Faith, Love, and Community: The Transformation of McKinnon Hall
What can be done with a 70-year-old former Sunday School hall? This is the question that has occupied Rev. John Dacey, Mission Growth Minister with Sydney Central Coast Presbytery’s Northern Hub Initiative, in recent months.
What can be done with a 70-year-old former Sunday School hall?
This is the question that has occupied Rev. John Dacey, Mission Growth Minister with Sydney Central Coast Presbytery’s Northern Hub Initiative, in recent months.
McKinnon Hall, built in 1954 by the late Rev. Robert McKinnon, Methodist Minister in (then) Wyong Circuit from 1950-55, has local heritage listing due to its social significance in the area. Once, it stood next to the Wyong Methodist Church, built in 1908, but that unfortunately burned down in 2008.
SCC Presbytery’s Northern Hub Initiative includes the goal of ‘developing the plant and the capacity of the Hub to grow and serve other community groups, including through McKinnon Hall in Wyong.’ For Rev. Dacey, this is a missional venture which involves experimenting with how church and Christian faith can be meaningful to people who are exploring spiritual and soulful aspects of life.
A starting point for achieving this goal is McKinnon Hall’s participation in Wyong’s Love Lanes Festival on February 15. A thought-provoking exhibition called Love according to … weaves together local stories about love, explored through photography, audio recordings and text. Participating in the annual Love Lanes Festival will increase the community’s awareness of McKinnon Hall which will attract people to activities in the hall.
And that’s where Thank God It’s Friday comes in. McKinnon Hall will be open on Friday afternoons and evenings for people to take time out for themselves, perhaps chatting or individually reflecting on the week that was. Some resources will be available for those who want to do things like saying ‘thanks’ because expressing gratitude has been shown to be beneficial to our wellbeing.
People who drop-in will be asked what they would like the space to be, because ‘you don’t do anything the community hasn’t asked for.’ People are more likely to help out, too, when they value and own a project. Maybe they’ll want art or music, poetry, dancing or drumming – almost anything is possible.
Rev. Dacey said, “I’m hopeful a couple of grants will help pay for a few creature comforts and tidy the place up. Rev. McKinnon, who was very community minded, would be glad that it’s being put to good use. Hopefully, Thank God It’s Friday will initiate a string of possibilities for McKinnon Hall that will provide for fresh expressions of faith and community life.”
Be sure to check out the poster by clicking the button below for more information. The next upcoming dates for TGIF events are 28 March, 2 May and 30 May.
