“Organised programs like Week of Worship (WOW) are great, but what I get really excited about is what comes next: the small group Bible studies, the one-on-one conversations, and the relationships with Jesus that will be built throughout the year,” says Pastor Raul Moran, lead chaplain at Mountain View Adventist College in Sydney’s west and keynote speaker at BAC’s 2026 Week of Worship.
Each day this week, students have walked into a WOW venue bathed in the colour and glow of the underwater theme “Dive In.” The warm, friendly environment invites them into an hour of joy and spiritual reflection.
Throughout the week, Pastor Raul has drawn students into a contemplation of identity, courage, and calling, retelling the stories of Barak, Gideon, David, Moses, and the apostle Peter. “Fear says go and hide, but God says, ‘I’m by your side,’” he said to students on the second last day, bringing the story of Gideon to a close.
He invites students to see faith not as an idea, but as something lived – and to imagine what a real, personal relationship with Jesus might look like in the details of their own lives.
On a back wall, paper prayers are suspended like hundreds of bright jellyfish in ocean currents. They carry the thoughts, thanks, and questions of children, teenagers, teachers, and parents, capturing unrehearsed honesty as they test the waters or slip beneath the surface of conversation to commune with a trusted Friend.
“When we really get clarity on the gospel, then we can truly dive in for Jesus. We don’t dive in unknowingly; we dive in with His love, knowledge, tools, and capacity to do great things in and through us. God’s grace changes lives,” he explains.
Pastor Raul speaks from experience. When he began studying ministry at Avondale University in 2007, he was “a very different person.”
“Until then, God was a God of rules to me,” he recalls. “It was a distorted picture shaped by well-meaning people with a strong focus on rules. But at Avondale, I met people who loved Jesus and found this incredible joy in who he is – and I wanted that. God put those people in my path to show me what the gospel could do in my life.”
Now, Pastor Raul places himself in the path of young people so he can introduce them to the God he has come to know. A former breakdancer, he sometimes uses that unexpected skill to build trust – whether students end up laughing or leaning in a little closer.
The impact of his messages this week is evident in reflections from BAC students. Mannix (Year 12) shares, “I am getting to know God on a better level.” Caleb (Year 5) says, “I think God is using Pastor Raul to help me grow closer to Him.” Another student reflected on David and Goliath: “Even though David was small, he kept his trust in God.”
For Pastor Raul, weeks like this are a beginning. WOW plants a seed – one that grows as students become curious about a God who knows them, calls them, and equips them wherever they are.
“There’s peace in knowing Jesus is with us now and always,” he says. “What’s ahead isn’t the most important thing; it’s seeing clearly who God is. We don’t need security in a destination; we need security in knowing the God we are walking our path with.”
