About – Stpeterjieeng

Welcome to St Peter Jieeng Anglican Church

Welcome to St Peter Jieeng Anglican Church. We are a committed church with a vision to build a strong Christian community. We are passionate about knowing God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Wherever you are in your faith as a believer, come and explore Christianity together with us. At St Peter Jieeng, we believe that everyone has the potential to transform life in any way. You are welcome to join us on this journey to experience faith and the love of Jesus Christ. Amen!

St Peter’s Jieeng Anglican Church is one of the multicultural congregations within the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, comprised of people from different Dinka/Jieeng communities residing in Melbourne. We welcome people of all ages and cultural backgrounds who want to know Jesus Christ and grow their faith. We embrace diversity and encourage and celebrate it as a reflection of the Christian call to oneness in Christ, where all people are one in God’s kingdom.

Our Story

Over the past three decades, South Sudanese migrated to Australia under the Humanitarian Program as permanent residents following a civil war that erupted in 1983 in their home country, South Sudan (formerly Sudan). Many were forced to flee their homeland for a safe place and became Australians. The challenges associated with migration and resettlement include navigating the terrains of new and unfamiliar systems with complex social, cultural and economic pressures for individuals, families and communities. For example, social isolation and disconnection cause people’s mental health and let young people to lose their sense of identity and belonging. Others have juggled the demands of two cultures, such as young people who identify as South Sudanese. However, their parents see certain actions and behaviours differently and do not align with the South Sudanese norms. The loss of cultural identity and disconnection within the communities led some young people to experience intergenerational difficulties and antisocial behaviours that led them to clash with law enforcement. We intend to ensure children, young people, and South Sudanese maintain their cultural identity and a God-fearing member of our society.

St Peter’s Jieeng Congregation Anglican Ministry Presence was established in 2022 when a group of South Sudanese started congregating at the Grange Community Centre, Hoppers Crossing, with most of its members residing in three local government areas of Wyndham, Brimbank and Melton. Few reside outside across Melbourne. St Peter’s Jieeng Congregation is committed to fostering a resilient Christian community by nurturing spiritual growth, preserving cultural heritage through language and education, and providing a supportive environment for children, youth and families. We strive to be a beacon of hope, faith, and unity, dedicated to serving our congregation and the community through compassion, education, and fellowship.

13 July 2023. It was at that moment that determined who we are today as a church. I remember my feelings as I wasn’t in a good state of mind when I was attending this historic meeting, but with God’s grace, I slightly changed things around to fit in the meeting without jeopardising other plans (John, Churchwarden)

St Peter Jieeng Anglican Church has established the appropriate systems and structures for governance, financial management, and safe ministry. Being formally recognised as an Anglican Ministry Presence on 18/08/2023 has enabled the congregation to formalise diocesan oversight and supervision, access diocesan support and services while working toward the fulfilment of its mission action plan and aspiration in building a strong Christian community and secure a long-term property in which to continue its ministry and mission. This group made a significant move from Footscray to the rapidly expanding City of Wyndham, with the aim of establishing a Church where they could share the faith, love and transformative message of Jesus Christ among themselves and with their new neighbours surrounding this local government area (LGA).

The few members of St Peter Jieeng began meeting in local houses and planned to establish a place for worship and fellowship. On 17/04/2022, a dedicated worship centre was the Grange Community Centre, and the meeting rooms were hired on a contract yearly basis.

The meeting with the Rt Revd. Dr Brad Billings at the Anglican Cathedral Church on 2022 led the congregation to choose a name, ‘St Peter Jieeng Congregation’, which was adopted to recognise the famous saint in biblical teachings. The congregational members were impressed by the vision of Saint Peter when he took the lead of the disciples after Jesus Christ was crucified (1 Peter 1: 1). To date, St Peter Jieeng Congregation has been recognised as an independent Anglican Church by the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. We are proud to be part of a diverse, multicultural community in the diocese. Our members are mainly from the Dinka/Jieeng-speaking ethnic communities of South Sudan. As we are a rapidly growing congregation in the western region, St Peter Jieeng Anglican Church is open and warmly welcomes all African heritage backgrounds and other Christians present in the City of Wyndham and surroundings, including the white Australians who wish to experience faith and love of God as it is in Heaven.

VISION

Building a strong Christian through biblical teaching, worshipping, exploring faith, love and unity.

ACNC Registration

St Peter Jieeng Congregation | ACNC

POLICY AND COMMITMENTS

Respectful Relationships (PVAW)

Stpeterjieeng Anglican Church is committed to being a church which promotes relationships in which women and men can flourish as people of God. Violence, intimidation, or coercive control in any form, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, verbal, financial or sexual, is never acceptable.

You can be assured that if you tell our staff about violence you are experiencing, we will listen to you, provide spiritual support and, if you want, we can help you contact the appropriate community services for specialist family violence support. We will not disclose your information to anyone else unless children are at risk of harm.

You can also contact the following services for specialised support:

1800 RESPECT – 1800 737 732

Gen West (previously Women’s Health West) – 9689 9588

SAFE STEPS – 1800 015 188

Ministry Appointments Policy

Stpeterjieeng has a number of ministry teams that are responsible for the oversight, development and implementation of various ministries within the church. Each of these ministry teams has a designated team leader, appointed by the vicar, who is responsible for encouraging and equipping each of the members of their team to effectively exercise their gifts in the carrying out their respective ministries.

The vicar is responsible for the overall direction of each of the ministry teams, for their governance, reporting, budget and mission

Team leaders are responsible for:

1. The oversight of their team

2. The ongoing training and equipping of team members

3. Budgeting as required

4. Monthly reporting which they do via the vicar, and

5. Discerning and recommending appropriate people to be part of their ministry team. (No team leader is to directly approach anyone to join a ministry team, but is to provide the vicar and pastoral team with recommendations. Upon receiving such recommendations the pastoral team will undertake a process of prayer and discernment as to the suitability of the person being recommended for the proposed ministry. If someone is considered to be called to a particular ministry, the vicar will meet with that person to invite them to take up that ministry position.)

Communication Policy

Stpeterjieeng is committed to communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ in an effective way.

Stpeterjieeng recognises that effective communication requires a strategic approach that ensures that disseminated information is uniform, timely and targeted. In an era of rapid mass communication this is an expectation, not a luxury

Uniformity of message dictates that there needs to be an authorised spokesperson who is the medium of all communication. While Parish Council may have various messages that it wishes to communicate, it is essential that all communication is directed via the vicar or designated spokesperson so as to avoid confusion of messaging.

Timely information is essential, as delayed distribution of information leads to speculation, uncertainty and rumour.

Targeting messages, acknowledges that Stpeterjieeng has multiple audiences; the 8.00am congregation, the 10.00am congregation; the Karen and Zimbabwean congregations and a growing number of young people for whom social media is a part of their daily lives. Apart from these internal stakeholders, Stpeterjieeng seeks to be engaging with the wider community of Hoppers Crossing and surrounding suburbs, the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne; its national and international partners ABM, AOA and CMS. Each of these target audiences require different information meaning that the mediums used to maintain effective communication will be varied and sometimes complex.

COME AND JOIN US!

Whether you are new to faith, a long-time believer or simply exploring Christianity for the first time, everyone is welcome!

[email protected]

About Us

Mathew 5:14-16; 28:19-20

VISION

ACNC Registration

OUR MISSION IS TO:

STAFF TEAM

POLICY AND COMMITMENTS

COME AND JOIN US!