Hello, and welcome to the Connect Baptist Church website. My name is Julie Osborn, and I am the pastor of this church. God is amazing isn’t He? Timeless, faithful, consistent, powerful, and ever active in our changing world, Christ offers love, direction, purpose, and hope to all people.
If you are reading this then you are either a Christian on a journey with God, or someone searching for reality and what it means to be human. It is my firm belief that all people were created to be in relationship with Christ. That’s you!! Only He can heal our brokenness, lead us into true freedom, and offer us fullness of life, both now and forever. Without Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we will fill our inner void with something else.
That’s why I’m passionate about the church – building believers up in their faith, to be all God intended them to be; and I’m passionate about sharing the love and hope of Jesus with people who don’t know Him yet.
Who I am
I am 61, and have two adult children; Kirk and Ashleigh. My husband Richard sadly died unexpectedly in 2008.
I trained at Carey Baptist College between 2010 and 2012, graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Theology and a Diploma of Pastoral Leadership. Previous to this I worked as a physiotherapist for 30 years.
My Call
When I was 33 years old I sensed God drawing me towards Himself, into His presence. I was going through a tortuous period in my life, and God knew that I desperately needed Him. I walked into a Wellington church in 1993 and God’s reconciling work changed my life forever.
Over a period of 17 years, during various ministry roles within my local church, I sensed God’s call to pastoral ministry. I loved physiotherapy, so my obedience to God’s call took 9 years.
At the end of my Carey training I was looking forward to moving out of Auckland and taking up a pastorate in a moderate-sized city. Sorry Auckland! God had other plans! Slowly but surely my call to “Connect” was mutually confirmed. So here we are together, as God takes us on a journey into unchartered ground as Connect Baptist Church.
My Passion
The Kingdom of God is real, and God is building His kingdom on earth. Christ loves the Church and I love the Church. My passion is two fold. Firstly I long to see the people of this church grow up to be everything Christ designed them to be, by His grace, and secondly, Christ commissioned the Church to reveal who He is to the world. Therefore the people of God are to display holiness and grace in the way we live our lives, witnessing Jesus to people who are yet to come to know Him. God reveals His character to us in the pages of the Christian Bible, which helps us understand His identity and mission. To worship in Spirit and truth we must have a vibrant connection with God through an active prayer life; both personal and corporate.
Connect Baptist Church is part of the universal Church. As the priesthood of all believers our mission is to witness Christ in unity and in peace, showing the love and compassion of Jesus to all people. Our mission of joining with Christ in His work of reconciliation must always be before us.
So........... Connecting with God, and connecting with others, as the church in worship of Christ, is what it’s all about. Please feel free to check us out and join with us on a journey of discovery of what it means to be the people of God in today’s world.
Bless you heaps,
In Christ’s service,
Love, Julie.
