Baptist Magazine v136 n4

Baptist Churches of New Zealand

baptistmag.org.nz

God + families + outdoors = adventure

My journey into suffering

Imitating Christ, earning influence

Racism—repentance, reversal & repair

FORMING LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE † NZBMS & BICULTURALISM

| A u g u s t / S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 0 | v. 1 3 6 n o . 4 |

ONLINE Recently added RANGIARUARU HEMA— “PURSUING JESUS” The Baptist national administrator explains why he recently changed his name—a decision with deep cultural and spiritual roots.

~ RANGIARUARU HEMA FIGHTING STIGMA WITH KINDNESS COVID-19 brought the world many new challenges. Unfortunately, it has also reminded us of very old ones: stigma and discrimination.

EDITOR Linda Grigg linda@baptistmag.org.nz GLOBAL MISSION EDITOR Greg Knowles GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rebecca McLeay PRODUCTION MANAGER Kathryn Heslop ADVERTISING Fiona Maisey advertising@baptistmag.org.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS Sushila Nelson subscriptions@baptistmag.org.nz

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— Front cover photography Jono & Kristin Ward — Scripture Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) 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.

E B I R C S B SU

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 (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

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— 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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CONTENT 04 A word from the editor Opportunity. Initiative. Hope.

Maybe these words are ones you would not apply automatically to the trials of life, and especially to these mid-pandemic times we are living through now. But when I look at so many of the stories in this issue of the Baptist, they are the words that spring to my mind.

Barack Obama supposedly said, “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”

Making good things happen... from blessing local businesses struggling financially after the COVID-19 lockdown (see the stories on pages 9 and 13), to welcoming refugee families and helping them make a new life in New Zealand (page 12).

In his thought-provoking article about suffering, Timothy Lee talks about the opportunities he has every day to encourage others—something Timothy believes God preserved his life for, following his serious biking accident (see page 16).

Elesha Gordon, a former journalist and now a media chaplain, speaks of the opportunities that have opened up “because a few Christians were willing to support and encourage our media” following last year’s mosque shootings (see page 14).

Bruce Edmonds, reflecting on his post-lockdown interviews with nine Kiwi pastors, also highlights these same themes of opportunity, initiative and hope. You can read his article on page 7, but I want to leave you with his penultimate paragraph: Finally, each leader was full of hope. They saw that, despite challenges, God had, and has, his hand on his church. Where there are challenges there are also opportunities, and it’s up to each one of us to see the opportunities God gives us and to take advantage of them!

~ Blessings to you Linda Grigg

07 14 16

REFLECTIONS FROM CHARLES HEWLETT

Forming leaders for the future

OUR STORIES

PROFILE

Meet... Elesha Gordon

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

My journey into suffering The compassionate confidante God + families + outdoors = adventure Imitating Christ, earning influence Racism—repentance, reversal & repair

28 29 30 32 33

HEALTHY RESOURCES

4 benefits of a good accounting system

COMMUNIQUÉ

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

“Now Thank We All Our God”

DIRECTORY

GLOBAL MISSION

NZBMS & biculturalism We’re in this together Stories Small bites

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

Forming

leaders for the future

Increasing effectiveness in mission

For local Baptist faith communities to thrive, it is crucial that we have robust leadership.

Charles Hewlett interviews Jonny Weir, the director of Ministry Training at Carey, about identifying and empowering the next generation of Baptist leaders to lead in fresh, creative and faithful ways.

J

onny, you have a leadership vision for Baptist faith communities. Tell us about this.

Charles, I am compelled by the shared vision you are building for Baptist faith communities. I believe your emphasis on robust leadership is vital for where we are currently. My particular passion is for the development of new leaders.

If we are going to ‘thrive’ and not merely ‘survive’ as churches, we must share a commitment to calling out and developing leadership potential.

In my experience, we often overlook leadership development as a key success factor for thriving churches. I frequently hear pastors lament that they are run off their feet. It is a genuine problem. Yet it is a problem that can be addressed by a focus on developing leaders.

As a movement we need to build the leadership capacity of our churches. We need pastors and elders who get excited about cultivating the ‘leadership development soil’ in their congregations. This neglected instinct needs to be at the heart of what we do.

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Put simply, my vision is that Baptist churches will be known for their development-focused culture, which prioritises the identification, growth and deployment of robust leadership for our churches and wider denominational ministries. If our churches want to increase their effectiveness in God’s mission, then we need this collective focus on leadership development.

What does a developmentoriented leadership culture look like?

Development-oriented cultures are characterised by four key qualities: inspiration, inclusion, equipping and empowering.

• Inspiration: Development-oriented leadership cultures have a big God! In this kind of culture, faith is vibrant, prayer is audacious, and there is a Kingdom‑oriented passion that captivates the imagination. In this kind of culture, it would look normal to ‘give your life for the sake of the gospel’.

• Inclusion: Development-oriented cultures don’t make you fight to get noticed. Everyone is seen as a potential leader. Too often we have

a narrow definition of leaders and what they look like. Too often I only notice the potential in people who look and operate like me. Over the years I have learnt that God calls unexpected people to step into leadership. Inclusion requires us to trust the notion that ‘difference and diversity’ is where gospel genius ignites.

• Equipping: Pastors are often focused on organising and executing ministry as ‘the main thing’. We feel that ‘if we don’t do it, then nobody will’. We need to shift to a culture where our leadership impulse is, ‘if we don’t do it, then that will give us time to train and equip other people to do it’. This is about shifting everyone’s expectations to align with the Ephesians 4 pattern, where church leaders are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

• Empowering: This one is complicated. It takes the most spiritually and emotionally mature leaders to pull this off effectively.

‘Giving away power’ means trusting others and giving them genuine responsibility. This requires

accepting failure as learning, and best effort as success. For those of us with leadership insecurities, this is a challenge. For those of us who ‘want it done right’ and who confuse our identity with our performance, attempts to empower others often default to well-meaning versions of control. Development-oriented leadership cultures have a big God—and they also have a playfully generous, permission-giving and joyfully trusting leadership oversight.

What does this mean practically?

I would start with the lead pastors or the key leadership team. This is where the overall culture of the church is shaped. There needs to be a passion and energy in this group to see leadership growing across the whole church. Development often gets lost in the busyness of the week and in the regularity of preparing for Sundays.

Leadership development never knocks on your door or emails you for attention on Monday morning. We need key

leaders to prioritise, strategise, motivate and resource this space.

We need leaders who are committed to multiplying leaders.

We then need to build across all levels of the church culture and strategy, a conviction that ‘the multiplication of leaders’ is key to helping us achieve the Kingdom dreams that God has given us. This requires a ruthless focus. It requires a prioritising of energy and resources.

It requires a determination not to get easily distracted from the central task of pouring into the lives of leaders who multiply the ministry. Let’s all start with an audit of our own church strategy, activity and resourcing. If we find that discipleship and the multiplication of leaders does not have central focus, then let’s get to work on changing that.

Finally, we need churches collaborating within our regions to resource, inspire and empower each other to become leadership‑rich environments. This leadership development stuff is hard to do

I F O U R C H U R C H E S WA N T T O INCREASE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN GOD’S MISSION, THEN WE NEED THIS COLLECTIVE FOCUS ON L E A D E R S H I P D E V E L O P M E N T.

on your own. Together, we could have regional support networks, training events and opportunity pathways developed for our tribes of emerging leaders.

In summary, I would like to see our churches practise three core commitments: 1. Existing pastoral leaders and churches regularly commit to the priority of apprenticing and creating space for new leadership to emerge.

2. Regional Associations focus on coordinated strategies and pathways that resource the development of existing and emerging leaders.

3. National denominational structures organise to foster a culture where we embrace creativity, risk-taking and diversity as a key pathway to hearing God’s voice and noticing where leadership emerges.

What sort of things do you look for when identifying an emerging leader?

Leadership potential can look like a lot of different things. I try to be open to finding leadership in the most unexpected places. It is important to avoid narrow and restrictive views on what traits to look for.

That said, there are several indicators I notice: • Hunger: I look for those who I don’t have to drag along or

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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

persuade to get involved. They are the ones who arrive early and are happy to hang around afterwards.

It is often those with initiative, passion and energy to make things happen. They are happy to take responsibility and get to work.

• Selflessness: I look for those who are slow to anger, patient, faithful, kind, generous, encouraging and sacrificial. They listen well, take feedback and look for opportunities to grow. Other people love being around them because they generate an authentic sense of community.

They understand that discipleship is the way of the cross, and still they live in the power of the resurrection.

• Spiritual and emotional health: This one is a lifelong journey, but the signs of life should be evident for all to see. I look for people who draw me toward the goodness of God. They have an observable love

for Jesus and for their neighbour.

They are self-aware enough to know their vulnerabilities, while faith-filled enough to ‘step out of the boat’ and trust God. The transforming work of the Spirit in their life makes them hard to ignore.

formation. I encourage you to support our college by using the material provided and celebrating Carey Sunday in your faith community.

Hunger, selflessness, and spiritual and emotional health all precede giftedness as leadership indicators. Yet with these three qualities evident and growing, there is plenty of momentum to build leadership gifting and competence for the future.

Conclusion The 23rd of August is Carey Sunday for 2020. Please look out for the ‘Church Service Pack’ provided by Carey, including a sermon preached

by Principal John Tucker. Carey is the theological college of the Baptist Churches in New Zealand and provides many opportunities for leadership

Contributor: Charles Hewlett 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

Time to

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Don’t waste a good crisis In March 2020, churches were making plans for the year, working on projects and setting expectations. Then along came COVID-19 and all our plans went on hold.

I am a part-time pastor at a Baptist fellowship called church@onetwosix, in Point Chevalier, Auckland. With little notice we had to pivot to take into account lockdown and to work out how we were going to manage being church.

We are a relatively small church family where everyone knows everyone else, so getting set up on Zoom for Sunday services and ensuring pastoral care, especially for our more vulnerable members, was not too hard. Our experience of this time was that, while we missed meeting in person, in some ways our relationships got stronger. Now that lockdown is over, we are a more close-knit and mission‑focused church family than we were before.

In April, as alert level four was coming to an end, it got me thinking about how other churches were managing and what impact this had had on pastors. I interviewed and recorded nine church leaders on Zoom, including three from Baptist churches—Neil Baker, Gary Grut and Steve Worsley. Each of the interviews lasts about 10-15 minutes and you can find them on the Love Your Neighbour webpage: loveyourneighbour.nz/ resources/lockdown.

I asked each of the church leaders the same questions: • How would you describe your church family?

• When we went into lockdown, what was the biggest challenge you faced?

• As we’ve gone through the lockdown process, what are the most important things for you to focus on with your church?

• It may be that New Zealand will not be able to return to 2019 normal within 12–18 months.

What impact do you think this will have in how you do church and how you understand the mission of your church?

• Would it be fair to say you have hope for the future?

Our Stories Bruce interviewing Steve Worsley via Zoom

With these questions I wanted to gain an understanding of what church leaders think is important about church and if those things have changed because of their experience of lockdown.

