Baptist Magazine v136 n5

Baptist Churches of New Zealand

baptistmag.org.nz

Social transformers Why church?

The church & racial justice

Referenda statements

SEEKING REAL COMMUNION †SENDING POST-COVID

| O c t o b e r / N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 0 | v. 1 3 6 n o . 5 |

ONLINE

EDITOR Linda Grigg linda@baptistmag.org.nz

Recently added

GLOBAL MISSION EDITOR Greg Knowles GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rebecca McLeay

BECOMING ANTI-RACIST Steve Davis reflects on how Pākehā can join together as allies for responding against prejudice and racism in New Zealand.

PYDT WINS FUNDRAISING AWARD Papanui Youth Development Trust recently won an award for their good news story of how they innovated during lockdown.

PRODUCTION MANAGER Kathryn Heslop ADVERTISING Fiona Maisey advertising@baptistmag.org.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS Sushila Nelson subscriptions@baptistmag.org.nz FINANCE MANAGER Rangiaruaru Hema — Baptist Churches of New Zealand PO Box 12149, Penrose, Auckland 1642, New Zealand +64 9 526 0338

THE ESSENCE A review of Brian Winslade’s latest book The Essence: Unpacking Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount about one of the most well-known sections of Matthew’s Gospel.

I’M RALPH, I’M DAD A book review of Dr Glennis Mafi’s account of her father’s journey with dementia—a mix of family story, poems, photos and illustrations and information about dementia and its treatments.

THERE’S A HAPPY MOON IN MY SIDE Karen Warner reviews Richard Black’s book aimed at helping children develop resilience and emotional awareness.

TOUCHING A NERVE A review of a collection of ‘Cartoons by Jim’ with mainly religious themes that are guaranteed to make you chuckle, wince or ponder.

COME FORWARD Jane N Dowling’s handbook for survivors of sexual abuse is reviewed, with a recommendation for counsellors, pastors and others to read it also.

— Printing ICG Print — Front cover photography Render Creative — 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.

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

by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ThePassionTranslation.com.

— Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand or the magazine’s editorial team.

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

THE FINAL CHOICE A timely review of a book by journalist Caralise Trayes about the End of Life Choice Act that is part of our referenda votes this October.

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CONTENT 04 A word from the editor Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

James 2:18, NLT. Included in a collection of cartoons that I recently reviewed for the Baptist magazine website was one created following the Christchurch earthquakes. “Where was God in all this destruction?” asks one fellow, with broken buildings, rubble and heavy machinery clearly evident in the background. “Right there,” says his companion. “Holding that shovel, driving that digger, carrying that child, giving out that food.”

Good deeds, as James wrote, are a necessary visible proof of faith. They are also evidence of a loving God in a world full of pain and heartbreak.

This issue captures stories from a number of people whose faith has been evident by their works. A man is honoured after 10 years leading a CAP Centre.

A woman paralysed for more than 50 years is awarded an MNZM for her services to people with disabilities.

A pastoring couple are farewelled after 25 years’ service. We profile a health professional who has faithfully served in the medical sphere here and in Bangladesh. We hear about a church that has a thriving ministry to rest home residents and other seniors living in their community. And in the Global Mission pages we read snippets from six overseas workers who are helping in schools, businesses and communities in Asia.

The 100 Years piece in this issue (page 32) was written two years after the 1918 flu epidemic raged through the world. COVID-19 is now leaving an eerily similar trail of destruction in health, finances and hope.

May we all show the love of God, and our faith in him, through our deeds. Our world needs it.

~ Blessings to you Linda Grigg

06 11 12

REFLECTIONS FROM CHARLES HEWLETT

Referenda statements OUR STORIES

PROFILE

Meet... Steve Withington FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Social transformers Why church?

The church & racial justice Community ministry runs deep

26 28 29 30 32 33

HEALTHY RESOURCES

Church insurance COMMUNIQUÉ

IN MEMORIAM

Richard Hunt WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

Seeking real communion DIRECTORY

GLOBAL MISSION

Sending post-COVID We’re in this together It’s what we do 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

Referenda

statements Considering our choices

One of Charles Hewlett’s responsibilities as national leader is to represent Baptist churches within the National Church Leaders Aotearoa New Zealand consortium.

He shares below statements that the consortium recently prepared about the referenda to be held at this year’s elections.

A

t the recent gathering of the National Church Leaders Aotearoa New Zealand consortium, we worked together on statements urging the people of New Zealand to vote cautiously in the upcoming referenda.

This is because both decisions carry the risk of inflicting serious long-term damage on our society,

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endangering vulnerable people, and making our country less safe for everyone. The national leaders of most New Zealand church denominations signed the two statements. I have included them here.

Having the ability to vote is an enormous privilege.

May God give you wisdom as we head towards election day on 17th October 2020 and you consider the choices that are before us as a nation.

1

The Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill We support the recent new provision in law (2019) for cannabis-based medicine to be available on prescription.

We also support the general move towards decriminalising cannabis users, and instead concentrating on a non-punitive health-based approach of helping those being harmed by cannabis use and addiction. We note that police are generally no longer prosecuting recreational cannabis use (and we want them to apply that discretion without any bias).

However we do not support the legalisation of recreational cannabis use, as proposed in the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill. We believe legalisation would help normalise cannabis use and increase its use (as has happened overseas). Cannabis use remains addictive and dangerous for some people, especially those under 25, and can induce psychosis, depression, loss of cognitive function, lung (and other) diseases, suicidal tendencies, and foetal harm.

Legalisation, and the rise of a cannabis industry with a network of retail shops in many communities, would undermine societal messages about reducing drug use (and also undermine the campaigns against tobacco smoking, and about driving under the influence of drugs).

The evidence from overseas is that legalisation would not end the black market in cannabis. In Canada, over 70% of cannabis is still purchased on the black market. Illegal dealers including gangs would continue to sell cannabis (at lower prices, with unsafe levels of THC, and also to those under the age of 20).

We are concerned that legalising and normalising cannabis use will increase domestic violence, cannabisrelated road deaths, workplace accidents, and educational failure. We are also worried that society’s socio-economically disadvantaged groups are likely to suffer most from the increased availability and use of cannabis.

We suggest that voting ‘No’ to the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill carries significantly fewer risks of long-term damage to New Zealand society than a ‘Yes’ vote.

We also suggest that a ‘No’ vote still leaves space for New Zealand to further decriminalise cannabis law in relation to users, while retaining penalties only in relation to producers and dealers. At the same time it could strengthen a health‑based approach towards those affected by drugs, while continuing to warn society about the risks of all drug use.

M AY G O D G I V E Y O U WISDOM AS WE H E A D TOWA R DS E L E C T I O N D AY.

2

The End of Life Choice Act As church leaders, we are very familiar with people being terminally ill and dying, and we have great empathy for the sorrow and anxiety they often go through.

We understand the reasons why euthanasia appeals to some people, as a way of alleviating individual suffering in the context of very serious illness.

However we do not support the End of Life Choice Act. We believe it would be an unethical and dangerous step for New Zealand society to allow doctors or nurse practitioners to actively end someone’s life or to assist them to commit suicide. We believe that is a line New Zealand should not cross.

We are confident that with good palliative care most people die with pain well controlled, and very often peacefully.

We believe that the End of Life Choice Act is too loosely framed, is more liberal than euthanasia laws in most other countries, and that it lacks enough effective safeguards, particularly against coercion: there is no ‘last resort’ clause, no requirement to see a palliative care specialist, no mandatory requirement for psychological assessment, no mandatory cooling-off period, no requirement to consult or tell family, no independent witness, and no adequate protection for doctors who object to euthanasia on spiritual or ethical grounds.

We note that overseas provision for euthanasia has almost always been widened to include other conditions, and those under 18, and has also been associated with an increasing incidence of involuntary euthanasia. We believe that those who will ultimately suffer most from euthanasia are society’s most vulnerable: the aged and frail, the poor, cultural minorities, and disabled people.

We respectfully encourage New Zealanders to help keep our society safer for those who are very vulnerable, and to vote against the End of Life Choice Act.

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

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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

Our Stories A decade at the helm Alastair McLay was recently farewelled as CAP Centre Manager at Northcote Baptist Church after 10 years in the role. It had been a job that brought together his life’s work within the wider Baptist church and his personal vision for the local church.

When Christians Against Poverty (CAP) arrived in New Zealand in 2007, Alastair and others in the Northcote Baptist leadership team jumped at the opportunity they saw to bridge the gap between church and community.

Consequently, Northcote was one of the first CAP Centres to be established in New Zealand. Today it is a thriving organisation employing three part-time staff and scores of church volunteers. Hundreds of homes have been visited and lives transformed, not only by the alleviation of debt and poverty, but also in many cases by a relationship with God. As CAP Centre manager, Alastair focused his energies equally between home visits, promoting CAP involvement in the church, and establishing Monday Muffins. The latter is a kind of halfway house support group where clients can receive unconditional support and a sense of belonging while growing their relationship with God. Alastair credits his lower socio-economic upbringing and a disability as a result of contracting polio at the age of two as two key formative experiences. They motivated him to develop keen financial acumen and to use his skills to help the underprivileged in whatever way he could.

Earlier this year, Alastair decided it was time to step back from the management role. At his farewell, Northcote Baptist Community Trust chairperson

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Reg Lewthwaite said, “When people see you hobbling towards their broken homes on your broken legs, you quickly establish a rapport with them. They soon get to know you are on their side. They open up their innermost secrets and ask you to help.”

Alastair is totally convinced of the vital link between social concern and evangelism. Of the hundreds of homes he visited as CAP Centre manager, almost none refused the offer of prayer, and all appreciated the shared testimony of those who visited with him.

“I am also convinced that there is nothing special in our approach or attitude that results in God touching our clients with his unfailing love. It is not some special gift of evangelism but a simple act of putting ourselves in the hand of God and then putting ourselves out there where people are hurting and encouraging them to come to him (Jesus) and to join with us,” says Alastair.

Contributor: Janice Norton

Pauline Stansfield receives MNZM Pauline Stansfield received an MNZM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) award at an investiture ceremony on 21st July 2020, for her services to people with disabilities.

Pauline, who was born on the North Shore in Auckland and who currently attends Northcote Baptist Church, was paralysed in a minivan accident while on holiday in Russia in 1969.

“I planned to be in Russia for two to three days but I ended up there for two months, in hospital,” says Pauline.

