Rev Tennyson Chan Begins Role as Multicultural Church Planter

On November 1, 2024, Rev Tennyson Chan officially began his new role as Multicultural Emerging Generation Church Planter with the Carlingford and West Epping Uniting Church congregations. This marks an exciting step forward in the Uniting Church’s vision of living as a multi-cultural, inter-cultural community, while focusing on empowering and connecting with emerging generations.

Rev Tennyson joins Ministry Team Leader Rev ‘Oto Faiva to lead the establishment of a new worship community at Carlingford. With the rapid growth of high and medium-density developments in the area, this ministry aims to create a space that is welcoming, diverse, and spiritually enriching. The focus will initially center on the Carlingford Precinct Area, with a vision to foster connections across cultural and generational lines.

This new chapter builds on a collaborative ministry model between Carlingford and West Epping Uniting Churches, which have embraced this shared direction. At his induction service, Rev Tennyson expressed his joy and gratitude for the opportunity, saying:

“It is an honour to begin this journey as your Multicultural Emerging Generation Church Planter…My family and I share a deep commitment to building a welcoming, diverse, and spiritually enriching environment for people of all generations and backgrounds. I am inspired by the vision we hold for Carlingford and West Epping Uniting Church as we reach out to the emerging generations and seek to make christs love known in new and meaningful ways …Together, we can create a space where people from all backgrounds feel valued and empowered to follow Christ .”

He thanked the Uniting Church, the Parramatta Nepean Presbytery, and the leadership teams of the Carlingford and West Epping Uniting Churches for entrusting him with this significant role.

The induction was joined by members of Eastwood Uniting Church—where Rev Tennyson served as Community Minister from November 2021 to October 2024—joining Carlingford and West Epping congregations to celebrate.

Reflecting on his departure, Rev Seungjae Yeon of Eastwood Uniting Church shared,”I felt blessed to witness the warm welcome from the church Rev Tennyson has already received. Blessings to his new role and journey.”

Eastwood church members also marked his farewell with a joyful Yum Cha gathering, sending him off with love and prayers.

At the induciton service, a Presbytery representative affirmed, “We believe that God has called him to minister in this place. This is a time to mark his responsibilities in this congregation and send him with God’s blessing to this new ministry.”

Rev Tennyson’s passion for cross-cultural engagement aligns deeply with the Uniting Church’s Future Directions commitment to living cross-culturally as a multi-cultural, inter-cultural church.

In his message to the congregation, he said: “The gospel calls us to engage deeply with our communities, especially across cultural and generational lines. As we embark on this journey together, may we move forward with confidence in God’s work among us, bringing hope, connection and joy in our communities.”