InterSections

inform - encourage - unite

CHURCH SCENE

Greater Dandenong Church of Christ
Kok Bin Ong

At the end of 2016, Jimmy Forbes, his wife Analene, their daughter Julie, and (son-in-law) Reggie Ganji started to meet with an Italian Christian family of three in their homes on Sunday evenings. The Forbes were then with the Belmore Road Church of Christ, while the Italian family was with the Southeast Church of Christ.

On Sunday, 10 April 2017, the group formally launched itself as a new congregation at The Castle. This is an events venue available for hire and located along Princes Highway in Greater Dandenong, in the southeast region of Melbourne.

On that Sunday, 86 people were in The Castle auditorium for this inaugural worship service. Besides the core group, other attendees included family, friends, and brothers and sisters from various congregations including Frankston, Southeast, Belmore Road in Melbourne – and even from Malaga in Perth!

However, on the following Sunday, attendance at worship dropped to 12. This was a clearer reflection of the nascent church. Over the subsequent months and years, people from other congregations (like Southeast and Belmore Road) came to worship with the church. New members were also baptised.

Today, the Greater Dandenong church has about 30–35 members comprising half a dozen nationalities. The congregation still gathers at The Castle on Sundays. There are two children’s classes on Sundays: 4–7 years old and 8–10 years old. The church also meets on Wednesday evenings for a Bible study in members’ homes; these meetings rotate every two months.

As Jimmy and Analene explained, the reason for striking out as a new congregation was twofold: (1) to reach out and bring back Christians who had drifted away; and (2) to start a new work in the Greater Dandenong area with a strong commitment to God and his Word.

A census taken in 2021 reports a population of some 160,000 in Greater Dandenong. It’s a region with various multicultural communities. It was felt that there was a need to have a new congregation there.

On a recent visit, I interviewed several members of the Greater Dandenong church. Below is a sampling of their responses.

How do you describe the congregation? What are its strengths?

· ‘It’s an open church, diverse, welcoming, surrounded by like-minded people.’

· ‘The people are fun-loving, approachable. They get along well.’

· ‘I was raised up in the church. It’s like family here. I have watched the kids grow.’

What can the congregation do better? What are its weaknesses?

· ‘Our group dynamics can be improved. People not attending church need encouragement. Sometimes there is miscommunication, and some are quite sensitive.’

· ‘We need more interaction with other congregations, like joint fellowship gatherings and worship services.’

· ‘Perhaps more outreach?’

Why do you come to this congregation?

· ‘For our children and grandchildren. This congregation is Christ-centred. Its teaching is biblical. When we are no longer here, our grandchildren will have a good grounding in the Bible.’

· ‘It is a grassroots, basic Bible church with straight, appealing teachings.’

· ‘I feel the world is bad. Christianity is good. I like the church here. It’s family
oriented.’ (This comment is from a recently baptised, younger Christian.)

If you’re ever in the Greater Dandenong area and wish to worship with the Greater Dandenong congregation, please contact Jimmy Forbes on 0403 959 242 for more details.