At the time of her accident, Pauline was on leave from her job as a nurse tutor at Royal Free Hospital in London. After a long recuperation, and now in a wheelchair, she returned to tutoring there for a further year.

Back in New Zealand, Pauline continued teaching nursing, both in Auckland and later in Wellington. When she moved back to Auckland some ten years later, she became a piano teacher. She also became a JP, serving her community in this way for about 30 years. In 2018 she

published a book about her accident and recuperation, called Russia Changed My Life.

Her MNZM award recognises her involvement with organisations such as the Otara Spinal Unit, Elevate and the Disabled Persons’ Assembly, in everything from governance, administration, mentoring newly paralysed people, and acting as nurse at one of Elevate’s annual national camps. 

PASTORS! How are you financially providing for your retirement?

The issuer is Baptist Retirement Trustee Limited

The Baptist Union Superannuation Scheme is tailored for people in pastoral positions in Baptist Churches.

Your terms of call should have provision for such an arrangement.

You contribute 6% of your stipend and your church similarly of which a proportion is deducted for tax. Investment earnings are exempt from tax.

Talk with your treasurer and request a Product Disclosure Statement from the Scheme Administrator admin@buss.org.nz.

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

Celebrating Baptist Writers Robin Cox

Glennis Mafi

“I have never regarded myself as an author,” Robin Cox says.

“While I have had a number of books linked to youth mentoring published over the years, a book for Christian educators was a totally different proposition.”

Robin, who attends Whangaparaoa Baptist Church, is speaking of his book 7 Key Qualities of Effective Teachers: Encouragement for Christian Educators.

In 2018, soon after retiring, Robin felt God nudging him to write a short, user-friendly book to encourage Christian educators. Declined by an Australian publisher, Robin next approached Wipf and Stock, which offered Robin a publishing contract within a week of being contacted. In January 2020, 7 Key Qualities of Effective Teachers was published.

“I was still finishing off that book when I felt God again nudging me,” says Robin. “In 2017 I had produced a series of free short podcasts about mentoring. How about updating those and turning them into a book? I contacted Wipf and Stock. Within 48 hours they had offered me another contract!

Mentoring Minutes: Weekly Messages to Encourage Anyone Guiding Youth was published in August 2020.

“Would you believe that the story does not end there?

During the lockdown in March,

Dr Glennis Mafi’s book I’m Ralph, I’m Dad, about her father’s journey with dementia, was launched on 26th July 2020.

Putting it together was a 10-year project. The book incorporates poems by Glennis, anecdotes about her father, Ralph Wood, plus family photos, illustrations by her artist step‑brother Graham Braddock, and medical commentary about dementia and its treatment.

“What started as fairly light‑hearted poems about Dad gradually became more of a thoughtful delving into what was really going on in his mind,” says Glennis, who attends Māngere Bridge Baptist Church.

“What makes a person, a person, regardless of what faculties they may have lost?

What can we do as people possibly destined to have dementia ourselves, or people who will care for someone with dementia, to take away the fear, to prepare for it, and to provide care with greater insight and more compassion? How can we soften the journey? Those thoughts and ideas are woven through the book and Dad’s story is almost like a parable, to help us think about it.”

Glennis believes that what we put into our minds as we go through life is likely to be what comes out when we have dementia. She observed this in her father. A devoted Christian,

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I was prayerfully walking along Orewa Beach. I felt God telling me to write a short book of encouragement to Christians of all ages about Barnabas, an apostle who has fascinated me for years. I sent the outline of the idea to Wipf and Stock.

Within three weeks I was offered another publishing contract. The Barnabas Prayer: Becoming an Encourager in Your Community will be published later this year.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think one Christian book would be picked up by a US publisher. And now, three books, all published in 2020! God is good, although I do wonder with a mixture of trepidation and excitement where he wants all this to go!”

For more information about Robin’s books, go to yess.co.nz.

Brian Winslade

Ralph would sometimes unexpectedly utter Scripture passages he had obviously memorised before his illness.

“Because we are spiritual people designed to relate to God, what we do about that in our younger life is likely to still be there at the end,” says Glennis.

“That’s something that made me pause and think. If I get dementia, I hope what comes out of my mouth and out of my behaviour will be a blessing and a joy. And I hope that I am still praising God and living for him, even if I have dementia.”

A review of I’m Ralph, I’m Dad is on the Baptist magazine website: baptistmag.org.nz/imralph-im-dad. To find out more about the book, contact Glennis at glennis.books@gmail.com.

Brian Winslade’s latest book is The Essence—Unpacking Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It explores the essential teaching of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 5-7, with discussion questions concluding each of the book’s 20 chapters.

Brian has been a Baptist pastor for over 40 years, in New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia and the USA. He is currently the senior pastor of Hamilton Central Baptist Church. He was the national leader of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand from 2001 to 2006, and national director for the Baptist Union of Australia from 2008 to 2011.

One of seven books Brian has written, The Essence is the second published with Wipf and Stock. While there are many resource books on this same passage of Scripture, the pitch for this one was something accessible and readable by those unfamiliar with the rarefied air of theological commentaries.

“I wanted to put something in the hands of ordinary Christians as a personal discipleship resource, or better still a discussion starter for small groups—reading a chapter a week,” says Brian.

“It reads like a manifesto at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

Were a person to grasp nothing else of Jesus’ teaching apart from the Sermon on the Mount, he or she catches the essence of his timeless message.”

The book began as a preaching series, and was polished during a short sabbatical in 2019, including a visit to Israel.

“What a privilege to wander the places Jesus walked and to visit the likely hillside where these life‑changing words were delivered. Every Christian, and every preacher, must wrestle with the application of Jesus’ famous sermon, as he clarified how God is to be understood and approached. His teaching on essential human ethics remain breathtakingly relevant for 21st century living,” says Brian.

For more information about The Essence and other books written by Brian, visit oikosbooks.nz. A review of The Essence is available on the Baptist magazine website baptistmag.org.nz/the-essence. 

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

Steve & Marijan Trim farewelled On 30th August 2020 Papamoa Baptist Church farewelled Steve and Marijan Trim, who have retired after faithfully leading the church for over 25 years.

In late 1994, fresh out of Carey, the Trims were invited to come to Papamoa Baptist. Steve, a keen surfer, couldn’t believe in the goodness of God giving him a pastoring job near the beautiful Bay of Plenty surf beach!

“We celebrate Steve and Marijan’s dedication to ministry,” said a church spokesman, Greg Dryden. “They have ‘put their hands to the plough and not looked back’. Over the years hundreds of people have found healing, refreshing and encouragement at Papamoa, being touched by the grace of God. “Many have also appreciated Steve’s clear and contemporary messages, often provoking us to think more deeply about who we are in Christ. His passion was always to see ‘lights of understanding come on’ as people got a deeper revelation of truth.

“While Steve has developed his leadership and gifts

of teaching and intercession, Marijan has been involved in a host of practical ministries. These include mainly music, Bright Beginnings Childcare Trust, worship leading, children’s ministry and most of the church administration—not to forget her amazing gift of hospitality and Dutch baking!

“This couple have worked hard, and the Lord would say ‘well done, good and faithful servants’. We wish them a well-deserved rest before they are ‘re-fired’, rather than retired, since we believe there is still plenty the Lord wants to do through them in the future.” 

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Baptist / P R O F I L E

meet…

Steve Withington health professional

Steve Withington is an elder at South West Baptist Church. He is a health professional and a recent past board member of Christian Medical Fellowship New Zealand. This is his story.

Tell us a bit about your medical background I am currently a rural hospital specialist working part‑time in Ashburton Hospital and a part-time senior clinical lecturer with the University of Otago, training future rural hospital specialists and other rural health professionals for New Zealand and the Pacific. I am also engaged in rural health research.

In the past I have worked as the director of both the Danish Bangladesh Leprosy Mission and the Leprosy Mission Bangladesh, as an internal medicine specialist at Ashburton Hospital, and as the executive director and physician at LAMB Hospital in northern Bangladesh.

What does Christian Medical Fellowship New Zealand (CMFnz) do?

CMFnz is a network of Christian doctors and medical students. It supports the work of Christian doctors both here and overseas, acts as a national voice on medical and ethical matters, and offers training to healthcare professionals who seek to be more effective witnesses to Christ in their workplace. This training is called the Saline Process. Saline, of course, is an essential fluid treatment that doctors use to resuscitate sick patients. It reminds us of the need, as Jesus said, to be salt (and light) in our world.

What has been your involvement with CMFnz? I have been a member of CMFnz on and off since I was a medical student in 1981. I stood down from the CMFnz board in June 2020, after two years. For the last 12 months I held the advocacy role for CMFnz, in its stance on ethical issues affecting society in general and the medical profession in particular. These issues include euthanasia and the End of Life Choice Bill referendum, but also legislation regarding abortion and cannabis, and ongoing ethical issues around equity of access to health and health care, and the interface of technology and health.

What is the connection between your faith and your choice of service and profession?

My faith was pivotal in my choice to enter medicine, to leave it for a brief time in favour of church-based youth work, to combine working in medicine part-time with part-time pastoring (at South West Baptist) from 2006 to 2012, and in the call to be involved in medical mission in Bangladesh for 11 years. I am passionate about supporting the call, preparation and ongoing service of others in medical mission.

I have always sought to be a Christian health professional, i.e. to express my following of Jesus in my work life, and other aspects of life, with sensitivity and respect. I’ve also always been interested in how we, as Christian doctors and medical students, can encourage our fellows to be followers of Jesus in healthcare, medicine and society, and to integrate our faith into every aspect of our lives.

The journey from student to doctor is not an easy one.

There are many pressures of time, travel, emotion and exhaustion, and faith needs nurturing along the way. People sometimes need pointers and/or mentors to help answer some of the profound ethical and existential questions that crop up in this journey—like how to walk humbly and grow, with resilience, when things don’t go as well as we hoped in the healing process.

Jesus was and is a healer, and it is a privilege to seek to follow him in seeking the health and healing of individuals and communities in our times, with many and varied challenges. As Jesus said “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV). It was this Scripture in the Bengali language that inspired my return to Bangladesh in 2013 and that continues to inspire my desire to serve him here in New Zealand—in hospital, home, university, neighbourhood and church. 