There were some clear common themes from all those interviewed. The first was the importance of relationships. Church life is all about relationships; so, when challenged by the restrictions imposed by lockdown, each of the leaders had to find a way to maintain these connections.

Equally important was pastoral care. Each of them had to find a way to stay in touch with their vulnerable people and ensure they were being cared for.

Finally, each leader was full of hope. They saw that, despite challenges, God had, and has, his hand on his church. Where there are challenges there are also opportunities, and it’s up to each one of us to see the opportunities God gives us and to take advantage of them!

There’s a saying ‘Don’t waste a good crisis’. We are building on what we learnt through lockdown to make relationships central to all we do at church.

Contributor: Bruce Edmonds

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

Luka’s Little Kitchen During lockdown, a five-year-old Bay of Plenty boy made a name for himself by creating his own YouTube cooking show, Luka’s Little Kitchen.

Luka McNickle and his family—parents Joel and Lynley, and little brother Arlo—are foundation members of Golden Sands Baptist Church in Papamoa and, prior to this, attended Manurewa Baptist Church in Auckland.

Inspired by an episode of Nadia’s Comfort Kitchen, filmed in Nadia Lim’s home kitchen, Luka decided he wanted to replicate the formula, with himself in the starring role.

The idea wasn’t totally out of the box. Creativity runs in the family. Joel and Lynley run a home-based business making and selling wooden puzzles, toys, stamps and other products. As parents, they believe in the importance of encouraging their children’s interests. And Luka was already a dab hand in the kitchen, too.

“Pretty much as soon as he could stand on a chair to be up at the bench he has wanted to ‘help’ in the kitchen,” says Lynley. “At first it started with washing potatoes in the sink and sprinkling cheese on the pizza. As he has grown older, he has become more and more involved.”

Filmed by his dad, and wearing a snazzy matching cook’s hat and apron, Luka has made four videos at the time of writing, with more in the pipeline. The recipes are all family favourites, like chocolate chip cookies, blueberry

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muffins, chocolate brownies and rocky road. The project has allowed Luka to indulge in his favourite parts of cooking—mixing ingredients and eating the end product!

But there were some teething problems at first.

“I didn’t know how long it took to make the actual video.

Sometimes Daddy had to do something again because it wasn't right,” says Luka.

Lynley explains, “The first video had a lot of retakes, with Luka getting mixed up with things like baking powder and baking soda. He has got the hang of it now though and by his fourth video he didn't want to do a practice run.

It's a matter of stopping him adding his own spin on things now... or the videos would be two hours long as he explains every detail of why he chooses particular ingredients.”

Joel is also a professional firefighter. A work colleague saw one of Luka’s videos on Facebook. Her partner works for the Te Puke Times, and so Luka’s Little Kitchen was soon featured in this and several sister publications. The budding chef was also interviewed during one of Golden Sands Baptist’s online church services. Word eventually made its way to Nadia Lim, who sent Luka a video saying how much she loved his shows. She subscribed to his YouTube channel and gave him a virtual ‘high five’, which delighted her young fan.

Luka’s friends have also given his videos the thumbs up.

“They think they’re really cool,” he says. 

Contagious generosity When domestic travel restrictions ended, New Zealanders were encouraged to ‘back their backyard’ by supporting local tourism and hospitality businesses hard hit by the COVID-19 lockdown. The request gave Dunedin law firm owner Jenny Beck an idea for blessing both her staff and the local economy.

Jenny, who has been a member of Dunedin City Baptist Church for 33 years, called her 13 staff into the office. In these days of business closures and redundancies, it would have been natural for a few nervous glances to have been exchanged. Fortunately the news was all good—Jenny revealed she would be giving each staff member $1,000 to spend on themselves and their loved ones. Jenny’s only caveat was that the money should go towards holidays, meals out and tourist attractions, to benefit local businesses.

“The idea came to me in May, shortly after my staff started back at alert level two,” says Jenny. “I purposely sat on it for a couple of weeks before announcing it to them, as I did not want them to think it was a spur of the moment decision I might regret! They are all so wonderful. It is a way of saying a huge thank you to them for their contribution and also to spread some money around. I’m so delighted with the way people are taking up the challenge to organise

Jenny (in pink) with some of her staff

something gorgeous for themselves and their family or flatmates.”

Ashleigh Mitchell, one of the solicitors at Jenny Beck Law, says, “Jenny is an incredibly generous and kind person.

News of the bonus has certainly given us all something to be thankful for and I have noticed a real shift in the vibe around the office. People are excitedly making preparations for long weekend travel in New Zealand. I have organised a girls’ weekend to Kaiteriteri. We plan to walk the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park and explore as much as possible.”

Jenny will pay herself the same bonus, using it for travel later in the year when she plans to attend a writer’s retreat in Oturehua and visit family living in Alexandra. Incidentally it was a friend living in Oturehua who told Jenny about a Central Otago grocer who, on hearing about Jenny’s act of generosity, decided to give gifts to his own staff. Which goes to show that viruses are not the only things that are contagious... generosity is too.

Editor’s note: You can hear a radio interview Jenny did with Jesse Mulligan of Radio New Zealand at https://bit.ly/2BK9zjl.

Jenny has also written an opinion piece about thankfulness to God in tough times, which you can read on page 30 of this issue.

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

Doug Mountain Photography

Celebrating Baptist Leaders Naomi Cowan receives an MNZM Naomi Cowan was awarded an MNZM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) in the 2020 New Year’s Honours, for her services to the community and mental health.

Naomi is currently CEO of Equip Mental Health Services, which is a ministry of Windsor Park Baptist Church that supports people who experience mental well-being issues. Equip employs around 80 staff and holds contracts with the three Auckland Metro District Health Boards. It provides a range of services to support people to move forward in their lives.

Naomi says she has always felt a sense of call from God to serve people. She has spent her entire working life serving the communities where she has lived. In the early years she undertook leadership roles at Youth for Christ, where she became their first female director, Boys’ Brigade, fostering, and various ministries in the churches in which she has been involved.

In more recent years she has chaired the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education Centre, and presented

parenting and relationship seminars with her husband John. She has chaired several regional and national mental health NGO peak bodies and is currently the chair of Platform Trust. She led the NGO team that fought for pay equity for community support workers, and currently leads the Global Leadership Network in New Zealand.

In receiving this award, Naomi recognises all those who have served alongside her and acknowledges that the award honours their efforts as well. 

Writing the Parihaka Musical Sometimes followers of Jesus feel compelled to do something even though they are not fully sure why. It happened to me on 5th November 2017. Together with Sarah and Mark Tahere, I was running a ‘Parihaka Night’ as a Guy Fawkes alternative. A crowd from church and community had gathered to hear this amazing story and were wearing white feathers that had been given out at the door. The event was going well—great crowd interaction and a hunger to understand this story better.

But something really changed the course of that event.

The Tahere family sang an original song about Parihaka called ‘Under the Mountain’. We all felt the emotional impact of that song and the story suddenly became more than

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a series of facts. It was in that moment that God planted a vision in me. I bounded up to Mark and Sarah after the event and asked, “What do you think if we were to create a stage musical out of that story?”

I am a concert pianist who became a Baptist pastor.

I grew up in the very place where Te Whiti o Rongomai was born. I am incredibly thankful to God that he chose to weave so many of my life experiences together with the writing of this show. That vision planted in 2017 became reality when tickets went live for ‘The Way of The Raukura’. Following Jesus has been the best decision of my life!

Contributor: Steve Worsley

Lisa Woolley receives an ONZM In the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Lisa Woolley, CEO of the VisionWest Community Trust, became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for her services to the community and governance.

This is an acknowledgement of Lisa’s ongoing involvement in, and commitment to, VisionWest from its inception.

Lisa was one of 10 members of Glen Eden Baptist Church who, in 1982, began to dream about what the church could do to transform the lives of the vulnerable in the surrounding community. From these meetings came a drop-in centre providing various services out of the Glen Eden Railway Station. In November 1988, the Friendship Centre Trust—later to become the VisionWest Community Trust—was formed as an umbrella to these services.

Between 1984 and 1989, Lisa and her husband, Mark, spent time in Los Angeles, helping people who had been addicts and prostitutes. This time helped sharpen Lisa’s vision to be a part of an organisation that would journey with vulnerable whānau on the road to life-transformation.

In 1998, back in New Zealand, Lisa took on the role of manager of the trust’s home care service. Then, in February 2001, she was appointed community

ministries leader, a role that has since grown to that of CEO. Twenty-two years on, Lisa continues to work tirelessly to build the trust and its people into an organisation that serves and supports vulnerable people in the community.

On hearing that she had received the ONZM award, Lisa responded, “I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to serve, together with my wonderful husband Mark, alongside such amazing people as the VisionWest whānau, as together we all seek to show love, generosity, compassion and support for whānau in our community. This award acknowledges the commitment, dedication and passion of all the incredible people that make up our VisionWest team.” 

A powerful story of courage, loss and hope A brand new stage show featuring a multicultural Auckland-wide cast and hosted by Mt Albert Baptist Church.

The story of the invasion of the pacifist village of Parihaka in Taranaki has gained international significance, yet surprisingly few New Zealanders know it. Inspired by Sarah Tahere’s song, ‘Under the Mountain’, The Way of the Raukura is written by former concert pianist, Steve Worsley.

11-19 th September | Mt Albert Baptist Tickets from Ticketek With permission from Parihaka’s Papakainga Trust

“‘The Way of the Raukura’ is based on the true historical events of Parihaka and uncovers the painful secrets of our past, that we may grow to understand our responsibility in moving forward as a nation together as one.” – Sarah Tahere.

www.mabc.org.nz/parihaka-musical

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

Opportunity to welcome refugees extended We had prayed, hoped and worked toward this moment but I did not believe it when I saw the Budget announcement. I was sure that the CORS pilot programme would be a casualty of the COVID-19induced economic downturn. And yet there it was—still a pilot, but a big jump up from 25 places to 150 places over three years.

Our journey in sponsorship started in late 2017 when we, along with Gleniti Baptist in Timaru and two Catholic churches in Nelson and Hamilton, were approved as community sponsors. This meant we could start preparing to welcome families from the Middle East to help them make a new life in New Zealand.

We found and furnished houses, and initiated all those things that need to be done when moving a family to a new country on the other side of the world: enrolling the family in health care, schools and language training, and first steps towards employment. There was much to do but it was also about learning a new culture, sharing food and making new friends. The pilot was modelled on a Canadian programme that has been in operation for several years, so we had plenty of advice to draw on.

It was such a great experience that we joined forces

with many other communities from across New Zealand and invited the Minister of Immigration to expand the programme. It took 18 months but eventually he was persuaded, and funding has been committed for an extended pilot. There remains work to be done for it to become a permanent programme, and we have been invited to help immigration staff design the extended pilot.

