Anna's Church is TINY *and* COOL

Anna's Church isn't large. No way. Average attendance over a month is 17.

In fact, the Church, near Camberwell Junction, gateway to Melbourne's traditional Bible Belt, is tiny. Sadly, as parishioners went to Heaven, noone came to replace them.

Ecologically, small churches/gatherings yield a reduced Church carbon footprint. They offer people a real chance to contribute to a local church community & wider
Bio-region (Ched Myers'idea). Large and mega- churches tend to suck people (and cars) away from local areas. PLEASE COMMENT ON YOUR EXPERIENCES ....

Being smaller means being more like a a warts-and-all family. Lack of anonymity. Nowhere to hide from people who might 'press one's buttons'. The 'Bigger-/Mega- is Beautiful' syndromes have changed the worship landscape. Attenders are drawn citywide with huge carparks a sad environmental reality. Mega churches refuse to lessen dependence on private transport eg by chartering buses to Church. Meanwhile, at the poorer end of the spectrum, Church buildings are sold and converted into apartments, pancake parlours and worse. (That's if they survive the wrecker!) One recent local example of people experiencing 'Closure Trauma' is St Matthew's Anglican (Ashburton).

Other closures & struggles::
Cleveland, Ohio Rochester, NY
Blue Mountains, NSW Yorkshire, UK
Cape Choral Church of Christ, Florida [land-rich, income poor]
Russian Chuch (Holy Trinity) Closure Order
"Redundant" UK Churches for sale
But your Worship Place (& Integrity) can be saved::
(Love)Churches!
Parish Building History/Protection (UK)
[famous] Holy Trinity, Brompton (built 1820s)
INSPIRED!! - A Future for Historic Places of Worship

i'm sure the denominational bigwigs at the Church of Christ want to get rid of the million-dollar corner property. There is lots of 'development' and loss of history in the general area of Boroondara and Camberwell Junction due to pro-development State Governments. Apparently there was a move to merge VISION with Surrey Hills (The Avenue) Church of Christ in recent times.

Recently, a man spoke at 'Anna's Church'. He was "understudy" to Sydney celebrity, Melbourne-born Rev Gordon Moyes at Cheltenham Church of Christ.

Gordon Moyes, previously Wesley City Mission leader and now NSW CDP/Independent politician, used to have a segment on his Sydney radio programme. He would finish by saying that such-and-such "happened at a little Church in Cheltenham" (seaside Melbourne).
History amazes me.

At Vision Church of Christ (aka 'Anna's Church') i do basic eco-gardening. i'm not a denominational Churchperson, but the is near Riversdale Station on the corner of Riversdale Road & Aird Street is special. There is a monthly Friendship Circle and a twice-monthly Bible Study wih John Santoro. Honesty to oneself comes to the fore. There are No stiff-upper-lips. Can't afford to be in a Church which has seen better days.

Vision (previously Camberwell Church of Christ) is one of the smallest Churches of Christ in Victoria. The biggest - a monster in comparison! - is Careforce (previously Mt Evelyn Christian Fellowship).

New people are most welcome because YOU WILL certainly make a difference. (I guarantee it!!). Melbournians, have no fear of going to 'Anna's Church'!!!

If you know any people learning or speaking KOREAN, Pastor Joyce organises a the Korean language Immanuel Church at 1pm on Sundays.

VISION CHURCH MELWAYS 60 B1

When??? Sundays, 10AM
Where??? 620 Riversdale Road, Camberwell (Aird Street corner)
Railway: catch Alamein line (need to change at Camberwell Station)
Tramway: catch Wattle Park (#70) tram to stop #44

Case Study: Will John & Nella buy 2nd car ??

John & Nella
are leaders at the pro-marginalised Church of Hope in inner Melbourne. Under Conrad & Marian Fenton, COH also does outreach work in King's Cross and India. John, Nella and baby Noah live 32km (20miles) south of Melbourne at Werribee.

i first met John at pro-rich kid
Christ Church Hawthorn (inner Melbourne church semi-plant by St Hilary's, Kew). They met on the COH Flinders Street evangelism team. John was called to get rid of his possessions and LIVE on Melbourne CBD streets. Nobody could believe the transformation from comfort zone Sunday nights on CCH pews. He now wore simple clothes and sandals a la Franciscans founder St Francis_of_Assisi (b 1181). John's story is at
Selleverything-Givetothepoor-FollowMe

John starts work at the Werribee landfill tip at 2.30AM and they've been searching for a used car so "Nella can do shopping, etc." Free Vicroads data showed many chosen vehicles had been involved in collisions. (Salesmen often lied.)

John and Nella, i'm sad that you think you need a 2nd car. Maybe there's pressure from Nella's family. What the world needs now is another car on the road. More greenhouse gases. More global warming... What happened to self-restraint??

As for me, i have bent over to pick up others' cans, bottles and waste for decades. i could have had a great time joining the hedonism around me.

i have seen Churches and Churchpeople at the forefront of the 'THROW AWAY', CAR-HAPPY society. i could have just been another passive Church attender. i too could have bought a car and this and that... i could have my ears tickled by sermons which NEVER warned people about their destructiveness to Creation.

Well, what do YOU think?
Leave a Comment below, or email me at econow7 (at)gmail.com

Junk mail leading to junk people?

Do you have a "No junk mail" sticker on your letterbox?


You can even be creative & use a texta. If you have a Post Box, you can ask the Post Office to ban unaddressed mail. Simple!!

You will be saving paper, chemicals, bleaches, animal habitat, inks, bucketloads of electricity, gas (to dry inks on glossy paper), print machines, plastic packaging, animal habitat, fungus habitat transportation ...
You'll also make your life less stressful and consumeristic

For NO JUNK MAIL stickers, try Friends of the Earth. Get some for your friends too.





In America & Canada there are moves to delete one's address from mailing lists

Junk isn't the only thing to live for. Really!

!!!!! ECOfaith starts NOW !!!!!

{{ Vegetarians welcome }}

Welcome to

ECOfaith

CYBERcommunity

Faith Communities should be leading, not at the end of, the ecological debate

My name is *Eco* (previously EcoPaul) and i know that Churches & other faith communities can often be their own worst enemy.

Don't give up on caring for EARTH because many communities & heirarchies choose to allow man foul up what is not his.

We need to show Creator God & others what is happening in your neighbourhood. The trick is to do something. Please tell your story. Vent your frustrations. But most of all, comment & participate . . .

Do you want to LOVE Creator and Creation

Are you bullied by Churches when you do 'ECOtalk'

Do you ever think you're the only one deeply caring for Creation

Don't forget . . .

He is the greatest
ENVIRONMENTALIST