Little did they know (though they certainly hoped) that this small gathering would grow to become a vibrant community of more than a thousand people from many generations, cultures and backgrounds.
Syndal’s history is alive with stories of people sharing life together with Jesus and each other.
Families, workers, retirees, students, new Australians and disadvantaged members of the community have all found their place here with Jesus and His people.
We believe that Jesus transforms lives and loves to use his community of followers to do it.
We believe that, in Jesus, everyone has a place and a purpose and we'd love to help you find yours.
We have discerned these five key values to be a core part of our DNA as a church - both having been part of our past, but also a crucial part of our future. These values are ones which we believe should shape who we are as a community, but also values which we hope to develop in the individuals who consider Syndal Baptist their church home.
Click on each value to read more about what they mean for us.
Syndal has always been a place where people can come to grow in their faith, their relationships and in the way they live.
We have been a community that has been growing since it's beginning, planted by a small group of young adults in a home in Syndal.
Our hope and goal is that we continue to prioritise the growth of those who connect with us, and resultantly that we continue to grow numerically - always reaching out and making sure our doors are wide open to newcomers.
Jesus, the one at the center of our church and our faith, the one in whom we place our hope and trust, came to earth on a mission to seek and save the lost.
He embodies God's love for a broken world, and God's pathway for the restoration and healing of that world and the individuals within it.
His is is a message of hope, a message we are entrusted with and commissioned to share. Syndal's history is filled with examples of people who took that message with them near and far, to neighbours and to strangers.
We endeavour as a church to prioritise the sharing of that same message, looking for and taking opportunities to share the good news of Jesus and to serve others, both in an individual and collective capacity.
One of the most incredible and important parts of Jesus' ministry on earth was the way he included and connected with all types of people - the rich, the poor, the religious and those whom religion rejected.
Throughout Syndal's history, countless people have found a home and family amongst us.
Yet, we have further to go.
We endeavour to grow as a church in the way we open our doors, our arms and our social circles to all people, and treat all people equally regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status, age, background or ability.
We choose to invest in initiatives and opportunities that will help us become more inclusive.
We believe in a God who is generous. A God who gave his Son to save the world, who gives generously to meet needs, and who calls his people to share what they have been given by him.
Syndal has long been a church which has looked beyond meeting our own needs to looking at how we can help meet the needs of others - those connected to our community and those beyond it.
We endeavour to be extravagantly generous with our resources as a community, but also to help foster generosity in the individuals who call Syndal Baptist their home church.
One of our most important responsibilities as a church is to care for those whom the Lord entrusts to us.
Throughout it's history, Syndal's people have extended care to people in all sorts of need: Emotional, spiritual, psychological, practical, relational and spiritual.
While care has been a central part of who we are as a church, we know we can always grow in this area.
We commit to prioritising care in the choices we make and the way we conduct ourselves and ministries. We commit to helping individuals grow in their capacity and willingness to care for others.
Our hope is that we better reflect the care of Christ in how we respond to the needs of people.