The life of Christ flowing forth from Caroline Springs (based on John 4:13-14; 7:38). How did this dream become a reality? On Sunday the 13th July 2003 the Wong family was driving back from Sydney to Melbourne on the Hume Highway. We noticed a Sikh Temple being built and asked the question: “Where is the Church in the West?” I thought of Christian influences in the city and the eastern suburbs and the list of churches and Bible Colleges just went on and on. I then tried to think of such Christian movements in the western suburbs … sadly, I drew a blank! A few weeks earlier we heard on the news that a mother who lived in Caroline Springs killed her own child. At that time Jeng and I had already asked ourselves: “Where is the church in the West to meet the needs of the people in the West?” As we were driving through Craigieburn the seed for a church plant in the West was planted. While going at 100 km/hr I took out a note pad and a pen and started to write what I felt the Lord had impressed on my heart and after a few words (please do not write while driving … it is illegal and dangerous!) Jeng said that it would be safer if she wrote it. Jeng then became the scribe as I dictated to her the vision.

This dream was put on paper and is now the Vision Letter in Lifespring’s Vision Document. At that time I was not sure if the church plant was to be in Caroline Springs or Craigieburn but it was soon to be confirmed … We went and shared this vision with David and Rees Heycock who had bought a piece of land in Caroline Springs and were waiting for their home to be built. They shared their desire to start a home ministry in their house when it is built. I also shared the vision with the person responsible for planting new churches from the Conference of the Churches of Christ, Victoria and Tasmania and found out that Caroline Springs was one of the places they wanted to plant a church. Also on sharing this vision with the Operations Manager of the church I was ministering then, he opened up and shared the vision he had of how a church was going to spring forth from their church and become a very significant church for God. The vision was confirmed again and again. Clearly the Lord’s hand has been on it. On Monday the 21st July, Jeng and I went with the Heycock’s to their home site in Caroline Springs. It was a sunny, windy but cold day and we stood on their land, prayed over it and claimed Caroline Springs for Christ. The Heycock’s home was to be the start of the Cell church ministry of Lifespring at Caroline Springs. Praise be to God another Lifespring Cell group, Living Water, commenced even earlier in Camberwell on the 13th February 2004.

With these in mind I shared the concept of what I would like to my family and together we came up with the Cross coming forth from the spring-the ripple effect (was an idea from Jeng) which signifies the effect of Lifespring Mission of . The dark reddish-brown colour of the font of the Lifespring emblem signifies the colour and richness of the land at Caroline Springs. We the members of the church are the clearly defined water droplets as we work shoulder to shoulder and together touch our community with the love of Christ and thereby causing a ripple effect and that effect is to go beyond Caroline Springs, to other suburbs, to other States, to other Nations so that we do literally transform the world! Shi Ann came up with the design and Lee was the final proofreader giving his overall approval. So the Lifespring logo was formed … and now the church, Lifespring, is born … in the West!