Paradise Community Church

Paradise Community Church (formerly Paradise Assembly of God) is a Pentecostal Christian church affiliated with Australian Christian Churches, the Assemblies of God in Australia. The Church is based in Paradise, a north eastern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is pastored by Ashley and Jane Evans. Ashley Evans is the State President of Australian Christian Churches in South Australia, a position he has held since 2002. He is also a member of the National Executive of ACC, which oversights more than 1,100 churches. Jane Evans is an international author and a national board member of Compassion Australia. [ [http://www.influencersconference.com/speakers/janeevans.php Jane Evans intro for Paradise Community Church Influencers Conference 15-17 January 2008] (accessed 23 January 2008)]

History

The church was founded in the early part of the 20th century after meetings held in Adelaide by Smith Wigglesworth. Andrew Evans took over the church in 1969 when it was based in Klemzig. By the early 1980s, the church had grown from 150 in 1969 to over 2,000 people. In 1981, the church bought the current property in Paradise and it was officially opened the following year.

In June 2000, Ashley and Jane Evans became the church's Senior Pastors after years as the visionary and youth pastors. Since 2000, the church has grown from 3,000 to over 6,000 people.

Paradise Community Church has been a key part of launching some very successful churches such as Edge Church in Adelaide and Planetshakers City Church in Melbourne. The Planetshakers conferences and music started in Paradise Community Church, and in 2004 a church was planted by Russell Evans (Ashley Evans' brother) to carry the Planetshakers vision.

Influence

Media

As the church has grown to be one of the largest churches in Australia, the church has also emerged as one of the most influential. In 2003, Paradise worship singer Guy Sebastian became the inaugural Australian Idol. The Church has been featured on national programs such as A Current Affair and Compass and appeared in several publications including The Australian newspaper, The Age and the Advertiser.

The church has a TV program which screens in different countries and recenty started airing each Sunday on Channel 9. Paradise utilises different forms of media such as regular TV ads and radio ads in order to give people a clearer understanding of what the church offers.

Community

Paradise Community Church is known for its significant community programs including Adelaide's Biggest Easter Egg Hunt and city wide Christmas carols. Crowds in excess of 25,000 attend these events each year. Paradise Community Church also has an extensive community services arm, Paradise Community Services (PCS), which in 2006 serviced more than 10,000 clients. PCS also feeds and clothes thousands of people each year.

Family First Party

In 2001 Andrew and Ashley Evans co-founded Family First, a family values based political party built on Christian ethics. Currently there are two Family First members of the South Australian Legislative Council, as well as Steve Fielding representing Victoria in the Australian Senate. Despite polling less than 2% of the vote in Victoria, Fielding was elected by the flow of preferences from both major parties.

atellite services

Paradise Community Church has services in four separate locations and (as of July 2007) is commencing a 5th service in the south of Adelaide. The original location at Paradise holds three services on Sundays, with a Sunday night service in Hendon, a morning service at Elizabeth and another at the University of South Australia's City West campus.

Conferences

Influencers Conference

In 2004, the first "Influencers Conference" was held. Some of the world's most influential Christians such as Joyce Meyer, Bishop TD Jakes, Jentezen Franklin, Hollywood film director Matt Crouch and Australian idol Guy Sebastian have featured at the conference. The conference is similar to Hillsong's annual conference.

BU Conference

BU is a women's conference especially designed to empower women of all ages. Conferences and events are held each year, including the now famous BU fashion parade which runs seasonally. This is thought to be the largest fashion parade in Australia with as many as 3,000 of women attending each year.

ee also

*Guy Sebastian
*Andrew Evans
*Youth Alive
*Planetshakers
*Edge Church
*Australian Christian Churches
*List of the largest churches in Australia
*Churches affiliated with Australian Christian Churches

References

External links

* [http://www.paradise.asn.au/ Paradise Community Church]
* [http://www.planetshakers.com/ Planetshakers]
* [http://www.psom.net/ Paradise School of Music]
* [http://www.pcom.com.au Paradise College of Ministries]
* [http://www.influencersconference.com Influencers Conference]