Pastor Michael Bernard Cini & his wife Rita
Founding Pastor of Macarthur Baptist Church, Narellan, NSW
Email: cini@ispdr.net
Michael Cini migrated from Malta to Australia with his family, in 1949. His family landed in Sydney on the 15th September 1949. Michael was a 6 year old. He went to Roman Catholic schools most of his younger days. He was a faithful Roman Catholic and served as an altar boy. He got married at the age of 21 and became a father of five children. At the age of 29, he became discontented with his religion.
He was living in the Moorebank area when his oldest son, Mark, was attracted to a "Joy club," which was started by Mrs. Gail Bywater. Mark was invited to come to Sunday School, and Michael allowed Mark to attend. On the first Sunday school Anniversary, Gail's husband, Peter Bywater, invited Michael to a picnic, but he refused. However, Michael's wife, Rita, went with the children and had a good time. In June, 1973, Peter Bywater invited Michael to a Men’s Banquet at Condell Park People's Church (now Condell Park Bible Church) where he was saved that night.
By 1979, he had graduated from Spurgeon Baptist Bible Theological College and was invited to become an interim Pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Wollongong, which he accepted. There he, his wife and the church, started a Christian Day School and had a fruitful ministry for 2 ½ years. In the years that followed, he helped to start two new churches. He became the principal of a Christian school at Berean Baptist church (now Nepean Baptist church), Penrith, under the Pastoral leadership of Harvey Goodman.
In 1984, Pastor Cini and his wife were challenged and called to become missionaries to their homeland of Malta, and in 1985, they left Australia to serve in Malta for nine years until 1993.
When they returned to Australia, they helped Leumeah Baptist Church for a while, until the Lord led them to start Grace Baptist Church, in Currans Hill, in 1994. The church's first service began with only eight people, including himself and his wife Rita.
The church has since had other pastors after Pastor Cini began to develop health problems and had to slow down a little. They included senior pastors, David Patrick (2002-2004) and Danny Dona (2004 to 2007). Other men served at various times in a support role, such as David Joya (2007), Charlie Haddad (2009), Carlos Paim (2011), John Davies (2018). Pastor Michael Cini went in and out of retirement, was Assistant Pastor and then senior Pastor again. However, under his leadership, the Church became incorporated and changed its name to Macarthur Baptist Church. Since that time the church, by the grace of God, was able to purchase its own building.
In 2019, Pastor Michael Cini officially retired from the ministry of pastoring, although he and his wife are still happily active in the church as his health permits.
Gifford Dennison grew up in Sydney, and was led to Christ by his younger brother, Martin, who brought home gospel tracts each Monday night for Gifford to read. Romans 6:23 especially challenged him. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." This verse showed that while we earn the penalty for our sins, getting into heaven was freely given through the death of Christ on the cross to all who would trust Jesus Christ to save them. So on the 10th April, 1979, Gifford called upon the Lord to forgive him and to give him the gift of eternal life through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Gifford soon wanted to serve the Lord through Christian film making, so he did a Bachelor degree majoring in film making. However, as Gifford met other Christian students on campus, he became increasingly concerned to know what the Bible really taught, since there were so many different doctrinal views. He went to Sydney Bible Baptist College for three years, not with a view to entering the ministry, but with a view to simply understanding the Bible better.
However, in his second year of college the Lord clearly called Gifford to preach. On the same day, God confirmed that call with an invitation to become the Assistant Pastor at Berean Baptist Church in Wollongong.
That same year, Gifford met a young lady from Adelaide who was visiting the college. She had been saved at the age of eleven at Southern Christian Fellowship, and had since moved with her family to help start Northside Baptist Church, where she became the church secretary. Leanne returned to college the following year to do a one year Certificate. Gifford and Leanne were soon engaged.
After graduating and getting married, Gifford served at his church's Christian school. Before long, the Lord led the Dennisons back to Northside Baptist Church, where Gifford pastored for 17 years. During that time, the Lord gave Gifford and Leanne twelve children who have been a great blessing and an invaluable help in the ministry.
Next, God directed the Dennisons to go to Rockhampton, where Gifford became the principal of Australian Baptist College, and also did further Bible college training .
After almost three years, Gifford began to pastor Gospel Baptist Church in Mildura, Victoria, where the family ministered for eight years. Since the church was small, Gifford worked full time in the disability sector and then as a teacher's aide. During this time Gifford completed his post graduate education degree. But the school experienced financial difficulties, reducing their staff, making Gifford unemployed.
Gifford applied for 110 jobs without success, but discovered that God was able to supernaturally provide more money each week than he had previously earned. It became obvious that God was closing the door in Mildura and that Gifford needed to look beyond Mildura for work. Melton Christian College employed him for four years as a secondary teacher. For two years, he drove between Melbourne and Mildura to preach on the weekends.
Gifford heard that Macarthur Baptist Church needed a pastor. The church voted him on as the new pastor in February 2019. Pastor Gifford is now enjoying his sixth year as the pastor of Macarthur Baptist church.
As God has blessed in the past under the fruitful ministry of Pastor and Mrs Cini, so we look forward to what God will do in the coming years as we all serve the Lord together. To God be all the glory!
