In a move that heralds a new era for the whole region, the Rev Campbell King will be inducted as the rector of St Paul's, Canterbury and as acting rector of St Clements's, Marrickville in a service at St Clement's tonight.
Mr King says the number of people praying for this ministry move has encouraged him.
"Some congregation members, friends of mine and in particular Bishop Peter Tasker have been praying for this new initiative for a very long time," he says.
"I have found this to be a really good endorsement of our plans for ministry at Canterbury and Marrickville."
Mr King's move is part of the plan to see churches and ministry expanded in the Canterbury deanery of the Georges River Region and follows in the footsteps of the Rev David Wallace's recent move to Belmore.
The plan is for Mr King to focus on leading the largely Anglo congregations at Marrickville and Canterbury and to encourage and pastor a team specifically geared for a new cross cultural church planting strategy.
"This is an attempt to do something of a ground breaking nature as the church reconnects with the local community," Mr King says.
"After speaking to various people involved in cross-cultural ministry and realising these parishes have not had a full time minister for a long time, I felt we could contribute."
Mr King was previously the rector of the parish of Manly Vale with Allambie Heights where he was the senior minister since 1985.
"After 23 years a parish becomes like home so we will miss the people we have ministered to and worked with very much. Also, most of our children and grandchildren belong to the parish so we will miss the frequent contact we have had with them."
New planter appointed
One church planter has already been appointed as part of the new Canterbury/Marrickville team.
SMBC graduate Ross Ciano and his wife Rachel, who have been working in a church in England, will return to Sydney in the new year to work with Mr King.
Mr Ciano is currently youth minister at Bishop Hannington Church, Hove, UK and will be speaking at KYCK next year.
"Generally speaking, churches in the deanery have worked hard but struggled to reach the growing and varied ethnic population over the past 50 years," Mr King explains.
"We want to reverse this. My role will be to help the existing, predominantly Anglo, congregation reach the out to the area."
However, Mr King says he has a bigger vision too.
"With Ross and the other church planters, we want to plant a number of multi-ethnic congregations that reflect the make-up of people in our neighbourhood," he says.
"Ross will be freed up to use various strategies to reach the ethnic population in parallel with what I am doing with the existing congregations."
Mr King says the message of Ephesians inspires him to support and promote the formation of multi-ethnic congregations.
"The wonder of the gospel is seen as people of different ethnicities are united together in Christ," he says.
"As our church grows it should send a powerful message to our local community that the gospel works and reconciles people to God and to one another in a way absolutely unique to the church."
