Chris Allan "never' thought he'd see the day when he would wear a clerical collar. But on the weekend he joined a growing team of newly ordained ministers seeking to bring Christ to Sydney's sprawling western heartland.
Mr Allan, a new assistant minister at Rooty Hill Anglican Church, was made a deacon on Saturday at St Andrew's Cathedral along with 21 other young men and women.
Of the 21 new deacons, more than one-third have chosen to minister in inner western, south western and outer western suburbs such as Arncliffe, Kingswood, Strathfield and Liverpool.
When asked why he chose to minister in Rooty Hill, Mr Allan said people everywhere need to hear the gospel, but "the west is somewhere where the Anglican Church has been lagging for a number of years."
"People in my year at Moore College haven't taken jobs by region but where they could see themselves ministering and where there were good opportunities," he said. "So I was offered a job out there and was glad to take it."
Archdeacon of Western Sydney Ken Allen said the real challenge for these new ministers is staying in the region.
"I want to encourage people to not just do their curacy in the west for a few years and leave, but to stay on and run a parish."
He said it often takes much longer to fill ministry positions in the west than in other areas of Sydney.
It was standing room only at St Andrew's Cathedral on Saturday when the 20 men and three women were presented to Archbishop Peter Jensen by Bishop of Georges River Peter Tasker, Chairman of the Archbishop's Ministry Chaplains, and Archdeacon Narelle Jarrett, Principal of Mary Andrews College.
Dr Jensen commissioned two of the women "Susan Ravenhall and Alison Napier " as Diocesan Lay Workers. Ms Napier is ministering with Evangelising Commerce and St Andrew's Cathedral while Ms Ravenhall will work with the chaplaincy team at St Andrew's Cathedral School. Janelle Baglin was ordained a deacon and will minister in the parish of Mittagong.
Moore College Director of Missions the Rev Michael Raiter gave a moving address to the crowd that overflowed into the far reaches of the Cathedral.
He told the new ministers that they are going out into the world "as sheep among wolves" and must expect to be hated and attacked during the course of their ministry.
"How people respond to our ministry " is precisely their response to the God who sent us," he said. "Most people we rub shoulders with know very little about the Lord Jesus " and even less about the Bible. So we take our bag and our sandals " and our lap top and our children's toys " and our library and our dishwashers and wardrobes of clothes " and we share with them again and again and again the good news of the kingdom of God."
