Doing church differently on the Darling Downs
Doing church differently on the Darling Downs
23 January 2023
The Gathering is becoming a family that eats and worships together in Warwick, south-east Queensland.
Doing church differently is certainly building God’s kingdom at the Southern Downs Corps in Warwick, Queensland.
In the past two and a half years, attendance has more than tripled to over 70 participants, but the real kingdom work is measured in a strong sense of belonging, authentic relationships and Christian faith.
“People are telling us things like, ‘I’m not a number here,’ or ‘this is my church now,’ and ‘we can do life and everything together,’” said Captain Leanne Hardaker, Southern Downs Corps Officer. “We have a gentleman who used to describe himself as a heathen, who doesn’t say that anymore and, in fact, has recruited 17 other community members to join our group!”
Captain Leanne Hardaker (back) and volunteer Robyn Marshall serve a meal to The Gathering community.
When Leanne and her husband, Richard, arrived over three years ago as corps officers, they were encouraged by The Salvation Army leadership to do things differently if something wasn’t working. After settling in, they did some research showing many lonely people living in the Southern Downs region. The other 15 churches in Warwick met on Sundays, so they decided to create a Saturday afternoon gathering, with relationships and food as the primary focus.
From a belief that eating with people, and being a blessing, would build something special, ‘The Gathering’, as it is now known, was born.
The meal is restaurant quality, with 50 meals donated each week by the local RSL club. The corps provides deserts, such as the favourite, bread and butter pudding. The service, following the meal, involves a song, an introduction to the community, a game, a video with the offering, and a short message with themes common to all people, such as hope, stress or grace. Participants are free to respond at all stages of the gathering but don’t have to sing or stand up.
“Most people who come don’t actually need the meal,” Richard said. “Many don’t have any family support, but this is becoming their family.”
Leanne noted that people are starting to invite each other for meals during the week; they are getting more involved in volunteering, financially contributing to corps activities, inviting family and friends, and asking to meet with the corps officers during the week to discuss their faith journey and life’s challenges.
The Saturday afternoon gathering is an introduction to Jesus, and for those who want to go deeper in their faith journey, the officers organise a weekly house church meeting so participants can discuss how Jesus works with each one of them.
“The longer you are in relationship with people, the more they want to know,” Leanne said. “Our people just love being a part of this community.”
“It’s not all roses,” Richard said. “We have been there for some very personal conversations and set a standard for people to rise towards, but often these have led to the most growth.”
The local community has substantially supported the gathering because they see the Salvos getting involved in ways that no one else does, according to the Hardakers.
“It’s often not what you do but how you connect with people that matters most,” Leanne concluded. “What we do is messy and loud, but now people have taken ownership of The Gathering and see it as their community.”
Comments
This is amazing. Praise the Lord! Thank you for sharing this beautiful flourishing of God’s work, Leanne and Richard.