The voice of Queensland Baptists December 2010
What is God saying? Keep looking up Stories are powerful Print post approved ISSN: 11323-7829 The Queensland Baptist - first published in 1890. This series Vol 8 Issue 6.
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“For in Christ Jesus... The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.� Galatians 5:6 (NIV)
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Contents
In this issue 05 06 10 16 35 38 40 43 44 46
Comment: David Loder Speaking out: John Sweetman Around the regions Baptisms Called home Persecution brief Reviews Quotable quotes Fun zone Classifieds QB ministries
18 20 22 23 26
What is God saying? (QB Kids) Sticker families (QB Youth) The lure of gold (QB Archives) Woman on a mission (QB Women) Keeping the campfires burning (QCCC) QB partners
28 29
A Christmas story (BWAA) Stories are powerful (Global Interaction) Articles
30 32 33 34 35 36 42 Our cover: Celebrate the greatest gift of all! ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him “Immanuel” which means “God with us”’ Matthew 1:23 (NIV).
Men and Church Northreach - A big vision for God 2000km - They did it! A bit partial to cake TV censorship Keep looking up! Billy Graham
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News, views and issues
From the Editor There’s no doubt about it. This is a very special time of year. Churches everywhere are gearing up for Christmas. Whether activities and programs are small, or epic like ‘The wonder of Christmas’ held each year at Maroochydore Baptist Church (Around the regions), this is surely the best time to share with our friends and neighbours about the peace, joy and love that only Jesus brings. It’s a challenge though. Christmas is more than just a wonderful time for families; it’s so much more than giving and receiving gifts, however thoughtfully chosen. It’s more than wishing for peace in our troubled world. But, in many minds, good, wholesome concepts like these have drowned out the message of the birth of Jesus. And who is this Jesus? I appreciated a reader’s comments and the quote he submitted (Quotable quotes). C S Lewis wrote: ‘Either this man (Jesus) was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.’ No grey areas here! And since we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only Son of the Most High God, then falling at his feet doesn’t seem like an overreaction. ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this’ (Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV). This Christmas, take some quiet moments to ‘fall at his feet and call him Lord’ and marvel at ‘the zeal of the Lord Almighty’ who continues to work out his will in our world. Robynne Milne
The qb is a member of the Australasian Religious Press Association, published bi-monthly by Queensland Baptist Services Group in February, April, June, August, October and December. Editor: Robynne Milne Advertising contact: Robynne Milne Design: Shell Graphix Print: Fergies Print & Mail This magazine is printed with soy based inks and paper from sustainable forest plantations. We welcome reader feedback and opinions about our articles. Remember to include your full name and postal address. Articles and advertising in The qb express the opinions of the authors, not necessarily the editor or publishers. Every effort is made to ensure the correctness of facts and information however we cannot accept responsibility for errors. The publishers reserve the right to accept or decline any advertising. Deadline for advertisement and copy: 10th of the month prior to the month of publication. PO Box 6166 Mitchelton Qld 4053 qb@qb.com.au Ph: (07) 3354 5633 Fax: (07) 3354 5646 Advertising rates are listed at www.qb.com.au - follow the links to qb magazine. Prices are also available on enquiry and advertising packages can be tailored to suit your budget. Reduced contract rates apply to three bookings within a 12 month period. Please contact us for details. A limited number of inserts are also accepted. Copyright © 2003 by Queensland Baptist Services Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher. ISSN: 11323-7829
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Comment
DEEPER – Imitating Jesus The slogan for Queensland Baptists is ‘following Jesus’. This means that we are becoming more like him in our thinking, talking, behaviour - in fact, in every way possible! We commit ourselves to him by spending time with him and growing deeper in our intimacy with him. Following Jesus also means we commit ourselves to others in a deliberate ministry lifestyle and do our part in extending God’s Kingdom. We are approaching the end of our year of focussing on ‘Encountering God’. It is good to reflect on some of the outcomes of this focus over these last months:
‘The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation (character) of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word’ (Hebrews 1:3).
• The Board continued to engage with this theme. Each Board meeting commenced with an opportunity for Board members to report personal God-encounters. The Board also held an extra half-day spiritual retreat • We met with ministers and encouraged them to explore this theme, personally and with their churches. Around 250 ministers attended these meetings. • We highlighted the theme wherever we could: devotions, preaching, discussions, workshops etc • We heard and told stories of people encountering God • Many churches adopted the theme for themselves in preaching series and studies • We developed a greater appreciation for encountering God through our own God-encounters. This led to a greater awareness of God’s presence and working amongst us.
Christmas greetings!
In the coming year, the Board is encouraging us to focus on the theme ‘Deeper: Imitating Christ’. By this, we mean: ‘We want to imitate the God we encounter in Jesus by doing what pleases him and seeing transformation in ourselves, our churches, our community and in our relationships and activities.’
How wonderful to know that as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ we still worship the living Lord, our Saviour, Jesus, who was the Babe of Bethlehem!
In relation to this, our theme verse will be Hebrews 1:3, ‘The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation (character) of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word’. May I encourage you think about how you personally, and then through your ministry, can make this an emphasis in the coming year? David Loder General Superintendent, Queensland Baptists gs@qb.com.au
This same Jesus is still impacting the lives of men, women and children – and you have been an important part of this process for many people throughout this last year. Fantastic! We have also appreciated your support this year as we, the Queensland Baptists Services Group have sought to serve the Lord and His Church. Thank you. On behalf of my wife, Ann, and all the team here at Gaythorne, have a blessed Christmas and may you take the joy of Christmas with you throughout the coming year. David Loder, General Superintendent www.qb.com.au The qb DECEMBER 10
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Speaking out
Church Trends These are the final points in John Sweetman’s thoughtful series on church trends. These are John’s personal impressions; as he says, ‘not necessarily supported by objective evidence’. In previous issues, John discussed: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Churches and pastors are beginning to think ‘kingdom’ more than ‘church’ The American influencers of the Western church are changing The renewal movement has waned The emerging church has only emerged as an option
5. Worship services are very similar in most churches When I was growing up, Baptist church services were pretty well indistinguishable. The same order of service would be followed in almost every church. Some have called it the ‘hymn sandwich’. This meant that you could go to any church and you could predict accurately what would happen in a service. Then everything changed. As the charismatic/renewal movement and its worship emphases, the singing of choruses, the use of guitars and drums, the development of AV equipment, the seeker movement, and the emerging church movement impacted churches (to a greater or lesser degree), worship services dramatically diversified. Every church was different, depending on their emphases and direction. When you visited another church, you were never sure just what you would find. Now, surprisingly, most churches have gone back to a largely stereotyped service. Oh I shouldn’t say ‘gone back’ because the service looks quite different to what it used to be, but we now have a new common liturgy.
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Let me prove this to you. A typical service in your church will almost inevitably have: • four to six songs (with a welcome time), • a talking spot that divides the singing into two segments (mostly advertisements and promotions, but maybe including testimonies, interviews, media presentations, children’s talks, prayer segments, etc.), • a sermon, and • a final song (or two songs if you’re more charismatic). The worship will be led by a singer who occasionally calls out the first lines of the next stanza to be sung and perhaps prays briefly or reads some Scripture verses between songs. The pastor/s will take responsibility for the talking segments - the promotions and the sermon. The singing will be accompanied by a band. It’s difficult to explain this uniformity in our worship services. Probably it’s a combination of the influence of Hillsong and the contemporary worship movement, the pressure on
There is nothing necessarily wrong with uniformity. It certainly makes us comfortable, uses resources well, and helps us avoid extremes, but the lack of creativity and worship options could eventually make worship dull and predictable for many people. Some questions that need to be raised concerning our uniform approach to worship include: Where is the spiritual leadership coming from? How are we sensitive to the Spirit? What do the non-singers do? Who is equipping our worship leaders? Why are the promotions more important to pastors than the worship? Is uniformity and tight structure a good thing in worship? 6. We’re doing mission more effectively overseas than at home Churches are changing their involvement in overseas mission. In the middle of last century, mission was the work of overseas mission societies who recruited missionaries and supported them while they were involved in missions. Most financial support for overseas missions went to missions agencies who worked on behalf of the churches.
profile in most churches, especially among the young and those prepared to travel. People are aware of many of the needs and want to be involved. They are willing to give and to serve. Resources are being released for mission. On the home front, mission is not faring so well. Certainly, almost every church is more intentionally focusing on mission. Churches realise that if they don’t evangelise, there will be no real growth in the church. Some would even say that mission is the most important purpose of the church.
An emphasis on the Kingdom has brought together theologically diverse churches who have found a common agenda not only in evangelism but also in serving the needy both in local communities and throughout the world.
Then as people became less enamoured with impersonal institutions, the focus of support for overseas mission centred on individual missionaries who had to raise their own support teams. While these missionaries were still part of mission agencies, the spotlight was on the particular missionaries and their work. It was the missionaries who worked on behalf of the church in overseas mission and most were sponsored by one or more churches. But this is changing. Now with globalisation, cheaper travel costs, and better resources, churches are not content to hand over their mission work to agencies. They want to partner with these agencies and even (in some cases) establish their own overseas mission work. People wish to be involved in overseas mission themselves, and many embark on short-term mission trips to experience it and to partner with the missionaries they support. These short-term mission trips can be spiritually enlivening. They provide participants with an awareness of the needs of the majority world, an experience of cultures that are often more open to Christian faith or at least to spiritual issues, and an opportunity to see God at work in powerful ways meeting needs and changing lives. As a consequence, cross-cultural mission now has a positive
Speaking out
pastors that makes them relieved to delegate worship to others, the simplicity of constructing a service using this pattern, and the lack of other models.
However intention and results are two different things. While more churches are involved in serving the community, few churches are growing significantly through evangelism. Few Christians are seeing their friends come to Christ. The results of mission among Aussies so far are minimal. I don’t want to be negative. Almost every church can point to new Christians. Praise God for the power of his gospel. But I don’t generally see the same passion for and commitment to local mission as I do for overseas mission.
Some possible factors that make local mission difficult are the secular nature of Aussie culture, the lack of radical difference between Christians and others, the lack of the daily reality of God and need for God in our lives, and the stress of life that leaves little energy for influencing others. Perhaps churches are lacking gifted evangelists. Some would say that more church planting is needed. Research shows that church plants are generally more focussed on mission than established churches. 7. Barriers between churches are diminishing In the middle of last century, while most church denominations cooperated in evangelistic efforts (for example, the Billy Graham crusades) and in parachurch ministries, theological suspicion and tightly held differentiating values made regular interdenominational collaboration difficult for evangelical churches. One clear barrier was theology. Conservative evangelical churches were concerned about the watering down of theology that often occurred with ecumenism. They were suspicious of more liberal mainline churches (and vice versa). While pastors joined interdenominational fraternals, there was little actual cooperation in ministry because of differing theology and practices. The charismatic movement of the 1970s and 1980s both broke down some barriers and exacerbated other tensions between churches. Charismatic churches found a shared unity no matter
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Speaking out
what their denomination and an experience of the Holy Spirit became more important than ‘divisive’ doctrine. Charismatic conferences attracted a wide range of denominations. However, evangelicals outside the charismatic circle were concerned by both the lack of an orthodox charismatic theology and the aggressive promotion of the charismatic message by many in the charismatic movement. This heightened barriers between charismatic and noncharismatic churches. Even within denominations, autonomous churches have usually leant towards a silo mentality and this has made collaboration difficult, but I think this barrier to unity was magnified by the church growth movement’s emphasis on numerical growth. Suddenly, everyone expected their church to grow and supposedly had the tools to make it happen (mainly by offering people better programs). This meant that churches were actually competing for increasingly mobile, flexible and consumeristic Christians. The resulting spirit of suspicion, judgmentalism and competition was not conducive to cooperation. But many of these barriers appear to be diminishing. An emphasis on the Kingdom has brought together theologically diverse churches who have found a common agenda not only in evangelism but also in serving the needy both in local communities and throughout the world. The charismatic/renewal movement has directly or indirectly produced openness to the gifts of the Spirit in most churches, and in itself has become less aggressive and narrow, and more biblical. To some extent, churches continue to compete for members, but there are now more opportunities for church leaders to build relationships together and they are finding mutual values and concerns that overcome the barriers between them. Denominational distinctives and pastoral pride and protectiveness are diminishing In the face of an overwhelming flood of secular opposition. Christians are focusing more on what they have in common rather than what separates them. An evidence of the growing ability for churches to work together is the flourishing school chaplaincy movement. Churches not only work together on committees, but invest significant funds in this cooperative venture. The use of our money is always a clear sign of our values. Some churches remain isolationist because they perceive that they have something to offer that other churches don’t. Some churches are willing to cooperate to a degree but are concerned about the lowering of theological barriers. Some churches only work with the narrow group that they trust. But generally barriers between churches are diminishing and cooperation is seen as an important value. People are praying, serving, working and worshipping together across churches. 8. Commitment to church service attendance is decreasing Quite a few of the pastors I speak to bemoan the fact that church attendees are coming to services less often. In many churches, an average regular attendee comes to church between two to three times a month. It would appear that this is a growing trend that has considerable impact on pastors and churches.
