Across the Street
Local Mission Stories
Story Two: Sydney
What happens when you cross the street, give out care packs and invite people to church? For Pastor Nun and the team at Central Baptist Church, it meant the start of the now thriving Thai congregation. Because as a church in the heart of Sydney, ‘across the street’ literally means Thai Town, where thousands of Thai people live and work.
In this episode of Across the Street, Nathan Reid sits down with the Central Baptist Church team to hear about the impact of sharing God’s love in practical ways, their global Kingdom vision and the complexities they navigate as one church with four different language congregations.
We pray this conversation sparks questions and ideas for you and your church as you engage with your local community. Use the discussion questions to prompt further reflection.
Full conversation
Across the Street in Sydney
Here’s Nathan Reid’s full conversation with the Central Baptist Church team. Be encouraged and inspired by this compelling conversation!
Discussion questions
- What surprises, challenges or inspires you in this story?
- Pastor John says in the conversation, “With all our diversity, I pray that we’d be remarkable.” How can you see God at work through the diversity of your church community?
- The Thai congregation was born out of acts of simple, practical love. How is your church responding to the needs of your community? Are there new missional opportunities you could step into as you seek to reach out?
- What does it mean for your church to honour cultural diversity, while hold tightest to a unified ‘Jesus culture’? In what ways has this been done well or poorly in the past?
- As you reflect on this example of active love, welcome and one-ness, what questions are being prompted about your church’s local and global mission engagement?
Short Video: The Thai Congregation
This 4 minute video is an abridged version of Nathan’s conversation with Nun and John, focussing on how the Thai congregation was formed and continues to thrive.
Short Video: Raising Up Leaders
This 4:30 minute video focuses on how the Pastor Nun and the Thai congregation hold a global Kingdom vision as they intentionally raise up leaders.
There’s more!
In story one of the Across the Street series, meet the Citywide and Hobart Nepali Church team and hear about the driving school, how the congregations came together, and how they navigate the ongoing complexities of being one church across cultures and campuses.
Connect with us
If this has sparked any questions or ideas, then we’d love to talk with you! Send our Church Relationships Team a message here.