Jon Owen

Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we meet Wayside Chapel’s chief executive and pastor Jon Owen.

- Joanna Hunkin & Kylie Kwong

With every challenge, comes an opportunity. Which means 2020 has not been without its positives, says Jon Owen, chief executive and pastor of Sydney’s Wayside Chapel.

“We’ve been getting people off the street and into hotel rooms, the Government has been paying for that. It’s been quite an amazing moment to be working in this space. There’s been lots of pleasant surprises through it all,” he says, radiating a charisma so strong, you can feel it even through a glitchy Zoom call.

Wayside Chapel has been a fixture of Sydney’s Kings Cross since 1964 when it first opened its doors to offer a place of sanctuary and support for those who had fallen by the wayside.

“Wayside is this beautiful place where we are the family of humanity. From the person walking out of their apartment in Potts Point to the person waking up in the gutter, you can come to this place where you will be treated as equals.”