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Like to think? Check out www.neoleader.org
Speaking out
When I commenced ministry in the 1980s, most committed Christians would attend both morning and evening services and the average member would attend every week unless circumstances prevented it. The morning service was the flagship of the church and gave a good indication of the size and makeup of the church. On Sunday morning, Christians would worship God, imbibe (hopefully) the preaching and teaching, catch up with what was happening in the church, spend time with their friends, and build relationships with new people. There was always a group of about 30% who attended irregularly. They would receive a pastoral contact and come for a few weeks before dropping back to spasmodic attendance again. But the majority of members could be counted on to be at church unless prevented by circumstances. In many churches, the percentages are now reversed. 30% are every week attendees and 70% come less regularly. The reasons behind this trend vary from person to person. Here are a few examples: • Some Christians are very busy. Sunday is the only chance for them to get away or spend time with family. They feel that they need time to refresh and invest in their children. • Some Christians have commitments on Sunday. For example, children’s sport is moving more to Sunday to avoid the commitment clashes on Saturday. Others have work or family commitments. • Some Christians don’t feel that services should be a priority. Perhaps they are being fed by podcasts or the books they read. Perhaps they feel that their time is better used with non-Christians. Perhaps they are more committed to their small group. Perhaps they feel that they get little out of church. Perhaps they are serving God in other ways. • Some Christians feel freed from legalism. They no longer feel pressured by expectations or tradition. • Some Christians like to attend a range of churches. They appreciate the variety. • Some Christians are lazy. They are not committed to any spiritual disciplines, including church attendance. • It’s difficult to see this trend reversing in the near future. Churches are learning to live with it by: • Keeping people connected and informed through online bulletins, email, texting, Facebook, etc. • Podcasting sermons for those who don’t attend on Sunday. • Emphasising small groups where people are perhaps more likely to be committed. • Rotating Sunday service ministry teams to allow for breaks. • Calling for commitment to community and church ministries outside of Sundays. • Only trying to keep track of their most committed members. • Not using Sunday attendance as a measure of their church size. Some churches are fighting this trend by asking for a clear commitment by church members (spelling out the demands of membership including attendance) or by trying to ensure that services are worthwhile attending (excellent music, strong teaching, great children’s programs, etc.). But it’s hard work reversing a trend with momentum. It’s a challenge incorporating and discipling Christians who are not regularly involved in large community events like church services. But it looks like we will have to learn how to do it. John Sweetman Principal, Malyon College John.sweetman@malyon.edu.au
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Around the regions
Christmas:
messy, dangerous & revolutionary
Be careful visiting the Maroochy Baptist Centre (North Buderim) in the weeks leading up to Christmas — you might get run over by a cherry picker, a mob of sheep or you might even be given a job!
measures God took to redeem us sinners to him. This is the real wonder of Christmas - the message we’re called to share with the people of the Sunshine Coast,’ Senior Pastor Phil Greenbury said.
Like the night before a grand final, hearts are brimming with hope… with expectation as the congregation of MBC transforms their 21st century church building into 1st century Bethlehem. MBC is preparing for the seventh annual Christmas Lights Spectacular — making ready for the some 25,000 expected visitors who come to experience ‘The Wonder of Christmas’.
Held over two full weeks (11 – 24 December) this family event has grown from a few thousand in its first year to the largest free Christmas event on the Sunshine Coast.
‘The events in Bethlehem some 2010 years ago show us the extreme
‘In Australia, the birth of Jesus has become kind of a fairy tale – a cute
The major attraction is a contemporary musical production that tells not only of the birth of Jesus, but also of the saving grace available to all those who repent of their sins and believe in him.
legend that sits nicely with Santa, presents and summer-time revelry. But we are reminded that we are amidst a battle. The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus were not cute, these events were not cuddly – they were messy, dangerous and revolutionary.’ Pastor Phil added. Christmas Lights Spectacular is made possible by the people of Maroochy Baptist, Goodlife and Immanuel Lutheran churches who give 30,000 plus volunteer hours to prepare for the victory the Lord will win in the hearts of people.
Sunshin e Coast’s largest FRE Christm E as event
Around the regions Kenmore Carols 2009
Carols at Kenmore A major Community Christmas Carols event will be held on Saturday 18 December at Kenmore State Primary School Oval, 2052 Moggill Road, Kenmore in Brisbane’s western suburbs. The event will start at 6 pm with a sausage sizzle, street entertainers, free face painting and children’s games. Carol singing will start at 7pm, accompanied by the Josh McIntosh Band and with radio personality Phil Smith as Master of Ceremonies. Event organiser Barbara Peck said, ‘This major Christmas Carols event is being arranged by the churches in the Kenmore area. We are planning a great evening with special emphasis on fun for children. Everyone is invited to come along and join in the activities and the carol singing’.
The team with Tim, Mel, Clayton and Benny.
Travelling by ‘troopy’ Pastor Dony (Kawana Life) reports: After a year of preparation, six ‘Kawana Lifers’ flew out to Malawi. (Team members were Brenda, Dony,
Grant, Loraine, Nathan and Sue.) Our goals were to bless Tim and Mel and the whole Global Interaction team and bless the Yao People. We arrived, bought supplies then set off in the back of a troop carrier. This ‘troopy’ became our main source of transport for the next three weeks.
Lots and lots of kids.
It is amazing how quickly you become aware of spiritual battle; the need to pray and pray and love as Jesus enables us. The staff housing area is amazing. We were really well looked after. Tim and Mel had an awesome plan for us. They very wisely involved us in culture classes. Our eyes were opened right from the start; what a contrasting culture to our own. Our team grew from this experience and felt very privileged to be doing and learning whatever we could. We practised our greetings on the Yao People who worked locally. They laughed as we stumbled about but they just loved that we tried to talk with them in their own tongue. The Yao people are looked down on by the other people groups in Malawi. Time and again, one person, Mapira (not his real name) would say to Tim, ‘Your friends, they talk to me!’
During the following week we went on health/education visits to villages near the Mozambique Border. One story I need to tell is: On the way we were stopped at one of the many Police checkpoints. We were displaying the wrong insurance sticker and could go no further. We phoned and organised the correct sticker which will take about an hour to arrive. While we waited, we saw four or five kids, we asked if we could play soccer with them and a game started. Suddenly 20 or 30 kids come from nowhere. After 30 minutes, the Police tell us we can go because we have good hearts. Our Yao interpreter told us that, in her experience, this had never happened before. At one village, the men were asked to pray with a woman who was dying from a huge tumour around her heart. The prayer time was awesome and the Lord’s presence was very tangible. After praying the lady sat up and shared that the pain was going away. Praise God! On another occasion, the ladies prayed for a woman experiencing incredible pain in her lower abdomen and back. She had been in pain for many years and medication no longer worked. The next day she was hugging and thanking everyone and giving Glory to God for her healing. We prayed, and continue to pray for many awesome people living with AIDS, TB and malaria. We prayed for a six year old boy who had suddenly become deaf and mute at the age of three. Some thought it was a side effect of Malaria, but the villagers saw it as the
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Around the regions Malawi
result of a curse. In the middle of a village in Malawi, we cried out to our awesome God and even though it was a great time, when we left, the boy was still deaf and mute. However, we felt led to ask the boy’s father (the only follower of Jesus in the whole village) to keep on stepping out in faith by calling him and speaking to him as if he could hear. Two weeks after arriving back in Australia, Tim and Mel emailed us to say that the little boy could hear and was mumbling words praise God.
BAPLinK investing in ministry
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‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. For he founded it… and established it…’ Psalms 24:1-2a. Earlier this year, James Baker (MTQ), Steve Twible (Regional Consultant) Barry Downes (Regional Pastor) and I visited mining towns in Central Qld. We wanted to touch base with church
Now is the time to see many Yao become followers of Jesus.
Current interest rates and terms effective 01 JUNE 2010
$50,000-$99,999 2.00%
$100,000+ 2.50%
Term Deposits 6 months
Coal country – a plea for prayer, people and provision
We had a great time visiting orphanages and the Bible Translators, what a great team - such wisdom and intelligence. We were with people of genius - writing the very first Yao Dictionary. There are very few books so this dictionary will open many doors and many villages. We fell in love with the Global Interaction team and the Yao people and have a huge heart to see the work grow and develop.
Saturday 29 January – Friday 11 February Mrs Robi O’Keeffe
an advanced Toastmaster trainer for 15 years
Dr Don Hardgrave
SPECIAL RATES FOR TERMS LONGER THAN 3 YEARS
BAPLink Interest Free Fund investing in ministry Interest free deposits at call to provide interest free loans to churches Please note: Rates are subject to change without notice, with the exception of fixed term deposits already lodged. Interest is calculated on daily balances and paid or accumulated half yearly unless otherwise agreed. Deposits under 12 months; interest paid on maturity.
Pioneered and pastored churches over the last 30 years
Rev Dr Stan Solomon
Rev Dr Stan Solomon former General Superintendent of Queensland Baptists, and former Senior Pastor
Location: CALAM Training, 38 Canterbury Road, Kirwan (Townsville)
BAPLink: PO Box 6166, Mitchelton 4053 Phone: 3354 5611 1800 650 062 (outside Brisbane) www.qb.com.au/baplink
Cost: $535 for tuition, meals & accommodation (07) 4723 8522 or admin@calam.edu.au www.calam.edu.au Summer School 2011
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Around the regions
leaders and ask, ‘How can we best serve your church in seeking to reach your community in Jesus’ name?’ So much has been written about the Mining Super Tax and the debate continues. But all Australians of any political persuasion would surely agree to a ‘fair go’. We are all beneficiaries of the mining boom; so much of our National and State finances are linked to the wealth of our mining sector. We are excited about trying some new strategies to reach mining communities particularly the single men’s dormitory trend of mining but we need help to make it happen. The Government is talking tax and I believe that they should negotiate a fair and equitable tax policy. Could we as churches consider a fair and equitable ministry and mission policy so that all Baptist people who share the blessings of living in this great State also share the privilege and responsibility of making Jesus known? Simply put, can your church help support the small struggling churches in mining communities and free up pastors, chaplains and counsellors to spend their time in Kingdom ministry? At present we are limited only by our imagination and scarce resources in towns like Moura, Blackwater and Emerald. Our Regional Church vision will support any groups of Christians we find in these isolated places around Queensland. You can partner with these churches and encourage those who are on the ground. You could send, or be a part of, a ministry team when the local church needs help for a ministry that it cannot resource, e.g. a
team from Keperra Baptist has painted the Moura Baptist Church buildings. This is a plea for prayer, people and provision. Will you identify with the Central Queensland Baptist Association and help grow churches in the mining communities of Central Queensland? To discuss, please contact Steve Twible, ph 0400 988 618, email steve. twible@qb.com.au or myself, ph 0403 314 066, email pastor_chris@ rockybaptist.org.au. Chris Ganter (CQ Area Coordinator)
Journeys to a golden land A multicultural event recently at Rivers Baptist Church celebrated the diverse range of countries and cultures within the church fellowship. Officially and unofficially represented were Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Iran, South Africa, New Zealand, Great Britain, Philippines, Samoa, Thailand, Yugoslavia, El Salvador, Fiji Indian and Australia! At least 18 nationalities were represented.
The congregation was encouraged to dress in national costume and to share food cooked in traditional styles. Some wore beautiful saris and it was interesting to see the difference between formal and informal dress. People gave moving testimonies of their journeys to Australia. One family’s Dutch relatives migrated here over 100 years ago and a refugee from Iran spoke about accepting Jesus Christ through the process of escaping from his home country. His conversion is a wonderful testimony to God’s blessing and faithfulness. It was very moving to hear a passage of scripture
read in each language and everyone singing ‘Advance Australia Fair’ and all celebrating being Aussies. The Bible readings reminded everyone about the immense importance of having the Word available in every language. The amazing range of foods from around the world shared over a supper feast was spectacular! The event was a wonderful expression of togetherness: eating together, enjoying kids galore playing together and praising God.
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Around the regions Seeking hidden treasure.
Thanks to Winston and his wonderful team for organising such a great night of fellowship and encouragement that demonstrated that everyone, regardless of who they are and where they come from, is acceptable and loved by Jesus.
A busy time at Keperra It’s all been happening at Keperra Baptist Church over the past four months: Rev Don McLellan was welcomed as Associate Pastor; a weekend of focus on evangelism was held; a Car Boot Sale and Girls’ Brigade Monster Book Stall raised funds for various ministries and during the school holidays, several people participated in youth camps either as leaders or participants. Also in the holidays, a team travelled to Moura to repaint the church and share with Des and Dorthy Limkin in a time of fellowship and participation in the worship service.
