Our Story

The story of Surf Church reaches back decades, shaped by Phillip Island’s surf culture and the faith communities already on the ground. In the 1980s, Christian Surfers Phillip Island created space for surfers to explore faith in a way that felt natural to life in the water. Alongside this, Christian Youth Camps (CYC) had long been active on the island, and a practical partnership with Christian Surfers grew over time.

As early as the early 2000s, key leaders from CYC and Christian Community Churches Victoria/Tasmania (CCCVaT) began discussions—together with Christian Surfers Australia—about what a church for the surf community might look like. Those conversations imagined a gathering that was culturally grounded, locally led, and shaped by service, hospitality, and mission.

In 2015, Lucas and Ashleigh Bartlett, newly married and serving in ministry in Torquay, sensed a call to return to the waves and community of their youth, Phillip Island. After much prayer and discussion, they relocated to the Island with a simple vision: a faith community rising from within the surf community itself, with a heart to reach the people of Phillip Island and the Bass Coast with the love of Jesus Christ.

Once settled, Lucas and Ashleigh began sharing meals and ideas with locals who carried the same heart. Early on, conversations with Marcel Edmonds from the Phillip Island Adventure Resort helped form a small core. Over pizza and prayer at Pino’s Italian Restaurant in early 2018 with Marcel and Bettsy Edmonds and Olivia Potts, a founding team emerged.

Surf Church launched in February 2019 out of the Camp Grounds at the Phillip Island Adventure Resort. From humble beginnings, it has grown into a vibrant, multi-generational community shaped by faith, volunteer energy, and strong ties with Christian Surfers and Christian Community Churches Victoria/Tasmania. Today, Lucas and Ashleigh continue to pastor the church alongside a passionate team, also leading the CSALT Academy (Christian Surfers Australia Leadership Training). They enjoy life on their island within the community whilst raising their two sons.