A capital city demands a church of note. The Cathedral Church of St David’s is of course the episcopal, liturgical and some would contend architectural centrepiece of both the city and the Diocese. But there is a space, currently vacant, for a thriving parish in Hobart, pivotal in the Diocese of Tasmania, one which:

• Trains and sends more than its ‘fair’ share of people into the ministry and mission field;
• Models relevant and authentically Tasmanian forms of ministry and mission;
• Sets a high bar in terms of preaching, music, kids, youth, families’ and seniors’ programs and pastoral care, and assists other parishes in the same; and
• Reaches strategic people groups such as migrants and university students that others cannot.

Parishes like St Jude’s and St Hilary’s fill this role in Melbourne, Holy Trinity in Adelaide, and St Matthias and St Paul’s Castle Hill in Sydney.

My dream is that our newly combined parish will provide this service to our city and state. On some of the above-mentioned criteria we have made a solid beginning. We have a growing Chinese and international students’ ministry. It was only about 10 years ago Holy Trinity sent three ordinands for training, one of those being Stephen Carnaby who was instrumental in Kate Boughton’s recent move to study at Ridley; this past year Ross Duncan moved into full-time prison chaplaincy; and next year, the Lord willing, Chris Bowditch will move to study and work in ministry on the mainland. We have begun fresh moves through mission teams in thinking about how to share Jesus with Hobartians, and our youth and children’s ministries are showing life and vigour. But on other fronts we have some ground to make. Our services aren’t always as inspiring as we would like, the sense of being a family could be stronger, and our support of overseas mission has been limited of late.

Together, we can move closer to realising our potential. We will have the people base to raise and send church leaders and missioners, local and overseas, short-term and long. We can employ specialist staff as part of team ministry, staff with expertise who will advance specific areas of ministry. We can extend and modernise our facilities to accommodate our programs and staff. God can, and I believe will, do many new things through us, more significant than what we can currently do alone.

Tonight I would like to outline, in some detail, how I believe we can move forward together to create not just a merged parish, but a new parish, one where the sum is greater than its parts, one that will deliver more effective ministry and mission than either BayWest or Holy Trinity does at present.

First then to mission. And that is where mission belongs isn’t it – first. Not because it’s the only thing we do, or because it’s the only thing that’s important, but because when we place it second or third we never quite get around to doing or being as mission focussed as we are called to be.

I would like us to think about mission in three categories, our local mission, and overseas mission, and mission, or perhaps service is a better word here to other churches in Tasmania. Let us address each of those in turn.

Local Mission

Local mission is not something that we have started doing just last week. St John’s West Hobart used to run a soup kitchen as the backbone to its outreach to homeless men. St Peter’s Sandy Bay planted a church in Mt Nelson. Holy Trinity had a Sunday School ministry that numbered into the hundreds. More recently Holy Trinity started a ministry to the local Chinese, and BayWest a ministry to international students. In other words local mission is something both parishes have always undertaken. This is not to mention the individual witness of parishioners, which has remained faithful and we trust, will continue to do so. Rather it is to highlight the strategic and organised heritage of endeavours to invite people into a relationship with God that are central to the DNA of both parishes.

Our call however, is to be witnesses in the world, and precisely because the world is changing, our efforts to engage our world with the gospel must evolve. Of recent we have begun exploring mission teams as a means to reconnect with our communities. There have some initial gains. Several new mission teams have started this year. In particular teams reaching out to young mums, the live music scene, mission to outdoor adventure types, and to disadvantaged school children through ‘kids hope’ – a program developed by World Vision. In 2008 we will continue to build upon this strategy, particularly among the evening service demographic.

But this approach has had far less traction in our morning congregations. A large part of this is because of life stage issues and less than clear communication. People have heard that mission teams are based around interests, therefore think “I must have the disposable time to regularly commit to an interest, then I have to develop a new set of relationships with people who share that interest, then I can share Jesus with them”. I don’t know about you but my diary and my dance card are full. I struggle to make a regular commitment to my interests, and I have limited time or emotional space to develop new relationships.

This however is a misunderstanding of the essence of our mission team strategy. It’s not about interest groups – it’s about relationships. Whether or not you have interests, and time to devote to them, I am sure you have relationships. Your mission team could be as simple as this – for example, commit to asking another person once per month how they are going sharing Jesus with their friends, and asking them how you could pray for them. Then allow your friend to ask the same of you. That’s it! It’s not going to make you more busy, but it is going to make you more effective. It doesn’t mean making new friends, but it does mean being more focussed with the ones you have. If you attend a small group, you could easily and seamlessly include this into the life of your small group. Once per month give over either your prayer time or your bible study time to enquiring after one another how your faith sharing is going, and how you could pray for each other. I expect more would unfold from such humble beginnings, but it’s a simple easy place to start. In other words, we will re-visit and modify our mission team approach so that it integrates more appropriately with later stages of life.