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Seeking hidden treasure How can you show that you are committed to your community and, at the same time, do something that will help build the identity and cohesiveness of that community? How can you build bridges of friendship to a community which is rapidly growing? These are the challenges faced by the people of Gracemere Baptist Fellowship (GBF). Gracemere, located 10km west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland has an average annual population growth rate of around 9%. ‘In the 1980s-90s the construction of a power station at Stanwell contributed to the urbanisation of Gracemere as a dormitory township.’ ‘Between 2006 and 2009 there were on average 450 people per annum moving into the town, populating the housing estates that have sprung up around the old town centre. Its population has risen from 4189 in 2001 to 6703 in 2009.’ Since then, the rate of growth has not diminished. Like any fast growing area, that growth comes at a cost to community and local identity. The church, along with its communitysupport arm, ‘Gracemere’s Hidden Treasure’ (an Opportunity Shop) decided to conduct an event that would encourage people in the town to come out and meet with each other in a fun atmosphere. So the Spring Fun Fiesta was born! The aim was to design an event that was relaxed, completely free for participants and which provided
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opportunity for Gracemere people to get to know each other and the people at GBF. On Saturday 30 October, the local park came to life with stalls staffed by the church community: face painting, a jumping castle, a Wii©®Games tent, horseshoe throwing and free popcorn and fairy-floss. In the evening, the crowds at the free sausage sizzle were entertained by the Oasis Church Youth Band. It was a wonderful opportunity for children and their parents to enjoy an afternoon of fun in a safe, relaxed atmosphere. Feedback has been all positive, with many saying how much they appreciated a completely free fun event for everybody in the community. What lies ahead? GBF is now seeking where God is at work so that they can join him in his work! Perhaps this will become an annual event. Perhaps it will become the means by which a sense of community and identity is built up in a town that is experiencing rapid growth. There is a large influx of people who have left their support networks behind as they seek work and a new future in Central Queensland. New bridges of friendship and understanding are being built to the community through this event. Pray for everyone at GBF as they seek to shine for Christ where the Lord has planted them. ©Centre for the Government of Queensland. The University of Queensland. (http://queenslandplaces. com.au/fitzroy-shire)
1.
http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au/products/presentationspapers/local-pop-trends-fitzroy-sd/local-pop-trendsfitzroy-sd-2010.pdf
2.
Around the regions
Happy talk!
Happy talk! The English Conversation Hour at Annerley Baptist Church is very new! Classes commenced on 1 August to help meet the needs of some migrants, refugees and international students in the church family and to connect with people from the wider community. The English Corner material (from Intercultural Training Associates) is an excellent resource - already the students are happy to talk and share
Rocky helps The Bible Society Rockhampton Girls’ Brigade has raised funds for The Bible Society for the past 26 years. In earlier years they partnered with the Boys’ Brigade to conduct walk-a-thons and bike-athons but more recently, they have held a Trash and Treasure, an annual event since 2008 which has raised a grand total of almost $7000.
country. Brigade Captain Kay Beatson said, ‘We know that the Bible Society appreciates our efforts and it is good for our girls to see the needs of others being met’.
Silver anniversary celebrations
Photo: Mattea, Sam and Sophie.
and are becoming much bolder in sharing in the big group. With students coming from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Eritrea, the Sudan and Croatia, and teachers from Singapore and Australia there is always lots to share about different cultural backgrounds.
Goods that are not sold are donated to the church’s 2nd Chance Op Shop, so nothing is wasted. The event continues to grow. So much is donated that it’s necessary for volunteers to camp out the night before the big event as a security measure.
After the classes which are held on Sunday afternoons, there is time for a light meal and then some students stay for Night Church. Friendships are forming, the word of God is being shared, and the church is confident that there are exciting times ahead!
Each year The Bible Society provides a Seeds booklet for each of the Brigade girls and leaders. Each unit uses the booklet to learn about the country they are raising money for and to complete either a craft or recipe from that
Chuwar Baptist Church celebrated 25 years of Christ’s witness in the community on 24 October. Pastor Alan Grieve from Stafford Heights Baptist Church gave a message on ‘The Power of a Silver Cup’ relating how silver represents a 25 year anniversary and that the return of the silver cup to Joseph would mean his brothers had to face the past; but blessing was in store for the future. The church has certainly experienced this scenario and is now entering a time of blessing through new ministries, leaders and outreach opportunities into the community.
On the move Pastor John Van de Heijde has accepted a call to Tin Can Bay (part time).
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Baptisms
A new foundation for living I grew up in a Christian family and we were regular churchgoers; the whole family attended every Sunday. I was christened as a baby and later went through the confirmation process, which I believed was enough. I didn’t think anything else was needed. However, as time went on, life seemed to get in the way and my religious interest and faith waned. Following graduation, I rose through the corporate ranks quickly and enjoyed all the trappings that went with that success. I was working constantly and never shied away from extended periods away from my family if it might advance or assist my career. However, no matter what my achievements or rewards were, I was never truly happy or content. I was always finding problems with my job, my bosses or myself. My wife and I have been blessed with three children and I thought that this would solve my lack of contentment. I love my wife and children completely but my lack of pleasure at work slowly started to impact on my family. Not to say that I was not happy, I was, but there was always something niggling at me that got in the way of feeling completely content. Any sense of happiness that I managed to feel was torn into tatters by a series of devastating events over the last few years. The first was the separation of my parents, who were the centre of my universe. However, the pain this caused was nothing compared to my pain when our first born son passed away from a genetic disorder. I could not understand how anything so perfect could be given to us and then so cruelly taken away. The time following his death was a very dark time for me and at one point I even contemplated ending my life to escape. 16
The qb DECEMBER 10 www.qb.com.au
At this point, my wife’s faith seemed to give her unfathomable strength and this sparked my faith into life again. I started to take a cursory interest in God again. However, it was based on getting him to support me in what I wanted. Then one day I was sitting on the train heading to work and things seemed too difficult to handle. I closed my eyes and prayed a different prayer. I simply prayed the words, ‘Lord, I give in. I am yours’. I felt an immediate release and uplifted like I had never felt before. I wanted to retain this feeling and I became determined to restore my faith and be obedient to what God wanted in my life. I have since resumed reading the bible regularly, attending church and it was recently put into my heart to be baptised. This flew in the face of everything I was previously comfortable with but because I was so at peace with the idea, I knew it was from God so I acted on it immediately. It is only when we look back on our lives that we can clearly see how God is working in us. We would indeed be blessed if we could always see what God is going to do or even what he is currently doing, but we must wait for that wonderful hindsight to truly appreciate what he has done. I am only in my early days of rekindling my relationship with God and not overly familiar with bible verses but it does talk about a house being better able to weather the storm when it is built on rock. I believe that God was using these times to break me down and establish a strong foundation on which to build my renewed faith. I am now leaving my previous life and welcome my new life as I begin to walk with Jesus as my Saviour and guiding light. Steve Thorne was baptised by Pastor Will Spann, assisted by Murray Pyle (elder) at Coolum’s main surf beach. Photos courtesy of Matt Hosang
Baptisms
Please remember these newly baptised believers in your prayers. Coolum Beach: Steven Thorne Eastside: Daniel Irving Rachel Irving Joshua McKinney Tayla Neilen Samuel Taylor
Gateway: Josephine Johnson Benjamin Kravchenko Benjamin Parry
Maroochy: Daniel Alan Mat Daniel Tim Gill Chloe Grehan Jacob Grehan Donna Lewis Jordan Miller Lynette Morris
Kruger Parade: Mayowa Adeniyi Lolade Adeniyi
Jemma Selzer Warren Selzer Sunnybank District: Kate Garland Sam McCollough Tyler Contessi Amy Schipper Rowan Watson
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QB kids
What is God saying?
Seven panellists* spoke from different perspectives and different experiences, but all shared the common theme that our children are under fire and someone needs to listen to their needs, examine what is impacting them and speak up on their behalf. Delegates were challenged that as Christians, we should be the ones advocating for the ‘least of these’, and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Fourteen Queensland Baptists were in attendance. We were challenged to examine what we are doing effectively to reach out to the children and families in our communities. The QB Kids Team in conjunction with the QB leadership will take this challenge on board, and we will share our ideas and strategies with you over coming months. Excellent resources, produced for this forum, will be available soon at http://www.qb.com.au/ our-ministries/qb-kids/ The organizing team plan to stage a similar forum during Children’s Week in 2011. Don’t miss out. Julie Terry, QCMN – Baptist Representative, Children’s Advocacy Forum Organising Team.
What is God saying to us individually, denominationally and corporately in relation to the needs of children in our churches and communities?
* Forum panellists: Peter Janetzki (Counsellor); Dr Carolyn Russel (General Practitioner); Michael Choi (MP); Liz Hamilton (Bella magazine); Hetty Johnson (Bravehearts); Simon Boss-Walker (Principal-Pialba SS -Hervey Bay) and Andrea Eadie (Chaplain Patricks Road SS).
That was the question posed to 90 delegates from nine different denominations and two parachurch organisations who attended the inaugural Children’s Advocacy Forum in Brisbane recently. This ground breaking event, staged during Children’ Week, was organised by the Queensland Children’s Ministry Network. Its aim was for Christian leaders to reflect on what life is like today for the children in our communities. What issues are they facing? How are they cared for? Who is listening to them? Who is seeking to connect with them in relevant ways, meeting them at their point of need?
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Photo left: Forum attendees. Photo right: Terry Williams (Qld Children’s Ministry Network) Jo Stotschek (chair QB Kids and their families) Michael Choi (panel member and state member for Capalaba).
A mother’s response ‘What are the children saying?’ It is a question I ask almost every morning when my two year old walks into the kitchen and utters some two year old ‘speak’. There are obvious words like ‘apple’ and ‘cheese’ but often it takes extra patience to decipher the meaning. It requires getting down to his level and focussing all my attention on his little voice. And when I do finally comprehend – he smiles. A big smile of gratitude that we are both on the same page... at last!
Am I committed to fighting to protect this generation of ‘digital natives’ from those who want to harm them? Do I even understand that I have a role? Child Safety is not just a government department. Am I steadfast in my resolve to continue to listen to children?
But sometimes the cries of children are not heard. Their voices are lost in the cacophony of what we call modern living.
Jo Stotschek, Mother of two and QB Kids Team Leader
I went to the Children’s Advocacy Forum with hazy expectations of the day. Suffice to say that it seemed the right thing to do. What a luxury to have a whole day set aside to listen and to learn, to hear what the children are trying to tell us. I left with more questions than answers. I left with a sense of discomfort. It had touched my heart. Does it concern me to hear children described as ‘sad, lonely, anxious and desperate’? How should I respond to alarming statistics of sexual abuse of children in Australia (one in four girls; one in seven boys – NAPCAN 2008)? Do I wonder how I can protect my own sons when the thriving multimillion dollar pornography business is strategically targeting ten and eleven year olds? Can I feel the pain of the child who said his parents’ marriage breakup made him feel ‘as though he had an elephant sitting on his heart’? Do I pray that my children will not be in the 40% of youth from church attending families who are aged 15 years and older and no longer attend any church? (NCLS 2006)
Will I enjoy the smiles of children when they know I heard what they are saying?
2011 Date Claimers • 5 March IGNITE • 17-20 May ‘Leaders to Go’ Conference • 16 July QB Kids Connect For more information visit http://www.qb.com.au/our-ministries/qb-kids/
or contact qbkids@qb.com.au
www.qb.com.au The qb DECEMBER 10
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QB youth
Sticker families
Have you noticed the latest craze? It was pointed out to me by my daughter. Sticker families are on the back of cars… everywhere. You can get these stickers from newsagencies, shops and online. You can select from a broad range of smiling mums, dads, teenagers, boys, girls, grandparents and even pets that represent ‘the you’ that you want show on the back of your car. It gets you thinking about how you see yourself, and how you want to portray yourself to others. I went online, clicked on ‘fathers’ and there they were: 19 types of father stickers. Of course, I was immediately drawn to the image of a father with a ripped six pack and awesome pecs and holding a dumbbell. But with much inner contemplation (and external examination!), I thought better of it and opted for a father with a soccer ball. Then I looked at mothers and, lo and behold, the most popular mother sticker was a mother carrying shopping bags. I thought, and maybe this is a safety switch in my head, ‘no comment’. I spent the next 20 minutes looking at stickers of boys and girls, pondering which ones would accurately represent other members of my family. I started seeing stickers all over the place: on the way to school, to shops and to anywhere and everywhere. They reminded me that there are all types of families out there, but the thing that saddened me was the number of cars sporting a one parent 1-3 kid sticker family. I know that social and religious commentators have talked about this for years but when you are confronted with the harsh reality of it all around you, in sticker form, it makes you think. The people in these cars are more than just sticker people. They are families with real and deep needs. These are mums and dads and children who have brokenness and separation as a part of their family makeup. These families aren’t whole. They are missing out on the fullness of what God intended for the family and its members. Every day I deal with teenagers who come from broken homes and families and even though they choose to show these stick figure representations of themselves to the world, smiling away on the outside, they are hurting deep inside. And for whatever reason they are in this situation, we as the family of God should desire to connect with these ‘sticker families’ and love them
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with the love of Jesus. We can share with them what Jesus said in John 10:10, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’. Not just a stick figure life, but a genuine, full life. Only Jesus can bring life to a stick figure person. Only he can bring wholeness where brokenness exists. And while this may be true for many in our society, the question needs to be asked of us and our churches: ‘Are we just a “sticker family” church?’Are we a bunch of stick figure people in the pews pretending that we love Jesus and have it all together, when underneath we are as lifeless as a ‘sticker family’? It’s time to get real! No more stick figure unreality. Only the removal of all pretense and being real with ourselves and others can make this happen. We need to acknowledge that we are but saved sticker people who need Jesus daily to bring fullness to our lives. The only way we can bring fullness to those ‘sticker families’ outside the church is if we, in the church, know what it means to have fullness in Christ. So next time you see a car with a ‘sticker family’ on the back - stop and pray. Pray that that family may find fullness that comes through a relationship with Jesus, the living son of God, and pray that you will grow each day to be much more than just a sticker person. Peter Cossgrove Youth Pastor, Clontarf Beach Baptist Church
SCHOOL CHAPLAINS SU Qld, a Christian interchurch youth and children’s agency, invites applications for full-time and part-time State School Chaplaincy positions across Qld. Positions are available in both primary and secondary schools. Applicants will need to embrace the mission of SU Qld and demonstrate their suitability to provide support and care to young people. There is significant need for Chaplains in rural and remote communities of Qld.
