What's On?
Wild Church Details
We meet on the west side of the duck pond at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens.
Bring something to sit on and a cup for communion.
New Monthly Contemplative Group
Are you wanting to explore more deeply the contemplative stream of Christianity?
We are starting up a monthly mid-week contemplative group which will make space for deeper engagement with both contemplative practice and the rich thinking that flows out from this stream.
Our next gathering will be Wednesday, 24th June at 7:00 PM.
Email us at [email protected] for more details.
Rainbow Christians Afternoon Tea
People from Central and Rainbow Christians Illawarra will be gathering on Friday 13 June from 4pm for a special afternoon with Steff Fenton — pastor, writer, and gifted communicator (check out their podcast here). Steff will be sharing with us at the church, and there’ll be tea and biccies to enjoy together. Anyone is welcome!
Steff is also the author of Gender Expansive Faith, the book we’ll be reading for our September book club.
If you’d like to attend the afternoon tea, or purchase a copy of Steff’s book while they are visiting, email [email protected]
Prayer Meeting
On the third Tuesday of every month, a prayer meeting is held in the church.
Feel free to join us in prayer, or send on your prayer requests to Cheryl Meers.
Afterwards, grab a coffee at Cake by Rach Cafe in Port Kembla.
This month's meeting is Tuesday the 21st of May.
Soup and Fire Night
Winter is upon us, so join us for a cosy evening around the fire with hearty homemade soups, good company, and warm conversation. On Friday the 20th of June, our church family will gather for a relaxed social night filled with laughter, connection, and winter warmth.
Whether you’re new to church or have been part of the community for years, this is a great opportunity to slow down, share a meal, and spend time together outside the usual Sunday routine. There’ll be a variety of homemade soups to enjoy, a crackling fire, and plenty of space for good chats and fellowship.
Theology Night
In line with our preaching series on salvation, this Theology Night will explore the concept of Hell.
Throughout Christian history, Hell has been understood in different ways, from a place of eternal conscious torment, to a temporary state of waiting for judgement (such as purgatory in some traditions), to other theological interpretations.
How we understand Hell often shapes how we understand God, and in turn, how we understand salvation.
The evening will be discussion-based, exploring three key perspectives: Eternal Punishment, Conditional Mortality, and Ultimate Reconciliation. We will engage with Scripture and doctrine around each view, reflecting on what each might reveal about the nature of God.
At Central Church, we recognise the mystery of the life to come and approach these questions with humility, openness, and curiosity. If this is a conversation you would like to be part of, we invite you to join us on the 29th of June from 7pm - 9pm.
RSVP to [email protected]
Common Grace Conference
Central Church has been allied with Common Grace for a number of years and a small group of us are going to the Common Grace Conference in Canberra this year.
This will be another incredible opportunity to gather together as the movement of Common Grace to connect, yarn together, go deeper in understanding and relationship and take action to call and advocate to see justice flow across Australia and beyond.
If you are interested in attending, please see Becca.
Sunday Arvo Bible Study
On the third Sunday of each month, following Wild Church, Oran will be leading a Bible
Study at the church from 4:00pm. Throughout the year, we’ll journey together through
the Gospel of Mark—listening closely, asking questions, and discovering afresh the
good news it holds for us today.
If you’d like to dive deeper into Scripture, bring your Bible and join us. Please let Oran
know if you’re planning to come, or if you have any questions.
Our Church Podcast!
Most of our Sunday gatherings are recorded and put up on our church podcast which we’ve had since 2018.
It’s a great way to access the content and practices that are forming us as a community if you miss a Sunday.
And there are plenty of goodies from the past if you want something to listen to while you’re walking, driving or cleaning the kitchen!
Just search for 'Central Church Port Kembla' wherever you listen to podcasts.
Podcast Reccos for June!
In line with our June/July theme on salvation, and our upcoming theology night on the concept of Hell, here are a couple of podcasts to try out if you are interested:
- Rethinking Hell: Episode 43: The Evangelical Universalist, With Robin Parry
Dr. Robin Parry joins Rethinking Hell contributor Chris Date to discuss universalism and his book (written under the pseudonym Gregory MacDonald), The Evangelical Universalist. Click Here
- Word of Life Church Podcast: What About Hell?
Jesus’ teaching on hell is basically this: If you refuse to love, you cannot enter the kingdom of God and will end up a lonely, tormented soul. But hell in its popular and pagan misconceptions has been a blight upon the beauty of the Christian gospel. Click Here
Edgewalkers Book
I (Caro) had the privilege of contributing a chapter that highlights people who are seeking to cultivate life around the edges of faith, church and theology.
Each chapter is written by a different person from around Australia who has been wrestling with what faithfully following God looks like in their lives and ministry.
We were asked to write in the style of 'memoir theology,' so I wrote about some of the challenges of my own faith journey and the creation of our contemplative service. I haven't quite read all of the chapters yet, but those I have read have been both encouraging and challenging. It gives me so much hope to see people exploring the expansiveness of our faith and putting that into practice in all kinds of creative ways.
You can buy a copy of the book on Amazon if you'd like to read it. It's been published by a new, independent publisher, so you'd be supporting some local grassroots goodness if you are able to buy it.
