Jenan Taylor
8 March 2023
A Boronia church says its key ministries are at the heart of its focuses in its centenary year.
St Paul’s Anglican Boronia will turn 100 on 8 April, but pastor the Reverend Vaughn Spring says an anniversary celebration event is only a part of what the church has planned.
Mr Spring said discipleship, intergenerational and hospitality ministries were what the church was working towards and were the thrust behind the 100 year celebration theme, “To God be the Glory.”
Describing St Paul’s intergenerational approach, Mr Spring said it involved spreading awareness of the value of having different generations intermingling and working alongside each other throughout the church, and in its programs and public facing events, such as its planned community festival.
“[We want people to know] the adults aren’t serving the kids, and the kids aren’t serving the adults; they’re all on the same level, serving the community together,” Mr Spring said.
He said the church had employed an intergenerational pastor to help them achieve those ministry goals and that activities might include having morning tea where seniors and younger children were teed up to have conversations with each other and ask questions.
Read more: 175 years in, church’s future is ours to shape: Archbishop
Centenary committee organiser Margaret Lemondine said the church had decided that attaining 100 years warranted more than a celebration squeezed into one weekend.
Ms Lemondine said the centenary year would be used to highlight how St Paul’s past and current missions, hospitality and discipleship ministries, had helped people grow in their faith.
She said that included St Paul’s free children’s holiday program which operated until just before the pandemic and had looked after at least 100 children during school holiday times.
“It was open to the wider community and to people with complex needs as well,” Ms Lemondine said.
She also said the planned community festival would include free refreshments prepared by the church’s hospitality team, a history display of the achievements of St Paul’s different groups, including the Bible Study and Mother’s Union, and activities for children.
A dinner, fashion parade, and an afternoon of musical performances with hymns through the ages alongside music from the 1920s, 30s, 40s and upwards, were being organised for later in the year, Ms Lemondine said.
St Paul’s Boronia’s 100 year anniversary community festival will take place on Saturday 1 April. For further information, see here.
For more faith news, follow The Melbourne Anglican on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to our weekly emails.
