Get To Know Us
Penrith City Chapel is one church in a mosaic of some amazing churches in the Penrith City area.
“We love because God first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19
“Penrith City Chapel exists to demonstrate God’s grace-filled love in response to the grace-filled love God has shown us through Jesus Christ.”
How did Penrith City Chapel Start?
Penrith City Chapel started in 2019 as a multi-denomination church. We began with pastors and leaders from the Baptist denomination, The Salvation Army, Australian Christian Churches, Church of Christ, and a missionary family from Kenya.
Our heart for our city is for everyone to know the transformative love of God, and it begins with the “1”. Every “1” person. We connect with our city, 1 person at a time. One conversation at a time. One prayer at a time. One friendship at a time.
Culture of Every1
Every1 Seeks God: Because of Jesus, every person has the opportunity to seek God and connect with God personally. We do this through reading the BIble, through prayer, and through worship.
Every1 Significant: The Bible tells us that God loves EVERY person. God sees every person, He cares for every person and He has life-fulfilling plans for each and every person. If that is how God sees every person, then we believe that is how we should see every person.
Every1 Sent: God’s Church is “on mission” with the Great Commission. Wherever we may be, at home, at school, at work, at the supermarket, we are “on mission” to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone we can.
Every1 Saved: It is God’s will that none should perish. Therefore, we believe through faith in Jesus Christ, that everyone can be saved from eternal separation from God (Hell) and saved to eternal life with God (Heaven).
Why Penrith Matters To Us
When we started Penrith City Chapel, we deliberately began with a Penrith City mindset, and this has not changed.
Just as much as we desire to welcome people to join in with us at Penrith City Chapel, we are equally desirous to participate with other churches across the Penrith City LGA to show and share the love of Jesus in our city.
What We Stand For
Our Purpose
To love Penrith City as God loves us, wholeheartedly, sacrificially, and with grace. We exist to make the love of Jesus known in every suburb, every generation, and every sphere of our city.
Our Values
Renewed in Christ – We long to see everyone in our city coming to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Equipped in Discipleship – We grow as we follow Jesus Christ throughHis word and His example, wonderfully surrendered to the will of the Father, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Mobilised in Mission – We see spiritual, relational, physical, material and emotional transformation through the Holy Spirit in every sphere, every suburb and every generation of our city’s life. We join with all of Christ’s Church in His mission to the whole world.
Intentional in Church Planting – We see His Church growing through church planting, with more expressions of churches in more locations, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Thriving in Harmony – We join in harmony with churches across the city to support new and existing expressions of Christ’s Church throughout the Penrith LGA, sparking a Love Revolution where people “Live Loved and Live Love”.
What We Believe
Jesus Christ is Lord — truly God and truly human, our representative and substitute who died and rose again to bring salvation.
The Bible is God’s Word — inspired by the Holy Spirit, infallible, and our final authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
Salvation is by grace — a gift from God, not earned, but received through personal faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The Holy Spirit is active today — sent by the Father and the Son to convict, renew, empower, and lead believers into truth and holy living.
The Church is God’s people — a community of believers called to worship, serve, bear witness, and follow Christ’s commands, including baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper.
Meet Our Leadership Team
The Leadership Team consists of Scott Dawkins, Samantha Dawkins, Gary Smith, Marilyn Smith, Allan Wallace and Jenny Wallace.
This Leadership Team is led by Scott Dawkins, pastor of Penrith City Chapel.
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I am the pastor at Penrith City Chapel, and what I enjoy most are the friendships. Not just the friendships within the church, but the also the many friendships we across many churches.
A bible verse that has shaped my life in a transformational way is from Song of Songs 7:10, “I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.” (NIV)
This foundational truth that God loves us powerfully and completely, that we have a place of belonging to Him in a life-giving relational way, AND, He genuinely wants to be a part of every part of our lives brings both perfect peace and deep joy to our souls.
Sam and I like to do go driving (mostly daily), often with coffee, when we catch up on each other’s day. We enjoy going to the movies, and going to the beach. Going to the movies at the beach would be ideal! I enjoy playing golf where I hope to hit just enough good shots to help me forget the many bad ones.
