A new congregation is coming to Parramatta in May, hoping to get alongside other gospel churches to reach the multicultural community that lives and works in the city.
The church plant, which is an extension of Multicultural Bible Ministry, Rooty Hill, will gather in the Parramatta PCYC – a venue close to public transport and surrounding apartment blocks.
Parramatta’s population is expected to more than double in the next 20 years. It is currently the home of Australia’s largest urban transformation project, with major developments underway including schools, hospitals, universities and residential apartments. At the moment, only 15 per cent of the population identify as Protestant.
“Our heart’s desire is to see the people who live, work and play in and around Parramatta transformed through Jesus Christ for the glory of God,” says the Rev Dan Lee, who is heading up the plant.
"Mission will look different. We need to be flexible and try different things.”
“What will mission look like in a city that’s rapidly changing? How do we reach the new migrant, the person in an apartment block, or the suburban family?” Mr Lee asks. “Any parish faces challenges in this.
“It’s a melting pot of urban and suburban people, people who come from from a lower socioeconomic background, workers and people who come into Parramatta for work but might not live there. It’s a hub. Mission will look different. We need to be flexible and try different things.”
Partnering to win Parramatta
There is a great harvest in Parramatta, with so many people travelling in, through, and out of the CBD daily. MBM Parramatta is pleased to have the support of local churches, including St John’s Cathedral, and hopes to work alongside them to bring the good news to the people of this western Sydney city.
“Pray we will have that united mindset that this is about seeing the lost saved, and the saved matured, and seeing lives changed through Jesus Christ for the glory of God.”
“There was a generous openness to seeing another gospel community within the same parish,” Mr Lee says. “Bruce Morrison [from St John’s Cathedral] said, ‘It’s all about the kingdom’.”
The Rev Ray Galea, MBM’s senior minister, agrees. “The reception we’ve had from the congregations that fellowship in the Parramatta area has been really exciting. We want to work with them. It’s going to be a real joy to work together to proclaim Christ.”
Lessons
This is MBM’s third congregation plant – having previously planted MBM South West at Middleton Grange, and MBM Village Church, which meets in Anglicare’s Rooty Hill Village. These previous experiences have shaped the approach to starting the Parramatta congregation.
Say Mr Lee: “One of the lessons we’ve learned [from past plants] has been that launching with 70 people has proven to be very effective in ensuring ongoing momentum. The other lesson we’ve learned is the importance of having everyone on board – staff and congregation – and framing that in the context of wanting to see more people come to know Jesus.”
It’s important to Mr Lee and the team that they help one another handle the grief of leaving their old congregations behind. “[We want to] acknowledge the pain of losing relationships and people not being able to be part of the same congregation any more,” he says. “There’s been a gospel-generous heart at the heart of all the plants we have done.”
Big prayers for Parramatta
Mr Lee and the MBM team are praying big prayers for Parramatta in the lead-up to next month’s launch, and are seeing God answer many of these prayers with a “Yes”.
“My impossible prayer was around the venue,” says Mr Lee, who was finding it difficult to locate an appropriate meeting place. “We knew that getting [affordable] space would be an issue. In God’s kindness, a church was moving out [of the PCYC] at the time.”
Since securing a location, the team is praying for the launch itself. “[We’re] super thankful that the team is made up of all ages and stages, from uni students to retirees. It’s multiethnic – which will reflect the massive influx and diversity of Parramatta.
“Pray we will have that united mindset that this is about seeing the lost saved, and the saved matured, and seeing lives changed through Jesus Christ for the glory of God.”
