Church Staff
James McCleary
Senior Pastor
James McCleary commenced in February 2021 as Senior Pastor at Toongabbie Baptist Church. James is married to Ally, and they have three active young boys. James was a tradie born and bred in Parkes NSW until God convicted him to serve Him in full-time ministry. So in 2013, he and the family headed off to bible college to be better equipped to share Jesus.
He loves a good challenge. Alongside his competitive spirit, he enjoys playing tennis, squash and going for runs. James enjoys renovating and making things. He loves to read.
There is one thing James is more passionate about. He is all about Jesus. The good news of Jesus changes everything. And because of this, James is passionate about gospel-centred preaching and ministry as he seeks to lead Toongabbie as we make and grow disciples.
Agnes Anandaraj
Office & Hospitality Ministries
Agnes Anandaraj commenced in 2017 to oversee the Office and Hospitality Ministries. Agnes trained as a Civil Engineer in India. At an young age, she committed her life to serving God in all possible ways. Agnes married her husband Anandaraj in 2006 and they are blessed with 2 children. They immigrated to Australia in 2015 and have been attending Toongabbie Baptist Church ever since.
In her free time Agnes likes to cook, bake and watch detective netflix series. She loves spicy food and anytime up for a hotsauce challenge.
Maddison Turner
Interim Worship Ministry Worker
Maddy commenced in July 2020, a day a week to help equip our teams and prepare services each week. Our Sunday Services are a place to be with a community of people who love God and want to centre their lives on His purposes. The goal of Services is to help people connect with God each week in ways that build faith and hope.
Elders
The Elders oversee the spiritual affairs of the Church, in collaboration with the Pastoral Team. Together they spiritually care for the people connected with the church through preaching, visitation and prayer. Our current Elders pictured left to right are (standing) Stuart Jennings, John Anandanathan (sitting) James MCCleary, Mark Penna, Daniel Podrugovic and Samuel Thevarajah.
Deacons
The Deacons, as far as may be in their power, are responsible for the practical ministry of the Church and manage the routine operations of the Church. In particular they look after the finance, property, administration and membership of the Church. Our current Deacons pictured (L-R) John Searle, Aaron Dhanaraj and Rohan Thevarajah.
