COMMUNITIES

COOL is a place where we can worship together and listen to the word of God in a smaller group compared to a service. COOL also has a fellowship session where we can get to know each other and God in a super fun way.

So far, for almost a year, I’ve joined Next Gen’s COOL and the COOL community has helped me to learn a lot. In COOL, by listening to other stories, we can bless each other and also be constantly reminded to maintain our relationship with God.

The first time I came to Melbourne, I joined COOL Ephraim because I was invited by my friends who had already joined the group. At first, I was mostly quiet because I didn’t really know anyone. But, it turns out all the friends in Ephraim are very fun.
I feel that being in an environment with friends who are believers has made my faith in Christ Jesus grow. Joining COOL is not like a typical Sunday Service, because it is held in a more relaxing environment, so I can understand the material that is shared more easily.
My COOL friends are not just friends who go to the service together, but we can share with one another, we can chit chat, and hang out.
As a student who didn’t really know about university life and living in Melbourne, all my friends here have been very helpful and encouraging. Overall, my experience in COOL Ephraim is very memorable, because we are not strangers to one another, but we have become like families and siblings in Christ Jesus.

I joined COOL Berea at the beginning of 2019 after arriving in Melbourne to continue my study in culinary management. At first, joining COOL was a struggle due to my study and work commitments. However, my COOL members have always been very supportive and along the way, by God’s grace, I am able to join every week.

Being part of Berea has helped me in my spiritual journey with God. I found encouragement through sharing from other member’s lives, how God has shaped them to become who they are now. It inspired me pursuing God more, asking God for wisdom and participating daily forgiveness. Because of this time constraint, reading scripture was very challenging, however, Berea emphasizes reading the scriptures in detail, discusses them in-depth and propels every member to apply it in our daily lives.

Their acceptance enables me to share my burden or life struggles without fear of being judged. Their advice based on Christian values has lightened the stressful adjustment to the new environment in Melbourne. Lastly, their diverse personalities and perspectives have enriched and broaden my way of thinking, have helped me to improve my communication skills, and to appreciate other people’ differences. I can say that this community is not perfect, but worth it.