Locum minister the Rev Geoff Glassock is getting ready to hand over the care for Darlinghurst’s needy community to a new rector winging his way out from Europe.
The settled solution to the limbo St John’s, Darlinghurst has been living through comes as good news to staff and parishioners alike.
"St John's is back in business", says a relieved Steve Lawrence about his beloved church a stone's throw from Sydney's red light district.
Two years without a permanent rector and an emotionally draining nomination process has burdened Mr Lawrence, rector's warden and his fellow parishioners.
But after a long search, frustration and anxiety has turned to joy.
From July, the Rev Hugh Cox will become St John's new rector.
Mr Cox spent 13 years as Senior Minister St Paul's, Castle Hill and is currently a chaplain at St Paul’s, Tervuren, in Brussels - an international English-speaking church within the Diocese of Europe.
He is also chairman of the Brussels English-speaking Pastors’ Association, which coordinates activities of around fifty groups in the city.
During his tenure at St Paul's, the church grew to become one of Sydney's largest parishes with a thriving youth and children's ministry.
Mr Lawrence says people were "thrilled and excited' following the announcement of the appointment.
"The whole parish is very pleased " a massively long and difficult wait is now over," he says.
"Those who have met Hugh are really impressed " the Archbishop has made a great decision."
Mr Lawrence added that the acting rector Geoff Glassock has been a "fabulous' minister over the past two years.
Mr Glassock stayed as a locum for longer than expected when a minister was not found to replace the Rev Geoff Thompson who moved to ministry in Canberra in 2004.
From Brussels to the bright lights of the Cross
Sydneyanglicans.net spoke to Hugh Cox in Brussels.
"I have to say that initially my response was to shy away from this challenge feeling it was not the right "fit' for me," Mr Cox says.
"However, when I was asked to consider it more seriously I found myself getting more interested in the possibility.
"As I gleaned more information about the work and the people I began to warm to the idea and my meetings with the people at St John’s have only reinforced this.
"They have shown extraordinarily good will to this "stranger' from Europe and I found that most reassuring."
"In addition to this, my wife [Barbara] and I, quite independently, felt a growing conviction that this was what God wanted us to do."
The Coxes have four adult children and four grandchildren.
Bishop of South Sydney Robert Forsyth says the Diocese went to a great deal of effort to find the right minister for what he calls a "very special' church.
"It's not an easy parish to fill and we've gone to a great deal of trouble to get the right man," Bishop Forsyth says.
"We're absolutely convinced that we need to have a strong presence in the city," he said.
"We're not going to retreat."
A long history of social outreach to the inner city
St John's has another reason to celebrate " 2006 is the church's 150th anniversary.
St John's has long been a place of comfort and refuge for inner city residents and is known for its strong commitment to social justice with a large number of welfare and community programs.
"St John's is a very diverse congregation comprising judges as well as offenders in the criminal justice system," Mr Lawrence says.
He says Hugh Cox's appointment means the church can move forward to do "the things that have been really important to us'
"Bring[ing] justice and Christian outreach to Darlinghurst is our key priority," he says.
It is also known internationally as the church where Israel nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu was converted through a Bible study in 1986.
In recent years, professional couples with young families have made the church their home.
Property problems have plagued the church over the past four years after a highly publicised legal battle to build apartments on church land was defeated by the City of Sydney Council.
Plans to redevelop the site, which currently houses a car wash, have been shelved indefinitely.
