The qb, the voice of Queensland Baptists

The voice of Queensland Baptists June 2015

Playing for keeps What is ‘church’ to you?

Rise 2015

Print post approved ISSN: 100003837 The Queensland Baptist - first published in 1890.

This series Vol 13 Issue 3.

www.qb.org.au

Issue

06/15

Comment: David Loder Speaking out: John Sweetman Baptisms Around the regions Then God did what God does (Milestones) Knowing God series RISE QB Convention 2015 Persecution brief Reviews Fun zone Classifieds

5 6 8 8 16 18 19 35 41 45 46

QB ministries Baplink is branching out (Baplink) Playing for keeps (QB kids & their families) Moving towards 2045 (QCCC) Created with incredible loving care (QB Women) Welcome! (QB Youth) Celebrating a decade of Church expansions (QB archives) We need Malyon now, more than ever (Malyon) Fruitfulness of the Frontline (Malyon Workplace) A new chapter begins (Carinity)

In this issue 19

14 24 26 28 30 31 32 34 37

QB partners

10

17

Journey to the Silk Road (Global Interaction) Baptists work together after Nepal earthquake (BWAA)

36 38

Articles What is ‘church’ to you?

North Beach at dawn Social junkie blues

31 Original Fairfield (Annerley) Baptist Church, 1865

40 42 44

26 Our cover: We acknowledge Gordon Dobbin’s faithful ministry (a new chapter begins).

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News, views and issues

The qb is a member of the Australasian Religious Press Association, published bi-monthly by Queensland Baptist Services Group in February, April, June, August, October and December.

Editor: Robynne Milne 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, email and postal addresses.

From the Editor Welcome to The qb!

RISE: QB Convention 2015 features in this issue. Our guest speaker, Edmund Chan, and his wife Ann made a significant impact on attendees, and their ministry was sincerely appreciated. People returned to their daily lives refreshed and challenged, not just by the speakers, but also because of the prayer and fellowship they experienced. I trust you’ll enjoy browsing the photos, and reading some of the testimonials we’ve received.

I’m sure you’ll also enjoy reading about the great things happening at Yandina Baptist Church (Then God did what God does), and Sue Peter’s thoughts (Created with incredible loving care) after she attended the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) in New York.

Don’t miss Carinity’s article (A new chapter begins). It’s inspiring! After 25 years of faithful service as a chaplain at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Gordon Dobbin has retired, aged 90. The comment, ‘As a chaplain, Gordon worked seven days a week and public holidays’ prompts me to add that I’m sure all readers will join me in acknowledging Gordon’s wife, Heather, and the wonderful support she has provided. Both Gordon and Heather have earned that ‘first coffee of the day’ together—a simple goal, but one to be cherished every day!

Blessings!

Robynne Milne Editor, The qb qb@qb.org.au

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Comment

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Knowing God—discipleship ‘Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch’ (Acts 11:25-26).

We have focussed on two aspects of discipleship this year. First has been our theme: ‘Authentic discipleship that leads to intentional disciple-making’ Second has been ensuring we are in significant relationships, forming a pattern for discipleship.

It was Ted Engstrom who wrote, ‘Every Christian needs a Barnabas to receive encouragement, a Timothy to guide as a protégé, and an Epaphroditus to enjoy on a peer level’ (The Fine Art of Mentoring).

These three key relationships apply to every Christian. They are evident in the passage of Scripture quoted above. Barnabas sought out Saul (who became known as Paul). Together they taught the Church at Antioch and the followers of Jesus, known as Christians engaged with each other, as Christians ought and want to do. Barnabas was a key person in this arrangement. It was he who saw something in Saul and decided that here was a man in whom there was value in investing his life, for at least twelve months.

Others didn’t see this. Saul was probably marginalised by the church because of his previous lifestyle.

Barnabas seeks him out, accepts him, associates himself with him and affirms him as a future leader in the church. For the next year there is on-the-job-training, the method by which Jesus taught his disciples.

Barnabas was content to be low-key and allow Paul to develop beyond him to become a major influence in the church that continues to this day.

