The voice of Queensland Baptists August 2011
A landmark occasion Who needs dry clothes? Ameena’s story: Do you want to be free? Print post approved ISSN: 11323-7829 The Queensland Baptist - first published in 1890. This series Vol 9 Issue 4.
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Contents
18 In this issue Comment: David Loder Speaking out: John Sweetman Baptisms Around the regions Disaster update Milestones Profile Persecution brief Reviews Fun zone Classifieds
05 06 08 09 13 14 18 42 44 45 47
QB ministries A landmark occasion (QB/SSEC) Archives (QB Archives) It’s not all about me! (QB Kids) Should we lock them in a room? (QB Youth) Do you want to be free? (QB Women) In Jesus’ footsteps in Ontario (QCCC) Lost childhood (QBC)
16 19 20 22 26 28 30
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QB partners A new concept in leadership training (CALAM Training) Biblical giving... the message is clear (QB Gift Foundation) Going forward... looking back (Global Interaction) Articles Imitating Jesus series Holistic renewal Understand the times and know... Walking a very fine line Ministry in context
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24 36 37 38 40
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Our cover: Beach scene in the Solomon Islands. Read the report in this issue about the recent signing of a Partnership Agreement between Queensland Baptists and the South Seas Evangelical Church. Pictured on this page are the Rev Bishop Matthias Lima and the Rev Dr David Loder at the first signing at QB Convention 2011.
www.qb.com.au August 2011
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News, views & issues
From the Editor As I wrote the article in this issue about the Partnership Agreement between Queensland Baptists and the South Seas Evangelical Church (A Landmark Occasion), the ‘Star Fish Story’ came to mind. Based on ‘The Star Thrower’ by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977) the story has been through many adaptations. Google it and you’ll see what I mean. It was years ago when I first heard it. Liz Cunningham (MP for Gladstone) was speaking at a women’s supper at Ashgrove Baptist Church. She told the story and I guess it just stuck in my mind. Of course, I’ve heard it many times since then. On the very slight chance that it’s new to you, the story goes like this. There was a man walking along a beach. In the distance he saw someone moving like a dancer. As he got closer, he noticed that it was a young man, and he was not dancing at all. He was reaching down to the sand, picking up star fish and throwing them into the ocean. When asked why, the young man replied, ‘The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.’ The man said, ‘But don’t you realise there are miles of beach and there are thousands of star fish all along the sand? You can’t possibly make a difference’. The young man bent down, picked up another star fish and threw it into the ocean. ‘It made a difference to that one,’ he said. Florence Young, the indomitable young woman who commenced the Queensland Kanaka Mission had that kind of attitude. She had a big vision to spread the Gospel to the people of the South Pacific but she started with a tiny group of people in a Bible study – making a difference, one by one. There are other encouraging stories in this issue. Peter Richards, Senior Pastor at Kruger Park Baptist Church writes to thank people for their donations to the QB Flood Appeal (Your generosity has changed lives). He has his own version of the Star Fish story to tell, as people were helped, one by one. Sue Peters, recently returned from India, shares a little of Ameena’s story (Do you want to be free?). This young woman, rescued from the streets of Sonagacchi now takes every opportunity to try to rescue others, one by one. Finally, the children at Hervey Bay Baptist Church are learning how to put their faith into action by helping other children who are less fortunate than themselves (It’s not all about me!). They, too, are experiencing the joy of helping others, one by one. Enjoy! Robynne Milne Editor
Make a splash
The qb is a member of the Australasian Religious Press Association, published bimonthly by Queensland Baptist Services Group in February, April, June, August, October and December. Editor: Robynne Milne Advertising: Emily Twible Design: Shell Graphix Print: Printcraft 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 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.
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Comment
‘Those who honour me I will honour’ 1 Samuel 2:30.
DEEPER – Imitating Jesus I am currently reading the book entitled ‘Tell It As It Is’ (CAPAS Publishers). This is the autobiography of the Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea, KBE, PC; the Solomon Islands’ First Prime Minister. Sir Peter is a devoted follower of Jesus and a member of the South Seas Evangelical Church (SSEC). Apart from the historical and cultural insights in the book, I am also fascinated by the public life of a high profile Christian. I am reassured by the ease and comfort with which he lived his Christian life in the political arena. One notable instance, in my estimation, was his election as Chief Minister (prior to nationhood). Assured by God that he would be the successful candidate, he refused to participate in the lobbying (seen as accepting bribes) that was expected of a candidate and being practised by other aspirants. Two issues concerned him – what could be construed as buying votes, and secondly, the lobbying took place in hotels. As a non-drinker, he chose to not frequent these places. And the outcome? After three and a half hours and seven ballots, he was elected! Interesting isn’t it? The temptation to ‘help God out’ comes our way; the logic that accepts a ‘watering down’ of our convictions to achieve an outcome is forever before us. There are many examples in the Bible where people felt they needed to manipulate circumstances to help God out in accomplishing his purposes. Again and again we are exhorted to wait for the Lord and to have confidence in him. Thanks for the example, Sir Peter!
Before the next issue, the Board and Ministry Team Leaders will hold their annual retreat (5-7 August). We would value your prayers prior to, and during, this time as we determine our focus as Queensland Baptists for the coming year when we will move to the final phase of our strategy: ‘Loving God...Better – Intentional Ministry’.
If God said it, that settles it. God honours those who honour him!
David Loder General Superintendent, Queensland Baptists gs@qb.com.au
Ministry Matters: Since Convention I have been to the Solomon Islands for the signing of our partnership agreement. This very special occasion features in this issue of The qb. What a tremendous, God-honouring event! Photo: Sir Peter’s wife, Lady Margaret Kenilorea, presents copies of the book to David Loder and David Unwin QB Administrative Services Group Committee Member
A number of major issues are facing Australians at the moment and we need to be praying for our leaders but also ensuring our willingness to make a stand for God. Some of these matters include: chaplaincy in our schools; attempts to redefine marriage; climate change; mining versus farming issues in some rural areas; disaster recovery. I am sure you can add to the list! Finally… Being relevant to those around us at the expense of God’s expectations can be seductive. Presenting Jesus in clearly understood ways is paramount. Heroes of the faith have often needed to take a stand for Jesus. For some it has meant a fiery furnace, imprisonment and even death. Others have faced ridicule, lost their jobs, been excommunicated by their families. Others have changed the world. Many go unnoticed by the wider community, but not by God! He honours those who honour him!
www.qb.com.au August 2011
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Speaking out
The challenge of church planting (Part 1) I have both avoided and supported church planting. I have pastored a large church for 14 years that always believed in church planting but never did plant for what seemed to be good reasons at the time. More recently, I have been part of the pastoral team of a church that has planted three small churches in six years. Church planting is not an easy issue to talk about honestly, but I want to have a go at putting all the cards on the table. I may well be the only person that thinks in the way I describe in these articles, but I suspect that such thinking is reasonably widespread, at least among church leaders. See what you think. 1. Why we believe in church planting You have to be very inward looking and selfcentred to oppose church planting. Every church in which we are serving was once a church plant. So we are all benefitting from someone’s vision to plant a church. In a way, church planting is in every church’s genetic makeup. Then we have the model of the early church as a church planting movement. The book of Acts describes the growth of the New Testament church through vigorous church planting. Paul, arguably the most influential leader in the early church, was an extraordinary church planter. We recognise the need for church planting. There is no way that our present churches will ever reach everyone who doesn’t follow Jesus. We are aware of a tremendous mission field that requires more labourers in more churches. We have read the research which shows that church plants are often more effective evangelistically than more established churches. Because church plants are dependent on converts to
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build the church, they heavily target evangelism and are more likely to turn their members into missionaries. So it’s hard to find a Christian leader who doesn’t believe in church planting. We recognise that the future growth of the church is dependent on the planting of new churches. We are all 100% behind church planting. We want more churches. We know we need a generation of effective church planters. 2. Why we don’t church plant Yet few churches are actively involved in planting new churches. Not many churches appear to be promoting the vision of church planting. I say this partly because I’m finding that very few students turn up at College with a passion to church plant. Why is it that church leaders, who believe so strongly in church planting, seem to be doing so little about it? I suspect it is because there is no good time for a church to plant another church. You are probably aware of the bell curve that describes the life cycle of a church. On this simplistic model, churches are growing (moving up the curve), plateauing (on the top of the curve), or diminishing (moving down the other side of the curve). Let me explain why none of these stages is right for planting a church. When a church is growing, it is constantly looking for more resources. It may seem to others that the church has resources to burn, but from the inside it doesn’t feel like this. You’re constantly looking for new people to start and staff ministries, improved facilities to house these ministries, more staff to coordinate and support these ministries, and more money to do it all. With such a high need for increased resources, it’s not a good time to be investing your best resources in church planting. It’s seems like the growing work of God in the church would suffer.
Speaking out
3. Why we don’t want church plants near us Those who coordinate church planting often say: ‘All churches support church planting as long as it is not in their area.’ Of course, if we avoid planting in all areas from which present churches draw, the only options are places that have no Christians at all (do any exist in Australia?) or isolated places with small populations that can’t get to any other church. So why do we not want churches to plant in our drawing area? Let me give some reasons.
2. Why we don’t church plant (cont.) When a church reaches a plateau, it gradually becomes obvious that while everything is going well, new vision and passion need to emerge to kick-start the church again. A church plant could do this, but it feels like planting a church at a distance will divide the church family into planters and stayers at a time when there is a need to come together and work hard for a new thrust. If some really good people leave, it may actually push the church over the edge into decline. When a church is declining, it is losing energy. People are not so keen to volunteer. People become more anxious about the future. This feels like a time for conserving energy, for promoting unity and community. The last thing you need is a church planting vision that will further sap the diminishing resources of the church and divide the church with seemingly little benefit for the mother church. Now I realise that all the church planting advocates are tearing their hair out by now at the lack of vision displayed in such an inward-looking approach. But leaders care about their churches and they are reticent to put at risk the work of God in their own church. In particular, shepherd leaders (pastors) love their sheep. They will only send them out to plant at a safe time. There just never seems to be a safe time. So we don’t plant. Not because we lack commitment to church planting, but because there just never seems to be a good time for the church to do it. Other churches may be in a better position to plant, but because we’re growing, plateaued or declining, it’s not the right time for us.
1. It diminishes our potential for growth. No matter how much church planters may say that they’re targeting another demographic, inevitably they will draw people that could have come to our church. It will hamper our impact for God’s Kingdom. 2. It may draw good people from our church. Some people are attracted to new opportunities and challenges. Often these people are the most energetic and enthusiastic in our church. Their loss would make things more difficult for us. 3. It may impact the effectiveness of our ministries. For example, if the new church runs a stronger youth ministry, then young people will go there. Not only will our youth ministry suffer, but the future of our church is threatened if young people are not coming through our ministries. 4. It may increase the disillusionment in our church. If there is another local church doing things better and growing, this may reflect badly on us and dampen the spirit of our people. 5. It will only further dissipate our resources. There is only a limited amount of resources available to the church. If these resources are shared between two churches rather than one, everyone gets less. Rather than one strong church, you get two weaker churches. I’m not saying that all these sentiments are valid (it will depend on the situation), but they all have the potential to be true and therefore become a major block to us welcoming a church plant in the area from which we draw our present congregation. So we believe in church planting, but generally we find it difficult to plant and don’t particularly want other churches planting near us. So what do we do with this stalemate? In the next article, I want to explore where we can go from here in planting churches. John Sweetman Principal, Malyon College John.sweetman@malyon.edu.au
(In Part 2, John will consider the consequences of neglecting to plant, God’s call to plant and what churches can do.)
www.qb.com.au August 2011
07
Baptisms
Who needs dry clothes?
Please pray for these newly baptised believers:
There is a saying among pastors that it would be great if you were baptising people on a weekly basis. This has almost been the case for Pastor Daniel Wallis who started at South Toowoomba Baptist Church in February this year. If he thought he was going to have a quiet lead into solo ministry, this thought has been completely dispelled!
Beaudesert Pascale de Gier Bli Bli Jet-Lee Wetherald. Wiliwan Wetherald
Isaac Boimah, a recent immigrant from Liberia expressed that he wanted to be baptised in February. Isaac is one of nine people baptised since Pastor Dan commenced at the church. Soon after Isaac’s baptism, James Campbell came to Pastor Dan wanting to publically declare his faith through baptism. On the morning James was baptised, Pastor Dan felt moved to give an appeal for others to come forward and be baptised as he was walking back to the stage to give his message. This meant that he was in his ‘dry’ clothes. He acknowledged that those who felt called to be baptised wouldn’t have a change of clothes so, like them, he would get back in the baptistry in his dry clothes. By the end of the service, two sisters, Kinah and Milcah McKinnon responded and were also baptised.
City North Jukka Tsoi
Since then Brent Van Mourik, Nicolas Welch, Anita Garnham, Timothy Entwistle, and Regina Entwistle have come forward to be baptised. Brent and James started coming to South Toowoomba Baptist after they, and Nicolas (who already attended the church), made a promise to a close friend who had died from cancer at the age of 19 in December 2010. They promised to give ‘this God thing’ a go. Within a short time their lives were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who was at work in them. They, along with others, have been growing in leaps and bounds are continuously hungry to learn more about Jesus. God is doing wonderful things through the preaching of his Word, and the loving, supporting, family atmosphere that is shown as Christ shines through the people of South Toowoomba Baptist Church. Praise God!
