Baptist Magazine v135 n5

Baptist Churches of New Zealand

baptistmag.org.nz

Caring companions We need to talk about porn

On your bike!

The spirit of restoration

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP † SHARING THE GOSPEL IN 2019

| O c t o b e r / N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9 | v. 1 3 5 n o . 5 |

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Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.

46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

42

Recently added STONE SOUP Promoting connection and hospitality through hosting monthly ‘Stone Soup’ nights.

~ ERIN CAPPS MURALS AND MALLS A reflection on how Auckland—and maybe other New Zealand cities and towns too—selectively tells its history.

~ ANDREW CLARK-HOWARD CHURCH: GRACE CELEBRATED One woman’s experience of belonging to an intergenerational home group and what it has taught her about church and grace.

~ LUCY TALSMA

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EDITOR Linda Grigg | linda@baptistmag.org.nz GLOBAL MISSION EDITOR Greg Knowles GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rebecca McLeay PRODUCTION MANAGER Kathryn Heslop ADVERTISING Marelize Bester | advertising@baptistmag.org.nz FINANCE MANAGER Winston Hema — Baptist Churches of New Zealand PO Box 12-149, Penrose, Auckland 1642, New Zealand 09 526 0338 —

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Printing ICG Print — Front cover photography Andrew Sinclair — Scripture Unless otherwise specified, Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright ©1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. — Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand or the magazine’s editorial team.

— The NZ Baptist Magazine is the magazine of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand and the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society.

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“Connect”— bring together, relate

CONTENT 04 08 10

A word from the editor This issue our theme is ‘connect’ and is loosely based on Acts 2:46. If we look at that verse we see the disciples spent much time together, at worship and in daily life in their homes. Many of the stories in this issue are about things that build connection and deepen relationships: honest talk; humbly addressing our own faults before pointing the finger at others; listening; sharing activities; and just being there for each other. May your hearts be warmed, and challenged too, by what you read.

We have some exciting news to share! At the Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) annual conference held in September, the Baptist magazine won three awards: gold for best design (magazine) and gold and silver for best faith reflection.

Congratulations to Rebecca McLeay (pictured above), Greg Liston and Craig Vernall respectively for this recognition of their creative talents. Julie Belding, a former editor of the Baptist magazine, was made a life member of ARPA for her services to Christian communication.

And Matthew Thornton, who attends a Baptist church in Auckland, received a bronze award for best new writer, for an article published on the website Christian Today.

December is fast approaching so now is a good time to encourage you to think about gifting a Baptist magazine subscription to someone who may not get to see one regularly. See the opposite page for details.

~ Blessings to you Linda Grigg

11 14 16 18 20 32 33

FEATURE

We need to talk about porn

REFLECTIONS FROM CHARLES HEWLETT

Effective leadership

CREATIVITY

What is my goal?

LEADERSHIP

On your bike!

NEIGHBOURHOOD & JUSTICE

Caring companions

CULTURE

The spirit of restoration

YOUTH

The Pied Piper of Putaruru

OUR STORIES

DIRECTORY

GLOBAL MISSION

Sharing the gospel in 2019 Stories Small bites Opportunities to serve

Baptist / F E A T U R E

we need to

talk about

porn.

Getting free, staying safe

04 whÄ â€ v.135 no.5 baptistmag.org.nz

The porn landscape has meteorically changed. We cannot ignore it because it invades everyday life. Brian Krum says it is time to talk honestly about pornography—with our children and teens and among ourselves—so we can get free from the damage it is wreaking in our homes, our relationships, and in our walk with God.

F

or those of a legal adult age and with cash in their pocket, the main ways to access porn used to be from behind the black curtain of a special room in the video store, or from within a sealed magazine on the rack. Despite the supposed secrecy, anyone could see you pick it up, walk down the aisle and purchase it from a person looking you in the eyes as you gave them your money. If you were young, broke and curious, as most young people are, you resorted to the underwear pictures in the Farmers catalogue.

The historic barriers of cost and public access that once kept people away from porn are now gone. Digital pornography is available on all devices, is free, and you can access it privately in your bedroom, at school, parties and even while surrounded by a room or a shopping mall full of people. You don’t even have to go looking for it; you can be exposed to porn accidentally while innocently surfing the internet or flicking between TV channels.

Porn—sin or addiction?

God's pretty clear about porn. Matthew 5:28 says, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Simply put, viewing any pornography in any medium causes lust, and lust is a sin.

So, if we know this, why do we deliberately go there?

Well, for the normal reasons we stumble into any other kind of sin: we’ve let down our guard; we feel we are missing out; or we are in active rebellion. For some, pornography serves as a toxic ‘friend’ when times get hard, stressful, or feel out of control. It gives us a predictable short-term boost without requiring any work on our part.

That feel-good factor is because watching pornography causes our brains to release addictive chemicals. The longer or more frequently we do this, the more embedded these ‘pleasure pathways’ in our brains become. Over time, we become desensitised and need more or harder-core pornography to satisfy our desires.

Like any other addiction, pornography begins to affect our behaviour—perhaps by leading us to find pleasure in things we once considered wrong, or by compelling us to do whatever it takes to get the next fix or a higher rush.

This eventually brings guilt, shame and distance from anyone or anything that would hold us accountable. In essence, pornography prevents us from being close to those who can help us in our struggles, including God.

How can I protect my kids?

Rory Birkbeck (Otumoetai Baptist Church) was a brand new dad when he and business partner Aaron Sinclair set up an award-winning tech company and social enterprise, Safe Surfer, in 2016. Online safety was an increasing concern for Rory and his wife, and as an IT professional, Rory was fielding a lot of requests from parents seeking help to keep their families safe from internet nasties.

“As parents, we are the first generation that really has had to grapple with the internet,” says Rory. “We’ve got to learn a whole new style of parenting that’s never been taught before.”

To some extent we already are playing catch-up.

According to a recent Office of Film and Literature Classification report, one in four children by the age 12 will be exposed to porn.1 If only keeping our kids safe was as easy as unplugging and throwing

Angela Waye/lightstock.com

PORNOGRAPHY PREVENTS US FROM BEING CLOSE TO THOSE WHO CAN HELP US IN OUR STRUGGLES, INCLUDING GOD.

v.135 no.5 † rima 05

Baptist / F E A T U R E

“ We’v e g o t to l e a r n a w h o l e new st yle of parenting that’s n e v e r b e e n t a u g h t b e f o r e .” away all devices! We know that won’t work, so what should we do as parents? Answer: we must talk to the young people in our life.

Our kids will not want to talk about sexual stuff with us. But they need to. We teach our kids how to cross the street and not be hit by a car. We teach our kids how to drive before we give them our car keys. So let’s teach our kids about the risks and dangers on the internet before we let them lie awake at night in their bedrooms with their smartphones. They will whinge and complain, but we will have done our job as parents.

Starting the conversation Jo Roberston, a sex and relationship therapist, teaches parents to have a ‘heart, head and hands’ conversation with their kids. First, respond to their heart, and ask them how they are feeling. How did they feel when they saw porn?

Were they concerned, confused or traumatised? Did they feel pressured? Do they feel safe? Be a soft ‘pillow’ for them, not a concrete slab.

Secondly, address their heads. Help them unpack some of the problematic messages of porn. Porn doesn’t set us up well to have a good sex life. It can teach us that hurting people is OK. It teaches us consent is not important.

These are all problematic messages. Finally, guide them by the hand and make a plan. Talk about internet filters, privacy settings, peer pressure and how to manage our devices better.

Jo reminds parents that this conversation doesn’t happen once over a milkshake at McDonald’s. Check in regularly, every few weeks or every month, and ask if they have seen porn again. Do they have any questions about it? Have their friends seen it and are they talking about it? We parents must show and remind them that we are safe people to talk to about this.

Alongside its internet filter products, last year Safe Surfer developed a children’s book. Keeping Safe on the Web with Kyle the Kingfish tackles pornography as well as other internet safety issues such as screen time, protecting identity and online bullying. Funding from NetSafe has enabled 10,000 copies to be distributed free to schools and counsellors around the country. The book is aimed at children aged six years and older, showing how early these discussions can start.

“The key thing is this idea of turn, think, tell—so getting kids to understand that as soon as they see something, that they should be turning their eyes away, thinking about something good or fun, and telling a parent or trusted adult,” says Rory.

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“It’s that engagement they have with their parents and the confidence they build to be able to talk about such things that is quite new for our generation. But if parents don’t have the conversations, then someone else is going to.”

There is hope!

Rory points out that media coverage about pornography and teens often steers parents down a fear‑based track.

“We’ve got to be conscious of that, because the reality is that the young people who are coming up now are literally going to be the world changers. We’ve got a 19-year-old volunteer in our office who developed our desktop app and translated it into six different languages with his friends.

He is crowd-sourcing the ability to build in more of these language translations.

“Over the last three years I have seen lots of positive signs of change and young people taking to that change.

There’s more awareness around the oversexualised culture that they live in, even though it is still a big part of what is going on. They are really the ones that are going to flip the switch and are going to make big change for us all. That’s the good news story in all of that.”

Story: Brian Krum, with Linda Grigg As a father of six daughters, a pastor and the Baptist Youth Ministries team leader, Brian wants all our daughters’ and sons’ relational and sexual experiences to be safe, empathetic, emotionally connected, marriage covenanted, consensual, loving and pleasurable. The way God intended.

1. The 2018 NZ Youth and Porn study surveyed more than 2,000 New Zealand teens aged 14-17 about their exposure to online pornography: classificationoffice.govt.nz/news/latestnews/nzyouthandporn.

