PASTOR Nathan Hawes has always wanted to help people.
A pastor for six years, he is now at the C3 Church in Newport.
“You don’t join the ministry or become a pastor for the money because it’s not there. You want to help people. All my life I’ve wanted to transform lives,” he says.
The Hobsons Bay Christian Church became the C3 Church Newport at the end of last year with a focus on positivity and inspirational messages. “It’s more upbeat,” Mr Hawes says.
“We don’t want people leaving here depressed. We want them leaving happier than they were coming in,” the Tarneit resident says.
The church has opened a new cafe to attract young families and give them a place to socialise. “It’s open for anyone, but we’re hoping to connect more with young families and with the local demographic here in Newport now,” Mr Hawes says. “We’re in suburbia and we have a lot of houses surrounding us and the fact they can just walk here and the fact we’re just a stone’s throw away from the school means lots of young families are close by.”
The church previously had a 1950s-style kitchen where weekly free meals were prepared. With help from the government and local businesses, it has been upgraded to a fully equipped commercial kitchen.
At the church, there is a transformation centre where Newstart counselling and other support services, including food parcels, are provided.
“Food is always a big issue,” Mr Hawes says. “We have been getting some families coming in with newborns. They’ve just had a baby and trying to make ends meet,” Mr Hawes says.
The cafe, the church’s op shop and monthly newsletter are also being used as training grounds to help job seekers gain skills before entering the workforce. “Transforming lives – that’s our purpose,” Mr Hawes says.
