The Ecclesiastical District of New South Wales, Australia, continues to grow with the establishment of the Local Congregation of Bathurst. Its inaugural worship service was held on October 18, 2026, at the Raglan Tennis and Community Hall.

Succeeding worship services will be held at a rented venue located at 44 Frome Street Raglan, New South Wales 2795.

Brother Seth Gutierrez, district supervising minister, officiated at the sacred gathering. In his Bible-based sermon, he expounded on the importance of unity in the Church. The brethren were also reminded to remain united in faith, obey God’s teachings, and stand firm despite trials and persecution, trusting in His protection and blessings.

“I’m overjoyed. Words cannot express my happiness,” said Manalo Hernandez, a head deacon. On behalf of the congregation, he added, “We express our gratitude to the Church Administration and, most especially, to our Almighty God. We will continue to share the true faith that we have received.”

“The establishment of the Local Congregation of Bathurst is a great blessing from our Almighty God,” said Brother Gutierrez. “We promise to our Lord God that we will continue to praise and serve Him. We will never stop attending the worship service. We firmly believe, as what our Executive Minister taught us from the Bible, that worship opens doors to all of our Lord God’s goodness,” he added.

Before being elevated to local congregation status, the Bathurst Congregation was a group worship service under the Penrith Congregation’s supervision. The brethren enlisted there are from the central west region of New South Wales, including Orange, Mudgee, Oberon, Lithgow, with Bathurst as the main regional hub.— With assistance from Marwyn Daeniel Galang