Salvation Army leans into unity and prayer in Sydney
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Two large-scale events in Sydney’s centre drew thousands of Christians from all denominations to pray and worship together.
On 10 June, the 2026 Sydney Prayer Breakfast attracted 1800 people to the Sydney Convention Centre to pray over the city together.
The Salvation Army has attended the event for more than a decade and now hosts four tables – one with representatives from the NSW/ACT Division and three others for representatives from Salvation Army enterprises: Salvos Stores, Employment Plus and Aged Care.
Major Robyn Black, NSW/ACT Divisional Commander, said the Bible teaches that unity brings a blessing, so events like the prayer breakfast are important. “It’s a time of praying for our city – a city that Jesus loves. To all pray together for politicians and our community, our kids and our teachers, it’s so important to be able to do that as one body.”
(Left) Major David Collinson (pictured right) organises the Salvos Stores table at the Sydney Prayer Breakfast. (Right) Mission Enterprises books three tables each year for the Sydney Prayer Breakfast.
Major David Collinson, Salvos Stores Executive Officer for Mission, said he loves the event because it’s a great chance to collaborate. “The fact that we all pray to the one God, and we all believe in prayer, it’s a real unifying sign that we believe prayer is important.”
He said it’s important to see Mission Enterprises represented at the prayer breakfast, showing that all Salvation Army mission expressions are places where people can find hope and pathways to faith. “We are trying to bring prayer and spirituality more and more into Salvos Stores, and that’s part of my role.”
Three hours of worship
Just four days later, a matinee and evening event at the iconic Sydney Opera House, called ‘OneSydney Together in Christ’, drew thousands for prayer and worship.
Featuring Christian artists and performers such as Matt Maher, Stan Walker and Bella Taylor Smith, as well as the St Andrew’s Cathedral Choir, praise and worship lifted up the name of Jesus for nearly three hours.
Major Robyn Black was invited to pray at the evening event, which was attended by church leaders from more than a dozen denominations. She described it as a “taste of heaven”.
“It was such a beautiful night and so exciting to stand there and be able to pray and thank God, not just for the night but for the future that there would be unity for us as the body of Christ,” she said.
She said the lack of unity amongst churches on earth “is a scandal”, but that there is a growing movement for unity amongst the churches in Sydney and across NSW at this time.
“That is the way people will know that we are his disciples by the way we love one another,” she said.