Meanwhile, if your church is interested in finding out more about the programme, have a look at South West Baptist Church’s website swbc.org.nz/ community/resettlement-programme and contact me at nregnault@swbc.org.nz.

We are also asking churches to show their support by registering an interest with Immigration New Zealand.

To do this, contact Suzanne Malan at suzanne.malan@mbie.govt.nz. All this means is that you will be kept informed of programme development and the approval process for sponsoring organisations; it is not a commitment to sponsor.

To view a video clip of Charles Hewlett talking to me about the pilot project see youtu.be/JCxRuOYq-qA.

Contributor: Nick Regnault South West Baptist Church

Young Adults Conference 2020:

The Call of the New Radicals After the successful Hauoratanga Camp in 2019, the Northern Baptist Association is running a conference by young adults for young adults on 29th August 2020 at Eastgate Christian Centre, Auckland. Speakers will include Strahan Coleman, Jo Robertson and Bridget Barnard, among others.

A clear message coming through from our young adults is the desire for people they can look up to, who are passionately serving Christ in Aotearoa, and who are not afraid to make an impact for the Kingdom. Across the world we are seeing young adults step out in support for what they believe in, despite a rapidly changing society. Are we the church creating space for them to lead?

The conference seeks to recapture the heart of what

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it means to be radical: passionate, loving, caring and not afraid to use spiritual gifts for God. It aims for young adults to be stretched outside their comfort zone and able to explore new perspectives and ask deep questions about their understanding of who God is and what it means to live for him.

One can only imagine what changes our world will see in the coming years. Taking the time to empower our young adults now, to use those radical voices in their communities, is sure to have a positive impact for our churches and the wider community.

For more information or to register go to northernbaptist.org.nz/young-adults-camp.

Contributor: Jacqui Fisher

Loving local At Manurewa Baptist Church we are constantly looking to see how and what God might be up to, with a careful eye for the place he has called us to live and be, Manurewa.

It was exciting to see our local shops start up again after lockdown. As Kingdom people, we wanted to partner with God by supporting these folks in a real and tangible way. So we started an online competition that encouraged

Senior Pastor Lyndon Twemlow with café owner

people to take a picture of themselves eating in one of our local cafés or picking up takeaways, and to post it on our Facebook community page. Each week we picked one and gave them a $20 voucher from one of our local cafés and eateries as a thank you for ‘loving local’.

The competition started in alert level three and ran for a total of eight weeks. The reaction was great, as people saw it as a positive and easy way to support and bless our local community. People were posting photos every week.

And, sure, the winners were stoked, but the absolute wonder shown on the faces of the different shop owners as we explained why we kept coming back for vouchers was priceless!

Whatever your local might mean—in this context we were thinking of small ‘mum and pop’ shops—how might God be inviting you to partner with one or two? He can bless our community through our choice to support them in this difficult season.

Aroha nui.

Contributors: The Manurewa Baptist Church family

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Baptist / P R O F I L E

meet…

Elesha Gordon

Media chaplain

Elesha Gordon attends Hills Church (Hillsborough Baptist). A former journalist, Elesha now manages Media Chaplaincy New Zealand, an organisation that supports people working in mainstream media. This is her story.

Tell us a bit about your journalism background My career has been focused predominantly in print journalism. My first job was as a junior reporter at the New Zealand Herald. It was a big gig straight out of university and I definitely felt thrown into the deep end. I was then offered a job at the Sunday Star Times and later moved into Stuff’s Auckland newsroom, reporting on Police and emergency services.

places of work. Sometimes simply recognising a workmate at a Salt event can go a long way in encouraging a Christian to stay working in the media.

What challenges have you faced as a Christian working in mainstream media?

Our media personnel work under the constant glare of public scrutiny, while—like all of us—juggling the complexities of their personal lives. A key challenge for Christians is ultimately feeling isolated in all of it. It can be difficult feeling like the only one in a newsroom who has a faith while also balancing the challenge of trying to report accurately and fairly from a Christian world view. Some of the hardest stories I have written have been when I have had to report on Christians or the church.

Beyond this, when it comes to news there is a lot of negativity to digest each day. I was tasked with listening to a police scanner for eight hours a day. It soon wore me down listening to reports of family violence and car accidents while still waiting for something ‘big’ to happen. It was hard to process this when my friends and family couldn’t envisage the situations I was in.

Can you tell us a bit more about your new role?

I manage Media Chaplaincy New Zealand, which was founded to offer chaplaincy support to anyone within New Zealand’s media. Our team includes Rev Frank Ritchie and Petra Bagust, and works to establish relationships with New Zealand’s media personnel.

The concept of media chaplaincy really took off following last year’s Christchurch mosque shootings. Frank was the sole chaplain at the time, and flew down to the scene to support journalists who were working on the front lines. Many of the journalists had thrown themselves into danger, yet, in all of it, maintained their professionalism while also extending care to those who were suffering unimaginable losses. It was a huge privilege to walk alongside these journalists and really highlighted the need for chaplains in the industry.

In my short time with Media Chaplaincy, it has been incredible to see opportunities opening simply because a few Christians were willing to support and encourage our media. From praying with top media executives, to being interviewed by most media outlets during lockdown. We also hear many stories of how a conversation with a chaplain has changed the way a journalist has approached a story about the Christian faith.

Is there anyone out there supporting Christians working in media?

Yes! I recently left Stuff to work with the Christian Broadcasting Association (CBA) whose mission is to share the heart of the Christian faith in mainstream media. We run an organisation called Salt, which is a network for Christians working in mainstream media. As I found, Christians can find the media isolating, so we aim to support, encourage and inspire these influential people to remain faithful in their

Tell us about Media Prayer Day The mass media helps to shape the dominant ideas and values of our culture and it’s easy to criticise, yet how often do we stop and pray? Media Prayer Day was established as a reminder to pray for our media. With more than 700 churches taking part, our message to Christians and churches is: please see the media as people, and please pray for those people. The event is held every two years, with the most recent being in July 2020. Please join with us in 2022! 

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Baptist / A D V E R T O R I A L

cbm (Christian Blind Mission) New Zealand Preventing blindness by working with the Kabgayi Eye Unit in Rwanda

By Dr Murray Sheard (Cityside Baptist, Mt Eden, Auckland) cbm works alongside people with disabilities in the world’s poorest places to fight poverty and exclusion, and transform lives. Drawing on over 100 years’ experience, cbm works with the most marginalised in society to break the cycle of poverty and disability, and to build inclusive communities where everyone can enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential. cbm works in over 20 countries, investing in long-term, authentic partnerships to maximise impact through a mix of inclusive communitybased programmes, local and global advocacy, and the delivery of inclusion advice to other organisations.

The Kabgayi Eye Unit (KEU) is part of the Kabgayi Hospital located in

Obed waiting for surgery to remove his cataracts

Muhanga District in the Southern Province of Rwanda. The Kabgayi Hospital works in partnership with cbm and the Rwandan Ministry of Health, which has recognised KEU as a referral centre for ophthalmology in Rwanda.

KEU officially opened in 1993, and significant improvements were made in 2002 when the first full‑time ophthalmologist was appointed. It is now the most productive eye unit in Rwanda, performing approximately 6,000 surgeries every year. KEU receives patient referrals through local health centres and other hospitals.

An estimated 80% of all eye surgeries in Rwanda are performed by the KEU ophthalmologists. Cataracts remain the major cause for blindness (56%) and severe visual impairment (34%) in Rwanda.

KEU also welcomes patients from neighbouring countries such as East Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Burundi. cbm and KEU are focused on turning blindness into sight through providing vital eye surgeries, paediatric ophthalmology, microsurgeries, low

Left: Dr Murray Sheard received his PhD in Ethics and Philosophy from the University of Auckland. He has worked in international development for over 15 years and is the chief executive officer of cbm New Zealand.

Right: Dr David Ngabo

vision and optical workshops, eye equipment and consumables, and the training of local ophthalmologists.

Currently there is a shortage of ophthalmologists in Rwanda, but through cbm, a local doctor, Dr David Ngabo, has started a four‑year training programme to become an ophthalmologist.

Growing up an orphan, Dr Ngabo was driven to become a doctor to bless the community that raised him.

Dr David saw the need for vital eye surgeons and began work in the KEU straight out of medical school. He contributes to all kinds of medical work but his dream is to qualify as an eye surgeon to help save the sight of more patients like Obed.

To learn more about turning blindness into sight and other cbm projects visit www.cbmnz.org.nz. 

Baptist / F O O D F O R T H O U G H T

MY JOURNEY INTO

suffering Wrestling with God

Just over 10 years ago, Timothy Lee survived a serious mountain bike accident. Now living with tetraplegia, he has learnt a lot about suffering and grief. He shares here his developing theology around suffering.

O

ne of Rotorua’s popular attractions is luge riding. After a short adrenaline rush down the hill, you reach the chairlift, and it’s a long slog uphill compared to the trip down. On reflection, we often think suffering is the shortest part of the ride, and the greater portion of the journey carries little drama. The reality is it’s the other way around, as Job discovered.

“When I lie down, I think, ‘How long before I get up?’

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope” (Job 7:4,6, NIV).

In order to survive this arduous journey, we must wrestle with the God who doesn’t cause our suffering, but allows it. Here are my top seven ‘experienced theologies’ in response.

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1

Suffering identifies us as followers of Jesus A few years after my accident, I was feeling distant from God. Not able to escape the daily grind, I felt depressed. My wife encouraged me to look into the stages of grief. Coupled with some pointers from a counsellor friend, an ongoing calling in pastoral work, and a curiosity for answers in Job, I’ve found a renewed endurance in life. “The terror and wonder of the book of Job is that God slowly allows Job to walk through the stages of grief and dying, while admittedly holding his feet to the fire.”1 Yes, in this world we will always have trouble (John 16:33)—largely due to the brokenness of humanity, to sin and the choices we make. We are also subject to natural laws that bring flooding, quakes and diseases. However, suffering also identifies Christians with Christ.

[W]e are…heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:17, NIV).

GOD COMFORTS US SO WE CAN COMFORT OTHERS AND HELP THEM TO ENDURE THEIR SUFFERING.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21, NRSV).

2

Suffering causes us to exercise our prayer muscles Technically, I shouldn’t be alive, given the trauma to my head. The physicians told my family that if I did survive, I could be on a ventilator for the rest of my life. After initial surgery and the second attempt to bring me out of an induced coma, I came to, and eventually breathed on my own after 42 days in ICU. I know people prayed, for which I am eternally grateful.

F B Meyer saw that in his life experiences “the greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer.” We are called to persist in prayer and to give thanks, knowing that God is accomplishing his purposes through the power and intercession of his Spirit. (See Romans 8:26 and 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; James 5:16.)

3

Suffering challenges us to trust God and to discover his kindness toward us We’ve been blessed by others’ generosity. God’s opened unexpected doors and my ministry has become more

itinerant, though I’m firmly planted in our church community.

