When the rector of Sadleir, the Rev Dave Morgan, looked into building a preschool he discovered his suburb ticked every box for support. For starters his parish, in Sydney’s southwest, had a history of hosting community organisations at the church.
“When I arrived here in 2018 we had a long partnership with Anglicare community services – they'd been operating out of the old rectory,” Mr Morgan says.
When Anglicare moved to a new site in Liverpool, “We tried it out as a ministry centre, and it was underutilised in that way. I was continually thinking, ‘How can we use this building in a way that benefits the community?’ We want a clear gospel partner in there.”
Suggestions came from Sydney Anglican Property (SAP) and the Sustainable Development Group, with one possibility being a preschool run by Integricare.
“When I looked at the Integricare website, I said, ‘Wow, this is a really clear gospel early education provider!’ They teach the gospel to the kids in the preschool, they have a strong commitment to the disadvantaged, they love the church to use the property on Sundays and they want their chaplain and manager to come to church staff meetings. I thought all of these sounded fantastic.”
People and property working together
SAP CEO Ross Jones suggested a grant application as part of the NSW Government’s Start Strong program.
Says Mr Morgan: “The NSW Government identified a number of key areas with an under-resourcing of preschools, and Sadlier is bang in the middle of one of those areas. We met every single one of the Government criteria for building more preschools.”
The Government grant is covering 85 per cent of the cost of construction and redevelopment, which will begin next year. Integricare will provide the rest of the construction costs, to be repaid in the first 10 years of operation.
The income stream generated from the preschool when it opens will also enable the hiring of additional ministry staff, as well as providing annuity income to undertake much-needed maintenance work and improvements to the church building.
Mr Jones says SAP’s Urban Renewal Program allows parishes to tap into exciting projects that just wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
“This is an excellent example of a church serving the local communities with its property and people working in unison for the gospel,” he says. “We like to think of it as putting our property assets on mission. By using new and existing buildings to love the community in really tangible ways, we not only show them the love of Jesus but open up evangelism opportunities, too.
“The fact that the project will also provide upgraded ministry facilities and a sustainable income stream for the parish makes it a real win-win.”
Community needs
“Being in a marginalised community, there are lots of kids in schools with high needs,” Mr Morgan says. “Teachers know that if a child has preschool input they do better at school socially and educationally, so it’s an investment in the children’s education, which invests in the community.”
Already the church is thinking of creative ways to connect with its community through the preschool relationships, including quarterly outreach events and parenting courses.
“I’m thankful that a building that God has entrusted to us will be used in a way that benefits the local community, and will be run by a group with a clear gospel heart in partnership,” Mr Morgan says.
PRAY
- that the high-level planning comes together in a timely manner
- for the Sadleir community, that this development would lead to good social outcomes for kids and families and good gospel outcomes for those who are lost
- thank God for Integricare and pray for a rich partnership in the gospel
