Responding to God’s leading

Our church at Glen Waverley in Melbourne’s east is situated in a suburb whose demography has changed markedly, so that today at least 59 per cent of people in the area come from China. So, nine years ago, we responded to God’s leading by providing weekly English conversation classes.

Then, in 2022, we established a weekly table tennis club, which has also proved very popular.

Our focus has been on an integrated model of worship, and all activities encourage us to come together as God’s children. Throughout our planning for outreach, we have been keenly aware that we are doing ‘a new thing’, as we read in Isaiah 43:19. Each stage has been underpinned by prayer.

We have not always anticipated every practical aspect of our mission – it has required a huge effort from both leaders and congregation members to keep this boat afloat! Giving our time and providing regular catering have also required constant, generous support from all our members.

We received a Cross-Cultural Ministry grant from the LCANZ to employ a Mandarin-speaking evangelist, who could serve as a bridge between our neighbourhood and our church community. Sherry Hong, an evangelistic and spirit-filled Bachelor of Theology graduate, began official duties with us in February 2024. She has approached our outreach project enthusiastically and made us aware of the cultural context in which we work. This is under the umbrella of the Cypress Community Club (CCC), so named to reflect our address in Cypress Avenue, Glen Waverley.

With Sherry’s guidance and enthusiasm, our first phase of outreach has focused on becoming visible in Glen Waverley and networking through events such as picnics to engage with our community.

An autumn excursion to the Fitzroy Gardens in central Melbourne was also fun. We had shared with participants the history and cultural significance of Cook’s Cottage in our English classes, so everyone enjoyed the tour of the monuments and our lunch together.

We celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival by cooking traditional Zongzi (Chinese sticky rice dumplings) in bamboo leaves, followed by a bilingual devotion with the theme ‘God is with Us’, led by our English class members.

We launched the Cypress Coffee and Friends Club (CCFC) last August, offering a friendly space with coffee and morning tea, and with English language practice and table tennis each Tuesday morning.

Our next event attracted 72 participants of all ages, predominantly from a Chinese background, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. The children made beautiful lanterns, which were lit and paraded, while we shared songs in both Mandarin and English.

Phase two in 2025 has focused on consolidating our CCC activities and offering explicit teaching of the Christian faith.

The Mandarin Alpha course allows a Mandarin-speaking audience to explore life, faith and meaning in their heart language and through culturally relevant content. Alpha unpacks the basics of the Christian faith in 15 sessions across 11 weeks. The first lesson was held in April, with nine participants and four leaders, plus catering volunteers.

So far, five members of CCC have requested baptism. We pray and plan to continue bringing more people to Jesus with discipling via Alpha and Bible studies, using the heart language of those we welcome.

We have refurbished a space known as the ‘Grace’ room for Bible study, prayer and discipling. Congregational members aged between 16 and 76 years gathered to paint the brick room white while our church council purchased suitable furniture.

Our weekly table tennis leader, Al Zavalis, explains aspects of faith and worship as opportunities arise while chatting between matches and during supper at the weekly gatherings.

We now want to draw the community in further and consolidate the next phase of targeted evangelism. We have begun the journey, but it will take time to see the fruit.

Sherry’s expertise has been invaluable to us in these ventures. Thanks to the seed funding from the LCANZ’s Committee for Cross-Cultural Ministry, we have begun a new phase in our congregation’s journey, and we await God’s leading to see how this evolves into the future.