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City Tabernacle Iman Ahmadi Gateway Larissa Chirnside Penny Dawson Nigel Duncan Nicola Greatbatch Lynda Greenhalgh Petrina Hamilton Hector Hernandez Danielle Hoppe Tamara Kreis Narelle Laidlaw Noel Laidlaw Edward McCracken Genevieve Slabbert Magdalena Slabbert Dianna Sultan
Leichhardt Shivaun Boyes. Tamara Peters Sue Poletti The Grove Jamie Cookson James Rossiter South Toowoomba Isaac Boimah James Campbell Regina Entwistle Timothy Entwistle Anita Garnham Kinah McKinnon Milcah McKinnon Brent Van Mourik Nicolas Welch
Around the regions
Around the regions
Project Lift 2011
‘Our love should not be just words and talk, it must be true love, which shows itself in action’ 1 John 3:18.
requirements, organising safety and project briefs, coordinating logistical arrangements and underpinning all these arrangements in prayer. The day started with all the volunteers meeting at the church for a hot breakfast and a time of prayer. Qualified tradesman within the church were used for such things as building and carpentry, plumbing, painting and electrical work. The volunteers were divided into teams with a project manager assigned to each job to oversee the work. There was also a catering team and team leader who provided mobile morning tea, lunch and tea, coffee and drinks to all the volunteers on sites. While the work was being completed the families were treated to a day out. Young families went to Dreamworld and others enjoyed coffee, lunch and movies.
On 18 June, approximately 250 volunteers gathered at Victoria Point Baptist Church to roll up their sleeves for Project Lift. Ten families in the community were nominated by church members to receive help. These families needed a lift for a variety of reasons including coping with terminal illness, loss of a spouse, financial hardship, caring for children with disabilities or they were frail aged. We went into their homes to help renovate, paint, repair, clean and carry out routine maintenance.
The project budget was $3300 and planning hours totalled 800. Resources used on the day included new kitchen appliances (a dishwasher, range, cooktop and oven), 24 square metres of mulch, assorted plants and pots, three ceiling fans, professional gutter cleaning and exterior house cleaning, a Hills Hoist, three cubic metres of gravel, over 600kgs of timber, 70 litres of paint, 320kgs of concrete, 20 litres of sugar soap, 16 litres bleach, 15 tonnes of waste, approximately 1800 working hours and more.
Prior to the day, Project Lift teams spent about two months sourcing resources, fundraising, managing administration
A celebration service including professional photography of before and after photos was held on the following day.
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Around the regions
night was open to everyone: all musicians; people who just wanted to listen; Christians and non-Christians. Everyone enjoyed the night. Not only was the music great, but the coffee and cheesecake were excellent. About 30 people attended and five people performed. If you are a musician, singer or just want a place to hang out and listen to music and chat, please come along. The Music Café is held in the church hall, 27 Innes Street, Geebung. An excited congregation and visitors gathered to welcome Angelo and Faith Giovas.
Exciting days ahead
On Sunday 26 June, Pastor Angelo Giovas was inducted as Interim Pastor for the Cairns Northern Beaches Baptist Church. The church fellowship currently meets in the Red Cross hall in Trinity Beach, and the building was bulging with the extra 40plus visitors who came to celebrate and welcome Angelo and Faith, and to encourage their future ministry to the church. What an encouragement to have representatives from several local churches, as well as Cairns, Mulgrave and Atherton Baptist Churches.
For further information, please phone the church office, 3265 7965, Denise 3165 2032, or Kerryanne 3261 8811, 0427273243. Are you looking for new opportunities for ministry? Geebung Baptist, a small church on the Northside of Brisbane, is a group of friendly, caring (but not perfect) people with a real desire to minister in their local community. But they need help to make it happen! Lay people, whether singles, couples or families would be welcomed for either short or long term involvement. If you would like to be a part of something new that God wants to do in the Geebung area, please chat to Pastor John Silver, ph 32657965 or 0413157617 or email johnsilver1@optusnet.com.au
The induction was conducted by Steve Twible, QB Regional Consultant based in Townsville. The morning service included a special worship item, presented by local high school chaplain Carla Pappas (accompanied by musician David), and communion led by Angelo. After the service everyone enjoyed a light lunch and some wonderful fellowship. Cairns Northern Beaches Baptist Church is a friendly, communityminded church, ministering to local and holiday makers alike. For over 20 years the church has maintained a presence in the northern beaches suburbs of Cairns, and is now looking forward to the future as this new chapter begins. Angelo and Faith are excited about their new ministry within this community church, and will encourage and equip the members for ministries within and outside of the church. What exciting times lie ahead!
Music Café kicks off at Geebung
Geebung Baptist Church has commenced a Music Café and plans are in hand for the next event which will start at 6:30pm on 20 August. At the inaugural event in July, musicians were invited to come and play, either their own or other people’s music. The 10
August 2011 www.qb.com.au
In the swim
Churchill Baptist Church enjoyed a day out together at Moogerah Dam recently. Two boats went out on the water for a day of skiing, tubing and knee-boarding. Everyone met at the dam, had a great time on the water and enjoyed a barbecue lunch. It was especially enjoyable now that Moogerah Dam is full. The weather was perfect and the group stayed until the gates closed at 6pm. This is a regular event for the church that provides an excellent opportunity to invite friends and contacts in the community for a day out with church families.
Around the regions
National Day of Thanksgiving
It’s amazing how a small thing like cooking sausages can make a big impression on people! Earlier in the year, Leichhardt Baptist Church joined with the Amberley District State School for their Under 8’s day. The church wanted to express thanks to the teachers and staff for all their hard work teaching over 500 students every school day. Parents and children took part in many activities. They were painted in camouflage paint, or their faces were painted, they enjoyed a police display and much more. LtoR: Grace, Jo-Anne, Trish and Merv
‘Zero’ birthdays
Once a year, the Over 45’s Group at Leichhardt Baptist Church celebrates their members who have ‘Zero’ birthdays. In July, approximately 50 people gathered in the church hall for a dinner at which four people were recognised for their ‘zero’ birthday. Each one shared something of their life’s journey. Jo-Anne (50) spoke about growing up in a Christian family in Silkstone with her twin brother and two older sisters, attending Silkstone School, Silkstone Baptist and then Calvary Baptist. She met her life’s partner, Max, while on a coach tour in Tasmania. She came to know the Lord early in her life and, with Max, has brought their four children up to know the Lord. They rejoice that each one follows Jesus. Grace (60) grew up in Holland and came to know Jesus there. After some turbulent teen years, she met her husband, John, and together they attended Bible College in Holland. Since coming to Australia, they have continued to serve the Lord. They have three sons. Trish (70) grew up in Ipswich and attended church and Sunday School from her earliest years. She met her husband, Kevin, at a Church social evening and accepted Christ as her Saviour on the same night as Kevin. They have two children, grandchildren and one great grandchild.
The Church, along with the school P&C, catered for 600 people in just two hours. Many parents asked, ‘How much?’ for the sausages and were delighted and thankful when they heard the words, ‘It’s free’. The church was pleased to be able to take part in this special day.
Ship ahoy!
Since 2001, Gracemere Baptist Fellowship has worked alongside Scripture Union (SU) to organise and host a vacation activities program for primary aged children during the second week of the Winter School Holidays. SU provides planning, leadership expertise, training and help in recruiting and preparing the staffing that is needed. Gracemere Baptist Fellowship provides the bulk of the finances and has always strongly supported this SU initiative. Leaders are sourced from Gracemere and Rockhampton churches.
Merv (80) spoke of growing up on a farm in the Laidley district until ill-health forced his parents to sell and move to Ipswich. As a family, they were involved in the Blenheim Baptist Church and then Ipswich Baptist. He has held a number of secretarial positions in the Church and in his younger days, in Christian Endeavour. He first became Secretary of Ipswich Baptist in 1956 and is still Secretary of the Leichhardt Baptist Church today. He was involved in establishing Colthup Home in 1959, was Secretary of the Home Committee and from 1983, was full time Administrator of the Home until he retired in 1998. All four gave thanks to God for his blessings through the years and for his guidance in their lives.
This year the theme of the three days of fun and activities was ‘pirates’. There were many ‘aarrghs’ and ‘ship ahoys’, as well as the children being organised in groups with such names as ‘parrots’, ‘maps’, ‘anchors’ and ‘compasses’. Helpers and www.qb.com.au August 2011
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Around the regions
God again blessed this mission as he had done in past years. All glory to God for his strength, guidance and grace to work in the lives of these children and their families. The pastor received positive and excited feedback from both children and their parents who, being new in the area attended for the first time. The parents expressed their thanks for such a quality and fun-filled event and also commented on their children coming home each day singing Christian songs! Please pray that the seed planted will grow to harvest. leaders spent Monday transforming the Gracemere Community Hall into suitable habitation for pirates and the next morning the children started to stream in. An average of 140 children attended each day. Captain Kate, Dangerous Daisy, Bluebeard and Miserable Roger led the children on an adventure during which they discovered that the King (God) had a free pardon for them; that they could join his crew and not be pirates anymore; and, that he would take care of them. Over 70 adults and teenagers formed a terrific team who worked together to show God’s love and care to these children and their families. There were other team members behind the scenes they were at home cooking the morning teas and covering the whole event in prayer.
On the move Rev Angelo Giovas has accepted a call to Cairns Northern Beaches Rev Brian Willersdorf has commenced as interim pastor at Caloundra. Pastor Bruce Wilding has concluded at Wondai Pastor Ian Walton has accepted a call to Northreach (Townsville) Pastor Albert Nihot has concluded at Kingsridge Rev Ken Schulz has concluded at Northreach Bible College.
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If you had to draw a diagram that represented the Anytown ministry in your church, what would it look like? An organisational mind-map of different ministries Times:tree? !8amA- 3pm and programs? A tangle of spaghetti?
Other: ! Fusce urna magna neque eget lacus. Maecenas felis nunc, ac Anglican consequat Ryde Centre Saturday, 17 September. vitae feugiat at blandit vitae. Lorem dolor set lorem urna eget What if our mental image was not of an organisation oripsum a neque. 9.00 12.30am 10 -am - 4 pm structure but of magna the people God had brought together in our
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church? And what if the key question we asked was: Who is getting alongside each person to invest in their lives and help them grow towards maturity in Christ?
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What Col and Tony have described here is exactly what I’ve been trying to do in my own life and in our congregation for years. According to this book, Christians are to be disciple-making disciples and pastors are to be trainers. Superb! This is the best book I’ve read on the nature of church ministry.
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This book contains the kind of counter-intuitive ideas that, once encountered and embraced, make you wonder why you did not always think this way.
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Dean, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, Australia
William Taylor
Rector, St Helen’s Bishopsgate, London, UK
The Trellis and the Vine comes from a ministry so deeply committed to the recovery of biblical truth and the cause of the gospel. Its wisdom is invaluable. My advice: Keep a good stack on hand at all times, and put this book to good use.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
August 2011 www.qb.com.au
COLIN MARSHALL AND TONY PAYNE
Guitar Lessons
Gospel ministry is about God’s glory and God’s people! This excellent book takes us right to the heart of authentic Christian ministry. Any church will benefit hugely from studying and acting on it.
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Ligon Duncan
Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
VINE
Guitar Lessons
Guitar Lessons
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Guitar Lessons
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Guitar Lessons
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Guitar Lessons
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Guitar Lessons
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Guitar Lessons
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Guitar Lessons
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12
I have some new conversation partners as I ask myself, under the authority of God and Scripture, questions about the structure and ministry of my congregation: “Why are we doing what we are doing? Is the gospel central? Has ‘administry’ trumped ministry?” And more. As I ask these things, I am so deeply helped and heartened and humbled and corrected by the fidelity and wisdom of Colin Marshall and Tony Payne’s profound little book that I can’t but commend it to you.
TRELLIS
THE AND THE
THE MINISTRY MIND-SHIFT THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
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If youÕre intrigued, challenged or just wondering where to make a start in injecting this culture into your congregational life, then come along to this Saturday special two-day morning workshop. WeÕll talk together, sharpen each other, and leave with some concrete plans for your ministry.
THE TRELLIS AND THE VINE • COLIN MARSHALL AND TONY PAYNE
This is a different vision of churchÑnot as an organisation, but as a community of disciple-making disciples. ItÕs the vision of ministry we wrote about in ÔThe Trellis and the VineÕ Ñ a ministry where we focus more on people than programs.
