Church of the Vale

A family drifted 10 kilometres out to sea on brand new paddleboards this Christmas. They had a dream for the day but no guardrails. Ps Ryan Germain opens Proverbs 29:18 on the first Sunday of 2026 and unpacks what it means to live with a clear God vision, and how the Holy Spirit still speaks through dreams and visions. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more at churchofthevale...

God wants to bless our lives, and blessing is something we receive, not something we earn. Ps Ryan Germain walks through Jacob wrestling through the night in Genesis 32 and refusing to let go until he is blessed, and the moment God changes his name and shifts his identity forever. Three things it costs us to receive. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more at churchofthevale.c...

Holding his newborn daughter changed how Ps Andrew Waddell sees the incarnation. Christmas is not only about Jesus saving us from sin, it is the kingdom of heaven arriving on earth, and Jesus is the answer to the prayer He taught us to pray. From Philippians 2 and the Lord's Prayer, a message on what changes when the kingdom comes near. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more...

We love being fit, but we hate doing burpees, and self-control works much the same way. Ps Ryan Germain takes the last fruit on Paul's list in Galatians 5 and defines self-control as Spirit empowered internal mastery, a marker of maturity in a follower of Jesus. Not a one-time altar call, but a daily taking up of the cross. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more at churchofth...

Gentleness is not weakness, it is strength under control, the wild stallion trained rather than broken. Ps Alastair Hills opens Galatians 5 alongside Philippians 4:5 and Proverbs 15:1 to show that a gentle answer turns away wrath, and that gentleness is what makes the gospel believable to people who are hurting. It flows from how close we walk with Jesus, not from personality. Come be part of a Su...

Faithfulness is being steady, trustworthy and dependable, especially when nobody is watching. Ps Ryan Germain opens Matthew 25 and the master who tells his servant well done, good and faithful, then names four things that quietly replace faithfulness in our lives, starting with fear. God has given us gifts, and He expects us to do something with them. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale...

Goodness is not a box we tick, it is moral beauty in action, the Holy Spirit's character showing up where people can see it. Ryan McMahon takes fruit number six in the Fruit of the Spirit collection and gives us three ways to grow it, abide, align and act, drawing on Matthew 5:16 and the life of Jesus. Until we act, goodness is only a promise. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or fin...

God's kingdom is not a cruel kingdom, it is a kingdom of kindness. Ps Ryan Germain unpacks the Hebrew word hesed to show that biblical kindness has muscle on it, loyal and covenantal and self-giving, then opens Luke 7 where Jesus meets a grieving widow at Nain and raises her son. Part of our Fruit of the Spirit collection. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more at churchofthe...

Honour boards in an old Ipswich Grammar hall got Ps Mark Edwards thinking about Hebrews 12 and the great crowd of witnesses cheering us on. He makes the case that the patience of Galatians 5 has to be read as patient endurance, and that Hebrews 11 is the best chapter in the Bible for understanding it. Part of our Fruit of the Spirit collection. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or fi...

A whole crowd pressed against Jesus that day, but only one person actually touched Him. Ps Nathan Bean reads Mark 5 and the story of Jairus and the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, and draws the line between proximity and intimacy. We can be close to Jesus and a million miles away. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more at churchofthevale.com.

There is no peace in what ifs, and Ps Ryan Germain calls this message practising a posture of peace, taking us to Isaiah 9 where Jesus is named Prince of Peace, sar shalom, the ruler of wholeness. A place, a product or the right people will never sustain us the way He can. Part of our Fruit of the Spirit collection. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more at churchofthevale.co...

Happiness is a reaction to our circumstances, joy is how we see them. Michael Anderson opens Acts 16 where Paul and Silas sing in a prison until the foundations shake, and makes the case that joy is a catalyst for freedom rather than the result of it. The discipline to train in is simple, read, pray, worship. Come be part of a Sunday at Church of the Vale, or find more at churchofthevale.com.