In the heart of Bulldogs territory, a small Anglican church continues to remind us that God never stops growing his people or his kingdom. In fact, this is what St Paul’s, Canterbury was dedicated to praying for when its rector, the Rev Stephen Gardner, first arrived in 2017.
He was soon informed that the parish’s history since the 1950s was of a church that struggled to adapt to the changing suburbs around it – with one warden drily describing it as ‘A church that can’t die but frequently tried to’.
Happily though, this wasn’t the attitude he found among its people.
“The congregation was electrified with the gospel,” he told Synod members on Tuesday evening – “people like Teresa, who initiated a prayer ministry every Thursday night in the rectory, praying for hours for revival.”
The parish sits in the main street of Canterbury and is part of an LGA that is home to almost 400,000 people, with nearly 60 per cent of residents speaking a language other than English. It is a church praying for, and actively trying to reach, all nations with the good news of Jesus.
Over the past five years, partnerships have been established with Belmore Anglican and St Matt’s, Ashbury. Canterbury also started Australia’s first Mongolian congregation, which has grown to become a city-wide ministry serving the wider Mongolian community.
He found a home at St Paul’s, literally – living in the hall for a short time. Eventually, he found the welcome of Jesus …
God continues to use many of St Paul’s partnerships to grow his kingdom, through links with other congregations in the Canterbury-Bankstown area. “[We] are a movement group of 30 Protestant churches… committed to walking together in the gospel and sometimes working together to see our suburbs transformed for the good of all and the glory of Jesus,” Mr Gardner said.
Together, they have a ministry to sex workers, share their properties to run kids’ and youth ministries, and are looking to plant new congregations.
Amid growth challenges, mistakes and learned lessons, what the church celebrates most are the many who have moved from death to life.
“People like Logan, who moved to Sydney from Nepal, leaving a wife and infant behind,” Mr Gardner said. “Finding himself homeless, he found a home at St Paul’s, literally – living in the hall for a short time. Eventually he found the welcome of Jesus. So, too, has his family.
“Our church is full of stories like Logan’s and Teresa’s. They are beautiful saints who have shaped the church with a prayerfulness and a heart for the nations.”
PRAISE GOD FOR:
- the generosity of gospel-minded people throughout the history of the parish who have funded and sustained ministry at St Paul’s, including those from St Matthew’s, West Pymble who sent people and the Gardner family as mission partners
- a Mongolian ministry that has expanded across the city
- a church plant at St Matt’s, Ashbury
- a redevelopment of the Canterbury site that is due for completion in December
- the many opportunities to partner with other churches and plant new congregations