Hope you can join us, Col and Tony
TESOL Training
City Tabernacle Baptist
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Disaster update
Your generosity has
changed lives
On behalf of Kruger Parade Baptist Church and the people of Goodna, Redbank, Redbank Plains and the surrounding areas affected by dramatic flood waters earlier this year, I want to thank all the people in Baptist churches throughout Queensland, other states of Australia and others who have been so generous and supportive of people’s needs. During March and April, flood assistance applications were completed and interviews conducted at Kruger. As a result, 147 families received financial support in the form of cheques from Queensland Baptist Care totalling in excess of $400,000. This has been a massive rescue operation coordinated through Queensland Baptists and undergirded by fervent prayer. In response, desperate families were amazed at how quickly funds were released into their hands on a totally unconditional basis, reflecting the love that Christ has for them. Through further pastoral interviews, our own church at Kruger was able to financially support another six families who missed the application deadlines. We were also able to distribute 101 Bibles to families who requested them as a source of hope for their future. I also want to acknowledge the generosity of Ashgrove Baptist Church who initially sent us $11,000 that was used to fund the distribution of $100 gift vouchers from Bunnings and Coles to assist in rebuilding homes. Subsequently, Ashgrove Baptists presented our church with a further 30 envelopes containing gift vouchers for $40, raised for the specific purpose of supporting mothers in families affected by the floods. I am grateful to the church family at Kruger Parade who gave their time and energies while the church remained a donation centre over an initial six week period. This meant a dramatic change to the regular church programs and Pictured top right: Goodna home severely damaged by flood waters
use of facilities. Donations were received and stored and help offered: food, clothes, short term accommodation for people in family homes, deliveries of furniture and white goods, building repairs, toys, sorting of goods, counselling, transporting people, visiting, and cleaning up homes and businesses. During this time Rochedale Baptists provided us with new towels, toiletries and nappies for distribution and North Ipswich Indigenous Care distributed toys from Kruger to indigenous families with young children. On receiving financial assistance, one family member told me, ‘I can’t explain to you what this money means to me. I’d been thinking of taking my life; things have been that bad. I have some hope now’. This is one of many similar testimonies. Thank you for your prayers and generosity. Rev Peter Richards Senior Pastor Kruger Parade Baptist Church On 18 May 2011, Regional Consultant Stephen Ball wrote to pastors and churches: ‘Today was the final meeting of the Flood Appeal Committee and we set in place all the requirements for winding up the appeal and ensuring that all funds are distributed to those directly affected by the flood and cyclone… The final receipt of donations was just in excess of $1,034,000 and over 350 families and individuals were recipients of grants from the fund.’ As reported in the last issue, around 65% of the recipients of these much needed funds were not part of a Baptist congregation at the time of making their applications. The natural disasters in the early part of this year have provided outstanding opportunities for Queensland Baptists to show the love of Jesus to people in need, without discrimination and with ‘no strings attached’.
www.qb.com.au August 2011
13
100
Milestones
years young
Warwick Baptist Church ‘Honouring the past - Empowered for the future’ Colin Buchanan, winner of the Golden Guitar Award nine times, APRA and ARIA award winner with career album and big DVD sales and a regular on national TV and radio for over 15 years, will head the line-up of performers during the Warwick Baptist Church (WBC) Centenary Celebrations in November this year.
Steve Grace
The church will take over the Warwick Cowboys’ Rugby League Club and oval for Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday, November 18-20 to conduct a reunion dinner and hymn singing, concerts and displays of historic memorabilia. Also appearing during Saturday’s afternoon and evening of fun, frivolity, reunions and memorabilia is Steve Grace along with JC Epidemic, the BMX and skateboarding superstars and other performers. Friends will meet in The Reunion Café to talk and coffee-up in relative serenity and a retreat lounge for those needing a rest or somewhere else to meet and pray will also be available. Easy listening music is planned for those who just want to browse through memorabilia and photos or catch up with old friends. The football oval will provide a safe and pleasant playground for the kids with organised activities while food stalls will cater all through the day for those experiencing pangs of hunger. Sunday morning will feature a combined church service at the Cowboys’ ground followed by a Fellowship Lunch and more time to re-visit the various displays. A centenary book, still in the process of being written by experienced historian Bill Hughes, should also be available for purchase during the celebrations. The 75th anniversary book on church history, By Thy Sovereign Grace, by Pastor John Churchward, related church history through the work of the pastors. However, the 100th anniversary book will have more details on other aspects of the church’s life.
Colin Buchanan
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August 2011 www.qb.com.au
Mr Hughes will include sections on the church’s many outstations, the Men’s Society, the Women’s Ministry, Sunday School, Christian Endeavour, Youth groups down through the years, the first and second Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades and even the more recent Aboriginal and Rodeo ministries.
Milestones
Above: The original Warwick Baptist Church building, known as Emmanuel Hall, was purchased almost 100 years ago. Some time later, alterations were made to the front steps, partly because pall bearers had great difficulty traversing the bend. Rooms were added underneath for the Sunday School. This building, now lowered to the ground and moved closer to the footpath, is still in use today although no longer for church services.
He will also update Pastor Churchward’s work by detailing the last 25 years of church life including internal reconstruction to accommodate more people in the sanctuary, the new office space, the Easter Pageant, street ministry and other events which have helped WBC become noted in the local community as a caring and sharing church. The historic displays will include digital photo screens with more than 500 photos collected throughout the years and overhead projected displays. With memorabilia in mind, the centenary organisers are seeking photos and memorabilia which may be ‘lurking’ out there in ‘Baptist land’ and which people may be able to bring along with them for display purposes. Centenary promotions team coordinator, Bette Bonney, said photos could either be scanned and emailed to the church or posted if people are unable to attend for the weekend. ‘We are also asking people to write to us with their experiences at WBC during their time with us, their ministries, how the church impacted on their lives and how it changed, both physically and spiritually during their years with us,” she said. Program details, information on accommodation and other help can be obtained at www.centenary.warwickbaptist.net, email centenary@warwickbaptist.net or phone the church office, 07 46617655.
Left: Australian Champion BMX rider Shannon Birch and Chris Edgar, JC Epidemic team member in action at the Warwick Skatebowl on July 7. They will be back to perform at the WBC Centenary Celebrations.
Honouring the past Empowered for the future
1
YEARS
Warwick Baptist
www.qb.com.au August 2011
15
QB/SSEC Partnership
Par tne rsh ip sig nin g
– nds Isla on lom So ay 26 M
A landmark occasion It was a landmark occasion when General Superintendent, the Rev Dr David Loder, and the Rev Bishop Matthias Lima of the South Seas Evangelical Church (SSEC) sat down together to sign a Partnership Agreement on behalf of their organisations. The document was signed in Australia at the QB Convention Recognition Service on 13 May and in the Solomon Islands on 26 May 2011.
with these men and women, and commenced a very small Bible study, where she taught the story of salvation in Christ. She prayed and dreamed of the day when a mission movement would impact all the unreached peoples of the South Pacific Islands. For years, she laboured on. It was difficult, thankless and certainly culturally inappropriate work for a woman. But her vision remained clear and her passion, vibrant.
At the heart of the Partnership Agreement are the following objectives: hip
In 1886, a letter she had written found its way into the hands of an Englishman visiting Sydney at the time to preach. He heard of Florence’s pioneering work and her vision for the South Seas from her sister. A man of great faith and courage, he responded:
Partne rsh ip s ign
Pa rtn er s
1. Mutual prayer: that the two movements will commit to praying regularly and specifically for each other. 2. Mutual learning: through the sharing of ministry resources, insights, experiences and cultural exposure. 3. Ministry partnership: sharing the God-given responsibility for the Great Commission in our countries, region and the world.
ane – 13 May Brisb ng i n sig
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August 2011 www.qb.com.au
‘I think the Lord wants me to help this work. Tell your sister to expect great things from God, and she will get them!’ With this note, he enclosed two guineas.
This small gift was the first financial contribution to the work of the South Seas Evangelical Mission and the donor was none other than George Muller. In the years that followed, vast numbers of indigenous men and women came to know Christ, and eventually, the South Seas Evangelical Church was born. More churches were planted, new workers mobilised, and waves of revival swept the Islands. Hundreds of thousands of people came to Christ. More about this amazing story can be found at www.pioneers.org.au
e. an sb
Late in the 1800s, thousands of indentured labourers from the Pacific Islands were brought to Australia to work in virtual slavery on the Queensland sugar cane plantations. This recruitment of men became known as ‘black birding’. Islanders were brought through trickery or by force and it remains a very dark part of Queensland’s past. Most Australians regarded these ‘Kanakas’ as little more than Partnership signi ng Br savages. Fewer still knew anything at all of i the beautiful islands of the South Pacific, from where they had come. God, however, raised up a courageous and determined young woman named Florence Young, and inspired her with a passion to reach these people, and their homelands, with the gospel. She began sharing her own faith
ne. sba Bri g in
QB/SSEC Partnership
Solomo n Is lan ds .
On the occasion of the signings, Matthias Lima said: ‘The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is an historic and important one for SSEC. Historic in that this is the first of its kind to be signed with any churches or church organisation in Australia and important because it not only paves the way for building stronger relationships in the body of Christ present in both churches but also the task of extending the reach of the Kingdom of God in both countries is enhanced.’ Referring to SSEC’s painful past during the days of ‘black birding’, he continued: ‘The wonder in that situation was God in His foreknowledge and sovereignty used that otherwise darkened part of our shared history to weave a strong relationship of brotherhood amongst the people of our nations separated only by artificial political boundaries. This speaks boldly of the unity of the body of Christ that knows no man-made boundaries, but is held together by the grace of God through the finished work of Christ. The signing of this MOU today is a new chapter in that relationship between our churches.’
‘I am so glad that Queensland Baptists has been linked throughout all the years with the Church in the Solomon Islands. Today we honour the missionaries who, under the call of God, worked amongst you. Today we honour the leaders - past and present - of the South Seas Evangelical Church who have grown this Church to maturity in Christ. Today we recognise the partnership between our two movements - under God - of pastors, churches and denominational leaders. ‘Paul, writing in 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 reminds the church about how they imitated Jesus in spite of severe suffering and how they became a model to believers in Macedonia, Achaia and everywhere. It reads, “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and
Partnership signing
Sol om on Isl
. ds an
Also referring to SSEC’s long history, David Loder said: ‘Florence Young stands out as a saint and a hero in our history! The Queensland Kanaka Mission, at its height in 1904-05 employed 19 missionaries, 118 unpaid “native teachers” and celebrated 2,150 conversions. The South Seas Evangelical Mission was formed in 1904, the South Seas Evangelical Church in 1964, becoming independent of the mission in 1975.
In spite of the severe suffering of forced labour in the sugarcane fields of Queensland, your faith has become a model for other believers beyond the Solomon Islands! Your walk with Jesus impresses and inspires us.
in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come”. ‘This sounds like the testimony of your history! In spite of the severe suffering of forced labour in the sugarcane fields of Queensland, your faith has become a model for other believers beyond the Solomon Islands! Your walk with Jesus impresses and inspires us. So today, it is an honour to sign this partnership agreement on behalf of Queensland Baptists, formalising our togetherness in the fellowship and furtherance of the Gospel of The Lord Jesus. We look forward - together - with anticipation to see what the Lord might do to us, in us and through us as we partner together.’
Partnership signing Solomon Islands – 26 May
www.qb.com.au August 2011
17
Profile
God brings mission to our doorstep Queensland Baptists’ newly appointed Regional Consultant, Emil Rahimov, was born in Azerbaijan, a small country located where Western Asia and Eastern Europe meet. It is bounded by the Caspian Sea, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran. Emil was born into a Muslim family in a Muslim country. But God had his hand on Emil. As he searched for truth, people with a sound understanding of the Gospel of Christ were brought alongside him to explain, reason and to teach. But God did more. Emil’s testimony is that through divine intervention, Jesus appeared to him in a dream. Emil became a Christian pastor in Azerbaijan and he saw persecution there before coming to live in Australia ten years ago. He and his family (wife Matana and children Sophia and David) are unable to return to Azerbaijan. Emil’s new role as Regional Consultant encompasses responsibilities for Ethnic churches (where English is their second language) around the State and all churches in Gold Coast and Brisbane East areas. He is keen to ensure that we don’t miss the momentum of so many new people coming to Australia, whether Christians or non-Christians. He wants to work with all the churches in his new patch because he sees this as an outstanding time of opportunity for Queensland Baptists; a time he says, when ‘God brings mission to our doorstep’. Emil has a great passion for Jesus. Because of his Muslim roots, he wants to encourage Australian churches to reach out to migrants, especially those from Muslim background.
Lord, teach us to pray After seven challenging and fruitful years, Peter Francis concluded his ministry as Senior Pastor of the City Tabernacle Baptist Church on 7 August to take up a role at Malyon College. With around 22 years experience in pastoral ministry and a background in teaching and education, Peter has long had an interest in the college and the training and equipping of others for ministry. Malyon College, established by Queensland Baptists, is a tertiary theological training college. It offers degree and masters qualifications in theology, ministry, divinity and Christian studies for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of God and his Word. The College trains pastors for Baptist churches, but students come from a wide range of denominations. Peter is currently working towards the completion of his DMin with his major dissertation examining the ways in which evangelical inner city churches are seeking to meaningfully engage their inner residential city communities for the sake of the Gospel. In his new role at Malyon, Peter hopes to be able to impart something of his passionate commitment to Christ, the work of the Kingdom and the effective function and outreach of the church into the local community. When asked about some of the most important things he has learned during pastoral ministry, Peter said: ‘Over the years I have often been asked about my basic philosophy in pastoral ministry. I have usually replied that my fundamental approach to ministry, as an under-shepherd of the Lord Jesus Christ is to “love the people and preach the Word”. I have sought to faithfully do that and have been astounded again and again by the depth of love that God has placed in our hearts for the people we have been privileged to pastor. But having said this, two other convictions have also developed strongly in my ministry over the years. These are the need to pray earnestly and to diligently give ourselves to doing the work of the evangelist. In Matthew 28 we hear something of Jesus’ parting words to his disciples in what we often call “the great commission”, as he instructs his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations. However, of late I have also been impressed by the fact that long before Jesus gave his “great commission” he also taught his disciples to pray “the great petition”, when in the Lord’s prayer, he taught them to pray, “your kingdom come”. Evangelism without prayer is powerless, preaching without prayer is pointless, love without prayer is passionless. I find my heart frequently joining in the request of the Jesus’ disciples when they came to him and asked, “Lord teach us to pray”.’ Peter and his wife, Wendy, have three children and ten grandchildren.
