ABOUT US
Located in Melbourne’s western suburbs, Freedom Centre is called to be a Bethany for One and a Bethel for many.
These two notable biblical locations help give definition to the Mandate we feel God has placed upon our house. Our first priority is to minister to Jesus, as Mary did in Bethany. We want everything we do to be under-girded by the desire to be a place of rest and refreshment for The Lord, where His Headship goes uncontested and He feels at ease to do all that He pleases.
In referencing Jacob’s vision at Bethel, Jesus compares Himself to the ladder that Jacob saw reaching into Heaven – this divine convergence point between Heaven and Earth. As we minister to Jesus as our first priority, He will come just as He promised, and a meeting place will open up in our midst, where people will experience the tangible reality of God’s Kingdom.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SENIOR LEADERS
We’re really excited to welcome you to Freedom Centre. It’s an incredible honour to be leading this community and, at the same time, it’s an incredibly weighty responsibility.
But much of that weight is lifted as we simply resolve to keep returning to the blueprint Jesus gave us in John 12:32 for leading people to Him: “If I am lifted up… I will draw all people to myself.” That there is what we’re setting out to do, time and time again.
It was just a few years ago, The Lord led us to Ezekiel 48:35. A passage that we feel has become a banner for our house. If there’s anything we want to be known for at Freedom Centre, it’s a place where it’s known that “The Lord is There”. We pray that will be the reality for every person who walks through our doors.
We know that though God is everywhere, He longs to dwell somewhere. We believe God is looking for that ‘somewhere’ here in Melbourne and we sense He is calling Freedom Centre to be that place and those people.
We’re provoked by the account of Obed-edom in 2 Samuel. How God’s presence changed his entire home, as he housed the Ark of God. We believe God is wanting to setup camp in our midst – not only for our sake, but for the sake of seeing an entire city transformed. After all, it’s Jesus’ presence that changes everything.
We pray you’ll join us in building and becoming a people and a place that belongs to The Lord.
NEIL & GRACE THOMAS
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SENIOR LEADERS
Welcome to Freedom Centre. It’s an incredible honour and an incredibly weighty responsibility, to be leading this community.
But much of that weight is lifted as we simply resolve follow the blueprint Jesus gave us in leading people to Him: “If I am lifted up… I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).
Just a few years ago, The Lord led us to Ezekiel 48:35. A passage that has become a banner for our house. If there’s anything we want to be known for at Freedom Centre, it’s a place where it’s known that “The Lord is There”. We pray that will be the reality for every person who walks through our doors.
We know that though God is everywhere, He longs to dwell somewhere. We believe God is looking for that ‘somewhere’ here in Melbourne and we sense He is calling Freedom Centre to be that place and those people.
We believe God is wanting to setup camp in our midst – not only for our sake, but for the sake of seeing an entire city transformed. After all, it’s Jesus’ presence that changes everything.
We pray you’ll join us in building and becoming a people and a place that belongs to The Lord.
NEIL & GRACE THOMAS
Jordan Tenené
Executive Team Member
james barresi
Executive Team Member
steph barresi
Executive Team Member
love God. love people. make disciples.
OUR MISSION
our pathway
As we read scripture it’s clear that God’s desire is for deep communion that leads to partnering with Him in His will. Jesus modelled this life perfectly and now invites us to become His apprentices – otherwise known as Disciples. And so, Our Pathway to discipleship is defined simply in three terms – Be, Become, Do.
Be with Jesus, Become like Jesus, and Do what Jesus did.
our culture
We want to choose to live by the design that God has given us, rather than the default pattern of the world around us. These are the Values and the accompanying Creed we are committed to living by in order to become who God is calling us to be.
our journey
Here’s a snapshot of the yearly vision we have felt God impress on our house:
our beliefs
We believe the Bible is God’s infallible Word. It is completely accurate, completely authoritative, and completely relevant.
We believe in One eternal God Who is the Creator of all things, Who co-exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is perfectly holy and loving.
We believe through man’s wilful rejection of God, sin entered into the world and separated each of us from communion and partnership with God.
We believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He was conceived miraculously through the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin – fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life, was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven and is alive forevermore.
We believe Jesus was sent into this world as the only way by which humanity can be reconciled to God. For those who put their faith in Him, He has made atonement once and for all – giving them right standing before God.
We believe in order to receive forgiveness and the “new birth”, we must repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus, confessing Him as Lord.
We believe our eternal destination of either eternal union with God in heaven or eternal separation from God in hell, is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe in complete justification by faith in Jesus Christ, whereby all who trust in Him are made holy, fully approved in the sight of God.
We believe in order to lead a fruitful life of following Jesus, we need to be united with Christ in water baptism and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the power and significance of the Church and the necessity of believers to meet regularly together for fellowship, prayer and holy communion.
We believe both miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are active and essential to revealing the nature of God to the world, and for the building up of the Church.
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is returning, just as He promised. When He returns, He will judge both the living and the dead.
Peter & Sonia Thomas
International Presidents of
Freedom Ministries International
Freedom Ministries International
FMI is a ministry called to propel the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ into this world. We do this work through churches, bible colleges, schools, clinics and outreach to the needy.
