Just springing up at Aberfeldie Baptist Church (ABC) is a new missional outreach service that is currently held once a month on Sunday nights.
The contemporary service was started after Aberfeldie members completed the BUV Support Hub’s Church Health Survey last year. The survey’s community portrait showed the area had a large demographic of people who worked or played sport on Sunday mornings, which meant they could not attend church if they became interested in Christianity.
“We’re treating it as a church plant rather than duplicating the morning service, with different speakers and music team et cetera,” said ABC Pastor, Rev David Van Wynen. “Essendon is a very sporty area – we have Aberfeldie Football Club just around the corner – so it just came out of seeing a need in the area for something at an alternative time and the need for it to be contemporary, because it’s mainly younger families who are playing sport or working.”
About half of the morning-service congregation, plus some supportive members from Moonee Ponds Baptist Church, and a few new locals have attended the two night-services that have occurred so far. David has plans to make connections with the football club and other community groups to welcome people along. “I guess the ultimate goal would be seeing it become a weekly service with its own congregation, pastor and worship team. We’d love to see it grow with members of the local community.”
Prayer has been a major part of the project. Prior to launching the service, the church held three prayer and praise nights during February at the time the service would be on, to dedicate it to God and seek His blessing. A regular weekly prayer team has been praying since August when the community portrait was presented at a church meeting. “This is not a spontaneous thing, but it has been founded on prayer and is continuing to be upheld in prayer.”
Before the service, small changes are made to give the service a contemporary feel such as adding flashing lights around the cross, covering a speaker with black cloth, and setting up supper served from two sides of the kitchen to encourage a community spirit. The music is currently reliant on videos, and David has been encouraged by people volunteering to start a worship team soon.
“People have enjoyed the music clips sung in a modern way. Some are songs that we sing in the morning and some are completely new. Everyone that is coming has embraced it – the whole church has embraced it and supported it.”