RESOURCES • thelightproject.co.nz — for help navigating the new porn landscape, including resources and counselling referrals.

• safesurfer.co.nz — a social enterprise focused on internet filtering, that gives back to the community by providing education and resources to help families navigate the digital surf.

• tedxchristchurch.com/2019 — for a presentation by Jo Robertson at TEDxChristchurch, 25 August 2019.

7

steps free

to getting

1.

If you want to get help for yourself, or for someone you know and care about, you must address pornography addiction as a health issue rather than as a shamed-filled stigma in which only ‘weak people’ fail.

Stopping pornography use is not the only goal; identifying and addressing the underlying issues are equally important because that empowers you to choose healthier ways to cope with what you are feeling or experiencing.

Here are a few actions you can take right now if you want to cut pornography out of your life completely:

Have a serious talk with God Ask God for forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In Psalm 51, after committing serious sexual Be transparent sin, David asks God to wash and cleanse him, Richard Black, founder and director of Strength to Strength blot out his sins, and give him a clean heart. counselling, says, “Pain and shame grows stronger in darkness.

Praying this type of prayer is crucial if you are Because of the stigma of porn, and to watch it means I’m to move forward. a distorted, degenerate person, people don’t speak up about it Secondly, commit to change your to others.” behaviour, which is repentance. We see Being transparent will act as a safeguard by allowing other people an example of this in the way David not to see your actions and help protect you from falling back into old only turned from behaviours. Talk to someone who isn’t struggling with his sin but also this issue and who is solid in their walk with God. Let turned towards them know everything, including your plan for stopping Clean out the a righteous life. porn use. If you are married, let your partner know closet Turning away from what's going on and what you're doing about it, but Get rid of the junk that sin and pursuing talk to a pastor or a counsellor about this first, to help causes you to act out. a righteous lifestyle prepare for that conversation.

Be honest and ask your will allow God to support system—friends, work in your life and pastor, or your spouse—for bring his power into Build your team feedback on what needs your problems.

If you attempt to do this alone, without to be thrown out. transparency, without confession, without Serious growth cleaning out the closet and without a support is going to take Learn your team, you will not succeed. Team members will serious sacrifice. triggers include friends, counsellors, pastors, Knowing your family and/or an addiction support triggers will group—anyone who can ‘be real’ Get to the underlying issues take away with you and help you kick your habit.

Even if you're able to their ability to quit, not knowing why you use surprise you. pornography often leads to using it Create a plan Don’t look back again or finding a new addiction to that takes your The enemy is going to whisper take its place. Talking to a pastor triggers into in your ear, “You are not a good or counsellor starts the process of account and person. You are a repeat failure. God sifting through your life and bringing gives you a way is tired and ashamed of you.” Please awareness to why you do what you out when you do not give in to those lies. In God’s do. As you uncover the underlying need it.

Kingdom, failure is an event, not causes for your pornography use, a person. So stop looking back. Just it becomes easier to work through move forward. Remember who God them—an opportunity you will not says you are and are going to be. have if quitting pornography is your only focus.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

v.135 no.5 † whitu 07

Effective leadership

Focusing on character

Charles Hewlett has been thinking about the effective leaders he has had the opportunity to work alongside. He believes that these leaders make a number of similar choices when it comes to how they practise. Here he shares five of these choices.

1

Character or ability The good leaders I know seem to focus more on character than ability.

Carey Baptist College has a leadership training framework designed around four words: knowing, doing, being and feeling. When I was principal there, I would often say to students, “What you know and can do might get you a job, but your being and your feeling will keep you in it.” And I was around long enough in that role to see this to be true in my graduates.

I love Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:2 (NIV): “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” This is not the description of a weak person but rather someone who is extremely strong. As a leader

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I find this challenge inspiring. Oh, don’t get me wrong—we need ability to lead, but we must appreciate that in the long run greater influence will come out of fruit of the Spirit character.

2

Teachable or unteachable The effective leaders I know are open to learning from others—proactively giving mentors permission to speak honest feedback and critique into their lives! Oh, they have convictions, but they realise they will not always get it right. It’s not difficult for such leaders to admit when they get things wrong. They don’t waste time justifying their thinking and actions.

In fact, they feel quite comfortable both in seeking help and in changing their minds.

Prixel Creative/lightstock.com

Baptist / R E F L E C T I O N S F R O M C H A R L E S H E W L E T T

The book of Proverbs is the best apologetic I know for lifelong learning!

Verse after verse encourages us to put aside our pride and to be open to learning from others. Here are just three: Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.

(11:14, MSG) Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.

(13:10, MSG) If you quit listening, dear child, and strike off on your own, you’ll soon be out of your depth. (19:27, MSG)

3

Gratitude or ingratitude Another thing I have noticed is that effective leaders seem to be marked out by a spirit of appreciation and thankfulness. Rather than being marked out by negativity, criticism and disappointment, they choose to be enthusiastic, positive and satisfied. There’s no preoccupation with ‘if only’ or ‘what if’. Philippians 4:8 reads, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (NLT). This is the leader I want to be around!

4

Self-aware or unaware From my experience of training this is probably the option that I have seen aspiring leaders trip up on the most. And it’s probably the choice that limits us existing leaders the most too. The Oxford English Dictionary

defines self‑awareness as “conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.”

People who lack self-awareness struggle to appreciate how other people perceive and experience them. They often have an incorrect understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, particularly how they compare to other people.

They don’t seem to appreciate how personal experiences have shaped them and that nobody can claim to be neutral from this. Often I would find these things would be wrapped up in an unhealthy stubbornness and overconfidence. I think such leaders can be very destructive.

5

Solution side or problem side The effective leaders I have watched over the years choose to get on the solution side very quickly.

A few years ago my son James had major leg surgery. One of his legs was in plaster from toe to groin. A couple of days after surgery the doctor came into the hospital room and told us it would be good for James to begin to be wheeled around the ward. As a result, a wheelchair was delivered for him to use. It had a special leg rest to keep his leg elevated, which was great.

However, there was a problem!

To our surprise there was no belt to strap him in or restraints to hold his leg. Although James is an adult, he has the intellectual capability of a baby. He would probably fall out of the chair or try to get out, or his leg would drop off the leg rest and get badly damaged.

We talked with two different health

professionals on what to do about our dilemma. The first explained to us that nothing could be done. It was against the rules to restrain a patient and that this would just have to do. There was no ability to collaborate with us on finding a creative solution. Her mind was fixed.

The second person carefully listened to us explain why it was unsafe for our son to be in such a wheelchair. She completely understood the issues and agreed with us. She had an idea, left the room, and returned armed with Velcro tape and cushioning. She creatively fashioned a lap belt for James and some leg restraints. The problem was solved. James was safe, able to sit up and enjoy a change of scenery.

I love leaders who actively work to find solutions to problems. People who don’t just make excuses and focus on what could possibly go wrong, but rather people who see the problems as opportunities and are quick to get on the solution side.

It is my prayer that Baptist leaders would be known for having good character, being teachable, full of gratitude, self-aware, and always quick to get on the solution side.

Story: Charles Hewlett

WE NEED ABILITY TO LEAD, B U T. . . I N T H E L O N G R U N G R E AT E R INFLUENCE WILL COME OUT OF FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT CHARACTER.

Charles is the national leader of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand. He is often heard saying, “I love Jesus. I love the Bible. I love the gospel. I love the church. And I love mission.”

Follow Charles Hewlett: /charles.hewlett.nz /charles.hewlett

v.135 no.5 † iwa 09

Pearl/lightstock.com

Baptist /C R E A T I V I T Y

What is my goal?

Sometimes I have to ask myself when I speak, “What is my goal?” Someone asks me for a message and my mind immediately concludes, “The goal is to preach.” Or “The goal is to state a truth.” No, it’s more. It’s what the truth could accomplish. I have to chase myself to think clearly. A teacher has not taught until the learner has learnt. I could preach 100 sermons and fail dismally if the message is merely heard. It must get into heads and hearts and hands.

That’s why I need creativity. I have to work at how I communicate—somehow finding a spark of innovation from the Holy Spirit that will move it from proclamation to genuine communication. For that, theology will let me down. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I must go further, to people hearing and remembering and taking in a message from Jesus for their own life and context.

When I realised several writers on preaching mentioned this as two opposites, I listed their antitheses. I even set them out in two columns in order to keep chasing myself towards a better focus while I prepare and then when I speak. Am I keeping central the people ‘hearing’ and ‘remembering’ so they can ‘do’ it?

If preaching is central

If hearing is central

The preacher is the focus.

The congregation is the focus.

Value lies in what is said.

Value lies in what is heard.

The goal is to preach.

The goal is people hearing.

The focus is the message.

The focus is getting the message into the people.

The message is abstract and theory.

The message is practical.

The message is ideas and concepts.

Stories, metaphors, acting or visuals tell the message.

The amateur settles for getting the ideas out of their head.

The professional strives to get the ideas into ours.

The action is in the head of the speaker.

The action is in the head, heart and hands of the listeners.

The preacher finishes the sermon.

The congregation finishes the sermon.

People say, “That was a great sermon.”

People say, “Let’s do it.”

Dr Beulah Wood President of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand and the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society

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Baptist / L E A D E R S H I P

! e k i b r

u o y n O

are

nd

aith a f g n i t ec

on c creati

Conn

Steve Muir has purchased 10 e-bikes over the past year and is loaning them long term to Baptist church leaders. The idea behind the project is that pastors will be able to connect with their congregation and neighbourhood, while simultaneously modelling a positive lifestyle change. He shares how the experiment has been going.