I live with fatigue, yet God’s given me a voice, a story and the privilege of connecting with many people. I often hold back my tears when listening to the plight of locals who live on the streets, but I’m humbled by their spiritual maturity and buoyancy in life. They give to me, as much as I give to them.

God is always doing the right thing by us, though we may not see it till after the event! Or as Neil Ormerod put it, “Providence can only be recognized looking backwards, with the eyes of faith; seeing the care of God in the midst of suffering.”2 Providence in Hebrew speaks of three things: God’s oversight, his availability to visit, and active involvement in our lives. I encourage you to sit with this Scripture: “You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit” (Job 10:12, NIV).

4

Suffering enables us to help others with their troubles To paraphrase Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, God comforts us so we can comfort others and help them to endure their suffering. I believe the only reason God’s kept me alive is to encourage others. Not a week passes by without opportunity for me to do that. During lockdown, my neighbour asked if I could take his wife’s funeral. After sharing with family and neighbours at the back of his house, family followed the hearse down the driveway. With lips still shaking in grief, my neighbour said, “Thanks Tim, you’ve made my day.”

“Hiding wounds gives a pretence that life is perfect.

Licking wounds requests sympathy. Learning from wounds gives us the knowledge to help others.”3 Despite my trauma, it’s a privilege to travel a journey with others.

5

Suffering is a platform to reach the lost I’d be lying if I denied ongoing grief and frustration.

One morning, I was looking up at the bush line where I used to ride and jog. I felt God clearly say, “Timothy, do you want to run more than win the lost?” Talk about being hit over the head again with a four-by-two! In my heartache, God was challenging me not to lose his heart for my community.

Timothy with wife Jenny

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us...

v.136 no.4 † tekau mā whitu 17

Baptist / F O O D F O R T H O U G H T

We h a v e i n c r e a s i n g opportunities to lead lost sheep toward fresh pastures, a place to belong to (t ū r a n g a w a e w a e), a n d h o p e b e y o n d g r i e f a n d d e s p a i r.

We always carry in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Corinthians 4:7,10, NIV).

We are cracked pots, not crackpots! Paul says the treasure of God cannot be contained from shining out of our broken lives. All the more is our mandate to share the good news.

“Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever.”4

6

Suffering gives us a broader understanding of healing and the well-being of life I believe in the all-powerful God who is able to heal through the provision of Jesus’ work on the cross. I wouldn’t be here otherwise! But I cannot demand healing. Some doctrines teach that Christians should be materially wealthy, physically healthy and happy. I don’t buy that—neither does God. Our walk with him is one of mystery—an uncompleted puzzle.

So, we need to reconcile the tension between suffering and the well-being of life.

I’m content and I find a sense of well-being in helping others, to weep with them, to pray for and mentor them, to give leadership to them. That’s a meaningful story, and it fulfils something of who I am, even if I can’t walk to the letterbox. “We can flourish, even though we sometimes suffer, if our lives can be invested with meaning.”5 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9‑10, NIV).

7

Suffering leads us to see beyond our struggles to where hope is found God has provided our needs in multiple ways. Despite having to wrestle with ACC on occasion, it serves me as a world-class system. Each day has its frustrations, but I’m not digging a hole; rather, I am looking to God! As Romans 5:5 tells us, hope will not disappoint us. God didn’t take away Job’s struggles. He parted the clouds and gave him the ability to see beyond them.

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My flesh may be destroyed, yet from this body I will see God. Yes, I will see him for myself, and I long for that moment (Job 19:26-27, CEV).

God has covered me with darkness, but I refuse to be silent (Job 23:17, CEV).

“My life is not about me—this is the great and saving revelation that comes only from the whirlwind, and we’re never ready for it.”6 (See Genesis 50:20; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Revelation 21:3-4.)

Conclusion... theology in formation On the day we moved from alert level four to level three, Dr Ashley Bloomfield alluded to the words of theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard: “We live our lives forwards, but understand them looking backwards.”

If COVID-19 has taught us anything, the world is crying out for release. As God’s people, the ecclesia, we have increasing opportunities to lead lost sheep toward fresh pastures, a place to belong to (tūrangawaewae), and hope beyond grief and despair. I’m a weak shepherd, reliant on the daily support of others, but I can see God’s hand of grace in the fabric of my life, and I’m fulfilled inasmuch as he sustains me.

“I know that you can do all things; and no plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2, NIV).

Kia kaha.

Contributor: Rev Timothy Lee Timothy has pastored in Baptist churches for over 20 years.

He has a number of community roles as missional pastor at Rotorua Baptist Church, and is also transitional minister at St John’s Presbyterian Church, Rotorua.

1. Richard Rohr, Job and the Mystery of Suffering: Spiritual Reflections (New York: Crossroads, 1998), 105.

2. Shane Clifton, Husbands Should Not Break (Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2015), 155.

3. Henri Nouwen, The Prayer Motivational Devotional (2017), 415.

4. Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 1990) 199-200.

5. Clifton, Husbands Should Not Break, 90.

6. Rohr, Job and the Mystery of Suffering, 178.

the

Arman Zhenikeyev/lightstock.com

compassionate confidante Going where it hurts

A hallmark of chaplaincy is trust and privilege—privilege to go from complete stranger to trusted confidante of another’s story. In hospice ministry especially, those stories can be painful to hear, as people bring to speech their regrets, past experiences and guilt, as well as their hopes.

Donna Denmead tells us about her role as a chaplain at Waipuna Hospice in Tauranga.

S

uppressing my introversion, I introduce myself: “Hi, I’m Donna, one of the hospice chaplains.” I am taking a step into the unknown—will I be received or rejected? Will the potential recipient of my care be sufficiently made at ease to begin a therapeutic relationship that is at the heart of chaplaincy?

Fourteen years into this ministry and I am still anxious about the first meetings, but few can tell. I have often thought that we are the best actors, those of us who speak in public or who enter into brave spaces with others.

Rapport, not rescue Within the Baptist movement chaplains are recognised as those who minister outside the confines of the local church. Yet our missional work comes from being at home in a local church where we are nurtured, fed and challenged. Sometimes our

work prevents us from being there on a Sunday, so being part of a life group is lifegiving and sustaining for me.

My work is hard at times. Due to confidentiality, few know of the conversations that challenge me and find me desperately searching for an appropriate response until I realise

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Baptist / F O O D F O R T H O U G H T

HEALTHCARE CHAPLAINCY—

does this sound like

you?

Has anyone ever said to you “Thank you for listening” or “Thank you for being here with me” or “I feel like I can talk to you about anything”?

What’s it like for you when people tell you their stories? Are you naturally curious and want to know more?

What has brought you comfort when you have experienced loss, grief, loneliness, health scares and dark times? What was most helpful in those times, and what was least helpful?

Are you ever drawn to the possibilities of partnering with the Holy Spirit to bring relief and comfort to those who suffer?

Are hospitals, aged care facilities and hospices places you willingly go to visit a friend or family member, or do you shy away from them?

Within our hospitals and healthcare settings, we are often looking for both trained and lay ministers and volunteers to join our teams and come alongside people who benefit from a compassionate presence and a listening ear. Those who minister in healthcare talk about it being a privilege, and deeply fulfilling and meaningful. However, it is not for the faint‑hearted but for the courageous and those willing to be stretched and greatly used by God. If you want to know more, send me an email at donna.denmead@gmail.com as I’d love to hear how God is calling you and how you are discerning his call.

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I am not there to fix or rescue the other, but to sit with them in the mystery and allow the Spirit to minister with or without me.

But not all the work is intense. Sometimes folk need respite from deep and meaningful conversations.

That’s when humour and sharing a light moment can be every bit as therapeutic as the profoundly serious.

Models of care Most of my work is based in the community, visiting the homes of hospice patients under our care. These come via a referral system when another hospice healthcare professional, or the patient, or whānau themselves, identify a need for chaplaincy support.

Tailoring each encounter to the presented need is important.

When I did my ministry training in the early 1980s, part of the definition of pastoral visiting included a Bible reading and prayer. Admittedly I was young and comfortable sticking to a formula, but I wonder whether the needs of those visited would have been much better served had I been taught a different model.

Sometimes I have slipped back into thinking that someone would want us to open the scriptures together, but a couple of retired pastors early in my hospice ministry taught me otherwise. One said he just wanted me to sit with him, which I did in silence, providing presence and companionship.

We have an inpatient unit at Waipuna Hospice, which is situated beside the Wairoa Awa, west of Tauranga.

Patients come there to have their symptoms managed or to provide their carers with

some respite, and others come to die. The model of care is holistic and the chaplains are part of the inter-disciplinary team where we bring the spiritual perspective to the discussions and care planning.

Spiritual care is not the sole domain of the chaplain, as the expectation is that we all can provide it. However, chaplains provide the specialist service and leadership, which includes training and educating staff and volunteers.

I love this work and am thankful that God led me into it as it fits with who I am, the person I have become, along with personal struggles with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Without my story, I couldn’t enter into another’s story.

As Henri Nouwen said, “Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish.”1

Time to leave The following encounter occurred 10 hours into COVID-19 alert level one and I share it as an example of the privilege of pastoral care in hospice work.

Mary (not her real name) lay dressed in the hospital bed that seemed to occupy and dominate the small bedroom that was flooded with morning light, warm and bright. Her husband told me I would need to speak up, as she was hard of hearing. “Pull the chair up to wherever you want,” he said.

I did, close to the bed, aware that social distancing was a memory of yesterday and not needed today.

We talked. I listened mostly, only understanding a little of

Ta i l o r i n g e a c h encounter to the presented need is important. what Mary said, but enough to know there was something sitting there that needed to be moved. When she told me about this ‘thing’, her hand rested on her stomach. This thing that needed to go was felt in the pit of her stomach, reminding me that long before we talked of the heart as being the home of the soul, ancient literature housed it in the bowels.

It wasn’t for me to know everything she said; it was for me to hold the space, to provide a brave space for her to talk, to verbalise what needed to be said. Mary wanted me to ask her questions, as she was ready to talk, ready to tell.

She wanted prayer, for herself and for those she didn’t want to leave.

Her eyes remained closed, and after a while of sitting in the silence, her face reddened and she turned her head away. I asked if I could touch her arm. She agreed. Then her hand moved to the side of her body seeking mine. I took it and for the first time in many weeks I allowed my touch to connect, to comfort, to hold and be held. It was a sacred moment as I watched and then closed my eyes to honour the mystery unfolding before me. When I opened them, I saw tears escaping the corners of her eyes.

Moments passed and then we heard footsteps and an enquiring voice, noticing the tears, commented on how peaceful she looked. Mary said it was the first time she had cried.

The visitor left not wanting to interrupt.

After more silence she said, “I’m ready now.” I knew then it was time for me to leave.

Contributor: Donna Denmead Donna and her husband Jeremy live in Welcome Bay, Tauranga, where Jeremy leads the team at Welcome Bay Baptist Church, which has been their home church for over 20 years.

