Welcome to Kinsman BAPTIST Church
A place where you can find hope, healing, and restoration through Christ.
Welcome to Kinsman BAPTIST Church
A place where you can find hope, healing, and restoration through Christ.
OUR VISION
God has a specific plan for every individual among us. We place our trust in Him and offer prayers that each one of us can walk in our designated path, supporting, loving, and encouraging one another as we journey toward our eternal home in heaven and bring as many as we can with us. At Kinsman Church, we envision a community where people can come together to love, worship, learn, and grow in their faith in Jesus Christ.
The Prodigal Welcomed Home
While Scripture warns strongly against falling away (e.g., Hebrews 6:4–6, Hebrews 10:26–27), it also reveals a God whose grace often exceeds our expectations—a Shepherd who seeks the one who wandered (Luke 15), a Father who welcomes the returning prodigal (Luke 15:11–32), and a Savior who intercedes even for those who deny Him (Luke 22:32).
There are instances where a genuine believer may, in a time of deep pain, confusion, rebellion, or deception, turn away from faith and even openly reject Christ. But this alone does not necessarily mean they were never saved. It may indicate a profound crisis of faith—or a temporary departure from truth—but not a final severing from God's grace.
"salvation is rooted not in our grip on God, but in His grip on us"
The key distinction lies in this:If their faith was once real, it remains real in the eyes of God, even if buried under bitterness, doubt, or sin.God's grasp on them is not broken by their weakness. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).This doesn’t mean that rebellion is inconsequential. But it means that salvation is rooted not in our grip on God, but in His grip on us (John 10:28–29). The door of mercy remains open—even to the doubter, the wanderer, and the rebel—until the end. Grace does not cease where struggle begins.
"grace is not undone by despair"
A person may lose their way, curse the very faith they once professed, and walk in darkness for a season—or even a lifetime—but if they were truly Christ’s, then Christ remains theirs. Salvation is not lost by human weakness, and grace is not undone by despair. The Shepherd does not abandon His sheep, even when they stray far. While we must never presume upon grace, we can rest in the reality that it reaches deeper than we can fall.
"relationship before righteousness"
The Pharisees (self rightous religious people) were all about righteousness before relationship.
Jesus never compromised righteousness, but He continually prioritized relationship as the means to bring transformation. He ate with tax collectors, engaged with sinners, and touched lepers—none of whom were “righteous” by religious standards (Mark 2:15-17). His love and presence preceded repentance, and often produced it.
Paul’s pastoral model shows grace first, correction second. In letters like 1 Corinthians, Paul doesn’t open with a rebuke—even though the church had serious issues. He starts by affirming their identity in Christ (1 Cor. 1:2-9), reminding them of their relationship with God before correcting their behavior. Righteousness is called for, but within the context of relationship, not as a precondition to it.
"a heart transformed by love"
The “righteousness before relationship” approach risks legalism.
Jesus constantly warned the Pharisees, who were obsessed with being “right,” but missed the heart of the law—mercy, justice, and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23). Prioritizing doctrinal purity or moral superiority over love leads to division and pride, not true holiness.
God’s covenant with us is relational first.
Even in the Old Testament, God initiated relationship first—“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt”—before giving the law (Exodus 20:2). Relationship came before righteousness, not because righteousness doesn’t matter, but because it flows from a heart transformed by love.
Church unity is a gospel issue.
Jesus prayed for unity among believers (John 17:20-23) so that the world would believe. When churches divide over secondary issues in the name of “righteousness,” they harm their witness. As Paul said, “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1)
"righteousness within relationship"
A more biblical model is “righteousness within relationship.” We are called to speak truth in love (Eph. 4:15), bear with one another (Col. 3:13), and correct gently (Gal. 6:1). Truth without relationship breeds self-righteousness; relationship without truth becomes sentimentality. The gospel holds both together, and the church should too. The church grows through relationship which produces the righteousness that can only come from God. When we imply that the church grows through a kind of self righteousness, we are no different to Pharisees.
“Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.”
Lieutenant Arthur Herbert Curwen-Walker
This ANZAC Day, the Curwen-Walker family of David and Kathy, Aaron, Ryan and Erica, Jordan, Tessa, Aubrey, Nolan, and Declan — honor the memory of Lieutenant Arthur Herbert Curwen-Walker, a cherished member of our family and a valiant soldier of the First World War. Born on 12 November 1894 in Ballarat, Victoria, Arthur was the son of Henry Cleburne and Gertrude Marie Curwen-Walker. He attended Ballarat High School before joining the second intake of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1912. As part of the Honour Guard, Arthur took part in the official naming of Canberra in March 1913. Commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 14th Battalion of the AIF, Arthur embarked for Egypt in December 1914 aboard HMAS Ulysses.
LEST WE FORGET
Just a few months later, he landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Less than a week into the campaign, on 1 May, Arthur was critically wounded while leading a bayonet charge at MacLaurin's Hill. He died of his wounds two days later, aboard the hospital ship Devanha, and was buried at sea. He was just 20 years old.Arthur is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli (which Kathy and David visited in 2015) and on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
At Duntroon, his name is also commemorated with honor.His medals, awarded posthumously, are proudly worn each year and now at this dawn service in East Keilor. A year before his deployment, Arthur risked his life to save two fellow cadets from drowning in the Murrumbidgee River — a powerful display of his courage and compassion.
Beyond his military achievements, Arthur was a man of Christian faith. He took an active interest in the Students' Christian Union and played a leading role in establishing a branch at Duntroon, demonstrating his desire to foster faith and fellowship among his peers. His life was marked by humility, service, and conviction — traits rooted in his walk with Christ. A stained glass window in the Soldiers' Chapel at St. Peter’s Church of England in Ballarat now bears witness to his memory, depicting the figure of Hope and reminding all who see it of a life lived in Christ.
Though we never had the privilege of knowing Arthur, his story continues to inspire us. He reminds us of the enduring values of courage, sacrifice, service — and faith. On this ANZAC Day, we give thanks for his life, and for the legacy he left that still shapes our family today. Lest we forget.