A New Chapter for Suburban Seeds
The South West Sydney Church Plant will be unique in that it will grow out of Suburban Seeds, a Fresh Expressions Ministry of the Parramatta Nepean Presbytery which has been offering community-based ministry in the South West Growth Corridor (between Narellan and Leppington) for just over 6 years.
The South West Sydney Church Plant will be unique in that it will grow out of Suburban Seeds, a Fresh Expressions Ministry of the Parramatta Nepean Presbytery which has been offering community-based ministry in the South West Growth Corridor (between Narellan and Leppington) for just over 6 years.
This ministry reaches over 2000 families through its multiple outdoor based Play Groups and online Facebook groups.
Suburban Seeds has worked in partnership with other organisations and Uniting Churches on different projects to help support families within the local area - whether it’s helping the local school with its breakfast club, organising a seasonal community event, setting up a Kids Hope mentoring program or providing activities with other community organisations for community events.
Along with community engagement, Suburban Seeds have been exploring how to create different spaces for spirituality and exploring Christian faith. A Sunday Breakfast group gathers twice a month to explore faith and they also have a regular Bible study that meets.
Through their relationships and presence in the community conversations about faith and life happen naturally. They have already seen someone decide to follow Jesus and been baptised. They now have people asking about worship services, so developing a worshipping congregation seems to be a natural extension of what God is doing in the community.
Suburban Seeds is keen to see how a blended ecology of Fresh Expressions of church, alongside the growth of a more familiar/traditional worshipping congregation can create various spaces for those in the community to grow in faith and discipleship and to encourage one another in what it means to love God and their neighbour.
The current team for Suburban Seeds, consists of Rev. Christine Palmer (Community Minister), who will take on the Team Leader role of Suburban Seeds and Bethany Zinghini, the Assistant Playgroup co-ordinator. They are looking forward to the team growing and bringing onboard more team members to help develop a worshipping congregation and continue the community work, and Fresh Expressions.
The area is young with a mix of diverse cultural backgrounds and religions. The residents median age is 30 and couples with children make up 53% of the community. These families are looking for community, connection and support services.
The hope is for Suburban Seeds to continue to be a place that connects people, faith and life, offering their community multiple ways to gather and grow in faith and provide a safe place that is welcoming and affirming of all people.
Incarnational ministry, being present in the community, building relationships, and looking for what God is doing and joining in has been at the heart of Suburban Seeds. After six years in the community and listening to those they encounter a vision is beginning to form around how they can become a place maker in the community and develop a place that serves the community. They are in the early listening and exploring stages of what it might mean in the long term to have a place that can offer connection, support and spirituality.
Perhaps a community centre and coffee shop with a child friendly space where the community can gather, along with space for the community to use for various activities throughout the week, where they can partner with other organisations who might provide services from the space to support families, along with providing space for various Fresh Expressions and worship gatherings.
It's a big vision so prayer for this next phase of growing the team and beginning the worshipping congregation is needed, along with prayer for discernment as they continue listening to the community. They are looking forward to seeing just where God leads them.
If you are keen to get involved in one of the existing activities or fresh expressions, be part of the new worshipping community or follow along with how things are progressing you can join the Suburban Seeds Facebook page or check out our website (suburbanseeds.org) for details.
Rev. Christine Palmer
Community Minister at South West Sydney Church Plant
It's a big vision so prayer for this next phase of growing the team and beginning the worshipping congregation is needed, along with prayer for discernment as they continue listening to the community. They are looking forward to seeing just where God leads them.
Get Involved
Be part of what’s growing at Suburban Seeds! Join the activities, explore new worshipping community, or follow the journey online.