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On the leadership team, I meet to pray, plan for, and serve God’s people. I also help with set-up, overseeing the connect table, preparing for potlucks and combined events, and organising signs. I love being a part of our PCC community, serving God alongside each other, with each person bringing their strengths, creates a strong sense of belonging and the joy of making a difference as we seek God’s will and live our lives for Him together.
A verse that often comes to my mind is Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain” (ESV). This verse has fuelled my prayers for PCC, as I long to build with the Lord and for His glory.
Outside of church, I love being in nature to refresh and recharge, going on impromptu adventures, and relaxing at the movies.
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For a while now this passage of Scripture from 1 Corinthians has been prevalent in my thinking about church community. I see it so clearly in relation to our church family at the moment. Every 1 is important. When Any 1 is absent or suffering, Every 1
notices and cares.
1 Cor 12 :24-26
But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.
I see my role as encouraging others and helping them to worship freely and joyfully.
What excites me about PCC is that while we are small in number at the moment, our church family is full of genuine caring people who love worshipping Jesus and loving their community.- Allan
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I am part of the Leadership team at PCC. I consider my role in this team is to encourage our Pastors and to pray that God would make His plans known to us as we seek to know Him more. Another role I have within this team is to help guide us through the Safe Churches Compliance Requirements to ensure that Penrith City Chapel carefully considers how we intentionally care for and model the love of Christ to all people.
God’s Word has shaped me from a very young age when John 3:16 guided me into a relationship with Him. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.’ More recently, Colossians 1:15 -23 has been very important as I grow deeper in my understanding of how God created everything and continues to hold everything together. Through Christ’s sacrifice and by His grace, He presents us to God holy and without blemish.
Allan and I have 4 wonderful adult kids and 3 beautiful grandkids. We love to travel in our caravan and explore God’s creation, often with some of our great friends. I have rediscovered an interest in knitting and love relaxing by a campfire.
- Jenny
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I look after the AV and am part of the Leadership Team. I love that we came into existence to be a part of the body of Christ without borders or labels. One body one Church.
Philippians 4:7 is a bible verse I lean on and speak into others lives. I have felt the peace spoken of here and long for everyone to know the love of God and his peace when life isn't going how you expected. Knowing that someone (God) is always there with you gives you the strength to try and become who God created you to be.
As I enjoy sitting in nature I find veggie gardening relaxing. Alternatively give me a good novel to read or a bit of gaming (PC) and I'm a happy man.
- Gary
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I am involved in administration, hosting, and singing, and I love the heart of worship at PCC.
There are so many life-changing verses, but I especially love Psalm 139 as it reminds me that He created me, loves me, and understands everything about me. God continues to reveal Himself to me through His living and active Word, and that helps me to grow and hopefully become all that He created me to be.
In my free time, I love to watch TV, read, do cross stitch, and enjoy scrapbooking.
- Marilyn
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I love PCC for many reasons I’m definitely there because I strongly felt God telling me to go there when I became “churchless”. I feel that PCC is an equipping and sending place, extremely welcoming and not too traditional. As for my role, I am the PCC coordinator of fun!! Haha. Not really. I do help coordinate our once a month Out- and -About. A Sunday each month where we don’t do traditional church but are out in the community or somewhere together, doing something fun where we also have a chance to get to know each other better. It’s also a chance to invite people who are less likely to come to a traditional service to also be part of our community.
I also help run playgroup which gives me a chance to speak into the lives not just of the children but of the young mums that are there.
So many favourite parts of the Bible. I guess the one I always come back to is Romans 8. My life has certainly not turned out the way I would have imagined it and this whole chapter really sums up life with Christ for me. The best bit though is vs38-39. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels or demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In my current season of life I’m really enjoying my adult children and being a Nana. I’m not much of a planner and like to just see where the next adventure might take me…
- Michele
Our Leadership Paradigm
Penrith City Chapel is somewhat unique in its leadership paradigm in that the whole Body of Christ explores the will and purpose of God together.
Facilitating discernment and decision making as a church does require a leadership team that is committed to and passionate about seeking God together as a church, and listening to God through the Bible, through prayer, and through how God speaks through one another.
