Planting Spirit-Led Ministry in Parramatta

By God’s grace, Wesley Western Sydney will publicly launch in Parramatta in April 2026, moved by prayerful conviction, and the great need of the gospel amidst a growing migrant community there.

The leadership team is an eclectic mix of missionaries, pastors, doctors and young adults leaders passionate about intercultural evangelism, discipleship and ministry in Western Sydney. Our wider core group is approximately 30 including youth and children to date.

Our dream is to be a Spirit-led disciple-making movement, an intercultural force for gospel good collaborating across Parramatta to love and serve its people- longing to enhance the unity of the church.

We pray that migrants, refugees and those on the margins would find genuine belonging as they encounter Jesus. We long for the whole of Parramatta to be blessed by the Church. We pray there would be a genuine move of the Spirit bringing people healing, salvation and wholeness in a way that is undeniably God.

In August, we were involved in an inter-agency memorial service to honour the lives of our homeless friends who had passed away. Sadly that very afternoon, a lady who had been living in the park was found unresponsive. That very evening we remembered her life.

On the journey, we discovered a Parramatta prayer meeting which had been meeting weekly for 26 years. We prayed for each of the churches by name across all denominations, praying for some personal needs of ministers and churches. It was so moving! I wondered how many blessings flowed from these prayers perhaps unbeknownst to local churches? How many breakthroughs had its origins because a humble faithful group prayed consistently for God’s kingdom to be fulfilled in Parramatta?

What a beautiful resonance with the heart and origins of the Uniting church? At union we sought to “bear witness to that unity which is both Christ's gift and will for the Church”. We longed to “relate with churches which give expression… to that unity in faith and mission”.

It has been wonderful connecting with locals, pastors, churches and community leaders. Common concerns have emerged around homelessness and social isolation, yet there is a firm commitment to lovingly serve the neighbourhood and its people, and a great openness to working together!

The overwhelming response has been a warm welcome to another church coming to the area, and a willingness to work together because the gospel needs of Parramatta are so great (A special thank you to Rev Geoff Smith of PCUC!). Welfare agencies are already collaborating and by God’s grace, local churches can likewise collaborate more in unity.

Our hope is to be a local church that loves and serves Parramatta in Spirit, Word and deed, and in partnership alongside other local churches, in synchrony with Jesus’ prayer in John 17.

Pray for us. In the short to medium term future, we are hoping to confirm: a base from which to minister in Parramatta; the right partnerships for the area; breakthrough in reaching South Asians; and opportunities to help those with no voice and no home find their voice and home.

Please pray that God will continue to bring those He desires to join us on this adventure. Our longing is to plant more churches along the Western Sydney corridor where the majority of those we love and serve through Wesley Mission community services reside.

Our prayer is that of the Basis of Union: May God bring us into deeper unity with other Churches, and use our worship, witness and service to God's eternal glory through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Andy, On behalf of Wesley Western Sydney