Rouse Hill Anglican Church officially opened its new doors on April 27, having met in nearby Rouse Hill Anglican College for the last four years.

300 adults and over 50 children came to see the opening of the new Anglican Ministry and Education Centre at a service at which Archbishop Peter Jensen gave an address.

“All the people who came were really positive and Archbishop Peter Jensen spoke brilliantly, because he reminded us that Jesus actually is the way we are connected with God, that Jesus is relevant. He is the way we are saved.” says curate-in-charge, the Rev Martin Morgan.

The new ministry centre - which is the only church building in Rouse Hill - includes a state-of-the-art auditorium seating 220, an underground carpark, three large classrooms, four office breakout areas, and a hall.

A kitchen and servery have been added to the 1908 Federation hall, which has been refurbished along with the original 1863 Christ Church building.

Anglicare will operate a family and relationship counselling service one day a week out of one of the office areas.

Rousing the local profile

Curate-in-Charge, the Rev Martin Morgan is already following up over 40 contacts from a recent string of weekly open days.

"People in the community have said they've felt a stronger sense of connection with us," says Mr Morgan.

"They'd thought it was a pity the church building wasn't being used previously."

Mr Morgan says the higher public profile and ability to hold mid-week ministries has already given Rouse Hill Anglican College an exciting boost.

"When we met in the school we were pretty much invisible to most outside the school community,” he explains.

“The College connections are great but as soon as you have a building, it's like a cue or a pointer to our existence."