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

Social transformers Ministering to, and with, older people Last year, admittedly before the coronavirus pandemic appeared, the United Nations said that by 2030 people aged 60 years or over would outnumber, globally, children aged under 10.1 By 2050 they will number more than those aged 10 to 24 years.2 These statistics support the UN’s assertion that “population ageing is poised to become one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century.”3 In light of this, we asked Karl Vaters for permission to share his article about building a strong church by focusing on seniors. And we turned to a church in a region of New Zealand where a fifth of the population are retirement age— Blenheim Baptist Church’s Jackie Gibbison shares how they are ministering to older people in their community.

1. “International Day of Older Persons”: UN, www.un.org/en/events/olderpersonsday/index.shtml.

2. “World Population Ageing 2017: Highlights”: UN, www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WPA2017_Highlights.pdf.

3. “International Day of Older Persons”.

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GRANDMA WENT TO WOODSTOCK: Five principles for pastoring a vibrant older congregation

E

veryone in church leadership seems to be talking about how to reach millennials.

But what do you do when your church is filled with seniors? Is there a way to build a strong church with them? Or does it always have to be about younger people?

I hear those questions a lot. And I’m learning some great lessons in the conversations that follow.

The answer is yes. You can build a strong church by focusing on seniors.

Here are five principles I’ve learned about building a strong, healthy church with a congregation whose hair is more grey than spiky.

1

Do it on purpose Like anything else, if we’re going to do a good job ministering to and with seniors, we have to be intentional about it.

A church that’s filled with seniors because they’re the only ones left from the bygone glory days is not healthy.

But a church filled with seniors because it’s intentionally ministering to their needs and utilising their gifts can be very healthy, strong and a blessing to their community.

Right now, your church may be greying unintentionally.

But maybe that’s what you’re gifted at and called to do.

If so, don’t fight it, lean into it. If you’re already doing it by default, imagine how well you could do it on purpose.

2

Train, don’t just teach Most of today’s seniors were raised in an era in which we outsourced ministry instead of doing it ourselves. Outside of ushering, teaching Sunday school or singing in the choir, the average churchgoer in the 1950s-90s put their money in the offering so that others would do ministry for us. We paid our pastor to visit the sick, we paid missionaries to go to foreign lands, and so on.

And on Sunday, we paid to hear great teaching.

It’s time to shift that into a higher gear. Great teaching isn’t enough anymore. If it ever was. You can hear a fantastic sermon and go home impressed, but unchanged by it.

Teaching and preaching churches need to become discipling and training churches. This applies as much to senior believers as it does to younger believers.

Older Christians have a lot to contribute—and not just financially. But they’ll never step into their ministry gifting unless we expect it from them and equip them for it.

According to the late writer and Christian teacher

James Houston, “Our society is doing a good job of producing seniors, but not elders.”

Training is what makes the difference between just getting older, or becoming an elder.

3

Send them, don’t just tend them Seniors may not have the physical stamina to do some tasks any more. But they often have more time, finances and wisdom than their younger counterparts.

Yes, in a church filled with seniors, there will be more need for hands-on pastoral care. But that pastoral care should be distributed among the rest of the church body.

Caring for each other, not expecting paid clergy to do it all.

Valuing senior believers doesn’t just mean doing ministry for them, it means doing ministry with them.

So sure, the church can still take a bus trip to Branson.

But when they get home they can and should be activated into vibrant, life-giving ministry.

There’s no excuse for a church filled with passive Christian seniors any more than there’s an excuse for a church filled with passive Christian youth.

VA L U I N G S E N I O R BELIEVERS DOESN’T JUST ME AN DOING MINISTRY FOR THEM, IT ME ANS DOING MINISTRY WITH THEM.

4

Keep a forward focus The seniors who have been the backbone of your church are different than the seniors who are coming next.

Grandma went to Woodstock. She’s more likely to have hidden a copy of Rolling Stone from her parents than to have displayed the Saturday Evening Post on the coffee table.

This upcoming era of seniors (my era) won’t want the same things from church that my parents’ era wanted. And we won’t contribute to ministry in the same way, either.

A church that ministers to younger people needs to anticipate the needs of the next generation. A church that wants to stay strong while ministering to seniors’ needs to do the same thing.

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

The seniors who have been the backbone of your church are different than the seniors who are coming next.

The vital older church Intentionally ministering to and with an older congregation does not have to mean the church is dying. It can be vital, valuable and make great contributions to the Kingdom of God. But it won’t look like it used to look. And it won’t happen by mistake.

Look at least a decade ahead. Start asking how the 50-somethings of today might want to participate in the life of the church differently as they start greying.

The Jesus People of the ‘60s and ‘70s changed the way younger churches did ministry then. And they’ll change the way older churches do ministry in the future.

5

Find new ways to reach and keep them Just because a church is predominantly ministering to and with senior adults doesn’t exempt it from the Great Commission.

A vibrant older congregation needs to reach out to the older folks in their community, not just caring for the ones they’ve got (although that should certainly be done, too).

But the next generation of seniors will have far less interest in church traditions than the current one. Many of today’s mature adults have never attended church. Some never had a praying parent or grandparent.

So the tools we relied on to reach and keep previous generations of older adults won’t work on the next ones.

We’re going to have to think differently.

The pace of change will be slower than for a church that’s ministering to young people, but it will be just as relentless.

Contributor: Karl Vaters Karl has been in pastoral ministry for almost 40 years.

He is the teaching pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, a healthy small church in Orange County, California, where he has ministered for over 27 years with his wife, Shelley. They have three kids and two grandkids. He is the author of four books and produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com. He has also created S.P.A.R.K. Online (Small‑Church Pastors Adapt & Recover Kit), which is updated regularly with new resources to help small churches deal with issues related to the COVID-19 crisis and aftermath.

This article originally appeared in 2016 on Karl’s Pivot blog at christianitytoday.com and is used with his permission.

RESEARCH PROJECT: WHY OLDER ADULTS RETURN TO CHURCH

P

articipation in churches is well-recognised as one of many activities that enhances the quality of older lives. However, while it is generally assumed that older church attenders have always attended church, this is not necessarily the case. A surprising number of older people have returned to church engagement in their later years.

I am involved in a trans-Tasman research project that explores why older adults return to church and what keeps them engaged. The project provides a means of understanding appropriate ways to foster this contributor to well-being, for those who desire it.

This is a cross-disciplinary study that includes researchers, academics and practitioners across health, ageing, theology, demography and community study areas.

If you are an older adult who has returned to church after a gap of at least 10 years, I would love to talk to you. You can contact me for more information on 03 479 5358 or by email lynne.taylor@otago.ac.nz.

Contributor: Dr Lynne Taylor, Jack Somerville Lecturer in Pastoral Theology, University of Otago This project has been reviewed and approved by the School of Arts, University of Otago

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BLENHEIM BAPTIST’S

SENIORS MINISTRY

S

eniors ministry has been part of Blenheim Baptist Community Church for about 10 years. The lead pastor at the time felt there was a need for a specific pastor to be called and head up the care of the seniors in the church.

Pastor Mike Mitchell was appointed pastor for seniors and from that point on contact was made with several rest homes in the area, and a team of six to eight people was formed. A member of the team agreed to head up the seniors team and lead services at the rest homes.

It was Mike’s idea to start the Seniors Celebration afternoon. This brings in rest home residents and community seniors every two months for an hour of fellowship, entertainment and Devonshire tea.

It has proved very popular, and we are still hosting it today. It is a highlight for those attending and for the team serving.

Mike has now retired as the leader and passed on the baton to me. I became involved in pastoral care in my early 30s. I worked in the aged care sector and gained my Level 3 and 4 in Caring for the Older Person Certificate.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with older people in the community. It became part of my personal ministry. When Mike approached me to be part of the seniors ministry team, I was excited and immediately joined in the fun. I was commissioned as pastor for seniors in April 2019 and I am thoroughly enjoying serving God in this way.

I’m blessed to have such an amazing team of people to help in the seniors ministry team. Everyone has a role and we all work together wonderfully.

This year we are responsible for four rest homes in Blenheim. We provide them with a half hour worship service every month. It is always a joy and a pleasure to walk into the lounge where they are waiting for us and to see their faces light up. We offer them prayer at the end and go around each person individually to say goodbye. It is such an amazing feeling being part of this.

Part of my role in the seniors ministry is to go to one of our local rest homes and bless their rooms when someone has died. Pastoral visiting is also a large part

I T I S A LW AY S A J O Y A N D A PL E A S U R E TO WA L K INTO THE LOUNGE WHERE T H E Y A R E WA I T I NG FOR US AND TO SEE THEIR F A C E S L I G H T U P. of the seniors ministry. Most of our team are involved visiting people in the community and within the church family.

It is an honour and a pleasure to serve older people in the community, as well as in our church. I personally love to hear stories of their life. Sometimes we are the only person they have trusted enough to tell us some of their deepest and innermost thoughts and even secrets. We have to remember these folk have lived rich and exciting lives!

Seniors play an important role in our church.

They bring wisdom, experience and strong spiritual strength. We have a lot to learn from them. Age is no barrier to serving God. May he bless each and every one of them.

Contributor: Jackie Gibbison Jackie is pastor for seniors at Blenheim Baptist Community Church and has had a long involvement in pastoral care of older people. She is married to Philip and has two adult children. Family is everything to her. Jackie also has an interest in adult ballet, ballroom and worship in dance, and spending time in the garden.

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

Why

church?

Pearl/lightstock.com

The blessing of togetherness

Several weeks of online-only services or meeting in small group ‘bubbles’ may have left some wondering whether returning to in-person church attendance is necessary.

Steve Whittle shares his personal salvation story as an example of the importance of the local church to spiritual growth. And Russell Embling looks at Jesus’ command to love one another as a compelling reason to continue corporate worship and service.

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A

wider family

B

efore COVID-19 restrictions on gathering sizes lifted, one Sunday we ‘did church’ at my place. There were nine of us and a guitar.

We talked a bit about the message I had put up online, and had a nice time of breaking bread and chatting about life in general. It felt great.

During lockdown, I had a bit of time to ponder what was going to happen with church attendance in the future. I thought some folk might decide, “Well I ‘did Jesus’ at home OK, so why not just carry on that way?”

I can understand this because I enjoyed the time out too. But I am the pastor, so I had to get back in there and do my thing! We resumed our services on Pentecost Sunday, which seemed like a fitting day to regather as the body of Christ.

So why church as we know it? Why not just meet at home and do what we did in our group of nine? My answer is simply because we can. It will always be ‘the more, the merrier’, no matter what we attempt and whatever ideas we may come up with. If it is truly church it will grow, and so it should.

But the best way for me to explain ‘why church?’ is to tell my story.

