My name is Jesse

I’m married to Cherry, and together we have a son, Casey. During the week I work as a prison chaplain at Silverwater, offering pastoral and spiritual care. I’m also nearly finished my Masters in Spiritual Direction, which is exhausting when you have a child, but I love it! I’ve always felt like I’ve had one foot in Christianity and one foot out, and I’ve learned to live faithfully in that tension.

We live in Marrickville. We originally moved there for a church plant that eventually came to an end, and after that I led a small contemplative house church called the Inner West Abbey. When that wrapped up at the end of last year, we found ourselves connected to Newtown Mission. It felt like a natural place to land.

Our weekends are pretty simple, coffee from my favourite roastery, Primary, and pastries wherever we can find them. Goodwood, Headlands, Hearth… we’re not loyal, just grateful.

What struck me about this place is how authentic it is. There’s no façade. You really can show up as you are. The community is diverse, in personality and in spirituality and that feels deeply honest.

One of my favourite moments here was hearing Rod Yule say he didn’t want to be on church council. There’s a lot of humour in this place, and I value that more than people might realise.

The longer I’m here, the more I notice how many people quietly serve, volunteering, showing up, doing the work. When I think of Newtown Mission, that’s what comes to mind: active faith, lived out.

When life feels crowded, I return to simplicity. Less is more. I also return to stillness, coming back to the present moment, often by reciting Wendell Berry’s The Peace of Wild Things. It helps me let go of everything that’s constantly demanding my attention.

If there’s one thing I wish more people knew about Newtown Mission, it’s that its integrity speaks for itself.