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dying Adventist church in Sydney is now growing, thanks to the ministry of four Avondale College theology students.
The Mount Colah church had been losing members over the past few years, reports Dr Doug Robertson, one of the field education coordinators for the college’s Faculty of Theology.
However, this began to change in March when final-year student Richard Carter volunteered to serve as the minister of the church, and is now employed there full-time. The Faculty of Theology assigned students Debbie Hamilton, Colin MacLaurin and Dieter Stahl to help him.
“The church had only 15 members but numbers have grown and now an average of 25 people attend each Sabbath,” says Mr Carter. This includes a woman who has not attended church for a decade.
Mr Carter has conducted a four-week discipleship seminar that encouraged the church to reach out to members of its local community. “I wanted the whole church to witness without placing all the responsibility on me,” says Mr Carter. “I wanted to be a facilitator and trainer with the other students.” Mr Carter says the seminar has changed the mentality of the church members, who are now beginning to make contact with people.—Andrew Opis
