Faith

If you’re prone to belief in the supernatural, there’s no shortage of venues to express your belief in the company of the like-minded.

Places of worship in Postcode 2205 are a pretty good microcosm of looking at the way multicultural change has taken place in the past 100+ years....

...from traditional churches re-inventing themselves, to the reuse of churches by alternate faiths or branches, to newly built structures….from the western Roman Catholic church to Eastern Orthodoxy, varieties of Islam and the newer breed of holy rollin’ Pentacostalism, you can pick your poison. Want to public denounce homosexuality? Get along to the Community Life Centre, where at various times you can also partake in a halal sausage sizzle (reaching out to Islamic neighbours…) (It probably also helps to go along with the belief that the church founder’s daughter was resurrected from the dead)

Like your Christianity mainstream non-conformist Protestant, mixed with social concern? The Uniting Church may be for you.

St Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church has recently become part of the Rockdale parish…..wonder if they’re bucking the trend of the rest of the Roman Catholic Chrurch in Australia and seeing healthy numbers?

St David’s, is still part of the Anglican fold, but now styles itself a “Cross-Culture Bible Church. . . a church for people from all backgrounds, cultures and ages….a Bible-believing church that wants everyone to hear of God’s great love shown in Jesus Christ .” (That would be in contrast to all the non Bible-believing churches, I suppose).

Roman Catholicism, Bible-believing Anglicanism, Uniting sincerity or resurrection within the founding family not your thing? Then you might want to look at Eastern Orthodoxy via the Pope (Shenoudah III that is) blessed St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (and theological college).

Perhaps you’ve been swept up in the new Pentacostalism Hillsong-style. Pastor Brian Houston of Hillsong fame is a dedicated "church planter" and cites one of the success as the Assembles of God “planted church” , the Bay City Church.

If none of that is your cup of tea, we can offer a Lebanese Shi’a mosque, the Masjid Fatima Al Zahra, or the Masjid Darul Imaan – Islamic Malay Australia Association mosque.

Sorry, as yet, not Buddhist, Hindu ,Shinto, Taoist or Jewish options.

According to 2001 Census figures, the religious affinity of the population of Arncliffe/Wolli Creek was (percentage & total):

Islamic 22.9 (2 086 people)
Catholic 22.3 (2 036)
Orthodox 19.2 (1 582)
Anglican 12.8 (867)
Uniting 2.4 (221)
Buddhist 1.6 (150)
Presbyterian 1.6 (142)
Hindu 1.1 (99)
Salvation Army 0.9 (78)
Baptist 0.6 (58)
No religion 7.8 (715)
Inadequate or not stated 7.8 (715)

Subsequent posts look at each religious building in turn.