After last night's mission presentation, many Sydney Anglican churches are doing their sums as the date approaches for up to 750,000 gospels to be ordered in print, CD and DVD.
A video presentation outlined some of the resources Sydney Anglicans can expect to have in their hands as they strive to connect with every person in their parish next year.
Every church will receive a free first order containing the Essential Jesus (Connect09's Gospel of Luke), plus copies of the gospel in Arabic and Chinese.
"It's great quality and I think what we're producing for the price we're doing it is one of the advantages of being all together and doing things in large numbers " how fantastic is it to be able to give away a whole gospel for the same unit price as you would pay for a little pamphlet," beams Connect09's executive director, Andrew Nixon from the screen.
Kogarah rector, the Rev Mee Ping Lau expects the Chinese gospel of John to be a big hit with Chinese in his area.
"John is close to the hearts and minds of Chinese people," he says, explaining that the references to lightness and darkness make sense to a culture used to understanding principles like yin and yang.
Churches have two more weeks in which to place their orders. So far, orders for 200,000 gospels have been received.
As the orders are to last churches for the whole of 2009, Wollongong's Bishop Alan Stewart is encouraging churches to be optimistic as they make their estimates.
"Order the larger number, and it will motivate us to see the opportunities," he says.
On the horizon
Meanwhile in January next year, churches will have the opportunity to order a children's DVD produced by Colin Buchanan, a DVD of John's gospel, an audio of the Essential Jesus and a gospel of Mark.
A virtual resource for teens is also on the cards.
Mr Nixon also announced last night that Connect09's external website " which is designed to help everyday people get connected with their local church " will be released by February next year.
As "all of us together connect in our own backyards", Mr Nixon announced the official launch of Connect09 next year will be through a 50-minute webcast and telecast at 10am on February 8.
This means Sydney Anglicans will be united in launching their campaigns at the same time, but "in their own patch", at their own event.
Mr Nixon said Connect09 has the feel of a plane on a runway at this point in the campaign.
"Momentum's building and that's so tangible out there, but the end of the runway is coming and we do need to lift off."
Where Sydney is at with Connect09
The video presentation, exploring how the three functions of Pray Connect Expect are working in Sydney churches, has reminded Sydney Anglicans that one in five Australians live in the Sydney Diocese, but 60 per cent have no connection with a church, and 60 per cent haven't even met a Christian.
Sydney Anglicans featured on the video have explained how they have found the experience of praying for their neighbourhoods.
"As I pray for opportunities to speak to people, God gives them to me," Bishop Stewart says.
Meanwhile it became obvious that prayers were being answered in unusual ways, with one Guildford woman unexpectedly able to share the gospel with her hairdresser after praying for opportunities.
Doors are already being knocked on around the Diocese, with the area of Turramurra divided into bite-size chunks so that each member of St James' can have around 20 houses each to "champion'.
Paula Vouris, Connect09 Ambassador for St Matthias' Centennial Park also shared that she was "quite scared to start with" but as she knocked on the 180 doors allocated to her, only three politely told her they were not interested.
Now Paula is keen to repeat the exercise so that people living in those streets get used to seeing the faces of their local church.
"It's not as hard as you think it will be," she says.
The presentation also gave some idea of the demographics some churches are trying to connect with.
At Guildford, for example, the Rev Tim Booker and members of Guildford Anglican Church are getting to know a neighbourhood of different nationalities: Arabic, Lebanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, African, and Islanders, with 10 per cent Anglo-Saxon: "a real mixing pot of cultures," he says.
After the prayer section of the presentation had been shown, Sydney's five regional bishops " Glenn Davies, Robert Forsyth, Ivan Lee, Alan Stewart and Peter Tasker " led the Synod in prayer for their own regions, as well as people groups such as students, businesspeople and those of ethnic background.
Every Synod member received a free copy of the presentation, produced by Anglican Media, to play in their churches.
Synod's super service
At this year's Synod service, Ridley College principal, the Rev Dr Peter Adam taught from the Book of Jude, urging Sydney Anglicans to contend for their faith.
Dr Adam said Jude wrote the command not just to archbishops or to ministers, but to the people of the church, laypeople whom God holds responsible for church life.
"Our responsibility is eternal vigilance for the gospel," he said.
If we weren't contending, Dr Adam said wryly we may as well be running Disconnect09, and repentance was needed.
Dr Adam praised Archbishop Jensen for all he is doing to contend for the faith.
He spoke about the dangers of soft heresy, by which something is known to be true, but not taught, believed or lived out, and deceptive heresy, when the same biblical words are used, but with different meanings
The word grace, for example, could be used as an excuse for immorality, or to argue that God allows everything, which Dr Adam said was a pertinent warning given the current situation of the Anglican Communion.
For this reason, Christians should be alert, without panicking but trusting God, so that we can contend for our faith.
Christians need also to care for ourselves, ensuring we are built up in our "most holy faith", and winning people for Christ with mercy.
Canon Bruce Morrison led the service, with Bible readings by Matthew Jefferson, the Rev Tara Thornley and Sheree Veron, and prayers by the Rev Nathan Killick and Diana McIntosh.
As usual, Synod members shared communion together, led by Archbishop Jensen.
Those in the band included the Rev Gary Haddon, the Rev Bob Cameron and the Rev Marshall Ballantine-Jones.