Encounter with God In 1990 my wife Robyn and I and our three children were living in a 100-year-old run-down kauri homestead on a four-hectare block at Manawaru, 14 kms from Te Aroha. Up until I went out into the world at 15 years old, I had gone with my parents to the Anglican church in Huntly. Robyn had never been involved in any type of church at all.

I T W I L L A LW AY S BE ‘THE MORE, T H E M E R R I E R ’, N O M AT T E R W H AT W E AT T E M P T A N D W H AT E V E R I D E A S W E M AY COME UP WITH.

On 1st October 1990, I had the most incredible encounter with the Spirit of God at home by myself.

All I had revealed to me was Jesus, yet this encounter was so amazing that I pulled up all the dope plants growing in my glasshouse and completely changed the way I had been thinking for 34 years. In other words, I repented.

When Robyn arrived home that afternoon and met me at the door, I told her I had been visited by God. She immediately thought I had gone over the edge with drugs and she was quite freaked out. But when I told her what happened, she calmed somewhat. She could see I was a completely different person than the one she had left that morning.

We had been to see a counsellor named Graham in Morrinsville the week before the encounter. The Lord spoke to me and told me to ring him, as he would have some answers. I told Graham what had happened to me. He was excited and told me he had experienced something similar many years before. He explained a little to me, and we had another meeting with him the following Thursday.

Robyn at this stage was amazed at the change in me—no more smoking marijuana and I was just a completely different person.

Church? No thanks!

When we next met with Graham, he said he’d pray about which church God wanted to plant us in. He ‘led me to the Lord’—I was already led but, hey, it didn’t hurt saying a nice prayer—and then he asked my wife if she would like to receive Christ as her Lord and Saviour.

I went out and left them to it. Robyn came out quite agitated after about a minute. Graham followed us out and said he would contact us as soon as he got some direction on a church. We made an appointment to meet him the following week and he gave us a Good News Bible.

We were driving home and Robyn said, “Who the heck does he think he is, telling me I’m a sinner?” She had taken offence and would not go on with the prayer.

I explained to her about living together unmarried was called ‘living in sin’ in the 60s and 70s, and swearing was probably not really a good thing to be doing (two of our sins!). It was like a knife cutting across her heart.

Robyn came under conviction and started her journey of healing and relationship with the Lord.

We discussed the church bit and we both decided that we didn’t really need that part of Christianity.

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

I am convinced that God is into the small and large local church.

We were all good and would just carry on as we were.

Our understanding of church was that all it wanted was your money.

Race with the Devil That Saturday we were going to Waihi, to Robyn’s parents’ wedding anniversary at the pub. On Saturday afternoon we drove over to Robyn’s sister’s place, dropped our three children off and went to the party. The word was out that we had spun out on Jesus and no one really wanted to have an awful lot to do with us. But we got through the evening, stayed the night, and then got up early the next morning to head home.

I had always been one with his feet firmly on the ground.

No airy fairy stuff for me! But as we drove toward Paeroa, through the gorge, it was really heavy going.

You have to remember, my theology was based purely and simply on the horror movies I had seen. Robyn was feeling it; the kids were feeling it. Boy, it was freaky stuff!

I told Robyn it reminded me of a movie I’d seen years before called Race with the Devil. This was 7.30am, next to no traffic and we were really not enjoying our ride home. We decided we would take the kids to the local Manawaru chapel for Sunday school.

Robyn was sitting holding onto our new Bible and all I knew to say was what Graham had told us: “I cover us in the blood of Jesus.” I had no idea what it all meant but I was beginning to figure out that if God’s for real then there probably is a devil.

We got to the outskirts of Te Aroha when suddenly a cow appeared on the road. I slowed to a crawl. We had both seen the cow, but then it was gone. My hands began to shake—like ‘under the power of God’ shake. I said to Robyn, “God’s visiting me, just like he did last week.” Then I spoke the words, “We are going to a church in Te Aroha.”

Robyn replied, “I don’t know where there are any churches in Te Aroha.” I said, “Neither do I but we are going to one!”

The pastor waits I was still under this power that was basically driving the car when I saw the bell tower of the old church right next door to the Jehovah Witnesses. I read the sign, which said ‘Pastor Waits’. I told Robyn, “It’s this one, and the minister is inside waiting for us.”

The front doors were closed so I said to Robyn, “Get the kids. The side door is open and he is in there waiting for us.” As I grabbed the door to open it, I met someone coming out. He was taken aback. All I wanted was to get in

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the church—more horror movie doctrine—and he was trying to calm me down because I was talking flat out.

We sat down in the church and he started asking us a few questions. Then the pastor said, “You’re not a couple who live out at Manawaru, are you?” He told us he’d had a phone call from a counsellor from Morrinsville the previous night, telling him about a couple whom he felt the Lord wanted the pastor to connect with. Graham had given him our phone number. That just blew my doors off!

The Lord had told the pastor to go to the church. When we arrived, he was just on his way back to the manse, puzzled why God had had him waiting down at the church.

As I found out, the pastor’s name was Russell Watts but I had read the sign as ‘Pastor Waits’!

God is ‘into’ church So, the story is pretty crazy but it is what happened and 30 years on here we are still in the same church. I am convinced that God is into the small and large local church, and when folk tell me they no longer attend because of whatever reason I think, ‘Well you are missing out on such a blessing.’

There is no way we would have stood without the support of so many in that little fellowship. We grew and were blessed by so many, but we had to push through some hard times as well. If I hadn’t had that experience it could have been a lot easier to run, but I used to say, “Well God drove me in here and he can just as easily get me out.”

So why church? Because I have four children who were all baptised in this little church. They are all committed to the Lord and attend churches, as do my nine grandchildren.

Their lives are nothing like my life was pre-Jesus and it is because we instilled value on attending the local church wherever you are, and being a part of a wider family than your own.

Why church? Because Jesus said, “You are going to a church in Te Aroha” and that is good enough for us.

Contributor: Steve Whittle Steve and Robyn have been pastoring in Te Aroha since 2003. They have four grown‑up children and nine grandchildren.

They have been walking the Jesus way since 1990. Prior to the call to ministry, Steve worked as a fitter welder and Robyn was a full‑time mum.

Evidence of

C

love

OVID-19 has shaken us up. It has affected everyone in some way, which has meant that whole communities are needing to rediscover how they function. This has also had an impact on the local church.

In some cases churches have bounced back as strong as they were pre-COVID, or even stronger. Some of the things they were able to do differently have stuck and increased their effectiveness.

In some cases local churches have struggled to regain momentum. The break away from church gatherings has given some people the opportunity to withdraw from fellowship or to look for another one to connect with. This may well have given opportunity that they wanted but didn’t feel comfortable with doing anything about before, especially if the congregation is a smaller one.

Loving each other Whatever our post-COVID-19 experience, I believe it is a good time to remind ourselves of what it means to be a participating member of a local church.

Firstly it is a response to the one significant command given to us by Jesus himself in John 13:34 (NLT): “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other.

Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”

That sounds simple enough until you try to do it. To help us get to grips with that I want to suggest four things we can do that will start to give evidence to the love we are to show to each other. These are found in Hebrews 10:23-25 and Acts 2:42.

1

Regularly gathering together Coming together regularly says to the other members of the fellowship that we value their friendship and support through this journey we call life. In Acts 2:46 we discover that the early Christians met on a daily basis, or at the very least, on Sunday (Acts 20:7). One thing we never find the New Testament writers accepting are non-gathering Christians. In fact it seems like these believers just couldn’t get enough of each other. Meeting together once every four or five weeks would never have sustained them. It would never have shown their Christian friends that they really do love them.

Sadly many Christians today have neglected this foundational demonstration of love for each other. Thomas missed a significant encounter with Jesus because he took a Sunday to go to the beach or wherever (John 20:24).

2

Faithfully serving together We are designed for community, and although we can do things on our own there is nothing better than doing it with friends. It is as we do it together that we “motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24, NLT).

We are better together, that’s why one of the greatest pictures of this gathered community is the body. (See Corinthians 12 about gifts of the Spirit and the important interrelationship between the many parts of the body.) Our non-attendance and non-participation in this gathered community we call the ‘church’ means some members are doing what they don’t feel cut out for by the Holy Spirit because other members aren’t involved. That is never going to bring glory to God and growth to his church.

To draw an analogy, although we marvel at the feats of amputees who compete at Paralympics, we appreciate that their disability hinders them from achieving what an able‑bodied Olympian will achieve. It would be an eternal pity if our non-attendance during COVID-19 caused our churches to ‘dismember’ themselves and therefore function in a way that is less than their potential.

3

Joyfully fellowshipping together Read again Acts 2:42-46, about the fellowship of the early church. This is love in action; this is doing life together!

There are two simple and practical questions that can help us understand how much we love each other.

• During the past three months, how many people have invited you for a coffee or meal that wasn’t church related?

• During the past three months, how many people have you invited for a coffee or meal that wasn’t church related?

Fellowship demonstrates love; it encourages persistence; it creates a spirit of acceptance and togetherness. These are all things that we can’t enjoy and develop on our own.

By coming together regularly we put ourselves in a position where fellowship can start to be enjoyed. It reaches into our homes and we start creating activities that bring us together: coffees, meals, outings and visits. Fellowship also becomes a key to burden bearing as we grow to love and trust each other.

During our alert level four lockdown, we at Katikati Community Baptist Church did what most did and conducted our meetings via Zoom. We found them to be effective and efficient as a meeting, but what we

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

missed was sitting around with a cup of coffee, before, during or after the meeting and enjoying the connection that Zoom couldn’t provide.

4

Enthusiastically worshipping together Something many of our people missed during the lockdown was singing together. We know that singing isn’t the only way to worship, but it is one all-inclusive experience of worship. Then there were the times when we wanted to meet for prayer and praise but couldn’t.

What we miss when we fail to meet together in a worship experience is the ability to bounce our worship and praise involvement off another’s. It stimulates and motivates our worship.

Worship is seen in our complete and total surrender of who we are and whatever we have to the Lord Jesus.

Remember Romans 12:1?

Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship (TPT).

So as we continue coming to grips with our post-COVID experience, let’s take to heart the encouragement in Hebrews 10:25.

Take outs...

1. During lockdown or gathering size restrictions, what did you most miss about not meeting in person with your faith community? Did it give you a new appreciation for this facet of Christian life?

If so, how has this changed, or will change, your participation in it?

