It was "business as usual in crisis mode' according to the Rev Ian Powell, the leader of the community of Christians who lost their church building in a blaze last Wednesday morning.
The rector of St Barnabas', Broadway led over 500 parishioners and guests at a combined Sunday service in the Great Hall at Sydney University yesterday morning.
There was a mixture of tears and laughter during the service as people mourned the loss of the building but were united in the knowledge that the church was still standing strong through its people.
Mr Powell says the service was a reminder that God brings good out of bad situations.
"We really believe God will bring good out of this. There is a general feeling of exhaustion, at not being in our building with our own stuff, but we are confident
God intends this for good," Mr Powell says.
In maintaining business as usual, Mr Powell continued his sermon series from Genesis on Joseph, which carried the theme of God working for good through all things.
"The great theme and high point is at the end of Genesis when Joseph says to his brothers, "You intended this for evil but God intended this for good'."
Local churches have shown goodness towards the Barney's congregation, including Annandale Anglican Church, who ran the children's program so St Barnabas' children's leaders could attend the combined service.
Mr Powell says churches of various denominations have offered prayerful and practical support.
"The Annandale Uniting Church minister rang me several times to pray with me; the Catholics down the road offered us space; and churches like Christ Church, St Laurence, St John's, Glebe and All Souls', Leichhardt have all offered their prayerful support.”
Moore College has offered St Barnabas' use of the Broughton Knox lecture theatre for church services over the coming months, where all three Sunday services will run as usual.
Investigation continues
The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing as police crime scene investigators examine evidence at the scene of the blaze.
Detective Sergeant Paul Dunstan says foul play has not been ruled out, but it is still too early to label the cause as arson.
"Lots of samples are being taken of soil and carpet and different burn patterns have been witnessed. It is still all to be forensically examined," he says.
"A number of people who were in the area at the time have provided statements to the police. We will probably do an appeal through the media for more witnesses later in the week to put together the pieces of what might have occurred."
The future of the St Barnabas', Broadway
Bishop Forsyth says it is still uncertain as to what the process will be in rebuilding St Barnabas', Broadway.
"It's a heritage listed building by the local council, therefore we can’t demolish it holus bolus," Bishop Forsyth says.
"We don't know at this stage what can be demolished or what is safe and what is unsafe. It's only when the dust has settled both metaphorically and literally that we will have a sense of what the constraints will be on any new building."
Bishop Forsyth hopes the new building will be completed for St Barnabas' 150th anniversary celebration in 2009.
"I would like to see some way in which the old building is remembered in the new," he says.
Bishop Forsyth says some old pews that were stored away could be used in the construction of the new building.
"While I wouldn't want to put the old pews put in the new building as seating, it would be good to use that wood in some way in the new building," he says.
