LIFT  |  DivorceCare  |  Alpha  |  Foot Fellowship  |  English at Gordon  |  Missionary Union

LIFT

Linking International Friends Together   

LIFT is especially for people for whom English is a second language, who would like to talk with others in simple English, but also with others in their own language. It is also for people who are interested in exploring the relevance of Christian teaching in a place where questions are welcome.  It is a time for making friends from around the world.

The day runs as follows:

10.00am-10.40am: Together - A meeting of everyone together to listen to a short talk in simple English, to hear the life experiences of others and to receive helpful community and cultural information.

10.40am-11.00am: Morning tea – relaxed conversation and making friends

11.00am-12.00am: Groups - English teaching and discussion of the talk in small groups in simple English or Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, or Mandarin.

You are welcome to join in at any stage of the evening programme.  You can start any week and come as often as you like.

LIFT will meet during the public school term on Wednesdays from 10.00am-12:00am at the church. 

For more information or to let us know you will be coming, please contact the church office by phone or email.
  

DivorceCare

A weekly seminar and support group for people who are separated or divorced, led by people who have been through it themselves.  Meets at the church from 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm on scheduled Thursday evenings during school term.

Alpha:

Alpha is a 10 week course for anyone wanting to explore the Christian faith or brush up on the basics of Christianity in a relaxed and non-threatening atmosphere—usually in a home.  Each session starts with a meal which gives participants an opportunity to get to know each other.  Topics considered include ‘Who is Jesus?’ and ‘Why and how do I pray?’.

2009 Dates available here .

Foot Fellowship

For those who enjoy bushwalking and exploring local areas such as Ku-ring-gai Chase, this is a very pleasant and informal way of getting together usually on Sunday afternoons approximately once a month from 12 noon. To make an enquiry please email, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Walk dates are available here .

English at Gordon

English at Gordon operates at the Church on Monday mornings from 9.30 am to 12.00 noon during public school terms.  Its purpose is to show practical friendship to non-English speakers in our community by helping with language, cultural and living skills, and to introduce newcomers to Christian concepts and the Australian way of life.

All classes include conversational English, developing friendships, answering queries relating to a new lifestyle, providing assistance in understanding government requirements, and shedding light on speaking a language as complicated as English.

There are currently about 60 people who meet each week in nine small classes. These are organised according to language competency levels but the groups tend to overlap where friends decide to stay together.  Half of the groups are conversation classes operating in English. We are also blessed with a number of Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Japanese speaking volunteers who are able to care for those whose English is minimal.  Most of those who come are of Asian origin but we also have some students from Europe and the Middle East.

We run two sessions of one hour each, with half an hour in between for morning tea - a chance to relax and chat with friends in a familiar language after the struggle of finding the English words for a whole hour at a stretch.

Planned visits are made to the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, the library, the local Council, historic sites or places of interest.  There are days to celebrate what Easter and Christmas mean in Australia, and times to explain special days in the Australian calendar such as Australia Day, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day or the Melbourne Cup.

A charge of $3.00 per week is made to cover the costs of morning tea and photocopying.

The following are small groups which provide an extension to English at Gordon:

• Bible Class in Simple English - Tuesday, 9.30am – 11.00 am
• Bible Class (in Cantonese) - Wednesday at 10.00 am
• Japanese Bible Study (hosted by Sydney Japanese Evangelical Church) - Monday, 12.30 pm – 2.00 pm

Missionary Union

Open to all interested people, the group meets to focus on the work of Global InterAction (formerly Australian Baptist Missionary Society) and other overseas workers.  Meetings are held at the church on the second Wednesday of each month (apart from December and January).  They commence with morning tea at 10.15 am, followed by prayer and a visiting speaker.