O

ur world is desperately looking for spiritual wisdom and practical solutions to the destructive effects our lifestyles are having on the planet.

Gus Speth, an American science advisor on climate issues, has reportedly said, “I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change.

I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.”1

v.135 no.5 † tekau mā tahi 11

Baptist / L E A D E R S H I P

The Bible has a lot to say about our role in caring for God’s creation.

Creation care in Scripture The Bible has a lot to say about our role in caring for God’s creation.

God places Adam in the Garden of Eden to “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15, NIV). Some have interpreted this and other passages about humans having dominion over creation as permission to exploit nature. However, as image-bearers of God, we are called to be benevolent, prudent and responsible ‘rulers’.

Many of the Old Testament laws concern wise advice on caring for the land and place limits on the amount of resources we can extract.

Romans 8:19-21 makes it clear that God’s purposes are to redeem the Earth along with humanity and that God’s love is for the whole world (John 3:16) not just the human bit.

Jesus, our model In his time on earth, Jesus modelled a strong community-living ethic and encouraged radical sharing of possessions and low levels of

consumption. If we followed suit it would go a long way to lowering the amount of stuff that needs to be mined, processed, packaged and transported, emitting carbon all the way along the supply chain.

Jesus also modelled active transport! Some eco‑friendly behaviours do involve a little pain or sacrifice (e.g. reducing meat and dairy intake) but active transport keeps you healthy, saves you money, is often faster, and is fun, particularly when compared to being stuck in a queue of cars. It is also one of the most effective things you can do to reduce your personal carbon emissions.

E-bike pastors Pastors in the e-bike project can now cycle across the other side of town (> 15km) to do a pastoral visit or attend a meeting. They have no parking hassles and can arrive in record time without a drop of sweat, meaning they can cycle in normal work clothes and don’t look unprofessional

Colin Wood (Parklands Baptist Church)

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when arriving. Here are some of the participants’ experiences: • Chris Chamberlain (Oxford Terrace Baptist Church) was impressed at the reduced time to commute into work and loves avoiding parking problems at the hospital when visiting members of his congregation.

The Oxford Terrace e-bike can be booked out by the other NGOs who share office space in the new church premises. Church members can also borrow it to try it out, resulting in several families now commuting regularly on their own e-bikes. (Julie Chamberlain, Chris’s wife, is pictured on page 11.)

• Colin Wood (Parklands Baptist Church) knows that it is the poor of the world who suffer most from the effects of climate change. An e-bike uses a tiny proportion of the energy that a car uses, and so he feels it is a small step towards righting the social justice imbalances of our travel choices. He has also noticed that on a bike you can greet others, or stop and have a chat, whereas in a car you would drive past. Many of Jesus’ significant encounters happened while he was walking

Peter Hart (Ilam Baptist Church)

THE CHURCH HAS A HUGE MISSIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE LOW-CARBON, E C O ‑ F R I E N D LY LIFESTYLES. Alan Jamieson & Amanda Parfitt (South West Baptist Church)

‘on his way’ from one place to another. It is a very important part of connecting our society together.

• Peter Hart and Callum Swarbrick (Ilam Baptist Church) both have e-bikes for their daily commute. Peter had not cycled for more than 20 years but was inspired by the high proportion of bicycles to cars at Ilam church on Sundays and is loving the freedom of the e-bike.

• South West Baptist Church has a large pastoral team, so they have put the e-bike on their vehicle booking system so staff can book it like they would a work car. Andy Carpenter, the Tuesday Christian Fellowship pastor, has been an enthusiastic user of the e-bike.

His biggest complaint was that he didn’t get enough exercise using it, until he discovered that the level of electric assist could be turned down to allow more contribution from the pedals.

• Elliot Rice at Papanui Baptist Church was a keen cyclist until his bike got stolen, so the offer of an e-bike was timely and much appreciated. He has used it extensively to do visits around his church patch and to join the church in their annual ‘Church Bike & Picnic’.

• Annette and Simon Williams from Kaiapoi Baptist Church use the e-bike on their three-kilometre daily commute and to visit people

locally. Simon has always believed in community and living locally, so travelling by e-bike makes it easier to connect with people on the way and start conversations around faith and sustainability.

• Doug McConnell at Linwood Baptist Church has also been loving his e-bike and particularly enjoyed a 26km journey averaging 38km/hr.

• Iain Froud, pastor at Oxford Baptist Church, commutes 8km to Oxford township most days on gravel roads.

Reasonable quality e-bikes can be purchased second-hand for around $1,000 and there are conversion kits available for around the same price.

There is the possibility of importing a larger number of conversion kits or e-bikes as a church. These could be used as a fundraising opportunity as well as promoting healthy transport choices.

If you have any questions or would like to contribute towards getting more pastors on e-bikes, contact me on 021 061 9296 or email steve@cycletrailers.co.nz.

• Silvia Purdie leads the A Rocha Christchurch group (a Christian ecology group) and is minister at Cashmere Presbyterian Church, which is one kilometre up a steep hill. She was not able to manage the hill unassisted, but with the e-bike she can now bike regularly to work.

Getting more pastors on e-bikes The church has a huge missional opportunity to live low‑carbon, eco‑friendly lifestyles, and we have all the right motivation in the Bible we need to lead a society‑wide transformation that will make the church the ‘salt and light’ where we are needed most.

The e-bikes have been a huge success in enabling pastoral staff to model creation care practices to their congregations. It would be good to see more churches around New Zealand adopt these practices and provide e-bikes for their staff.

Story: Steve Muir Steve is a member of Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, living in central Christchurch with his family. He enjoys the freedom, speed and exercise of biking and constructs all manner of bike trailers to carry everything from shopping to five-metre-long kayaks behind his bike. He has been involved with groups fixing up bikes for free for over 10 years and with A Rocha Christian ecology group in New Zealand. He loves experiencing God through the beauty of creation, as well as finding ways to care for our planet more effectively.

1. “The environmental crisis is not environmental. It is spiritual,” NC Interfaith Power & Light, https:// ncipl.org/environmental-crisis-notenvironmental-spiritual.

v.135 no.5 † tekau mā toru 13

Baptist / N E I G H B O U R H O O D & J U S T I C E

Caring companions See the need, meet the need

The International Day of the Older Person is marked on 1st October each year. Therefore, it seemed timely to highlight in this issue a Baptist church that recently celebrated 30 years of ministering to older people in its community. Andrew Sinclair tells us about the Levin Adult Day Club through the eyes of some of the team who run it.

T

reva Wilson was recently retired when he was asked to be a driver for Levin Baptist Church’s new Adult Day Club (ADC). He was caring for his own father at the time, so perhaps the idea of a place where older people could socialise while their carers had a break struck a chord with him.

So Treva began picking people up from their homes to come to the club and then dropping them back again in the afternoons. But as he got to know the regulars and heard their stories as they travelled, he became more engaged. It wasn’t long before he stayed for morning tea with the guests and volunteers.

When his dad passed away, Treva prayed about where God would have him serve. He wanted to keep active.

He’d noticed too many retired people who had no outside involvements and who had gone rapidly downhill as a result. But he also wanted to find somewhere where he could use his gifting as a helper.

The ADC seemed like a perfect fit. He made it his main commitment, serving not only as a driver and helper, but

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also on the committee. And that is how he continues to serve to this day, aged 92.

“I feel this is what God wants me to do,” says Treva.

“When I have asked whether I should remain on the committee, the other members say they appreciate my experience and have asked me to stay. I’ll be here as long as the Lord leaves me here.”

From carer to helper Grace Young knows how beneficial the ADC is. She initially brought her husband there for care so she could go to work. She liked what she saw and, after her husband passed away, she was keen to be involved. She has been coming as a helper for the last eight years.

“I thoroughly enjoy it and enjoy the people. It’s something for me to do rather than be home on my own,” she says.

Challenge and rewards Current ADC chair, Neil Walton, says the club’s biggest problem for the future won’t be in getting guests,

because there are always people getting older, but in having sufficient volunteers.

“Until recently, among the group of volunteers, I was the youngest—and I’m 74!” he says, adding that it is a long day for those who stay for the full programme.

But the ADC team know their hard work is worth it.

When guests come for the first time quite often they do so reluctantly because home is their safety spot. They’re coming into a place where they don’t know people. But after a couple of visits, they are “busting to get in the door,” says Treva.

People who would otherwise be sitting at home, lonely, get the opportunity for interaction beyond their immediate circle of care, and it gives their caregivers much-needed down time for themselves.

“It brings a lot of people from different places and background together. It’s really neat,” says ADC guest Beryl Trail.

Levin Adult Day Club at a glance • Formed in June 1989 after a local research study showed there was urgent need in Levin for respite for family carers.

• Can cater for up to 25 guests. The majority of current attendees qualify for funding from Mid Central Health.

• The programme runs from 9.30am to 3pm two days a week and includes speakers and entertainers,

Story: Andrew Sinclair Andrew is an associate pastor at Levin Baptist Church.

He enjoys the variety of people with whom he gets to interact— from telling the kindy kids a story to sharing devotions with the elderly. He is married to Sophia and together they have two sons. Andrew enjoys going on adventures with his boys, cruising around Levin on his skateboard, and reading graphic novels.

indoor bowls, singing, quizzes, board games and other activities. However, people are free just to read or to have a snooze if they wish.

• A hearty two-course lunch and morning and afternoon teas are provided.

• Most days there is a short devotion time.

• Has three paid staff (programme coordinator, cook and treasurer) and 20 regular volunteers.

