10 minute read
NATIONAL PRESIDENT Wayne Alcorn
Our God is faithful, in every season. This two-year Conference period has been marked and impacted by extraordinary events – from the devastation of drought, bushfires and floods, to a global pandemic not experienced before in our lifetime. Yet the Church has continued to shine in the darkness, bringing faith, hope and love in the name of Jesus.
It would be true to say that we’ve spent much of the past two years on our knees. Prayer has been a consistent call to our pastors and congregations as collectively we have faced enormous and unpredictable challenges. Prayer in all seasons In 2019, we were fervently praying for rain to break the severe drought that had gripped our nation. Communities were running out of water, facing the loss of their livelihood, and were succumbing to a loss of hope. We were compelled to pray for our nation, calling for 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting leading up to the federal election on 18th May 2019. The scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 has long been the foundation of our prayers for our nation, and in July 2019, we asked all our churches to stop on the 14th day of the 7th month and pray that the Lord will heal our land.
The 2019 Australian bushfire season kicked off earlier than usual, and as we entered 2020, entire regions had been devastated by the millions of hectares of land destroyed. Yet who would have known that just around the corner, a global pandemic would affect everyone on the planet? We committed to fight the Covid-19 virus on our knees, launching a National Prayer Initiative on 19th March which saw other church denominations unite with us, both across Australia and worldwide. Individuals and families set their alarms for 19h00 hours every night to stop and pray for 19 minutes. One of the great highlights in the midst of the pandemic was our Pentecost Sunday Prayer meeting, on 31st May 2020. It turned into the largest prayer meeting in our movement’s history when 3,000 Spiritfilled ACC Pastors joined together across our land on a private Zoom platform. A surprise guest was Prime Minister Scott Morrison who prayed fervently with us. Unity The power of leaders and churches praying together has resulted in the beauty and strength of unity. As we’ve reached out to assist and support each other – in the drought, bushfires, floods and pandemic – we’ve experienced the power of being ‘one’. As we’ve stood together, we’ve been able to achieve great things for the Kingdom. In the midst of the drought, churches rallied to support those ministering in the dry, arid regions through our Adopt A Church program. Support for the ACCI Drought, Bushfire and Flood Appeals enabled us to collectively make a difference for those who needed it most, to help rebuild devastated communities. By working with local ACC churches on the ground and our Chaplains, we have been able to respond to the needs of so many affected by the crisis. I loved how we shared resources as we all navigated new concepts of doing church in the Covid pandemic, helping each other with technology and programs, and ideas to connect and care for people. At different stages, we may not have been able to gather in buildings, but we still gathered in unity – the way the early Church did in the book of Acts. Church in the pandemic When places of worship were among those closed for public gatherings, we all had to step up and embrace technology to continue preaching and ministering to our congregations and communities. In our church, we used this phrase: “Church isn’t closed; the way we meet has changed”. I applaud all our pastors and thank every church that embraced technology to reach people in their homes with the hope of Jesus. It was a steep learning curve for many of us, but it was incredible to >
see so much faith and enthusiasm as people gathered online to worship the Lord all around the nation. We all had to step out into new territory and wonderfully, discovered that the fields are ready for harvest. Conferences & Events
The annual calendar events such as Easter and Mother’s Day may have been different under Covid restrictions, but church creative teams went above and beyond to make these occasions extra special. Kids ministry leaders did Easter egg drop-offs in driveways; surprise hampers and care packages were delivered; and homes became churches, as people prepared their own Communion and found creative ways to love their neighbours. While Covid affected many Conference plans, it was exciting to see how ACC States and Ministries embraced the opportunity to connect further afield by hosting online events. This enabled many to attend and participate in 2020’s virtual Pan Asia and Kidshaper conferences. In August 2020, Youth Alive’s United We Stand became Australia’s largest ‘Watch Party’ online for youth in homes, small groups or back in local churches. Due to the different restrictions across Australia, State Conferences were a mix of those who could meet in person, with those who held online conferences. Amazingly, attendance at every State conference was up on previous years. Health & Wellbeing In 2019, the National Executive identified and affirmed a commitment to the health and wellbeing of our pastors, to ensure each one of us is refreshed and supported, particularly in the area of Mental Health. One way is through building a culture of Mentoring. Across our movement there are wonderful mentors who are supporting others in ministry. We rolled out a series of resources on Health & Wellbeing to the movement throughout 2020, and Pastor Alun Davies initiated and hosted a number of online Mentoring Seminars in 2020 and will continue to run these in 2021.
