Our Church and our Community

Our Church

One of the highlights of the ecclesial life of Melbourne today is the Parish of Ashburton which comprises the Melbourne CSI Church and the St. Matthews Anglican Church not very far from the city centre of Melbourne, the Australia's most liveable city.

The Melbourne CSI Church was initiated in 2011 as an answer to several decades of prayerful waiting of members of the Church of South India who came to Australia and settled. While they worshipped in the nearby congregations they kept desiring for a Malayalam service. Even when the sister churches were formed though several people became part of the same the burning desire in several families to continue the inherited tradition of the united and uniting church eventually found fruit. Rev. Jobby John was appointed Vicar of the congregation in 2012 who alongside his doctoral studies contributed to the initial building of the church with a group of very committed Christian families The church was registered as a Charity and sought and received approval of the CSI Synod as a recognised church overseas in 2015. The Church then went on to receive sponsor privileges too the same year. The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne and the St. Matthews Congregation of Ashburton reached a ministry and space sharing agreement with the Melbourne CSI Church wherein the CSI worships in the St. Matthews facility, the vicar uses their vicarage and also is Priest in Charge of St. Matthews congregation. The congregation which initially met at Mitcham Anglican Church thus relocated to Ashburton and continues to worship there now. The constitution of the Melbourne CSI was then drafted which envisaged pastors coming in turns from all the Malayalam speaking dioceses in Kerala which is a remarkable step in the ecumenical and uniting witness of the Church of South India.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the CSI, the St. Matthews and the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne was signed and the partnership has evolved as a wonderful working model for multicultural ministry in the Diocese of Melbourne.

The Congregation is consistently growing as an inviting and welcoming space marked by the gift of hospitality. Their hand holding has also helped the CSI congregations in Adelaide and Sydney grow to find their own priests.

The Melbourne CSI congregation seeks to be the most needed bridge between the heart worship tradition of a people and the local worship reality that they are placed in. Within the embracing arms of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne this is evolving to be a sought after model.