Our vision for Brooklyn Park

Posted Feb  1, 2017 in News

Last week, Emmaus Christian College announced their intention to establish a second campus at 34 Lipsett Terrace, Brooklyn Park. Whilst Emmaus still needs to satisfy Local, State and Federal Government approvals, this project presents several potential new ministry opportunities and is an exciting development in the life of the Uniting Church in South Australia.

Rev Nigel Rogers, CEO/General Secretary of the Uniting Church SA, has chaired the Brooklyn Park Refurbishment Team (BPRT) since its inception in 2015. In this article, Nigel outlines the vision the BPRT has for the Brooklyn Park site, and how the collaboration of different ministries came to fruition.

The BPRT had a vision to establish a Ministry Resourcing Hub at the Brooklyn Park site. The aim of this hub is to serve the community in the West of Adelaide, through Uniting College, Adelaide West Uniting Church, the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, and other aspects of the Uniting Church in South Australia.

However, this vision did not require the whole of the Brooklyn Park property to be retained.  Expressions of interest were sought from all of our Uniting Church schools and other associated organisations. We advised that we were selling the Northern section of the Brooklyn Park site with a building that was surplus to the Uniting Church needs. No expressions of interest were received.

There are times when God moves in mysterious and incredible ways. From all of the potential parties who could have purchased the land, it seemed far more than a coincidence that the one who approached us was a non-denominational Christian school, Emmaus Christian College.

Members of both the BPRT and Emmaus Christian College have sought to follow God’s leading, prayerfully and with great consideration. The BPRT’s aim was to faithfully follow God’s leading for the benefit of the community that would occupy the site and also the community in the West of Adelaide.

The potential addition of Emmaus Christian College to the Brooklyn Park site will help to create an excellent hub for education and worship, and for resourcing the Uniting Church SA.

Adelaide West Uniting Church and the Uniting College will continue to operate as part of the Uniting Church; Emmaus Christian College will remain an independent, non-denominational school.

Wherever possible there will be collaboration and sharing of resources between Adelaide West, Uniting College and Emmaus. This sharing will seek to benefit and enhance the activities of each community as different ministries and activities intersect. The purpose that underpins the whole hub is to point people towards Jesus.

The Synod is not currently looking at developing or planting school communities. Our planting focus continues to be on developing new congregations through our Generate 2021 program. This comes as a response to our overall strategic direction as an innovative, growing church.

We see this potential ministry hub as one which will work together towards growing the Kingdom of God.

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