2. Do you agree with Russell that meeting together is not so much for your benefit but “for the people you meet”? Why, or why not?

3. It is said that COVID-19 caused ‘online’ to become the new front door of the church. The upside of this is that seekers who previously may not have felt comfortable entering a church’s actual doors, have been able to ‘taste and see’ Christianity anonymously. As restrictions around gatherings are relaxed, how do you think churches can try and engage with these people and draw them alongside and inside?

This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing, because we need each other! In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning (TPT).

We don’t do it because it is good for us—although it will be—but because it is good for the people you meet when you do gather.

Contributor: Russell Embling Russell, with his wife Lois, has been involved in Christian ministry for 46 years. This started in France and the UK before spending 16 years co-leading a discipleship-focused Bible College. The last 24 years he has pastored in four different churches. They are currently serving as pastors with the Katikati Community Baptist Church.

Be part of Carey’s future Over the past 93 years we have trained thousands of Christians to think, live, and lead in ways that advance God’s kingdom in this world.

Would you help us continue this strategic work of forming Christian leaders for the future? Would you consider leaving a bequest to Carey in your will?

By partnering with us in this way you’ll be making a significant, eternal investment in the kingdom of God. To find out more please contact John Tucker, Carey’s Principal: john.tucker@carey.ac.nz | 09 526 0342

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carey.ac.nz

THE CHURCH &

RACIAL JUSTICE

Joe Beck/unsplash.com

Creating something new

Jennie Ekigbo explains what she believes the church can learn from the current movement for racial justice.

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

W

hile battling COVID-19 and an overload of disinformation, we are witnessing another global movement for racial justice. In the 1960s it was sparked by civil rights activism in the United States, buoyed by the post-colonial independence movements across Africa and Asia. In the 1980s and 1990s, we saw worldwide support for the anti‑apartheid movement in South Africa.

Today, the dissatisfaction with police brutality and ongoing institutional racism in the USA has reached another tipping point. Globally, people are standing in solidarity with the African American community, whilst also turning the spotlight on systemic racism in their own nations.

This is particularly the case in former European settler colonies. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, conversations and actions have increased over the last few months. From the Black Lives Matter protests in our major cities (organised by people from the African, Māori, and Pasifika communities), to the critique of and even removal of colonial statues, changing of place names, and many lectures, workshops, and wānanga on systemic racism, tino rangatiratanga and more.

I believe that to dismiss this current moment as an ‘American problem, that shouldn’t dominate New Zealand’ is to miss an opportunity to participate in what God is already doing in this area here and elsewhere.

How we as the church choose to respond will either represent the Kingdom of heaven or acquiesce to the kingdom of this world.

The ministry of reconciliation As Christians, Jesus has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Through Christ, we can cross divides and build bridges with confidence. In him our hope is sure, because these present troubles won’t last forever. We have the mandate to dream prophetically for a better tomorrow.

However, as a person of colour, with the various identities I hold and diverse spaces I inhabit, I cannot help but notice that the blueprint for ushering in the shalom of the Kingdom of heaven looks vastly different depending on one’s social location.

For those who benefit from the status quo (i.e. a society that upholds the Pākehā world view as neutral, normal and superior), the ministry of reconciliation often seeks an absence of conflict, cross-cultural worship services, diversity consultations, being nice, and ‘moving on’ from the past. Unfortunately, it does nothing to radically alter the systems and structures that have produced the divisions in the first place.

For those who are being severely harmed or losing their lives as a result of the status quo, the ministry of reconciliation requires more of us. With courage, we must first confront the truth of our colonial legacy. Then we must lament it and turn from it. Then in partnership with God,

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HOW WE AS THE CHURCH CHOOSE TO RESPOND WILL EITHER REPRESENT THE KINGDOM O F H E AV E N O R A C Q U I E S C E TO THE KINGDOM OF T H I S W O R L D. we must work to dismantle all ideologies and ways of being that diminish and oppress Māori and Tauiwi of colour, while planting seeds that lead to flourishing for all.

Unsurprisingly, the former group often dominates this conversation. This gap in understanding of what constitutes the ministry of reconciliation is a source of weariness, pain and discouragement among many—particularly Christians who are indigenous or of other ethnic minorities. For people outside of the church, it is a source of scorn, reinforcing the idea that the church is irrelevant to their lived experiences.

A new normal It doesn’t have to be this way. I believe that God is working through this current moment and inviting us to create something new. We ought to desire a new normal, not a return to the normal we have always had.

As Christians, we follow a crucified King—one who was, and is, victorious, reigning at the right hand of God. Yet he also identifies with human suffering and he judges nations, communities and individuals for abusing people on the margins.

Therefore, our response to this moment should be consistent with that. This means moving beyond elevating the voices who are benefitting from the status quo to elevating the voices that are crying out for justice.

For instance, we would do well to listen to indigenous peoples in the Pacific and Amazon who have been warning us of the climate crisis long before Greta Thunberg. We would also do well to listen to activists and kaitiaki who have been standing up for their sovereignty at Ihumātao, Mauna Kea (Hawaii), Standing Rock (USA), as well as Aboriginal Australians speaking out against the disproportionate number of their people dying from police brutality.

Therefore it is important that we move beyond the notion that merely interpersonal relations and personal responsibility are the keys to ending racism. Rather, we need to begin to reckon with our collective responsibility.

This is because although racism is a sin, it is both at the individual level and the systemic level.

Some practical steps we can all take:

#1

Prepare your mind for the road ahead This is a marathon and not a sprint. Racism is a social and political issue, and also spiritual (Ephesians 6:12). Knowing this, we should expect push-back, opposition and even outright hostility to this work.

Remember that even though Martin Luther King Jr preached peace, he was still murdered for his message.

#2

Start (or continue) learning with intention This is a Kingdom issue. If you haven’t already, it is critical that you expand your bookshelf, podcast playlist and movie watchlist. Non‑white theologians, scholars and thought leaders have been writing and speaking about these issues for a very long time. Learn from them, rather than the few voices you may feel comfortable with.

#3

Learn like a disciple—use your ears twice as much as you use your mouth Journey together with intention This is particularly important for Pākehā. and accountability For many, the anti-racism journey is Dame Whina Cooper, Martin Luther King Jr, new. Without developing resilience to Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi didn't have these conversations, it is very easy stumble accidentally into victory. They had a plan. to brush aside the lived experiences of They worked hard. They journeyed in community.

Māori and Tauiwi of colour, ultimately causing damage. However, if you Crucify your idols of comfort, because the discomfort is hear racist nonsense where the growth happens being spouted, speak up.

Remember that your feelings of discomfort, particularly if you are Pākehā,

#4

#5

pale in comparison to the everyday reality of living with systemic racism.

Now is the time to lean in.

Terms defined INSTITUTIONAL/SYSTEMIC RACISM: This refers specifically to the ways in which systems, institutional policies and practices create different outcomes for different racial groups.

Source: Race Equity Tools racialequitytools.org/ glossary#institutional-racism.

PEOPLE OF COLOUR: Often the preferred collective term for referring to non-white racial groups.

Source: Race Equity Tools racialequitytools.org/ glossary#people-of-color from Race Forward Race Reporting Guide raceforward.org/ reporting‑guide.

Contributor: Jennie Ekigbo Jennie is a passionate advocate for social justice. Her main interests are racial justice and faith, gender justice and economic justice. She co-leads a racial justice and reconciliation group for Christians called Be the Bridge.

Originating from the USA, this group aims to help the church be a credible witness on racial justice, equity and reconciliation.

Jennie attends Hillsborough Baptist Church (Hills Church) in Auckland, together with her husband Chris and daughter Uchem. If you want to hear more from Jennie, she is speaking at The Justice Conference on 31st October 2020. Go to thejusticeconference.org.nz for more info.

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

Community ministry runs Remembering

deep

the poor

Over the last few months, new needs are springing up in many neighbourhoods throughout our country. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by these, not knowing how to respond. Andrew Reyngoud shares a few helpful pointers from his own faith community’s experience.

F

or the last 13 years I have been pastor of Flaxmere Baptist Church, a church that is smaller than most, in an area with more needs than most.

In our journey, we have developed several neighbourhood initiatives such as an op shop, food bank and cooking classes. We have learned a few lessons that I am sharing with the hope that they would be useful to others.

1

Ministry like this runs deep in who we are George Wieland (Carey’s director of Mission Research and Training) often says that the “God of mission has a church in the world”. This means that we are participating in what God is already doing. Community ministry is not something extra; instead it is a core part of who we are.

2

First to the family of God and then to the wider community When we are prioritising where to put our effort, we first focus on our local gathered community.

This is the family of God and we have a special responsibility towards them, as highlighted in James 2:15‑17 (NRSV): If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is

the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Our responsibilities then flow to other Christian communities. As an example, in the early church Paul took an offering from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem (Romans 15:26).

We also have a responsibility towards the wider community. The story of the good Samaritan involved crossing outside the bounds of faith.

Paul, reflecting on how the leaders of the church had sent him and Barnabas to the Gentiles, wrote “They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do” (Galatians 2:10, NRSV).

3

A strengths-based approach works well A normal project planning approach is to start with a plan, determine what resources are needed and then find a way to gather these. This works well when resources are plentiful, but when resources are scarce, we end up with a list of the things that we do not have. Our eyes are naturally drawn to what is lacking, leading to us feeling overwhelmed.

In contrast, a strengths-based approach reverses the process.

We start by looking at what we already have—even if it is five loaves and two fish—and then work out what can be done with it to meet the needs.

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4

How is what we are doing different?

I am indebted to Nettie Holm (former head of Baptist Community Ministries) who encouraged me to always ask, “What is different about what we are doing and how we are doing it compared to those who are secular?”

For us, this has led us to do things like having morning prayers before food bank, and to focus on building relationships and structuring what we do to enhance people’s mana. This has also helped us to determine what our unique role is.

5

How can we enhance people’s mana?

In what we do we try to strengthen people and enhance their mana.

There is some variation in how we do this. For example, we have found it is better if the sausage a person gets from a sausage sizzle is free because everyone’s is free, rather than there being a special deal that they can ask for privately. However, when it comes to the op shop, we have found it better to keep prices low rather than gift items. This means people can choose and decide for themselves what to purchase.

6

There is no need to try and work out if people are ‘deserving’ or not Hungry children are hungry, no matter who their parents are. God showed grace towards us even when we did not deserve it.

7

Presenting issues Often a person will have numerous needs. The one that is on the top of the list is often a physical need such as food. Underneath this need there are many more issues, and over time they will surface. There is no need to rush this process.