Where do you fit in a similar picture?

Who disciples you? Who are you mentoring? Who do you meet with— either.

Important happenings RISE: QB Convention 2015 was a special event. Edmund and Ann Chan impacted us greatly in our focus on discipleship. I would encourage you to obtain Edmund’s books or access the podcasts and videos from the convention online at http://events. qb.org.au/. Contact us for your password. His impact on Queensland Baptists will continue for some time.

The Assembly also passed a paper on Sexuality and Marriage. Our thanks go

to Peter Francis who had a major part in putting this together. The paper has been distributed to all churches and ministers. It is even more significant in the current community discussion on the possibility of Australia accepting same sex marriages.

The Board has decided that in 2018 our convention will be held outside of the Brisbane area. The location is yet to be decided. We have welcomed Aaron Fozzard as our QB Youth Leader. Aaron only works for QB one day per week but will make a significant impact on our ministry to youth.

Thank you for devoting yourself, individually and as churches, to pray for our state over the Queensland Day week. We look forward with anticipation to hearing and seeing how God will answer our prayer!

Finally…

Take some time to think about your significant relationships. What place does discipleship have in these? I urge you to be intentional about enriching your relationship with Jesus Christ.

David Loder General Superintendent Queensland Baptists gs@qb.org.au

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Speaking out

Pastoring is a vital calling I have a concern and passion I want to share with you.

Malyon College now offers a much wider range of training than it did ten years ago. This has led to considerable growth in the student body. We train chaplains, church planters, cross cultural workers, theologians, and lots of people who are being equipped for their ministry and influence in the church, workplace and community.

Almost forty percent of our students are studying by distance. Many of these distance students are working full-time but want to develop skills in teaching the Bible, in ministry, and in Christian influence.

This is all very exciting and Malyon graduates are certainly making a significant contribution to our Baptist churches.

But training people for vocational pastoral ministry still remains at our heart.

And this is where my concern lies.

A Concern We have found that the number of full-time students who have abandoned their careers to study a three-year theological course in order to become a vocational pastor has plateaued and maybe even started to

decline in the last five years. Malyon continues to train numerous students for pastoral ministry, but most are now already employed by churches and are squeezing in their study, part-time, as they minister.

This, of course, is a very effective way to train for vocational pastoral ministry. I trained that way myself, doing all my study part-time. You get to immediately put into action many of the things you are learning at college.

For example, I often preached on the biblical books I was studying at

college. We praise God for many students who are both serving as pastors and studying part-time.

But a reducing number of full-time students sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry has a concerning implication.

It means that there are fewer graduating students looking for pastoral or church planting roles.

Most vocational graduates are already pastoring in a church by the time they finish their study. That’s great for our graduates because they already have

qb.org.au

Speaking out why we offer such accessible training at Malyon, including distance study.

We want to make sure that those serving in ministries can get easy access to theological study, no matter what their commitments or geography.

secure employment, but it means that churches looking for new pastors or planters have few, if any, choices. Our faculty is frequently being asked by churches to recommend some of our senior students for pastoral roles that need filling. We often have few to suggest because most of our pastoral students are already committed to a church. This is of significant concern to us.

A Passion I think that it’s great that churches are calling people onto pastoral teams and then sending them to Malyon for training—I long that all churches and pastors will grasp the immense value of theological training in conjunction with pastoral ministry. May God bless those who do. That’s partly

But this will never provide us with enough pastors.

We need churches with a passion to look beyond their own needs in order to call some of their best leaders to consider training for pastoral ministry, whether they have a church position for them or not. I know this may eventually mean giving them away to other churches, but it is the only way we will get the gifted pastors we need for all our churches and church plants.

Well, what can we do about this?

We’re all in it together.

The Malyon faculty and the QB ministry team have spent considerable time talking and praying about this concern. Here are a few of our ideas. They are not set in stone. We would certainly appreciate any further feedback.

