William and Chelsea Thorne lead the Sydney Church of Christ and are greatly relied upon for their leadership, guidance, hard work and example. They have been working in the SCOC and serving in the community for over 8 years (William began working for the church in July 2013). Their attempts to obtain Permanent Residency in Australia have been unsuccessful so far and they are currently applying for Ministerial intervention. In the event that this is also unsuccessful they will be expected to leave the country as soon as possible.

The Thornes have changed many lives in Sydney through their leadership of the church, personal bible studies and counselling, training of ministry staff and dedication to the community. If William and Chelsea were not able to continue to serve as Lead Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader it would have a huge impact on the church. The hole that their absence would leave would be extremely difficult to fill and would negatively impact hundreds of people in the church community. 

William and Chelsea have had three beautiful children in Sydney; Denton, Louie and Lilah. Their family have fully embraced the Australian values and if their request for ministerial intervention is successful they are committed to continuing to lead and serve the church community.

By signing this petition you are supporting William and Chelsea's ongoing stay in Australia.