Tim Foster has a glint in his eye. Perhaps it’s the winter sunshine spilling through the trees. Or perhaps it’s a caffeine-induced hit courtesy of a neighbouring café. But the reality is unlikely – the Rector of All Souls, Leichhardt, is wearing a hardhat and a fluorescent orange construction jacket and standing in a ditch.
And Norton Street will never be the same again.
The combination of food, drink and Italian culture that has worked so well at drawing crowds to the hip Inner West precinct is also integral to the parish’s radical plan to throw open its doors to a community that fills the 60 local cafes, but leaves the church building empty.
Jackhammers have been regular features in the church grounds this year, tearing up the earth in preparation for the building of a church-run café area with a playground that will be sandwiched between the All Souls building and the rectory.
Mr Foster says the parish needs to have a more visible presence on the famous strip. The centre is part of a modernising effort to improve the grounds and encourage a greater sense of community.
“It’s going to be a church with a difference,” Mr Foster says of the $330,000 building work, which is being funded by rent from the pizza parlour next door. “It’s about making our Christian life as a community visible…as well as providing a customised space for fellowship and outreach activities. I hope Christians will move into this area who can see the potential…[to] change the culture and use the opportunities.”
Plans include a possible café church congregation with Sunday afternoon events such as jazz, cooking classes, wine tasting, cinema nights, poetry festivals and spiritual dialogues. “[These] are opportunities for our church community to get together and enjoy each other, and for others in the community to know us,” Mr Foster said.
Playgroups and a Work for the Dole hospitality training program are also envisioned for the centre, which will open next Easter.
The highly transient nature of Leichhardt means the church needs to grow by 15 per cent a year just to combat people moving out of the area.
