Rosebud Early Learning is a new and unique mission enterprise operated by Churches of Christ Community Childcare for Mission Ltd (C4M), a company set up to partner with Church of Christ churches to build and operate child care centres for community mission. The Rosebud centre has capacity for 92 children and is expected to open in early 2021 following strong expressions of interest and the appointment of Jenny Antoniou as the Centre Director.
The partnership has brought together Bayview Community Church, C4M, Churches of Christ in Victoria & Tasmania and CCFS a the funder of the project. Joel Plotnek, the C4M Chair states “We are excited to be launching our first ever early learning centre at the Bayview Community Church in Rosebud, Victoria.”
Senior Pastor Steve Sutton (pictured) says “Rosebud Early Learning provides Bayview Church with a fantastic opportunity to connect with families in our local community. We are excitedly preparing and praying for the centre’s opening and look forward to serving and being a blessing to these families.”
C4M will work with Steve and the Bayview team to ensure that these hopes are realised. Joel states that “the potential for church community engagement is almost limitless – BBQs, coffee carts, family support services and church celebrations such as Easter and Christmas are just some of the ideas we will be exploring with Bayview Community Church next year in 2021.
Robert Palma, C4M Board member and the CCVT Manager for Property and Business Services has worked collaboratively with the various Church of Christ bodies, professional builders and local contractors to complete the project. The design and business principles used in this project support the needs of families, especially growing resilience and health in children. Robert states “From planning to playtime, the vision has been to create a connection that resonates for all members of the community and create a bridge for the local church to serve … in keeping with the Churches of Christ tradition.
Below is an external view of the centre and an internal view of the foyer with (left to right) Robert Palma, Jenny Antoniou, Stuart Campbell (CCFS National Relationship Manager), Joel Plotnek and Rob Nyhuis (CCVT Executive Officer)