They have three grown children and three beautiful mokopuna. Donna is the president of the New Zealand Healthcare Chaplains’ Association, which is the professional association and registration body for chaplains and chaplaincy assistants working within public and private healthcare settings in Aotearoa New Zealand.

1. Donald P McNeill, Douglas A Morrison and Henri J M Nouwen, Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life (Doubleday, 1982), 3.

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Baptist / F O O D F O R T H O U G H T

God + families + outdoors =

adventure Feeling spiritually alive One Sunday morning each school term, Eastview Baptist Church does not schedule any Kids’ Club or Sunday School. Instead the children in primary and intermediate age groups journey outside, along with their parents and whole families. Kristin and Jono Ward tell us about Adventure Church.

K

ristin and Jono Ward began Adventure Church at Eastview Baptist Church in Botany, East Auckland, in July 2018.

The idea was sparked from discussions between them about when they feel most spiritually alive. For them there’s nothing quite like being out in creation and having new adventures with their family and friends.

“At times, friends have discussed with me that they would like to come to church but it’s the only day of the week that they have to enjoy going to the beach or similar with their family. All the other days are school days or Saturday sport, etc.” says Kristin.

“This is a feeling that we also have had, at times. Jono and I wanted to experiment to see if we could marry up people’s spiritual need to focus on Jesus, and families’ wholesome desire to be doing something refreshing together in God’s creation. So much of our lives and our children’s lives takes place indoors. Does church always need to be? We see that both children and parents of this generation are hungry for adventures in nature. Both kids and parents find it life-giving and soul-nourishing to get outside and have an adventure together.”

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So, since their first outing two years ago, Adventure Church-goers have been on a ramble through parkland, held a treasure hunt and dodgeball tournament, undertaken various physical challenges, played outdoor games, been orienteering, and had a beachside expedition and sand sculpture competition. Ideas for future adventures include exploring one of Auckland’s volcanic craters, a weekend camp outdoors and caving.

“Each outing, we do a talk, which usually ties in with the location or activity we’re doing. For example, the sand sculpture one was about the wise and foolish builders and

SO MUCH OF OUR LIVES AND OUR CHILDREN’S L I V E S TA K E S P L A C E INDOORS. DOES CHURCH A LWAY S N E E D T O B E ?

the foundations we build our lives upon. Sometimes we’ll send families away with a question for them to discuss amongst themselves,” says Jono.

The Wards believe that hanging out with friends is another thing that parents of younger families are longing to do and that humans are made to be social and have deep friendships with each other. But all too often the parenting years are a bit lean when it comes to socialising with other families. Often people have dropped out of being able to participate in a home group in the baby years and may not have resumed the practice.

“Adventure Church is a great ‘hanging out’ time.

Families spend the whole morning together—one time everyone stayed till mid-afternoon! They love to tackle epic challenges together with other families. And we find that kids have so much more energy for walking and exploring if they have buddies with them. Parents are often thrilled about what their child is capable of, if they just are doing it together with their friends,” says Kristin.

“My favourite thing about Adventure Church is it feels so community-building for all these friends, both kids and parents, to be hanging out in stunningly beautiful places, making memories together, chatting and bantering the whole way.”

Because it is such a non-threatening environment, Adventure Church has also proved to be an easy event to invite unchurched friends to.

“We aren’t trying to replicate a normal church service outdoors. We aren’t doing anything weird, like singing in public places, or using lots of Christian jargon,” says Jono.

“We do want to be intentional that this is a ministry and we’re doing this as Christians, but we see the enjoyment of nature and building of relationships as being just as powerful and transformative as any direct teaching.”

Eleven-year-old Eden seems to agree: “I just love getting out into nature, and being with my friends, and learning more about God, outside. Somehow, I just feel God’s love more when I am outside!”

Contributor: Kristin and Jono Ward Kristin is a social worker and supervisor and Jono is a physiotherapist. They love working together on planning Adventure Church. Their kids—aged 11, nine and seven—are key members of the team too, often being dragged off on a weekend to a new beach, river or hill, to do ‘research’ for Adventure Church!

This article is adapted from “Adventure Church” published in the Baptist Children & Family Ministries Connect magazine March 2020 and is used with permission.

Tips for running a successful Adventure Church Kristin and Jono say they have increasingly simplified the Adventure Church format over the two years Eastview Baptist has been running the ministry. They believe the elements for a successful morning are 1. choose a beautiful location locally 2. plan a (manageable) ‘epic adventure’ to complete 3. invite friends (the more the merrier!)

4. deliver a simple lesson from the Bible, often illustrated by nature, as Jesus’ parables were 5. make a wet-weather plan—this is New Zealand after all! At times, Eastview’s Adventure Church has had to re‑convene to an indoor gym and have a ‘ninja warrior’ morning or a dodgeball tournament.

v.136 no.4 † rua tekau mā toru 23

Imitating Christ, earning influence

Christ-centred community

Christa McKirland, a lecturer in systematic theology at Carey, offers a personal view of church leadership.

MY

family and I had lived in Aotearoa for less than 100 days before the period of national isolation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding a home church remained one outlying piece of the puzzle that had not yet fit into the jigsaw of our new life here.

However, before lockdown, we had the distinct pleasure of attending a local Baptist church. We visited once in person when a friend invited us, and it just so happened to be the same week she was preaching. At the time, we were planning to visit more churches, but once we were homebound, we kept ‘attending’ this community.

The co-pastors warmly reached out to say that they would love to be our home church even if only for the period of online meetings over lockdown. Such a welcome meant the world to us and gave us freedom to keep tuning in with no expectations on any formal commitment. Such

open-handedness and embodiment of manaakitanga—a concept we had only just learned about—primed us to consider prayerfully whether this might be our church home.

‘CEO’ church leadership Thinking about church has long been on our hearts and minds as we have been shaped by over three decades of church contexts. My husband Matt and I grew up in large Southern Baptist megachurches in Georgia. While we are grateful for the love for Scripture that those communities instilled, the application of those scriptures regarding the concept of leadership was a source of tension.

Language of ‘servant-leadership’ and ‘Paul-Timothy’ models of discipleship thinly veil the reality that our churches ran as businesses far more than as families. The pastor, always assuredly a ‘he’, functioned as the CEO of the corporation. He would lead multiple staff, who served at his will, and could make unilateral decisions affecting

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several thousand church members.

He required charisma, financial acumen and the ability to cast a vision for the whole community. The ‘success’ of the church rose or fell based on his effective communication, moral standing and strategic planning.

After marrying, Matt and I moved to California to attend seminary together.

There we found a smaller church with much of the same structure.

After serving there for four years, we continued to run into tensions with this church‑as-business model. We spent much of the fifth year trying to work it out, through extensive prayer and many long conversations, but we kept running into impasses on church leadership.

These beliefs were further sharpened in our studies as Matt and I earnestly sought out what the New Testament has to say about leadership.1 Ironically, what we found is that the New Testament is not overly concerned with leadership, but it is enraptured with Christ-centered community.

Pearl/lightstock.com

Baptist / F O O D F O R T H O U G H T

We w a nt to i m ita te our leaders, not because they are in charge, but because they imitate Christ.

Yes, leadership matters, as seen in language of elders, bishops, and under-shepherds. But these people consistently operate in functional, not positional, ways: serving is based on gifting more so than office.

‘Earned influence’ leadership Furthermore, Paul is especially concerned that all believers are moving from immaturity to maturity. All believers have the potential to be an elder in the faith, but this is a by‑product of maturity. Maturity is what his letters are consistently calling people toward— not so much being leaders, but being mature in Christ‑likeness. Such maturity then enables leadership. This is not positional, command-directive authority, but an earned influence. (By command-directive, I mean, “You must do x, or I will enforce y consequence.”)

In other words, when Christians look more like Christ, others want to look like them. The leaders lead by example, not by position.

Part of the confusion in all of this, we have found, is that we often conflate the unique authority of Jesus, or the temporary authority of the apostles, with the kind of authority we think pastors and elders should have.

However, this is not the picture we get in the New Testament.

Take Corinth, for example, a rowdy bunch of immature Christians. They had all kinds of moral problems and internal strife. One would think that Paul would address the letter to the person in charge so that he/she could get this raucous group in line with speed and efficiency. But that is not what he does. Paul writes to the whole community, expecting them to

corporately take responsibility for their immaturity and the consequences of their infantile state. Looking at the rest of the New Testament, depending on the level of maturity in each community, Paul’s tone shifts to be more or less commanding with an appropriately apostolic authority.

‘Whole body’ authority This does not mean that there is no place for command‑directive authority in our churches today. However, this is a last resort kind of authority, and it is not actually vested in the pastor, or even the eldership team, but in the whole body.

An excellent example of this is Matthew 18:15-17 where Jesus spells out the process for church discipline.

First, the person offended approches the offender to seek out reconciliation.

If there is no repentance, then the offended party brings along one or two witnesses. If there is still no repentance, the offended party brings the offence before the entire community. This is the strongest form of command-directive authority given to believers who are not apostles and it is the community that has this authority regarding how to handle the non-repentant offender.

Even so, how this is meant to be done is moderated by the context. This text in Matthew immediately follows the parable of the lost sheep. The aim of the discipline is always reconciliation.

The point is never about ‘who gets to be in charge’, even when the whole community has this responsibility.

Growing into Christ-likeness Leadership definitely matters, and this is a gift from God for the healthy functioning of our church communities. However, it is the nature of that leadership that often needs to be questioned. Instead of command‑directive authority, the emphasis in the New Testament is on maturing into Christ-likeness. As we become more like him, we actually earn influence in our communities so people want to follow us. But this is

really a by‑product of Christ-likeness.

We don’t ‘sit under’ the teaching of the senior pastor, because we all sit at the feet of Jesus together as his disciples. We want to imitate our leaders, not because they are in charge, but because they imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 4:16 and 11:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:7,9; Philippians 3:17).

Matt and I see this model of leadership in place at the local Baptist church we are attending, now face to face. The co-pastor team models Christ-likeness, and they teach with humility. The microphone is shared among multiple people every week.

Children are dignified members of the community, and toddlers roam around during the service. Dozens of people are involved with greeting, children’s church, set up, tear down, offering collection, preaching, singing and praying. Everyone is encouraged to move from immaturity to maturity and from spectating to participating.

From what we have seen, this is a church that is a whānau instead of a business—and it’s a community where we are excited to grow with our brothers and sisters into the likeness of Christ Jesus.

Contributor: Christa McKirland Christa is a lecturer in systematic theology at Carey and moved to New Zealand in January 2020 to take up that post. She is married to Matt and they have two children, Raya (4) and John (18 months). They are loving exploring the country and are so grateful to be here.

