Pastor John Lewis (1942 - 2020)
Today the College community, past and present, honours Ps John Lewis, founding pastor of Northside Christian College.
Ps John passed away on Saturday 22 August and our love and prayers are with Val and all the family.
John and Val spoke at our Commencement Assembly at the beginning of the year and his ongoing heart, passion and commitment to Christian Education still burned ever so brightly.
In our 35th Anniversary year we had planned to honour our College founders with the installation of a Founders Bell. This celebration in the coming months will now take on even greater significance.
Tribute - Principal, Mr Leighton Kuss
Describing Ps John to families who may not have had the chance to meet him is not difficult. He loved Jesus, he loved his family, he preached biblical truth, had amazing ecumenical connections and loved meeting Northside alumni all over Australia as he and Val travelled to preach.
Martin Luther King Jnr, once advised that your work should have length – something you get better at over a lifetime. It should have breadth – it should touch many other people. And it should have height – it should put you in service to some ideal and satisfy the soul’s yearning for righteousness.
This sums up John Lewis and his life of dedication to Nexus Church, Northside Christian College and the Kingdom of God.
College Principal,
Leighton Kuss
Tribute - Associated Christian Schools
A tribute to the late Ps John Lewis in recognition of his services to Christian schooling
In advising Nexus Church community of the passing of their former senior pastor, Ps John Lewis, Pastor Nathan Bean noted, ‘It is with great sadness that I inform you that Ps John Lewis passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning on 22 August 2020. We lose an amazing hero of the faith, who has impacted so many through a life of faithfulness, serving God with every fibre of his being to the very end.
Ps John Lewis led Northside Christian Family Church (now Nexus Church) for 31 years and it has continued to grow from strength to strength. A blessing that we all share as a result of his unwavering faith and commitment to the Gospel.
Since starting at Nexus as Senior Pastor, I invited Ps John to stay on our team as “Father of the house”, this was a role that he did exceptionally well in for the last two years, preaching with passion, pastoring so many and providing vital mentoring for our growing team. He will be missed.’
The late Ps John Lewis, reflecting in 2009 on the founding of Northside Christian College wrote,
‘I was inspired by the initiative of Pastor David Cartledge, who commenced the first A.O.G. Church School in Queensland in the late 1970’s. Having worked in the Victorian Education system prior to entering the Ministry, I was convinced the Church should provide the Christian community with alternative choices regarding their children’s education’.
The Church Board at Northside willingly and courageously embarked upon this exciting and challenging venture to start a College with the capable input of two key men – Graham Corney and Peter Tredenick, I thank God for their expertise in legal, Government and the Education Department matters.
We established the College to be a ministry expression of Nexus Church. We wanted to provide an education that would be Christ centred, reflecting a Biblical morality, in conjunction with an academic emphasis.
The Church Outlaid approximately $25,000 that first year to cover the initial setting up and running costs. What an incredible, ‘eternal’ investment into the lives of thousands of students has been reaped through that investment’.