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August 2011 www.qb.com.au
QB archives
ARCHIVES Gone… but not forgotten When a relative or friend dies we often put together a few mementos of them and store them as keepsakes in a safe place. In time these items might be passed on to the next generation and perhaps further generations, but quite often they are lost or thrown out. One way to ensure that the memory of our loved ones is not lost to future generations is to pass memorabilia (or copies) to the Baptist Archives where they will be catalogued, stored and preserved. The Archives has a Biographical Database of Queensland Baptists which currently stores information on over 500 Queensland Baptists dating back to the 1800s, and we are keen to build up our collection. Can data on any Queensland Baptist be included in the collection? The short answer is ‘yes’. Biographical ‘Dictionaries’ usually contain the names of prominent people. The Macquarie Dictionary defines ‘prominent’ as meaning ‘important, leading, well-known’. There are certainly those who would be regarded as leaders, well-known or important people among Baptists in Queensland. However, the Biographical Database of Queensland Baptists avoids such judgments and is open to all Queensland Baptists. The only criterion for entry is that the person is deceased. This overcomes the problem of deciding at what point a person is entered into the database. Some of the most interesting entries in the database are of people who were not necessarily ‘important, leading or well-known’, except perhaps to those near and dear to them. Quite a number of the entries are of women who were little known outside their own families and local churches. Their lives as loving mothers and grandmothers who nurtured their
families and loyally supported their churches over the years is the central theme of their biographies. There are, of course, a number of prominent Baptists in the database, such as the men and women whose biographies have been the subject of books published by the historical society (e.g. A True Pastor: The life and ministry of William Higlett) or who were included in publications such as Women Who Made a Difference or Cameos of Baptist Men in 19th Century Queensland. We also have considerable biographical material on people such as Queensland’s first missionary to India, Martha Plested and other missionaries as well, of course, as Baptist Pastors who have ministered in Queensland Churches. To date, the biographical information we have collected comes from a variety of sources, such as: Obituaries or articles in The Queensland Freeman, The Queensland Baptist, or The Australian Baptist, newspaper articles, eulogies, photographs, information provided by the family in Thanksgiving Services, church histories, biographical dictionaries and several other sources. If you would like to find out more about the Biographical Database or wish to submit material for inclusion in it, you are invited to contact Bill Hughes, ph 07 3256 8897 or email roslynbill@bigpond.com The Baptist Archives archives@qb.com.au Phone 07 3878 3178, 07 3354 5642, 07 3256 8897 Mail The Baptist Archives, QB Centre, PO Box 6166, Mitchelton Q 4053
www.qb.com.au August 2011
19
QB kids & their families
It’s not all about me! We all want our children to grow up with a love for others and hearts to serve. But how do we instil hearts of compassion and unselfishness in our children when we live in such a materialistic ‘it’s all about me’ culture? How can encourage our children to put the Christian teaching they receive into action, so it will become natural for them to want to serve others and to give to those in need? Hervey Bay Baptist Church has had a strong mission focus for many years. Their motto is ‘We are not a church that supports mission we are a church IN mission’. They believe that mission starts in their own backyard and spreads right around the world. Over the past four years they have journeyed even further into
the areas of poverty and social justice and the children of the church have been an important part of that journey. Pastor Julie Terry and her Children’s Ministry Team have encouraged the children in their programs to reach out, not only to their own community, but also to children around the world. Some of the projects the children have undertaken are: • Operation Christmas Child Many of our church communities pack shoeboxes full of gifts for children who are victims of poverty, war or natural disasters. Children in the church are encouraged to bring 20
August 2011 www.qb.com.au
items for the boxes, to pack boxes as a family and to pray for the children who will receive the boxes. • Christmas cards for school supplies For the past few years, children in the Kids’ Club and Sunday School programs have been encouraged to design Christmas cards. These are formatted, copied and bagged by the children for sale at ten cards for $5. The cards are sold by the children after church in the weeks prior to Christmas. Funds raised go towards buying school supplies for children living in poverty in Fiji. Over $400 has been raised from the sales of these cards each year. The children have also received responses from some of the families that were helped, and this helps them to see that
their efforts have made a difference in the lives of children living in Fiji. • Special projects Each year the Sunday School children select a fundraising project. To date they have funded the purchase of three goats through the Tear Catalogue, two bio-sand water filters for clean water supply, and this year, the children decided to raise funds for a Queensland community affected by the cyclones last summer. • Playground equipment for Oumpa Primary School, Ukarumpa PNG Last year, Max and Helen Sahl (missionaries from Hervey
QB kids & their families
Bay Baptist serving at Ukarumpa in PNG) shared that the local national primary school badly needed playground equipment – swings and sports equipment. The need was discussed with the Sunday School children and they decided to make it their special project for the year. Many children brought donations towards the playground equipment each week. They were excited as they saw their savings mounting on the graph in their Sunday School room and finally totalling $800. The school Principal sent photos and thanks to the children which has started a wonderful relationship between the children from Hervey Bay and the children of Oumpa Primary School. It has also provided a wonderful opportunity for our missionaries to connect with their local community. • Alternative gifts For the past three years, Hervey Bay Baptist Church has created its own version of an alternative gift catalogue called ‘Two Birds’. The needs of our own mission contacts are listed and the congregation is encouraged to ‘shop’ from this catalogue for Christmas and to give a gift that gives ‘twice’. Our children have been involved in selecting gifts such as: school supplies for children in Fiji, Vanuatu, the Ukraine and PNG; mosquito nets; formula for AIDS orphans; sports
equipment and glasses and equipment for a Deaf School in Uganda. The children regularly write letters to the church’s mission contacts in Fiji, South Africa and PNG and these are collected by those going on mission trips and distributed to children in local schools. The children have also been introduced to the issues of poverty, fair trade and child trafficking and are challenged to think about what life is like for other children around the world. Excellent resources are available from Global Interaction, Tear, Compassion, Viva, Baptist World Aid and World Vision. These mission opportunities have enabled the children to connect with children and projects all around the world. We need to provide opportunities for our children to reach out to those in need, whether it’s helping someone around the corner, or around the world. They need to see that they can make a difference and help to change the world by putting their faith into action. Julie Terry Hervey Bay Baptist Church julie@hbbc.com.au
www.qb.com.au August 2011
21
QB youth
Should we lock them in a room? Truth can be really hard to speak into the lives of teenagers, especially when we’re only the voice for two hours a week at youth group, and often competing with the opposing views of friends, family, teachers, TV/internet, culture, etc. So what hope do we have? Maybe we should lock them in a room and give them intensive Bible teaching for those two hours? But they might not come back… Or we could run an endless string of camps to get more of their attention? I don’t know if parents would go for that one… Or we could try adoption?? Ok, that’s going way too far! We have a massive responsibility to speak truth into the lives of teenagers so that it will not only stick, but so that it starts informing (permeating into) other parts of their lives becoming foundational and transformational to how they live. And I can hear you saying, ‘Yes, that’s the role of the Holy Spirit!’ and you’re right. It is, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t work on his own; instead he uses people just like us to share the truth, discuss the Bible and most importantly, to be living examples of a growing Christian.
Truth is our message; but the way we deliver this message to the young people with whom we work must come out of a relationship that we’ve built with them and not from our belief that just preaching the truth alone will bring about change. The book unChristian1 states that in their surveys, 87% of people outside the church believe the church is judgemental and 85% believe the church is hypocritical! They’re worrying statistics as we come to share truth with young people, especially in a culture that is so subjective to the point that if it feels right and there’s no immediate harm, then they’ll do it, even if it goes against what they say they believe! In over 260 scientific studies looking at how young people learn and develop, researchers found that it’s not just significant or a really high percentage, but ALL areas ‘showed that from the moment a baby is born, a child’s brain is physically, biologically and chemically hardwired to connect with others in relationships2’. So, as we go about sharing the truth with young people, there are two things that must be our biggest priority. Firstly, we need to build positive loving relationships with young people that earn us the right to share our faith and secondly, we need to live lives that model the truth that we want to share. In a world where our young people are increasingly exposed to broken relationships, especially at home, coupled with pressures on teachers in the class room that reduce their time to build relationships with students, we may be the only significant adult voices in their lives. This is a massive responsibility for us that will only bear fruit as we build relationships with young people that show our faith lived and the love of Jesus without strings attached. The early church seemed to encapsulate this as they were known first for their love and care for the marginalised. May we follow in their footsteps as we seek to be Jesus to the marginalised and hurting of our generation. Matt Anstey Pastor, Gold Coast Christian Family QB Youth Vision Team Resource Person matt@gccf.com.au David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007, p28) 2 Sean McDowell, Apologetics for a new Generation (Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2009, p60) 1
CALAM Training
A new concept in leadership training Imagine that you have just arrived to live in a country where English is not the spoken language. Imagine, too, that the country you left was probably not your country of birth and you were living in a refugee camp in less than ideal conditions. A United Nations official arrived in the camp to advise that you and your family had been chosen to be relocated in another country. Within days you found yourselves in the new country where everything is different. Where would you turn? As a Christian, you might seek assistance at a local church. But they do not speak your language… Because English is not the principle language of our newly arrived refugees, it’s understandable that church fellowships have formed around cultural groups. Each group requires leadership, but often fellowships have struggled because leaders are not available or are inadequately trained and equipped. Queensland Baptists have recognised the need for our rising number of New Australian communities to be provided with the mature Biblical leadership required to settle families into their new country and to bring spiritual growth in their Christian faith; all within their new contexts. Recently an information evening was held at Stafford Heights with almost 40 folk attending including those who have come from the Congo, Karen State (Burma), Chin State (Burma) and Kareni State (Burma). Most are leaders within their own fellowships. QB’s newly appointed Regional Consultant for Ethnic Ministries, Emil Rahimov, and the Principal of CALAM Training, Rod Bullpitt, introduced a new concept in leadership training – The Certificate IV and Diploma in Christian Ministry and Theology for those for whom English is not their first language. Emil introduced the purpose of the evening and explained the perceived need for the course. For some time, QB leadership has felt the need to encourage the various New Australian fellowships by providing better support and training to their leaders. The challenge has often been the necessarily high
standard of English required of students at tertiary level which has precluded recognised pastors and lay workers from gaining recognised Australian qualifications and ministerial registration. In presenting these courses, CALAM Training now offers good Biblical training for New Australian church leaders, Sunday School teachers, youth workers and others, taking into account the need for the English used in this teaching to be at a level that is clearly understood by people who do not speak English as their first language. Rod explained how CALAM Training provides training and qualifications at Certificate IV, Diploma and Graduate Diploma levels. He emphasised that this new course does not diminish the importance of Malyon College’s high academic standards and is only available for those for whom English is not their first language. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) may be available for recognised church leaders who have arrived in Australia with no record of their earlier qualifications. Each person’s situation will be considered individually by both CALAM Training and the QB Ministerial Committee. Recent granting if VET FEE-help for Diploma and above by the Australian government has opened the door for more students to enrol in CALAM courses. The first session of a new Training Course, “Baptist History and Principles’, was held at Logan Baptist Church in July. At the moment these full day courses will be held on the first Saturday of each month except December and January. Content to be covered this year includes ‘Baptist History and Principles’ lead by Emil Rahimov and ‘New testament Survey’ lead by Luther Ramsay. The first session was a good time of getting to know each other, praying and learning, and sharing lunch together. The students are very eager to learn and were active during the whole day. Your prayers for this course will be appreciated. For more information please contact Emil Rahimov rahimov.emil@ gmail.com or Rod Bullpitt rod.bullpitt@calam.edu.au. Bob Rogers and Emil Rahimov www.qb.com.au August 2011
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Imitating Jesus series
6. We desire:
To talk as Jesus talked The King’s Speech According to ‘Swordsearcher’, there are 2026 words spoken by Jesus that are recorded in the New Testament. Obviously, not every word spoken by our Lord is written in the Bible (John 21:25). We can be confident that Jesus had many unrecorded conversations about all sorts of things. I can imagine Jesus saying, ‘Please, pass the salt’ and ordinary things like that. John’s Gospel gets to the purpose of the words that were recorded for us when he wrote, ‘But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God’ (John 20:31). So, when it comes to talking as Jesus talked, we accept that we are not limited to the 2026 Bible words. There’s more to it than that. What concerns us more is the origin of the words that were spoken. Jesus said, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from him [God, the Father] who sent me’ (John 7:16). Jesus’ words, then, originated from God. What does this mean for us as we aspire to talk as Jesus talked? Well, for one thing, Jesus’ teaching had a unique authority which means our talk should be completely consistent with his teaching. We won’t, therefore, be talking any brand new theology. It does, nevertheless, suggest to me that God might sometimes give us inspired things to say. Isaiah, the prophet, experienced this in a special way. His words are recorded in Isaiah 50 and I quote (from the NIV): The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know that word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. This passage gives us insight into Isaiah’s own ministry and prophetically points to Jesus and the source of his speech. But,
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on another level, it also speaks to me about my own speech. Perhaps, if I’m teachable, God can instruct me in the King’s speech and give me the right words to say at the right time; words to help ‘sustain the weary’. Jesus got his words from God and, I believe, we can too when we are open to God to instruct our speech. That was the origin of Jesus’ speech. Our King’s speech also had a destination in mind – eternity. The words of Jesus pointed ahead to eternal life. John’s Gospel states that, ‘These things [concerning Jesus] are written that...you may have life in his name’ (John 20:31). Elsewhere, Simon Peter confesses, ‘You [Jesus] have the words of eternal life’ (John 6:68). This was one of the main things that Jesus talked about. If I want to talk as Jesus talked, then I should say things that point people toward eternal life. Talking about salvation should be, for me, as natural as asking for the salt. Speaking of salt, the Bible says, ‘Let your conversation be seasoned with salt’ (Colossians 4:6). The focus there is on clearly articulating the message of Christ! To talk as Christ talked, therefore, requires us to consider the origin of our words. Is our talking consistent with the truth? Are we open to being taught to say the things that God wants us to say? To talk as Christ talked also challenges us about the destination of our conversations. Are our words pointing people towards eternal life? Do they help or hinder that? These are things that I have learned from studying the 2026 words of the King’s Speech. Warren Crank Senior Pastor, Northreach Baptist Church warrencrank@northreach.org.au
Imitating Jesus series
7. We desire:
To go as Jesus went I hate the way Jesus is betrayed in most movies about his life. He is always ‘different’ from those around him; often tall, blond and Caucasian. He generally goes about looking aloof, detached, and unemotional, with robotic-like movements, and a penetrating or distant look in his eyes as if his head is in heaven and only his body is in this world.
not when we had given it up and were good enough - we were bad enough for God to need to send Jesus. Who is bad enough for God to need to send you into their world with a message of hope?
