Jenan Taylor
6 November 2024
Homes, schools, recreation parks, shops and fast-food places are sprouting as far as the eye can see in south-eastern Melbourne, and two Anglican congregations could be a visible part of this landscape soon.
Members of Proclaim Anglican and the Casey Dinka congregations were elated and some openly wept upon learning that the Melbourne diocese secured them a site to build a permanent place of worship in Clyde North.
The congregations currently worship separately in the City of Casey local government area from crowded community spaces with unsuitable restricted use conditions.
Their leaders said this made it hard for congregation members to participate effectively, and difficult to bring God’s word to the mushrooming wider population.
They hope the diocese’s purchase of more than two acres for a church close to a buzzing thoroughfare will change this.
Read more: New church, old name as gospel presence returns to outer suburb
Proclaim Anglican vicar the Reverend Reece Kelly said his congregation aimed to be a gospel-centred, word-focussed community, and believed a permanent space would unlock this missional part of growth.
Mr Kelly said it also aimed to address the Casey area’s key matters including its mental health crisis and domestic violence rates – among the highest in Victoria – through the gospel.
As a congregation that was big on relational evangelism, another goal was to be able to offer programs like Alpha to the broader community.
He said it was hard for Proclaim to attend to some of these aims because it was constrained by the lack of space, availability and hiring conditions at the area’s public halls, including where its members worshipped.
Mr Kelly said the hall held a maximum of 90 people even though Proclaim had 100 members, and they could only access it on Sunday mornings.
Casey Dinka Congregation vicar the Reverend Peter Jongroor said his congregation would benefit hugely from being able to have a dedicated church space.
He said the congregation had been meeting in a community centre room since 2018, but access and use restrictions, including during COVID, had affected regular attendance.
Some days there were between 50 and 80 people, and other times 20, Mr Jongroor said.
He said the Dinka church was only able to use the community space on Sundays, which meant they couldn’t meet for prayer at significant times, including Ash Wednesday and some years, Good Friday and Christmas day.
He said having a permanent space would enable him to offer members who were unable to attend on Sundays worship and ministry services, including youth and Bible study programs.
“Families who have children who play football and other sports, and people who have to work on Sundays, there are many of them. It can be difficult when there is no other day for them,” Mr Jongroor said.
“We need a proper place, because we can bring more people in and bring them the word of God.”
Read more: Christianity ‘renews our culture’: Anglican Iranian ministers
Mr Kelly said there were few if any opportunities for faith groups to acquire land to establish places of worship in the area.
He said being able to now look forward to planning and building one showed that if God wanted something hopeful to happen for the community, it would happen.
“It’s not a story about Proclaim church, it’s not a story about the Casey Dinka church, but a story about how Jesus is going to save people, and we’re really excited about being a part of that,” Mr Kelly said.
Melbourne diocese Canon for Church Planting the Reverend Bree Mills said building good relationships and communicating well with council and land developers were key to finding the land in the Casey area.
Canon Mills said there was high demand for homes in the south-east corridor and other growth areas among young families, and they were also looking to connect with churches.
She said the diocese planned other church plants in Casey, Melbourne’s northern suburbs and in western Geelong because of the rapid spread.
Mr Kelly and Mr Jongroor’s early vision for the still bucolic Clyde North site includes erecting a large hall that can accommodate both their congregations simultaneously.
Mr Kelly said this would enable them to start running ministry programs, including playgroups, as soon as possible.
He said settlement of the purchase would happen in early December so the congregations had not had opportunity to celebrate yet, and would make plans to do so in January.
“I believe in celebrating the wins that God gives us,” Mr Kelly said. “What a way to begin the year – celebrating God’s goodness, grace and faithfulness!”
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