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THE SPIRIT OF RESTORATION Demonstrating harmonious relationships

Greg Motu is the recipient of the Lionel Stewart scholarship for 2019. The scholarship supports Baptist leaders in the pursuit of bicultural reconciliation. He shares his thoughts on biculturalism and the church.

I

am defining biculturalism as being between Māori and Pākehā as the founding peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand. Other peoples who have settled in this land are now a part of our national family, but when there is discord amongst siblings (Māori and Pākehā) it impacts the whole family.

Two worlds meet My father is from the tribes of Ngā Puhi, north of Auckland, and also the Waikato tribes in Auckland and to the south. My mother’s Swiss ancestors settled in New Plymouth, South Taranaki and Whanganui. Her Irish family initially settled in the Waikato.

Dad’s grandmother raised him.

She had adopted and raised several grandchildren and extended family

members. Theirs was a subsistence life, living off her small widow’s pension and gathering wild food.

Dad was strapped for speaking Māori at school and consequently did not speak it at home. I didn’t realise he could speak Māori until some relatives came up to him at a rugby game and started talking with him.

Mum’s upbringing was worlds apart.

Her Irish Catholic mother sent her and her siblings to convent school in Freemans Bay. My grandfather, the son of Swiss immigrants, had moved from Taranaki and worked for the Crown Lynn pottery factory in New Lynn.

These two worlds met in our household in Manurewa, South Auckland. My mother set the direction and culture of our household. My father would defer to her because, being Pākehā, she knew how things

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worked in this ‘Pākehā world’.

Dad’s culture was always enigmatic; we lived urban lives and visited most often with my mother’s family in West Auckland. We never really fully engaged with Dad’s wider whānau. So we grew up knowing we were Māori but disconnected from the culture and language from that side of our family.

What am I? When I was in my teens I actively began to explore what it was to be Māori. I was looked at as a Māori and was uncomfortable not even knowing what that meant. So I threw myself into learning what it was to be Māori. And for me that was through kapa haka.

It was a world where being Māori was normal and was full of positive role models. It was encouraging and supportive and modelled the best of what it was to be Māori. I learned to

Rebecca McLeay

Baptist / C U L T U R E

speak te reo and started connecting with my wider whānau. It was all strange and new but exciting.

It also meant being exposed to a different story about New Zealand.

It was a history of deceit, greed and broken promises by a government and society that was geared up to dismantle Māori culture, economy and social structures. I was angry, hurt and frustrated at the injustice of it all. I was so ashamed of being Pākehā and I didn’t want anything to do with it. I immersed myself further into the Māori world and was happy to be Māori.

Making peace It wasn’t until my late 20s when I started working in a team that was made up of white New Zealanders that I was confronted with the need to be able to operate in a non-Māori world again.

I learnt to overcome my own sense of discomfort in an unfamiliar culture and accept that Pākehā people operate in a different way. I also needed to address my own prejudices and racism that I carried. Coming to terms with our own prejudice is more important than looking at the differences in others—we all tend to see the faults in others before we look at our own.

As the founding cultures of modern Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori and Pākehā are connected to one another in this land through history and, in my case, through families.

We owe it to future generations to make the bicultural relationship work.

We need each other to prosper and flourish. I believe that is God’s design and plan. We have to continue to respect and honour one another and any others who have come to call New Zealand home.

Baptist biculturalism The first Baptist Assembly I attended was at Bethlehem in Tauranga in 2000.

Assembly was strenuously debating the Treaty Affirmation Statement,

which was eventually accepted.

As a fairly new Christian, I was disappointed that acknowledging inequity and injustice was an issue even amongst God’s people. There was a spirit of division along with ignorance, racism and oppression that was present amongst Baptists.

Spiritually, this has afflicted our country, our churches and our relationships since earliest contact.

But I am hopeful for the future.

A review of Baptist history (Auty, 2018)1 shows a faltering relationship with Māori up until the 1950s. However, since then the relationship has been growing and gathering momentum.

I am grateful to the Pākehā pioneers of Baptist Māori Mission for the aroha they have given to Māori and Māori mission. And to the many people of faith, both Pākehā and Māori, who have contributed in many ways to building Māori capability within the Baptist family of churches.

Honouring Christ and each other So how do we sit together in Christ, with this often difficult and uncomfortable history? We cannot continue to point out the speck in each other’s eyes. Satan is the accuser of the brethren and has divided the body of Christ for 2000 years.

We need to consider one another continuously, be aware of our own prejudices and heart towards one another, accept the past for what it was, guard against division, and ensure tomorrow is better. Part of my own journey of reconciliation was coming to terms with the blood on our hands, both Māori and Pākehā, which has defiled our land before God. Praise God for the blood of Christ that is able to wash away our collective guilt. Praise him for the spirit of reconciliation where, in Christ, the land can be cleansed and we can be reconciled to one another as we are reconciled to our Father in heaven.

Prayer is needed; the enemy will try to sabotage what the Holy Spirit is wanting to build. We are living in

PR AY ER IS NEEDED; THE ENEM Y W ILL TRY T O S A B O TAGE W H AT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WA NTING T O BUILD. a time of restoration and Peter said that heaven will keep Jesus “until the time comes for God to restore everything” (Acts 3:21, NIV). This is the challenge that lies ahead of us. I don’t have all the answers but I am willing and I know that there are many more amongst us who are willing too.

Me whawhai tonu tātou i te whawhai pai, mō ake tonu atu. Let us keep fighting the good fight.

Story: Greg Motu Greg and his wife Leonnie pastor Hosanna Dannevirke Baptist Church.

Greg belongs to the Ngā Puhi and Waikato iwi and also has Swiss and Irish ancestry. He was raised in a mixed ethnicity household in South Auckland in the 70s and 80s.

1. Auty, Rawiri. “Baptist Māori Speak: Ko Ngā Kōrero o Ngai Māori Iriiri.”

MAppTheol thesis. Carey Baptist College, 2018.

v.135 no.5 † tekau mā whitu 17

Baptist / Y O U T H

Pied Piper of of Putaruru Bringing kids back into God’s Kingdom

Neil Shaw is one of those larger-than-life characters who stands out in a small rural town. His background has given him a heart for the lost, and God has given him a gift for talking to people.

No wonder, then, that his pastor calls him ‘The Pied Piper of Putaruru’. Neil shares his story.

I

met the Lord when I was a child.

However, when a supposedly trustworthy adult interfered with me, my anger built up.

That road led me running from Christ and eventually to spending 27 years of my life in and out of institutions.

Fast forward, I finished with the prison system and decided to try and straighten myself out. Well, all that time life to me was marijuana oil, magic mushrooms and acid trips.

I was approaching 40 when a friend of mine got a blind date on the internet and that is where I met my future wife, Linzi. When I walked into the room and saw her, something inside me said, “You are going to marry her.” A year later we were married. I had long hair, a full-face beard, leather jacket, and was really hard on the eyes.

Free at last It was about this time that I got hooked on amphetamines. In 2011 I hit the bottom of the barrel, having spent $15,000 of savings and needing to explain to my wife where the money had gone. I thought, “I am going to try and save my marriage because I really love my wife.” So, I came clean and told her, and went to a counsellor and explained what had happened to me as a child. She got me into Higher Ground, a therapeutic community for people affected by severe addiction.

In 2012 two guys from Putaruru Baptist Church asked me if I wanted to go to Promise Keepers in Auckland.

I couldn’t afford it, so they paid for my ticket and took me there. It was then God took away my addiction; I had no more cravings whatsoever. When I came back my wife watched me for a month just to make sure, and then

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she gave her life to the Lord.

For three years before going to Promise Keepers, my daughter Seyah had been dragging me to Putaruru Baptist. She had been going on and off to church and was more spiritually awake than I was. She knew that I needed help.

I would go up front for prayer but nothing changed; I would go home and get on the ‘P’ pipe. After I had been saved I realised the Holy Spirit can’t move if your heart is not in the right place. It was in his timing that he set me free.

Working with youth I started the youth group at Putaruru Baptist at the beginning of 2013.

We began with five kids, three of whom were from the church. For the first couple of years I ran it and then my daughter stepped up. Along with

Markus Schonberger

The The

There is no use preaching at them; you have to s h o w t h e m . Yo u ’ v e got to walk with your communit y.

Linzi, she has a band of four leaders from within the youth. Together we run the group and care for our teens.

On average about 18 kids attend a youth group night but we have got 30-something on the books. A number of them attend church. We baptised about eight in 2017, five in 2018 and six in 2019 at the time of writing.

Everybody in town knows me.

I work in the op shop so I get to talk to people. I always try and find out where they are at. And I say, “Oh, by the way, we run a youth group for ages 13 and up and we would just love to have your

kids come along. There’s games and structured events. We go camping and that sort of stuff.” Quite often kids want to come and check it out. Nine times out of ten they will stay.

Opening the doors I don’t want any kid who comes into contact with our youth programme to go down the paths I went down.

I want them to have a relationship with Christ—to know who he really is.

But there is no use preaching at them; you have to show them. You’ve got to walk with your community.

I have shared a bit with the kids at times, about my testimony and the experiences I have had. But a big part of that is listening to where they are at.

When you get to understand where their heart is at, they are looking to be accepted, to be loved.

Some kids think that Christianity is a religious thing. They haven’t got a clue until they actually get a touch

from Jesus. That’s what we are trying to do—to open up the channels so these kids can feel the power of Christ.

He wants us to have a victorious life.

Some kids are living in defeat. It is just opening the doors for them to be released and to be all they can be.

Story: Neil Shaw Neil’s whole lifestyle is about relationship, not religion. He believes everyone is dying to meet Jesus and that you’ve just got to let them know how to do that. He thanks God every day for his daughter Seyah and his wife Linzi and all the Putaruru youth in whom God is doing a work.

