Meet the HTD leadership team
Andrew Reid
Senior Minister
Andrew Reid
Email: vicar@holytrinitydoncaster.org.au
Andrew is married to Heather and they have two married sons and one grandson. Prior to coming to HTD, Andrew lectured at Ridley Melbourne in Old Testament, Hebrew, and hermeneutics. Before that he worked in IT as a network and systems administrator while leading an independent evangelical church plant at Curtin University in Perth. He has also been the senior pastor of St Matthews Anglican Church in Shenton Park, WA, Anglican Chaplain at Macquarie University, and National Director of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES).
Andrew is also the author of a number of Christian books on the Old Testament, hermeneutics, and apologetics and has a passionate interest in preaching from the Bible, helping people understand the Old Testament as Christian scripture, and in training preachers. He regularly speaks at conferences around Australia, volunteers as an international facilitator for Langham Preaching, and has trained preachers in expository preaching in Australia, Pakistan, South East Asia, South America, and Papua New Guinea. He is in the final stages of completing doctoral studies on the topic, ‘Evangelical Hermeneutics and Old Testament Preaching: A Critical Analysis of Graeme Goldsworthy’s Theory and Practice’.
Andrew and Heather love bushwalking, trekking and camping. They have almost fulfilled their goal of driving and camping around every major section of Australia (only the east Kimberley to go!). Their latest trekking aspiration is to live to tell the tale of how they walked the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea while in their fifties. Andrew relaxes by walking their two kelpies and watching quirky British detective series on TV.
Jono Smith
Assistant Minister
Jono Smith
Email: assistmin@holytrinitydoncaster.org.au
Jonathan lived the first 24 of his 27 years in the same house on 15 acres in Diamond Creek, and was well trained in mischief-making as he grew up with an older brother, and younger brother and sister.After finishing VCE, he spent three years working and travelling throughout the USA, UK, and Australia while periodically working as a labourer in the building industry. In 2004 he started to take a keen interest in Renée Hayman, the ‘girl next door’ whom he had grown up with at St. John’s Church in Diamond Creek. Two years later they married in that same church. Renée currently works as an Ambulance Paramedic for the Metropolitan Ambulance Service. Jonathan graduated from Ridley College, and was ordained in February 08. He is zealous to see Gospel ministry flourish in Melbourne, and has a particular love for preaching, discipling, and men’s ministries. Outside the church, he likes nothing better than to ‘pack the ute’ and go fly-fishing with his wife Renée and faithful dog Chester. Jonathan’s heroes are: his Grandfather Cyril, C. S. Lewis, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, William Wilberforce, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, William Wallace, Samwise Gamgee, Belgian Beer Brewers, and all true supporters of Liverpool Football Club. Jonathan’s vision for his first year at Holy Trinity is to honour God in the way that he lives and ministers to the people of the church. He has a particular desire to see spiritual growth and a zeal for ministry among the young adults, and prays that God would establish a ‘rip-snorting’ young adults men’s ministry that would train young men to love, and live like, Jesus.
Chris Bowditch
Youth Minister
Chris Bowditch
Email: youth@holytrinitydoncaster.org.au
Chris moved to Melbourne and began working at Holy Trinity in January 2008. Before this he lived in Hobart for 13 years, and in NSW before that! Chris went to the University of Tasmania where he studied a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Public Policy. He also worked in retail for 5 years and ran a youth ministry there for 2. In 2008 he began his Master of Divinity at Ridley College. Chris is passionate about Youth Ministry and believes it is vitally important for any healthy church. In his spare time Chris likes checking out the sights of Melbourne, enjoying a good coffee, reading the paper, watching 24 (tv show) or playing his Xbox.
Ruth Newman
Children’s Minister
Ruth Newmarch
Ruth began working with children and young people as a Primary Teacher and Youth Group leader. Then she got married to her husband Andrew, had kids of her own and found that being a mum was the best, and most challenging thing ever! When her boys were small, she got involved in Sunday School and teaching CRE – “I discovered it was actually awesome fun! My own faith grew too!” For the last 11 years Ruth has worked within the church, as a Children’s Minister. Ruth has four sons and one daughter-in-law and reckons “Kid’s ministry is actually the best part of church! Most adults don’t know this, which is good… because there wouldn’t be enough scissors and textas to go around.”
David & Esther Ruan
Mandarin Ministers
David & Esther Ruan
Email: mandarin@holytrinitydoncaster.org.au
David & Esther come from Mainland China and have one son, Andrew. They trained at the Bible College of Victoria for approximately three years and their ministry is to proclaim the gospel to Mandarin-speaking Chinese people.
Ben and Ivy Wong
Billingual Service Minister
Ben and Ivy Wong
Email: mandarinyouth@holytrinitydoncaster.org.au
Ben and Ivy both came from Hong Kong, China. They have graduated from the Bible Collage of Victoria, and are now serving at Holy Trinity Doncaster as bilingual service ministers. They speak Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Matt and Bec Ooi
MTS Apprentice
Matt Ooi
Email: mandarinyouth@holytrinitydoncaster.org.au
After being born and raised in Doncaster for his first nine, years, Matt spent several years at an international school in Hong Kong (hence the accent). After moving back here, completing his VCE, undergraduate studies, working as a physiotherapist, and having almost completed a Graduate Diploma at Ridley College, Matt met Rebecca (then a secondary school teacher at Donvale Christian College), was married, and started his own physiotherapy company in the aged-care industry. However, through all of this, God’s plan for Matt and Bex was slowly unfolding. In 2010, with baby Samuel, and their labradors Scout and Nelle, at just the right time, God chose to call the Ooi family to take a look at the life of a full-time ministry
MTS Apprentice
Matt Scheffer
Linda Drake
Office Secretary
Linda Drake
Email: info@holytrinitydoncaster.org.au
Linda is usually the first person you see when visiting the church on weekdays. She started work as a legal secretary initially and later worked for the Commonwealth Public Service. She has been working at Holy Trinity since 1999 and says she loves her work and the people with whom she interacts.