1. We want to work on being more supportive of those considering training for pastoral ministry.

Sometimes they are confronted with all sorts of expectations from both Malyon

and QB Ministerial Services, and this can be overwhelming, maybe even discouraging.

We do not intend to drop our standards, but we would like to provide more personal encouragement and support for those exploring their call and its implications.

2. We would love churches to be more bold and direct in presenting God’s call to vocational ministry to their people.

We are very aware that every vocation is important and that God calls people to serve him in many different ways.

But we don’t want to lose a focus on the key role of pastoral ministry.

Pastors, of course, are not more important or more spiritual than anyone else, but effective pastors play a key role in the future of God’s church. Pastoring is a vital calling. We desperately need gifted and godly pastors.

3. We will try to make information about pastoring more readily available. Some people may never have seriously considered pastoring because they just have no idea what is involved, and they

07

have little chance of finding out. This could involve a website with lots of information, seminars in churches, or maybe an annual retreat exploring the call to pastoral ministry and the gifts and training that are involved.

4. We are not sure what to do about the significant cost of giving up a career to pursue pastoral training. Those of us who are already pastors understand that pastoral ministry is a hugely rewarding, but very costly, calling. Perhaps a willingness to pay the cost is necessary preparation. Or perhaps we’re expecting too much of those with mortgages and families and good salaries.

These are exciting days with great opportunities for the church. We desperately need a new generation of godly pastoral leaders to take us into God’s future for us.

Some of these will be called into church ministry and then will train part-time as they serve. Others will be called to train in faith for the pastoral opportunities that God will open up. We need pastors from both pathways.

May you provide these leaders, Lord.

John Sweetman Principal, Malyon john.sweetman@malyon.edu.au

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Baptisms

Baptisms

Around the

Regions

QB Prayer Focus 2015

Sharing the love of Christ

City North Baptist Church Jane Harvey

A record number of QB churches has indicated their involvement in QB Prayer Focus 2015.

Cleveland Baptist Church Amy Hildebrand Brook Laidlaw Mark Manson Mikaela Heinrich Sarah Ramsey

Small and large groups will meet for prayer at events scheduled from May to June, with a special emphasis on Queensland Day (6 June).

Beenleigh Baptist Church will host an evening seminar on ‘Christians sharing the Hope with Muslims’ on Tuesday 25 August. The event is part of the Annual Australian Conference of Africa Inland Mission (AIM).

Please pray for those baptised recently in all our churches around Queensland, including:

Gateway Baptist Church Ashlea Arnell-Smith Emily Hanrahan Grace Wright Kate Baxter Lauren knijenburg Leanne Swadling New Heart Baptist Church Frank Sagiba Maddison Cameron

QB Regional Consultant Stephen Ball, commented in a recent Prayer Focus email: ‘Our Queensland Baptists’ Manifesto concludes with the statement, “And where prayer prevails, God acts!”

As Queensland Baptists, may we be known as a prayerful people!’

Tent Hill Baptist Church Stan Smith

On the move

•

Pastor Garry Toms has concluded at Birkdale and commenced at The Gap

Special guest speaker is USAbased author and teacher Fouad Masri, who will bring a positive and refreshing look at how Christians can effectively communicate with Muslims. Fouad was born in the war zone of Beirut, Lebanon. He is now a pastor with a passion for sharing the love of Christ with Muslims.

overcome misconceptions about Christianity and Islam. He has trained more than 18,000 Christians to sensitively and purposefully share their faith with Muslims.

In 1993 Fouad founded the Crescent Project in the USA, to nurture transformational relationships between Christians and Muslims and

For more information and to register for this event, please phone AIM (02) 4322 4777 or David (07) 3299 7129.

To register online, visit www.

AfricaInlandMission.org/au.

•

•

Pastor Josh Diyn has concluded at The Grove and commenced at Toowong

Rev Warren Crank has commenced as Interim Senior Pastor at Deception Bay

qb.org.au

Easter Festival draws crowds Narelle Heit (Kruger Parade Baptist Church) writes: There are not too many places where you can hear the Gospel Easter message preached, while riding a bucking bull, but at Kruger Parade Baptist Church’s Easter Festival you certainly could!