This rather sterile image doesn’t captivate me or make me want to imitate him. The image of Jesus that does is a much more natural one: a wiry, rugged, Arabic looking ‘tradie’, just like the people to whom he went. He was fully human, good humoured and compassionate with a bit of a larrikin streak; never afraid to offend the sensibilities of the religious, and always engaged with life and those around him. Here was a man who ran, laughed, cried, relaxed, loved, got angry and was always there for his mates. He was a true champion of the underdog and he did all this in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, with the utmost integrity and an unwavering commitment to his Father’s mission. This is an image that inspires me to want to go and be like him in my context. Most of Jesus’ teaching and ministry happened in the middle of everyday life. Yes, he went to the synagogues and ministered there, but by far the majority of the gospel record describes how he moved in and through communities, touching people’s lives right where they were living. He went to them! He did not primarily go to the ‘church’ meetings of the day and expect them to come to him.
• Jesus left the perfect community relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit to enter our world, laying aside his glory, becoming fully human and starting this life as a vulnerable baby. • Jesus lived and worked in a family and community for thirty years before he began his public ministry. • Jesus went out as a servant not a ruler. • Jesus went in the power God’s Spirit and expected God to change the lives and circumstances of those he ministered to. • Jesus called others to go on the journey with him and discipled them to continue the ministry when he was gone. • Jesus went primarily to those who were ‘lost’. • Jesus went to the cross for the purposes of the Father.
Many of the people he went to were social and religious outcasts: sinners, lepers, foreigners, women, children; those who were oppressed and discriminated against by the religious traditions of the day, and who did not feel welcomed at religious gatherings. It can sometimes be easier to imitate the morals and ethics of Jesus (refraining from all the things we should not do) rather than imitating the going and doing of Jesus. True holiness is not just being set apart from sin but also being set apart for the purposes of God. Holiness is about being separated from those things that alienate us from God, but not necessarily from those around us who are still doing those things. Jesus calls us to be in the world but not of the world. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. Jesus came to us as sinners This is the final article in the ‘Seven Life Practices – Imitating Jesus’ series. All articles are available at www.qb.com.au
Some aspects of Jesus’ ‘going’:
If Queensland Baptists are to imitate Jesus in his ‘going’, we must actually GO! • • • •
How should we go? Where should we go? To whom should we go? And perhaps the ‘why’ question we should ask is not ‘Why should we go?’, but, ‘Why don’t we go?’!
Jesus said, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow (imitate) me’. Imitating Jesus by going as he went will not to be comfortable and safe, but it is not optional. Jesus commands us to go and in his power continue God’s mission to everyone in this world. James Baker Leader of MTQ (Mission to Queensland) mtq@qb.com.au x
www.qb.com.au August 2011
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QB women
Do you want to be free?
Mother Theresa. Saris. Naan Bread. That was about the extent of my knowledge of Kolkata, India when my husband, Darryl, and I landed there this year. We knew it would be hot. We knew it would probably be smelly. We knew we’d eat a lot of curries. What we didn’t know was how much India can get under your skin…literally - in your pores, in your hair, under your nails. India is overwhelming. It was my first visit to a developing nation and, at times, the pollution, poverty and immense population are simply too much. But in spite of all the difficulties, my experience was great. Each day we would ride tuk tuks and the metro, admire gorgeous saris worn by the elegant Indian women, indulge in beautiful curries and occasionally have a piece of home with a Chicken Maharajah Mac at MacDonald’s. Each night I was able to retreat to my air conditioned room, get clean in my hot shower (with my mouth firmly closed, of course), use my western toilet and sleep in a bed with clean sheets and fluffy pillows. The hardships of the day were forgotten as I got a full night’s sleep ready for the next day.
Ameena’s* experience of Kolkata is very different. Ameena is originally from Bangladesh. She didn’t come to Kolkata on holiday; instead she was stolen from a refugee camp as an 11 year old and shipped to Kolkata to feed the raging sex industry. Ameena was sold for a pathetically small amount. She was used, and considered the lowest of the low. Her value was not in her ideas, thoughts or gifts. Ameena’s experience and mine are worlds apart and yet our paths crossed on a hot, sweaty day in Kolkata. She told me that within a few square miles of where we sat, more than 10, 000 women stand in line selling themselves every day and that her story is not unique; many women, like herself, are trafficked from Bangaladesh, Nepal and rural India to ‘work the line’. For many, poverty had left them with no other options for making enough money to feed their hungry children. Trapped by their circumstances, there seems no escape from their terrible existence. Ameena’s story changed the day she met Kerry Hilton, a New Zealand business owner in Kolkata. Kerry and his wife, Annie, run Freeset, located in Sonagacchi, the largest, most infamous sex district in Kolkata. They make quality jute bags and organic cotton t-shirts for export, but the heart of their business is freedom. Freeset offers women choice. A choice to leave the line and work in an environment that offers freedom. They provide training, health care, child care and reliable full-time employment. Because of this, women have choices about how they spend their money, where they send their children to school, how they provide food and health care. By employing Ameena and 200 women like her, Freeset is providing options and choices where none existed before.
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r
hea o t u es yo
it
Inv Many nights, Ameena still walks the line in Sonagacchi. But now, instead of offering herself she is asking women, ‘Do you want to be free?’. She offers them the ultimate gift of freedom. We can play a part in Ameena’s freedom. Queensland Baptist Women will be supporting the amazing work of Freeset at the She is... camps and conferences in 2011. You can also contribute to each woman’s freedom by purchasing their jute bags or cotton tees. Visit www.freesetglobal.com to view their current catalogue and see customising options. Donations can also be made through Baptist World Aid Australia at http://www.baptistworldaid.org. au/modules/bwaa/default.aspx. Sue Peters, State Director for Queensland Baptist Women sue@sheis.net.au www.sheis.net.au
Sunday 18 September
163 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane
Peter Pollock Peter is a man of many parts—famous for his International Cricketing achievements as South Africa's Premier Fast Bowler from 1961-1972. He is the father of the former South African Cricket Captain, Shaun Pollock. He is an established author, journalist, columnist, poet, business executive, sports administrator, family man and not least of all loves the Lord and telling others about Him.
6.30 pm
*Name has been changed.
For more information contact the church office on 3831 1613
It is for freedom that you have been set free She is... camps and conferences are a ministry of Qld Baptist Women created to tell women just who they are in Christ That She is... worthy and valuable before Christ. That She is... a significant person in God’s plans. That She has... unlimited capacity in Christ and that She is... so deeply loved by him, he gave his life for her. In 2011 our focus is FREEDOM. Every day, all of us have a choice set before us: we can choose a life of freedom and light or choose a life of slavery and darkness. God desires for us as his women to understand and walk in the true freedom Christ has planned for each of us. At She is... camps and conferences we will journey together to unravel and unwrap his words and discover the freedom we can all choose, found only in him. For more information or to register go to the website www.sheis.net.au or email registrations@sheis.net.au www.qb.com.au August 2011
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QCCC
In Jesus’ footsteps in Ontario
Mainland Canada has 600,000 lakes and one third of the world’s fresh water supply. It’s little wonder that their summer camping programs revolve around water! I’ve just come back from a whistle-stop tour of 25 Canadian camping ministries, a tour organized by the Christian Venues Association. Our group of 26 camp directors from Australia and New Zealand whizzed through three Provinces and saw a huge variety of Christian sites, ranging from the giant Muskoka Woods Sports Camp to small Menonite Bible camps with 10 year-olds blazing away on .308s and shotguns! We were blessed to be immersed in some amazing ministry venues and programs and it has given us a lot to think about for our own context. Not everything the Canadians do would translate of course (e.g. Maple syrup camps and ice skating rinks) but the main takeaway for me was their emphasis on space, intentionality, incarnational ministry styles and the preparation of their staff. I was particularly impressed with the heart and passion of the Canadian youth for the Kingdom of God and for camping. It was invigorating to be around them. It is possible that by age 22 Canadians growing up around camping will have spent nearly two years (1/10th) of their lives directly in camping ministry, and the benefits of this for their people and nation are obvious.
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Canoe trip.
QCCC
It’s a shame our summer breaks don’t allow for it, but the opportunity to have up to ten weeks of each year in camping ministry means Canadian camps are fostering a generation with broad experience in proactive mission and discipleship as ‘lay people’ who are then equipped and empowered to take the same approach back into their everyday lives. In this respect, camp shows its power as a builder of ‘communitas’. Communitas takes community to the next level and allows the whole of the community to share a common experience. It’s an intense community spirit, the feeling of great social equality, solidarity, and togetherness. In communitas people experience liminality together. (Liminality is a state of being on the ‘threshold’ of, or between, two different existential planes.) But we also know it doesn’t take ten weeks for effective communitas to develop. Early in our trip, I was one of seven tour participants to be taken on an overnight canoe expedition to Red Cedar Lake in central Ontario with the Director from Camp Norland. Most of our tour group had not met prior to arrival in Canada so when we left for our canoe trip we were still very much in the formative group stages, even down to remembering each others’ names. We were only away for less than forty-eight hours but by the time we returned our group had experienced a powerful transformation, driven by communitas and liminality, so much so that it was obvious to the remainder of the tour group. Eventually this side-trip became a driving force behind our entire group breaking down the social barriers and getting to know each other on much deeper levels than might have been thought possible in a two week period. We paddled our canoes for 10 kilometers on the first day on a gorgeous and secluded lake, breaking for lunch and then soon after arriving at our camp site for the night. We arrived at 2.30pm and with Canadian summer sunsets taking place at 10.30pm or later I admit I thought it was a lot of time to be spending on an isolated spit of land in the middle of a lake, complete with bear whistles to combat the dangers of the local wild life. In the end it was this very lack of busyness and schedule that ‘made’ the trip. We set-up, we explored, we swam and then we sat and talked. Around a smoky fire we joked about the day and then shared about our lives. This developed into a time of spontaneous group reflection on the Psalms and further deep sharing. We ate royally and the hours flicked by. Sometime deep in the evening it occurred to all of us that we’d experienced something resembling a significant portion of Jesus’ ministry years, and the type of relationship and discipleship that must have been the mark of his time with his disciples. We’d shorthopped across a body of water similar to Galilee to get away from the crowds, and then enjoyed unhurried time for sharing, reflection and teaching. And it contained power, as though the
divine nestled heavily around us amidst a very humble camp site in the deep wilds of a Canadian summer. This extraordinary, yet very ordinary experience reminded me yet again about what it is we seek to achieve in our camping and expeditions programs here at QCCC. As another Canadian camp Director puts it, our role is ‘to create the space that allows God to do his work’. One of our most powerful tools is the creation of time away from the everyday where reflection is encouraged, perspective is sharpened, relationships are actively encouraged, time is available over meals and the divine gets to work without the clutter of the everyday. If it’s been a while since you participated in a camp program, or went on a frontier expedition, you’re missing out on a lot. Andrew Grant Andrew.grant@qccc.com.au Director of Camping Queensland Conference and Camping Centres
Upcoming QCCC events 7-9 October Fathering Adventures Father & Daughter camp at Tamborine A weekend of adventure and coaching in intentional fatherhood for fathers and daughters. The weekend includes extreme high ropes adventure and lots of one-on-one time with your daughter. Go to www. fatheringadventures.com for further details. 4-6 October Fathering Adventures Father & Son camp at Mapleton A great opportunity for one-on-one time with your son with lots to do at Mapleton. The weekend will include coaching in intentional fatherhood and lots of fun using the Mapleton facilities. Go to www.fatheringadventures. com for further details. Summer holidays Mapleton Summer Holiday Family Program For three weeks of the summer holidays Mapleton offers a fun-filled family holiday. Fully catered, the holiday program includes worship and devotions for all the family and a full program of activities, day and night, for everyone. Or just relax around the pool and catch up with old and new friends. Contact QCCC Mapleton for more details. Gap year options: On tour in Canada it became clear that having the opportunity to be immersed in the Canadian summer camp scene would be an excellent gap year option. It’s a great way to combine excellent training, lots of fun and an experience of frontline mission in a Western context. I came home to tell my three boys that when they’re old enough I’d be prepared to pay their flights to enable them to have that kind of experience at the end of their school years. If you are interested in a gap year of fun and training please get in touch with me about some of the options and sites that are available in Canada. There are options ranging from the simple ten week summer window to others running for up to 9 months with great longterm training potential. (Andrew Grant)
www.qb.com.au August 2011
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QBC
Lost
childhood
Youth homelessness is a devastating epidemic in Australia. Thousands of young people are not only deprived of food, security and adequate shelter, they’re deprived of a childhood. It is having massive ramifications in our communities and can set young people on a cycle of homelessness into adulthood. Queensland Baptist Care has a long history of helping homeless young people. During 60 years of ministry, youth shelters have provided short to medium term accommodation in a nurturing and supportive environment. The Orana Youth Shelter, at Bald Hills in Brisbane, offers emergency accommodation for up to three months to young people aged 14 – 18 years. It is more than a place to stay for people with nowhere else to go; it is giving young people an opportunity to process their hurts and start to realise their potential so they can choose what they want to do with their lives. National Homeless Persons’ Week held in the first week of August aims to increase awareness about the effects of homelessness on our communities. Currently, two in three young people who seek homeless services in Australia are turned away. National Homeless Persons’ Week is hoping to shed light on the lack of services, and encourage people to get involved.