More information and apply online at: apply.su-chaplain.com
www.qb.com.au The qb DECEMBER 10
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QB archives
The lure of gold Descriptions of Central Queensland are full of superlatives. Its main city, Rockhampton, known as the beef capital of Australia, sprawls beside the Fitzroy River, the second largest river system in the country. The area includes Gladstone, the state’s busiest port which earns almost half of the state’s export dollars. There is also a large aluminium smelter at Gladstone and the city will be the base for a huge liquefied natural gas project. The region already produces half of the state’s electricity and there are enormous high quality coking coal deposits in the Bowen Basin. So when there is a significant anniversary (150 years of Baptist witness) in such an important region, the event needs to be celebrated. Baptist Heritage Queensland is currently working on a project to research and publish a history of churches in the area to coincide with this sesquicentenary in 2012. It was gold that attracted people to Rockhampton in 1859, the year Queensland became a separate colony. Baptist brothers Charles and William Buzzacott were amongst those who saw opportunities in the rush – but it was not mining that attracted them; they started a newspaper. Rev. B G Wilson, pastor of Brisbane’s Wharf Street, the first church in Queensland (established only four years earlier in 1855), visited the town and urged the Baptists to start services. To help them, he sent a young pastor, J. T. Hinton, whom he had trained. A church was formed in June 1862 with a membership of seven, making it the fourth Baptist church in the colony. A number of ministers served in the following years and the work in Rockhampton was well established with several branches and outstations, and other churches in various parts of the town and surrounding district. After a complex history of growth and decline, new churches and mergers, new buildings and relocations, the Rockhampton Tabernacle is now a strong and progressive church situated in a city that is one of the key regional centres of the state with its own university, a rich historical and cultural heritage, and a population in the immediate area of more than 100,000. Before the end of the 19th century, Baptists moved into a second city, Mount Morgan, which became a major gold centre from the early 1880s. Production reached a peak in the early 20th century and the mine closed in 1981. Baptist strength was as volatile as the mining industry itself and the work there also closed.
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Photos: Former and existing churches in the area
In more recent years, churches have been planted in the mining towns of the Bowen Basin and other nearby locations with places like Blackwater, Dysart, Moranbah and Middlemount becoming household names to Queensland Baptists. These churches, too, have been dependant on the mining booms, and their strength has varied. Other churches have commenced in towns associated with the pastoral industry as far west as Emerald, and south to Biloela. Gladstone, the industrial hub of Central Queensland, has a thriving church and school. Centres on the Capricorn coast and south to Agnes Water have tourism as their focus and Baptists have found their way to these places as well, commencing active works which effectively witness and serve the community. Over the century and a half since the beginning, Baptists can count more than twenty churches in the region, including Rockhampton. Schools, camping centres and aged care facilities can also be added to the total picture, while a full count would include many churches and other organisations not affiliated with the Baptist Union of Queensland. To mark the 150th anniversary of the first church in Rockhampton, the annual Queensland Baptist Convention will be held in the city in 2012, and the Rockhampton church is planning its own celebration as well. Baptist Heritage Queensland is now at work collecting details of the origins, development and current activities of Baptist work in Central Queensland. They plan to publish the story in 2012 as part of the celebration. People in the area and other interested readers are invited to help with information, photographs, access to records and assistance with research and writing. Other ideas are being developed in order to share the story in 2012. Baptist Archivist, Dr David Parker said, ‘We would like every church in the area to contact us as soon as possible with details of their history and current activities so we can produce a comprehensive and up-to-date account of Baptists in the region. We would like to partner with people in Central Queensland in this project.’ Please phone 3878 3178, 3354 5642, email archives@qb.com.au or mail The Baptist Archives, QB Centre, PO Box 6166, Mitchelton Q 4053
QB women
Woman on
a Mission
The ringtone on my phone is ‘Woman on a Mission’ by Gabriellla Cilmi. Regularly my phone will sing to me... ‘I am a woman on a mission, nothing can stop me I’m stronger than ever, I’m gonna see it through.’
reservation, who makes a difference simply by being herself: a woman who is on a mission from God.
It’s that little reminder for me during the day about where I’m heading and what I’m about. I’m a woman on a mission and nothing can stop me (if I keep my focus on God’s call on my life); I’m stronger than ever (with Christ’s strength); I’m gonna see it through (not going to stop until I’ve reached the goal).
First, she knows who she is. She knows she is made by her Creator who loves and adores her. She knows she is one of his children set apart to do amazing things. She’s okay with how He has made her and doesn’t see the need to please others at the risk of losing herself. She is assured.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many different churches during 2010. Often during a church service I find myself watching for ‘women on a mission’ around me... looking for a woman who stands tall, who worships God without
Secondly, a woman on a mission knows where she is going. She has sought the Father’s heart and knows what his heart is for her life. She has listened to his heartbeat and is running towards the goal he has for her
I’ve noticed three things that set these women apart.
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QB women
life. She is sold out to his vision and prepared to fight, work hard and sacrifice to get there. Thirdly she knows why she is going there. This woman on a mission knows just why the Father wants her running hard. She knows that a life lived according to his will is a life worth living. She knows a life where she pulls the strings and juggles all the balls will be a life that falls flat. She knows why she’s running.
‘I am a woman on a mission, nothing can stop me I’m stronger than ever, I’m gonna see it through.’
She also knows she might not always get everything right and she is gentle on herself and those around her. She has a story and considers herself a work in progress. She forgives quickly, she laughs often and she is focussed. My challenge for each girlfriend out there is to become a woman on a mission: a woman who don’t shrink when opportunity comes, but grabs it with more courage than she truly feels; a woman who is ready to give it a try. So a huge Merry Christmas from the Queensland Baptist Women’s State Team to all the gorgeous new friends we’ve made this year. Thank you for your support and encouragement in 2010. We look forward to a new year; bigger and better than ever! Sue Peters, sue@qbwm.org is the State Director for Queensland Baptist Women http://qbwm.wordpress.com/
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The qb DECEMBER 10 www.qb.com.au
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QB women
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Spirit
Soul18:14 “A healthy spirit conquers adversity” Proverbs “Souls that follow This area is the heart of the magazine; featuring Soul will celebra testimonies that will uplift you. Elissa Macpherson’s inspiring article in our first issue will take you on a journey of you to y will feature Iness love to China and back. In our second issue Sue capture Peters will fill you with purpose as she shares her the esse e-magazine on as women’s pas story of battling depression to being raised up a will motivate you Leader in her church denomination. dreamed. Do you have Spirit a favourite pair of shoes? What do they say about you? My girlfriend came to a party Soul “A healthy spirit conquers adversity” Proverbs 18:14 wearing a spectacular red Body This area is theof heart of thestilettos. magazine; featuring “Souls thatpair follow theirvelvet hearts thrive” Proverbs 13:19 You could hear women exclaiming throughout the testimonies that will women’s uplift you. gifts Elissaand Macpherson’s “Body and Soul Soul will celebrate talents, article in you our first take you on aso journey of love evening ‘I love those shoes!’ Thewill shoes said Psalm139:13 inspiring to issue your potential. Our first issue to feature China back.she InIvascanin our second whose issue Peters will much aboutwill who sheand is Inessa and inspired manySuepaintings Food, Fashion a fill you with purposeand as she shares her story of battling others to indulge themselves hit the shops. capture the essence of women. Articles will section! focus The viva e-magazine depression to being up ason a Leader in her church Shoes are more than just whatraised we talents pop our feet, ondenomination. women’s passions, and creativityAngela that Frost are they are an will expression of their owner; every pair of you. motivate you to rise up in gifts you only ever Tanya’s fas woman’s shoes tells her story. years of experie dreamed. Do you have a favourite pair of shoes? What do Soul they say about you? My girlfriend came to a party “Souls that follow their hearts thrive” Proverbs 13:19amazing cook an We love this idea decided to create wide repertoire o wearing a spectacular pair of red velvet stilettos. Soul and will celebrate women’s giftsvarious and talents, inspiring Body outlets for women to share their stories and talents, be feature article you toand yourSoul potential. first issue will made” feature Inessa You could hear women exclaiming throughout the “Body I amOur marvellously thus was born the ‘iluvthoseshoes’ project. This Ivascanin whose paintings capture the essence relationships of and evening ‘I love those shoes!’ The shoes said so Psalm139:13 women. Articles will focus on women’s passions, talents project includes our new BLOG, website (www. much about who she is and she inspired many Food, Fashion and Fun… so much to our Body and creativity will motivate you to rise up in gifts you iluvthoseshoes.com) andthat a monthly e-magazine Contact Us others to indulge themselves and hit the shops. section! The vivacious Tanya Epis and delicious only ever dreamed. called ‘Indulge’ being launched 4th December 2010. e-magaz Shoes are more than just what we pop on our feet, Angela Frost are in heaven preparing ideasIndulge for December 2010 they are an expression of their owner; every pair of you. BodyTanya’s fashion and beauty tips come from Who we are Facebook http:/ woman’s shoes tells her story. years experience in the industry. Angela is an “Bodyofand Soul I am marvellously made” Psalm139:13 Indulge e-magazine has evolved from the idea those-shoes/150 amazing cook and many of us can attest to her Food, Fashion and Fun… so much to our Body section! of Charissa and sisters who Blog DoWe youlove havethis a favourite pairdecided of shoes?toWhat do they say about idea and create various wide repertoire of culinary delights. Plus there willhttp://blog. TheNatasha, vivacious Tanya Epis andbelieve delicious Angela Frost you? My girlfriend came to a party wearing a spectacular pair of red in featuring the beauty and talents of women. It outlets for women to share their stories and talents, in heaven preparing for you. Tanya’s fashion beare feature articles on ideas health; education; parenting; velvet You the could‘iluvthoseshoes’ hear women exclaiming throughout the from extends the beauty visiontips God has placed and come from yearson of their experience in If theyou have a sto thusstilettos. was born project. This relationships and much more. evening ‘I love those shoes!’ TheBLOG, shoes said so much about whoto see industry. is an amazing cook and many of email us hearts women Angela comprehend how their Charissa a project includes our new website (www. she is and she inspired many others to indulge themselves and hit father can attest to her wide repertoire of culinary delights. heavenly wants to Indulge them in His iluvthoseshoes.com) and a monthly e-magazine Contact Us the shops. Shoes are more than just what we pop on our feet, they Plus there will be featureaward-winning articles on health; education; love. Natasha is an international you called ‘Indulge’ being launched 4th December 2010. Indulge e-magazine will be launched onlineIfon thehave 4 a bu are an expression of their owner; every pair of woman’s shoes tells parenting; relationships and much more. photographer who loves to capture people with her like to advertise, December 2010 at www.iluvthoseshoes.com. her story. lens. Charissa has a background in business and regarding rates. Who we are Facebook Contact Us http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-luveducation Indulge has fromoutlets the idea We love thise-magazine idea and decided to evolved create various for women those-shoes/150499041646377 Indulge e-magazine will be launched online on the 4 toof share their stories talents, thus was born the believe ‘iluvthoseshoes’ Charissa andand Natasha, sisters who Blog http://blog.iluvthoseshoes.com/ December 2010 at www.iluvthoseshoes.com. project. This project includesand our talents new BLOG, website (www. Vision in featuring the beauty of women. It Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-luv-thoseiluvthoseshoes.com) a monthly e-magazine ‘Indulge’ e-magazine is part of ayou larger vision extends from theand vision God has placedcalled on Indulge their If shoes/150499041646377 you have a story would liketoto share please being launched 4th December 2010. Blog http://blog.iluvthoseshoes.com/ of how God isatmaking ordinary hearts to see women comprehend how theirgather stories email Charissa editor@iluvthoseshoes.com. women extraordinary. We believe that by sharing heavenly father wants to Indulge them in His Who we are If you have a story you would like to share please email journeys we can empower each other Spirit, Soul love. Natasha is an international award-winning If you have a business or upcoming event you would Indulge e-magazine has evolved from the idea of Charissa and Charissa at editor@iluvthoseshoes.com. If you have a and her Body, and release secrets to liveemail fabulous lives. photographer who loves to capture people with like to advertise, please me for information Natasha, sisters who believe in featuring the beauty and talents of business or upcoming event you would like to advertise, These three areas represent the whole woman and lens. Charissa has a background in business and regarding rates. women. It extends from the vision God has placed on their hearts please email me for information regarding rates. desire toeducation see women comprehend how their heavenly father our wants to is to see each of you resourced for every part of your life. Indulge them in His love. Natasha is an international award-winning
iluvthoseshoes project
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Love Charissa
photographer who loves to capture people with her lens. Charissa Vision has a background in business Indulge e-magazine is and parteducation. of a larger vision to
gather stories of how God is making ordinary
Vision women extraordinary. We believe that by sharing Indulge e-magazine is part of a larger vision to gather stories of journeys we can empower each other Spirit, Soul how God is making ordinary women extraordinary. We believe that Body, and release secretseach to live byand sharing journeys we can empower otherfabulous Spirit, Soullives. and These three areas represent the whole woman and Body, and release secrets to live fabulous lives. These three areas our desire is to woman see each of you resourced for of every represent the whole and our desire is to see each you part of for your life. resourced every part of your life.
