Going to church in Melbourne

Despite my best intentions before I left I'm sorry to report that I hadn't manage to go to church once until this Sunday. And it certainly didn't turn out like I anticipated...

The apartment we are staying in here in St kilda has a church directly opposite, its a beautiful old building with nice grounds so a lot of the hotel's artwork is photos of it. Given it is so convenient I really had no excuse not to go along for their informal service at 11.30 on Sunday. I was expecting a lively, young and large congregation but what I actually found were 4 men from the local social care centre, a man significantly impaired by years of drug and alcohol abuse who may have been homeless, a woman in her 50s and a similarly aged vicar called Father Jim. Over introductions one of the guys from the care home said that that morning a 25 year old woman called Noeleen had been found dead in the social centre from overdosing and had been taken away in a body bag. He himself was clean but struggling to return to anything like a 'normal' life. It was a shock for me to see what years of substance abuse do.

Father Jim gave a lovely and personal talk about God's plan for individual's lives and how you know you're following that plan when you're a blessing to others. I was struck by how faithful that small group of very disadvantaged men were, and by the end of the service I could just about get past the smell and the dirt and the slightly unnerving behaviour, and I'm very grateful for that opportunity for many reasons, not least because I realise how much God's given me to enjoy.

H came with me for my second visit to Christ Church St Kilda on Christmas Day morning (9am!!) and it was a bit more conventional but still special. Father Jim spoke about aspirations and not letting world values, particularly materialistic ambition, become consuming. I found it relevant and inspiring and I'm very much looking forward to church in Sydney and New Zealand!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day too... and if you went to church it was a highlight of the day for you also.