Our Mission
Our mission statement records that Hurstville District Christadelphian Ecclesia is an active, God-loving, prayer-oriented, Bible-centred congregation following the example of Jesus Christ while waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Our Committments
We are committed to:
- the personal growth and participation of all members
- in an harmonious family environment
- which focuses on meaningful, respectful worship,
- individual and ecclesia spiritual development,
- and effective outreach activities principally in the St. George area.
About Christadelphians
The Christadelphians are a small religious body who have attempted to get back to the faith and character of the early, Christian church. The name "Christadelphians" comes from two Greek words and means "brothers in Christ". (Col 1:2; Heb 2:11 )
We accept the Bible as our only guide and believe it to be the inspired word of God. Membership is extended to those with similar beliefs after being baptised (fully immersed in water).
We are located in many countries throughout the world with large groups of Christadelphians in the United Kingdom and Europe, Australia and New Zealand, North America, South East Asia and Africa. Like the early Christians, we meet in homes, rented rooms and, in some cases, our own halls. (Acts 1:13-14; 2:46-47; 18:7; 19:9; 28:30)
We are a lay community patterned after first century Christianity. Each congregation (church or ecclesia) is independent without any paid clergy or church hierarchy. All members contribute their time and energy voluntarily in service to God. A strong common belief binds our brotherhood together (Rom 12:4-8; 1Cor 12:4-27; Gal 3:28).
A Brief History
Many believers since the apostles have held the same faith as the Christadelphians. There have been countless independent communities around the world who have eagerly studied the Bible and accepted its simple teachings.
The Christadelphians as a specific movement trace their history to the mid-1800s. In 1830, an English physician named John Thomas sailed to America. On the voyage, the ship met some unexpected bad weather and nearly sank. For the first time, Dr Thomas faced the reality of his own mortality and was dismayed to discover that he was not sure what lay beyond death. In the midst of the storm he vowed that, should he survive, he would not rest until he had found a satisfactory answer. He did survive and kept his vow, beginning a life-long search for the truth. It soon became evident that many of the doctrines that were popularly taught and believed were inconsistent with the Bible. Dissatisfied, Dr Thomas devoted himself to a careful independent study of the Scriptures. He made no claim to any vision or personal revelation.
The work of Dr Thomas attracted the support of others in America and Britain who were convinced of the truth of his conclusions. Together they formed the Christadelphian community. Since then, Christadelphian communities have been established in many countries all over the world.