Hard hat on, face smeared with dirt, Richard Fortune is taking the notion of an "underground' church literally.
The Sydney Anglican is aiming to bring the gospel to workers in the mining industry through a groundbreaking new project, Out of the Pit.
Mr Fortune, a recruitment consultant to the mining industry, has launched an interactive website, [url=http://www.outofthepit.org]http://www.outofthepit.org[/url] that features an online chat-room, prayer points and Bible-based resources directed at miners across Australia and the world.
Alongside the creation of an online community and network of Christians in the mining industry, the goal is to work in partnership with the Bush Church Aid Society (BCA) to foster ministry to remote mining communities in outback Australia.
A further aim is raise enough money to employ a trainee minister who will work with mining students at the University of New South Wales under the Ministry Training Strategy (MTS).
"The mining life is often an unsettled one," Mr Fortune says.
"We’re required to go where the work is, when it’s available. Often this can have a detrimental effect on our life outside of work: our family, friends and church.
“This website hopes to provide support for [people] wherever [they] are, whatever stage of life [they're] at, by providing access to a growing network of Christians and their local churches in the industry."
As Mr Fortune explains, the idea germinated three years ago when he was working in the coalfields of Central Queensland.
"I had just finished university and was finding it tough surviving as a Christian in a small mining town," he admits.
"Thankfully I found a great church community who took me under their wing for the year. I frequently kept in touch other Christians I had met while I was studying mining engineering at UNSW, and between us we thought it would be a great idea to start a website to encourage each other.
"One of the guys also suggested that we could also pool our money to put towards an MTS worker, as we were all earning good money with nothing to spend it on. Unfortunately the idea was shelved as we all became busy with work.
"The following year I moved back down to NSW to work on a mining project in the Illawarra. I attended the Club 5 [MTS Challenge] conference and was challenged to think about leaving the industry for full time gospel work.
"At the time I was trying to work out how I could serve God with my mining experience, and the website idea was reignited again.
"I made the decision to leave my job at the mine at the end of the year and take a job back in Sydney with the government, allowing me more time to crystallise the vision for a mining ministry and to meet the right people to make it happen.
"So far has received a great response from mining people around Australia."
The non-denominational ministry has on its founding committee the National Director of BCA, Canon Brian Roberts, Ecom's Craig Josling and Greg Middleton from Gospel Outreach Ministries. The website was built and designed by Christian designer, Graham Clarke from Made By Design.
The Out of the Pit launch afternoon will be held from 2.30pm to 4pm this Sunday 9 October at the upper hall, St Clement’s, 144 Raglan Street, Mosman. The launch includes a brief presentation and afternoon tea.
For details email Richard Fortune at info@outofthepit.org
