Stairway Church

Matt Romano—We all live by stories, stories about God, ourselves, other people and the world around us. But what happens when a painful experience, an unanswered question or an old wound begins shaping a story that isn’t entirely true?

In this message, we explore Jesus’ words in John 8: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Through the stories that form us, the lies that enslave us and the Truth who sets us free, we discover how deception can become the reality we organise our lives around and how Jesus confronts the father of lies with a freedom only He can give.

The invitation is to allow the Spirit of Truth to expose the stories we have believed, reveal the character of the Father, and teach us to live in the freedom Jesus has already won.

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” — John 8:36

Anna Joyce—The Holy Spirit is our powerful ally and strength. He is our comforter, our counsellor, our advocate, and He wants to be all these things for us in this season. But He's not going to impose Himself where He is not welcome. We have a choice in this moment to rely on our own understanding or to adopt a posture of humility and surrender and lean into the voice and strength of the Spirit. What choice will we make?

Nartarsha Wisewould—The Holy Spirit is God's constant presence with us: our Strong Ally, Comforter, Advocate, and faithful guide. As we grow in our relationship with Him and learn to walk in step with Him, we are both formed by His presence and filled with His power, allowing Him to shape our lives and reveal the kingdom of God through us.

20 years at Rooks Road Celebration—Psalm 89:1 says, “I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” (ESV). As a community, we have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness over many years. This is a service that will share the testimonies of the Lord's faithfulness towards us over the years as sparks to ground our faith in who He will be for us in the seasons to come.

Michael Miatke— This message looks at the power of a transformative Christian community to transform lives. As God transforms lives, He transforms communities. God uses a transforming community to tell His story.
Four powerful stories from members of our community are shared of how being a part of this community has impacted their lives.

Matt Romano—The Goal of Christian Community. We have never been more connected. And we have never been more alone.

In this message, we will explore what the New Testament envisions when it talks about community, not the idealised version we keep imagining, but the real, costly, irreversible thing that the early church in Acts 2 lived.

Drawing from Acts 2:42–47, we will unpack what genuine Christian community was always meant to look like, why we keep settling for something far less, and what it costs to build the real thing.

Christy McHugh—Telling stories creates history that forms chains and links in the legacy for future generations. As we consider the four questions asked at Passover by the four sons, we learn that regardless of where we are in our walk with the Lord, everyone is welcome at the table. That the desire and aim is to be like the wise child, who chose to continue in the ways of the Lord to keep the Lord's legacy alive and the significance of parents in telling the stories of the Lord's faithfulness.

Maurice Benington—Proverbs 13:22 reads, ‘A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children’. The term ‘Legacy’ is often used when it comes to building a vision, but why bother with legacy? It is an important question, as how we will answer it may have a current cultural definition attached to it. We, however, are in but not of this culture, but rather the King’s Kingdom culture.

Dave McHugh—The testimony of the Lord's faithfulness and the collective sacrifice of those who have gone before us is central to who we are as a community today—and it is worth remembering, celebrating and honouring. It is worth making known His faithfulness—as we look towards the future, may we see His faithfulness, goodness and kindness to us in the past, and may that inspire us toward the future.

Panel Discussion—Today’s message was a panel discussion exploring the rise of Artificial Intelligence through a theological and pastoral lens. Sarah, Christy, Matt, and Dave, had a conversation anchored across three movements: Considerations, Dehumanisation & Rehumanisation, and Hope. The conversation was anchored around the series' central conviction that we are made in the image of God, and that image is the most important thing about us.

As we close this series, we are called to recover and reclaim our full humanity in an age that is rapidly reshaping what it means to be human.