The Hopeworks Story
It all started when…
In 2017 Jeff Forbes, from New Vine Lakes Baptist Church founded the first Hopeworks group, then called Depression and Hope. His vision was for people to receive connection, support and information that would help them move toward recovery. Jeff held a firm belief that recovery from depression is possible. As a Christian, he understood that this sometimes happens through direct, miraculous healing but often through care and connection with others, combined with learning healthy practices and skills. Jeff started holding meetings at the Valentine Bowling Club, with speakers each fortnight, an atmosphere of supporting each other, and his own special mix of compassion, humour and fun.
Jeff’s legacy…
Sadly Jeff passed away in late 2018, around two years after the commencement of the group. His management of his cancer journey was inspirational, and the group could see his faith and joy in action even through the struggle. Jeff left the group with some strong, solid connections and a desire to continue supporting each other. But it didn’t stop there. Jeff had a dream for more groups across the Hunter region, and for other churches to take hold of the opportunity to connect with, support and bring hope to those struggling with Depression.
The Hunter Region Network….
Linda Rowland, a psychologist living in Newcastle, who was providing support and advice for the group as well as some leadership during Jeff’s treatment, was able to take over the Valentine-based support group. Under the banner of Hope Newcastle Inc., a not-for-profit organisation connected with New Vine Lakes church, Linda worked with local churches to launch Depression support groups in various places around the Hunter region including Morisset, Pelican, Belmont, Tanilba Bay, Charlestown and online.
New model, new name…
Originally each group was run as a combined initiative of Hope Newcastle and a local participating church. In late 2024, the Hope Newcastle board made the decision to focus more on resourcing and equipping churches to run the groups, rather than being involved in the day-to-day business of setting up and running them. Existing groups were launched into the community to be resourced by Hope Newcastle but run solely under the jurisdiction of their local church or Christian organisation. Linda then turned her focus to writing an easily replicable program which could be rolled out in churches across Australia, and we renamed our organisation Hopeworks.
Onward and Upwards….
The group run directly by New Vine Lakes church/Hope Newcastle Inc. is in Belmont, NSW and is advertised on this website. Other groups will be advertised separately by their home churches but may refer you to this website for further information or if you contact us we may be able to advise you of other churches running the program.
Exciting times ahead – we plan to launch the updated program, ready to resource churches to support those struggling with depression or similar challenges, in the first half of 2026. There will be a program manual to guide the content of support group sessions, a set-up guide for those wishing to run a Hopeworks group, a facilitator manual, a handouts folder and links to resources. Watch this space!!