Today is a new dawn for the parishes of Lane Cove and Mowbray, who have officially merged after last night’s North Sydney Regional Council meeting.
The new parish, which will meet on the premises of St Andrew’s, Lane Cove, will be known as the Parish of St Andrew’s Lane Cove with Mowbray Chapel.
The journey began a year ago, when Mowbray rector, the Rev Darren Waters approached the Rev Roger Kay after realising Lane Cove Plaza was the "natural meeting point" for locals.
Another factor was Mowbray's stone church building, which seats only 100, even though services attract up to 120.
"Last year we had three families come and leave basically because there was no room for them," Mr Waters explains. "We're connecting at a basic level but we're so full that we have no room for people to stay connected."
The congregation was too small to plant a church, land was too expensive and the building too hard to extend.
As the two rectors chatted, Mr Waters says "we saw a lot of synergy and potential".
While Mr Kay's move to CMS earlier this year seemed a hitch initially, having one vacant parish meant a merger was legally possible.
Mr Waters, who will be rector of the new parish of Lane Cove with Mowbray, is looking forward to doing regular events such as Toys'n'Tucker, Kidsclub and Kidsgames on a bigger scale, and freeing up some leaders for local mission.
Teens and youth leaders from Lane Cove and Mowbray have already teamed up for fishing days and other activities as a sign of excitement at the merger of the two parishes, which they have affectionately called "Mowcove'.
A team of 40 youth and leaders from both parishes trekked up the mountain as a united contingent to KYCK in late April, all wearing hoodies printed with the new ‘Mowcove’ logo which they have designed.
The new parish will run four Sunday services. Church planting is also on the cards.
“Under God, we hope our newly amalgamated church will become a church that plants a number of congregations within the new parish,” he says.
“We are now surrounded by 28,000 people, most who haven’t a clue about Jesus. So we pray that God will enable us to make effective gospel connections, not just in 09, but also in the years to come.”
The Rev Lloyd Bennett, locum at Lane Cove, says the merger is "unique" as "it's two strong parishes amalgamating".
Despite some concerns, Mr Bennett says he has been encouraged by the congregation.
"They were a very godly bunch who raised issues, asked good questions, and when they got satisfactory answers, they moved on" so in the end Lane Cove's vote on the matter happened to be a unanimous vote and that was quite moving."