August 2011 www.qb.com.au
Even under normal circumstances, school can be difficult for young people. When you factor in the multitude of issues associated with being homeless, it is little wonder that the dropout rate is so high. How can a child be expected to focus on school work when his or her whole world is being turned upside down? Unfortunately, without tertiary or even high school graduate qualifications, young people will struggle to find work and break the cycle of homelessness. The Program Manager at Orana Youth Shelter, Dave McNair, strongly believes that these kids should be encouraged to remain at school and alternatives should be found for those who don’t.
These kids may be crying on the inside but they have developed hard exteriors, and have been forced to grow up very quickly.
It can be very difficult to help these young people when homelessness is a relatively hidden problem. Sure we may see people sleeping rough on our streets, but they account for less than one fifth of the homeless population. Homeless people stay in hostels, motels, boarding houses or ‘couch surf’ at the homes of family and friends. To help grasp the impact of homelessness in Australia, and the effect it is having on our youth, here are a few statistics from recent research. Over 105,000 people will experience homelessness each year, a quarter of whom are under the age of 18 years. These young people face a high likelihood of homelessness in 30
adulthood, with 40% of people who are homeless as adults first homeless as children. Why isn’t the cycle being broken? It may have something to do with the fact that two thirds of homeless youth are not in the education system. Those who fall behind at a young age have a lot of trouble catching up.
Youth homelessness can occur for a number of reasons. Children may be kicked out of home due to drug or alcohol abuse or they may run away to escape an abusive family member. Mental health is another factor, and unfortunately, most homeless services aren’t equipped to deal with these cases. There is also a growing number of cases involving selfharm which is often due to issues surrounding peer culture and body image. However, the biggest factor attributed to youth homelessness is family breakdown. Single parent families are particularly vulnerable and so, too, are blended families
QBC
where a parent may choose their partner over the child. It is the emotional impact of homelessness that can often cause young people to shut themselves off from the world. Dave describes the residents of Orana Youth Shelter as survivors; young people who have learnt to fend for themselves: ‘These kids may be crying on the inside but they have developed hard exteriors, and have been forced to grow up very quickly.’ Orana Youth Shelter helps young people get to a place where they have opportunities for their future, breaking the cycle of homelessness. The youth shelter offers a range of short courses; ensuring residents are productive with their time whilst staying at the house. Grants are being sought to fund TAFE courses for residents. The aim is to empower young people to walk out the door of Orana and make something of their lives. ‘There have been numerous success stories, with residents going off to university, or completing a TAFE course to work in an industry they are passionate about. Whether or not they see it, these kids have potential; all it takes is time, and someone willing to give them a chance,’ said Dave. So what more could the public be doing? According to Dave, the biggest thing is to not pass judgement about their situation. Don’t write them off as spoilt kids who have had life too easy. This is where initiatives such as National Homeless Persons’
Week will hopefully begin to break down the misconceptions about youth homelessness. Imagine what they have to go through day after day, lacking things that we take for granted. For it is by empathising with their plight that we will be motivated to take action. You have the power to help change young people’s lives. Even a seemingly insignificant contribution can be all it takes to change a child’s path from one of hopelessness to one where they can choose for themselves. It shows them they are not alone. Queensland Baptist Care has a Sponsor-A-Bed program, to which donors contribute on a monthly basis so they can continue to provide opportunities for Orana Youth Shelter’s residents. With the help of generous supporters, Orana provides a range of recreational activities and projects such as a vegetable garden and art classes. Dave says he would like to continue to expand the educational and recreational opportunities for residents. Kids at Orana can have fun in a healthy and safe way, enjoying a range of activities and making friends. In other words, they get to experience a normal childhood. Andy Cramb Queensland Baptist Care qbc@qbc.com.au
QB Gift Foundation
excuse for this, as Jesus clearly states in Matthew 5:24, ‘You cannot serve God and money’ while Proverbs 22:7 warns, ‘The borrower is slave to the lender’ and Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 7:23, ’You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men’. Our Heavenly Father made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for us. He now wants his children free to serve him in whatever way he chooses. While the Bible discourages debt, it is silent about when we can owe money. In our present financial system it would seem permissible to owe money for a home mortgage, business or vocation but only if the following criteria are met: The above recipients of Foundation funds are from Baptist Churches and vital Ministry. Groups who could be Jesus to many more people in need as God’s people give to The Gift Foundation.
Biblical giving… the message is clear In his writings to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul covers the following two vital topics that remain relevant to God’s people today: 1. The ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5) Paul writes, ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. All this is from God who reconciled us to himself in Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors as though God was making his appeal through us’. What an awesome but marvellous privilege we have to herald the Good News about Jesus in a fallen world. 2. Generous giving praised In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul commends the Macedonian churches, which were very poor, for their sacrificial giving to help the impoverished believers in Jerusalem. He goes on to challenge the rich Corinthian church to do likewise, emphasising that generous and cheerful giving is evidence of the depth of a love of God the Father who so loved that he gave his only son. In their teachings, Jesus and Paul make it quite clear that God’s people are required to look after the poor and to fund the Great Commission. God’s work comes first! In opting out of their responsibility to fund the poor and the Great Commission, many of God’s people will say that we live in an entirely different economic world from that of biblical times. While this may be true in many parts of the globe, the same worship of the god of materialism seen in biblical times remains to this day, often under the guise of unhealthy wealth creation, excessive mortgages, greedcentred consumer debt, retail therapy…the list goes on. In this environment, Australian Christians can very easily be caught up in a deceptive approach to money and possessions and are unable or unwilling to give biblically to the Lord’s work. However, there is no
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1. The item is an asset with the potential to appreciate or to produce an income. 2. The value of the item exceeds the amount owed against it by a prudent margin. 3. The debt is not so large that repayment puts undue strain on the budget, including giving generously to God’s work. God’s grace solution As Christians, if we have not followed the above criteria and find ourselves in a ‘slave’ situation, there is a solution. We can turn to our God of amazing grace and mercy and humbly seek his help. God raised Jesus from the dead so he can certainly sort out any ‘bondage’ problems that prevent us from fully loving and serving him and giving to his work. Through earnest prayer, the Lord can lead us to people who can provide the very best counsel for our situation, so that we might regain the financial freedom that pleases him and experience the marvellous blessings he delights to shower on us as we seek to be faithful in every aspect of our lives. The challenge for Queensland Baptists a) Remember always that everything we have belongs to God and that we need to consult him on the use of our time, talents and treasure b) Ensure that we know what the Bible says about the material possessions (our treasure) that God has entrusted to each of us and our responsibility to help fund the Great Commission c) After giving our tithes and offerings to our local church, we should prayerfully consider further giving to God’s work, including the options suggested by the Queensland Baptist Gift Foundation. These options primarily relate to leaving a gift from our estate when we go to be with the Lord. In Luke 16:11 Jesus says, ‘If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of worldly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?’ The way we deal with our God-given gifts, including our possessions, can seriously affect our fellowship with Jesus and our eternal rewards. Trevor Owens Gift Foundation Co-ordinator
RESOURCE GOD’S WORK USING
THE GIFT FOUNDATION
- A gift in a will - A letter to beneficiaries - A gift from a Family Trust www.qb.com.au/giftfoundation Telephone: 0400 795 302 Hope through Christ
Baptist World Aid Australia
Board Internship Baptist World Aid Australia is an international Christian aid and development organisation, committed to empowering the world’s poor to lift themselves out of poverty. Its Board meets quarterly in Sydney to set and review the strategic direction. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our new vision and direction. Two 18 month Board internships are currently available. As a Board Intern you will have the opportunity to learn how the organisation works and the projects we support, hear about trends in international development, serve on a Board committee, and give input into organisational direction. We are looking for people with experience in HR, governance, law and/or overseas development, who are passionate about justice for those living in poverty, have a firm grasp of the relating biblical principles, and are involved in local church life. We welcome applications from all over Australia. For more information and a role description visit shareanopportunity.org/ WorkOpportunities or email Lisa.Fabian@baptistworldaid.org.au
All profits support the work of missions Providing Christ like care for grieving families Personalised care & support Prepaid Funeral Planning
24Hr 7 Day Service Servicing Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
Office
134 Hertford Street, Upper Mt Gravatt, QLD 07 3343 8444
Save money, protect your pension and ensure your funeral goes the way you want. Call us about a fi xed price funeral plan. MFU0083
1800 636 660 Proudly Australian Owned
Global Interaction
Re-enactment: Bringing the first missionary
Going forward... Looking back There he was, seated cross-legged on the hard, bare earth under the floor of his more-or-less traditional house with his adult family and a couple of grandchildren gathered around. He was leading a family devotion from Psalm 90: ‘Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ It was early; not too early on the morning of the third day of celebration at Kumbareta, Baiyer River, Papua New Guinea. Two days before, on 24 June 2011, it was an anniversary: sixty-two years since Albert Kroenert, after trekking from what is today Enga Province, had written in his diary that he was convinced that Baiyer was the place where God wanted the Australian Baptists to begin a mission presence. First baptisms took place in 1956 and today the Baptist church numbers between 60,000 – 80,000. Pastor Trae was one of those baptised in 1956. Now he is just one of three surviving pastors from that day. It was he we had sought out and found that morning as he worshipped with his family. The Tinsley Health Centre Board initiated the idea of a 60th anniversary celebration to be held in 2009 but tribal fighting delayed the event. Now it was under way. And what a program! Nearly 2000 people attended the celebrations. People told their personal stories. Dramatic presentations depicted transformations that have impacted living and brought release from fear: former witch doctor practices attempting to lay blame for a child’s illness; birthing mothers now living, together with their babies, because of the teams of women who assisted 34
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the births; improved nutrition through a balanced diet; lives transformed by Jesus as people responded to the Good News. History was re-enacted. If you’d been watching you may have noticed that the Nationals’ perspective differs significantly from Australian official historical writings. After World War II, chaplains challenged Australian Baptists to send missionaries to what is now Papua New Guinea to an area where there were no missionaries. Engas in the Baiyer Valley had decided they wanted missionaries of their own. So, they went off in search of some. A delegation arrived at the Lutheran station, Ogelbang, coinciding with the arrival of Albert Kroenert and Harry Orr. We watched the drama unfold as the first missionary was brought back to Baiyer. Lumusa Association David Kyaple had written a song that was performed by the Girls’ Brigade: Many years ago, our forefathers lived in this land on which we now live. Dark were the days when we lived in fear, fear of the arrows and spears. In 1949 the missionaries came. They brought with them the Good news of Salvation. When God looked down from Heaven and saw Kumbareta, he established the Covenant in our Land. Now we see the light. Many changes have taken place. The Lord has blessed us over the years; though trouble surrounds us and our destiny is questioned, the Lord has been the Rock of our Salvation.
Global Interaction
Chorus: Welcome Global Interaction, We warmly welcome you for we are the Fruits of your Labour. In the years to come we’ll never forget you; It’s good to touch the Soil of your Labour. Welcome The Baptist Union of Papua New Guinea. Welcome our three Unions. Welcome you who come from Urban Churches. 24th June of 2011 – Will be a memorable day for us.
