Sydney Anglican parishes are set to pay "the price of a movie and a Big Mac" every week for the next three years to fund the resources for Connect 09, Synod has been told.

Parishes of all sizes will contribute around $20 per week, or approximately $1,050 per year over three years to make up the estimated $841,000 to be paid over if the project is approved.

This contribution will be used to purchase and develop the "gospel resources' distributed throughout the campaign, which Evangelism Ministries CEO, the Rev Jim Ramsay describes as "a daring, audacious approach to evangelism" and "one of the most significant bills to come before this house (Synod)".

In the indicative budget Mr Ramsay has presented, the Diocese will pick up the bill for the "less sexy" administration costs of managing and promoting Connect 09, to the value of an estimated $1,003,000.

Additional funding could be provided through contributions from other Diocesan organisations, and the Archbishop's Mission Partnership Fund, which has increased from $10,000 to over $30,000 as a result of the contributions of Synod members at Monday night's Synod service.

Support for small parishes

The implications of the cost for small parishes has been one of the key themes of the extensive but good-natured question time that have followed the presentation.

Mr Ramsay, along with the Rev Stephen Semenchuk, says he envisages a "cross-pollination" in the Diocese with parishes "partnering' together.

This could involve larger parishes sharing money, personnel and other resources to ensure smaller parishes would be able to carry out Connect 09 in their neighbourhoods.

Parishes have been encouraged to take their own initiatives to "work together to contact and connect with all the residents of the area covered by the Sydney Diocese", part of the official goal of Connect 09.

"If we can't talk to each other, our Diocese has a bigger problem," Mr Semenchuk says.

While Connect 09 is a Diocesan initiative, how these connections might be made could be worked out by parishes themselves, according to the make-up of their local communities.

"We want to encourage people to ask themselves how many people are in our area and how will we contact them?" Mr Ramsay informed synod.

Answers to questions asked from the floor reveal that:

- Bible-based churches from other denominations have not been approached but are welcome to join Connect 09 financially or physically;

- Evangelism Ministries will provide "every assurance" the gospel versions handed out will be relevant to today's society;

- Connect 09 will have no formal link or direct any funds towards the Jesus All About Life campaign.

Resources beyond the written word

Mr Ramsay says the campaign will be resourced "in as many ways and means as our creative abilities would enable," using the most modern technology the Diocese can afford and indicated that more money could be spent as innovations were taken on board.

One of the first initiatives in the campaign would be a prayer network, set up across the Diocese to pray for the lost in local communities, and in the Sydney region as a whole.

Present plans are for 1.5 million English and 180,000 non-English language gospels to be printed.

Gospels could be circulated on CDs, DVDs or MP3s, with options still being explored for technological ways of making the word of God available.

A Connect 09 website could provide further Christian material and interactive contacts for enquirers, as well as gospel presentations in English and other languages.

The best training resources currently available in the Diocese and beyond could be collated and new materials tailored to Connect 09 may also be developed, with trainers allocated to each region.

Other plans include a database for keeping records of enquirers, contacts and other resources, and the development of a common Connect 09 branding that could be used by parishes throughout the Diocese.

A project manager would be appointed to coordinate and manage the project, and the resources and support that it would entail.

As he presented the project, Mr Ramsay called on the Synod to have faith in the power of the Scriptures to change lives.

"I hope we have not lost the wonder of what God's word can do when it gains entry into the hearts and homes of our city."

Mr Semenchuk said the project would "unite energies, unleash ideas and marshall enthusiasm".

Further debate that could result in the acceptance of Connect 09 in principle will commence at tonight’s session.