More than ever, we discovered the value of connection in 2020. While it was a challenge for pastors to find ways to keep their congregations connected, but also so important to connect with others in ministry. Looking out for each other and the ‘invisible’ people became a ministry for everyone. Two major concerns relating to home isolation were the increase in domestic violence and mental health issues. While the Covid season affected the mental health of many Australians; our young people were of particular concern. Young adults seemed to struggle more with their faith and involvement with church as isolation and loneliness are major factors when social activities are limited.
We were grateful to Dr Robi Sonderegger and others who generously made available their resources to ACC pastors and their congregations, to help people deal with and recover from advancing mental and emotional health in a time of crisis. Church Health
The natural disasters and Covid pandemic may have brought with them great stress and uncertainty, yet this was also the time for the Church to shine. Our churches emerged from months of lockdown and restrictions to find that people were excited to gather together, and many new converts from online services have begun their discipleship journey. We have long prayed for a spiritual awakening in our nation, and seeing people come to know Christ remains our greatest purpose. National Matters
Giving attention to matters of national importance, it is now over six years on since the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Our Safer Churches strategy continues to protect those who are vulnerable and at risk. Likewise, our commitment to the National Redress Scheme has taken years of immense work to enable our churches to be able to opt into the Scheme to support the victims of child sexual abuse.
The ACC has continued to be actively involved in standing for and speaking up about specific issues in our nation that affect people of faith. This has included submissions and drafts of Religious Freedom legislation, and working behind the scenes to ensure that our freedom to preach the Gospel is protected for the generations to come. Our historic Pentecost Sunday prayer meeting fell in the midst of Reconciliation Week, at a time when a light was shone on the evils of racism and injustice that has pervaded society for decades and centuries. We recognise that there is still more to be done in this space to see healing from the pain of the past. Our wonderful Indigenous leaders under Pastors Will & Sandra Dumas have provided a wealth of resources on how churches can acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous culture in their programs. ACC Leadership Our movement is full of faithful, servant-hearted people and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our State Executives and Ministry Department leaders who serve our movement, to build and resource our churches, and reach people in all walks of life across our communities. Many of them serve the movement above and beyond their usual ministry roles, and we’re grateful for their passion and commitment. Read their reports of their fruitful season of ministry over the past two years. Our national Bible college, Alphacrucis, is still on track to reach the goal of becoming a University, and ACSF continue to serve us admirably and flourish under the great executive leadership of Jon Holloway and the board. For the past 12 years, our ACCI Missions and Relief arm has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Alun Davies. He made the decision to retire from this leadership position in 2021, and the National Executive endorsed the ACCI Board nominee, John Hunt, as the new director. Alun leaves a strong >
foundation for missions in our movement, enabling a smooth transition of leadership after National Conference. In September 2019, Pastors Laine & Ros Willis were appointed as the new national oversight of our ACC Emeritus Pastors, after Pastors John & Val Lewis retired from the role. Sadly, almost a year later on 22 August 2020, we farewelled John Lewis who fought a brave battle against the aggressive cancer. The Executive appointed Pastor Julia A’Bell as the new National Women’s director in 2020. She has come alongside the State Women’s leaders, and brought connection among the ACC women. We celebrate all the credentialed female pastors in our movement, and encourage more young women to get their credentials and take up leadership positions. Our Executive team
I would like to express our immense thanks and gratitude to our National Executive team who have stood shoulder to shoulder with me and carried specific portfolios: Alun Davies (Vice President), Sean Stanton (National Secretary/Treasurer), Joel A’Bell, Shane Baxter, Brad Bonhomme, Joel Chelliah, Matt Heins and John Hunt. Their faithful stewardship has kept us on course through the highs and lows. I’d also like to thank our General Manager, Jeffrey Bartlett and the National Office team in Sydney for their ongoing work behind the scenes. Alun Davies has been a tremendous asset to our movement, serving 32 years on the National Executive. Ever since I took on the role of National President 12 years ago, he’s given me phenomenal support as Vice President. He has also been a great friend and wise counsellor, through all kinds of seasons, and I’m immensely grateful for his wisdom, experience and clarity in every situation. We want to thank Joan for releasing him and standing beside him during this leadership season They have both been a wonderful gift to our ACC Family and beyond. I’d also like to specifically thank and honour Shane & George Baxter for serving 12 years on the National Executive, and to Joel & Julia A’Bell for the past six years. We are thankful for your love and commitment to the ACC family, and your ongoing passion to build the Kingdom. The theme of our 2021 National Conference – ‘ONE’ – is very significant for these times. I love the spirit of unity and camaraderie that marks our movement, that crosses generations and geographical locations, that makes us one great family. It is a great honour to serve and lead our great fellowship at this time in history. Lyn joins me in continuing to pray and believe for a spiritual awakening across the earth, and that as we move into a new season, we are ready for a significant move of the Holy Spirit.
WAYNE ALCORN ACC National President
