by Joseph Smith

Exciting developments are occurring within the Gordon Deanery, in Sydney’s Northern Region, with four churches planning three separate church plants.

St James’, Turramurra, St Swithun’s, Pymble, St Matthew’s, West Pymble and St Philip’s, Turramurra South are all at various stages of putting together strategies for new services.

St James’, Turramurra and St Swithun’s, Pymble are in a joint venture to start a church service in North Turramurra at the beginning of 2005. The joint venture has been considered for several years, and recent population growth has now prompted action. The proposed plant will initially take the form of a family service on Sunday mornings in the primary school hall.
Fifteen families from Turramurra are pledging to form the nucleus of the new congregation. The Northern Regional Council is assisting the three year project, allocating $30,000 for the first year, with decreasing amounts being given for the remaining two years.

“The Regional Council is making a high priority of funding church plants,” Bishop Davies said. “I’m pleased that parishes have a vision and are in cooperation together.”

According to rector of St Matthew’s, West Pymble, the Rev Gary O’Brien, the last four years has seen continued growth in the congregation so a church plant is a likely option.

“With our growth we now find the church building overcrowded on Sunday mornings and we do not have adequate room to run our Sunday morning children’s ministry,” Mr O’Brien said.
“[This has] lead us to talk about the possibility of planting a new congregation either in the morning or afternoon on Sundays along with some children’s ministries,” he said.

The parish of St Philip’s, Turramurra South, despite conducting various effective ministries to children for many years, has not seen a corresponding growth in the number of families being integrated into the church.

In response, they plan to take the church into the local Turramurra Public School with the aim of commencing the first service in early 2005.