The approach we used is that of being ‘client-centred’, which starts off by asking the person to tell you what they need. This allows us to focus on the issue that is most important for that person. We do not need to have all the solutions, but there may be some things that we can help with.

There have been times when

a person has come with an almost overwhelming list of issues. When asked what would be most helpful, they have responded by asking for prayer and some food for the next day.

At other times, the most important thing has been someone who listens.

We are always honest about what we can and cannot do, for example we do not give money, and we will refer people to other organisations.

9

Do a trial We can pray and think about what God is up to, our God-given resources and the community needs.

Once we think we know what to do, we can run a short-term trial and evaluate what happens. God is at work in all of our communities and we can participate in this.

8

There will be bumps along the way The first dispute in the early church was over the distribution of food to widows, with some complaining that they weren’t getting a fair share (Acts 6). There will be similar disputes that happen and that is just part of the territory. In dealing with this, the approach used in Acts is a great place to start—having leaders who are of good reputation, and who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom.

Contributor: Andrew Reyngoud Andrew was a chemical engineer for more than 20 years before hearing God’s call to ministry. After training at Carey, he has been pastor at Flaxmere Baptist Church for the last 13 years.

For many families, navigating daily life is a struggle. However, proactive support and an injection of hope can turn their situations around – all it takes is for us to work together.

VisionWest has shown that, with long-term mentoring and tangible support, individuals discover the hope and strength they need to rise out of challenging circumstances.

Our team of experienced social workers, support workers, youth workers, trainers and counsellors journey alongside those facing difficulty. They are united in their commitment to create a bright future where poverty loses its grip and hope finds a home.

With your help, change is possible. We invite you to join others and become a Hope Builder as we seek to Build Hope Together.

Go to visionwest.org.nz/buildhope Community Housing • Food Support • Home HealthCare • Youth Training & Education • Counselling • Budgeting

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

Church

insurance

Mark Davie explains the aims and benefits of the Baptist Insurance Fund and Brian Brannigan of Trinity Baptist Church shares a cautionary tale about the importance of having adequate insurance cover.

Baptist Insurance Fund

T

he Baptist Insurance Fund was created in the early 1980s by the Baptist Union with three clear goals

in mind:

1. To use the buying power of all of the Baptist churches in New Zealand to obtain concessional premium rates, enhanced policy coverage, and a stronger presence with insurers than might otherwise be the case for lots of individual churches.

2. To provide insurance coverage that recognises the sometimes unique risk exposures of a church operation, giving the most appropriate cover in the event of loss or damage.

3. Through a carefully structured and tailored insurance programme, to encourage sound management of church risks by the individual churches with the aim of generating a surplus of premium over claim costs. Profits derived from the Fund’s activities could then be recycled back into the ministry of the Baptist Union to enhance the Kingdom, rather than the financial results of insurers.

It has been testament to the adoption and collaboration of each church that the Insurance Fund has been able to achieve these goals since its inception.

A changing market The insurance market, which is

a global network involving both local insurers and global reinsurers, is constantly changing. This is due to major claim events such as large-scale fires and storms, and the ever-evolving legislative and regulatory changes that governments implement from time to time to comply with international trends and requirements.

In New Zealand, various levies and taxes have been imposed that insurers must collect with their premiums.

Examples include a levy to fund Fire and Emergency and a levy to fund the EQC, which insurers must collect on residential property they insure.

All of these events and changes have the potential to, and often do, impact on both the cost and the scope of insurance that is available from the insurance market.

The importance of relationships With the relationships the Baptist Insurance Fund has formed across all of the participants in the insurance market, especially in more recent times with Concordia Underwriting Agency (a Lloyds cover-holder), we have the ability to react quickly and respond to the various insurance needs that arise from time to time.

It is also through these relationships that we have been able to negotiate enhancements to policy wordings and to achieve a wider scope of coverage than is ordinarily available from insurers, and to assist in achieving

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settlements of claims that may have otherwise fallen outside the terms of the policy.

Understanding the complexities of policy wordings and the coverage available is a specialist area. The Baptist Insurance Fund draws on the expertise of brokers who understand the sometimes unique requirements of church insurance programmes. This helps us to identity the right insurance at a competitive premium, therefore continuing to achieve the original goals of the Baptist Union.

We at the Baptist Insurance Fund look forward to continuing to serve you!

Contributor: Mark Davie Mark is director of Sepio Insurance Management, which was established four years ago. He has been the broker for the Baptist Insurance Fund for the last 20 years, so has a vast knowledge of church activities and operations.

Mark, his wife Darlene and their two children attend Elim Christian Centre in Pukekohe.

Fire at Trinity Baptist Church

A

bout 4.30am on the 10th January 2019 I was awoken by a phone call telling me our church was on fire. It was quickly brought under control and, although the damage was bad, I thought it would be an inconvenience at worst. The fire service investigators concluded that the fire was electrical and that no suspicious circumstances existed. I estimated that we’d be back in the building within three months.

Being the holiday period, it was difficult to find someone to cover the roof. A large storm was approaching, with heavy rain and gale force winds predicted. So, once the loss adjuster arrived, we decided to move our furniture, instruments and sound system into the dining area at the back of the church.

That night the weather changed and we had high winds and a little rain. Then someone rang me at 11.30pm to say the church was on fire again but at the other end of the building now, and that the flames were at least 15 metres in the air.

The second fire was much worse. All the equipment that we had moved helped to create a large bonfire so we lost almost all of our church belongings, as well as our building being severely damaged.

The worst part was the asbestos roof. We had looked at this 12 months earlier and found it to be stable. So, instead of removing it, we’d chosen to use a special sealer and then three coats of paint.

That was $30,000 down the drain, although it did keep the fibres intact during the fire. We had also spent several hundred thousand dollars six years previously on a refit of the whole building. It cost at least $500,000 to clean up the asbestos.

The red tape was huge.

The church in 2018 had appointed a new leadership team; several people had retired or moved away from the area, and I was appointed to the eldership.

We were starting to work through some changes to the running of the church, then this hit us.

What we didn’t know was the contents insurance had been reduced to $50,000. People think in the terms of break-ins, not total loss. Chairs, curtains, blinds, soft furnishings, kitchen equipment, tables, table tennis tables and children’s toys were all destroyed.

The last bit of colour I had in my hair, has left me since I started this project!

But there have also been high moments. The morning after the fire, people kept stopping by, asking how they could help, including schools offering their premises on a Sunday.

Every other church denomination in the area offered the use of buildings and gear, and help with our special needs programmes and offers to accommodate our youth.

It was a wonderful way to see the wider Christian family at work.

I thank people like Rangiaruaru Hema from the Baptist Union, Brian Smellie and Chris Finlay from the Wellington Association, and Paul Edlin from North Porirua Baptist Church for their support.

And we’re thankful for the amazing donation that came from the Levin Life Church and Pastor Paul White.

It’s the wider church body pulling together to help each other.

Before the fire, Trinity Baptist had been preparing for our 60th anniversary. With all wiring and lighting being renewed and all the buildings completely refitted, we should be ready to go for another 60 years, unless the Lord chooses to return beforehand!

Contributor: Brian Brannigan Brian is an elder of Trinity Baptist Church, Titahi Bay. He came into contact with this church first as a 12-year-old, when neighbours got him into Boys’ Brigade. This led to Sunday School, and then into church itself. He is married to Kathryn and they have two daughters. Several young ladies who they fostered also remain connected with their family.

v.136 no.5 † rua tekau mā whitu 27

Baptist / C O M M U N I Q U É

The August Assembly Council meeting is a two‑day ‘retreat’ where we try to slow down a little bit, and perhaps carve out space for dreaming, praying and reflecting. We also have a bit of room for meeting others.

It’s often difficult working out how to make everything fit in the time allowed. This time around we caught up with lots of others, and enjoyed the richness that they each contributed.

Paul Windsor (a former Carey principal) opened our retreat with a summary of ‘Here’s what I see now’, returning to Aotearoa New Zealand after 12 years living overseas.

This was a massive help for Assembly Council, as we think about multicultural growth in our movement and what the international church can teach us.

Grant Harris and John Tucker reflected with us on board/leader communication when operating within a governance framework.

We spent several hours with Te Kapa Rautaki (Māori Strat Team). This was a valuable time where future annual Hui prospects were discussed, and Doug Ateremu McNeill led us together in a workshop around unconscious bias— helping all of us with assumptions, preconceptions and power dynamics.

We hosted Andrea Page from the Baptist Women’s Board, who spoke of moving from lip service to actual gender balance in terms of valuing women in ministry.

And barrister Paul Collins workshopped with us on our constitution.

We also squeezed in dinner! It’s a rare thing to pause, go out for a meal, and for the group to enjoy company together. As usual, the conversation was conducted with an eye on the reason we were gathering: we love the local church, and that our Baptist ecclesiology gives primacy to ‘where two or three are gathered’.

We are united in our prayer that as a collective of faith communities we will bring gospel renewal to people and places in our local neighbourhoods. As the Assembly Council, we pray that what will arise in our churches is robust leadership, growing disciples, authentic worship, healthy resources and effective mission.

God’s best for you in this endeavour!

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.

New vice-president Raewyn Moodie was recently appointed as the new vice‑president of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand and the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. She will take over as president later this year.

“I consider it an honour to be nominated to serve our Baptist churches in this way,” says Raewyn.

“One of the roles I have had over the years of my work in church and the community is chaplaincy. As I spend my time in this new role, I would like to use my chaplaincy skills to come alongside the people in our Baptist churches and

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particularly in the National Centre. They work very hard for us as a movement of churches and I would love to support them in what they do as they seek to strengthen and support us all.

“Secondly, I would like to do some work around defining what the presidency is all about. We have had many wonderful presidents, who have each brought their own unique gifts to the role. However, there is no real position description or definition as to what is required.

“I look forward to meeting many of you during my time in this role.” 

In Memoriam

Richard Geoffrey Hunt: Generous, gentle, wise 21 JULY 1942 – 14 August 2020 Richard was considered a nonachiever at school, leaving with only art and technical drawing GCEs to his name. However, undeterred and confident in himself, he got a job with Thomas Cook and travelled the world on cruise ships. Later he cemented a successful career, both in the UK and in his adopted home of New Zealand, trading foreign exchange for large and multinational companies.