Love Charissa XX
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QCCC
Keeping the campfires burning QCCC Tamborine Many Baptists, particularly those who’ve been around for a while, have fond memories of the conference facilities at Mt Tamborine, in the Gold Coast hinterland. The property that now accommodates QCCC Tamborine Lodge was first purchased by Majestic Park Baptist Church (now Eastside Community Church) in the early 1970s.
seminar rooms (capacity 20 people) making the facility ideal for: conferences, seminars, music and drama camps, school retreats, and spiritual retreats. The Meeting Centre can be booked as an extra option for groups using QCCC Tamborine accommodation and is likely to be a valuable addition to their programs and outcomes. The second property is ‘Pioneers’, a small camp site. Minor renovations are planned for this 48 bed facility that will ensure it’s ideal for smaller groups on a budget, pastoral retreats and as overflow for groups who can’t quite fit into other venues on the site.
In the last five years QCCC has taken long-term leases on the former WEC and CMS properties giving them the capacity to host 250 guests with lots of flexibility. Large groups can book all three properties (and if they’re bigger than 250 they have the option to overflow into surrounding camp sites operated by other ministries and congregations). Smaller groups can book just one site and pursue their own programs within selfcontained facilities. Early next year, QCCC will take responsibility for a further three sites on the Tamborine Mountain property that will add significantly to the range of services they can offer. The three properties are owned, and have been operated by the Pioneers mission organisation. The first property, Mollenhauer House, will be transformed into a new Meeting Centre and made available from February 2011. It is located next to QCCC’s CMS site and enjoys a spectacular outlook from the escarpment. The building is set in tranquil gardens and has a deck to enjoy the view, the trees and the bird life. The Meeting Centre includes a main meeting/ performance area (capacity 70 people) and several
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‘Pioneers’ sits on the Tamborine escarpment and enjoys sweeping views over Brisbane and Moreton Island. Adjacent is a vacant one and a half acre property of beautiful and serene bush land which will provide recreation space for groups at QCCC Tamborine and include some space for a camp bonfire – still an enduring favourite with camping groups. Acquiring these properties enables QCCC Tamborine to offer much more to guests, enhancing its reputation as a quality destination that can cater to retreats, meetings and camps. More details and bookings information can be found at www.qccc.com.au
Break-out news Easter 2011: Easter and ANZAC Day public holidays combine to provide a five day weekend in 2011. Easter Camp is a time-honoured tradition in Baptist circles; a place of many memories and serious business with God. There
your needs, our mission
QCCC Brookfield (Brisbane) - capacity 144 QCCC Mapleton (Sunshine Coast Hinterland) - capacity 240 QCCC Tamborine Mountain (Gold Coast Hinterland) - capacity 250 Booking and contact details for each site can be found at www.qccc.com.au
QCCC
Queensland Conference and Camping Centres. A ministry of the Queensland Baptists, QCCC operates some of South East Queensland’s most sought after camping and conference centres. Breathtaking scenery, modern facilities and dedicated staff will make your next event easy and memorable.
Mapleton Adventure Camp: Each year Mapleton, in partnership with Scripture Union (SU), hosts two major camps for children accompanying chaplains from Brisbane’s northside. This year’s camps were a huge success with many highlights and hundreds of children significantly and positively impacted by the experience. One of the highlights of the September camp was the visually stunning ‘Carnival night’. Feedback from the SU chaplains is that more than half of the campers made a positive response to the gospel at the camps. Praise God! Changes... One of the major objectives of QCCC is to empower and equip all of our staff to build into the lives of our guests and groups. Over the last few months we’ve been working on a concept tool to make this possible – a multi-purpose theme that can also be taken away and applied long after camp is over. Its foundation is ‘The change you want to see in the world lies within’ (Luke 17:21). It will be piloted in 2011.
are still vacancies for the weekend at Brookfield (140 beds) and the CMS Centre at Tamborine (80 beds). Churches could organise a Church Easter Camp by booking CMS and attending the Keswick Easter Convention, a ministry of the neighbouring Mount Tamborine Convention Centre. For more details go to http://www.easterconvention.org.au
I will ‘flesh out’ this concept in the next edition of The qb, but in the meantime please be praying as we shape this important new initiative. Andrew Grant Director of QCCC andrew.grant@qccc.com.au ph 07 5456 3600 Fax 07 5445 7122
BWAA
A Christmas story Christmas time is here once again with all its busyness, excitement, presents and celebration. This year, though, I’m thankful to have had a reality check and a reminder about how we really should celebrate the great gift given to us in Christ. In September, I was privileged to visit one of Baptist World Aid Australia’s projects overseas, a medical clinic in Timor Leste run by our partner organisation, The Good Crocodile Foundation. Just a few years ago the closest doctor to this community was in the city, several hours walk away. For the very weak this journey was not possible by foot and often transport costs were too great, so many never sought treatment. Lewis is one example. Six years ago, he had an accident and his big toe was crushed by a falling object. Unable to afford the cost of an operation, Lewis had no choice but to leave his injury untreated and try to get by. For six years, the damaged toe continued to deteriorate, developing into a painful growth about the size of a fist which hindered Lewis’ ability to earn an income and support his family. Eventually, through the clinic—which is now only a few hundred metres from his home—Lewis received a referral to have a free operation to remove the toe. This was done by Mercy Ships, a charity organisation that provides high level medical services in poor countries. While I was there, the clinic staff were seeing Lewis every two days to change his dressings and make sure that the wound was healing properly. Soon Lewis will have normal movement and will be free from pain for the first time in six years. He will be able to help his family earn an income, play with his grandchildren and take part in community life. In Australia, with the quality of health care and other services available to us, it is difficult to
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imagine that a simple accident could have such damaging effects. It is equally amazing to see the difference that a project like the clinic can make to a whole community. The doctor lives on site, so even in the middle of the night people can receive the help they need in an emergency. Mothers have a safe place to give birth and their children can receive all the immunisations and checkups they need to ensure a healthy childhood. Common diseases like malaria and injuries like Lewis’ can be treated immediately, avoiding the suffering they once caused. And the clinic is building a healthier community through health education; helping families learn about good nutrition and preventing disease. Meeting Lewis and hearing his story and the stories of so many others has helped me to refresh my perspective on Christmas. The gift of God’s love, lavished upon us in sending his son Jesus, should be the inspiration for all that we do at Christmas. So this year, rather than getting caught up in juggling the events and jostling with the crowds, I want to celebrate by showing the magnificent love of God to others, ‘For in Christ Jesus...the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love’ (Galatians 5:6). I’m going to give gifts worth more than a moment’s joy; gifts that show God’s great love and transform lives and communities. I hope you’ll join me and be part of a real Christmas story, giving generously to support the work of the clinic in Lewis’ community and countless other projects shining the light of life and hope. Katherine Roberts Baptist World Aid Australia Make a donation to Baptist World Aid Australia’s Christmas Appeal! Call 1300 789 991 or visit www.shareanopportunity.org.
I love to hear people tell stories. I remember sitting in the hayshed with my dad – I reckon I would have been about six. He would recount fables that engaged me with seemingly endless repetition to an outcome that I came to predict faultlessly. Yet I loved it. It was about being with my dad more than the story itself. As I grew older he’d paint vivid word pictures of being in the theatre of war and mates being there for each other, of experiencing living in another culture, explaining the bal interaction he had in his significance of the black and white TAG: Glophoto erful Stories are pow HEADING: album. There was a picture of his best mate R FILE) LOGO (ON YOU INTERACTION BAL GLO E INCLUD and he told the horrifying story of the day that he saw his mate die, beside him, from the impact of a hand grenade. My dad has been dead for over 35 years. Stories are powerful; they stay with us. Even after all these years, I recall the experiences of life with my dad. He had another powerful story. It was about Jesus transforming his life. Stories can change us.
The Best of Resonate digs deep into the issues of mission, justice and calling. Telling the stories of everyday people who are committed to empowering communities to develop their own distinctive ways of following Jesus. The Best of Resonate has sixteen articles from past Resonate issues, plus bonus discussion starters for each, linking them with key passages in the Bible, as well as providing opportunities to discuss, reflect and act. We encourage you to grab a few friends or pester your youth p a s t o r and use this resource for your small group, bible study or for great conversation over coffee. We know that these stories will give you much to think about, and while they won’t be ones you recall from childhood experiences, they will stay with you and maybe even change you as you discover what God is doing around the world. We have a copy of The Best of Resonate to give away to the first five people who email us (qld@globalinteraction.org.au ) with a quote from this article.
As we get older, our world-view expands and I would we are introduced to lived-stories, the real life The Best of Resonate is available now at dad – I reckon to shed with my less repetition sitting in the hay seemingly end . I remember with ries more me d sto dad age tell that eng people ng with my bei ut abo I love to hearin He would recount fables stories of people as they make their way www.globalinteraction.org.au for $10. was I loved it. It ut six. t faultlessly. Yet have been abo I came to predic outcome that for an re the ng the world. Some are uplifting and inspirational, tes bei itself. but many of war and ma than the story in the theatre black and tures of being nificance of the rifying story nt vivid word pic r culture, explaining the sig he told the hor the w older he’d pai justice. stories are desperate, poverty-stricken and Geoff Cramb and ano te in ma As I grewithout t ng livi bes of his eriencing e. ture exp nad pic a of gre d er, was oth han re each act of a album. The imp his the in from had , him white photo he te die, beside We can so easily be lost in a swirl of depressing narratives (State Director, Queensland) t he saw his ma of the day tha that seem to have no solutions. Yet amongst all of this, with contribution from Haylee Freudigmann there are glimmers of hope, and it is these stories that you (National Young Adult Consultant) will find in Global Interaction’s new study resource, Best of Resonate.
Global interaction
Stories are powerful
Men and church
Men and church Michael Knight writes: The following is a summation of my musings on the issue of ‘men and church’. I was invited to speak at the QB convention last May and subsequently asked to write article on the elective I presented on this theme. This is a current reflection of my thinking that draws from that elective and my reading through Scripture. For Michael’s full article, visit www.qb.com.au The stark fact is that 73% of Australians claim to have a religious affiliation, while only 8.8% Australians go to church.1 Of those 8.8%, what is the gender ratio? Next time you’re in church, take a look around. What do you see? In many countries the gender ratio in church is now up to nine women for every adult man attending2 while the typical Australian congregation is comprised of 61% female, 39% male.3 There is a rise in popularity of ‘men and church’ themed books that are flooding the stores. Some of them are helpful in the diagnosis of the issue, but few give a helpful prognosis. Let me state my agenda upfront. I am not interested in creating, leading or joining a ‘man’s church’. I am interested and committed to a rigorous biblical approach to the issue and how to move forward in a way that honours the Master we serve, beyond the current passivity where men are silent, fearful or reprimanded when they do speak out. This means, if we are honest, that we must consider the way we have formed ‘church’, as the form of church might well give us a clue to some of the current issues facing discipleship. Have you noticed that Jesus never spoke about ‘gender balance’ in the church (other than challenging the cultural suppression and patriarchal dominance over women)? Paul, however, does chip in on the gender issue with particular application to the ecclesia. In writing to the church in Galatia, he states that before faith we were all under the law, but now that faith has come, we are no longer under the law therefore...‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus’.4 (Italics and bold mine). That may well be the theological starting point for regarding gender for the ecclesia, but how did we get from martyrdom to post-modernity? Did we just wake up one Sunday with far too many men increasingly
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absent, far too many disconnected, or attending reluctantly, bored, passive, or actively involved in standing around in crèche doing men’s ministry amongst the fathers while watching their children? Are there historical factors that may have influenced the mindset of men towards church across the ages? Compare and contrast the above to the following timeline of historical contributing factors impacting upon men and church: • 313 AD - Constantine and Licinius meet at Milan and agree to tolerate Christians throughout the Empire. Christians shift from being persecuted and underground to ‘officially favoured’ and encouraged to build church buildings.5 • 431 AD - It is believed that Origen starts Theotokos (God bearer), the practice and belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, should be the prime intercessor for humanity when praying to God.6 Now church life and practice is directly impacted by gender. • 1200s - Monks and monasticism create an environment where spirituality means withdrawal from the real world for quiet reflection. Church life is now defined by a style and preference. • 1633 - Galileo having effectively challenged the authority of the church, is tried by inquisition and found ‘vehemently suspect of heresy,’ forced to recant, and spends the rest of his life under house arrest.7 • 1760 - The Industrial Revolution results in men leaving their farms to work in factories. This has a huge impact on the family, community and church. • 1859 - Darwin’s Origin of the Species is released. This undermines the long held belief that theology and science are two parts of the one book; two supports of the same truth.
