CHURCH PLANTING WITH THE
SMITH-COTTRELLS

 We are jimmy and Kirsty smith-Cottrell. We have been married for a bit more than eleven years now and have three beautiful children.

WE started contemplating, praying, and planning about planting a church in 2015 when we joined LCC, and are really excited to finally be at the stage where we are ready to get started!

 Situated on the southern-most tip of the Sunshine Coast, Caloundra is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia, including Kings Beach, Dickies Beach, Golden Beach, Bulcock Beach, Shelly Beach, Moffat Beach, and Happy Valley. It is known for its laid-back lifestyle and is the destination of choice for many holiday goers. 

The region, which (depending on who you talk to) is home to more than 43,000 people, and there are currently around seventeen churches that meet regularly in the Caloundra region each week. It also, with the rest of the Sunshine Coast, is undergoing some of the most significant changes in its history. In West Caloundra, Stocklands Developers are currently in some of the early stages of the largest single development in Australian history, which is called Aura. If you’ve driven up to the coast in the last ten years you would’ve noticed the massive upgrades to the Bruce Highway, which will enable easier commuting back down to Brisbane. The completion of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital will mean significant changes for the region, not to mention the upgrades to the Maroochydore CBD, and the dozen or so other developments that are happening throughout the Sunshine Coast. 

 The reason why we are planting in Caloundra is firstly because we believe that it has a strong need for more churches that are bible-based and gospel-centred. We believe that the Good News of Jesus is the greatest news and the only sure remedy of heart change in people’s lives. The gospel changes peoples lives, and we see a need for that in Caloundra. 

We also just love the area. Kirsty and I grew up going on holidays to the Sunshine Coast, and every time we’ve gone there since we were married, we’ve driven away saying, “We need to move there one day.” 

But don’t take our word for it; go visit it yourself. Eat fish and chips at Moffat Beach and ask yourself if you could see yourself joining the Church Plant Team, and living there. We would LOVE to have you!