As church renovation plans go, it’s a biggie.
St Paul’s, Chatswood is hoping that by this time next year it will have a school up and running for kids in years K-2 – and not just any school, mind you, but a Mandarin-English school.
“Our church has three languages and four congregations – English, Mandarin and Cantonese – and we’re right smack in the middle of a massive population of Mandarin and Cantonese speakers,” explains St Paul’s general manager, David Lawrence. “We’re in a vibrant Chinese community that needs to hear the gospel... The link between the church and the school would be a wonderful, privileged connection.”
While the school is an enormous project to take on, last year 95 per cent of members were in favour of pursuing a development application. Once Willoughby Council gave the go-ahead for a school with 49 students, 98 per cent voted in favour of the $2 million budget.
Says rector the Rev Steve Jeffrey: “To have that kind of vote in favour was massive. The first time this was brought to the table for us as a church was probably in 2009, and most people were angry with the idea. I think now we’re really starting to stretch our faith muscles and trust God in a way we haven’t before. “About $700,000 over three years was pledged by members [towards the cost]. We haven’t even built anything and the first round of pledges are in the bank and ready to go. That’s really the test for us. It’s one thing to vote in favour and say ‘Let’s do it’ – it’s quite another to put your money on the line. And it’s coming from a broad range of people across all congregations.”
In December, Standing Committee gave the parish permission to sell a property it owns to help fund the building program. Money from the sale will be held in trust, so Standing Committee also needs to approve the release of trust funds for the school.
A group from St Paul’s, with the help of local Archdeacon Terry Dein, is preparing information it hopes will be considered by the Committee this month.
If all is approved, and the school registered for 2015, there will be a six-month build to prepare the International Chinese School for next year. This will include rejuvenating an old timber hall on the church site, creating a large playground for the school and the existing Anglo and Mandarin playgroups, building an undercover breakout area that will benefit the school and the church, and developing a renewed car park designed to incorporate school drop-offs and pick-ups.
Mr Lawrence says the plan is to start with 15-20 students and build to 49 by year three. “We’ve got loose waiting lists and potential staff members... so we’ll be ready to roll as soon as there’s approval,” he says, adding that if the school is a success the church will look at offsite options for a K-6 campus.
Mr Jeffrey describes the school as “a great opportunity for us as a local church”. He asks for prayer – not just that the school would open, but that St Paul’s would continue in its desire to “connect into the next generation here in Chatswood and be a ministry into people’s lives”.