On Easter Sunday from 3.00 pm till 5.00 pm we celebrated our third annual Easter festival with all activities free for the community. We had huge line-ups for food including fairy floss, snow

Speaking ‘words of life’ Greg Burns (Forest Lake Baptist Church) writes: Forest Lake Baptist hosted its fourth Father-Son Blessing weekend, ‘Baruch Blessing’.

Baruch means to bless or to give a good word and is formed around Matthew 3:17, ‘And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son,

Around the regions

09

cones, and popcorn (provided by a Samoan afternoon congregation who meet at our church), sausage sizzles, and more. Activities to burn up the energy from all the free food included several jumping castles, a super slide and a bucking bull. There was an extensive line (adults and kids) all day waiting to make a necklace cross giving out the message of God’s love. Children were eager participants in the threelegged, Easter egg and spoon and sack races, parachute and rob the nest games. The children were also given a passport to find five Biblebased Easter questions, each correct answer earning a

stamp. When all five stamps were collected, they were able to choose a prize, and their names went into the draw for the Easter bunny prize give-away.

During the afternoon, while the kids ran happily from activity to activity, many parents and grandparents chose to sit and relax in the shade and listen to our singers and band sharing the gospel in song. The Voice of the Lord Assembly church based at Kruger also participated on stage bringing their wonderful African feel and our kids’ ministry team delighted everyone with their two action packed songs,

When it came time for the festival to close, some folk just wanted to linger on, which was a good sign because obviously they were having such a great time! We are now praying that many will come back for our kids, youth and adult programs— we distributed flyers—and ultimately that they might come to know Jesus as we do!

At least they found out that us Christians can have a fun time and let our hair down for Jesus.

whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ‘

presence of many witnesses.

In the past we have had other men step into the breach where no father was involved in the young man’s life, or had passed away. The profound impact of following the lead from the Bible in regards this blessing has been evident in the lives of 20 young men now in and around our church.

Proverbs 18:21 (GNT) says, ‘What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words’. Our prayer is to speak words of life! If you are interested in participating in the 2016 Blessing weekend and would like more details, please contact Greg Burns on GJBurns59@gmail.com as early as possible.

Our focus is on men sharing openly with other men (fathers and sons) and creating a meaningful ceremony in the company of a community of Christian men. And we did just that.

Twenty-four men came and supported several fathers in speaking a blessing over the life of their sons in the

even though some were a wee bit out of time (their cuteness singing about their love for Jesus was what shone through).

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Around the regions

give out in a surprise takehome bag. ‘We didn’t do FUNSplash alone. We’ve had an outpouring of generosity from local businesses, school teachers and the Rural Fire Service, who all wanted to give these families a memorable day out,’ Wendy said.

Cooktown

A splash-tastic day out Twenty-five Sunshine Coast kids and their families beat the Autumn heat at Oaks Oasis Waterpark on Saturday 21 March as the honored inaugural guests at FUNSplash, an event hosted by LIVE church for Sunshine Coast families living with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). More than 120 guests made the most of the waterpark, a QLD Zoo wildlife encounter, rides and sausage sizzle.

‘There were so many happy faces and happy families

enjoying a great day out,’ said event organiser, Wendy Paroz. ‘The Rural Fire Service brought their trucks and hoses, the jumping castle and superhero photo booth were a huge hit and, of course, the Oaks waterpark was the centre of attention’, she said.

Pastor Dean Thomas said FUNSplash was a tangible expression of LIVE’s aim to overcome isolation in the area. ‘Isolation is one of the barriers preventing people in our community living life to the full,’ he said. ‘People are isolated from each other, isolated from Christians and, in a way, isolated from God. We are in the business of

creating community which connects people together and provides an opportunity for them to connect with Jesus, to really live,’ Dean said.

LIVE church works alongside families in the Caloundra community who have children and youth with ASD. ‘Some of these families don’t have many opportunities to get out and socialise and network as caring for their kids is very time-intensive. So we decided to do something fun for them,’ Wendy said.

