Welcome to Believe Church, we are so happy you are here!
Jesus is passionate about every person and family in The Illawarra and we are excited to be part of what He is doing here.
The Illawarra is a fantastic place to call home, and we are thankful it is ours. In 2017, we moved to Wollongong from Sydney with our sons Samuel and Jonathan. In many ways, this has been a homecoming for us. Janine grew up in Albion Park, where her family still live and have been farmers for generations. The values of family and community are important to us both, and we enjoy living close to the beach and the wonderful outdoor lifestyle of this region.
We have been in ministry together for 30 years and, as healing evangelists, we have witnessed first hand the incredible things God is doing around the world. Establishing a local church that believes in the Gospel and God’s power has been on our hearts for many years. Believe Church is the fulfilment of this dream. We love the local church and we are thrilled to be pastoring a local church.
Our mandate as healing evangelists has not changed. We remain committed to delivering the message of the Gospel to people who do not yet know Christ, and to praying and believing for miracles.
There is no place like home and we are so thankful that we have the opportunity to raise our family here and establish a new church family in this region. Believe Church is a wonderful community church that we would love you to become a part of.
Pastors Andrew & Janine
ENDORSEMENT
About Janine
About Andrew
Andrew was born in the small town of Gore, on the South Island of New Zealand and is the youngest of 8 children. At the age of 13, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia and spent the next 5 years in and out of hospitals receiving treatment. Andrew was given a 10% chance of survival from his doctor, however when he received prayer from his Christian youth pastors, things began to miraculously turn around. In the eyes of medical professionals, Andrew’s recovery was ‘miraculous’ and his performance throughout his treatment became a benchmark for cancer treatment throughout the world. Andrew has been cancer free for almost 30 years now and his passion for others to experience God's healing power has not wavered since this time.
In 1991 Andrew attended Faith Bible College in Tauranga. A year later he returned to Gore to become the Youth Pastor at Calvin Presbyterian Church where he grew one of New Zealand’s largest youth ministries.
In 1994 he moved to Christchurch and worked as an evangelist with Open Air Campaigners, before becoming the Youth Pastor at City New Life Church in Christchurch. In 1998 he married Janine and in 1999 they established 'Get Smart' an inter-denominational youth ministry that continues to operate in New Zealand.
In 2003, Andrew and Janine moved from Christchurch to Auckland and became a part of the team at LIFE with Pastors Paul and Maree de Jong. In 2008, they moved to Sydney, Australia to establish a ministry as healing evangelists with Ps Phil and Chris Pringle at C3 Oxford Falls.
Andrew is a powerful and inspirational communicator who regularly speaks to audiences across Australia and around the world. His strength lies in his ability to connect with people and lead them to Christ. Through working in the power of the miraculous, Andrew is able to open hearts and minds to the reality and love of God.
Janine grew up in Albion Park on the South Coast and completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Wollongong and Master of International Studies at the University of Sydney. Prior to joining Andrew in ministry Janine worked in international education.
Growing up in a Christian family, Janine committed her life to God as a teenager, but walked away from her faith in her early twenties. In 1994, Janine was living in a village on the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua and was at the wrong place at the wrong time when a drug deal took place and a major drug dealer wanted to include her as part of the deal. Running for her life through thick jungle, Janine felt utterly helpless and completely alone.
At the same time, on the other side of the world, her parents were praying. And those prayers helped Janine to discover that no matter where she ran, or how lost she became; she could never escape God’s love.
In 1996, at the age of 24, Janine had a dramatic encounter with God and gave her life to Christ. It was and remains the best decision she has ever made! The power of Janine’s testimony has connected thousands of people to Christ. Janine founded Esther’s Voice in 2012, a ministry focused on human trafficking prevention and bringing healing to women rescued from the sex industry.
Janine is a passionate evangelist who ministers God’s word with warmth and a depth of revelation that open hearts and changes lives. Janine has a powerful story that connects with both men and women. The impact of her ministry has seen many people make decisions to follow Jesus.