Rev Dr Allan Demond, Rev Ross Morgan and Rev Mal Ward all have one thing in common – they have all served for well over 2 decades in the one church, faithfully working to nurture the spiritual growth of both their congregation and their staff, and to point people towards the Lord.
As the three pastors have retired this year, it is with much gratitude that we celebrate their service and thank them for their witness to many.
30 Years of Faithful Leadership at Newhope
In 1995, Allan Demond said yes to God’s call and moved with his wife Janet and their young family from Canada to Australia and the growing suburb of Blackburn North. Here he would step into the role of Senior Pastor at what would become NewHope Baptist Church (formerly Blackburn North Baptist Church), faithfully shepherding God’s people for the next 30 years.
Under Allan’s leadership, NewHope has thrived as a vibrant, hope-filled community. His gift for change leadership helped the church navigate significant transitions, including a name change, two major build projects, the launch of new campuses and ministries, and bold steps into community enterprises, including NewHope Community Care, Middle Ground Café and NewHope Medical—all practical expressions of God’s love.
Week after week, year after year, Allan opened the scriptures with clarity and depth, helping the church to understand not just what the Bible says, but how it speaks to everyday life and mission. His teaching helped shape a church that listens for God’s voice and follows with courage. In 2017 Allan also authored Following Jesus: Finding and Fostering Hope on a Cosmic Scale.
With a deep love of learning, Allan constantly pursued his own training and development, including completing a PhD in preaching and education theory in 2008. He also championed the development of others, mentoring and empowering countless emerging leaders and supporting them to step confidently into their Kingdom calling.
Allan’s influence has extended far beyond NewHope. He has a gift for bringing people together across cultural, denominational and theological lines. From supporting language-specific congregations and global mission partnerships, to embracing city-wide initiatives like Come Celebrate Christmas Carols, Whitehorse Churches Care and pastoral prayer breakfasts, Allan has been a part of building bridges and fostering unity in beautiful and lasting ways. He has also served on more than 15 not-for-profit boards and held leadership roles with the BUV, including a term as president and now, as a Union Council member. His passion for education, preaching and mission were evident through his teaching at Whitley College.
Most of all, Allan has always pointed his flock to Jesus and the seeds that God has helped him to plant over these 30 years will continue to bear fruit for generations to come.
Extensions and Innovations at Grovedale
Rev Ross Morgan has served at Grovedale Baptist Church for almost 26 years, having previously served at Naringal Baptist Church from 1991-1999, and Auburn Baptist Church from 1987-1990.
During his time at Grovedale Baptist Church, Ross and his wife and daughters served in a variety of areas which were highly appreciated by the church. Ross guided the church through extensive renovations which made it more user-friendly and open towards the community. The many changes included a purpose-built playgroup building, moving the pastor’s office from a hidden area to near the front entrance, replacing torn pews with user-friendly chairs, and installing a sealed carpark. One member of the congregation remembers: “The extension to the church was begun following much prayer as to being in God’s will. An important fact about the new building is that it was paid for within eight years.”
Ross encouraged the church to participate in the Kids Hope school mentoring program, and later a Breakfast Program. “So many children’s lives have been impacted by this small involvement each week – an involvement that has shown them that they are loved and valued.” He instigated playgroup graduation services and ran classes for the parents on various themes, all of which were “amazingly successful”. He also showed creativity and gifting in the area of administration, helping to introduce the congregation to church internet services, and streamlining playgroup processes and newsletter production.
One of the ways Ross’ creativity was especially evident was in his response to covid lockdowns, which forced many churches online and yet around a third of Grovedale Baptist members were not connected to the internet. To ensure no one was alienated from a livestream service, Ross and the church leaders compiled a complete service pack each week in both hard and soft copy, from the welcome right down to the benediction. They distributed the packs to all members of the congregation, who would read through the prayers, sing the praise and worship songs, and follow along with the sermon. “It was almost like being in church,” said another congregation member at the time. “I missed the congregation and the atmosphere of being in church but, apart from that, it was all realistic – so well planned-out and we can follow it easily.”
Ross found that the service packs encouraged every member to become active worshippers, whereas livestreaming created passive worship. He was deeply encouraged that through the packs, one member’s husband prayed along with her although he had not done this in 50 years.
Ross was farewelled by the church in June with tributes flowing from the Chaplain of the local Primary School, Laurence Hose from Naringal and two members from the Grovedale congregation. There was also a beautiful presentation with a group of puppets by a Pilipino family. Ross was greatly honoured and appreciated for his preaching/teaching, pastoral leadership and administrative skills.
A lovely lunch was provided for all who attended.
Thankyou for your faithfulness Ross – blessings as you enjoy your retirement.
A Shift From Pastures To Senior Pastor
Senior Pastor, Rev Malcolm Ward urged people to connect more deeply with God over the 24 years that he led Naringal Baptist Church, through his hardworking, servant-hearted nature and his wonderful gift of storytelling.
Mal began his ministry at Naringal in May 2001, after growing up in the area and working as a dairy farmer for many years until following the call to become a pastor. This defining moment came when he was involved in a surfing accident at Port Campbell in which he nearly drowned. “God had spared me for a particular reason,” Mal said during his ordination. “[It was] the first time I really understood what grace was.” This drove him to consider full-time ministry.
Naringal members Rainier and Carol said Mal had been “instrumental” in the spiritual growth of the church family. Mal often used creative visual aids to bring home a biblical truth for the congregation – from farming analogies and Geelong Cats experiences, to preaching in his rubber boots and climbing on ladders!
Rainier said, “Thank you for making sermons relevant to our daily lives and demonstrating the practical benefits of living as followers of Jesus today. Your visual aids helped to engage us and left memories for the week ahead. You did whatever it took to get the message through… You let God speak through you, to us.”
Over the years Mal oversaw a number of important initiatives, such as extending the building to a 200-seat worship area, café and large foyer for fellowship. Carol said: “Malcolm would never take the credit for this project but his vision, encouragement and willingness to pitch in were instrumental in bringing it to completion. He leads by example, be that on a shovel, a chainsaw or behind the coffee machine. He has a true servant heart.”
An annual highlight that Mal instigated were Vision Nights, where the congregation evaluated the year past and discussed the year ahead to seek God’s leading and to set goals, priorities and actions. Mal encouraged people to use their God-given talents to minister in their communities, and he enjoyed developing leaders in the church.
Mal led mission trips to Thailand and the Philippines, ministering practically in villages and bringing children’s programs and gospel messages to the locals. He took trips to Israel and Footsteps of Paul journeys through Greece. These experiences had a great impact on him and he passed on this learning in his sermons.
“Malcolm’s wife, Leanne, has also been a steadfast and loyal partner in the ministry at Naringal, and together they have served God and the congregation with love, humility and integrity,” Carol said. “They are greatly loved and will be sorely missed but we know that the Lord goes with them and has more in store for them and for us.”