Mission van crawl 2019 During the July 2019 semester break, nine students from Carey Baptist College, along with an extra friend, toured with Dave Tims of Urban Neighbours of Hope on a week-long mission ‘van crawl’.

The trip was made possible with the input of the Northern Baptist Association and was intended to show the students examples of mission ‘on the margins’. They visited around 10 groups, from youth workers to missional communities and monasteries, mainly in the Whanganui-Wellington region.

“There’s a whole lot of really good stuff that is happening but it is not known about because it is not central in terms of church,” says Dave. “However, it’s central in terms of neighbourhood, community and justice. The groups we visited were quite different but they all carried the same DNA—hospitality, rhythms of

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prayer, creating spaces for belonging, and a focus on those on the margins.”

Carey student Helen Erceg agrees that, among the various speakers the group listened to throughout the trip, prayer was a standout central theme.

“Many we listened to would describe one of the most important reasons for having rhythms of daily prayer was not so much for when it was easy to pray but for times when it was hard. And when it gets hard, prayer together becomes their

centering rock,” she says.

“Another thing that stood out to me as we listened and drunk a lot of tea was how everyone we met on the trip said they didn’t feel they had given up that much to live in such a way. To me it looked like they had sacrificed a lot, but what they offered to us in their generous hospitality only showed that they truly have so much, and so much more to give.”

You can watch a video clip about the trip at youtu.be/lswYOJONuZs.

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Our stories

Waihi intergenerational home group In February 2019 we began an intergenerational whānau home group in our home on a Sunday evening. We started with 14 people but now 40-50 people attend so we have moved it to the church building.

The ages range from four-year‑olds to our oldest saint who is about 70.

We start with a shared dinner and, depending on what we are doing, we use the auditorium or the hall.

We meet fortnightly, alternating between a Messy Church format and a Bible study on the same theme. For example, one Messy Church session was based on the Lord’s Prayer and then the next fortnight we did a Bible study based on the same prayer.

We chose Messy Church because one of the mums in the group is passionate about this form of worship and it is one that all ages can participate in. We have added singing into our home group and this has given the opportunity for our children and youth to lead the worship. Out of this, a youth band has formed, which now leads worship in our Sunday worship service once a month.

My purpose in beginning our intergenerational group was to help our children and youth form an appreciation of worshipping alongside different age groups. We saw a need specifically with solo parents and their children, so we wanted to actively include them. The intention is to walk alongside the families and disciple them with a real focus on Bible study that goes across the generations.

We are a work in progress but we are learning not to underestimate our young and their understanding of the gospel. They ask some interesting and tricky questions!

This home group came out of God placing on our hearts a particular group of people that we wanted to

serve and encourage in the faith.

It has grown from there. We are excited to see how God is using this to strengthen his people and to glorify him. We look forward to continuing to follow God’s leading and to what happens next.

Story: Benhur Matautia Pastor, Waihi Baptist Church

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Baptist / O U R S T O R I E S

Conferences speak to NZ Context Two conferences of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) held in the Bahamas in July, at which I represented New Zealand, had something to say for us here in New Zealand.

Speakers at the conference on women in theological education evidenced the need for women to be among senior leaders in churches.

Professor Molly Marshall highlighted the giftings that women bring.

Well‑known theologian Dr Paul Fiddes pointed out that Baptist theology requires women to be in leadership.

In the UK and Australia women have

pastored churches for about 40 years, yet like us they are few in number.

In the BWA annual gathering I sensed that we in New Zealand can be insular in our thinking. How aware are we of big issues for Christians elsewhere, including Baptists? I noted we’ve hardly heard of:

Baptist World Alliance

In the last 10 years BWA has seen significant growth worldwide, from 36 million to 47 million, with large regional differences. These are illustrated in the world map below.

• Economic collapse in Venezuela, starving children, and Baptists being part of the humanitarian response.

• Persecution of Christians in Nigeria and Western Cameroon.

• Revival in Indonesia since 2014.

125 239 169,000 47,000,000

• In Timor-Leste people who left Roman Catholicism for believer’s baptism found from an Indonesian missionary that they had somewhere to belong—the Baptist movement.

• Some USA Baptists running 40 days of lament, prayer and repentance, seeking racial justice.

• Cuba after Castro—revival; they have 32 new churches!

Yet the gathering knew about us.

The New Zealand mosque shootings were mentioned in one of only two

COUNTRIES & TERRITORIES

7%

6%

MEMBER BODIES

CHURCHES

MEMBERS

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43% 33%

161%  North America  Latin America  Caribbean

resolutions of the General Assembly. Then several Australian delegates asked for more cooperation with New Zealand, and this is being arranged.

Nassau city in the Bahamas is on an island just 34km by 11km, yet it has over 100 Baptist churches. However, the Bahamian historian speaking at the conference challenged his people to use their power in numbers and make more difference in their economically unequal

Amazing Friendship Group

society. That is a message for us too. We have many community ministries but have rarely built a strong voice in social policy.

Story: Dr Beulah Wood NZ Baptist President

6%  Africa  Europe & Middle East  Asia Pacific

Christine Yik has been a Christian for 29 years and for the past two decades has opened up her home for fellowship wherever she has lived. When she returned to New Zealand from Malaysia in 2014, God stirred her heart about ‘enlarging the tent’. She approached her pastor, Andrew Brown of Pakuranga Baptist Church, about her ideas for an outreach ministry. From that, Amazing Friendship Group (AFG) was born.

AFG is held four times a year, timed around Easter and Christmas and also key Chinese celebrations like the Moon Festival in September. Although any age and nationality are welcome, the church is located in an area with a high ethnic Chinese population, so the ministry is conducted in English with a Mandarin translation.

The programme is a mix of YouTube videos with worship songs—often upbeat, with an exercise element to them—stories about Jesus, or testimonies of God’s goodness. Social interaction, singing, a short gospel message from Andrew, prayer and a meal follow.

“Seventy-three people, including 24 newcomers, attended the first one in July 2018. A year later we had almost 100,” says Christine. “Numbers are important when it is an evangelistic ministry, as the larger the numbers get the more likely that there will be unsaved people amongst them. To God be the glory, for he is Lord of the harvest!”

Christine now has a team of 30 people helping her and last year she decided to give up secular work so she can concentrate on the ministry.

“Christine has set up a wonderful ministry and I have been delighted with its emphasis,” says Andrew. “There are often people who are not Christians or who are church fringe contacts who come along and get to hear two life stories of how God changed someone’s life, as well as the short evangelistic talk by myself. The volunteers do a wonderful job in setting up and bringing food. I think this shows that a wide variety of approaches to evangelism are possible in New Zealand today. It’s people with get up and go like Christine who are leading the way.”

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Baptist / O U R S T O R I E S

iconz4girlz celebrates 10 years iconz4girlz (IFG) is a personal development programme for girls, where they are encouraged to reach their potential while growing in their relationship with God through fun and practical activities. It is a ministry of Girls’ Brigade New Zealand and is based on the Boys’ Brigade ICONZ programme. In many churches the two programmes run side by side.

The first IFG Unit launched at Northpoint Baptist Church in 2009. There are now 25 groups across the country, including eight in Baptist churches. We hear from three IFG Units below.

IFG Welcome Bay Shirley Hampshire has been at the IFG Unit at Welcome Bay Baptist Church since 2009 and is IFG’s longest-serving leader. A drop in numbers in recent times had the team wondering if it was worth continuing the programme.

“However, it became clear to us that God brings us the girls he wants us to work with,” says Shirley. “Having a smaller number has meant that we have been able to engage with the girls one-on-one and get to know their parents as well. Some of the most special times at IFG in Welcome Bay have been when girls give their hearts to the Lord.”

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She estimates that 50% of the girls attending IFG in Welcome Bay don’t come from Christian families, but the programme has never been rejected because of its Christian values. Even if the leaders don’t see girls come to Jesus during their time at IFG, the leaders know the programme still makes a huge difference.

“We see ourselves as a stepping stone in the Holy Spirit’s work in the girls’ lives,” says Shirley.

IFG Blenheim Girls’ Brigade began in Marlborough in 1946. But after 70 plus years, the diminishing numbers of girls attending prompted the leaders to seek alternative ways to attract new members.

Sarah Millar, who works at Blenheim Baptist Church, had been the national youth representative on the board of Girls’ Brigade New Zealand. She identified IFG as the ideal vehicle to revitalise the work in Blenheim.

Sarah says the transition from Girls’ Brigade to iconz4girlz was easy, with both the church (Blenheim Methodist Parish) and the girls’ families being supportive of the idea. Many in the church served in the Girls’ and Boys’ Brigades over the years and are excited that the core aims of the Brigade are continuing.

“Christian content is woven through all the badge programmes, meaning that girls don’t need to have a church connection to hear about God. What they learn about God on IFG nights is just as valuable as what they could learn on a Sunday at church” says Sarah.

“Our girls love iconz4girlz and we’re continually gaining new girls through word of mouth. The majority of our girls are from non-church homes, and their parents are appreciative of the work we are doing with their daughters.”

IFG St Albans Don Benn, the children’s and families pastor at St Albans Baptist Church, says the IFG programme (alongside boys’ ICONZ) is an effective means to engage with their community, whether they are churchgoers or not.

“It’s about presence in people’s lives, responding to things that matter, and helping meet needs,” says Don. “We have created a small community of people—kids, parents/caregivers and volunteer leaders—who are doing life together. Shared experiences build relationships.