1. “Who’s in Charge? Questioning Our Common Assumptions About Spiritual Authority,” Matthew McKirland & Christa L McKirland: CBE International, www.cbeinternational. org/resource/article/priscilla-papersacademic-journal/whos-chargequestioning-our-common-assumptions.

v.136 no.4 † rua tekau mā rima 25

Baptist / F O O D F O R T H O U G H T

RACISM

REPENTANCE, REVERSAL & REPAIR Reflecting the heart of God

Speaking at an ‘hour of prayer’ event on 18th June 2020 to mark an international stand by Baptists against racism, the general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, Elijah Brown, quoted African-American pastor William Shaw: “Jesus’ ministry was not the work of relief but of reversal.” Brown went on to say, “What we need today is not relief; it is repentance and reversal and repair.” We asked Josie Te Kahu and Andy Shudall for permission to share pieces they had written for other contexts about racism and reconciliation.

A different way of being Josie’s article was originally written for Baptist Women.* Here within the Baptist movement of Aotearoa, we have already started our bicultural relationship/ engagement/journey.

This recognises the value and importance of hearing from those voices who are often silenced. It also acknowledges the treaty partnership between tangata whenua and tangata tiriti.

Recently, with Baptist Women of Aotearoa, we recognised the need for co-design, co-creation to ensure that, collectively, our voices are contributing at strategic, resource and implementation levels.

It is really important that this is a priority for Baptist women, regardless of the climate we find ourselves in. That we are actively engaging and seeking each other’s voices about decisions. In doing so, we create thought processes and actions that benefit all, rather than some.

If this is our constant state of being, we will always be actively changing the organisational culture that exists, and creating deep culture change. One that reflects the heart of God. It is this commitment to daily relate to one another that provides an

example of a different way of being to a divided world in turmoil.

Our actions should speak louder than our voices. We don’t need to comment or excuse ourselves or make any declarations.

Perhaps our only declaration is that we will remain diligent about working collaboratively in order that we might see each other. Acknowledge each other. Respect each other. Love each other and be willing to give preference to each other. If we commit ourselves to this, we will offer the world around us an example of the transformational love of Jesus. One that can unify us rather than divide us.

Racial disharmony will rise to the surface every so often because there is an enemy in the world who seeks always to undo the good that God does. Therefore we shouldn’t be surprised that racism exists, but we must never be accepting of it. Let’s not be found sleeping or apathetic, but may we instead be found to be providing hope and light and life.

On a practical level, I would encourage local churches to contact our Manatū Iriiri Māori to discuss how deep culture change can occur within their church and community. Also,

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Jennie Ekigbo is involved in a Christian racial justice and reconciliation group called Be the Bridge. It has a helpful resource for white New Zealanders to recognise and understand their own racial bias. It is a suitable programme for groups and churches, as I understand it. You can access it at bethebridge.com/btb101 or you can email Jennie at jennie@bethebridge.com if you would like to learn more.

Contributor: Josie Te Kahu Josie’s tribal affiliations are Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Paoa and Ngāi Tahu. She is married to Rewai Te Kahu, with three sons—Manaakinui, Caleb and Joshua.

She is a home educator, business owner and mentor, trustee and chairperson for Te Aroha Noa Community Services Trust Board, a strategic team member for Manatū Iriiri Māori, and an elder at Palmerston North Central Baptist Church.

God hates racism This article was originally posted on Andy’s personal Facebook profile on 3rd June 2020.* Five times in the book of Revelation, the term “[a crowd of] ...persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” appears.

This crowd sing God’s praise together (5:9), having been declared pure (7:9); together they witness the judgement of God on humanity (11:9), suffer under the Beast’s cruelty (13:7) and receive the ‘eternal gospel’ (14:6).

The only things to indicate their diversity— ethnicities and languages—are here before the throne of God. Our skin colour, our languages, will remain and be renewed and endure into eternity— our unity in Christ is adorned by our diversity. Dignity in all humanity is declared by the sanctification and adoption of the full breadth of human society into this eternal whānau/family of faith.

Black Lives Matter. God Hates Racism.

Once, 20 years ago, in the middle of teaching a diverse group of God’s people from Scripture and talking about the hope of eternity, I began the sentence “Our differences will fade away...” and was deeply convicted about what I functionally believed.

I was struck by the work of the Holy Spirit, of the deeply racist and white supremacist belief that we would all be white in heaven. No one had taught me that; no one had sat me down and imparted it, but there it hit me—as I finished the sentence.

I stood, looking at their faces in different hues of blacks, browns and pinks.

WE DON'T NEED A LITTLE CHANGE; WE NEED REPENTANCE. WE NEED TRANSFORMATION, NOT TEARS, AND RESOLUTE REORDERING, NOT PASSIONATE PROFESSIONS.

“I’m sorry,” I continued, “but I need to repent...”

I repented of my functional white supremacy, there, in the middle of that talk, the preacher undone in preaching by the gospel of God I was preaching.

You may be better than I am—in fact, I’m sure you are—but don’t think that this is an American problem, a Republican problem, a ‘them’ problem.

Racism is deeply ingrained in our society, insidiously set in our world views and unconscious functioning beliefs, and is part of the air that we breathe and the way that feels most natural to us.

We don’t need a little change; we need repentance.

We need transformation, not tears, and resolute reordering, not passionate professions. And the burden for change rests not on those protesting in the USA but on those of us who experience the reflexive privileges of being white.

Is there anything wrong with being white? Not at all, but asking that question and especially in the context of today even asking that question at all, is to deliberately gaslight the entire world. To deny that white privilege and therefore white fragility exists is to assert that the dis/comfort of white folk trumps the dignity of black folk and therein we become the illustrations of the problem we seek to deny.

Black Lives Matter into eternity. That’s why all this matters now.

Contributor: Andy Shudall Andy is of Anglo-Irish descent, has lived in New Zealand for 15 years and is married to Ines. They have three adult children and one grandchild, with another one on the way. Andy is a member of Titirangi Baptist Church, where he serves as senior pastor.

For clarity, Andy writes “The Black Lives Matter movement is older than the Black Lives Matter Global Network who own blacklivesmatter.com. BLM as a slogan of the movement is broader than, and existed before, any statements of the Black Lives Matter Global Network.”

*With the writers’ approval, both Josie’s and Andy’s original articles have had minor changes for our publication, either to add extra explanatory detail or to fit the magazine’s editorial style.

v.136 no.4 † rua tekau mā whitu 27

Baptist / H E A L T H Y R E S O U R C E S

4

benefits of a good

accounting system

During this time of economic uncertainty, a modern accounting system is important to provide key and timely information to church leaders. Cameron Fisher of CATAS lists four advantages of having such a system.

An accounting system shouldn’t be seen as just another cost, but as something that can add value, provide insight and improve efficiency. There are several options on the market, with Xero accounting software increasingly becoming a popular option for churches around the country. While many have modernised how they do their accounting, a number of churches are still using aging software or Excel spreadsheets.

Here are four ways a modern and up-to-date accounting system can benefit your church:

1. Improved efficiency Spreadsheets and almost all older systems require a lot of time to input the base data from bank statements.

The advantage of many new systems is automated bank feeds.

All of the transactions that go through your bank accounts will automatically appear in the system, ready to be allocated. This cuts a huge amount of time off accounts processing each year. Administrators’ and treasurers’ time will be spent on allocating and reporting, rather than on manual data entry. This takes some of the time burden off volunteers or can save a church thousands of dollars annually in administrators’ wages spent on this task.

2. Up-to-date reporting By keeping on top of the transactions, your church leaders will have an up-to-date and accurate snapshot

of the church’s financial position and performance at any point in time.

As the sudden impact of COVID-19 has shown us, it is crucial to quickly understand the financial health of the church. How much cash do we have available? What is owed to us? What do we owe? What does our regular cash flow look like?

A modern system enables churches to track and report their financial activity throughout the year in a timely and relevant manner. Reports can show the total income and expenses for a month just passed, compare how spending compares to the budget, and show whether you are taking in more money than what is spent.

The insights these reports provide enable better decision making and help to maintain the church’s financial health and long-term sustainability.

3. Multiple user access Rather than software installed on a computer, a number of modern systems are now used through a web browser. This enables multiple users to access it at different permission levels. The accounts team will need to allocate and process transactions but an elder or trustee may just need read-only access, so they can view reports but not change anything.

This helps to build transparency and promote oversight of the church finances.

4. Records maintenance With the systems now based online,

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all of the data is stored in the cloud.

This data is backed up and secured across many servers, keeping your information safe—no more files lost because of failed hard drives, or years of records spread over different volunteers’ personal computers.

As time goes by and there are changes in administrators or treasurers, all of the church’s financial history is retained and available in one system. This provides consistency and stability for the finances.

Xero in particular includes a function to upload any receipts, invoices or bills, which can be attached to the relevant transaction.

This makes it easy to keep these records and find them when needed.

It also cuts down significantly on the need to print them out, saving on paper, printer ink and physical storage space.

Contributor: Cameron Fisher Cameron is the chief executive of CATAS. He is passionate about releasing churches from their compliance and financial administrative burdens, enabling them to have more resources to focus on their missional purpose.

To find out more or to get in touch, go to catas.co.nz or email info@catas.co.nz.

Baptist / C O M M U N I Q U É

The June Assembly Council meeting occurred once again via Zoom, although we were just out of the period of rāhui or lockdown we have all experienced together as a country.

Our current Assembly Council is made up of John Alpe (St Albans, Christchurch), Paul Askin (Oxford, Canterbury), Blue Bradley (Mosaic, Auckland), Helen Brereton (Kaikohe, Northland), Chris Chamberlain (Oxford Terrace, Christchurch), Premadas Devasundara Das (Otahuhu Community, Auckland) and Luke Kaa-Morgan (Auckland).

We appoint four Assembly Council members of a possible total of eight at each annual Hui. I encourage you to speak with your regional leader, or to make contact with me or our national leader, Charles Hewlett, if you wonder about participating in this work. We need a representative mix of people—not just older pastors! We particularly want to talk with any commercial, legal or Baptist ecclesiology folk who are also experienced in governance. It is also important to us that diversity is present at the table: culture, gender, age and region being important examples of this. It’s a delicate dance sometimes as we consider our balance, based on what the Hui has decided.

Join me in praying that, as we proceed, we become more and more a group that expresses who we need to be as the governance crew of our movement.

Charles Hewlett and our brilliant Baptist National Centre team have had so much to contend

with arising from the pandemic. As a result, big questions were up for discussion in our last meeting. Do we hold an annual Hui or not this year? What if the lockdown levels are raised again later in the year? Are any of our churches facing crisis due to financial constraints? What about meeting the already tight budget agreed at last year’s Hui, and how will it look for next year? How are our whānau in NZBMS and Carey getting on?

How are our Associations faring?

Embedded in our conversations is a growing appreciation of the rich Baptist distinctive of unity that is found in that central word: association.

We work better as a movement when we notice, engage and support one another, aka ‘associating’. Thriving faith communities that are seeing people and places touched for the sake of Jesus continues to motivate the Assembly Council.

We prayed for this together as we ended our meeting. In August we hold a two-day retreat, with additional time for visits from different folk we need to ‘associate’ with.

