Mike Smith / Senior Minister, Minchinbury Anglican Church
Minchinbury is a suburb in the heart of western Sydney located just south of Mount Druitt and Rooty Hill. The local area is a melting pot of nations, with only 53 per cent of people in the catchment born in Australia. (It’s 70 per cent across New South Wales.) If Minchinbury was a street with 100 people living in it, 10 would be Filipino, four Indian, 81 would speak more than one language, 12 would be Islamic, 33 would be Catholic, and only 15 people would have no religion.
The area is also family-centric, and has a lower social economic status compared with the rest of New South Wales. This all means that ministry at Minchinbury, like many places in western Sydney, is both dynamic and challenging.
Over many decades, the church has been blessed with ministry workers with a passion for evangelism and teaching the Bible. Previous rectors include Peter Bolt and Richard Gibson, who were former New Testament lecturers at Moore College.
I have been the rector at Minchinbury since 2017, having previously served as an Assistant Minister at St Philips, Eastwood after graduating from Moore College in 2009. My time at Moore was absolutely foundational for ministry and leadership in a local church, and it has been a privilege to continue partnering with Moore College in the recruitment of assistant ministers and student ministers over the last eight years.
One of the key mission opportunities in our church in recent times has been our partnership with Anglicare and the employment of Melanie Taylor, one our long-term members, as a community chaplain. Melanie’s primary role is to help connect people in our local community to the church.
One key focus area is Anglicare’s social and affordable housing in Mount Druitt, known as “Arista”. There are 114 units for social and affordable housing, which were originally built for women aged over 55, the fastest-growing demographic facing homelessness. Many of the residents have experienced very difficult life experiences, including domestic violence, relationship breakdowns, substance abuse and failed investments.
Since starting her role, Melanie has helped a number of women—and men—find community in our church. Some have met Jesus and found the hope only he can bring. Just this year, Jane,* who is from a Middle Eastern background, was baptised, having made a commitment to trust Jesus. Adam* confirmed his faith at our most recent confirmation service after making a commitment to Christ on completing our Investigating Christianity course. Tanya,* who is reluctant to come to church due to her past, has been watching church online. And Jill* has attended church each week over the last month after saying earlier in the year that she would never come.
Kristy,* who has a church background, said recently, “When I came here, I wanted to find a church to belong to. I was going to do the rounds. But when I got to Minchinbury Church, that was it—just ‘HOME’. The church and people are so welcoming and caring. This is my church. Thank you. I know I still have a lot to learn, but this church has changed my life for the better.” Praise God!
Melanie often says one of the highlights of her week is her Wednesday afternoon “Chaplain Chat”: residents at Arista are invited to join her each week to chat about life’s big issues and about what the Bible has to say about these issues. Each week, the discussion varies—from a pre-planned topic to faith-based conversation cards. The floor is always open to any questions the residents may have.
“I regularly have five to eight residents come to the group, most of whom have not had any contact with the church or any engagement with the Bible since they were children,” says Melanie. “Meeting in the common room means that people pop in, hear the discussion and then decide to join. I really enjoy it when people see me around and tell me they have questions for the next chat, or when I get messages like, ‘Great chat today, Chaplain!’”
Our church has also benefitted greatly from the work of our current student minister, Tash, who is in second year at Moore College. She has been teaching and equipping our kids church teams on a Sunday, and has also been helping to pastor some of the young women in our night church congregation. We will miss her in 2025, but we can’t wait to see her continue to grow and develop as she prepares for a lifetime of vocational ministry.
We are also looking forward to welcoming Hamish, who is currently in his third year at Moore College and who will be joining us in 2025 as he continues his ministry training before graduating in 2026.
We are a church that longs to see all people in multicultural western Sydney and beyond renewed through the love of Jesus. We value your prayers and support as we continue to hold out the good news of Jesus to a diverse community—a community that, like all communities, ultimately needs Jesus and the hope and joy that comes with being his disciples.
Mike Smith graduated from Moore College in 2008.
Prayer
- Thank God for the long history of faithful evangelical ministry in Minchinbury. In particular, thank God for the ministry of Melanie Taylor, who has been a church member for about 32 years!
- Thank God for the women at Arista who have engaged with our church and found a place to belong, meet Jesus and be transformed.
- Ask God to provide resources, which can sometimes be scarce in a low socio-economic area, that will support ministry workers holding out the good news of Jesus.
* names have been changed for privacy reasons.
