US evangelists to save NT's 'filthy' soul | Northern Territory News | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | ntnews.com.au
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DARWIN has been "claimed" by a southern US evangelist family who plan to set up a mission in the place they call "the unreached city".
The Gibbs family, Baptists from North Carolina, say they read about Darwin's high rates of drinking and sexually transmitted diseases and know the place needs help.
They have set up a website called "aussiebound" to spread the word about their mission, called "Claiming the City of Darwin, Australia for Christ".
"As we continue to read the news in Darwin, it only reinforces our burden for this unreached city and the urgency of us planting a church there," Adam Gibbs writes on the website.
"Northern Territory is now the country's leader in STDs and alcohol consumption.
"Though the government tries to combat these problems with social programs, we as Christians know that it is only Christ who can truly heal this territory."
The Gibbs family plan to apply for visas when they get more supporters, but their website says economic times have been tough for many churches.
The family is Adam, his wife Bethany and their daughter Michaela.
They also see Darwin's value as a launching point into Asia and have been communicating with a Palmerston family to plan their arrival.
When they arrive they plan to "begin planting a church in Darwin through evangelistic crusades, letter boxing and other mediums" and "train both Australians and Asians for full-time Christian service".
The Gibbs family are traditional Baptists believing the world was created in six literal days, women should not be pastors, and people should be immersed in water after salvation.
In their travels last year they covered 40,000km and have gained two new supporters already this year.