Several local businesses got behind the event and donated tickets for LIVE church to

FUNSplash parents were given the opportunity to provide feedback after the event, and the last word goes to a mother: ‘As a parent, it was so appreciated. You have no idea how much it truly means to have kind people love your little guy unconditionally. Often we feel judged, isolated and pushed aside, so to have a day where every child was a hero was more than awesome!’

FUNSplash was made possible through funding obtained through Carinity’s Innovation Grants.

Iron sharpens iron Ps Doug Beahan (Gatton Baptist Church) writes: ‘As iron sharpens Iron, so one man sharpens another’ (Proverbs 27:17) On 23 February, our church held a special service that was a celebration of three years of interaction with the local rugby league club, the Gatton Hawks: a celebration of two community groups coming together for future purposes.

The service was suggested, encouraged and advertised by the Club Promotions Officer, Andrew O’Brien, as a ‘Blessing Service’ to kick-off the season. The club was founded in the 1950s by Fr Cahill, a local Catholic priest. As a young man and

qb.org.au

Around the regions

11

title on this Sunday and the nodding heads as I used it as an illustration, and applied it to both club and church life, affirmed that a connection was being made.

player, John O’Brien, club patron and stalwart, had a tremendous relationship with Fr Cahill. John attends the local Anglican Church and is sincere in his appreciation of the connections formed between the club and our church.

In attendance at the service were the entire Club Management Committee, their wives and husbands, and three players, along with the members of the church.

The idea of a Blessing Service was quickly adopted by the church family and they wholeheartedly embraced this tremendous opportunity.

The greeters wore club jerseys and our mounted sponsor jersey was displayed in the foyer. Outside, two Gatton Hawks’ gazebos offered shade for the BBQ cooks and made a welcome entry to the building.

There was all the usual ‘churchy stuff’: songs, offering, prayer, sermon, etc. The light-heartedness and sense of unity was tremendous and the interactive message was enthusiastically embraced by all. After the service we

had a fellowship lunch and one person said: ‘Gee, that’s the first time I haven’t fallen asleep in church!’ And the gospel was presented.

Our time together included a giant cheque presentation to the club treasurer, Judy Schmidt, and president, Toby Toohill, for our continued sponsorship of the club, and after giving thanks, we all enjoyed a good feed. As usual, fellowship lunches are popular, and little clusters of friends gather throughout the hall, but what was remarkable and refreshing was that it was difficult to discern the two groups—they had truly become one over the meal.

Discussion was lively and there was hearty laughter

as people shared jokes and affirmed acquaintances. One ‘wag’ commented, ‘If you have a lunch like this after church each week, I might give football away and start coming to church!’

Having played rugby league in my youth, God had hard-wired me with the understanding of the ethos behind the game, so to speak. Standing beside your mates in dire circumstances (at the core of mateship) brings out the best in each other. For me, ‘Iron sharpens Iron’ succinctly sums up this feeling. I have been able to use it as an encouragement in situations where biblical knowledge is becoming less and less. It was the message

I am privileged that I have been able to undertake several roles within the club, each playing an important part in both a practical and spiritual sense. As club secretary, I am privileged to work alongside some very remarkable and generous people. As assistant strapper, I work at the feet of those I desire to encourage and help, and as chaplain I have numerous counselling opportunities—these have increased since the service— to offer guidance and a positive alternative to choices that the world offers. I pray for continuing opportunities to be useful.

Our church vision statement is Walking with God in the World and this is evident in the missions and ministries in the life of the Church; whether working alongside backpackers, refugees or sports clubs, it is all for the kingdom. We’ve built the bridge and now we seek ways to bring people across. We continue to pray for God’s leading in our community.

