Senior Pastor

Graham Holman began his life in a sport loving family who sent their son to Sunday school as the accepted practice of the day despite never attending church themselves.  Graham's love of sport took him to play for the Churches of Christ Cricket Club and he was required to attend the evening gospel service once a month as a condition of playing.  

He began to be convicted but since he had no clue about what was happening given he had filed Jesus along with Batman and Superman.  One evening in his bedroom trying to cope with the growing conviction he cried 

out, "I'm too busy to look into Jesus Christ. I'll do so after my studies."  The conviction just evaporated and he continued on his merry sport-loving way until he had completed a bachelor of science and was half-way through a diploma of education when, one night in his bedroom he heard a loud majestic voice of compelling authority say, "What about your promise to look into Jesus Christ!"  

He was stunned, Physics majors didn't hear voices but he had and it totally rattled him.  His father had taught him the principle of keeping his word once given so he felt compelled to act.  the very next day he went to the University Bookroom and bought a New English New Testament.  That night he opened it in bed and prayed, "God, if you are real, reveal yourself to me as I read this book."  after reading the entire book that night he was in a bind. With his scientific logical brain he was unsure but deep down inside he felt it was true and he knew beyond doubt that he was heading for hell and a lost eternity if the book was right.  

He resolved the dilemma by walking outside and looking up at the starts said, " God, I think you are real.  I expect you to progressively reveal yourself to me as I put into practice what you have said in your book."    God heard that  very un-religious prayer and answered the promise to fully follow him if He was real.  So Graham went to a Churches of Christ church and at the appeal walked down the front, turned and began to confess Christ to the people.  They said all he need to do was put up his hand but he replied, " It said if you are afraid to confess me before men I will not confess you before my father in heaven.  I'm just doing what the book said."  So began Graham's somewhat unusual Christian journey.

Graham has had extensive experience in teaching, pastoral work and training.   He began Secondary School teaching as a young Christian and served in many roles over the years up to and including a stint in the Principal's chair.  His skills in teaching, training, leadership  and administration developed there.  His experience in church life and ministry developed alongside this and was first ordained as a Ephesians 4 Teacher with the Apostolic Church on the early 1980's and serves in a lay capacity as an Assistant Minister for some years in numbers of Apostolic Churches.  

He transferred to the CRC churches and was ordained as a CRC pastor in 1995 and has served on their State Training Board in various roles including its Chairman for a number of Years.  He also served on the National Training Team for a few years.  He began to serve at Harvest Bible College in 2000 where he continues to teach Bachelor Degree students  to learn New Testament Greek and  New Testament Bible Interpretation methods.  He taught Genesis and Pentateuch for a number of years also. 

In 2001 he pioneered a  cell type  Eastern Suburbs Church which began in his Balwyn home with just his wife.  God grew it from there and he continues to serve there.

Associate Pastor

Eulalie Holman  was raised in a Christian home and cannot rember a time when she didn't know and love Jesus.  She attended the local Methodist Church with her family, completed her secondary schooling and  trained as a specialist infant teacher.  A colleague invited her to attend the Easter Apostolic Church convention during which she was filled with the Holy Spirit then baptised by full immersion.  A new level of life in the Lord had begun.

Promotion to teach in the beautiful south Gippsland township of Meeniyan saw a growth in her personal walk with God, learning to hear His voice, as she was unable to attend the Melbourne meetings with their rich ministry.  God spoke clearly one day.  "Very soon I will send you overseas.  I have work for you to do and the labourers are few.  Write this down and tell no-one, so that when hard times come you'll know you haven't made a mistake with the timing and that I am in control."

Shortly after, the missionary secretary of the Apostolic Church in Melbourne asked to see her.  He explained that they needed a registered teacher for the new school built at Walaha on the island of Ambae (then Aoba) in Vanuatu (then the New Hebrides).  The pastor asked her to pray about it but she shared how God had told her He was sending her overseas and now she knew the destination.  

A few months later she arrived on the island, met by Mrs. Dulcie Grant, wife of Pastor Paul Grant, and there followed three years of missionary teaching with rich cultural learning, English as a second language, mid-week women's meetings, taking two services on Sundays in various mountain villages, all of which required the God-given training in Meeniyan of personally hearing God's voice.  The Lord's plans are perfect.

At God's instruction Eulalie wrote to Dr.Wood, who at that time was Principal of Methodist Ladies' College in Kew, and there followed almost three years of teaching years 7,8 and 9 in English, History, Geography and Scripture.  She was also invited to return to her former Methodist church to take a Sunday School teachers' training course.  

Because of her excellent relationship with the Grant family on the mission field, Eulalie would sometimes visit them for a weekend in the church they were establishing in Morwell.  It was here that she met Graham Holman.  They married, lived in Churchill for 14 years then Balwyn and now Mitcham.  Their son Chris and his wife live in Perth, and daughter Kylie lives in Mitcham with her husband Edan and their teenage children, Michaela, Jarrod, Josh and Ben.  

Over the years Eulalie has led women's meetings, Sunday School, preached, taught and especially ministered encouragement as a key part of her caring pastoral gift.