He was an elder at Spreydon Baptist Church for many years and later moved to Auckland to take up the position of Associate Secretary for the Baptist Union in 1995. After retiring in 2002, he moved to Wellington to be with family, attending Wellington Central Baptist Church before transferring to a church closer to home. Towards the end of his working life he again used his commercial skills to help guide the Baptist Union.

Kelvyn Fairhall, a former national administrator for the Baptist Union, worked with Richard. Here are some of his reflections: When I joined the Baptist National Centre team as accountant in July 1995, I had not had a working relationship with an individual as my boss for over 21 years so it was something I had to relearn. Richard’s calm and gentle manner made it relatively easy. He expressed a caring concern for the pastoral and administrative leaders of our churches and undertook spiritual director training to enhance his gifting in this area. He looked after our staff with the same compassion.

Using his business, investment and currency trading experience,

Richard made significant contributions to the Baptist Superannuation Scheme Trustees, the Baptist Insurance Fund management, the Board of Baptist Savings & Development Society (now Christian Savings), and the Interchurch Working Party that deals with government on a number of taxation and other legislative issues. That group also initiated a joint insurance bureau to obtain better cover and underwriting arrangements across the major church denominations.

Richard’s financial trading experience also helped NZBMS develop systems to cope with overseas currency fluctuations.

During his time many churches were forming trusts as a vehicle for their community services work. He ensured they had good advice on a number of issues that arose.

Richard was a good boss and a good friend who had his “eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith”.

Richard leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Carole, his children Martin and Annette, and four grandchildren: Corentin, Tom, Amélie and Rianna. 

Ne

wD

ate

s: 3

0th

New Zealand’s greatest untold story.

Oc t

–7

A brand new stage show featuring a multi cultural Auckland-wide cast and hosted by Mt Albert Baptist Church, ‘The Way of the Raukura’ is a heartfelt and lyrical telling of the Parihaka story.

A powerful story of courage, loss and hope 30 th Oct – 7 th Nov | Mt Albert Baptist Mt Albert Baptist Tickets from Ticketek Tickets |from Ticketek www.mabc.org.nz/parihaka-musical

With permission from Parihaka’s Papakainga Trust

With permission from Parihaka’s Papakainga Trust

The incredible true story of the invasion of the pacifist village of Parihaka in Taranaki has gained international significance, yet surprisingly few New Zealanders know it.

The Way of the Raukura is written by former concert pianist, Steve Worsley, who was inspired to put the story of Parihaka to music and drama in a way that reflects the cross-cultural challenges of today.

www.mabc.org.nz/parihaka-musical

th

No

v

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

Seeking real communion

A

few weeks ago, I went on a weekend trip to a small New Zealand town called Mangakino, located in the North Island.

Living in Auckland, with all its light pollution, means I often don’t pay attention to the evening sky. The reason: it just isn’t that spectacular. Most of the stars aren’t visible so it doesn’t make for great viewing.

But, Mangakino, well that’s a different story. The town is hours away from any major developments and is quite remote, meaning light pollution is minimal. This results in a spectacular night sky. I sat outside, braving the cold, for hours on end, overawed with its beauty and its magnificence.

It’s not hard to find pictures of the evening sky on Instagram or online, and these pictures look incredible.

However, nothing compares to seeing it in person.

A wonder is evoked that simply cannot be replicated by its digital version.

What’s more is the longer I sat there, and as my eyes began to the adjust to the light, the more stars I started to see. It was as if the sky was unravelling before me. Crazy to think that same sky is above me right now, hidden beneath the veil of light pollution cast by the city.

Funnily, it made me think: isn’t this how it is with God and his Spirit?

He is always present Just like those stars, God’s Spirit is always present, and he is continuously active in lives (1 John 3:24). Yet often he is drowned out by hustle and bustle, the busyness of life—the ‘city lights’.

30 toru tekau † v.136 no.5 baptistmag.org.nz

All it takes is for us to step back to get rid of those distractions and things that drown out God and, suddenly, we will see the world like we’ve never seen it before.

Taste and see My night of star gazing also got me thinking about a point raised by a popular New Zealand musician, Strahan Coleman. He argues that, in our contemporary Christian culture, a ‘knowledge-based’ faith is promoted over a ‘spiritual-based’ faith.

Today, information is so rapidly disseminated and easily accessible that we have associated knowledge with the quantity of information an individual knows.

We have made the assumption that the amount we know about God and about the Bible is directly proportional to our closeness with him. Reading the Bible, Christian books and listening to podcasts are promoted over silent meditation and prayer.

Now, I’m certainly not trying to denounce intellectualism.

I myself love uncovering the Bible’s nuances and symbolism, and find it brings me closer to God. Having an intimate knowledge of the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b, NIV) guides me in times of uncertainty.

Rather than undermining intellectualism, what I am trying to say is there is more to knowing God than merely knowing about God. Lessons from Job Something that confounded me upon realisation was that Job is the first book of the Bible ever written.

Aperture Vintage/unsplash.com

Real communion Just like that Mangakino night sky, we could see countless pictures of the stars, and have numerous people describe these stars in detail to us. But until we truly see them and experience them for ourselves, there will always be so much beauty and wonder that we are missing out on.

How can we know the ‘peace that passeth all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7) if we merely restrict our

faith to an intellectual experience of him?

I, like Strahan, would like to challenge us to seek real communion with God. Let’s put the Bible down for a few nights and really seek his Spirit. Ridding ourselves of the distractions, let’s fix our gaze towards the heavens, and strive to get to know God, not simply about God. When we allow God’s Spirit to shine, to illuminate our lives, the world will unravel before us in a beauty and wonder that we cannot yet comprehend, nor yet know.

Kirstyn J. Paynter/kjpaynter.com

He was described as someone “blameless and upright” before God (Job 1:1, NIV).

Job knew God and was close to him, as evident in his faith through the trials and tribulations he faced.

Astoundingly, he achieved all this without any literature about God, without a Bible.

He had no choice but to find God spiritually. Yes, there would have been countless oral stories passed down through generations, and this would have helped. But all you need to do is play a game of ‘broken telephone’ to realise that oral stories are prone to distortion and corruption.

He wouldn’t have been able to take each story he heard about God at face value, like we can with the Bible. He would have had to discern the truth of a story using what he already knew about God, through spiritual communion, as a reference.

Unlike Job, we have a Bible that is just a few clicks away. Unfortunately, we can often settle for complacency.

It’s easy just to settle for the Bible and not seek genuine communion with God. It’s easy to make the knowledge about God the end, instead of God himself.

Contributor: Matthew Thornton Matthew attends Windsor Park Baptist Church. He is currently studying at the University of Auckland. He finds that writing is one of the prime ways he connects with and grows closer to God. He loves seeing the way in which God has wired everyone uniquely and finds immense fulfilment in seeing others discover who God is to them. He would love to hear from you matthewcthornton13@gmail.com.

This article was originally published by Christian Today christiantoday.co.nz and is used with permission.

v.136 no.5 † toru tekau mā tahi 31

Directory LEAD PASTOR

100 Years Ago Is the Old Faith Good for the New Era? Rev. Joseph W. Kemp, the Tabernacle, Auckland.

The Church has never been slow to make her boast of what the Gospel can do, but we are being told on every hand that our accomplishments do not keep pace with our pretensions.

Alas! there may be some justification for the taunt. Let the Church take up the challenge, and in the power of the Holy Ghost anew test the old faith, and it will be found that no conceivable condition can arise where that will be found wanting. We do not, ostrich like, bury our heads in the sands, and attempt to ignore the perils which beset us...

We do not ignore the fact that the Church is not reaching the masses as she ought. Empty pews are a sad comment on our labours. Why is it? Is it because the Church has tried to be too much like the world from which she is called to be separate, or on the other hand may it not be that we have a dead orthodoxy that is as unattractive as an Egyptian mummy? I have no derogatory word to say of the Church. She was purchased with the blood of the Son of God. She is all glorious, but I grieve for her sins. Now if the Church has no message for the new age, then the outlook is black indeed. The old Gospel is good for the new age. The surest way by which we can bless and help the world is by bringing the Gospel of Christ into touch with it.

There is no conceivable condition which can possibly arise in which the Gospel will be found unprepared. The Gospel is the most thrilling tidings which ever fell on human ears. We have no need to fear applying it to the present moment. Let us abandon our apologetic attitude, and assume the attitude of confidence, exultation and enthusiasm.

Baptist magazine, October 1920 (abridged)

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Eastview is situated in Botany, East Auckland and are seeking a new Lead Pastor to join us. We desire someone with: a life focussed on Jesus; sound Biblical teaching; ability to motivate and empower; and commitment to discipleship.

CONTACT THE SEARCH TEAM FOR MORE INFORMATION AT davidorange1@gmail.com

PASTOR TOKOROA LIVING HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH Located less than an hour from Rotorua, Taupo, and Hamilton, we are looking for a full-time Pastor who can rebuild; inspire and encourage; open up opportunities; and be challenged by the potential for growth.

FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL merranbrear@icloud.com

GAY & CHRISTIAN

PONSONBY BAPTIST

Gay & Christian support & discussion group monthly meetings 027 279 4461 office@ponsonbybaptist.org.nz ponsonbybaptist.org.nz/gay-andchristian-information

Glo bal Mis si on

Photo of the month In this edition’s feature story, Alan Jamieson focuses on mobilisation for world mission.

As participants in Carey’s Mission Track training, these students are cultivating mission spirituality and global awareness that will enable them to be a part of God’s mission locally or overseas. What are you doing to prepare yourself for God’s mission?

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

v.136 no.5 † toru tekau mā toru 33

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

A word from Alan PREPARING FOR THE CALL Recent Barna research1 among young adults, names some very practical things we as churches and parents can do to help young adults sense a global call. Here are three.

Contact effect. When a young adult knows a global worker as someone they can call a friend—someone they have met with, talked with and whose lives they understand—their own openness to supporting global mission and seeing themselves as also being involved grows.

Family expectations. In the research, many young adults from committed Christian families said, “My parents wouldn’t want me to become a missionary.” It seems missionary service is something good Christian parents want for other people’s children, not their own.

Of course, all parents want the best for their children.

Maybe for many baby boomers, wanting the best means wanting our children to adhere to the cultural norms of a good education, career and buying a home. As parents we want the best for our kids—God’s best is the best.

Have we talked about this with our adult children?

Discipleship. Barna’s research showed young adults who, in the past week, prayed regularly, were part of a Bible study group and gave time voluntarily to serve others are the most open to global work in the future.

