Adventists Expand Flood Relief Efforts as Disaster Deepens Across Australia

New South Wales Adventist schools, churches, and regional office have been affected.

May 28, 2025 | Juliana Muniz and Henrique Felix, Adventist Record

Severe flooding across New South Wales, Australia, has prompted widespread evacuations, road closures, and emergency rescues, with the Seventh-day Adventist Church stepping up its response as the crisis intensifies. According to a State Emergency Service update, at least four people have died, nearly 50,000 residents are isolated, and more than 150 flood warnings have remained active across the state as of May 23.

The Adventist Church in the North New South Wales region has also been significantly affected, with flooding impacting schools, local churches, and the North New South Wales Conference (NNSWC)office in Cooranbong.

ADRA Australia and NNSW Adventist Community Services (ACS) are partnering with local churches and community members, actively responding to the crisis—providing meals, packing hampers, delivering supplies, and partnering with local authorities to support those displaced or isolated by the ongoing crisis.

The conference office in Cooranbong was forced to close because of flooding. Although the main office building is currently safe, the resource room has taken in 30 to 50 centimeters (12 to 19 inches) of water, and the parking lot is underwater, according to Melinda Mason, NNSWC workplace health and safety coordinator.

The flooding has also disrupted Faith FM programming, with The Breakfast Show—which is broadcast live daily from the Faith FM studio at the NNSWC office—unable to air this morning.

Multiple Adventist schools, including Avondale, Toronto Adventist, and Manning Adventist Bush schools, are temporarily closed. Better Books & Food has also shut because of access issues caused by the floods. The local Adventist community is monitoring conditions and preparing to offer assistance as needed.

In Port Macquarie more than 50 volunteers from the Adventist school, the local church, and the wider community came together to pack food hampers for an evacuation center. Port Macquarie church is on standby to serve as a shelter for elderly and disabled residents and has collected beds and mattresses from Yarra Holiday Park (former Stuarts Point Convention Centre) for the evacuation hub.

Cleaning kits and donations from local businesses—including food, clothing, and transport—are supporting the effort. Supplies are being prepared for isolated North Shore residents, and the church is coordinating delivery of blankets and linen to evacuation centers, including Wauchope Community Centre.

In Kempsey, Kempsey Seventh-day Adventist Church is working closely with the State Emergency Service (SES) to organize response teams. ACS volunteers are gathering supplies, while South Kempsey Seventh-day Adventist Church has opened its doors to provide food and community connection.

At Taree Seventh-day Adventist Church in Taree, volunteers are using the church kitchen to prepare meals for SES workers. The church is also working to organize cleanup teams to assist with flood recovery efforts in the local community.

“It’s wonderful to see church members rallying together to use church buildings and resources to be a blessing in their communities,” said Kyle Morrison, interim ACS director for NNSWC. “Our pastors and members have their finger on the pulse—they’re listening closely to local needs and springing into action to help where it’s needed most.”

He also encouraged Adventists across Australia and beyond to pray for those affected and to consider how they might support relief efforts in the coming days.

NNSWC ACS and the Australian Union Conference have made emergency funding available to Adventist church members who have been affected. “Members can access the simple online form through their pastor or Adventist Community Services leader,” Morrison explained.

The original version of this story was posted on Adventist Record.