This is not to say we will abandon ‘events’ style evangelism all together. There are certain people groups for whom connection events remain an effective point of contact. This includes the retired, youth, and overseas students. We will continue to strengthen our connection events, and intend to build relationships among these people. We have planned a series of public lectures to be given by senior academics around the topic of who Jesus is, what he stood for and where he is now as part of the upcoming ‘Jesus – all about life’ campaign, and have booked in John Dickson (author and evangelist, and son in law of Harry and Olive Cotter previous HT staff members) to come and partner with us in a mission to the Sandy Bay University Campus next year.

Overseas Mission

Cambodia will be our focus for overseas missions. Already over the upcoming summer vacation three people from our evening service will be visiting Cambodia. In 2008 we will send a short term mission team. We will most likely work with Project Khmer Hope (PKH), helping train underprivileged youth in English and hospitality skills so they can find employment in the growing tourism sector. PKH is a Christian work, and we will have the opportunity to share Christ with the Cambodian students and their friends as part of the training. We would also visit outlying villages to provide medical care, and begin exploring mission work on the University Campus in Phnom Penh. Adrian Nickols will also travel to Bolivia and Ecuador for a gap missions year and we will be supporting him on that journey. This does not mean we will forsake organisations such as CMS, nor will we downplay the role of longer term missionaries. Instead I’d like to make three predictions. First the boundaries between long term and short term missionaries will become less clear. Second, from among our short term ‘missionaries’ for want of a better phrase, will come longer term missionaries. And third, as the world gets ‘smaller’, overseas missions will become less about us sending people over there, and more about a mutually beneficial partnership between two different faith communities.

Serving Tasmanian Churches

In the past we have attempted to be of service to the wider church, but in an occasional and sporadic manner. For example Holy Trinity provided much of the impetus for the recent Franklin Graham Crusade, and BayWest has run preaching and missions conferences. Holy Trinity has donated funds to other parishes, and BayWest has freed up its staff to serve in ministries at Tabor, other parishes or Diocesan levels. As a combined parish we will intentionally make blessing other churches a goal, just as we ourselves are regularly blessed by the wisdom and friendship of others. This may take forms similar to the past, or it may involve new initiatives such as sending a contingent of youth/young adults or musicians to bless another church or youth fellowship for a weekend. Whatever the form, we have a responsibility to serve more people than just our own membership.

While mission will be a key focus – it will not be our only focus. While we do have a responsibility beyond ourselves, we cannot neglect our commitment to one another. Accordingly, I would like to share a few thoughts about our weekly worship services and other ministries.

Worship Services and other ministries

I envisage the new parish having one liturgically oriented, warm and friendly 8am Service to be lead by the Rev. Charles Fehre. This service will follow AAPB Holy Communion services, the music being predominantly hymns, with the occasional classic chorus.

There will be one 10am Contemporary Service that will seek to cater for families, ‘empty nesters’, or those who worship as a single entity. This service will have a children’s program attached to it, overseen by Mark Holland and supported by Jill Martin. As I mentioned earlier I am conscious that our worship services are not always as inspiring as we might like them to be. In order to improve matters in 2008 we will employ a music coordinator so as lift the quality and organisation of our worship. A staff member will oversee the service more closely, so as to tighten up occasional loose ends, and improve the service flow. We will develop a curriculum for our Children’s program, seeking to strengthen the Christian Education of our kids.

The 10.30am Chinese Church will continue under the leadership of Jacob Jung. We currently see many uni students coming to this service and its associated youth program, but we need to extend our reach to local and longer term Chinese families. There has been limited integration between the Chinese church and Holy Trinity through a combined children’s ministry, and our ultimate goal would be to see the 10am English service and the 10.30 Chinese church co-located so that this cross fertilisation could continue and grow.

Since the departure of Paul Arnott, Soul Cafe has lacked the presence of regular staff support, and has consequently struggled. Finally with increased staffing we will be able to offer that again, and we pray this will bear fruit. In my mind however, soul cafe has a critical role to play in the life of our new parish as a hot house for exploring new modes of worship and mission. There is a correlation in my mind between some of the headway we are making at 6pm and lessons learned at soul cafe.

Our flourishing 6.00pm Youth/Young Adults Service is a highlight of the parish, and an example of where and how we can work together with greater efficiency to bring greater effectiveness. Just as will be the case at 10am, our new music coordinator will also improve the music and flow of the service, and mission teams will continue to bring an outreach edge to this service.

Beyond church services, we will appoint new intern(s) to replace Chris in overseeing our youth ministry. With the efficiencies achieved in combining our parishes, Debbie Watkins will partner with Jill Martin in overseeing our pastoral care and small groups ministry. Doubtless the road of closing one chapter in the life of our respective parishes and beginning another will bring with it pains and frustrations. Deb and Jill, aided by Charles and others will provide all the support we can to assist people in transitioning through the challenges ahead.

Debbie will spend the remainder of her time working with Emily LeRossignol in admin.

There are of course many other valuable ministries not mentioned here, which will continue to play an important part in the life of our new parish. We are grateful for all of our ministries and other programs, and those who lead them. Small groups, Lawrenny Court, baptisms, weddings and funerals, providing meals, international students, ladies guild – I dare not go on lest I miss one and risk offending its patrons. All these will continue as a vital part of the life of our new church.