In other words, supporting practical discipleship opens people to the opportunities and call of God globally.

Right now, the challenge sits at our doorstep. COVID means we are in a time of waiting, but the world will open up again and God is quietly calling us to go and love, and serve and partner with, the needy of the world. While we are waiting, watching and praying, we can be supporting others in our churches. Be proactive in introducing them to global workers. Allow them to hear stories of people with God’s call on their lives and the work they have been part of. Encourage parents to talk with their children about how they may be called to global work and how they, as parents, would support them in that call. It’s all part of the day-to-day practical discipleship we are challenged to inject into the lives of the young adults we know.

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

1. ‘The Future of Missions: 10 Questions about Global Ministry that the Church Must Answer with the Next Generation’ (Barna, 2020).

34 toru tekau mā whā † v.136 no.5 baptistmag.org.nz

SENDIN POST-C Mobilisation is a word often used in the arena of global mission. What it really means is to respond in obedience to God’s call. But what about COVID? Has God’s call been put on hold? No. The call is as clear today as it ever has been—we are called, as individuals, as churches, as a united faith, to mobilise for mission. Alan Jamieson, NZBMS general director, presents his thoughts on mobilisation in a post-COVID world.

R

ight now, we are immersed in a global pandemic. No one knows when it will end, but it will. When that happens, many places in the world, especially those where the gospel of Jesus is least known and that are home to the desperately poor, will need us to send global workers again. God, who loves the whole world and reaches out in special compassion to the least and the lost, is calling again.

The suggestion that New Zealanders would be sent overseas to engage in mission work sometimes raises a number of concerns which, in the middle of this COVID pandemic, may become even more glaring. For many, there is a growing anxiety around the seeming arrogance of evangelistic work in places where different religious beliefs and cultural life are strong. This is a cultural cringe born from times when missionary work was wrapped in colonialism, locals were talked down to and their cultures ignored.

Coupled with this is the growing awareness of the huge cost of sending westerners and the value of supporting locals.

These critiques are real and we at NZBMS are aware of the validity and widespread nature of such critiques.

Recent research amongst committed American Christian young adults shows that over half would

N Z B M S

NG OVID call themselves ‘supportive skeptics’. That is to say, while they share these critiques and concerns, they are also supportive of global mission. However, they want to move beyond an independent white saviour syndrome to mission based on genuine partnership and ways of sharing Jesus that are respectful and culturally sensitive.

While we, as New Zealand Baptist churches, have always sent New Zealanders overseas, we are also proactive in supporting locals. Some of our most significant and long-term ventures have been to support networks of overseas pastors and indigenous churches (involving many more churches and individuals than the Baptist movement here in New Zealand). This includes indigenous pastoral and evangelist training in Tripura (India) and similar work with the Baptist Churches of Bangladesh.

Supporting these locally-led indigenous churches and their associated community works of compassion is a very important part of who we are. More recently, we have helped initiate businesses which encompass a commitment to education and healthcare. These businesses are in partnership with locals and are eventually handed over to local leadership and ownership.

When this pandemic comes to an end, these global churches, their compassionate works and the businesses we support will need increased support and part of this needs to be in person. It requires people who are called

by God to bring distinctive skills and a richness of faith that will enable them to partner with locals. In going, we will be stretched and we will learn from a genuine partnership with locals about what God is doing amongst them. These are learnings and experiences we can bring back to New Zealand to encourage and reshape our churches.

But who is sensing this new call to global work?

Could God be calling you to prepare to go when the world opens up again? Is God calling someone in your church who needs prayer, encouragement and the wider church to help prepare them for serving? Could they be sent and supported from your church whānau? NZBMS is here to help you personally, and your church collectively, in this journey.

Please email me if you would like to talk more— alan.jamieson@nzbms.org.nz.

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R E A C H I N G

T H E

W O R L D

We’re in this together

6

ways to reach out to those overseas

This column provides information and encouragement to help pastors and church mission committees promote mission within our churches.

Overseas workers sometimes talk about the separation they feel from their homeland. Here are six things you can do to reach out and keep in touch with your overseas workers.

1. Take the first step.

No need to wait for those newsletters; be proactive. Send your overseas workers some news from home and ask how you can pray for them. And it doesn’t have to always be by email. Set up times to video chat. Maybe even get a group from church over and have a group video-call.

2. Answer newsletters.

Overseas workers often spend hours writing and emailing their ministry update, and hear nothing back. Answer those newsletters. It doesn’t have to be a long reply. Just a few words saying, “Great to hear from you. You’re doing an awesome work,” is an encouraging reminder that people care and are praying.

3. Pray intentionally.

An all-encompassing prayer for ‘the missionaries’ is good, but specific prayers are better. Let your overseas workers know what you’ve been praying for and ask for updates.

Just be careful about the way you mention prayer in emails—we must be security conscious when contacting workers in sensitive nations.

4. Provide financial support.

Most overseas workers raise their own support. Knowing someone cares enough about you and believes in your work to the extent that they will actually support you financially makes a huge difference. It doesn’t need to be a huge amount either. Every dollar makes a difference.

5. Pay your overseas workers a visit.

Having family or home church visitors can be an incredible encouragement. Just be sure to coordinate your visit to fit in with their schedule. And remember to give them a financial contribution for your stay—most workers are on limited budgets. Also, check to find out if there are specific projects the worker needs help with and that you might have the time and ability to help out with.

6. Engage with the children.

There are many positives for children on the field but they have still left behind their friends and culture. Children from families serving overseas love to receive a letter or care package sent especially to them. Gifts during holiday seasons, like Christmas or Easter, are real treats.

v.136 no.5 † toru tekau mā rima 35

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

WELCOME LORNA

SMALL BITES

Lorna Kidd has joined the NZBMS Auckland office as administrator. Originally from the UK, Lorna has spent the past five years serving with YWAM in Newcastle, Australia.

Lorna’s role includes overseeing the administrative activities of NZBMS, donor management, and providing PA support for senior management. If you wish to contact Lorna, email lorna.kidd@nzbms.org.nz, or phone 09 526 8444.

SAYING THANKS Two of our overseas workers are finishing with Tranzsend.

Kerry and Annie Twenty years after heading out to Kolkata with their family and serving at Freeset, Kerry and Annie have written to the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, “After much prayer and conversations with a few wise people, we believe our time in Kolkata has come to an end. This has been a very painful process given we imagined spending the rest of our lives in Kolkata. We never saw this coming but are slowly making peace with the decision. We will still be part of the new organisation going forward and we will be looking for ways to still be involved from our new home in New Zealand.”

Kerry and Annie have done an amazing job and lives have been transformed because of their total commitment to the task. Their time with Tranzsend ended in September 2020.

CHANGE A CHILD’S LIFE For many years, we’ve been promoting the sponsor a child project for children in our Bangladeshi hostels.

Now you can sponsor a hostel.

The costs of accommodation, food and education for our Bangladeshi hostels are rising all the time.

For $50 a month, you can help cover these costs and change the life of a child in Bangladesh. You will receive a newsletter twice a year giving details of events at the hostel and specific prayer requests.

To find out more, email sponsorship@tranzsend.org.nz.

LIVING IN THE WAIKATO? A pop-up shop selling high-quality goods from The Loyal Workshop has opened in the Upstairs Downstairs Co‑op Store, 84 Normandy

Josh and Robyn, Luke, Alex and Kate In their last newsletter, Josh and Robyn wrote, “As you know, this has been an unexpected year for us all because of COVID-19. The worldwide pandemic has disrupted international travel, and has meant that it could be a long time until country borders reopen.

Because of this, we have made the hard decision to finish our work with Tranzsend, and settle in New Zealand. We will miss our team and the community we had come to know and love. We will continue to follow the work of WovenLife with interest.”

Thank you, Josh and Robyn, for the work you have done. The team there will miss you greatly.

38 toru tekau mā waru † v.136 no.5 baptistmag.org.nz

Rd (Main Rd), Paeroa. It will be open 10am - 3pm every day (except Tuesdays) until the end of October.

WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON? Once a week, hundreds of NZBMS supporters receive an email with MISSION the latest NZBMS news from home and overseas. If you’d like to join with them and keep up with what’s happening, email Accordin info@nzbms.org.nz.

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R E A C H I N G

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—PRAY—PAY—GO— We are all called to be involved in mission but there is more than one way to be involved. Here are three ways you can involve yourself in the work of NZBMS.

PRAY

PAY

GO

We believe in prayer—it has the power to change circumstances and lives of men and women we will never meet this side of heaven.

Become an NZBMS Team Supporter. Support an NZBMS team member and receive regular news updates on their work.

We have mission work projects throughout Asia and, chances are, there will be a task to fit your skill set.

Email info@nzbms.org.nz and ask for a list of NZBMS team members currently needing financial support.

If you’re interested in talking more about working overseas with NZBMS, email andrew.page@tranzsend.org.nz.

Email info@nzbms.org.nz and ask to receive our Weekly News and Prayer Update.

Your Christian media ministry, bringing you a unique perspective on election and referenda issues

On October 17th, 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.

Rhema, Life FM, Star and Shine will present election issues and policies to people from a faith perspective.

Andrew Urquhart interviews party leaders and Gary Hoogvliet will chat to Christian leaders and influencers on election issues.

Andrew Urquhart and Eloise Packham also host The Panel with leading thinkers and experts, and on Perspective, Tash McGill navigates the opinions and perspectives of Kiwis from all sides of the political spectrum.

Party Leader Interviews with Andrew Urquhart Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00am on Rhema, Life FM & Star 8:00pm on Shine TV

Christian Leader Interviews with Gary Hoogvliet Sundays & Tuesdays 8:30pm on Shine TV Mondays 11:00am on Rhema, Life FM & Star

The Panel with Andrew Urquhart and Eloise Packham

Wednesday 11:00am on Rhema & Life FM Thursdays 7:30pm on Shine TV

Perspective with Tash McGill

Mondays 8:00am & Wednesdays 7:30am on Rhema & Life FM

Watch on Shine Freeview Channel 25 Sky Channel 201 Vodafone TV 700 or online at shinetv.co.nz

Listen online or find your frequency at rhema.co.nz lifefm.co.nz star.net.nz

Join a Day of Prayer for the election & referenda on Rhema, Life FM, Star & Shine TV

Friday 16th October

See the full interview and topics schedule or watch and listen on demand on your station’s website

shinetv.co.nz

rhema.co.nz

lifefm.co.nz

star.net.nz