Relationships help people not to feel so isolated. Happy, more settled kids, make for calmer home life. We, the church, have a role to play in demonstrating Jesus to our community.”

Don says over time they have intentionally built in opportunities for the parents and wider family to join in on IFG and ICONZ activities. Last year an ICONZ Parentz group was set up. Each week parents of the IFG and ICONZ groups can stay for a cuppa, hosted by a couple of church members. This means parents of new children can remain close by should a child need support settling in. Often there is a ‘blessing table’ where items no longer needed are available for those who may find a use for them.

“If you’re a church looking to build your connection to your local community, then a programme like IFG does give great support in doing it,” says Don. To find out more about how St Albans Baptist has worked with IFG, adapted it and initiated new things, email don.benn@sabc.org.nz.

This is an abridged version of a longer article about iconz4girlz and the three IFG Units mentioned above.

For the full story go to baptistmag.org.nz/our-stories.

Find out more about iconz4girlz on their website iconz4girlz.org.nz or email info@iconz4girlz.org.nz for an information pack.

For more about Baptist involvement in the history of Girls’ and Boys’ Brigade go to baptistmag.org.nz/girls-brigade-turns-90.

v.135 no.5 † rua tekau mā rima 25

Baptist / O U R S T O R I E S

W or s hip 7:9 On Saturday 7th September more than 300 people gathered at Eastgate Christian Centre to celebrate the diversity of cultures and identity that make up the Northern Baptist Association (NBA).

The title and date of the event mirrored the Revelation 7:9 passage: “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb...”

Eastgate, which itself is a culturally diverse church, hosted us brilliantly, providing competent administration, technical support and hospitality. Flags of all the nations framed the auditorium ceiling, adding to the colour and celebration, and people’s national costumes created a sense of vibrancy and joy.

Beginning with a mihi whakatau, we expressed our languages in song and prayer, reading of the Word and in a superb series of cultural items from Samoan,

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Kachin, Chinese, Tamil and Korean groups. The message was translated into Mandarin through headsets, and Luke Kaa‑Morgan and a wonderfully ‘cut and pasted’ multicultural worship team added great wairua.

National Leader Charles Hewlett gathered us together around the Revelation passage, reminding us that this extraordinary scene includes a question in the text: who are they and where did they come from? Not wanting any to have a case of ‘FOMO’, Charles offered an opportunity to respond to the gospel. We then shared a fellowship supper that represented the gathered cultures and nationalities.

We have 37 individual ethnic language churches within the NBA, along with various language congregations of Kiwi churches and models of multicultural integration. This event was just a small taste of that prophesised gathering in Revelation. Imagine what it will be like for real!

Story: Lindsay Jones Multicultural Ministries Coach, Northern Baptist Association

Advent, Advent, Advent!

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s only 11 weeks until Christmas. For us in Baptist Children & Family Ministries it seems to have been Christmas all year.

This year’s Advent Tree was being planned before last year’s tree had even been put to bed!

We are publishing two versions for 2019. The Kiwi Advent Tree, which will be sold exclusively through The Warehouse, features images depicting classic New Zealand flora and fauna and includes the true story of Christmas.

The Advent Story, designed for use through churches, has more of a Christ focus. This product includes a pop-and-slot tree, a calendar board and, for the first time, access to an accompanying app, The Advent Storybook. Each day families will add a piece from the calendar board to the tree. The board then gives access to codes that unlock the 24-chapter story on the app.

The story has been written by a New Zealand author for a New Zealand audience and is designed to be accessible to both church and non-church families.

Orders are available online and sold in lots of five at athomeandchurch.org.nz.

us aculo A mir tmas Chris ture n Adve

Story: Karen Warner and Marelize Bester Baptist Children & Family Ministries

All aboard One day Sheryl Williams was listening to talk about youth going on a mission trip. “What about older people?” she wondered. “They have the time and may have the money. Just because they are older doesn’t mean they can’t do mission.”

A few weeks later Sheryl and her husband Alick, who heads up the seniors ministry at Manukau City Baptist Church (MCBC), went on their first cruise trip.

It confirmed to her that here was a viable mission alternative for older people.

“On a cruise, everything is provided— accommodation, food. There is mobility access, a medical team on board, and around 2,500 people.

That’s like a village, and they need reaching just as much as any other village. People have the time and are happy to share their stories, and usually their cellphones don’t work! You get lots of opportunities to connect with others,” says Sheryl.

After some pre-cruise preparation about how to pick up on opportunities to share their faith, Sheryl, Alick and 14 women, mostly from MCBC, departed Auckland in May 2019 for an eight-day return cruise to Fiji.

The cruise company gave them free use of a conference room for days at sea. They met there for prayer, worship and devotions. However, they were clear that the purpose of the cruise was about building connections on board rather than ‘hanging out’ together.

While in Suva the group delivered stationery supplies and 100 dresses to a Baptist church working with people from a squatter village. Alick preached at the church and some of the ladies took Sunday School.

After a couple of days doing more touristy things on Denerau and Dravuni Islands, the cruisers headed back home.

Many of the women on the trip were widows.

A couple are full-time carers for their husbands. One lady is blind and had always wanted to go on a mission trip but until then it had not been possible. For all of the group it was the chance to do mission, but also have a wonderful time together in a safe setting.

“It was everything we had hoped and prayed it would be,” says Sheryl, “and we plan another one about May next year!”

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Baptist / O U R S T O R I E S

Shake, Rattle & Roll Every Wednesday, Napier Baptist Church’s auditorium reverberates with music, songs, haka and laughter. It is all part of the church’s fun-filled ministry Shake, Rattle & Roll, for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Before moving from Auckland to Napier, we had helped to establish a busy Shake, Rattle & Roll at Westgate Baptist Church. We wondered if there were enough intellectually disabled people in Hawke’s Bay to support something similar. The answer is there are always ‘these folk’ in every community but they can often go unnoticed.

So, in October 2015, with the assistance of some wonderfully enthusiastic volunteers from Napier Baptist, we opened our doors to 30 people plus their caregivers. Four years on and each week we currently welcome around 90 attendees, their 40 support workers, and family members who often come to discover more about us and this activity that has become so important to their loved ones.

We commence and end our sessions with two powerful Christian songs, which are now well known, with everyone singing the words and often asking about their meaning.

Our team members also meet to pray together as needs become known.

This team includes 17 church volunteers, who are mostly retirees and who have adopted roles according to their

giftings. So we have traffic coordinators for the arrival and safe departure of the mobility vans, greeters and hug givers, the audio people, helpers who interact and keep the sessions moving along at a lively pace, those who hand out water during breaks, kitchen servers for our popular morning tea café, and people who set back the chairs for Sunday morning service.

There is no great mystery to our success as it’s about the music but it’s mostly about the love. We love these wonderful individuals who have become our friends.

Their bravery, good humour and care for one another is astounding. They give everything a go, undaunted by their physical or mental limitations.

This ministry reminds us of Luke 14:2: “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”

Story: Gail and Tony Langdon

Colin Hood farewelled The Baptist Children’s Trust recently farewelled Colin Hood, who has retired after a remarkable 35 years as its secretary‑treasurer.

Colin has served the Baptist movement in a number of roles. He pastored at Baptist churches in Feilding and Roslyn, Dunedin, before becoming the first denominational director of social services in 1979.

This was a job share between the Baptist Union and what was then the Auckland Baptist Association.

The Association role required bringing together a number of Baptist services under the name of Auckland Baptist Social Services. A couple of years later Colin became the secretary-treasurer of the Manurewa Children’s Home.

When the home was later closed, the service delivery transferred to Baptist Family Services (BFS).

The Baptist Children’s Trust was given the primary aim of managing the assets of the former home. Proceeds from property sales were invested to provide grants

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to BFS and other providers of social services for women and children. To date more than $3 million has been paid out in grants.

Ken Allen, formerly the Manurewa Children’s Home director and now a regional manager for Oranga Tamariki, says many working in the social services field have appreciated Colin’s drive, attention to detail and compassion for the marginalised.

“Since his semi-retirement, he has devoted considerable time and attention into ensuring that financial resources through the Baptist Children’s Trust are maintained and built up to ensure the good work can continue long into the future. It is now time for Colin to relax a little more and hand the baton to others, but his legacy will long be remembered.”

Ihumātao The events that followed the attempted eviction at Ihumātao of a representative group of kaitiaki (protectors) of the land have been well-documented by media.

However, there is another story emerging, less well-known, of God’s mission and ministry there.

In their desire to protect the land, the key leaders immediately requested for a group of us—the Kaa-Morgan family, Matt and Rachel Renata, and Eugene and Hope Fuimaono—to join the whānau with prayer and ministry.

Overwhelmed with both joy and fear, we wondered how our involvement could look in a time of protest that involved a large police presence and a passionate front line. But God graced us with favour, understanding and a strategy that has allowed us to belong in that ongoing setting and minister with a liberty and presence that is warmly welcomed.

After the first days of the occupation the whānau suggested that Sundays become a rest day where we would take leadership of what they termed Rā Whakamoemiti, a day of prayer and praise. Their instruction was that we include other faiths who would want to pray with them in this challenging time.

In fulfilling their request, we discovered the power of building relationship and the increase of our faith as we relied on the Holy Spirit to let light shine and truth to speak deeply. This encouraged us to be bold with our ministry and not be afraid of diversity. As a result, many walls have crumbled, hearts have softened and true friendship has been forged. The initial hostility toward our Christian faith

Baptist leaders welcomed at Ihumātao

dramatically subsided and has made way for miraculous moments and incredible opportunities for mission.

