Over 150 adults bring their children to St Nicolas' Anglican Church each week to relax, connect with others, and hear gospel teaching.
Now the church is seeking a ‘top-notch’ evangelist to make the most of the opportunity.
"When I came here I was told that the Eastern Suburbs were a tough place to do ministry," says the Rev Craig Segaert, minister at St Nicolas', Coogee.
"It's been confirmed. On one level, life is good: we're close to the beach, close to the city and there's a vibrant culture and large pubs. But it's really easy here to ignore the big questions of life, such as where I stand with God."
Mr Segaert says that preaching the gospel in Coogee means grabbing peoples' attention, and the church's twice-weekly playgroup is doing just that.
"We wanted to create a safe place for Mums and Dads to relax, somewhere they could bring their kids, and where they wouldn't have to set up or pack away," he says. "Completely Christian service."
And the ministry has been bearing fruit. Many of the playgroup parents have had very limited contact with churches in the past, but members of St Nicolas' are inviting them to church"”two people have come to Christ through the playgroup.
"In our Sunday services, we've been using the "dripping tap' method: trying to give people plenty of opportunity to reflect on the fact that they either have or haven't accepted Christ," Mr Segaert says.
The church has already made great efforts to step up its evangelistic ministry. The employed a full-time children's worker and run courses to equip members to share their faith. With neighbouring parish South Coogee, they co-organised a mission with students from Moore College.
St Nicolas' is seeking an evangelist as well as a new children's worker to "rev-up the fruit-bearing," as a joint venture with the Diocese's South Sydney Regional Council.
The church is seeking ‘kingdom investors’ to help raise $5000 each year for the next three years to support the initiative.
"We want someone whose prime responsibility will be bringing people to faith," Mr Segaert says. "There is so much potential. The playgroup is mostly mums: what about the dads? Or getting those 20-40 year-olds. Our hope is that having someone who focuses on that issue will bear results."
Find out more information here.
