Bishop Al Stewart of Wollongong has said churches should rethink their plans for the year in order to take advantage of untapped connecting opportunities in January.

The statement comes partially as a response to issues raised by February Southern Cross' news feature on the perceived difficulty of running activities in January.

In preparation for this article, sydneyanglicans.net contacted a number of Sydney Anglican parishes and had trouble finding churches who had planned January activities.

Bishop Stewart says this reveals a tension between the obvious need for holidays at the end of a busy year, with the potential January holds for connecting, especially with families.

"I find the two tensions that people in our churches " ministers, everybody " need a bit of a break over summer, especially those who have worked their guts out in the leadup to Christmas," he begins.

"The other is that the idea of the summer-based beach mission " the thing that you run and make contact with kids " can be really productive."

However Bishop Stewart adds that making the most of the summer season, where children are on holidays and schedules are freer, is workable.

"It's about planning the year as a whole and working out who's on deck when and where to put our resources without wearing people out," Bishop Stewart explains.

"Some people need to fall in a heap and watch the cricket in January, but other people can do that before Christmas and be there ready to go for January.

"You can't be 100 per cent all the time, so you've got to make choices."

The Figtree solution

Over 500 people have taken part in Figtree Anglican Church's January Fresh Start program, which is almost double the figure from last year.

The two-week program " which includes activities such as cycling, LAN gaming, barefoot bowling and dance and photo classes " is designed to connect with locals and to continue initial contacts made at Christmas activities.

Last year, 15 made commitments to Christ at evangelistic dinners held after the program in early February. This year the two dinners - one for men and one for women - will be happening on February 4 and 10.

Figtree’s evangelism minister Stuart Starr says January is for him one of the most important times of the year to connect with locals.

"We do invest a lot in Christmas and I think we're asking a lot of people if we think the goodwill of December 25 or 24 extends all the way through to February," he says.

"I think people's lives move on and so there is a certain sense in which you want to capitalise with some more proximity to all that effort you put in in December."

He also says running the program has been a helpful way of preparing the Figtree congregation for the upcoming year.

"Our people, whether they took advantage of the opportunities afforded by Fresh Start or not, have come back to church themselves with the idea of connection firmly in our public upfront ministry," Mr Starr says.

Key to the Fresh Start idea was involving laypeople in turning their usual holiday interests into program activities, which Mr Starr says made the event much less "staff-heavy'.

Flat out with planning in November and December, Mr Starr says he was still able to fit two weeks of annual leave in after Christmas, returning in time to prepare for Fresh Start, which began on January 12.

"My personal reflection was that it was able to happen without killing me, and I still felt I had a break," he smiles.
He adds that the January event has been factored into Figtree’s ministry timeline for the year, with quieter times planned later in 2009.

“We have a diagram which we planned last year, spacing major events across the course of this year, where we’ve got time in between the big events to build the team and speak to the church and get people praying.” he says.

Photos: SDM Photography