Welcome! I am excited to be the Pastor here at Turramurra Uniting Church. This is a very special place, full of people who love Jesus and who are passionately committed to creative worship and mission. We believe that God's vision for this church is to "Transform Lives and Transform Communities" through the love of God. I am married with three older teenagers, so I am committed to making worship comfortable for families with young children and interesting for families with teenagers. I hope that we can be a church which is involved in the local community. Some of my other passions are the need for people to “be real”; the importance of prayer; giving leadership opportunities to people, especially young people; fostering inter-generation discussions; celebrating as a community; and telling people how much God loves them and how Jesus can transform any person or situation. There are many ways that people become connected to our church and if you feel like making Turramurra Uniting Church your spiritual home, I would be thrilled to be your pastor. Rev. Phil Swain
What we can offer
Life in today’s world can seem so complicated and busy that many people don’t have the time or space to address many of life’s big questions. Some people are searching for answers to life’s big questions such as “Who am I?”, “Where do I belong?”, “What is the point of it all?”, “What does the future hold for me?” Other people are struggling to understand personal tragedies, unexpected life changes or just the monotony of life day after day. At Turramurra Uniting Church, we believe that God can offer some answers for these questions and issues. We believe that the answers can be found in Jesus.
- We believe that in Jesus you can discover who you are – a person created by God. God likes you and is very interested in you.
- We believe that in Jesus you can discover where you belong – in a relationship with him. This sense of belonging is reflected in the church, a place on earth where you can feel God’s love.
- We believe that in Jesus you can find meaning in life – there is more than just the material things of life…we know, we have experienced it!
- We believe that in Jesus you can find hope for the future, both in this life and in the life that comes after death.
- We believe that Jesus can bring healing to broken lives, restore strained relationships, provide help and support in times of change and bring hope and life to everyone.
What can we offer? We can offer you Jesus.
What's Important to us
- Faith and Discipleship. We want to be a church that reflects the teachings and example of Jesus. So whether it is in worship or groups or in the way that we care for each other, we strive to help people know Jesus and grow in their faith in Jesus and their understanding of how that faith is lived out (discipleship).
- Children, Youth, Families. Many of the key leaders of the church have kids, so naturally children, young people and families are important to us. We have many activities in this area including a great child care centre, kids club, youth group, Kids Church (Sunday School) and young adult groups.
- Creative Sunday Worship. Both our 9am morning worship and 6:30pm Night Church services are contemporary, relaxed services with an emphasis on Jesus, good music, relevant teaching from the Bible, use of multimedia, interaction and morning tea/supper. We also have a 10:45am traditional service for those who enjoy that style.
- Caring for each other - especially our seniors. Our church is a wonderful inter-generational church with people of all ages - but we recongnise that some in our family needs some extra care. So we go out of our way to provide the love, care, help and support that people need.
- Mission. TUC has always had a strong emphasis on things which happen outside the four walls of the church building. This includes supporting community activities, providing help and resources to families through our turratots and other programs, working within the local primary and high schools right through to supporting and participating in overseas missionary work We are constantly looking at new and creative ways of connecting with the community offering support and sharing the good news of Jesus.
- Being “Jesus-centric” Whilst activities, services, statements of belief are good … it is critically important that Jesus needs to be at the centre of everything we do and live out.