We have a vision to fill the church with disciples of Jesus Christ. This is a way of saying that we want more people in our community to come to know God through his Son, to join us as we gather each week in his Name, and to make his glory known to Randwick and the world. There is lots happening here in pursuit of our vision: you will see from the back page many activities re-starting in the next few weeks after their holiday break.
I am especially excited about our plans to start a new all-ages informal congregation in the afternoon. We are gearing up for this during the first half of 2021, and prayerfully hoping to be up and running from August.
You might like to know more about why we have made these plans. Over the 162 years of our parish, our strong tradition of formal worship using the prayer book has sustained the faith of many. It continues to do so. But we also know that there are many in Randwick who would find it easier to connect with Jesus through a more informal style of Christian gathering. That’s why for the last few years, we’ve adopted a mix of styles – formal in the morning and informal in the evening.
The new congregation is planned for a timeslot which will be late enough for people who do other things on Sunday mornings, but early enough for those with school or work the next day. My heartfelt prayer is that it will be a genuine all-ages congregation, with youth, children and adults from every stage of life.
But a church is more than a timeslot; it is a gathering of disciples who love one another and seek to grow together in Christlikeness through the work of the Holy Spirit who dwells among them. That is why we want to launch our new congregation through a team that has prayed and planned together toward a shared vision.
We’re starting with gatherings for prayer, planning and to focus on key truths about God which will set the agenda for our plans. The first is on Sunday 31st January at 4.00 pm.
In addition to these gatherings for those who are considering being part of the congregation, I will soon be announcing some special opportunities for the whole of the parish to be praying for all of our evangelism, including this new venture.