THE VISION

Vision: Our community is transformed for the glory of God. Hope and purpose are restored in a broken world.

Mission: To reach the next generation for Christ, equipping them to be salt and light in their families and beyond.

Goal: To resource every Sunshine Coast state primary school with a vibrant RI program— expanding gospel reach by ensuring families receive the Christian faith education they've requested. 

WHO WE ARE
Our organisation is the Christian Religious Education Program - Sunshine Coast, founded by Nicky Ross in 2008.  It's design from inception was to unify and strengthen RI efforts across the Coast, share best practices, and raise ministry standards under increased scrutiny from legislators and faith opponents.  We are known more generally as Sunshine Coast RI. 

A volunteer Board of Christian Directors governs our operations. Their mandate is to steward resources for maximum local impact- discipling Christians, empowering the Church to fulfil the Great Commission beyond its walls, and reaching unchurched children with the good news.

Chris Dickons

Chair of the Board, 2025

Appointed to the CREP-SC Board of Directors in 2024 and elected Chair in 2025. Chris has spent the past two decades working across ministry, education, and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and overseas. She currently serves as Director at Manna Consulting and Executive at HealthServ. His previous roles include serving with Alpha (UK and Australia), Korus Connect, school chaplaincy, SRI training, and as Director of City-to-City’s Revitalise Australia initiative.

Janetta Van der Linde

Financial Controller & Bookeeper

Appointed to the CREP-SC Board of Directors in 2025. A Certified Internal Auditor with a Bachelor degree, Janetta spent 15 years as a Senior Lecturer in Accountancy and Internal Auditing at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa. Since moving to Australia, she has worked for 8 years as a Bookkeeper and Financial Controller, and has volunteered as CREP-SC’s Bookkeeper since 2021.

Ps Kenn Kilah

Spiritual Oversight

Appointed to the CREP-SC Board of Directors in 2023 and serves as a voluntary Church Liaison Officer. Kenn is a current Board Member of both Southern Cross Institute and City Harvest International. He is the retired Field Director of the Australian Prayer Network and former pastor of Caloundra City Harvest. Kenn also played a foundational role in establishing Caloundra Christian College.

Ps Kerry Evans

School Ministries

Appointed to the CREP-SC Board of Directors in 2025, Kerry brings over 30 years of leadership experience across religious, educational, community, and not-for-profit sectors. He served for 20 years on the Board of Nambour Christian College and holds AICD qualifications. Kerry was Regional Manager for SU Australia (Sunshine Coast & Wide Bay) until 2023, and is recognised for his expertise in youth development, coaching, and discipleship. He is an accredited pastor based at Riverwalk Baptist Church, Buderim.

Carolyn Kirk

CEO; Board Secretary, RI Volunteer

With over 30 years experience in adult tertiary and university sectors, Carolyn felt called in 2023 to look to where she could apply her educational experience and administration giftings to a faith-fuelled purpose. Soon after relocating to the Sunshine Coast she found exactly that in the Christian Religious Education Program not-for-profit charity. It's only when commencing in the role of CEO did it become clear how well prepared her previous life in secular education had prepared her for the diverse requirements of running such a worthwhile endeavour.

Susan Grimley

Head of Training

Susan joined the organisation before the pandemic, learning under the mentorship of former CEO Nicky Ross. A committed Christian with early childhood training and experience in the state education system, she courageously returned—while raising two young children—to step into her mentor’s role. Now as Head of Training, Susan brings energy, passion, and strong organisational skills to the role. She liaises with pastors to authorise church volunteers, assigns mentors to support their development, and runs training sessions—all while balancing the demands of family life.

Pippa Bugden

Contract Trainer

Pippa is an RI all-rounder—serving as an Instructor, Team Coordinator across multiple schools, RI Trainer, and a passionate advocate within her church. A qualified teacher, she draws on her pedagogical expertise to guide new volunteers through competency-based training, tailoring her approach to each individual’s needs. With a collaborative mentorship style and a gift for making complex ideas accessible, Pippa inspires others with her infectious passion for sharing the gospel with young children.

David Glenn

Contract Trainer

Karien Le Roux

Contract Project Officer

Karien is a versatile Project Officer with broad experience across operations, communications, and organisational management. She excels in delivering discrete administrative and creative tasks that sit outside the scope of our day-to-day operations. Her research has streamlined data collection and record management, and her attention to detail has been invaluable in coordinating a special event. With qualifications in Audio-Visual Production Management and a flair for creativity, Karien is a trusted resource who helps us systematise, streamline, and professionalise our services and presence.

​HOW ​WE INFLUENCE
Our operations are strengthened by the volunteer leadership of a retired pastor and school principal, serving as Church & School Liaisons. Their roles enhance advocacy, compliance, awareness, and relationships across the region - elevating both our operational capacity and ministry impact.  