06/15

DARE to rescue Karen Johns (Lawnton Rivers Baptist Church) writes:

HELP BUILD GOD’S KINGDOM through your local church and other Baptist ministries

Over two years ago, I felt led to volunteer at our local neighbourhood centre so that I could see if there were any needs that our church might be able to address. Unfortunately, no opportunities presented themselves: there were no little holes in their tightly spinning wheel in which we would fit. What did astound me, however, was not only the waiting list for emergency counselling, but also the cost of receiving immediate help, which was out of reach for most people.

Led by God at a crossroad in my life, I decided to start a family support/pastoral

Explore giving options at

www.qb.org.au/giftfoundation or phone 0400 795 302 We encourage you to consider a gift in addition to your tithes and offerings, after you have made provision for family and friends.

PARTNER WITH CHRIST

care service, targeting those less fortunate who needed immediate help. I charge a minimal fee for an indefinite session length, being more concerned about my clients’ mental state of mind, anxiousness, and their relationships with each other in the community. It was through this service, that a domestic violence (DV) client offered to donate formal dresses for a church outreach, and that’s how DARE (Domestic Abuse Recovery Education) Formal Wear started.

The leaders of the bread ministry that reaches out into the community decided that we would have a clothes stall at our community Christmas carols where people could take donated clothes for free.

My client asked if I would

qb.org.au

2015 S.M.I.L.E.S.

for advocacy, education and

Stories, Music, Inspiration, Laughter, raising awareness; however, Edutainment aDARE’s nd Surprises ultimate goal is to

Edutainment and Surprises

One-hour Presentations for Ladies, Seniors, Outreach, Missions/Fund-raising groups

Choose from: Musical and Literary programs OR Powerpoint presentations on a variety of History and Cultural topics

recruit mature Christian

One-­‐hour Presentations for survivors of DV who are Ladies, Seniors, O utreach, willing to be trained in Missions/Fund-­‐raising roups. support providinggongoing and care for women after

Choose they from: leave their DV situation.

Musical and Literary programs These women need someone like to take about 20 formal OR who understands their dresses forPowerpoint the stall. However, presentations n afar, variety f journeyoso and theonew our focus was on children’s History and Cultural opics life they tnow face, which

clothes, so instead of taking is not an easy road to walk the dresses for the church, by alone. my client, her friend, and I Lyn Hurry decided that we would sell DARE Formal Wear the dresses online and donate also provides financially the money to support victims disadvantaged parents with of DV. All three of us were an affordable option for their very aware of the Holy Spirit’s daughters to be able to attend direction in this matter and their end-of-year formal within a few hours DARE was without it breaking the bank. up and running.

This is a missional ministry

that has been heavily support In the last six months we have by the women at Lawnton Contact received over 200 donations of Rivers Baptist, but we need lynhurry@bigpond.com new and pre-loved formal and Phone: (07) more 3289 help.

8187If you feel that wedding dresses, 70 pairs

(Travel costs only)

lyn hurry qb.indd 1

of near new shoes and thousands of dollars worth of bridal jewellery that we sell cheaply to help raise funds to rescue women in domestic family violence situations. The profits will initially be used

2015 S.M.I.L.E.S. Stories, Music, Inspiration, Laughter,

you can help in any way, have dresses to donate, or know someone who needs a dress, please don’t hesitate to contact me, 0438 056 985, tkjohns1@bigpond.net.au, visit www.dareformalwear. com.au or find us on Facebook.

by

Lyn Hurry

Contact: lynhurry@bigpond.com (07) 3289 8187

(Travel costs only)

14

06/15

Baplink

Baplink is branching out Change is here for Baplink, and we have been overwhelmed by the positive response from our churches.

Our aim is to be Your Partner ... investing in Your ministry, and the feedback we are getting is that you are excited! Recently at RISE: QB Convention 2015 we were kept very busy discussing the changes to our transaction platform, Xero and the procurement services we will be offering in the coming months.

Thank you so much for your interest and openness to the changes we are making. Please contact us if you have any suggestions, feedback, or concerns; we love to hear from you!

