A new conversation

Dear St Philip family,

St. Matthias (Fairfield) and St. Philip are two loving and worshipping communities that share deeply-held values of welcome and hospitality to all. Each community is vibrant and has its own culture and unique way of living these values. However, we recognize that the community of St Philip gathers in an inaccessible building that increasingly limits the expression of its vision.  In contrast, the community of St Matthias maintains a large, accessible church building and hall with a congregation becoming increasingly less energetic.

Bishop Anna, who has developed a good sense of our respective congregational cultures, has recognized that the strengths of St. Philip and St. Matthias might complement one another.

As people of faith, it is our calling and our deep desire to share the Good News to the world through our individual and corporate gifts and talents.  As leadership at St. Matthias and St. Philip, we value and respect one another’s cultures, and we recognize our mutual desire to more effectively engage with the wider community. Therefore, we propose engaging in conversations to explore the possibility that our two cultures might align, find common ground and, perhaps, move ahead in ministry as one community.

- Larry, Judith and Fr. Allen

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