I believe there are many historical factors that have impacted society, the church, families, women and men. We didn’t just wake up in the 21st century with the church as feminised as it is. And we won’t achieve appropriate biblical balance by intentionally, or passively, ignoring the state of play. The church across Australia has a gender imbalance as well as an overall decline in attendance.8 Don’t just look within the walls of your own church, look around the whole country. The answer is not found in creating a man’s church.
are communicating to the males in the congregation? A starting point for the men in the congregation is to read the Master’s words and contrast his call of active discipleship with the current passive mentality, or the non-attendance factor. It is time for men to stand up, initiate change and quit accepting the easy option of passivity that is opposite to healthy masculinity. We need to ask ourselves: Is what we are serving up Sunday after Sunday Jesus’ call to discipleship in Mark 8:34-35, or have we settled for a sanitised, safe, sterile spirituality that thrills few men, challenges few men, endorses passivity and smacks of a selfishness that is far from imitating the Master? Michael Knight worships at Ashgrove Baptist Church where he has attended since 1987, serving in the youth, young adult, life group, evangelism ministries, and eldership, as well as regularly preaching. Michael also preaches across many different denominations and Christian gatherings. He is an active participant in a house church plant. Michael has co-authored a book titled, ‘Being a bloke’ (see reviews in this issue). He will welcome your feedback michael@peerpower.com.au www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/1020492cfcd63696ca2568a1002477b5/fa58e9 75c470b73cca256e9e00296645!OpenDocument 2 Why Men Hate Church David Murrow 2004 3 http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=30 2001 survey results on Attender Demographics 4 Gal 3:28 NASB 5 History of Christianity Vol I KS Latourette 1953, pg 92-93 6 Cantor 1993, pg341 7 www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1630galileo.html 8 Check for yourself both NCLS and the ABS 1
The church has been feminised; far too many men have stopped coming or are passively attending. However, the solution is not to enter a cultural war along gender lines. The solution is to return to imitating the Master. A starting point for those who fill our pulpits and lead our worship services is to reflect upon what messages, spoken and unspoken, they
Men and church
• 1870 - Compulsory en-mass education commences. Educating and training your child to work is no longer a father’s role; it becomes someone else’s responsibility. • 1914 - Franz Ferdinand is assassinated, starting what is to be the ‘war to end all wars’ but only succeeds in kicking off the bloodiest century in the history of the world, where far too many of ‘our sons’ are sent off to defend the realm and never return. Those who do, carry deep unspoken wounds that never heal. • 1960s - Second wave feminism gains momentum and shakes the church. But feminism started back in 1893 as the First wave suffragettes who were pro-life and pro-vote. Many men are still trying to figure out both their theology and practice in the light of the impact of feminism.
Northreach
A big vision
for God There are some exciting changes happening in the north! Townsville Baptist District Church has changed its name to Northreach Baptist Church (to be known as Northreach) and its people are envisioning a huge future for God. With a new name comes a renewed commitment to reach North Queensland. The name captures the church’s mission and vision to reach Townsville and the rural, remote and regional places in ‘the North’. They want to be a church with which people in the bush identify, a church that champions the cause of more isolated Christians and, through Northreach Bible College, they want to train and support pastors and Christian workers in, and for, these places. Baptist Churches in Townsville have a distinguished history that dates back to the late 19th Century. Thirty years ago, members from two Baptist churches in Townsville saw the need to come together under one banner and to pioneer a regional-type church under the name ‘Townsville District Baptist Church’. Their intention then was to more effectively serve the greater Townville community and North Queensland. Senior Pastor Warren Crank was called to lead the church in 2007. In the early months of his ministry, he met with key leaders and listened to what they believed God had in mind for the church. The church already had great DNA! Late in 2007, church leaders went on retreat and came back with a Vision Statement which, as best as they could see, captured God’s future for the church.
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Vision (2008-2013) Local - Multiplying and diversifying To grow Townsville Baptist to 1500 (2008-2018) while strategically planting two diverse churches within the region (beyond) To the north and to the nations To plant three churches across ‘the North’ and send three missionaries to ‘the Nations’.
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]
Northreach has a vision to see God’s church grow. They are currently 800 strong and are growing towards 1500 people. Their hope and prayer is that the passion and resources generated from a large, growing church can be deployed to reach more people. This will continue to happen through local evangelism, church planting and the Northreach Bible College. There is an article entitled ‘In word and deed’ in the latest Crossover ’PRAC’ magazine. That phrase summarises Northreach’s Mission methodology. The people of Northreach value hospitality. They want their homes and lives to be open so that they can build genuine relationships with others, including their nonChristian friends. They try to be intentional about inviting people who don’t know Jesus to Sunday services, outreach events and ‘Introducing God’. The church also has increasing contact and ministry with people from other cultures. Again, in caring and sharing with these people, the method is ‘in word and deed’. A key outreach ministry, ConnectUP, has a primary focus on meeting the practical and emotional needs of low income families, achieved by providing a range of housing options: two houses for homeless families; six units of long term community housing for women 55+; 11 beds of student accommodation and 12 additional long term units for women 55+. Construction starts early 2011 ready for occupancy later in the year. ConnectUP also provides a Community Support Program that operates from a shop front and includes a range of free activities for low income families in suburbs of the Upper Ross including: craft activities; homework help; Girls’ Club; Family Fun Days; practical assistance; food assistance; household equipment and clothing, and other practical support. 800 families and individuals were assisted last year: Almost all of these were low income families; many were sole parent families. This year over 1,000 food parcels and 50 recycled washing machines were distributed. This program serves people from all over Townsville.
The people at Northreach believe that church planting is huge in their future. They’ve already supported one church plant Northern Beaches Connections in Bushland Beach, and have a vision to plant more. Their goal, over the next eight years, is to plant a further two diverse Baptist Churches in the Townsville region and three in North Queensland. The Northreach Bible College began in 1985. The Rev Rod Bullpitt and other key people created what was known as North Queensland College of Ministries with the intention of training people for ministry in North Queensland, with an emphasis on church planters. Since then, many people trained by the college have gone on to significant ministry in Australia and overseas. The college birthed a registered training organisation known as CALAM. The local college in Townsville offers training under CALAM. The college is now called Northreach Bible College and they are ready to train! As interim Principal Rev. Dr. Stan Solomon said, ‘So God is placing a call on your life – to be a children’s or youth worker, a minister, a missionary, a church planter, a teacher. And you’re young – a lifetime to serve God ahead. You need to prepare for your career in Christian service as well as your secular career (some students even come for a gap year). Or you can retire early and give your later years to full-time ministry.
‘Northreach Bible College is the place for you. Study Biblein-depth, Old Testament and New Testament, Leadership, Communication, Community work, Pastoral care, Discipleship, Defending the faith, Church planting plus specialty crosscultural modules, youth leadership modules, teaching English as a second language (TESOL) – even advanced studies for full-time ministry. ‘This is Vocational Training as distinct from academic. It is learning by doing. ‘Northreach Bible College offers its courses in live-in residential or on-line modes. It is on the campus of Northreach Baptist Church and provides student accommodation. Being vocational training, some practical aspects of the courses need to be done under supervision and intensives can be accessed in Brisbane, Townsville and other selected centres as required. Modules can be mixed and matched to suit individual circumstances. One of the specialty courses is the GDT (Global Discipleship Training) which is 12 weeks of live-in training plus eight weeks overseas mission experience. ‘All courses lead to an Australian accredited qualification,’ Dr Solomon concluded.
2000km walk - They did it! David and Andrew Carnell and Andrew Sav arrived home in Stanthorpe on 11 November after walking 2000 kilometres to raise awareness that there are still 2000 people groups that don’t have the Bible in their own language. On average, the men walked more than 30km each day and they held evening meetings at local churches and town halls en route to share information about the 350 million people who don’t yet have access to the Bible. Dave, Carnsey, and Sav experienced plenty of challenges during the walk, including cooling their feet in a creek they were later informed is inhabited by crocodiles, walking eight kilometres in the wrong direction before realising and retracing their steps, and suffering from severe blisters and painful feet. Highlights included their frequent newspaper, radio, and TV interviews, and seeing, for the first time, a road sign with ‘Stanthorpe’ marked on it after walking for 73 days and 1818 kilometres. One hundred supporters joined them for the final kilometre and they were met at the finish line by a bagpiper and 350 cheering people who released helium balloons. Although The 2000 Walk has finished, the task of translating the Bible into the 2000 remaining languages will continue for many years. People who are interested in getting involved can contact the mission organisations Operation Mobilisation and Wycliffe Bible Translators. www.qb.com.au The qb DECEMBER 10
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Values
A bit partial to cake I turned on the TV on Thursday night, looking for something interesting. As I flipped through the channels I noticed the new legal drama. Could be worthwhile, I thought. I hear Lisa McCune is a guest star on the show. Oh, look, there she is… in all her glory. I had accidentally chanced upon a scene with Lisa sitting up in bed topless. Once the shock faded and I was able to use my remote-thumb again I quickly changed the channel. But those 20 seconds or so of seeing Lisa’s rudey bits stayed with me… Euwwww!. Not Lisa in the nud! It’s like seeing Sandra Sully or Justine from Play School in the nud. Just so totally wrong. I’ve seen other actors and actresses going au naturel, all in the name of authentic drama. But this was a bit unnerving. This was someone I knew. Well, not personally. It’s not like she’s been to my place for tea or anything. It’s not that I’m rude - I have invited her, but she hasn’t responded. You know what famous people are like. Seeing Lisa’s ‘rudey bits’ was a bit like barging in on your cousin in the toilet that time when all the rellies got together for Christmas lunch: a bit hard to look them in the eye after that. It made me wonder why it seems okay for actors and actresses to throw off their clothes in an effort at realism. Am I really that obtuse that I can’t draw conclusions from a discrete camera angle instead? Admittedly I do believe all our ‘rudey bits’ should be kept private, but let’s say there are some people who have no qualms about nudity and sex scenes on TV (and I’m sure there are more than a few who do feel this way). Do we really want to watch? Is there some sort of perverse voyeurism in watching these sorts of shows? Because in real life, I don’t get to see many naked people – not the person at the servo, the mailman, the church pastor, my neighbours, or the school bus driver. They all feel the need to carry out their duties fully clothed. And I quite appreciate that. I hope it stays that way. One of the problems with seeing these wonderful actors - whose main priority in life is their public persona - is that they are prepared to take their clothes off to enlighten the world through their amazing commitment to the art of acting. Their body is honed and sculpted and says ‘Come hither’. My body, in comparison, says ‘I’ve just had my third child and I’m a bit partial to cake’. I find it a bit hard to compete with those images. Another issue is the values portrayed. What’s on TV is apparently not meant to represent real life, but somehow the distinctions get blurred. I know what I see on the television is not real – obviously. Our TV is way too small to fit the whole cast of Sea Patrol inside. Not to mention the Arafura Sea and a navy ship. Apart from that though, it does strike me as a little odd that we watch people on television essentially sleeping around, whether it is in a drama or a comedy and we find that okay entertainment, but as we teach our kids we say, ‘Don’t sleep around’. It’s surely a case of Do as I say, not as I do… or rather, Do as I say, not as I watch. Hmmm. You know what I mean. Thanks to Susan Johnstone (Stanthorpe Baptist Church) for her lighthearted comment on an important social issue.