God’s best for you Chris Chamberlain Assembly Council Chair

Assembly Council acts as the Assembly between annual Baptist Assemblies (Hui) and provides leadership for our Baptist movement. It is responsible for establishing policies and practices consistent with the determinations of Baptist Assembly and the well‑being of the movement.

v.136 no.4 † rua tekau mā iwa 29

Jordan Whitfield/unsplash.com

Baptist / W H A T ’ S O N Y O U R M I N D ?

“Now thank we all our God” I love hymns. They can shape one’s heart and give voice to distress or joy. I was charmed to find out that A H Reed, publisher and New Zealand’s grand old man of walking, would fling the window wide every morning and sing a hymn. I have no doubt that at times he sang “Now Thank We All Our God” through the window of his home in Mornington, Dunedin.

Towards the beginning of lockdown I remembered this hymn and realised that it accords entirely with the theme of thanksgiving in the midst of a pandemic (1 Thessalonians 5:8 “In everything give thanks...”) that we at Dunedin City Baptist Church were being challenged to adopt.

The author of the hymn, Martin Rinkart, was born in 1586 in the walled city of Eilenburg, Saxony, Germany.

Despite coming from a poor family, he attended school, delighting in music and learning. He later studied theology at the University of Leipzig. After a short spell as minister of the church at Eisleben, the famed birthplace of Martin Luther, he returned to his home town, becoming archdeacon of the Eilenburg Lutheran Church at the age of 31. This was the year the Thirty Years’ War broke out, ravaging the country.

Unexpectedly, Rinkart found himself ministering in the ‘worst of times’.

Political refugees flocked to Eilenburg in droves, seeking asylum within its stout walls. They then had to be fed and accommodated. This led to overcrowding and an unprecedented squeeze on resources. The Austrian

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and Swedish armies overran or besieged the city, pillaging and laying waste. Then, most grievously, in 1637 the plague came to Eilenburg, and people, already weakened and discouraged, succumbed in enormous numbers.

What does a minister do in a drastic time like this? Well, this minister, Rinkart, remained faithful at his post for the duration of the war, a fabulous example of Eugene Peterson’s “long obedience in the same direction”. The only surviving pastor in the town, he helped nurse the sick, prayed with the dying and conducted scores of funerals (nearly 5,000 altogether). In the year 1637 some 8,000 people died and, heartbreakingly for him, Rinkart’s own wife was one of them.

Throughout, remarkably, he was known for his upright good cheer.

At one stage the Swedish army demanded a large tribute payment from the town. Rinkart pleaded for a reduction. The Swedish commander refused. Rinkart turned to his parishioners and said, “Come, my children, we can find no mercy with this man. Let us take refuge with God.” Rinkart prayed. The Swedish commander, thoroughly moved

by Rinkart’s devoutness, promptly lowered the tribute payment.

The war eventually ended but the suffering didn’t. The hostilities had prevented people from doing their usual farming work, and there was therefore no food. Famine followed, so bad that “30 or 40 people might be seen fighting in the streets for a dead

cat or crow.” Proper recovery was slow in coming to the city, the ongoing distress of the populace obvious.

Apparently people would stand outside Rinkart’s house, imploring him to help them. That he did, with the limited resources he had.

Rinkart believed in the inspiration and comfort of hymn singing and wrote some 66 hymns altogether.

No one knows exactly when he penned “Now Thank We All Our God”, but it was probably towards the end of the war. It’s likely that it began as a family prayer before meals, eventually assuming prominence in Germany as the “Te Deum”, the hymn sung on occasions of national thanksgiving.

It’s remarkable, when one examines the hymn closely and remembers the context in which it was written, how absent are words of complaint at the many trials faced. Indeed, the words are exclusively ones of thankfulness, calm repose and trust. I read that Rinkart composed the hymn for the survivors of the city, and that he knew there’s “no healing without thanksgiving”. Indeed, the theme of his life until it ended in 1649, the year after hostilities came to an end, was that the providence of God is always good.

Here are the words, as translated

by Catherine Winkworth in 1858.

(The usual tune is “Nun Danket”.)

Now thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices; who, from our mothers’ arms,

hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us, and keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ills in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given, the Son and Him who reigns with them in highest heaven: The one eternal God, whom heaven and earth adore; for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Contributor: Jenny Beck Jenny has worked in the legal field for more than 30 years and is the sole principal of Jenny Beck Law. She is mum to eight sons and is involved in various ministries at Dunedin City Baptist Church.

1. Kenneth W Osbeck, 101 Hymn Stories (Grand Rapids: OM Books, 1982).

2. Elsie Houghton, Christian Hymn-Writers (Mid Glamorgan: Evangelical Press of Wales, 1984).

3. Kathleen Blanchard, Stories of Popular Hymns (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).

Passing Notes The Simple Sermon.—We received through a freak of the mails—which are very freakish just now—an English “Baptist” with a verbatim report of a sermon by the new Pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in it.

We read the sermon, which was on the text, “Worthy is the Lamb.” We were not impressed. We thought the sermon “thin.” That was our fault, our most grievous fault. That simple sermon was full of Christ. It glorified Christ. No sermon is a sermon unless it does that. To see adown the avenue of words the face of Jesus, is for the sermon to have succeeded—for us. We presently received the earlier “Baptist” with “Scrutator’s” account of that sermon. We reproduce it here: “We rushed from the “Fraternal” meeting to hear the sermon by the Rev. H. Tydeman Chilvers, the new minister of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. To most of us he was a perfect stranger, and all were eager to hear the message of the man who has been called to stand in the succession to Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It is scarcely necessary to add that we felt the stirrings of sympathy and goodwill towards him. The gigantic task which faces him, the courage with which he has responded to the call, the serene faith which animates him, have moved the whole denomination, and we came together not merely out of curiosity to hear him, but by our presence to wish this modest, brave man Godspeed...The simplicity of his diction, his unassuming demeanour, the entire absence of pose, his passion for the central things of the Gospel, the bare, unadorned setting forth of the Redeemer’s glory, disarmed the critical mood, and we just surrendered ourselves to the spirit of adoration.

The effect upon his hearers was significant. One was heard to remark...“It made me feel ashamed of myself, that I have exalted Christ so little in my ministry.”

There we leave it.

Baptist magazine, August 1920 (abridged)

v.136 no.4 † toru tekau mā tahi 31

Gospel Perspective/lightstock.com

100 Years Ago

Directory PASTOR

BAPTIST HUI 2020

EVANGELICAL, EXPERIENCED, ENERGETIC MINISTER

SAVE THE DATE BAPTIST HUI 2020 5-7 November Snell’s Beach is on the edge of the Auckland super city that is a dynamic growth area.

The church has also grown as young couples move into the area so we are in an exciting season of ministry.

Manukau City Baptist Church More details coming soon!

PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR BAPTIST MAGAZINE

We are looking for a full or part-time Pastor who will: • enjoy being a team leader and build a team who are involved in ministry; • love to build a life giving church family that will reach out to the local community; • be challenged by the potential for growth.

FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL jandcleaver@hotmail.com

GAY & CHRISTIAN

PONSONBY BAPTIST

Gay & Christian support & discussion group monthly meetings

KEY AREAS:

• Preaching with a sound theological understanding of the Word of God. 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.

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.

027 279 4461 office@ponsonbybaptist.org.nz

EMAIL linda@baptistmag.org.nz

ponsonbybaptist.org.nz/gay-and-

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

christian-information

Based in the Bay of Plenty, we are seeking an evangelical, experienced and energetic minister to be the spiritual and pastoral leader of the Omokoroa Community Church.

This is a vibrant, growing and friendly fellowship of committed believers of various denominations.

There is an Anglican liturgical service at 8.30am, a contemporary family service at 10am and a monthly prayer and praise service at 7pm.

32 toru tekau mā rua † v.136 no.4 baptistmag.org.nz

• Passion and vision for evangelism and outreach.

• Pastoral leadership.

• Inspirational and encouraging leader with skills to build a team.

This is a full-time position.

We welcome applications from people who are legally able to work in New Zealand.

Applications close: 2 September 2020 PLEASE POST OR EMAIL YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST AND CURRICULUM VITAE TO: The Church Administrator, Omokoroa Community Church, 139 Hamurana Road, Omokoroa, Tauranga 3114 EMAIL: tanya@theocc.org.nz FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND FOR THE CHURCH PROFILE PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE ON 07 548 2515

Glo bal Mis si on

Photo of the month In this edition, we focus on the bicultural journey of NZBMS. It’s a journey that is in its early stages but which NZBMS is committed to. In this photo, taken at this year’s NZBMS staff hui, Kaihautū David Moko of Manatū Iriiri Māori leads a session on NZBMS and biculturalism.

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

v.136 no.4 † toru tekau mā toru 33

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

A word from Alan A JOURNEY WE ARE ON All across the world, statues are being pulled down and dismantled, cities are being renamed, and sports teams are changing their names and logos. All in an attempt to expunge connections with racist and exploitative leaders who have shaped our societies.

At NZBMS, we too have tragic decisions and former leaders who expressed views that, in the light of today’s thinking, can only be described as racist and exploitative. We have feet of clay and, though we have never been a movement that builds statues to previous leaders, if we were, we also could be facing calls to pull them down— legitimate calls!

Our response is to learn our history, the good, the bad and the ugly. To own up to the bad and the ugly and develop the good. To hear from Māori. To listen patiently and intently to the past harm done and to grieve that, which in the light of the gospel, is found wanting. To tell our full story in unvarnished fashion while naming our mistakes. And then, as gospel people, as people who believe in redemption, to ask forgiveness and live differently.

This is the journey we are on. It’s one we pray will reshape NZBMS and our approach to mission with God’s people all around the world.

Tama tu, tama ora, Tama noho, tama mate, Kia kaha e hoa ma!

Don’t be discouraged, give it heaps my friends!

Alan Jamieson, General Director

NZBMS & BICULTURA A JOURNEY The first Mission Council meeting of 2020 included a historic and poignant moment as we met with Te Kapa Rautaki, (the Māori Baptist Strat Team) to apologise for the historic abandoning of mission to Māori by the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, and specifically NZBMS, for sixty years from 1888 to 1948.

Tears flowed as David Allen, chairman of NZBMS Mission Council and Baptist Union President, read the official letter of apology. Everyone in the room was deeply aware of this emotionally significant moment. The letter said, in part: Council wishes to acknowledge a decision made at our AGM in 1888 that was to take no immediate action with regards to Māori and instead to focus on India. We also acknowledge the consequences that resulted in no significant engagement with Māori by our movement for over 60 years and until the establishment of the Māori Committee in 1948. We also regret and disagree with a number of statements made by the then General Secretary H H Driver, that reinforced the attitude of neglect and exclusion and a legacy that has continued.

The fact is, even prior to this time, from 1840s–1880, there is no evidence of any significant Baptist initiative to engage with Māori. The first Baptist Māori Mission, a lone endeavour, began in 1882. It was focused on the sale of alcohol to Māori in the Rotorua area and saw the establishing of a Māori temperance

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N Z B M S

movement. New Zealand Baptists supported this through prayer and through Mission Boxes, a new financial initiative.

