Home About Us News What's On Gallery Sermons Missionaries Contact Us	About Us       Who are We? We are a community of ordinary people of all ages and different ethnicities, backgrounds, interests and abilities but we have one thing in common - we acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord and are seeking to grow in our relationship with him. We believe that the Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and conduct. As Presbyterians we own the Westminster Confession of Faith as a summary of what we believe, and the sense in which we understand the Bible. We are governed by a Session or body of elders (elected by the congregation) of which the minister is the “teaching elder” chosen and called by the local congregation, but ordained and inducted by the Presbytery.   Our Vision and Aim We are committed to growing a Christian community that forms its life and teaching by the Bible. We want to learn to live for and care for one another and take the Good News of Jesus Christ and practical help to a world in need.   Understanding God’s Word The pattern of church life at Canterbury Presbyterian has a strong emphasis on preaching and teaching in our public worship. We also have a number of prayer meetings and home fellowship and bible study groups. We provide foundational teaching for our children and young people through weekly Sunday School classes (during morning worship) and Bible classes (prior to Sunday morning worship). There is also an active youth group for secondary school students with the aim of discipling our young people.   Our Multi-ethnic Mix Ours is a multi-ethnic congregation comprising Australians, Koreans, Taiwanese, Chinese, Indians, Singaporeans and Sudanese. We also have a separate Japanese-speaking congregation under the authority of the Session which meets for worship at the same time as we do on Sunday mornings in the Bamboo Hall at the rear of the property. We rejoice in the reconciling power of the Gospel and seek to live that out as a new-humanity (Eph 2:15), diversity-in-unity (1 Corinthians 12: 12 - 13), together-under-Christ (Ephesians 4: 15 - 16) community. We worship in English, although Bible readings and the weekly message from God’s Word are provided in Korean either on the screen or in printed form. Our desire is to be both contemporary and traditional. Being contemporary is for us not merely a matter of worship style. It means that we seek to communicate the old Gospel to 21st century people. We believe that the problems and issues people face today are answered in the eternal truths of the Bible. However, we also believe that we stand on the shoulders of past generations of Christians and benefit from their contributions to the worship of the church. There is opportunity for fellowship every Sunday morning over morning tea and a congregational lunch prepared by a the Korean ladies. We also have one to two Korean services a month on a Wednesday evening as well as cell groups in Korean for women and men, although our aim is to integrate people into English speaking home groups as soon as language competence permits.   Overseas Students We rejoice in the mission opportunities that God has brought to our doorstep with international students (particularly from Korea, Japan and Taiwan) coming to Melbourne to study, to improve their English and to experience our culture. To reach these students we have free English conversation classes Monday to Friday, morning and afternoon, in our church hall, a Friday evening meeting (including dinner) and regular Saturday outings and events. On Sunday afternoons there is a discipleship Bible study and baptism classes. In cross-cultural ministry to those coming to Australia from overseas we seek to reach out, build up and send back.   Missions Focus Canterbury Presbyterian Church has always been a mission-focused church and we currently support missionaries serving overseas in Japan, Asia and the Middle East as well as supporting some working locally. Our PWMU group (which meets monthly) helps to foster interest in and support for the work of missions. Missionary speakers are also invited to our monthly Missions Morning Teas (2nd Sunday of the month).   Pastoral Care The Session has responsibility for the pastoral oversight of the congregation. We are mindful of the needs of those of advancing years who are finding themselves less mobile and less independent. We also seek to assist those coming to Melbourne on working holiday or student visas or those bringing children from overseas (particularly Korea) for education. Pastoral care is provided by ministers, elders and deacons elected by the congregation. Regular newcomers’ evenings are held at members’ homes to help new people to settle into the life of the congregation. Joining a home fellowship or cell group is an excellent way of getting involved in the life of CPC and coming under effective pastoral care.