Our People

Who we are

Our church family is a wonderful mix of young families, retirees, couples, singles, and youth. We have approximately 150 members who gather together regularly, each from a different walk of life but united by our shared faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Image

Our Leadership

Our church is led by a team of elders. While Jesus Christ is the true head of the church, He has given us leaders to serve under His authority. These leaders, our Pastor, Elders, and Deacons, are responsible for caring for our people, providing spiritual direction, and overseeing the life of the church.

Our Pastor (as the ‘teaching elder’) and the Elders together form the Session. This group meets at least once a month and is responsible for the spiritual health of the church, ensuring we grow in faith, remain biblically grounded, and stay focused on Christ’s mission.

Our elders serve for up to four years, and then enjoy a period of rest before being eligible to be called again.  Our current elders are: Nathanael van der Kolk, Harry Neyenhuys, Ed Vanmidde, Stu Cooper, Mark Moes, Brad Hibbard and Michael de Witte.

Our mission

From the moment humanity turned away from God, He began a gracious plan to restore His world to Himself. At the heart of that plan is Jesus, through His life, death, and resurrection; He saves people to be His own.

This is why we exist: To win people to Christ and be transformed to be more like Jesus.

This mission shapes every part of our church life, from Sunday worship to Small Groups, to our Children's and Youth Ministries and our Pastoral Care. In all we do, we long to see God glorified as more people come to know Him and live for Him.

Our Team

Image

Albert Couperus

Pastor
Albert moved from Christchurch, New Zealand, in December 2024 to take up the role of Pastor. Together with his wife Hanneke and two of their younger daughters, they are enjoying getting to know the Shire. They have two older daughters living in New Zealand. In his spare time, Albert enjoys spending time with his family, running, cycling and training for triathlons. For the sake of the gospel, he is even considering supporting Australia in sport!
albert@sutherlandreformed.com.au
0451 771 781
Image

Nicola Hauptfleisch

Administrative Worker
Nicola joined our church in 2012 and has filled the Administrative Worker role since 2023. Her responsibilities include coordinating rosters, organising fellowship events, and managing various background tasks that are essential for the smooth operation of our church. Nicola is married to Martin, and they have two young children. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing netball and baking!
admin@sutherlandreformed.com.au
0452 605 652