A New Beginning

"Mrs Nash would have loved to see the church full of children"  was one of my thoughts as I took part in the service in the old building of the Condobolin Uniting Church. It was a church which I attended for a number of years but the congregation eventually grew too small to keep it going.

The children singing

But instead of becoming an empty relic the building has a new lease of life. The premises were handed to the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) and they have formed a partnership with a local Aboriginal congregation - Freedom in Christ Ministries.

Di Torrents, Chairperson Regional Council of UAICC with Pastor Beth Wolfe of the Freedom for Christ Ministries

The handover was just wonderful. It was lovely to catch up with a couple of the remaining members from the old congregation and many of my Aboriginal friends from Condobolin. Firstly there was a very inspirational service in the church, which was packed. The highlight was the children singing.

Then lunch under the marquee out the back with lots of time to catch up with friends.

This sort of partnership has come about because the Macquarie Darling Presbytery has a very definite policy to offer empty church buildings to the UAICC if they can use them. The three way partnership in Condobolin is a great example of a wonderful outcome of this policy.

And why did Mrs Nash come to mind ?
Because each week she faithfully put out material for children use but none ever came while I was there. She would have been so touched by all the kids that were in church on this marvelous day!

Bill and Val Nash who gave many years of faithful service to Condobolin Uniting Church (and Methodist church before that)

Julie

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