Matt and Rachel have been key in coordinating this emergent mission and ministry, along with Eugene and Hope. Together we are experiencing some of the most exciting missional moments outside of our familiar local church environments and wonder what the longer-term outcome might be.

We were blessed to see key Baptist national leaders welcomed onto the whenua to express love and grace for those fighting for the return of the land. It made us proud to see our wider faith family join us in such a significant way that was a wonderful testimony to the mana whenua. We’re being continually challenged, inspired, tested and grateful to be part of this journey at Ihumātao.

Story: Luke Kaa-Morgan

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Baptist / O U R S T O R I E S

Baptist women meet in Fiji Cutting the 50th anniversary cake

from Queensland, Australia. In a brief opening speech she challenged the assembly to “become comfortable with the uncomfortable.”

Many women spoke enthusiastically about the conference. Heather Grace from New Zealand said the event had inspired her to “go back and promote women’s events even harder.” On the Sunday evening an anniversary cake, representing 50 years of BWUSWP, was cut by some of the national leaders.

The purpose of BWUSWP, which was formed in 1968, is to inform Baptist women of the South West Pacific area about the Baptist World Alliance and “to promote a closer relationship between Baptist women of our area and Baptists in other parts of the world.” The first General Assembly of BWUSWP was held in 1973 at the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle.

Story: Julie Belding

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9 CH NO R VE IS M TC B H ER U RC 20 H 1

9

On Friday 23 August 2019, 139 women arrived at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi for the quinquennial conference of the Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific (BWUSWP, informally pronounced “Bizz‑wup”). This three-day event, marked by colourful worship, singing and inspirational speakers, was hosted by a team of Fijian Baptist women, led by Amelia Gavidi, the BWUSWP president. She said the organisation had been the training ground for her new role as a leader both locally and internationally.

Women came from seven different Pacific nations for the conference: Fiji (74), West Papua (30), Papua New Guinea (12), New Zealand (12), Australia (9), Vanuatu (1) and Tonga (1). It was the first time delegates had come from Vanuatu and Tonga, and both nations were welcomed into membership.

Special guests from the Baptist World Alliance included the world president of Baptist women, Ksenija Magda of Croatia, and Executive Director Moreen Sharp from the USA. Beginning a new five-year term as president of BWUSWP was author and speaker Elissa MacPherson

R E G I ST E R N OW F O R H U I 2 0 1 9 !

BA P T I ST. O R G . N Z / H U I

E A R LY B I R D P R I C E S C LO S E 1 1 T H O C T O B E R

Join us as we talk together about what thriving faith communities might look like, and the action we need to take to see this achieved.

We have a great line up of dynamic speakers from around the country including Charles Hewlett (Baptist National Leader), Tim Cooper (Otago University), George Wieland (Carey Baptist College), Phil Pawley (Sports Chaplaincy NZ), Aimee Mai (Christians Against Poverty), Odele Habets (Leprosy Mission NZ) and Lisa Woolley (VisionWest Community Trust).

Our Baptist Party will celebrate all of the good that has happened across our movement in 2019 and we will experience first-hand South West Baptist’s community engagement. This is a Hui not to be missed—register today!

>

meet…

Suz Holmes Lead of Brave Love NZ

Suz Holmes is a mother of four beautiful daughters, and a pastor at Manukau City Baptist Church. In 2018 she brought the Brave Love women’s movement to New Zealand. This is her story.

What is Brave Love’s purpose?

Brave Love is about women having a deep relationship with Jesus and, out of that, rising up in the specific calling that God has placed in each of us—what we call our Brave Love Messages. The other significant aspect is women surrounding themselves with others to champion each other on to fulfil what God has them to do. I am passionate about that—Christians should be the greatest encouragers in the world!

How did you initially learn about Brave Love and why did you bring it to New Zealand?

My daughters Jasmine and Bonnie were serving with Youth With A Mission in Kona, Hawaii. Jasmine was potentially going to be serving overseas long term and I felt like God was calling me to pray about going to visit her in Kona. I didn’t tell anyone about this as praying for a holiday in Hawaii sounds ridiculous. A few months later I was having a coffee with a dear friend and out of the blue she said she wanted to pay for me to go and visit Jasmine!

When Bonnie came home for a week for a friend’s wedding she shared with me about Brave Love. I was totally captivated. I arranged to meet with Shannon Casteel who leads Brave Love in Kona, to ask her about teaching this to women in my church. Two days before Shannon and I met, the Lord spoke to me so clearly: “Brave Love isn’t just for your church, Suz. I am calling you to bring it to your nation.” Shannon and her team were so excited about Brave Love coming to New Zealand that they paid their own way to come down to teach at the initial gathering.

What has happened since bringing Brave Love to New Zealand?

In August 2018 we put on our first Brave Love gathering in New Zealand, with 300 women attending. Since then

the movement has gone to Motueka and Dunedin, where they hold regular meetings (we call these squads).

We have three squads in South Auckland. It is at these meetings that we form the community and unity to champion each other on in our Brave Love Messages.

We are hoping to open up other Brave Love meetings around Auckland and one of our team is moving to Rotorua and will be starting a Brave Love squad there too.

Brave Love New Zealand has also been to the city of Malolos in the Philippines where we held a gathering for 50 women. The response was incredible and they have already started a regular Brave Love squad. Girls’ Brigade New Zealand has taken Brave Love and made it part of their curriculum for their teenagers, and Brave Love has spread to Canada, where they had their first annual gathering this May.

How is Brave Love impacting Kiwi women?

Once women come along and hear the heart and see what we do, they are so excited to be part of Brave Love. I have had the privilege to walk alongside a group of women for a year now and watch them be unleashed in their callings, be encouraged and championed, and then see the remarkable changes for them personally and in their families’ lives. The confidence in which they now walk is changing the world they live in. When I think of these precious ladies and what God has done in their lives through Brave Love, I know it is worth all the hard work and worth continuing to spread the message.

My prayer now is that every woman in our nation would know Jesus, would know what they are purposed for and would have the commitment of a community, knit together in love, to see each of them be all they can be and see God’s Kingdom come.

For more about Brave Love New Zealand, visit bravelovewomen.org.nz.

v.135 no.5 † toru tekau mā tahi 31

Directory INTERMEDIATE YOUTH WORKER

FULL-TIME PASTOR

PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR BAPTIST MAGAZINE

EASTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH GLENGARRY, INVERCARGILL

We are a Spirit-led Community Church called to serve God by loving everyone and reaching out to those on the fringes of society.

With a mission to grow in Christ and bring the community new heart.

CONTACT LES DIACK 027 226 4033 | lesdiack@gmail.com

CHILDREN’S AND FAMILIES’ PASTOR DOUBTLESS BAY CHRISTIAN CENTRE

As the ministry expands we would hope to increase the hours.

DO YOU HAVE:

Suitable candidates need to have a good understanding of what makes a ‘good’ photo and be able to take direction. Submission does not guarantee publication, but all photos published will be acknowledged, and the photographer will retain copyright over their work.

If you want to find out more, or wish to send some samples of your photography that shows your range or specialist interest, contact the editor.

As a church we have felt led by God to put energy and resources into our intermediate group (9‑13 year olds) and are currently experiencing good fruit.

We are looking for a part-time (two days per week) person who can take this key ministry to the next level.

We are seeking volunteer photographers who can submit either stock images for general use, and/or (where location permits) take commissioned photographs of people and events.

EMAIL linda@baptistmag.org.nz

We are looking for a Children’s and Families’ Pastor who will lead and encourage children’s and family ministries within Eden Community Church and the wider Eden community.

A passion for working with young people, especially 9-13 year olds?

This full-time position commences in January 2020.

A heart to see young people come to faith in Christ?

FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL admin@edencommunitychurch.org

Please note, we are not looking for scenic or nature photography, but people and journalistic-style photography.

GAY & CHRISTIAN

PONSONBY BAPTIST

Gay & Christian support & discussion group

FOR AN OVERVIEW AND/OR QUESTIONS CONTACT JENNIFER LEGGATT 09 408 5802 FOR AN APPLICATION PACK EMAIL BILL CAMPBELL billcampbell@xtra.co.nz

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Applications close 28th October 2019

monthly meetings 027 279 4461 office@ponsonbybaptist.org.nz ponsonbybaptist.org.nz/gay-andchristian-information

Glo bal Mis si on

Photo of the month No stranger to mission at home or overseas, Arnie Hall, lead pastor at Manukau City Baptist Church—seen here on a trip to New Zealand Baptist work in South Asia—shares a reflection challenging us to remember mission at home also. Turn to page 34.

TOG ETHER W E CA N RE A C H T H E W O RL D

v.135 no.5 † toru tekau mā toru 33

Baptist / G L O B A L M I S S I O N

A word from Andrew THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION Paul begins his letter to the Romans by describing himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, “set apart for the gospel of God” (1:1). He goes on to write “I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith” (1:16).

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that many of us in the church in Aotearoa today are ashamed of the gospel, or at least that we have lost confidence in it. Evangelical has become almost a swear word, and the church is seen by many as intolerant, old-fashioned and irrelevant. In an age marked by tolerance and secularism, the quaint exclusive claims of Christ are uncomfortable for us to hold to. Tolerance, the great Kiwi value, requires us to respect the opinions of others, and to hold everyone’s beliefs as equal. Marry tolerance with secularism, which I understand to be about the privatisation of faith, rather than the denial of the supernatural, and the idea of the church starts looking downright dangerous to many out there.

Our heritage is one of proclamation existing hand-in-hand with social action. This is the gospel that compels us. Now, we all have different calls, gifts and personalities, and our personal expression of the gospel may naturally tend to lean one way or the other.

