About

Our Staff

 

Reverend Peter Chapman Minister View on Facebook

 

 

Services

Worshipping God is at the heart of our church’s life. Celebrating our love for Jesus is what binds us together, so we enjoy gathering together to do that. We believe worship should inspire us. It should open up God’s Word, the Bible, to us and be relevant to our lives. Worship at Church in the Marketplace is relaxed and friendly, and includes contemporary music. Our messages focus on daily issues and needs, and bring biblical insight to modern living.

Online Service

Sunday Mornings, 10am – click here: to join us online

Service Time

Sunday Mornings, 10am – We meet in the Coleman Auditorium on the ground floor of Church in the Marketplace. The service usually finishes at around 11.15am, and many of us stay on after that to connect with each other over a cup of tea or coffee.

Children, Youth and Young People Worship

Children are an important part of Church in the Marketplace and there is a place for them every Sunday morning. This includes a great program of activities run during term time to help them experience the love of God in their lives.

Communion is open to all

Our worship service includes the celebration of communion once a month. All those who love Jesus or want to know Him better are welcome to share in this together. There is no requirement that you are a member of Church in the Marketplace to join in communion. We use non-alcoholic grape juice and gluten free bread during communion so that everyone who wants to can participate.

We would love for you to come and worship Jesus with us.

What We Believe

THE VISION and MISSION of CHURCH in the MARKETPLACE

 

What we believe

We believe in the living God and God’s love expressed for everyone and for all creation.

We believe in the good news from the Bible, that through Jesus’s life, death and rising to new life:

  • We have been forgiven for what we have done wrong, our sins.
  • Our lives have been transformed through God’s deeper purpose.
  • We are called to live out and spread love, hope, and justice for all.
  • We share the promise of an eternal life with God.

We believe that through our faith in God we receive these blessings and share in this relationship with God.

 

Who we are

We are a community of faith, made up of a diverse people, including a wide range of cultures and ages. At our church, you won’t find people who have it all together. But you will find people learning to follow Jesus with honesty, courage, and care.

 

Our mission

We are committed to expressing God’s eternal purposes and values through acts of worship, prayer, and service, including by the following actions:

  1. Welcoming everyone and reaching out to all

We seek to be a community marked by Jesus’s way of welcome, where each person is received with warmth and dignity. We invite people from all walks of life into a journey of belonging and transformation shaped by Jesus — who meets us as we are, yet calls us into new life.

  1. Supporting and nurturing each other to grow as we follow Jesus’s example

As Jesus shared life and word with those around him, so we share life and word with one another. In community, we seek to grow stronger together — nurturing each other and making space to meet Jesus, where faith, love and hope can deepen along our journeys with him.

  1. Sharing the gift of joy, healing, and hope we continually receive in Christ

Through the seasons of life — in the highs and lows — we discover anew that Christ is present with us, gifting us foretastes of divine joy, hope, and healing. In community, we seek to share our lived experiences in light of the gospel, while making room for searching, doubt, and wonder. Together, we aim to create spaces of connection where hope is shared, compassion grows, questions are welcomed, and God is made known.

  1. Coming together to put our faith into action locally and beyond

In word and deed, Jesus revealed God’s love — and so we commit to live our faith as trust in God expressed in love for others. In community, we seek to explore one another’s strengths and inspire each other to serve with courage and compassion. Together, we aim to step beyond our walls — to care for our neighbours, to seek justice and to join God’s renewing work in the world.

  1. Taking good care of all the church’s resources

Our resources and all we hold come first as a gift from God — our time and relationships, our knowledge and skills, our finances and possessions, and even our stories and lived experiences. In community, we seek to steward these gifts wisely, faithfully, and generously, recognising they are entrusted to us for God’s purposes. With special care for the most vulnerable, we commit to using all we have in ways that reflect God’s love, mercy, and justice.

Volunteering

One of the defining character traits of Church in the Marketplace is the incredible volunteer spirit of the people who make up the church.

Volunteering is not only a great way to build friendships and to get connected within the church, but it is also a vital part of helping build the church and making sure our Sunday service runs smoothly.

Areas of involvement include:

  • Morning Tea
  • Welcome Desk
  • Music and Worship Team
  • Production and Sound Desk

If you are interested in volunteering, please register below and we’ll get back to you shortly.

 

Our Heritage & Structure

Our Heritage

Our heritage goes back 160 years, when a handful of Christians wanted to share their love for Jesus with their neighbours. In 1844 they built the first Methodist church at Bondi Junction. The physical church building has changed and moved a few times, but we value the faith and foresight of many generations of believers who have gone before us.

While we started as a Methodist Church, we are now part of the Uniting Church. The Uniting Church of Australia was formed in 1977. The Church in the Marketplace, along with all other Methodist churches throughout Australia, joined many Presbyterian and Congregational churches in forming this uniquely Australian denomination.

We have been at our current site since 1998. It is a purpose built 3 story building which includes a chapel that seats 150, an auditorium and a full size basketball court.

Our Structure

The Church in the Marketplace operates within the constitution of the Uniting Church. This constitution enables each local Uniting Church to make most of the significant decisions about its life and activities.

The structure of the church is based on 4 teams. The teams are built on the biblical foundations of church expressed in the New Testament; a church which

• is outward focussed (the Connect team)

• makes disciples (the Grow team)

• meets needs (the Making a Difference team)

• organises its life (the Resources team).

The teams are there to help us live out God’s calling to be people of adventurous and authentic faith.

The Church Council includes up to two team leaders from each of the four teams and our Minister. The role of the Church Council is to provide empowering leadership and effective oversight, so that we are equipped to put God’s love into action.

We also elect 4 Elders who provide pastoral support and guidance to the church.