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Doug Adam 1913 - 2010 Extract from Eulogy given by Rod Adam (third son) at the celebration of his life on 4 November 2010:
Called home
How to complain about a TV program or an advertisement
Douglas James Adam’s first years were spent at Seventeen Mile Rocks, living in the school house; his father taught at Sherwood and Oxley. In 1925, (after many moves) James Adam was appointed as an Itinerant teacher based in Winton and the family stayed in Brisbane for a better lifestyle and education. One Sunday evening, the Taringa Baptist Church had a visit from Dr C J Tinsley of Stanmore Church in Sydney; a great preacher. He spoke on the call of the fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. ‘Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.’ He then made an appeal and Dad had his spiritual birth – the biggest decision of his life. He was 17. These days, broadcasting and advertising are ‘self-regulated’ – there are no government inspectors checking to see the rules are obeyed. Instead, you are the inspector! So, if you see a problem, please help by lodging a complaint. Your country needs you! Complaints about content of advertisements can be mailed to the Advertising Standards Bureau at Level 2, 97 Northbourne Ave, Turner ACT 2612, or by completing a complaint form at www.adstandards.com.au (on the home page, click on the red box – ‘Lodge a complaint!’) Include your name, address, details of the ad, where you saw it, and why you believe it is harmful. Complaints about programs or placement of ads on commercial television can be made by completing a complaint form at www.freetv.com.au. On the home page, click on ‘viewer feedback’ in the left sidebar, then choose ‘electronic lodgement system’. Submit your complaint within 30 days of the broadcast. Or, complain directly to the TV station. You must send a letter or fax (not phone) and include your name, address, program name, date/time of broadcast, and how what you have seen breaches the TV Code (www.freetv. com.au/media/Code_of_Practice/2010_Commercial_Television_Industry_ Code_of_Practice.pdf) • Channel 2 (ABC): GPO Box 9994 Brisbane 4001 or online at www.abc. net.au/contact/complain.htm • SBS: Locked Bag 028, Crow’s Nest NSW 1585 or online at www20.sbs. com.au/complaints/ • Channel 7: Brisbane (GPO Box 604, Brisbane 4001, fax 07 3368 2970); Queensland: PO Box 296, Maroochydore 4558, fax 07 5430 1777 • Channel 9: Executive Producer, [Name of program], PO Box 27, Willoughby 2068, fax 02 9958 2279 • Channel 10: GPO Box 751, Brisbane 4001, fax 07 3369 3786 • Regional TV stations: see www.freetv.com.au/Content_Common/pg-TVStation-Members.seo Keep a copy of your complaint (with date sent). The station should respond within 30 working days. If, as is likely, you are not satisfied with this response, you should send a copy of your complaint plus the unsatisfactory reply and a brief covering letter explaining your ongoing concern, to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA, email communitybroadcasting@ acma.gov.au, or mail to Community Complaints, ACMA, PO Box Q500, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney 2000; fax 02 9334 7799. Courtesy of FamilyVoice Australia www.fava.org.au
During the war Dad was appointed Lieutenant on the corvette ‘Colac’ serving around New Guinea and Bougainville. The ‘Colac’ was hit twice with shells early in 1945 with the loss of two lives, one being Dad’s personal aide. With the ship half full of water, it was towed back to Sydney, the longest tow that had been undertaken at that time. Dad was discharged in December 1945 and resumed civilian life in the Queensland Public Service (Health Department). In 1953, the family moved to The Gap where Dad became the first Church Secretary at The Gap Baptist Church (newly planted by Ashgrove Baptist). He served as Secretary and/or Deacon for many years. He did much to develop Boys’ Brigade (BB), at one stage being State President and then, Australian President. He commenced the Stedfast Association for past leaders and boys in 2005. He was also on Queensland Youth Council with the Baptist Union Youth Department. He was awarded an M.B.E. in 1983 and ‘Father of the Year’ in 1985. Dad seemed to have the knack of being secretary – various BB roles, church, Qld Health Education Council, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, member of the Queensland Ambulance Board and, in his work as Private Secretary to the Minister of Health. In 1969, Dad made the radical move of resigning from his employment at age 53. He then had no job but met an old friend, Phil Hancox, who convinced him to join the Prudential and this gave him a new lease on life. He also joined the Gideons and served as President of the Baptist Union of Queensland in 1974/75. (In 1987 Doug and his wife Maisie moved to Bribie Island; subsequently Maisie passed away in 1993. Later, in 1995, Doug married Gloria and the couple had 15 happy years together.) Over the last few months, he has not been sick but losing his ability to get around. Although well looked after, let’s face it, old people’s homes are for old people! Just because you are 94 and have lost the use of your legs doesn’t mean you’re old, does it? I’ve finally thought of a title for my story: ‘Doug Adam – man of God!’
www.qb.com.au The qb DECEMBER 10
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Think spot
Keep looking up! It was unconventional to say the least. When his country was attacked by three formidable armies, instead of mobilising his army, King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a day of prayer (2 Chronicles 20). Yet ‘wisdom is justified by her children’ (Matthew 11:19), and Jehoshaphat’s noble act received its due reward. In securing a tremendous deliverance for his people, how did this godly king approach God? Let’s examine his instructive prayer as it is recorded in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat began by expressing his confidence in God’s power and ability, as the sovereign ruler of this world: ‘O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven?’ he declared. ‘You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you’ (2 Chronicles 20: 6). We should not begin our prayers with doubts, but with an assurance of God’s immense capabilities. If we call to mind the appropriate attributes of God, it is a great aid to faith, and it makes our prayers more fervent. The rule of the Kingdom is: ‘Let it be done to you according to your faith’ (Matthew 9:29). God often steps beyond this rule and blesses us when we have little faith, yet we grieve the Holy Spirit with our gnawing doubts and
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mistrust. So, when we are in trouble, let’s ask God expectantly, assured of his infinite capability to bestow the help we crave. Next, Jehoshaphat pleaded with God on the basis of his past interventions. ‘O our God,’ he said, ‘did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?’ (2 Chronicles 20: 7). This is a tried and proven method in prayer. We generally say that we should trust someone until he or she proves untrustworthy. When it comes to God, have we not always found him to be faithful and merciful? Recall what God has done for you in the past; how he has shown you kindness and mercy and always been faithful to you. If he has saved you from a thousand troubles, you can trust him to deliver you from one more. So let us imitate, in our prayers, these godly men of old who paraded God’s past mercies; it is this kind of pleading that prevails with God. Thirdly, Jehoshaphat had recourse to God’s promises: ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of
Similarly, when we pray we should plead with God on the basis of his promises. The person who does so grasps hold of the mighty faithfulness of God, and must prevail. You know what it is like when others take us at our word? It places great pressure on us and we feel a deep obligation to keep our promise: If that is the case with us, how much more so with our faithful God? These are examples of the kinds of appeals we can make: ‘Lord, you have said: “The righteous person has many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalms 34:19); you have said: “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Lord, you have made these promises; please do as you have said.’ Charles Spurgeon emphasises: ‘An omnipotent plea with God is: “Do as you have said”.’ Fourthly, Jehoshaphat openly laid the nation’s distressing situation before God. He said: ‘O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great army which comes against us. We do not know what to do…’ (2 Chronicles 20:10-12). He confessed that he and
his nation were helpless before the attacking armies. It may be of some consolation in a difficult situation if you can say that you know what to do if only you had sufficient power to do it, but these people not only had no power to act; they had no idea what to do. They were completely helpless. What could a small country like Judah surrounded by three mighty armies do to save itself?
Think spot
judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us’ (2 Chronicles 20: 9). Under the inspiration of the Spirit, Solomon made this solemn avowal when he originally dedicated the temple, and now Jehoshaphat reminds God of that promise.
But the wonderful thing is that their ignorance and helplessness were strong pleas with God. Some people might object that inadequacy is hardly a prevailing argument with God, and quote the proverb: ‘God helps the man who helps himself.’ Of course, if there is something that we can rightly do in a difficult situation, we should do it, and pray as well. But often there is nothing we can do, and we find ourselves completely vulnerable. Then, expressing our need and distress to God is the most powerful form of prayer. That which most strongly moves a generous person is someone’s needy state. And this is far more the case with God. It is not oratory of tongue that moves him to act, but earnestness of heart that proceeds from a felt need. So when you do not know what to do, go and lay bare your soul to him there is no stronger prayer than the groans and tears of real distress. Jehoshaphat concluded his prayer with: ‘We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you’ (2 Chronicles 20: 12). In the certain knowledge that he could do no more than ask, he left the matter in God’s hands and waited for his response. That is the way of faith. It says: ‘My help must come from you, God, or not at all. I depend on you for eternity; I will depend on you to sort out this problem too.’ Then it leaves all its cares and concerns with him, determining to accept whatever he dispenses. A minister friend of mine often says to me as we part: ‘Keep looking up!’ That is wise advice. And to the people who fix their hope on God, heaven’s unchanging response is: ‘I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, “Seek me in vain”’ (Isaiah 45:19). Jim Greenbury jimncath@tpg.com.au
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Persecution brief
Please pray HANOI: TWO CHRISTIANS JAILED Communist Vietnam has jailed two members of a Christian ethnic minority group after finding them guilty of undermining national unity...A court in the Central Highlands province of Phu Yen jailed one man in his forties for six years and another man, aged about 30, for four years, reported Nhan Dan, the Vietnam Communist party daily. The pair, both ethnic Montagnards, have also been sentenced respectively to three and two years of house arrest after their prison terms. They were accused of having contacts with and receiving instructions from a member of ‘Dega’, a separatist Protestant organisation based in the United States, which Vietnamese authorities accuse of threatening national unity. The jailed pair was found guilty of ‘encouraging local minorities to protest, to cause a breach of the peace, to divide national unity and to call for the creation of the Dega state’, the report added. Around 2,000 members of the largely Christian Montagnards community fled to Cambodia in 2001 and 2004 after security forces crushed protests against land confiscations and religious persecution. (16/11/2010 - AFP)
CHINA: CHRISTIANS BARRED FROM ATTENDING WORLD CONFERENCE A number of Christians in China were stopped as they tried to leave the country to attend the Third International Congress on World Evangelization, organised by the Lausanne Movement and held in Cape Town, South Africa in October. More than 200 Christian leaders were invited to represent China at the conference, but the authorities took action to prevent them from leaving the country. Delegates were harassed; some had their passports confiscated, while others were jailed for 20 days. ChinaAid reported that only a handful of Christians were able to get to Cape Town. The Chinese authorities stated that the reason for their hostility was that the participation of Chinese Christians at the conference represented ‘a threat to national security’ and that ‘representatives of the government-sanctioned church were not invited’, a claim that ChinaAid refutes. China has allowed the BBC to produce a series on the Church in China, which alleged that conditions were becoming 38
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easier for Christians, but recent evidence suggests this is not true in every part of this vast country. There are also important differences in treatment between the registered churches (legal, but carefully controlled by the government) and the unregistered ‘house churches’. IRAN: CHRISTIANS SUFFER HARASSMENT, PERSECUTION, BEATINGS AND IMPRISONMENT A Christian convert in Iran has died from injuries received when he was badly beaten by a relative. Middle East Concern has reported that the beating occurred because the relative disapproved of the man’s decision to leave Islam and follow Christ. In July, a group of 15 Christians was arrested in Mashhad while on their way to spend time with fellow believers. Most of the group were released after a week, but according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN) three Christians remain in detention, charged with apostasy. It has been reported that families of those detained have been told they ‘must persuade their loved ones to renounce their Christian faith and embrace Islam once again’. A church leader in Ahvaz remains in detention following a raid on his home in late July; his condition is unknown. His wife and six year old daughter were also arrested but were released after several hours of interrogation. A group of nine Christians were arrested in September and charged with carrying out evangelism in Hamedan, as reported by Iranian state television. Tina, the wife of an Iranian pastor, was arrested in June and sentenced to life in prison but following an appeal she was released in October. Her husband, Yousef, was arrested the following day and is still in detention. TURKMENISTAN: PASTOR JAILED FOR FOUR YEARS After nearly eight weeks in pre-trial detention, Pastor N, the leader of the Light to the World Church in one city in Turkmenistan, was sentenced in October to four years in jail. Pastor N was charged with fraud. His wife and other church members vigorously refute the accusation and questioned
Persecution brief
the credibility of the prosecution witnesses, but in spite of this, the courts ruled in favour of the prosecution. Pastor N is likely to be sent to a labour camp near the eastern town of Seydi. He is under treatment for diabetes, and his wife has been denied the opportunity to see him or give him his medicines since his arrest in August. Source: Barnabus Fund www.barnabasfund.org ‘So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of the faith’(Galatians 6:10). Statement on the release of Aung San Suu Kyi The Baptist World Alliance takes note of the release of Myanmar opposition leader and Nobel Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest by the government of Myanmar. The BWA rejoices at this new development, and expresses the hope that, as a symbolic gesture, the release of Ms Suu Kyi will lead to greater freedoms for the people of Myanmar, including the release of the more than 2,000 political prisoners in the country. We also hope that the release of Ms Suu Kyi will be the first step toward full democracy, respect for human rights, and national reconciliation for people of all ethnic groups. In a 2006 resolution passed by the BWA General Council in Mexico City, the BWA recognised the historic Baptist links with Burma/Myanmar, dating back to the work of Adoniram Judson and his colleagues in the nineteenth century. The BWA also affirmed its solidarity with the civil population of Myanmar as they suffered under hardships imposed by the military regime in power since 1962.
the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the legally elected president in 1990’. Now that Ms Suu Kyi has been given her freedom, the BWA urges the government of Myanmar to take further and urgent steps to expand the rights and freedoms of all its citizens, in keeping with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The BWA calls on all Baptists to continue to pray for the end of all human rights abuses in Myanmar. Baptist World Alliance, Washington www.bwanet.org
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The resolution further urged that the United Nations ‘take appropriate action for the protection of the lives and rights of Myanmar citizens, including their right to religious freedom’.
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Noting the incarceration of Ms Suu Kyi since 1990 and the victory of the NLD in the general election of 1990, the BWA resolution called on the Myanmar authorities to ‘lift
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Reviews
B OO K S . D V D S . M U S I C BOOK: ‘The Twelve Words of Christmas’ Louie Giglio
BOOK: ‘Being a bloke’ Michael Knight & Peter Janetzki
Review provided by WORD Bookstores. Price: $14.95
Price: $32.95 (plus postage)
It is probably rare to find a person in Christian circles who hasn’t heard of Louie Giglio. With his awe-inspiring DVD, ‘Indescribable’, Louie burst onto the scene with an enthusiasm and a passion that seemed to captivate and inspire his audience.
Discover the essence of authentic Aussie masculinity. The world produces many boys, but it raises few men! Why don’t we know what it is to be an authentic Aussie bloke – and why does it matter? How did we get into this situation? What are the disguishing features of an authentic Aussie bloke and how do you become one?
