed would otherwise have been beyond us,” he says. “We’ve had legal support, financial expertise, and introductions to the right people at the right time. But I think the most helpful thing is knowing that we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are helping us and praying with us for this. We all want the same thing: to see God’s kingdom grow.”
And now thanks to this fruitful collaboration, the finish line is finally in sight, with JB Anglican set to be in their new home well before Christmas next year!
God’s provision, every step of the way
Even through slow years, uncertainty, and delay, Campbell sees clear evidence of God’s provision.
“We’re thankful for previous generations,” he says. “We had property assets to sell. That’s God’s faithfulness over many years. And then he provided the right people at the right time: ACGC, SAP, SDG, our builders, our own building committee. Everyone’s played their part.”
The same has been true in fundraising.
“When we realised we’d need to raise extra funds, God provided people with exactly the right expertise to run a campaign and secure tax-deductible status,” Campbell says. “And the result really exceeded anyone’s expectations.”
Building for the bay
The new Jervis Bay Anglican building will be simple, functional, and flexible, a home base for gospel ministry in a region that’s growing rapidly.
It will provide dedicated spaces for children’s and youth programs, better accessibility for community events, and a welcoming environment for the hundreds of visitors who walk through the doors each year.
And more than that, it represents something bigger.
“For so long, it felt like this might never happen,” Campbell admits. “But again and again, God’s reminded us that he’s sovereign. If he wants this thing built, it’ll get built. We’ve seen that truth play out at every turn.”
With ground now broken at their new site, the Jervis Bay Anglican congregation’s story stands as a testimony not just to perseverance, but to partnership, prayer, and God’s faithfulness to his people and his mission.
To learn more about this great story and the parish of Jervis Bay, watch this video.