On paper Greenacre is one of Sydney's most difficult parishes but in toughing it out for 20 years Michael Steinwede has proved it has plenty of spiritual riches.
According to the statistics, for every person from an English-speaking background who move out of Greenacre, approximately three people from Arabic-speaking backgrounds move in.
"If there were inroads into the Arabic community they were meagre. It's been a tough area," Mr Steinwede admits.
For the Rev Michael Steinwede, rector of Greenacre Anglican Church, moving to ministry in Christ Church, St Ives in Sydney's north shore next March will be very different to the last two decades he has spent in Sydney's south west.
However, Michael says there have been some amazing stories of changed lives at Greenacre.
"I remember one person who knocked at the door of the rectory within six months of us moving there. He was wearing a singlet, stubbies, thongs, earrings and smoking. He said that he and the girl in the car with him wanted to get married and that she was pregnant with a child that was not his," he says.
"I thought they had Buckley's chance of their future marriage working out, but they agreed to do a marriage preparation course which included the Christianity Explained course. As far as I know, they are still serving at a church in Queensland."
Staff workers like Abdallah Bahri and Eddie Smith have assisted Michael in reaching out to the local community over the years as have a number of student ministers and the evolving congregation.
Michael says many people have passed through the doors in his time at Greenacre.
"When people come to our church, we ascertain where they are spiritually, preach the gospel and build them up. However, it's one of those suburbs where Anglo-Saxon people tend to move out," he says.
Looking to the future
Michael will join Christ Church, St Ives on March 26 as a senior assistant minister to take over several roles from the Rev Joe Burrows who will be retiring later in the year.
"One of my main responsibilities will be pastoring the 8:30am congregation and seniors' ministry generally."
"However, I must emphasize that I am not replacing Joe Burrows. He has had a unique ministry at St Ives and no one could possibly replace Joe Burrows," he says.
Michael has a fondness for St Ives because it's the church where he came to know Christ and where he and his wife, Lorraine, were married. Michael was also assistant minister there for two years before becoming rector of Punchbowl with Greenacre.
"We have raised our family in Greenacre and we have many close friends here. We have strong emotional attachments because of our ministry here at Greenacre," he says.
"But as sad as Lorraine and I are to leave all this behind, we also recognise that life is full of changes and we realise that our time has come to move on to a different ministry.
"I will miss the people from Greenacre church. They have allowed me to make many mistakes and yet they have continued to support me and have been willing to try anything for the sake of the gospel."
