Rev Graeme Semple celebrated 30 years of being an ordained Baptist pastor on 6 September 2021. He was ordained in 1991 in Brisbane along with 10 others that year. 

Rev Graeme called Northern Ireland home before his family migrated to Australia in 1971. He had a sense of calling from God to be in pastoral ministry at just thirteen years old after hearing stories of people finding salvation and transformation in Christ through the travelling missionaries that his family had welcomed in their home. 

“I always created opportunities to talk to Jesus,” he says. “That evangelistic gift was always in me.” 

His first official pastoral ministry began at a charismatic church in Brisbane before he moved on to do some field work with other churches where he gained experience and practice in ministering, nurturing and pastoral care. 

With a heart set on spreading the transformational good news of the Gospel, Rev Graeme took some time to be refreshed and renewed before God’s next big call for him to serve here in Victoria. 

He accepted a call to minister at a church in East Geelong closer to his ageing parents before taking up employment with the BUV as the Western Regional Pastor under the Pastoral Leadership Support and Development Team. 

“I certainly see fruit from my ministry as regional pastor,” he says. “God has spoken to me about being [somewhat of a father] to these pastors by speaking life, hope and encouragement to them.”