One of Sydney's leading Aboriginal ministers, the Rev Neville Naden, is set to head a new mission base at Broken Hill bringing the gospel to remote Aboriginal communities.
The new outback indigenous mission base is a unique partnership involving the Anglican Church, the Uniting Church and the Baptists.
Neville will be leaving his Anglican church at Tregear this week and will take up the new role at Broken Hill on January 16.
An indigenous church already meets once a month in the Broken Hill Baptist Church, and Neville will be working alongside Baptist pastor Mark Kickett with an aim to making it a more regular meeting.
The exact details of Neville's role are still being ironed out, but its is hoped that he will become a mission leader and ministry development officer providing support for new gospel outreach to the indigenous communities of outback NSW
"The Christian community out there is not very large," Neville says. "It means we can create a greater opportunity for the gospel outreach."
Neville certainly hopes to work with the Uniting Church's flying padre who flies into isolated communities.
The position is being funded 50 percent by the Uniting Church through the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and 50 percent by the Anglican Church through both Church Army and the Bush Church Aid Society (BCA).
However so he doesn't have to report to three separate organisations, Neville has asked these bodies to establish a reference group for his work.
Training base for GAP Year
Church Army sees the initiative as a new outback base for its GAP Year ministry training program.
"We hope Neville will spearhead a healthy and effective mission base to train both indigenous and non-indigenous people for mission," says Tim Scheuer head of Church Army Australia.
Tim hopes to see teams of young people helping to "get practical things done' within the Aboriginal community with an eye to bringing people to Christ.
The first group of interns will be working with Neville in 2007.
"In the long run we hope to raise up indigenous people from that context for mission and to help transform those communities," Tim says.