Not content to completely hang up their hats in retirement, the founding couple of the organisation also continue to serve in vital roles - leading the prayer network and school coordinators as volunteer liaisons. Their combined faith leadership remains a vital source of strength and encouragement for the RI ministry.

Ps Kenn & Yvonne Kilah

Church Liaisons

Kenn & Yvonne have done ministry together for over 60 years. Now formally retired, they continue to serve where they feel called. Kenn attends pastor network meetings to provide RI updates, secure speaking opportunities to promote the opportunity of RI to local believers, and meet with pastors to explain our partnership services. Yvonne speaks to enquirers about the ministry and encourages their further exploration.

Hugh MacCallum

School Liaison

Appointed to School Liaison role, CREP-SC (2024). Retired Principal of Wagga Wagga (P-12) Christian College, NSW (20 years). Also served as a Principal and Teacher in the state education system. Previously held various leadership positions in NSW state schools for many years. Continues to volunteer at local church with Mainly Music program and provides background support at Salt Christian Radio station.

Rob Ross

Prayer Liaison

Rob has faithfully supported the organisation in prayer and finances since his wife, Nicky, founded CREP-SC in 2008. As retirement approached, he sought a more active role. His deep passion for prayer opened the door to lead others with intercessory giftings, covering the RI ministry in prayer. Through fortnightly newsletters filled with encouragement, praise reports, and strategic prayer points, Rob ensures the prayer network remains focused, informed, and empowered to pray bold, timely prayers over this vital community outreach.

Nicky Ross

Team Leader/Coordinator Liaison

Nicky founded CREP-SC in 2008 and has faithfully served in nearly every role needed to keep the organisation running smoothly. Her passion lies in discipleship training for new instructors. Although she retired as CEO in January 2025, Nicky continues to serve as an RI volunteer and Coordinator, generously offering her expertise as a lifelong trainer. She also provides Coordinator training as needed, ensuring leaders are well-equipped to liaise effectively with school leadership in their assigned schools.

​WHAT WE DO
Queensland legislation empowers ministers of religion with access to public schools for Religious Instruction. We operate on behalf of partnering churches to ensure RI is delivered by their authorised representatives with effectiveness, integrity, and compliance, allowing churches to fulfil their legal responsibilities. 

We manage RI programs across Sunshine Coast state primary schools from Coolum to Caloundra and out to Glasshouse Mountains. 

Our services include:

  • Volunteer training and accreditation
  • Program oversight and reporting
  • Church and school relationship management
  • Ministry expansion and promotion
1

Compliance & Risk Management

No complaints or issues requiring intervention, and no negative media impacting the ministry. Instructors follow protocols to manage emerging risks.

2

Legislative Support

RI legislation remains intact and supported by the current state government, despite ongoing opposition.

3

School Relationships & Culture

Strong, long-term relationships with schools where solid RI programs have been operating for many years. RI is recognised as a positive influence in school culture.

4

Testimonial Encouragement

Instructors are encouraged by the way children engage in the content and grow in their understanding over the year.

5

Equipped for Impact

Volunteers are growing in faith, confidence, and capability. Local believers are developing their apologetic as a by-product of lesson preparation and delivery.

WHO WE IMPACT & SERVE
We coordinate the activities of over 100 volunteers from nearly 50 Christian churches that are part of the Sunshine Coast Christian RI Faith Cooperative.

We oversee RI programs in 28 local schools where 235 gospel classes are delivered to over 5,000 children each week (as at June 2025). 

We are not just serving locally—we’ve helped shape RI excellence across Queensland. The IP from our training programs & resources has influenced the development of state-wide RI accreditation.

Our specialised training programs are competency-based, flexibly delivered, and achievable—whether you're new to RI or have prior classroom experience. We equip volunteers with the skills and confidence needed to share the gospel effectively in Queensland government schools.
HOW WE'RE FUNDED
We are a donor-funded independent ministry of the Church, a registered not-for-profit charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), and we hold Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status

The organisation does not apply for nor receive any government funding on principle.  For nearly two decades, our work has been sustained through generous donor support, supplemented by a small number of churches investing missionally—currently about 11% of total contributions. 

TRAINING AGREEMENTS
In 2024, we introduced Training Agreements to formalise the outsourcing of training, monitoring, and record-keeping responsibilities from churches to CREP-SC. 

This initiative not only clarified our role in safeguarding and professionalizing the RI ministry but also highlighted the importance of shared responsibility in local mission. As a ministry of the Church, we believe partnering financially strengthens our shared mandate, honors the investment of donors, and ensures RI continues to thrive in our schools and communities.