WESTSIDE - Indooroopilly Library World Poverty | 6 - 7.30pm Thursday August 18, 2011 NORTHSIDE - Chermside Library Todays Australian Indigenous Church with Billy Williams 6 - 7.30pm Monday August 22, 2011 SOUTHSIDE - Garden City Library Calling: Yesterday Today and Tomorrow 6 - 7.30pm Monday August 29, 2011 Contact us: dtidey@globalinteraction.org.au qld@globalinteraction.org.au or 3354 5603
Many songs, traditional dress, widows typified by soot-blacked skin, wedding ceremonies – all highlighted former practices. Colourful banners and dress identified various associations of the churches. Some had come from a great distance to attend. I learned that Kellinda, in the Sip Association, made the yellow meri dresses worn by the women from her area. I counted over twenty of them. No doubt many similar stories about the great effort put into the preparations could be told. Pastor Kiap, also from the Sip Association, told me that just a couple of weeks earlier they had baptised 44 new believers. The church is alive and active! On the second day of the celebrations there were five hours of meeting, laden with speeches that refocussed vision for the future. The foundations were already laid (literally) for a new administration building. Just as God had shown his presence in the past, now a new phase begins as the people move ahead with God. On Sunday, Global Interaction General Director, Keith Jobberns, preached the culminating message prior to communion. The presence of some former staff conveyed the continuing partnership and interest of Australian Baptists. Geoff Cramb Queensland Director, Global Interaction & Global Interaction Consultant with the Baptist Union of Papua New Guinea gcramb@globalinteraction.org.au
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BWAA
Holistic renewal One day is not a very long time to get to know a new place. But one day amongst a community in the Philippines involved with Baptist World Aid Australia’s SAO Child Sponsorship program showed me just how transformational this program is. Not so long ago there were many dangers and hurdles facing children in their village. Some missed out on parts of school because their parents couldn’t afford the cost of excursions and extra activities, or because they were needed to work. Many had poor health, due to a lack of variety in their diets and limited healthcare facilities and knowledge. And many children called themselves shy and had little confidence that they could make any difference in their own lives and the lives of their families. On the day I met them, I found a very different community. I found a group of people who care for one another and work together to improve their children’s lives. They were dedicated to building a safer environment for their children, where they could have opportunities of which their parents never dreamed. SAO Philippines, Baptist World Aid Australia’s Christian partner, has worked closely with the community for several years. As part of the project, a Community Based Organisation (CBO) made up of members of the community, was formed to implement many of the initiatives of the project. This means that the work is really being done by the community itself and the people are being equipped to take responsibility for their own development.
I met one girl whose family life had been transformed by this program. For many years Roselyn’s* father had an alcohol problem, which had many negative effects on his wife and two children. After attending the family workshops, he was able to see the impact of his alcoholism and he resolved to give up drinking and work on fulfilling his responsibilities as a father and a husband. This has completely changed Roselyn’s home life and she told me that her family is closer and much happier. Many other programs have also made a difference to the lives of families in this community including training in establishing small projects for extra income and turning a rubbish dump into a communal vegetable garden. Programs for children have helped them build their team work skills and understand good nutrition and healthcare. When I arrived, I expected to hear all about the economic impact of the program—helping families to improve their incomes—and these outcomes were certainly there. But I was really surprised and encouraged to hear that the most significant impact for them was much more holistic—building an environment that nurtured their children in every aspect of their lives.
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A few months ago they won an award for being the most childfriendly community in the region. From my experience, this community doesn’t need a prize to tell them that they have created a better environment for their children. It is written on their children’s faces and in their words when they tell me that they are glad that SAO Child Sponsorship has come to their community, that they feel safe and happier and they have great Sponsor a child plans for the future that like Rosie and they youknow are achievable.
One of the most influential programs has been a series of can change a life forever. workshops for families to help them improve the way they Katherine Roberts communicate and interact with one another. This involves Baptist World Aid Australia 1800 children need sponsors this year and you can give them a chance to shine. effective parenting workshops, helping parents and children to See the brochure included, call 1300 789 991 or visit www.shareanopportunity.org understand their responsibilities; marriage enrichment courses, You can be part of transforming communities “Let your Light shine before others, that they may see your good helping parents learn how to communicate and solve conflicts by sponsoring a child. Use the brochure deeds and glorify your father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 better; and money management courses to help parents deal included or call 1300 789 991. with pressures on the family budget. *Name has been changed.
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7/07/11 3:30 PM
Salt
Understand the times and know… • Sign the online petition in support of marriage at www.makeastand.org.au/campaign/index. php?campaign_id=39#petition • Email your member of parliament at www.makeastand. org.au/campaign/index.php?campaign_id=39#polliemail • Call your MP’s office to make an appointment to visit School Chaplaincy As you will be aware, a Toowoomba man, backed by the Australian Secular Lobby – has served a writ in the High Court of Australia opposing the Commonwealth funding of chaplains in state schools. The High Court set aside 9-11 August to hear the case. The decision may not be known until late 2011 or early 2012.Go to http://saveourchaplains.com.au/ for more information. Shariah Law in Australia www.corybernardi.com/petition-against-sharia-law-inaustralia.html THE POLITICAL SPOT is ACL’s radio program. In Queensland it can be heard on the following stations:
In 1 Chronicles we read that the men of Issachar UNDERSTOOD THE TIMES and KNEW WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE THEM DO. At this time in Australia, it is also imperative for God’s people to UNDERSTAND THE TIMES and to KNOW what God would have us do. Marriage Federal Parliament has resumed and marriage is up for debate with the Greens having now secured parliamentary time for members to report on their consultations. With enormous pressure coming from activists and the state conferences of the ALP for Julia Gillard to accept same-sex marriage as official policy at the party’s national conference in December, your help is needed to shift the momentum in favour of marriage. It is not a foregone conclusion. ‘Regardless of culture, time or place, the organic nature of the family unit that is the natural consequence of the union of a man and a woman is a key social unit on which the state of society is built... It is a commonly held position in the broad Australian community’ (NSW federal MP Deb O’Neill). There is no more important time to speak up for marriage than now.
Mt Isa Mon 7.45am Gladstone Rhema FM Thu 9am Cooloola Christian Radio Wed 3pm / Thur 7am 106.5 Rhema FM Wed 10pm Rhema FM Wide Bay Sat 6am
105.7FM 91.9 FM 91.5 FM 106.5 FM 105.1 FM
Lachlan Macquarie Internship ACL’s vision is to see Christian principles accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business and relate as a community. An important aspect of this is our next generation of leaders who are looking to affect public policy. For this reason we have commenced the Lachlan Macquarie Internship Program - providing students with intensive curriculum surrounding history, theology, law, politics and Australian culture, whilst giving them exposure to the three broad areas of Christian engagement in the public sphere – at the policy formation and public influence level (lobbying), at the policy effect level (social welfare and humanitarian organisations) and at the policy decision level (politics). For more information www. lachlanmacquarieinternship.org.au Wendy Francis State Director Australian Christian Lobby www.acl.org.au
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Thinkspot
Walking a very fine line A friend, a converted alcoholic, recently asked me how he should respond to Christians who see nothing wrong with using alcohol. Here is my reply. The Bible is quite clear in its teaching against drunkenness. Drunkenness and related issues are enormous problems in society, and it’s not difficult to see why the Bible should be so opposed to it. At the same time, Jesus turned water into wine, and Paul does counsel Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake. There are many other passages in both Old and New Testaments which suggest that there was no ban on ‘imbibing’ in biblical times for God’s people. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to make a biblical case for total abstinence. The wine which Jesus miraculously made at the wedding at Cana, the wine which he and his disciples drank at the last supper, the wine which Paul recommends to Timothy on account of its medicinal value for his stomach – this was undoubtedly fermented wine. You simply couldn’t keep grape juice in an unfermented state in
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the hot climate of Palestine without modern refrigeration and preservatives. So, I don’t think you can make a watertight case (if you’ll pardon the pun) for being a teetotaller from the Bible alone. But in both 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 1 Corinthians 10:23, Paul repeats the principle that ‘Everything is permissible for me – but not everything is beneficial’. That means that we need to judge the appropriateness of behaviour within our Christian freedom not on the basis of whether it is permissible but on the basis of whether it is beneficial. ‘Beneficial’ means considering not only our own interests but also the interests of others (Philippians 2:4). This is the bottom line when we have to make a judgement call on what is ‘beneficial’ in a given situation. Paul provides a good example of this kind of thinking in his discussion (1 Corinthians 10:23-33) about whether it is appropriate for Christians to eat meat which has been offered to idols. Quaint to us, this was a burning issue for Christians in
Thinkspot
Paul’s day. In verse 24, Paul lays down the ground-rule: ‘Nobody should seek their own good, but the good of others.’ Then he offers two different scenarios. In the first case, you are invited to the home of an unbeliever and you are served meat that has been offered to idols before your unbelieving host bought it in the marketplace – you just couldn’t buy any other kind of meat in the Corinthian market. The appropriate response in that context is to honour your host’s hospitality and to ‘eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience’ (v 27). But the second scenario is slightly different – someone points out to you that this is, in fact, meat that has been offered to an idol. Now it becomes a ‘test case’ – ‘I’m watching to see how you will respond in this situation’ – and for the sake of the other person’s conscience, it is better to abstain (v 28-29a). However, there is a proviso in vv 29b-30 – our liberty should not be held to ransom by someone else’s conscience. Or, putting it in another context (1 Corinthians 8), while we should respect the conscience of the ‘weaker brother or sister’ and abstain from what will wound their conscience, they have no right to hold a veto over our Christian freedom. So what is ‘beneficial’ in these circumstances? Christians are obviously called to walk a very fine line here, but there is a bottom-line principle to be followed: ‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 10:31). Further, ‘Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God, even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved’ (1 Corinthians 10:32-33). Catherine Taylor, commenting on this passage in The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible, says, ‘Again, Paul gives the Corinthian Christians leeway to make their own decisions. Being able to judge situations and make decisions that allow the gospel to have an impact on others is
more important, and more faithful to the pattern of Christ (see 11:1), than following a rigid, preset plan’ (p 2080). That’s true. The problem with ‘a rigid, preset plan’ is that it does not take different contexts into account, it tends to get mired in legalism, and it’s often a moral cop-out (not doing the hard yards of working out what is genuinely beneficial in each situation). However... In our contemporary context there are other important considerations to bear in mind when we try to decide what is the God-glorifying course of action. Alcohol abuse and the host of social problems that follow in its wake are among society’s most pressing problems. It not only wrecks lives and causes grievous damage to those who are in the relationshipweb of an alcohol abuser, but it constitutes a serious and rising cost to national economies in lost production and health care. It’s obvious that not everyone who uses alcohol abuses alcohol. But some people are genetically predisposed towards alcoholism, and my world includes many people who are recovering alcoholics and whose recovery could be compromised by my choice to use what has had a catastrophic effect on their lives. For me, the question is not, ‘Does the Bible allow me to take a drink?’ (which I think it probably does), but rather, ‘Am I prepared to support an industry that wrecks so many lives and causes so much harm and havoc?’ So, may a Christian drink alcohol? My answer is that although it may be permissible, I cannot see that it is beneficial, especially in contemporary society. I do not judge others who take a different view. But my decision – almost always! – is to abstain. D Morcom Vice Principal, Malyon College D.Morcom@malyon.edu.au
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...we need to judge the appropriateness of behaviour within our Christian freedom not on the basis of whether it is permissible but on the basis of whether it is beneficial.
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Ministry in context
g n i k a e r b down s r e i r r a b One third of the Australian population lives within 20 minutes of a beach and the ‘seachange’ phenomenon is well documented by Australian demographers. ‘This generation of Australians has gravitated towards the beach like no previous generation. In the last half of the 20th century, this shift created new towns up north that quickly usurped old towns down south. The Gold Coast has been the premier single destination for Australians on the move for more than 25 years. The Gold Coast did not exist per se in 1945. Yet by June 2000 it contained 404,000. Other new beach cities include the Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay, Ballina, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and Byron Bay’ (Salt; bernardsalt. com.au; 09; once more unto the beach).
are the places where the church can engage with people - in cafes, on the beach or at sporting events etc. SALT church is deliberately targeting the beach culture. We believe this is a primarily unreached people group within the Australian culture. We are trying to establish a culturally relevant contextualised gospel presence within, and for the purposes of reaching, this culture.
unity does not mean
In The Prodigal God, author, speaker and pastor, Tim Keller said, ‘Contextualization is not giving people what they want. It is giving God’s answers (which they probably do not want) to the questions they are asking and in forms they can comprehend’.
These people are escaping the trappings of metropolitan life and embracing a new life and lifestyle around the coastline of our country. This new life is based around leisure, lifestyle and the pursuit of what is perceived as a better life, one that is less cluttered and more natural. The focal point of this sea change is the beach and for many this is their preferred third place. (Our first place is our residence, our second is our work environment and our third is where we want to be).
My background in surf mission, working with Christian Surfers, provides an excellent basis for making inroads into the surfing culture. On the Sunshine Coast there are approximately 40,000 surfers and on the Gold Coast the figure is closer to 100,000. What percentage of this people group is represented in churches in coastal locations? Here we have a large tribe that is largely unreached and even worse, not understood, so they are usually unaffected by the mission efforts of the church.
‘Australians forged a new territory within their island continent - the beach. Facilitated by new values and concepts such as leisure, entertainment, lifestyle and retirement and aided by new social and financial arrangements such as superannuation’ (Salt; bernardsalt.com.au; 09; once more unto the beach).
The church in Australia is predominantly Anglo Saxon, middle class and well adjusted. We are the church of the middle ground. My question is, ‘Who is reaching and engaging the margins with the gospel, and what church would they fit into?’
uniformity
There is increasing pressure on people’s time as working days get longer. Leisure time at the third place becomes premium. These
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Some churches have recognised the need for specialised approaches for different ethnic groups. We see this evidenced in Chinese, Korean or other ethnic churches. Some of these churches
Ministry in context
operate as sister churches and some are alternate congregations within the one church. Some churches adjust services to reach youth or young adults with varying levels of success, as ‘youth’ is such a broad and varied group.
one that is comfortable to us. This does not involve a watering down or softening of the truths of the Gospel but it does involve a dissolving of the traditions and habits of church that act as barriers. This means Salt church is casual, messy and full of broken people.
