Who Are We?

So glad you asked! We are a group of Bible students with a common love for God and a solid hope for the fulfillment of God's plan. We have these most important things in common and aside from that, we are all very different! We are part of a world wide Christian church that believes in “… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all …” (New King James Bible from Ephesians 4:5-6).

Are we new?

Our name (Christadelphian) comes from our early days as a church in the mid 1800’s and is the combination of the Greek words “Christ” (referring to Jesus Christ) and “adelphos” (meaning basically “brother and sister or fellow believers”). This name indicates our personal and individual goal of being sisters and brothers of Jesus Christ, who is our only spiritual head and church leader and who presently resides in heaven. We have no professional clergy. As a community we are committed to being active, God-loving, prayer-oriented and Bible-centred following the example of Jesus Christ while waiting for the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.
Each Christadelphian congregation (such as ours at Sutherland) is an autonomous community with the same basic Biblical doctrines as all other Christadelphian congregations (or "ecclesias"). Several of our doctrines are unique in the wider Christian religion and we would recommend an understanding of these doctrines to truly appreciate who we are.

Our way of life

The Bible gives effective direction to our lives. We try to rely fully upon God and develop a faith which is active in prayer and good works. At the same time, however, we recognize that salvation is by grace. With God's help, we seek to please and obey him every day, striving to imitate Christ who faithfully obeyed his Father. We therefore endeavor to be enthusiastic in work, loyal in marriage, generous in giving, dedicated in preaching and happy in our God.
A widespread custom amongst Christadelphians is to read the Bible every day using a reading plan which enables us to systematically read the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice each year. Of course, many read much more widely than this. We may also attend one or more evening Bible classes each week. Every Sunday, we attend a service we call the "Memorial Meeting" or "Breaking of Bread". This is similar to the "Communion" of some churches. All baptised members share bread and wine and an 'exhortation' is given based on the Bible. Attendance at this service is a focus of our religious life.

You're invited

We also have Sunday Schools, youth groups and gatherings, Bible Study weekends as well as social activities. Our members are involved in overseas preaching, Heritage College, care for the elderly in our aged care facilities, charity work amongst other things.
The Christadelphians are a caring community actively working in God's service in whatever ways we can.

If you want to learn more about God, you might be just like us! Why not make contact?

Our Memorial Meetings

Our memorial service is the main focus of our Sunday mornings, where we remember Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father.

What can I expect?

Different members take turns to lead our Sunday Service. We sing, read the Bible, pray and listen to a speaker to help prepare our minds for the bread and wine, which baptised Christadelphian members share in remembrance of Christ's life and death. At the start of the meeting together there are some
operational and welfare related announcements. The service is usually about one hour long.

Will I be singled out or asked to say anything?

Definitely not. You can be involved in singing the songs if you would like.

Sunday @ 11am

What should I wear?

Whatever you are comfortable in. We are a diverse group. Most of us wear “business casual”.

Will you ask me for money?

No. During the service there is a voluntary collection, conducted through online banking. This is to cover general expenses such as electricity and hall maintenance or else welfare donations to charitable causes. Please do not feel obligated to give anything.

What about the Bread & Wine?

We call our communion by the name “breaking of bread” or “the emblems”. As Paul described, Jesus took bread, "and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).
We practice a “closed communion” which means that the bread and wine is only shared among baptised Christadelphian members. This is because for us it is a meaningful act of fellowship with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as Jesus shared the bread and wine with his close disciples, we too value knowing that those we share the bread and wine with have the same commitment to God and Jesus and the same understanding of God’s plan of salvation. We would love to get to know you better and trust that you will also want to explore for yourself if our beliefs are what the Bible really teaches.

You and your family are most welcome to join us for our memorial meeting at 11am on Sundays.
Simply turn up or contact us so we can look out for you on the day.

God's people are as many
as the sand on the seashore

God's people are as many
as the stars in the southern sky