This is a true story (though names haves been changed).

Edna walks through the park every morning. Early. She passes another woman in the same part of the park. One morning Edna manages to catch her eye. They both smile. Edna is prompted to pray for her smiling fellow walker and one morning they actually get to pass the time of day. This initial conversation leads to an exchange of names (Babs), invitations to afternoon tea , the passing around of grandkids pictures and other matters of the heart. Spiritual matters. Edna carefully explains that she is a friend of Jesus. Babs, a retired business exec. is intrigued.

So Edna invites Babs to the Christian basics program (that happened to be Alpha at the time) in March. Babs lobs in on the first group and is warmly welcomed. She comes each week for three months, asks lots of questions, makes new friends, reads 4 books and remains unconvinced.

Edna comes along to the prayer meeting on Wednesday mornings (at 7am). This 30 minute gathering begins two weeks before Advent and runs through until Christmas. Some 30 people uphold Babs (and others) before the Lord in prayer.

The church runs a range of events in the lead up to Christmas. Edna invites Babs to the Christmas Craft afternoon but minding grand kids is a problem for Babs. Knowing people are praying, Edna gives Babs an invitation to the Jazz Soiree. Edna knowns it’ll be a high class event; professional players, brilliant supper, pithy address. Not only does Babs make it to the event, she brings her husband Des.

After the response cards are collected, the ministry team are thrilled to read that Babs prayed to receive Christ as her Lord. Next morning the outreach pastor contacts Babs and arranges a coffee meeting. Yes, Babs has truly turned to Christ and is willing to be discipled by another woman in the church. Edna is ecstatic. Babs is pretty thrilled too. The whole process (and it is a process) has taken around 10 months (well, a lifetime really….Edna was just given the 2006 shift!).

In February Babs will join a new believers group and be grounded in the basics. In fact, a range of introductory courses kick off in February (as the church is committed to the notion of multiple entry points).

Had Babs not attended the Jazz Soiree, Edna could have invited her to the Beer Tasting Night, The Classical Advent Recital (with two breathtaking opera singers), the Festival Of Lessons and Carols (with the 30 piece Musicalis Australis kids’ orchestra) or any of the Christmas services.

With intent, the church ‘ramps-up’ to Christmas with a range of ‘outsider-friendly’ events (with letterbox advertising and beautifully produced individual invitations) and follows-up in the new year with a selection of introductory courses.

This pattern is repeated around Passiontide (Easter) too. A program (a booklet of 22 pages) is given to parishioners in the early New Year. Armed with this booklet they can pray for and plan to attend (in advance) upcoming activities.

Prayer therefore is essential. In addition to the early morning prayer meetings, a prayer bulletin appears each week in the ‘pew sheet’ [what do other churches call those things?] and regular electronic updates are sent to parishioners. The church wants people to prayerfully celebrate what God is doing in their midst.

Stuart Robinson is the National Mission Facilitator for the Anglican Church with church planting experience in Western Sydney, the CBD and Europe, and the rector of St Paul’s Anglican Church, Chatswood.