St Johns Anglican Church, Darlinghurst – Rough Edges Community Assistance and Partnership Program

The program’s objective is to provide a support team for people of the Darlinghurst/Kings Cross community.

Activities being undertaken are:
· providing a place of welcome and safety in the Rough Edges Community Centre during the daytime opening hours;
· sharing and listening to peoples’ stories in a respectful and non-judgmental way;
· noticing people’s gifts, resources and strengths and helping them, whenever possible, to better recognize these themselves;
· offering general counseling and working with people to help them identify their own solutions and move towards these;
· administering the resources available to reduce the pressure for those who are experiencing immediate financial and material need; and
· facilitating projects identified by the community to be of benefit for the community.

A Message from the Archbishop of Sydney

I am taking this step of writing to tell you about an urgent situation facing our churches who are seeking to reach out with the love of Christ to our hardest hit communities.

This year’s Archbishop of Sydney’s Winter Appeal has experienced a major shortfall in funds. As a result, we are launching a special ‘End of Winter Catch-Up Appeal.’

Sadly, as winter comes to an end, so might up to twelve vital Community Care Projects that reach out to people devastated by today’s harsh climate – unless faithful supporters like you can provide urgent support.

I think of ministries such as the “Bread of Life” project where St Michael’s Church Surry Hills provides breakfast for scores of hungry people.

Just last month, the new Director of my Community Care and Development Program (CCDP) that incorporates the Winter Appeal, Rev. David Mansfield, shared in the ministry of “Bread of Life”, serving breakfast and leading a bible discussion for those who accepted an invitation to stay on after breakfast for a simple church service.

This ministry, and many others like it, wonderfully captures the compassion of Jesus for needy people and his commitment to their eternal welfare when he declared:

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35).”

This appeal is the lifeblood of twelve Community Care Projects and of our partnership with churches serving some of the most marginalised people in our city.

If you are able to donate, please either phone through your donation on 1800 653 903 or on line at www.abau.org.au.

Yours sincerely
Peter F Jensen
Archbishop of Sydney

Campsie Anglican Church - The Campsie New Settler Project

The aim of this project at St John's the Evangelist at Campsie is to coordinate the migrant support efforts that the church is currently engaged in (ESL classes, migrant support, and outreach into the community). The project seeks to expand and refine those efforts and consequently to strengthen the strategic cross-cultural ministry that this church must focus upon for its future. This future will be that of an international church placed within a multicultural environment.

CCDP has been contributing to this project for many years.

St Michael’s Surry Hills – Bread of Life

The other Sunday David Mansfield, ABAU’s new director, visited the Bread of Life program where he helped serve breakfast to a number of homeless people. Over coffee and baked beans David had time to talk with the volunteers and those who had come for breakfast and fellowship. In some cases David renewed acquaintances from his time working in the city.

After breakfast a simple service was conducted and David led the Bible discussion for those people who stayed on after the breakfast.

CCDP has been supporting this program for a number of years.

Caring for Community Development Project - St Thomas Anglican Church, Auburn

This project provides community service programs in the Auburn area with the emphasis on the Chinese community. The services include:

1. Group Activities - Playgroup for children and their carers, and special activities for the elderly, women and young members of the migrant communities program;
2. Direct Assistance - to new migrant and people with emergency needs to access to various government services, emergency relief and their families in their orientation to the new local community and facility;
3. Provision of knowledge & language acquisition - through programs such as ESL classes, tuition classes, computing classes, information seminars in a caring environment; and
4. Community Development – through linkages with other Chinese Congregations of the Anglican Church in Hornsby, Marrickville & Cabramatta to develop partnerships & programmes for the Chinese community.

CCDP has been contributing funds to this project for a number of years.

Winter Appeal 2009

Your gifts to the Archbishop’s Winter Appeal enable parishes in the Diocese to show the love of Jesus by impacting on the lives of people in desperate situations.

There are currently 16 projects being funded by the CCDP in partnership with local parishes in places like Redfern on the edge of the city, Macquarie Fields in suburban Sydney and Nowra in regional NSW.

One example of the type of help your financial support makes possible is the Break The Cycle No Interest Loans Scheme (BTCNILS) run by the Glenquarie Anglican Parish in the south-western suburbs of Macquarie Fields and Glenfield.

The BTCNILS program began after it was realised that many people in the community were unable to access affordable credit for basic white goods and other necessities.

By enabling people to purchase essential goods, BTCNILS contributes to their self-esteem and quality of life.

Goods are also purchased from local businesses thus strengthening the ties between the local parish, BTCNILS and the community.

Your donation is vital. Without support these programs cannot continue. With the monies raised through the Archbishop’s Winter Appeal we can continue to support parishes to demonstrate Jesus’ love in their community.

To donate please phone 1800 653 903 or on line at http://www.abau.org.au/

New Director Appointed

The Rev David Mansfield has been appointed as the new director. Starting May 11, David says heading up the Unit takes his passion for evangelism to a new level.

"My role is to lift the profile of the Archbishop's Appeals Unit so that the Diocese can see the Archbishop's priories to stand alongside our brothers and sisters in the development world and in Sydney as they seek to reach their neighbours and communities for Christ." Mr Mansfield was an itinerant evangelist and director of the diocesan Department of Evangelism for 11 years and then was rector of York Street.