The people of the parish of Woodville Road have been without a rector a rector since September 2002. Eighteen months of a leadership void can wreak havoc on a parish, but this has been far from the case at the thriving church in Sydney’s west.
Woodville Road covers two church centres, St Anne’s, Merrylands, and St Mary’s, Guildford, which together include seven congregations. Assistant ministers Bruce Stanley and Jim Crosweller have pastored the two centres respectively for the past year and a half.
With Rector Stephen Semenchuk leaving 19 months ago, and acting rector Dennis Oliver, and the youth and children’s workers leaving last year, St Anne’s entire full time ministry team had left within 18 months of each other. Mr Stanley was required to become full-time at St Anne’s. However, this did not slow down the ministry.
“It’s been tiring and exciting,” My Stanley says, “It’s the oxymoron of ‘gee, I’m stuffed, but it’s exciting that so much is happening’.”
“It’s not been a time for standing still,” Mr Crosweller says. “The phrase we avoided was, ‘we’ll wait until the Rector gets here’,” adds Mr Stanley. “We never fell for that. If any decision was based on waiting until the rector came we said, ‘no, it’s a decision we have to make,’ because we didn’t know how long it was going to be until the rector came.”
Bishop of Western Sydney Ivan Lee has seen positive effects arise from the 18 months this parish has been without a senior minister. “We have all had to learn to pray more fervently, persevere with greater patience, and humbly accept God’s timing. Yet during this long period, the church not only ‘survived’ but also grew its ministry under God. This is evidence of the courageous leadership of the church, both paid staff and lay, and of the faithful service of all its members,” he says.
A full-time children’s and youth director was appointed in December to replace the children’s worker and the youth worker the church lost.
Woodville Road has actually increased its number of services, with an evening service commencing in Guildford. “It’s a relaxed, entry-level service,” Mr Crosweller says.
Both assistant ministers credit the congregational members with giving the parish its drive. “They have gained a greater degree of ownership of the parish. They now have the vision to come up with good initiatives and ideas,” Mr Stanley says.
Mr Stanley is pleased with the foundations that have been laid for the new Rector, former Engadine Assistant Minister, the Rev Nathan Killick, who arrives this month. “We’ve tried to fashion a vision for ministry that will see us going forward in a particular direction long after we’ve gone,” he says.