The Early Days and Celebrate Ministry
Early last decade, a men’s bible study group was formed with the aim of encouraging the men of Sydney with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God blessed this ministry, which saw many encouraged in their faith.
The once men’s bible study group transformed to become an outreach ministry to the people of Ashfield and Sydney. Serving a restaurant quality meal and entertainment, many people came to hear the amazing news of Jesus. The atmosphere at this event was warm and welcoming. Many people who would not take a single step towards a church door felt at ease to enter, which is a great sign of a Jesus focussed ministry.
Eventually, this group came to be known as Celebrate Ministries (follow the link to access Celebrates webpage). The ministry was based at St Andrew’s Cathedral. People from all walks of life came to attend, which led to great conversations. Celebrate Ministries even travelled beyond the boundaries of the city, to places like Macquarie Fields, Darwin and even Tonga. We pray that these links will continue and see fruitful growth of those who put their trust in Jesus.
The Damascus 12
At the beginning of 2011, it was decided that we would change our name to “The Damascus 12”. Although a change of name, our aim is still the same – serving the people of Sydney with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are made up of 10 to 20 men and women who have experienced the transformational power of the Gospel. Our hope is that through this service, we might demonstrate the love that God has shown us in his Son Jesus.
You may be wondering, why the name The Damascus 12? It was on the road to Damascus that the Jesus hating, church destroying man named Saul, came face to face with the risen king of the Universe – Jesus (Acts 9:3-6). Saul, awe struck, was transformed by this experience, and in response, came to believe that he was rebel of God who needed the Gospel of Jesus. Saul changed his name to Paul, and began preaching that Jesus is the king of the Universe, and the only way to God (Acts 9:20-22). Thus, we are people who do not claim to be good and holy people by our own actions, but rather we are people who aim to point others to Jesus, the source of our life.
We are volunteers who come from all works of life, and from a range of churches and denominations in the city of Sydney. The Damascus 12 ministry will run the first Saturday of each month, with lunch, entertainment and a short talk provided.
All the members of The Damascus 12 hope to see you at our meetings in the future and you can subscribe to our feed on the right hand side of the page. To contact us, please email damascus12@hotmail.com.
