Words from the streets of Kings Cross and Bondi Beach

About Jon Owen
“I am the Pastor and CEO of Wayside Chapel. I write with my heart wide open and my eyes looking at life. I am a philosopher, a dreamer, a tower of weakness, a leader and a follower, a husband and a father and I hope to give you a flavour of life by the wayside.”
About Inner Circle
The Inner Circle is a weekly letter with musings on humanity, acceptance, and love from the Pastor and CEO of Wayside Chapel. It often includes anecdotes of life at Wayside Chapel and speaks to anyone who wants to lean deeper into the question of what it means to be human.

Subscribe to Wayside Chapel communications and Jon Owen's weekly Inner Circle letter to hear all the news from the streets of Sydney's Kings Cross and Bondi Beach.

Yeah, Nah, Whatever
Dear Inner Circle, There are some compliments that just don’t land very well. One evening when the kids were young, they were sitting around the

Thorns and Roses
Dear Inner Circle, My wife Lisa and I were recently profiled for a piece in the Good Weekend magazine here in Sydney called “Two of

License to Renew
Dear Inner Circle, This past week, I had the absolute joy of officiating a wedding for a truly beautiful couple. Well, not exactly a wedding, a

The One Where We Talk About Feelings
Dear Inner Circle, I buried a young man recently who was perhaps the angriest person I have ever met — his rage knew no bounds.

Reality Bites
Dear Inner Circle, Meeting a celebrity is like having two people take control in your head at once. There’s one voice saying ‘Just relax, stay cool,

Going the Distance
Dear Inner Circle, Kindness is a superpower, it is love made real through action and attentiveness in what can be a cold and isolating world

How To Be Human
Dear Inner Circle, This morning at our Bondi centre, I was greeted by an old familiar face — someone who usually frequents our Kings Cross

A Red Guitar, Three Chords and the Broom
Dear Inner Circle, There is something about sitting around a campfire that is pretty special, even better if there’s a song involved. Sitting out front,

Bran Nue Day
Dear Inner Circle, I’ll never forget the look of sheer panic in the eyes of a young man in the back row the first time

NAIDOC Week: Strength, Vision & Legacy
Dear Inner Circle, This week we celebrate NAIDOC Week which began on Monday with a smoking ceremony led by Uncle Ronald Schultz, welcoming mob and