If you asked a group of people to guess the hobbies of Sydney rectors, you could safely say that no one would suggest the collecting and playing of pinball machines.

Welcome to the secret world of the rector of Bayside, “flipper” enthusiast the Rev Zac Veron, who owns more than 20 (yes, you read that right) machines. “Nerd!” he exclaims with a laugh, not looking the least bit perturbed.

A pinball lover from way back – and competition player for the past decade – Mr Veron was given his first machine as a 50th birthday present. One became three “fairly quickly”, then three became 10 and, during the pandemic, with some family inheritance, he snapped up a few bargain machines from the US and had them imported.

Unsurprisingly the collection has continued to grow since then, and now comprises everything from rare 50-year-old machines to the latest fancy options that (literally) have all the lights and buzzers.

“The allure for me has always been to do something that’s fun in a positive and encouraging competitive atmosphere,” he explains.

“I’ve always been a sporty person but my hamstrings don’t work as well as they used to! However, my fingers do, and to be able to compete at a high level is something that’s very appealing to me and gives me a lot of energy.”

After encouragement from fellow pinnie enthusiasts, Mr Veron began a club in April – the Flipper Fellowship – which now averages 25 players a week. A Saturday Flippermania event each month draws players from as far away as the Central Coast, Penrith and Wollongong, vying for bigger trophies and increased competition points.

Those who come for the first time are understandably surprised to discover that events are all held on church property (in the hall).

“There is a curiosity factor, for sure, being the only pinball club in the world that’s run at a church, where the senior minister of the church is also the director of the club!” he says. 

Pinball and the gospel

But it’s not just about playing the pinnies and having fun. Mr Veron loves being able to provide a sense of community and camaraderie for those who come, the majority of whom have no links to Christianity at all.

“We are able to connect with them, and we let God-inspired, Bible-influenced conversations take place – often with people who have never been on church property or held a Bible before,” he says. 

He describes how, one week, a new member told him with tears in her eyes “what a wonderful group of people this was”. A few tournaments later she began talking about coming to church.

“She hasn’t come yet... but [on club nights] they’re here on a church site, and I’ve earned the right to be accepted and heard within the pinball community,” he says.

“We don’t preach here – there are a few Christian members and we’re just being ourselves. And that, we prayerfully hope, will be used by the Lord to enhance other people’s lives as we share the truth of the Scriptures with them.

“Going forward I will offer free bibles to players, probably at the forthcoming Christmas party. Give them a present of a free Bible, and next year advertise a Christianity Explored course and see what happens.”

In addition, Mr Veron is “absolutely” up for running men’s, women’s or mixed events to suit the needs of different Anglican churches – an evangelistic men’s event for another parish is already pencilled in next year – and he is chuffed that the club has been asked to host the NSW Pinball Championships in January.

He has already hosted groups of students from Danebank, after his daughter took a Technology class for the day and discovered the lesson was focused on pinball machines and how they work. She texted her dad, who immediately invited the class to come and discover real-life machines for themselves.

“The teachers couldn’t believe that they had this opportunity to drive 12-15 mins from the school and have an exclusive excursion to enhance the education of their girls!” he says. 

“Students being taught about pinball – who have never seen a machine – can actually play them, see how they work and get a talk from me. More young people get experience about pinball, tell their parents, and they might come and join the pinball club!”