The core purpose of St Matthew’s Church is to be a visible sign of the kingdom of God in Long Gully, and to be a witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

St Matt’s is an independent non-denominationally-aligned church. It has no paid staff for pastoral roles, has a relatively flat structure, and relies on a co-operative spirit from members to operate.

We are located in Long Gully, which is the most socially and economically disadvantaged area in Bendigo.

Historically, St Matthew’s was an Anglican church, built in 1883. St Matthew’s maintains a strong relationship with the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo, who also generously give annual funding to support community development out of St Matthew’s.

Current programs:

• Gully Gathering congregation (fortnightly)
• People’s Pantry food relief (weekly)
• Community Pizza Nights (quarterly)
• Youth Group (weekly)
• Cooking group (ad hoc)
• Community garden (weekly with a quarterly community working bee)

Key facts:

• Church membership of about 50, including children
• Fortnightly evening church service
• Several community outreach projects, for e.g. People’s Pantry food relief, youth group, community garden
• We employ a community youth worker at 2.5 days per week
• We are governed by a church council of ‘Caretakers’ who are appointed for a 2 year term.