This mission was short-lived, scuttled by the death of the initiator and a complaint from Māori that the remaining missioner’s “attitude and actions were disrespectful and insulting to Māori”.1 This complaint was never followed up and, when the lead missioner resigned, no replacement was sought.

With the beginnings of NZBMS, the focus of churches moved to concern for evangelism in India. The hope of Indian evangelistic success and the perspective of the time that Māori were a dying race, meant even this meagre support moved. The first secretary of NZBMS, H H Driver contrasted the 40,000 “vanishing” Māori with the growing influence of the millions across India. In May 1885, Mission Box money was to be split 50:50 between Māori mission and Indian mission. By July the same year, 100% of the money raised was designated to Indian mission. While a few advocated for work with Māori, the 1888 Annual Meeting recommended that, with the prior commitment and cost of the work in India, no action be taken in the establishment of a Māori mission.

NZBMS’s tragic neglect of Māori mission is something we must ask forgiveness for as we work to reengage with Māori as genuine partners.

Over recent years, NZBMS and our movement of Baptist churches have taken steps to name and apologise for past neglect, to learn from our Māori leaders, to uphold biblical and treaty principles, and to realise the gospel message we have to share in the world is enriched through biculturalism, the unique gifts of Māori in mission and the humility of learning from and grieving our past errors, and choosing to partner with Māori in new ways.

This is the journey we are on. If you want to know more, a good place to start is to read, Baptist Māori Speak: Ko Ngā Kōrero o Ngāi Māori Iriiri by Mission Council member, Rāwiri Auty.

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TE IWI KAIKAWE RONGOPAI O NGĀ HĀHI IRIIRI O AOTEAROA Casey Horner/unsplash.com

LISM— JUST BEGUN

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It was at the 2016 Baptist Hui in Dunedin, that Rewai Te Kahu, then a member of the NZBMS Mission Council, met with members of the Strategic team of Manatū Iriiri Māori as together they discussed Te Iwi Kaikawe Rongopai o ngā Hāhi Iriiri o Aotearoa as a Maori translation of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. The name was formally adopted

by Mission Council at their December 2016 meeting.

The Māori name has two parts to it: ‘te Iwi Kaikawe Rongopai’ (Society/people that carry the good news), and ‘o Ngā Hāhi Iriiri o Aotearoa’ (of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand).

So, Te Iwi Kaikawe Rongopai o Ngā Hāhi Iriiri o Aotearoa translates to “The people who carry the Good News from the Baptist Churches of New Zealand.”

Rewai commented, “When I think of this Māori name, Matthew 28 comes to mind. Jesus has commissioned the church to make disciples of all nations. As a people we are called into the world, here in Aotearoa and overseas, to carry the Good News as we are directed by the Holy Spirit. Together we are called to grow and go.”

1. Rāwiri Auty, “Baptist Māori Speak: Ko Ngā Kōrero o Ngāi Māori Iriiri” (Master of Applied Theology. diss., Carey, 2018), 22.

v.136 no.4 † toru tekau mā rima 35

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

From a

different

perspective

With this edition’s focus on the bicultural journey of NZBMS, we asked two of Tranzsend’s overseas workers to share a few words on how NZBMS’s bicultural journey had helped shape their work overseas.

F

or some years, we have served within Tranzsend’s long-term relationship with a predominantly tribal organisation in South Asia.

Some years ago, I listened to my friend, from this tribal group of one hundred thousand people, tell me of the injustices he had experienced from a different majority people group. I realised how the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi had saved my country from more pain.

Talking with my tribal friend helped me to understand what it was like to be in the minority, and to be misunderstood and disrespected.

Coming from a Pākehā background, with a history of insensitive relationship toward Māori, I had some learning to do. I discovered the adventure of serving cross‑culturally was helping us to appreciate the tangata whenua of Aotearoa New Zealand.

From John in South Asia

T

o do cross-cultural mission is to discover the multifaceted brilliance of God that is displayed in the diversity of all people groups. In our context, I found a people of resilience who have suffered colonialism, partition and natural disasters.

Like the pearl of great price, shaped through adversity, these things have formed their values, characteristics and traditions.

I found myself captivated by their vibrancy, craftsmanship, hospitality and spiritual awareness.

In learning from them, I wait for them to invite me to participate in their lives and celebrate who they are. Friendships were quickly formed, in which they accepted me as their own.

My desire is that they are empowered to be all that they can be and, in so doing, find God’s love in a new and deeper way.

From Peter in South Asia

36 toru tekau mā ono † v.136 no.4 baptistmag.org.nz

We’re in this together

7

habits of highly effective church overseas mission teams

This column provides information and encouragement to help church mission committees promote mission within our churches. Here are seven habits of highly effective church overseas mission teams—check out how well your team is doing.

1. They promote vision and purpose.

Those involved in mission are called by God as he provides vision and purpose for their lives. A central role of a church’s overseas mission team is to sow the seeds of mission into the lives of individuals that will enable them to recognise and respond to that call.

2. They create a strategy.

Mission never just happens. It grows out of a well‑thought-out mission programme that includes planned and promoted events, trips, appeals, speakers and regular communication. Only by having an intentional plan does a church gain mission momentum.

3. They focus on specific workers and projects.

A shotgun approach to mission support never works. Focus your efforts on promoting specific overseas mission workers and projects that people can relate to and support.

4. They communicate the mission and its need.

Your mission strategy needs a communication plan. This may include: weekly newsletter slots, a mission focus during the church service, a regular prayer meeting or email prayer letter. Consistent communication is vital for promoting missions in your church.

5. They are upfront about money.

It takes money to achieve mission goals. Effective overseas mission teams believe in their mission goals and are courageous enough to ask for the funding to achieve it. Be bold and remember there are people in every congregation whose spiritual gift is giving.

6. They celebrate goals achieved.

The completion of a project, the return of an overseas worker, a first-time declaration of faith— these and other things should be celebrated as we see God blessing the work we are supporting.

7. They remember that this is God’s work.

In all we do, remember, mission is God’s work. We do all we can to plan and pray our goals into being, but he has the ultimate word.

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STORIES

Stories of Treasure and Transformation

We love sharing the different ways God is transforming the communities we are a part of. In this month’s edition of ‘Stories’, we feature two reports.

School life Here in South Asia, my school has begun a new school year but it looks very different to usual. COVID has meant schools are required to remain closed until 6th August, when the government will reassess the situation.

Like many schools around the world, we are starting the school year online. This has presented many challenges but our teachers and principal have risen to the challenge. Because I’m returning to New Zealand soon, I’ve handed my usual classes over to new teachers. That has left me free to help these new staff members adjust to their roles and help our graduates prepare for their exams. All are working hard to learn to use Google Classroom and switch to this new way of teaching and learning.

The school will face many challenges in the coming months as the lockdown and virus take a toll on our roll numbers. We have already lost a number of students, many due to financial difficulties. This will eventually lead to financial difficulties for the school.

We are trusting that our Father will watch over the school at this time and ensure the necessary finances are available. So far, we have seen many families remain loyal to the school but not quite as many as we’d like. Please join with us in praying for the school and its students who receive an education that can result in a transformation of their lives and those of their family members.

After school life Near our house, in the community we serve, there are a number of families with children. Our children play together with them. At first, they played with balls and bikes in the small lane each evening.

One day, our children invited their new friends to come and play at our house. We set up a room with toys, blocks and colouring‑in activities. Outside we had a trampoline, a basketball, and a soccer ball to kick around. It wasn’t long before we had about 10-15 children come over to play in the evenings after school.

While this started informally, we quickly came to realise the importance of providing opportunities and space for these local children to play. In this country, children are taught in formal classrooms by rote learning. We wanted to encourage creativity and freedom to choose how and what to play with at our house.

Nearly all the children in our neighbourhood live with their older grandparents, some living with just their mum or grandmother. This means they have no adult male role model at home. These kids particularly enjoy interacting and playing with my husband. They kick the ball around together and have a great time.

It’s been wonderful to get to know the children and meet their families. We would hope something ch room ulation u m w Ho pop good will come e world od he entir everyone sto t from this. if e up

From Carley in South Asia

R EAD M ORE

MISSIO

N

TRIVIA tak

From a Tranzsend worker in SouthEast Asia

side? side by g e 3 8

Answe

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about the work of Tranzsend at tranzsend.org.nz v.136 no.4 † toru tekau mā whitu 37

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

CARLEY RETURNING HOME

SMALL BITES

SAYING FAREWELL TO JONNY AND HELEN It was sad to recently say farewell to Jonny Petterson and Helen Futter, two of our NZBMS Auckland office staff.

Jonny has been the NZBMS administrator for the past three years and is moving to the Taranaki region to take up a challenging role where he will be setting up and running a transitional home for young people.

Helen has been the Marketplacers sales and administration manager for the past year.

She will continue her role at Trade Aid. Both Jonny and Helen have made valuable contributions to the NZBMS team through the work they do and the people they are. We will miss them and wish them God’s blessing for the future.

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2 02 0

PA S

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34%

2 24

Money raised so far (to June 2020) =

$59,872

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&

PRAYER AND SELF-DENIAL UPDATE NZBMS’s annual Prayer and Self-Denial Appeal is a perfect way to highlight overseas missions to your church.

A full resource kit provides presentation ideas, sermon outlines, children’s resources and videos.

If you would like to involve your church in overseas mission using the Prayer and Self-Denial resources, visit nzbms.org.nz and register your church.

38 toru tekau mā waru † v.136 no.4 baptistmag.org.nz

After eight and a half years teaching at GEMS School, Carley has made the decision to return to New Zealand. She will be hugely missed by the staff and students at GEMS where she has made a very real difference in the lives of many young people who were fortunate enough to have her as their teacher.

Carley shares about her leaving, “Rather than leave in early March, at the beginning of COVID, I made the decision to stay here. While I’m a fairly laidback and adaptable person, the ongoing situation here, and worldwide, has been challenging. As with many nations around the world, there has been continuing uncertainty and a growing atmosphere of fear and chaos amongst constantly changing information. It has been a good test of my ability to trust in God and go with the flow.

“While I don’t regret my decision to stay on, it has not been easy being here at the beginning of a new school year when I know I’m leaving. It’s been hard handing over aspects of my role that have been central to my life here for so long.

“My plan is to return to New Zealand in mid-August. That is dependent on the availability of flights and, with constantly changing policies in airports and transiting, no one can be certain what will happen.

I just need to MISSION keep trusting and would value your If each p prayers.” ers of space on had 1 m 2 = 7,200 k 2 ms .

(Less th an

TRIVIA ANSWE R the size of Q ue ens town— Lakes d istrict).

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Matthew

28:19

Find out how at nzbms.org.nz

Your Christian media ministry, bringing you a unique perspective on election and referenda issues On September 19, New Zealanders will go to the polling booths to vote in the general election, and for the End of Life Choice and Cannabis Legalisation & Control referenda.

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