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.

No Carpenters
Dear Inner Circle, No sooner had I neared the entrance of Wayside than I was besieged with requests, but one stood distinct from the rest.

Running Races & Sharing Spaces
Dear Inner Circle, First, a moment of pure, heartfelt gratitude for you. As the seasons change and we’re emerging from the excitement of the City2Surf

Heroes Without Headlines
Dear Inner Circle, The week began with loud cheers as the chapel buzzed with excitement, cheering our Matildas to victory, amidst a sea of green

A Rainbow of Stars
Dear Inner Circle, A couple of stories capture the essence of human connection. Recently, two young children were in the park. One of the kids

Showing Up
Dear Inner Circle, Many years ago, my wife Lisa and I found ourselves in a season where we were taking a lot of young people

Love’s the Sweetest Thing
Dear Inner Circle, Sadly, there seem to be a spate of funerals and memorials to organise these days. They seem to come in runs. A

Love On Loan
Dear Inner Circle, The heart of nearly every parent is easily broken. No book in the world warns you that a little piece of your

The Long Pause
Dear Inner Circle, A Wayside team member was deep in conversation last week when, in more a statement of fact rather than a plea of

Just Enough Hope
Dear Inner Circle, There are a lot of late nights at this time of year, when the burdens of my predecessors weigh upon me a

An Eye for Kindness
Dear Inner Circle, Kindness is all in the eyes. There’s a gentle man with whom I trade terrible jokes on a weekly basis. Months ago,