All Saints in Nelson has started a community-focused initiative that takes the church outside the building.

On Sunday morning, instead of attending their regular church service, the congregation shared breakfast of bacon sandwiches and coffee before being anointed with oil and the words from Matthew 10, "freely you have received, so freely give".

And with that, they left the building to serve the neighbourhood.

In an initiative called “Go! Sunday”, vicar Tim Bustin sent out five groups to serve in different areas of Nelson, while the remaining church members stayed behind in a service of prayer for the city. One group went to Brook Waimārama Sanctuary to pick invasive weeds, one to the Washington Valley playground to clean up litter, and three to different homes in the area with various needs.

“We don't just want to have ‘mission’ as a programme or ‘social justice’ as an event,” Tim Bustin said. “We ultimately want it as a lifestyle. But if you want it as a lifestyle, you have to embody it.”

A group of 14 people went to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary to pull out tradescantia from around the Visitor Centre. The plant grows rapidly underneath the tree canopy and poses a threat to native flora if it gets into the fenced sanctuary.

“It’s very hard to remove”, a member of staff explained, “so it’s great to have a big group like this to get stuck in.”

Another group of parishioners spent the morning at the home of an elderly woman who suffered a severe stroke earlier this year. They were tasked with clearing the garden as well as packing and tidying the house to facilitate her move to a smaller, more manageable living space.

The task of picking up litter at Pioneers Park playground in Washington Valley was set with families in mind, so people of all ages and skills could have a go at community service.

Tim says the idea is to have a “Go! Sunday” every fifth Sunday of the month. While the first “Go! Sunday” was something of an experiment, he felt positive about the initiative continuing next year. There are four “fifth Sundays” coming up in 2025.

Tim was inspired by the passage in Jeremiah 29, where God is speaking to his people in exile:

Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Tim sees this initiative as a natural extension of All Saints’ commitment to community outreach, as seen in past and present ministries like Loaves & Fishes and the night shelter. He believes there's something in these acts of "seeking the welfare of the city" that will shape the parish in identity and calling.

“I don't have an expectation that picking up a Mars bar wrapper is going to somehow bring revival in the city of Nelson. But going out and serving changes us – it postures our heart towards our community.”