However, when we lose confidence in the good news, gospel‑centred social justice turns into a spineless humanitarianism, and gospel-centred proclamation starts sounding a lot like a noisy gong or a clanging bell.

How do we get over being ashamed of the gospel? How can we regain our confidence in God’s salvation? I suspect the answer is in rediscovering the power of the gospel. That probably requires us to be broken because, although we can do an awful lot ourselves, our power never quite reaches to saving anyone.

Pray that we will allow the Great Potter to reshape us as he wills, and may the Spirit of mission fill us to overflowing!

Ngā mihi nui Andrew Page Acting General Director

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SHARING THE GOSPEL IN 2019 NZBMS is about sharing the gospel throughout the world. In this edition’s main story, we’ve asked two people to share an aspect of sharing the gospel.

Arnie Hall shares a reflection challenging us about what it means to share the gospel in New Zealand. Jay Matenga takes a more theological approach with a wider biblical challenge.

Changing a Mindset The hotel industry and the taxi industry, two traditional industries within New Zealand, are currently being turned upside down by Airbnb and Uber. The church can learn from this.

Last year, throughout New Zealand, 1.5 million people‑nights were spent in an Airbnb. Ola, our newest ride‑sharing company, carried 500,000 passengers in its first six months of business. These companies are turning traditional industries upside down by, putting

A Great Shift Theology is always done in context. So is ‘missions’. For most missiologists, missions (plural) refers to human agency in fulfilment of mission (singular), i.e. the purposes of God. Evangelism—articulating to others the purpose of God— is one aspect of missions. Location is irrelevant, but we cannot deny that there is more need of the gospel in some parts than others of this world, our nation, cities, towns and streets.

For some 230 years, human agency has conducted missions based on a ‘go’-ing imperative. This was argued most from Matthew 28:18‑20, commonly known as ‘The Great Commission’. This idea gained popularity within a colonial era when a certain form of going was vogue—to transform others into the image of the Empire, and to extract benefit there for the Empire. It is very easy to continue to interpret the extension of God’s Kingdom in similar terms today, expecting the Kingdom to look like what we value.

the power into the hands of the people. Their advertising states, “ANYONE with a spare bed can host people,” and “ANYONE with a car can help transport others.”

2,000 years ago, Jesus took 12 people and told them that THEY could go into all the world and tell people about him; that THEY could make disciples. It was revolutionary. He was saying, “This is something ANYONE can do, not just the traditional priests.”

Let’s move to Aotearoa, in 2019. The church has traditionally embraced the challenge to live out the gospel, but equal to this is the challenge to TELL others about Jesus. And this is for all, not just the pastors. I want to live in a church where anyone and everyone who is a follower of Jesus is prepared for this challenge to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15, NLT).

At our church, we surveyed our key leaders and asked, “Are you confident in leading someone to become a follower of Jesus?” Only one third answered, “Yes.” We’ve set about to change that.

So, here is an important question to ask ourselves: “If someone wanted to become a follower of Jesus, do I know how to walk with them in that?” A second question is, “If someone wants to grow in their faith, could I help them do that?”

In the weekend, I caught up with a guy who had been coming to church. A couple of years back, I had sat with him in a café and tried my best to sum up what it means to follow Jesus. And he made a decision to do just that. He received some excellent basic teaching from a friend who took him along to Alpha. Then, for the next Alpha Course we held, he was the leader. His life has been completely changed and he now is helping others to become followers of Jesus.

Forget Ola—that is what I call ride sharing.

A wide range of research is showing Western churches in decline, and, with it, the sway of Western theologies.

In missions, we are seeing a correlated shift away from a colonial orientation of authority, imposition, control and replication, and a move towards a much more communal‑oriented, invitational, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial sharing of faith. That’s not to imply a universalism (where all religions lead to God), but in our globalised pluralistic reality, we are forced to new levels of humility concerning our concepts of God. God does not change, but how we understand God and interpret the Bible continues to change, according to context.

It can be reasonably argued that the emphasis in Matthew 28:18‑20 should be on “make disciples”, inviting others into, and modelling, Kingdom citizenship. I now believe, that in order to best understand what that means, we need to interpret The Great Commission in light of The Great Commitment (John 17:20-23). For this is the only

missions strategy Jesus gave us for witnessing to the world.

John 17:18 makes this clear (reiterated in John 20:21).

As the Father sent the Son (in unity) so the Son sends us (in unity), for it is by our unity that the world will believe and know that the Father lovingly sent the Son, to provide access for all whom may come to join us in common unity.

This is mission. This is how we glorify God.

Story: Alastair (Arnie) Hall Lead Pastor, Manukau City Baptist Church If you would like to be involved in supporting NZBMS in some way, email info@nzbms.co.nz.

Story: Jay Matenga Jay Matenga is the executive officer of Missions Interlink, the association of missions organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand, and serves as an associate director of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission. Jay’s paternal grandfather is Māori with no Pākēha heritage, linking Jay to Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngati Porou and Kai Tahu iwi. He is a mix of English/Prussian from his maternal line. Jay’s most recent academic achievement is Doctor of Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary.

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Baptist / G L O B A L M I S S I O N

Leaving a Legacy Susan Osborne reflects on events from days gone by.

Each edition, in this column, a member of Mission Council reflects on one of the themes surrounding Prayer and Self Denial 2019. This month Sharon Dando reflects on “We are Committed to Mission.”

We often think of the commitment to mission being that of those willing to go and serve. Just as important, are those who are committed to enabling those who go by praying, encouraging and resourcing them. Many times, I have been on the receiving end of that commitment. A special memory in Macau was receiving a half-finished letter from an elderly man. It had been discovered after his death and forwarded by his daughter. He so faithfully prayed, gave, and wrote letters of encouragement to me in Macau, right up until just hours before he died. That’s commitment!

I am challenged by the ‘We’ in ‘We are committed to mission’. Mission is something we do together, not in isolation. Mission needs each person and each church to be playing its part in order for the best results to be achieved. A person or church missing, and both we and the mission of God are all the poorer for it. We, through NZBMS, can do together what we can’t do as individual people or individual churches.

Commitment to mission is not just an ‘event’ that we plan for, show up to, pray for, or support periodically. To be about mission, is to be about living life in tune with God moment by moment, together, hearing and responding to his leading. An example: last week someone responded to God’s prompting to be in a nearby room praying while the Toy Library was running. Meanwhile, a Toy Library team member greeted a volunteer who commented that things had been tough lately. The team member answered, “You know we could talk to God about that.” To which the volunteer replied, “My husband knows what that’s about but I don’t.” The team member replied, “I know someone who would love to explain a bit more and pray with you.”

She introduced the volunteer to our ‘pray-er’ next door.

See? Each person playing their part in the mission of God. I’m excited to be part of a church that is committed to mission and to discovering more of what it means to visibly represent Christ in our neighbourhood and overseas.

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B.N. Eade, or Bun as he was commonly called, was well known to a previous generation of New Zealand Baptists.

I’ve recently found out what the B.N. stands for—anyone else know?

In his 35 years of service in India, Bun used his gifts in a variety of ways. He was involved initially in literature work and relief and development work, then he took up the challenge of training national workers in Tripura. Facilities and buildings were very basic—and the students struggled with the daily timetable. After one ‘telling off’ about turning up to class on time, some students simply packed up and left. Bun had to run down the road and coax them back so they could continue the course. Things developed gradually and the three-month course developed into a full two‑year programme. The addition of national teaching staff enriched the teaching.

Brian Smith became principal in 1963, and the Bible School moved to a full three-year programme. It continued as the Tripura Theological School for the next 11 years, providing training for pastors, laymen, deacons and Sunday School teachers. In 1965, a mobile Bible School, under the leadership of Pastor Lawma, was established to meet the needs of those who couldn’t travel into the centre.

In the 1970s, when all foreigners were forced to leave the region, the training continued under national leadership until 1981. For the last 20 years, the Tripura Academy of Integrated Christian Studies has continued the important task of training the leadership of the national church to think theologically and teach practically.

Training church leaders has been a strong focus for NZBMS. The need for locals to lead their worshipping communities, teach sound biblical truths, and set an example in Christian living are essential goals in the growing church—and Tripura is no exception.

P.S.—B.N. stands for Barnado Nansen.

N Z B M S

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R E A C H I N G

T H E

W O R L D

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE Whatever you do—whatever your skills—whatever your level of education—there will be a role for you somewhere in the world of overseas missions. If you have any of the specific skills needed below, please pray about whether you are being called to serve, and contact the emails below for more, no obligation, information.

YOUTH WORKERS

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

COMMUNITY NURSE

Serving with SIM in Liberia.

Serving with SIM in Nepal.

Serving with SIM in Philippines.

A young person or couple to raise lifelong followers of Jesus who lead by their godliness in lifestyle, devotion to the Word and prayer, passion for sharing the love of Christ, and commitment to social involvement with young people in this country.

Involves website design, taking photos, writing articles, prayer calendar, organisational branding and other projects.

With a locally led organisation whose work seeks to transform communities through their services.

Health care is a proven way to reach communities with the gospel. This ministry could open doors for evangelism and church planting because of its practical demonstration of care.

For more, email: sean.marston@sim.org

For more, email: sean.marston@sim.org

For more, email: sean.marston@sim.org

For more information and to express an interest email info@missionworld.org.nz or phone 09 526 8446

NZBMS

n o i s Mis

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ber 5 6 Nove-m 3pm | $1 9.30am

hurch

tC st Baptis South We ch r Christchu

at Register

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