Facilities

And now we come to the question of where we shall house these ministries. It is with some trepidation that I engage this topic. Unfortunately, in my opinion, facilities play too large a part in our thinking about church. We have just heard about much exciting ministry and mission that would continue to develop in the life of our new parish. Existing ministries will receive new energy, our long standing heritage and traditions will find fresh expressions. Facilities were only ever meant to be that, spaces to facilitate ministry. Not grounds for turf wars, not bases for division, not even monuments to the past or ourselves, they are meant to be places where we simply meet together, worship God, and encourage one another to do his will. They are a means to a greater end.

But to the question of facilities I must now speak. Briefly, after researching the market, Megan Yannarakis, a registered property valuer informed us that to buy a greenfield (that is, new) site in our target area, neutral for both parishes would cost something in the order of 3-4 million dollars. It would then cost another $2 million to develop a new complex. By way of contrast it would cost us something in the order of $1.5-2 million to redevelop one of our existing sites. In other words it would likely cost us 2.5-3 million dollars more, to buy and develop a new site rather than to redevelop one of our existing sites. Unless a good site turns up at a great price, (and we will keep our eyes open) it would be poor stewardship for us to proceed in the ‘green field’ direction. The property working party and the steering committee recommend we redevelop, but which site? The Sandy Bay site of this site, the HT Chinese Hall?

Both sites are viable options. Both have reasonable sized parcels of land, and adjoining houses that can be incorporated as offices into a new complex. Both sites also present challenges in terms of parking, and neither site is as large as we would like. Holy Trinity is centrally located, and has a suitable adjoining rectory, whereas the BayWest rectory is undersize and out of the way. The Sandy Bay site is larger, more level, it is geographically closer to where most of our combined parishioners currently reside. It is close to the University where most Chinese and overseas students live. Further, as can be seen in the mainland states, parishes adjoining universities provide the most fertile grounds for raising ordinands and leaders of tomorrow’s church. This is core to the heritage of both parishes, and a tradition we need to honour and maintain. When we consider proximity to other churches, there are numerous churches, including evangelical and Anglican ones in the CBD and just north of it. Sandy Bay and its surrounds are somewhat void of like evangelical or Anglican churches. The recommendation of the property working party and the steering committee, and can I stress that word ‘recommendation’, (for the new parish may choose to decide otherwise) – is that we explore the development the Sandy Bay site as our preferred option.

In a moment I would like to show you some plans of what we have in mind. Please note that these plans have not yet been finalised, or approved by the new Parish Council, Diocesan Council, or Hobart City Council. They are simply an indication of our thinking to date should the combined parish emerge, and should the newly combined parish, Diocesan Council and Bishop John accept the recommendation to redevelop the Sandy Bay site.

I hope this gives you a clearer sense of what the new parish might possibly look like. Of course not all questions have been answered. One for example, is where will we worship in the interim. Noelene Wilson has thoroughly investigated this question, leaving no stone, school hall or public meeting space unturned in her search for an appropriate interim venue. The most suitable building we could find was the auditorium at Turnball’s funeral home, but they could not guarantee the availability of their hall every Sunday. Noelene’s advice is that there is no suitable available building, and that our best option is worshipping in one of our existing sites. There are plusses and minuses to either this (Holy Trinity Chinese) hall or the BayWest hall, and a decision about which to utilise has not yet been taken.

Over the next week you will have opportunity to seek further information or clarification about these proposals. You will be able to visit the Frequently Asked Questions about the merger webpage at either churches webpage from Monday. If you have another question, not addressed there, please forward it to a staff member and we may add it to the FAQ page. In addition you will be able to attend one of three focus groups where I will attempt to answer any and every question I can, in relation to the formation a new parish.

I cannot of course answer questions about what the future of the Holy Trinity Church will be. That decision is not mine, or even ours alone to make, and there is another process afoot that is investigating this matter. The proceeding of the so called ‘merger’ vote in no way condemns the building, and the rejecting of the proposed merger in no way guarantees the survival of Holy Trinity as a building in which weekly services or worship will be conducted. In this regard they are two distinct matters. As saddened as many of us are by the impact of the quality of the poor sandstone, and as unclear as we are about the future use of the building, we are here tonight concerning ourselves with something greater. How can we be the people of God who tell the story of God to a nation who needs him more and more but seeks him less and less? The answer is, I believe, however we will do it, we can do it more effectively together than we can apart.

I hope you have found this time informative and useful. Some will perhaps accuse myself and the steering committee of assuming the proposals will all go ahead, of being presumptive. I am mindful that the two parishes can vote however they wish. Tonight has not been an exercise in getting ahead of ourselves, rather in providing as much detail as is required so that people can make an informed decision.

Given the passage of time I am not of a mind to take questions from the floor now. Clearly however there are forums for such questions as outlined. Friends, we have an important decision to make. Whatever way you choose to vote, and your vote is your privilege and your responsibility, I believe you can and will be in a position to make that vote from an informed and prayerful position.

Thank you for your patience, your attentiveness, and your time.

David Rietveld, 11 Aug. 07