It might be the Year of the Dog but Chinese congregations across Sydney are hoping to make God ‘man's best friend’ as they use Chinese New Year events to reach non-Christians.

Leader of the Cantonese and Mandarin congregations at St George's, Hurstville, the Rev Albert Leung is speaking at an evangelistic dinner at the church this Saturday that he hopes will attract people who don’t yet know Christ.

"We want to help the Chinese members build relationships with each other and invite their family members who don't come to church," he says.

The dinner commemorates the Lantern Festival which falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year fell on 29 January.

Other Chinese congregations from Kirribilli to Chatswood have been celebrating Chinese New Year with special events.

Even parishes like Brighton-Rockdale that doesn’t have a Chinese service joined in the festivities, serving Chinese food after their 5pm family service.

Mr Leung says the New Year celebrations are an important time for the Chinese community.

"It's the time that families get together. They bless people, greet each other and give one another wishes for a good year," he says.

To celebrate Chinese New Year last month Mr Leung gave out red packets to congregation members. However, rather than filling them with money, as is the cultural norm, they contained lollies and Bible passages.

Mr Leung will use similar methods to inject the gospel into this Saturday's celebrations by deliberately ‘Christianising’ the tradition.

"When we preach we explain that real blessing comes from God. He is the real meaning of happiness and joy and the one to give thanks to for the New Year," he says.

"We want to make people aware that every day should be lived in God and God will provide all the blessings. It is very appropriate to use Scripture and incorporate it into the Chinese New Year tradition.”

Mr Leung says all the core members of the Mandarin congregation will prepare food, songs, games and activities to create a night of fun and gospel content.

Each family will bring a pot luck supper dish to the event and the church will provide round rice soup dumplings, which traditionally symbolise family unity and completeness.

On the other side of the harbour, Anthony Tse, a member of the Chinese congregation at St Paul's, Chatswood organised a dinner at a local Chinese restaurant last week which was attended by over 80 people - of which 20 were non-Christians.

"Some were brought along by our church members and others came from the line dancing class who use our hall," he says.

The Rector of St Paul's, the Rev Stuart Robinson gave a talk followed by singing and trivia.

Mr Tse says the dinner served the dual opportunities of Christian fellowship and outreach.

"Chinese New Year is an opportunity for a social gathering and for evangelism,” he says.

“When we celebrate Chinese New Year we should remember that God created man and that the benefit of gathering is because of God's grace."