Q&A With Kelli Hobbs From Trinity Church Tonsley
By Liz Fong
Jess Prins is a Ministry Assistant at Summerleas Christian Church, Tasmania. She oversees Maturity, Community and Women’s Ministry teams.
I became a Christian at a Katoomba Christian Convention conference that trained Christian leaders, which is a very odd place to become a Christian! All the pieces came together for me as I heard about how important Jesus is, learned to write a Bible study and was challenged to talk to people about Jesus. I think that instilled in me a desire to be in Christian ministry and leadership, because that’s how it all started for me.
Our church moved into a new venue this year because we outgrew our last one, but it’s not an ideal permanent location. Our church community has come alongside us and dealt with all the changes, but the tricky thing is that every week something seems to be different and going wrong. We’re starting church late every week because something might happen with the sound and the musicians can’t practise properly. And the chairs can have a tendency to fall down when they’re not stacked properly – it’s just little practical things!
We’ve got quite a lot of neurodiverse people in our church community because we’re inclusive of all different sorts of people. It’s often said from the front that we don’t mind the noise – we set the culture that it’s okay, and that’s part of who we are. We have a roaming area for young children and a calm corner with fidget toys, wobble cushions and colouring. It’s a space where kids or adults can go if they’re overwhelmed. We offer visual timetables so that people know the routine, and we stick to it every week. Kids can wear noise-cancelling headphones and hook straight into the sound desk.
We have Gospel Community groups where four or five families get to know each other really well. The groups do life together and try to be part of the mess of everyday life together in people’s homes. People see what it looks like to live with disabilities. As soon as you see it, you become more accepting and flexible. Church can be very overwhelming with 150 people, but if each family knows four or five other families really well, they can sit with them and talk to them after the service. It hooks them in with deeper relationships quicker.
I’m thinking through what it actually means to take refuge in God. Is it just trusting him, or is it more than that? What would it look like if we actually took hold of this truth? How would it change our lives? I don’t feel like I’ve fully grasped how rich and amazing it is to have God be our safety. It totally shifts our self-esteem and our identity. Real contentment and security can be found in God. Nothing can ever change our position with him.
Being a mother, my mental load is often very, very full. Most of the week I have to switch my brain in five seconds from an urgent pastoral care call to picking up my kids from school. I’ve literally been crying my eyes out, and then my kids have popped in the car. Other times I’m shifting from a strategy meeting to bringing my kids to an appointment and then cooking dinner. Constantly shifting my brain is really tricky, and setting boundaries has been a real challenge for me. I thought it would be easier as my kids got older, but it’s actually getting harder because they need more emotional support. But God is good. He’s gracious. I’m daily reminded of his mercy and the privilege that it is for him to use me with all my limitations.
Go for it! Be flexible and creative about how you can be involved in ministry in different seasons of life. One benefit to know is that it’s generally quite flexible. I work 15 hours across five days because I work when my kids are at school. It’s a real privilege to be involved in paid ministry and I’m really thankful.
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Jess is part of the coaching network at Reach Australia. To find out more about our coaching training go to: https://reachaustralia.com.au/coaching/
