Christ Church Brunswick
Introduction
Christ Church is a thriving Anglo-Catholic parish located in the vibrant, inner-northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, which is known for its arts and music scene and has a high student population. Melbourne University is a 5 minute tram ride away, while locally there is Brunswick Secondary College and several primary schools. The parish also has a relationship with Sydney Rd Community School located next door to the church.
Originally populated by Greek and Italian migrants, Brunswick has become gentrified in recent decades and is a genuine melting pot of people from across the cultural and socio-economic spectrum.
Set in the busy town centre, Christ Church is a lively, mostly traditional Anglo-Catholic community attracting people of all ages from diverse backgrounds, at various stages of their faith journey and with different ways of engaging with church life.
The parish has experienced very pleasing growth over the last several years and currently attracts 70-80 people to its main
Sunday service. Vital to the strength of our life together is the daily rhythm of worship and prayer, led by a combination of laity and clergy.
The church is open daily, a fact that is deeply important to the congregation and much appreciated by the local community as evidenced by the daily visitors, prayer requests left and comments of gratitude in our visitors’ book.
Our Precinct
Our Church
Many renovation works have been undertaken in recent years, with only the painting of the interior of the church and external Vicarage windows remaining, for which funds are available in the parish’s trust fund with the National Trust of Victoria. Other sources of funds available to the parish for major works on the church are Heritage Victoria and the Smith Trust.
The Vicarage
Planning is underway for a new vicarage to be built behind the church, on 3b Merri Street. It will be a private residence with its own walled garden and separate entrance off Merri Street. For convenience there will be a gateway into the church yard. Building is not anticipated to be completed until the end of 2024, so the new vicar will have an opportunity to participate in selecting its interior finishings. Living onsite the priest will continue to be part of the Brunswick community.
The Lamb & Flag Café
Central to our mission of being an outward facing community is The Lamb Café. This building is adjacent to the church and also has fully renovated accommodation upstairs for a student or curate. The café also has an easement for outdoor tables and chairs and a ‘hatch’ opening onto the land next door, which is to become an Urban Park.
Our People
A saying at Christ Church goes, “You’re only new here once!” This reflects the parish’s strong culture of welcome that genuinely embraces everyone and offers many opportunities for inclusion and participation. People cherish the close-knit community they find at Christ Church, and the caring bonds that exist between parishioners. Whilst there are people who have worshipped at Christ Church for decades, most of the congregation has joined within the last ten years.
Both Word and Sacrament inform our communal life through a daily rhythm of worship and prayer. The current Ministry Team comprises: the vicar, three honorary associate clergy, a pastoral assistant (who also acts as the sacristan), a stipendiary organist and a large serving team of men and women and mostly young adults. The parish is very appreciative of good preaching, which is lectionary based and sets issues and controversy aside. Nightly Evening Prayer is often lay led and includes the reading of the prayer intentions left in the parish prayer box. Read more about our Ministry Team here.
There is also growing Sunday School, with two classes; known as ‘Lambs’ for the younger children and ‘Seekers’ for the older children. ‘Seekers’ also meets on Wednesday afternoons in the Vicarage. Currently there are approximately sixteen children in these two programs.
Worship
Worship at Christ Church is in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, with the Eucharist being central to our worship. Daily masses are important to the congregation with the rhythm of daily prayer sustaining and guiding us. Services are reverent and joyful, with parishioners contributing through welcoming, intercessions, reading, serving and cantoring. Sunday morning services attract 90-100 people. Integrity of worship is important to the congregation as is the fact that it is wellanchored in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.
On Friday nights Lectio Divina is included in the Evening Prayer service and on Sunday evenings a 6pm service (‘Bible and Beer’) is held in the Lamb Café, an informal time of praise singing, teaching, bible study and refreshments. Importantly, this gathering is held in The Lamb Café, where it is visible to passers by and where the life of the church can be seen and entered into.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament plays an important part in our life at Christ Church, with weekly Exposition occurring on Thursdays immediately before Evening Prayer in the Lady Chapel. Occasionally, this time of reverent adoration takes place in the Lamb Café in public view. Candles are always available in the church for members of the public to light and spend time in prayer and reflection. People are also welcome to leave prayer intentions in the box which are prayed nightly at Evening Prayer.
Music has always been important to the parish with a total of five congregationally sung mass settings in regular rotation, supported by cantors. Over the last seven or eight years we have enjoyed a rich mix of traditional hymnody and modern spiritual songs, as well as the occasional inclusion of instrumentalists from the congregation. The parish also has connections with local musicians who play for regular events such as Carols and Jazz as well as at the The Lamb Café.