Yet when it comes to subcultures we tend to have an ‘all in’ mentality regarding the church - we should all be able to exist together in harmony. Now this is true; the church of Jesus should be marked and known by its unity. It is our love for one another that shines to the world. However, unity does not mean uniformity. This unity is only a marker called for in those who are followers of Jesus. ‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13:35). We should have and reflect our own culture, the culture of the Kingdom of God. And we should not be conformed to the world. ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect’ (Romans 12:2) Rather we should be conformed to Christ. ‘For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers’ (Romans 8:29). However often when we come to reflect this culture, God’s Kingdom culture, we confuse it with church traditions and our personal preferences around style and form. Much of our church planting is a replication of our set style that reaches out to the same middle ground people. This approach is needed and will be as long as Queensland is growing in population. However, the gulf between the middle and the margins is ever-widening and the church needs to bridge it for the gospel’s sake. Salt church is seeking to create a space where those (beach culture people) outside the church can come and encounter Jesus in a manner that is comfortable and disarming to them; not
‘Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kinds of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did’ (Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God). Andrew Carruthers is pastor\church planter at Salt Baptist Church, Peregian Beach andy.longboard@gmail.com wwwsaltbaptist.org.au
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Persecution brief
all unregistered churches. The magistrate assured them that he would personally see to the protection and continuation of the churches’ activities. The majority of congregations in Algeria are not registered with the authorities. Stringent new regulations were introduced in 2006, designed to restrict the religious activity of nonMuslims, and since then registration has proved impossible. At their meeting with the magistrate the EPA leaders presented documents showing all the efforts they have made to comply with the regulations. Numerous applications have received no response.
Please pray PAKISTAN – CALL TO BAN THE BIBLE An important Islamic political party has called for Pakistan’s Supreme Court to ban the Bible. A leader of Jamiat Ulema-eIslam, Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi, made the appeal at a press conference at a mosque in Lahore on 30 May. Farooqi described the Bible as ‘pornographic’. He claimed that ‘blasphemous’ portions had been added, which charged some prophets with ‘a variety of moral crimes, which undermine the sanctity of the holy figures’. Farooqi said such ‘insertions’ strongly offended Muslims, who hold all prophets and holy books in high esteem. He said that if the Supreme Court did not respond by banning the Bible, Islamic clerics would formally petition the court, and added that the move was an act of revenge against the desecration of the Quran by a church in Florida.
In a separate incident, an Algerian Christian has been sentenced to five years in jail after sharing his faith with a Muslim neighbour. Siagh Krimo, who is married with a nine-month-old baby, was accused of blasphemy after passing on a Christian CD. He was found guilty even though the prosecutor failed to produce the neighbour or any other witness or evidence. The court based its decision on an article of the Algerian Penal Code that criminalises acts that ‘insult the prophet and any of the messengers of god, or denigrate the creed and precepts of Islam’. Some Algerian Christians believe that the court came under pressure from higher authorities in the government. Krimo was known to hold weekly prayer services at his home. EGYPT – ISLAMIST PARTIES GEAR UP FOR ELECTIONS The Muslim Brotherhood, the leading Islamic party in Egypt, has formed a political alliance with Jama’a al-Islamiyya, a radical group that was behind a number of terrorist attacks in the 1990s (though it has recently renounced violence). The two groups announced that they will form a coalition to contest September’s parliamentary elections, in order to combat secular forces in the country. Jama’a al-Islamiyya spokesman Osama Hafez underlined the parties’ commitment to upholding the place of Islam in Egyptian society: ‘Allah’s words must rule and Islam must be in the hearts of the citizens.’
Pakistani Christians have strongly condemned the call. A Christian human rights activist from Lahore said, ‘It is a dangerous move, and this demand is based on hate. It will further promote religious intolerance in the country.’ There are fears that this attack on the Bible signals an intensification of persecution against Christians in Pakistan, where Islamists are said to have become more extreme in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s assassination.
Another political party has been formed by Salafist groups. Salafism is an ultra-conservative, strict and puritanical version of Islam related to Wahhabism, the official state creed of Saudi Arabia. The party says that if they gain power, Christians will be given ‘the right to refer to their religion’, but ‘the higher reference will be for Islamic sharia’.
ALGERIA – MAGISTRATE GUARANTEES CHURCHES WILL STAY OPEN A senior magistrate has assured Algerian church leaders that no churches in their region will be closed, despite a recent notice from a local police chief threatening a widespread shutdown. Leaders of the Algerian Protestant Church Association (EPA) met with the Wali of Bejaia, the senior magistrate in the region, on 8 June after a police high commissioner ordered the closure of
There are real concerns that the Muslim Brotherhood might become the ruling party in Egypt, which would make life very difficult for the churches. A Jama’a al-Islamiyya leader recently called on Christians to secure their own safety by submitting to the god of Islam (by becoming Muslims). And Salafists were behind assaults on two churches and homes in Imbaba district, Cairo, in May in which 12 people were killed and scores injured. This is only one of a barrage of attacks that Christians have suffered since the revolution. Their position is precarious.
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SOURCE: BARNABAS FUND
Letter to the editor Thanks for the thoughtful article in the June edition of The qb, entitled ‘Sabbath, or Sunday?’ As an ex-member of a Sabbath observing denomination for 20 years, I found it refreshing to see this explored in a Baptist magazine. One of the crucial points about the Sabbath is the fact that Jesus said, ‘The Sabbath is made for man’ (Mark 2:27) – and not vice versa. Why was this so? While it is nice to say that we can worship God in our daily lives, most of us are not that enlightened, or self-controlled, to be able to commune freely with God amid the noise of media, work, phone calls, shopping centres, meetings etc. While my family (after joining the Baptist church) is ‘free’ to worship how we like, we have chosen to retain the Jewish Sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday) as a day of rest for a few practical reasons. At the end of the week, we need a night where the television is turned off and we are not rushing around worrying about homework and bedtimes. On Friday night we make dessert and enjoy a relaxed meal where the family can talk in peace. We listen to Christian music and let go of the things that clamour for our attention. The Sabbath for me, as a mother, is a day where I don’t have to pay bills, shop, clean or do washing; a day where I can do
enjoyable tasks such as catching up on reading, pottering in the garden, visiting neighbours and spending quality time on Bible study (as opposed to the morning skim-through at the breakfast table). For my husband, it is a day when he doesn’t farm and when he can do community service projects such as working with the Rural Fire Brigade. For our children, it is rest from a tiring week at school and time to enjoy our home, as well as watching Christian videos that instil Godly values. I think it is a shame that more people don’t value the importance of a Sabbath day - whichever day they feel is significant. What I have noticed is that this lack of ‘holiness’ attached to a day means that church attendance has to vie for attention from so many other activities. People are often away due to commitments elsewhere and it shows in inconsistent attendance or lack of involvement with church ministries. I really urge people to consider the significance of Sabbath keeping, as it is so important for our spiritual health. Sabbath rest involves accepting that we can stop and let God take control. Sabbath rest means valuing special time with God having a ‘date’ with God that we don’t break for anything. Susan Johnstone
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Author speaks at womens events Author’s website: www.appleleafbooks.com Social networking and promotion via web
B O O K S . DV D S . M U S I C
Children: God’s Special Interest 31 Biblical devotionals to meditate on God’s heart for children. Ray Hawkins has a heart for children. In these devotions he quotes scripture and helps us really meditate on God’s heart for children. Rediscover God’s Word about children. Refresh your heart with God’s love for Children. Rekindle passion to be their example for Christ honour. Reflect on God’s special Interest From Eden with Love 31 Biblical devotionals to meditate on God’s heart for marriage. Be taken on a tour of the Majesty of Marriage through 31 days of ‘From Eden with Love.’ Discover the Heavenly mystery underpinning the meaning of the Christian Marriage.
New Devotional Series by Ray Hawkins Children’: God’s Special Interest ISBN: 978-1-921633-35-5 From Eden with Love ISBN: 978-1-921633-41-6 Publication date:May 15th 2011 And June 1st 2011 Size: A5, 80 pages RRP: $9.95, paperback Target Audience: Christians, adults, teachers, male and female. Publicity: Author available for interview Review copies available on request Author speaks at womens events Author’s website: www.appleleafbooks.com Social networking and promotion via web
Contact theGod’s Publisher Children: Special Interestfor media enquiries: BOOKS: ‘Children: God’s special 31 Biblical devotionals to meditate on God’s heart info@evenbeforepublishing.com; for children. ‘From with love’ Ray Hawkins hasEden a heart for children. In these 07-32451938, 0414 761 311 devotions he quotes scripture and helps us really onHawkins God’s heart for children. Qld 4157 P. O. meditate Box Capalaba Ray1519, Rediscover God’s Word about children.
DVD: ‘What if...’ 15 years ago, Ben Walker left his girlfriend and his ministry calling for a business opportunity. Now with a high-paying career and a trophy fiancée, he is visited by an angel, who gives him a glimpse into what his life would look like had he followed his calling.
Competition: Win a copy of this movie. Go to www.movieschangepeople.com check out the movie trailer and be first to email admin@qb.com.au with the answer to this question. What car is the salesman showing to Ben?
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interest’ ®
Refresh your heart with God’s love for Children. Rekindle passion to be their example for Christ honour. Reflect on God’s special Interest
Even Before Publishing, a division of Wombat Books has released two devotional books by Ray Hawkins. Ray was a pastor with From Eden with Love Churches of Christ, and has had numerous devotions published in 31 Biblical devotionals to meditate on God’s heart for marriage. international magazines and anthologies. Be taken on a tour of the Majesty of Marriage through 31 days of ‘From Eden with Love.’ Discover the Heavenly mystery underpinning the meaning of the Christian Marriage.
Children: God’s Special Interest contains 31 devotions for parents, teachers, grandparents, or anyone who spends time with children. Ray has the a heart for children and helps the reader meditate on God’s Contact Publisher for media enquiries: heart for them. His other book, From Eden With Love, has 31 info@evenbeforepublishing.com; devotions focussing on God’s heart for marriage, and is ideal ®for 07-32451938, 0414 761 311 all married couples. P. O. Box 1519, Capalaba Qld 4157 The book is available for sale through Koorong, Light the Dark and other Christian bookstores. www.evenbeforepublishing.com
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June 2011 solution:
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Sudoku rules: Each row, column and block must contain one of the numbers from 1 to 9. No number may appear more than once in any row, column or block. When you’ve filled the entire grid, the puzzle is solved. Sukodu solutions to: QB Magazine, PO Box 6166 Mitchelton Qld 4053 Two correct entries will be chosen to receive a $30 Word bookstore voucher. Don’t forget to include your full name and contact details. Name Address
Hey Kids, Look for Lucy! Little Lucy is hiding somewhere in this issue of The qb. Tell us where she is hiding by snail mailing your answer, or emailing qb@qb.com.au Congratulations! To all those who found Little Lucy hiding behind the tree on page 16 (June issue).
Creative Captions Win a Word Bookstores Gift Voucher Submit your creative caption for the photo shown to the right via email: qb@qb.com.au or post to PO Box 6166 Mitchelton Q 4053. If you have a great photo that needs a clever caption, send it qb@qb.com.au or snail mail.
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“By greys you have been shaved.” Congratulations to Greg Smith!
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Classifieds POSITIONS VACANT
Accommodation
Youth Pastor Position Dalby Baptist Church
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/Martin Burton, phone/fax 5491 7155.
Dalby Baptist Church currently has a thriving Youth and Young Adults Ministry which requires a dedicated energetic Youth Pastor. The role involves oversight and development of youth programs including pastoral care and discipleship of youth and training and nurture of leaders.
CALOUNDRA - GOLDEN BEACH: Highset three bedroom holiday home. Weekends or weekly. Pets OK. Close to beach. Phone 0402 077 822 or lizottaway15@gmail.com
For further information please contact the Pastoral Search Team c/- joshuaaylward@provincelawyers.com or mobile 0439 567 484.
CALOUNDRA - KINGS BEACH: Holiday unit, modern, pool, 100m from Kings Beach. From $390 pw. Phone Ray 0427 990 161. COOLUM: 3 brm beach unit, new facilities, ocean views $270 w/e, $490 week *excludes holiday periods. Phone 0411 222 787, email rickn@activeforkliftservice.com.au
Applications close 12 September 2011.
VACANCY
Young Adult Worker/pastor part time (2 days/wk) Inner Southside Brisbane Fairfield Christian Family is seeking a passionate follower of Jesus to work with young adults (post high school) in 2012. The successful applicant will have a deep desire is to see young adults be all that they can be in Jesus Christ. The role will include: • leading a Bible study • mentoring leaders • equipping/training young adults. For further information, please contact Pastor Neil Pattemore on 38924784 or tarragindipats@yahoo.com.au
Fairfield Christian Family (www.fcfchurch.org.au) is located in a vibrant inner city suburb close to universities. From 2012, there will be vacancies for two male students in a share accommodation house adjacent to the church. Please contact Pastor Neil Pattemore (tarragindipats@yahoo.com.au) if you are interested.
FOR HIRE Large Auditorium: Seats 290. Qld Baptists Centre at Gaythorne. Phone Claire or Emily 07 3354 5600 for more information or visit www.qb.com.au – venue hire.
GENERAL BOOKKEEPING: Brisbane based MYOB Approved Bookkeeper and registered BAS agent, member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. Servicing greater Brisbane area. Andrew Richardson 0407 614 547.
Is God prompting you to write? If you’re serious about developing your talent to build God’s Kingdom, then you may need advice from Christian professionals in the writing and publishing fields. We’re here to help! Omega Writers is a support group for Australasian Christian writers. Check us out at www.omegawriters.com
www.qb.com.au August 2011
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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 Join the growing number of ‘Baptists making a difference’ by depositing with BAPLink.
For more information or an application form contact BAPLink: Building 1, Level 2, 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