His new DVD, ‘The Twelve Words of Christmas’ is another excellent offering. Louie doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with this message; rather he focuses on the profound truth that through the miracle of Christmas no one is too far from the love of God; that even amidst the chaos of your life God is at work and he promises to bring you through.
This book was written by two Aussie blokes, for all Aussie blokes. It’s punchy, pithy, provocative and an excellent read. A must read full of outstanding insights for blokes, or those who are married to a bloke, work with a bloke, have a father or are raising a son…
This is a wonderful message, delivered with the same zeal that we have come to expect from Louie Giglio. However, don’t sit down to watch this DVD expecting it to impact you in the same fashion as his ‘Indescribable’ talk. That’s not what this is about. While the passion is evident, the message is more subtle. We all know the Christmas story, however, sometimes we need to take time to remember what it is all about - that one child changed the course of history forever. This is an ideal DVD to watch as a family or even with your church group. Perhaps go further - use it as an outreach and share it with your neighbours. If you have watched any of Louie Giglio’s DVDs and enjoyed them, then I am sure that this one will be no exception. As Louie notes in this message: ‘Remember, Merry Christmas. The Saviour is here!’
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Available direct from the authors: online at www.peerpower.com.au Michael ph 07 3311 2915 Peter ph 07 3822 8336
Reviews
MOVIE: ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The voyage of the Dawn Treader’ From the stories of C S Lewis RETURN TO HOPE. RETURN TO MAGIC. RETURN TO NARNIA. Can you believe that it’s been more than 2 years since we saw Prince Caspian released in cinemas all around Australia? Prior to that, who can forget the wonderful first Narnia film release: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which took us on an adventure inside that magical wardrobe. This latest Narnia chronicle (partly filmed in Queensland) is now playing for the first time in 3D. View a trailer at http://www.narnia.net.au/
DVD: ‘The secrets of Jonathan Sperry’ Review provided by Heritage Film Distribution Dustin, Albert and Mark are twelve year old boys looking forward to a summer of fun in 1970. When Dustin mows 75 year old Jonathan Sperry’s lawn, a unique friendship develops. What happens during the rest of this summer is something Dustin and his friends will never forget! Available on DVD nationally through all Christian retail outlets. To view a trailer, visit www.movieschangepeople.com/sperry. Be one of the first three people to email qb@qb.com.au and receive a free copy of this slow moving, gentle film set in a past era.
Unique opportunity Visit China 4-17 May 2011 This tour, led by John and Judy Bradford includes the world famous Great Wall, Tiananmen Square (Beijing) and the Terracotta Warriors (Xian). Visit the Bible Society’s Amity Printing Press (Nanjing) and meetings with Chinese Christians. Full cost is only $4550 + axes per person twin share, flying with Cathay. For a brochure or more information, contact Inner Faith Travel, phone 1800 074 426 or Bible Society Qld, phone 3221 5683.
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Billy Graham
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 The idea for Harry Potter may have popped into JK Rowling’s head on a train from Manchester to London, but her bespectacled boy began to take on real depth the day her mother died. ‘It was a terrible time. My father, Di and I were devastated,’ she would write later. ‘Probably because we could not bear to contemplate the idea that she could die so young.’1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is the beginning of the end for her wizarding hero, so it is no surprise that JK has him and her audience battling an enemy far bigger than Voldemort.
The hope HP7 offers lies in a fable about three brothers who meet Death. One manages to hide from him long enough to enjoy a long and full life. When he is finally ready to leave this world, the brother reveals himself and ‘… greets death as a friend’. As key characters fall left, right and centre, this is the lesson we are meant to learn. Death can be accepted by those who are happy with the lives they have lived. But when I look back on the real horrors HP7 so realistically represents, I think this will be small comfort to Voldemort’s victims.
It is no overstatement to say that the seventh Harry Potter film is drenched in death. From the opening moments it appears in its most hideous forms – sad, tortured figures; fatal headwounds; snakes eating bodies – and alongside these images, the creeping horror its presence brings to every character. HP7 is a wartime film. With the passing of Albus Dumbledore, the wizarding world has lost its Winston Churchill, and the enemy seeps into every corner of society. Voldemort’s servants, the Deatheaters, take over the Ministry of Magic and establish a new order strongly reminiscent of Nazi Germany, right down to its obsession with ‘pure bloods’.
There is a third perspective on death that Harry discovers, though no camera angle will draw it to your attention. In a snow-covered graveyard Harry finds the headstone of his parents. Printed along its bottom edge is the comfort the Bible offers:
Is death the problem? Should we be shielding children from that particular obscenity? No, but neither do we want to create in them the terror that Rowling’s characters feel.
‘The last enemy to be destroyed is death.’2 Death does not have to be accepted; it is our enemy. Nor does it have to be feared; its destruction is coming. Those who buried Harry’s parents at least had some knowledge of the victory Jesus Christ won over death and the resurrection he can deliver. It would be well worth drawing this to the attention of filmgoers, and adding it to their store of miraculous knowledge. Reviewed by Mark Hadley www.markahadley.com 1 2
Just as I am
JK Rowling official biography, http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/biography.cfm 1 Corinthians 15:26
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association celebrated its 60th anniversary in November. In an interview in 1997, Billy Graham was asked, ‘What do you consider to be the ‘plain truth’ of the gospel?’ He replied: ‘I believe the overwhelming message is the grace and the love and the mercy of God, and that’s what I emphasise a lot more than I did in the earlier years. I think the Lord just gradually changed me as I began to study the Scriptures. I began to see how much of the emphasis is on God’s love and mercy and grace. I’m not going to heaven because I’m good. I’m not going to heaven because I’ve preached to a lot of people. I’m going to heaven because of God’s grace and mercy in Christ at the cross. And grace means unmerited favour. Something I didn’t deserve. I haven’t worked for. It’s a free gift from God to me, and I emphasise that in my preaching.’ Read full interview at www.ptm.org/frontpage/BillyGraham-MarApr1997.pdf Also visit www.billygraham.org.
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(L to R): Don Wilton (Billy Graham’s pastor) Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Cliff Barrows (87) and George Beverly Shea (101). (Backgound): Central Church Choir in Charlotte, N.C. (BGEA
Quotable quotes
Quotable Quotes About his book, Breaking the Rules, trading performance for intimacy with God, author Fil Anderson said: ‘Although Jesus never made breaking the rules a worthy goal in and of itself, he made clear the point that rule keeping is pointless if it’s not an expression of something deeper. Jesus said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:13 NLT). Breaking the Rules invites you to quit trusting in your own ability to live for God, and simply trust in God instead.
us to understand is that this life is obtained by walking with Jesus and watching how he does it until no rules remain necessary. That’s right, until there is no need for any rules.’ Fil Anderson will be guest speaker at QB Convention, May 2011. Visit www.journeyresources.com Thanks to Richard Morris who writes:
‘There’s an ancient story about a person whose deepest longing was to live in intimate union with God, and thus he wished to know what habits of the heart and mind were essential. One day he approached a wise and holy hermit and posed a question to him. Without hesitation the hermit replied, “If you wish to live in intimate union with God, there are two things you must know: The first is that all of your efforts are of no avail.”
If Jesus was just a man and not also God, he would be more easily managed, domesticated and tamed. He is so much more comfortable and able to be kept at arm’s length if he is seen as a mere teacher. CS Lewis explains so well that this will not do. This is a great quote to get your head around - it is just as relevant to us and our dynamic witness in the world as when Lewis penned in the 1940s:
“And the second,” the disciple insisted.
‘I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.”
“The second is that you must live as if you did not know the first.” I truly believe that the secret of the spiritual life is to live it until it becomes real. It’s a way of living, an attitude our mind adopts, and an orientation our soul adapts itself to. And especially important for
That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.’ (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1952. Essays based upon radio addresses of 1941)
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Ingleburn Baptist Church seeks a SENIOR PASTOR who loves the Lord, God’s Word, the Church family and the wider community; someone who will share the Church’s vision to reach the local community and the nations with the life changing message of the gospel and provide the necessary leadership, equipping and enthusiasm. This person will work alongside the current youth pastor, eldership, management team and ministry leaders.
CALOUNDRA: Seafarer Chase luxury 2 b/r holiday apartments on the Sunshine Coast. Ocean views, heated pool, BBQ, security parking, close to beaches, shops, cinema and bowling club. Contact Marianne or Martin Burton phone/fax 5491 7155. CALOUNDRA: GOLDEN BEACH - Highset three bedroom holiday home. Weekends or weekly. Pets OK. Close to beach. Phone 0402 077 822 or liz_paul@hotmail.com. CALOUNDRA: KINGS BEACH - Holiday unit, modern, pool, 100m from Kings Beach. From $360 pw. Phone Ray 0427 990 161.
Ingleburn is approximately 40km south west of Sydney. The church of 120 members is preparing to celebrate its 100th year of witness in 2011.
MALENY: Self catering fsc cottage, sleeps 4. Quiet. Walk to town. Phone 5462 2645 or email thecoles@uq.net.au.
More information: Mail to PO Box 9, Ingleburn NSW 1890, email ingleburnbaptist@netspace.net.au
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Youth Pastor required for Beenleigh & District Baptist Church to commence early in the New Year (preferred). This ‘hands on’ role will provide an exciting challenge to develop leaders and facilitate spiritual growth among the youth. Initially part time (60%), growing to full time as soon as practicable. (Part time could suit person undertaking theological studies.) The Church (congregation of 300) is strategically placed in the growth corridor between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. They are a theologically conservative church with a blended worship style and are strongly committed to the exposition of Scripture as being central to worship. Initial enquiries, please contact Pastor Ken Conwell, phone 0408 152 394, email pastor.ken@beenleighbaptist.org
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In excess of 40 professionally made PUPPET MINISTRY: This is a unique and hand puppets wonderful opportunity for light a puppets children’s ministry Some black and some lifelike rubber latex puppets to purchase a complete PUPPET MINISTRY A fully adjustable puppet stage and including: curtains
Countless resources, including scripts, CD programs and training
• In excess of 40 professionally made hand materials. puppets Please contact Graeme Rouillon, mob 0434 • Some black light puppets and some lifelike 562 515 or e-mail: graeme152@optusnet.com.au for a DVD. rubber latex puppets Graeme can transport the theatre right to • A fully adjustable stage your door in puppet Eastern Australia andand assist curtains training. • Countlesswith resources, including scripts, CD to sell as complete programs Price andnegotiable; trainingprefer materials. theatre. A trailer for transporting the theatre is also available.
Please contact Graeme Rouillon, mob 0434 562 515 or email graeme152@optusnet.com.au for a DVD. Graeme can transport the theatre right to your door in Eastern Australia and assist with training. Price negotiable; prefer to sell as complete theatre. A trailer for transporting the theatre is also available.
Northreach Bible College is seeking a full-time
The college isPrincipal. based in Townsville, the largest tropical city
ollege is based in Townsville, the largest tropical city in the nation, and its facilination, its facilities are situated onbegan the incampus of are situated in on the the campus of and Northreach Baptist Church. The college nd is entering into a new era of effective ministry in training. We are prayerfully Northreach Baptist Church. The college began in for 1985 and g a leader who is capable of growing the college as a significant training arm nomination is andentering beyond. The successful would needministry to be convinced of into a newapplicant era of effective in training. We alue of vocational training and have demonstrated ability in a significant leaderare prayerfully seeking a leader who is capable of growing ship role previously.
the college as a significant training arm for our denomination to be convinced of the value of vocational training and have warrencrank@northreach.org.au ph 07 4723 2371 mob 0403 277 951 demonstrated ability in a significant leadership role previously. If you think God is prompting you to find out more, please contact Warren Crank, Senior Pastor of Northreach Baptist Church, for a Position Description.
think God is prompting you to find out more, please contact Warren Crank, Senand beyond. TheChurch, successful applicant would need ior Pastor of Northreach Baptist for a Position Description.
warrencrank@northreach.org.au ph 07 4723 2371 mob 0403 277 951
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SOUND ADVICE
You can rest easy knowing your money is safe and working hard for you, and at the same time, helping to support much needed local projects.
Simply deposit your savings and investments in BAPLink, the investment fund of the Baptist Union of Queensland. BAPLink was set up to give people like you the opportunity to enjoy healthy interest returns, while creating a pool of funds from which Baptist churches and ministries can borrow to grow and serve their local communities. BAPLink provides: • Competitive interest rates • Security of a guaranteed return on your investment • Friendly service • No account keeping fees on savings and investment accounts
Facilities available: • Internet banking (for churches only) • Savings accounts at call and term • Partnership accounts - a new way of giving • Electronic transfers for both deposits and withdrawals • Deposit facilities through the Westpac Bank • Cheque accounts for churches • Loans to churches and ministers • Insurance with EIG Ansvar Join the growing number of ‘Baptists making a difference’ by depositing with BAPLink.
For more information or an application form contact BAPLink: Level 1, 53 Prospect Road, Gaythorne PO Box 6166, Mitchelton 4053 Phone: 3354 5611 or 1800 650 062 (outside Brisbane) Fax: 3354 5605 baplink@qb.com.au www.qb.com.au/baplink