This is my Uniting Church

Could you share a little bit about your church community?

Westbourne Park Uniting Church is in the inner-southern suburbs of Adelaide with over 170 people worshipping with us across three Sunday services, onsite or through our livestreaming. Our community is passionate about intergenerational inclusivity, with a variety of ministry activities geared towards children, families, youth and young adults; whilst still providing engagement for adults and seniors.

What does worship look like at your church?

Worship at Westbourne Park is different across the three Sunday services. 9:15am is All Ages Worship with KidsLife and Momentum+ (kids and youth programs); 11am is Traditional Worship with Organ and Choir; and 6pm is Contemporary Worship with a Youth & Young Adults focus. Each service is distinctive; however, we celebrate our unity through semi-frequent One Church All Together (OCAT) services.

What one thing that makes your church unique?

Our Church Council of 17 includes seven people aged 30 or under.

What are some of the things happening there that are really exciting for people?

Through the employment of our Children & Families Pastors, and Youth Pastor, we have been blessed with incredible growth in these ministry areas. Particularly with the number of kids and young people attending All Ages Worship on Sunday morning. A recent service had 25 babies, toddlers, kids and young teenagers in attendance.

This is exciting for the people involved in kids and young people ministry, but also Church Council, as this is a key focus of our strategic plan.

What energises the faith of this community?

For some, faith is energised by initiatives like our regular Church-wide bible studies, which encourage additional people to join a life group. For others, faith is energised by our Mission Month appeal, this year in support of humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. For yet others, faith is energised by serving in one of our many ministry activities.

How does your church engage with the local community?

We have many wide reaching programs that invite people into our property/community (Playgroup, Craft, Day Camp, Momentum Youth, Connect Women’s Conference, Christmas in July Markets), but also programs that take us outside our four walls (East Timor Mission, ‘Schoolies’ Green Team, Kids Hope mentoring, and our Netball Club).

Our biggest missional/outreach program focus for the past 11 years has been in East Timor. Through a partnership with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) we have been supporting the development and growth of a village in the mountainous region of Timor-Leste. This year, we are celebrating 10 years of sending teams to the village of Bahareduk and partnering with the community there.

Where do you see God currently at work?

Over the past 12 months we’ve seen a surprising new Wheelchair Ministry start. We now bring about 10 people each week from the local Uniting Church Aged Care residence (just across the road from us) to our 11am Traditional service, including joining with us for morning tea beforehand. A mini revival for a service which had been in decline.

How do you include intergenerational aspects into the life of your church?

Our All Ages Worship on Sunday mornings at 9:15am, includes intentional invitation and inclusion by the Worship Leaders for young people to be involved, whether from their seats or coming to the front of the church or in reading the call to worship or a prayer. Once a term our young people are the Worship Leaders for an All Ages Worship service. Morning Tea between the 9:15am and 11am service provides the opportunity for co-mingling between generations, and providing a sense of belonging to all.

How has your congregation been able to support people in the local community during challenging times?

When COVID hit, by God's provision we were able to quickly pivot.

We immediately livestreamed our 9:15am & 6pm services, and added 11am to our livestreaming after the crisis was over. We were surprised at how many people beyond our congregation were supported by this, including people who hadn't attended a church for many years due to health issues.

We also activated our Pastoral Carers to make phone calls while we were isolated, to encourage each other and keep people in touch with one another.

And we also hand delivered Playgroup and other children’s ministry packages to children’s homes.

Are there any challenges your church is facing?

Finding increasingly effective ways of engaging with our Playgroup, Craft and Netball communities as we seek to help people take a step closer to faith in Jesus.

What can the rest of the Uniting Church be praying for, for you and your community?

Please pray for wisdom and insight as we plan for the future, including our current process in discerning God’s call to mission and the challenge of funding our Children & Families Pastor position beyond the end of its current grant in March 2026.

If you could share one message with the wider Uniting Church or the Australian community, what would it be?

Give young people appropriate supported leadership opportunities in every way possible – kids and youth in worship leading roles, young adults in congregational leadership roles – not as a token nod to intergenerational engagement, but for the sake of church health and vitality.