For the past few decades, the Western Sydney suburb of Auburn has not been attributed to one of a strong Christian community, with the changing socio-demographics now seeing over a third of the population identifying as adherents to the Islamic religion followed by a growing number of East and South Asian belief systems.
The Cumberland Council local government area is the crossing point from Sydney’s progressive and liberal Inner West to the more traditional and conservative Western Sydney. Among Cumberland sits Auburn on the eastern side of the locality with its little-known fact that there are more churches than mosques present.
While churches may be numerous, the conservative traditions of many long-time Christians in holding back the church from connecting broadly with the community is being challenged with the formation of 2 new inter-church networks in the Cumberland area.
“The church is called and sent by God to love the cities and neighbourhoods it has been placed in”, says Aaron Terry, convenor of the Cumberland Connect for Christ.
Terry is speaking with Christian writer Roydon Ng following meeting personally with over 50 Western Sydney church leaders and catalysts from various denominations. During the discussions, Terry says that it is great to connect with as many churches as possible, one on one, to understand each church's heart and to see where connections can be made for the kingdom to be advanced in Cumberland.
The new Cumberland Connect for Christ group seeks to build upon the work of HolroydCombinedChurches in reaching out across the entire local government area including in establishing stronger relationships with the Auburn area.
“The Body of Christ is not represented in the church you attend; it is represented in the collective body across the city or region through the different gifts and passions that each church carries” – Aaron Terry
Cumberland Connect for Christ currently meets monthly, runs prayer walks in Cumberland, has a refugee support group, and is currently planning its inaugural Discipleship Day on Saturday 16th September 2023 (9am – 12:30pm) at Merrylands Baptist Church with Sports Chaplaincy Australia Director Steve Stubbings as keynote speaker.
The upcoming Cumberland Connect for Christ Discipleship Day is also one of the major activities on the calendar for Auburn Christian Churches, which has reformed following the COVID pandemic. Building on the various inter-church relationships in the Auburn area, the new Auburn Christian Churches group seeks to evangelise and build disciples to connect with the multicultural inter-faith community.
Community engagement for churches is essential, not just for the longevity of local churches but as Christians, we are called to be the Church as the body of Christ not just between four walls on a Sunday morning.
While the Auburn Christian Churches group may have a smaller geographic area than its Cumberland Connect for Christ or Holroyd Combined Churches brethren, its impact in the Cumberland community is widespread through participation in the Auburn Ramadan Food Festival with an inter-faith conversations space, running children’s activities at the Auburn Christmas in the Gardens, performances of Stations of the Cross at Easter, and hosting of an annual local National Day of Prayer and Fasting (Australia Prays) event.
Following Cumberland Council’s 2023 Ramadan Food Festival in Auburn including the Auburn Christian Churches’ community stall in the middle of the street at the Islamic cultural event, Auburn Christian Churches co-convenor Sharon McBride spoke with Christian writer Roydon Ng about her passion for continued discipleship building for long-term Gospel outreach.
“If God chooses to use these moments; all glory honour and praise belong to Him. Not me” says McBride, co-convenor of Auburn Christian Churches.
McBridge reflected on the challenges leading up to this year’s Ramadan event including the preparation of over 1000 maamouls (Lebanese shortbread) that were freely given out with an Auburn Christian Churches’ connect card on the streets of Auburn, and the training of like-minded local Christians to reach out beyond the safety of the Sunday morning church setting.
Feeling thankful for the much-needed encouragement and support from the AuburnBaptistChurch, AuburnPresbyterianChurch, WesternDistrictChineseChristianChurch, along with local Arabic-speaking Christians, the LakembaPeaceTent, and the concurrent outreach ministry of StPhilip’sAuburnAnglicanChurch; McBride shared a timely reminder that “our Auburn Ramadan Outreach is just one day in a year. Every day is an opportunity to be a witness for Christ if we have eyes, ears and hearts tuned in to what God wants. Truth is, we’re not always listening or willing to give God our time of day”.
Now as Auburn Christian Churches once again plans for Christmas celebrations and community activities for children, the group is also working on establishing an online forum to continue conversations made on the streets of Auburn. Through Auburn Christian Churches, the group is praying that its website will enable the community to church connections and provide links to key Gospel stories presented in many of the top local community languages.
“I’ve been praying for years that God would bring more workers to the harvest, with a view of “passing on the baton” to the next generation” – Sharon McBride
Whether it is Cumberland Connect for Christ, Auburn Christian Churches, or Holroyd Combined Churches; the mission of these inter-church networks has never been about a bulk distribution of Christian leaflets or a domineering presence to the exclusion of others; rather it is passionate catalytic Christians working in the local community seeking to glorify God through Special Religious Education, Community Prayer Dinners, and now increasingly also in enhanced community relationships through Cumberland Council events.
In moving beyond denominational differences, Christians in Western Sydney are responding to the community's needs for Jesus Christ in both a multicultural and also increasingly nominal religious society. It is a prayer for the Auburn and wider Cumberland community, that the Good News of Jesus Christ may extend beyond isolated churches but come together in support of the public presentation of the Gospel through active citizenship and positive relationships in the community.