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.

The River of Love
Dear Inner Circle, Thank you all for the waves of love that have poured in since yesterday’s announcement about the positive COVID case in our

For a Safer City
Dear Inner Circle, Every morning at 11:05 I receive a phone call from a well-known regular to Wayside who delivers the day’s COVID numbers and

All The Heart Can Hold
Dear Inner Circle, Many years ago, when Lisa and I were fledgling youth workers, a local community health centre contacted us about a group of

If Love Stays True
Dear Inner Circle, A young man came to Wayside many years ago after the sudden death of his father had led him to a life on

Essential
Dear Inner Circle, Hospitality forms the heart of who we are at Wayside, so we eschew labels that cast us into the roles of “client”

The Gift of Tears
Dear Inner Circle, To one side of my office is a small storage room. It contains mostly files and records, but a small space has been

No Easy Retreat
Dear Inner Circle, With the lockdown extending and restrictions being placed on travel, we have received a series of messages from concerned folk who have

Something of Value
Dear Inner Circle, Here’s a ripper of a story for you. A couple of weeks ago two little kids asked their Mum if they could go

What Would Love Do?
Dear Inner Circle, “This is the place where you are welcome, this is the place where you are loved.” This message is the most important

Finding a Way
Dear Inner Circle, One of the most commonly requested songs to be sung at funerals here is one about love making a way when there