Friends of St Paul’s

Investing in the next generation of gospel growth in South West Sydney

A growing church. A movement. An invitation.

God is on the move

A church of 30 has grown to over 300 people.
Three congregations have been planted.
Dozens of leaders have been raised and sent.

And every Sunday, 70–90 children and young people are hearing the gospel and being shaped for a lifetime of faith.

Under God we’ve also played a part in helping less resourced churches in South West Sydney.

We have been privileged to send a number of congregation members to assist St Alban’s Belmore in their own revitalisation project.

And over the last three years we have also established a movement group, Together for Canterbury-Bankstown (you can read about this in a recent issue of Moore Matters) which among other things has established a ministry to sex workers in the LGA and is helping pioneer new churches and ministries including collaborative youth ministries. This is an opportunity to be part of a movement of the gospel.

The opportunity

Our current facilities can no longer support what God is doing.

Our children and youth ministries meet in spaces that are:

  • overcrowded

  • not fit for purpose

  • limiting future growth

We have a vision to build new, purpose-designed ministry spaces—not

just for our church, but for the wider community and future generations.

And we’re already well on the way.

  • $875,000 government grant secured

  • Over $900,000 already given

  • Significant internal commitment to fund the majority of the project

We now need to raise $200,000 to complete the project.

Why this matters

This isn’t just about a building.

It’s about:

  • Young people hearing the gospel every week

  • A multicultural generation being reached for Christ

  • Churches across South-West Sydney being strengthened

  • New ministries being launched and supported

St Paul’s has become a hub for gospel work across the region—partnering with other churches, raising leaders, and supporting ministries to those in need.

This project removes a key bottleneck to that work continuing and growing.

Join Friends of St Paul’s

We’re inviting a network of partners—Friends of St Paul’s—to help close the gap.

Together, we could reach our goal if:

20 people give $10,000

or 40 people give $5,000

or 80 people give $2,500

Or you may wish to give another amount.

All gifts are tax deductible.

Stories of Impact

God has blessed our church enormously with an abundance of kids and youth. My great delight over the past 5 1⁄2 years I have been here, has been seeing them grow in the Lord. On many Sundays, we have over 90 young people in our ministry programs - each hearing how the Lord loves them, and being guided in how to live his way. I have seen young people be courageous in sharing the gospel, take on leadership, and mature in their love and knowledge of Jesus. These young people are being drawn from all over the world.

In my time, I have had the privilege of ministering to children whose families were born in Vietnam, Mongolia, Nepal, Indonesia, India and many more. In the little halls of St Paul’s, we get a small taste of John’s vision in Revelation of every tribe, nation and tongue coming to worship him.

Currently, our children’s ministry is run in hastily constructed halls that were not built with the Australian environment and climate in mind, and so are constantly plagued with issues like rising damp. We are able to make do with what we have, but having a space that is purpose built, and wisely constructed will be a game changer.

I can’t wait to see the lives, hearts and minds that will be transformed within these walls. And I am confident that the ministry of St Paul’s will continue well beyond when I am gone, and that these buildings will continue to be a space for young people to encounter the gospel and have lives shaped and transformed by it.

— Rev. Luke Graham, Assistant Minister, Kids and Youth, St Paul’s Canterbury

The renewal of the St Paul’s hall will result in upgrades to the property that will service the needs of the church community, and particularly ministry spaces for children and youth, as well as the needs of the wider community for many years. The parish has put in a tremendous amount of work on this project, including successfully applying for a State Government grant of $875,000. I commend this proposal to you in the hope that this renewal project will see many more lives transformed by the gospel for generations to come.

— The Right Reverend Dr. Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney

The Lord has blessed St Paul's in this moment, to be a strategic fount of gospel generosity for the south-west of Sydney. Through our partnership with St Paul's, St Alban's Belmore has been able to not just continue the ministry of the gospel, but flourish in doing so. St Alban's has grown from a church of ~30 people to one of over 60 people in less than two years, which includes a significant increase in kids and young people, as well as substantial growth in cultural diversity.

We at St Alban's believe this is just the first fruits of gospel ministry in this multicultural area of Sydney, and St Paul's has been a key conduit of God's blessing for our church. Their partnership in Steve Gardner's role as Acting Rector, and in sending people to St Alban's, is evidence of the DNA of St Paul's: a church which was founded on, and continues in, a posture of gospel generosity that desires fruit not just in their patch, but across the south-west of Sydney and beyond.

Can I commend to you their project to future-proof their space for generations of believers to come? Under God, this project will continue what the Lord has started at St Paul's, and bless churches throughout the south-west, so that all might hear the gospel and live.

— Rev. Owen Robson, Minister-in-charge Belmore Anglican

St Paul's is a community that inspires the faith not only of those within the scope of its own immediate gospel work, but of churches, leaders and ministries throughout South-Western Sydney and beyond. It has been a hub for pastors and believers from many denominations to gather and build the Together 4 Canterbury Bankstown network. This is a vibrant network dedicated to raising and releasing local Christian people to meet the many local needs within our area, from growing youth groups to advocating for justice, from prayer gatherings to church plants. St. Pauls has been the homebase for much of this work.

St. Pauls is also a regular meeting place for community ministries such as Rahab, a joint initiative of local churches serving women in the sex industry throughout Canterbury-Bankstown. The Rahab team regularly meets at St. Pauls and is blessed by the generous hospitality and support.

St.Paul's is also the home of a thriving Christian community that is intergenerational, multi-ethnic and very importantly growing. In an age when many churches in this area and denominations in general have seen decline, it is a testament to the grace of God that this community is bursting at its seams with children, young people and a diverse congregation.

The work that God is doing through St. Paul's should not be limited by resources or premises and through this building project things that are currently limitations will become a platform on which God's great work can continue to flourish. I praise God for St. Paul's and pray that you are moved to partner with them in ministry by supporting this proposal.

— Pastor Rearne Gray, Embassy Church, Punchbowl

Be part of what God is doing

We see this building project as a key strategic initiative for the Sydney Diocese, and

more broadly for gospel ministry in the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA.

We would love you to partner with us.

Take the next step

To join Friends of St Paul’s:

1. Pledge your support
Email: deeperandfurther@stpaulscanterbury.com

2. Make your contribution
Account Name: St Paul’s Building Fund
BSB: 032-060
Account Number: 636 365

Or get in touch to talk further:
steve@stpaulscanterbury.com

Thank you

Thank you for considering partnering with us in this work.

We are praying that through this project, many more lives will be transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ for generations to come.