Grab a ’cino and cha-cha into church

Mission Possible with Stuart P Robinson

The title had my attention, instantly. ‘Cha-cha Church’. Responding to my, ‘please explain’, Tim Foster, rector of All Souls’, Leichhardt smiles and replies, “Well, imagine ‘The Wiggles do Church’ and you have the idea. The high number of pre-schoolers in Leichhardt presents a brilliant Monday morning outreach opportunity. Cha-cha Church, with its songs, dancing, Bible stories, games and other activities impacts the children and their carers.”

Leichhardt represents the changing face of inner-western Sydney. Tim reports that he ministers to people from the old working class to aspirational ‘yuppies’; the mentally ill to PhD’s. The community is ethnically diverse (Europe meets South America, Africa and Asia) – as evidenced by the rich blend of aroma’s emanating from the restaurants and cafés on Norton Street. Flashy cars cruise the streets, the sidewalks are packed with well-dressed diners and partygoers and kids. 747’s blast off overhead.

This is Leichhardt.

SR: Tim, you embrace a particular philosophy of ministry, right?

TF: We celebrate diversity and take Ephesians 2:1-11 to heart: we glory in the fact that Jesus has destroyed the barriers that divide and has united us in him. To this end, we do not ‘niche target’ our Sunday services to different demographics. We do subscribe to the notion of ‘all-age’ worship where people are encouraged to put the preferences of others before their own.

SR:  That said, you do engage in some very creative stuff too.

TF: Sure. Let me give you an example. The Norton Street Festival, where 100,000 people pass by All Souls’ presents many opportunities. As well as serving coffee and cannelloni, we wanted to do something in the church that was more than a simple historical tour. It was just after the war started in Iraq and we developed the ‘Prayer Peace Walk’.

SR: I’ve heard you describe this as a ‘multi-sensory’ presentation of the gospel.

TF: It was. We had eight ‘stations’ around the church building. Each station had a script with teaching from the Bible and a small hands-on activity that helped people understand aspects of God’s reconciling work in Jesus.

For example, as people focused on Christ’s death they were invited to take Communion. As they identified their fears to God, they were encouraged to write them in chalk on a stone and place them in the font.

Some 200 people did the presentation. Many left in tears. It was a very powerful presentation of the gospel.

SR:  You connect well with your community, Tim. Can you give us some practical ideas?

TF: Let me list them.

TF: High mobility means we lose 10 to 15 per cent of members to outer suburbs each year. We have to grow by that amount to simply remain stable. Even with that in view, we’ve increased in attendance from 50 to 110 people in two years.

SR: Any spectacular failures?

TF: More disappointments than failures. I tried an ‘open church’ thing on Tuesday nights. We wanted to create a reflective atmosphere. It was certainly quiet… Hardly anyone turned up!

SR: Your current reading list?

TF: A Peculiar People, Rodney Clapp; A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in popular culture, Detweiler and Taylor; The McDonaldization of the Church, John Drane.

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