Ultracs implementation Baplink’s new transactional platform, Ultracs, provides exciting new services and opportunities for Queensland Baptists’ churches and affiliated organisations. The implementation of

Ultracs is proceeding apace with the team excited at the new possibilities in Ultracs. We have been very busy throughout May, training in the new program and getting our existing data ready for transfer to Ultracs. Thank you for your patience with your day to day queries as we train in Ultracs. We are endeavouring to respond to all queries as quickly as possible.

from our churches, with several taking up subscriptions in Xero—allowing them to spend less time in the numbers, more time in ministry, but understand their church finances in ways they’ve never had before. If you are looking to upgrade your accounting software (or start!) we can help you.

Please contact us at xero@baplink.org. au for more information.

Xero Are you looking for a new accounting program to manage your church or organisational finances? Baplink is now offering subscriptions to Xero for Queensland Baptist churches and affiliated organisations. Xero is beautiful accounting software that runs in the cloud, it makes managing the day-to-day finances of your church easy, accurate and up-to-date.

Baplink can login with you to help you out whenever you need us, and we will be offering face-to-face training throughout the state in the coming months. Since our presentation at RISE, we have had enormous interest

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we implement Ultracs and Xero at Baplink. We are excited about all we will be able to offer to churches in the coming months!

Robert Chapman, Baplink Manager robert.chapman@qb.org.au www.baplink.org.au

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We speak a lot about belief and believing in God, as individuals and as a community of faith, but we don’t often flip that truth around. One of the musicians in church recently had a word for the congregation.

Well, five words actually. They came to him during his working week, so he shared them: ‘My God believes in ME!’ I’d had a challenging week—more so than I’d realised. As I heard those words, a couple of surprising tears trickled slowly down my cheeks. I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t upset, but those five small words were so profound … and timely.

The great and awesome God of the universe, the God I trust and believe in, believes in me!

Now I’m sharing those five words with you.

—Ed.

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16

06/15

Milestones

Then God did what God does Ps Dave Tidey reports: A dream that began over eight years ago has come to an unexpected and exciting conclusion.

Yandina Baptist Church was planted in 1921, when it moved an old church building from Pomona to the present site. In 1955 this building was destroyed by a cyclone, and was soon replaced with a new building. In 1975, as the community grew, a small hall was purchased and transported from Bli Bli. In 1985, the church building was again extended.

In 2007, a dream was planted, and planning began to replace the current hall with a larger one. Committees were formed, surveys collected, plans drawn up, thrown away, redrawn and then submitted to council. Eventually, after much toing and froing, negotiation and discourse, the local council approved our plans and fundraising began.

However, during this process, many of the congregation said that they believed the new plans did not fulfil all the needs that the church had at present, let alone the future.

Then God did what God does‌.

The property next door unexpectedly came up for sale. It was a large industrial building which housed the local video shop at one end and light industrial businesses at the other. Our first thought was that it would be very expensive, and being a small church of approximately 50 members, our income was rarely making budget. We entered into prayer and started to investigate and negotiate.

With a belief in what we were being asked to do, accompanied by our own human fear and trembling, we went to discuss our plans with Queensland Baptists and Baplink. We had come to the decision that, if we sold our church house, included the cost of the

renovations, and added the money we had already raised, we would only be short around $150,000. We firmly believed God would provide the money we needed to purchase the building without debt.

But it’s hard to put onto paper what you believe will happen in faith. As it was rightly pointed out, we did not have the budget to repay a loan, and we could not guarantee that we could repay what was needed. However, even with these points of concern, both QB and Baplink encouraged and supported us in our endeavours.

We made an offer to buy the building for an amount we believed would be viable for us, and it was accepted. The paperwork was signed, with a lengthy settlement agreed upon that suited both the owners and occupants of the building, as well as our own need to plan for the massive job ahead. As a church who has strong ties to the local

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community, it was important for us that people saw the church working with, and respecting, the local people involved.

About six months later, it was with excitement and praise that we took ownership of the property with no debt.

God supplied the money we needed through the generosity of his people, and through ways and means we will never comprehend.

We then began the process of planning and renovation. With the help of many of the church people, support from some local tradies and God going before us, the building took shape into an incredible resource that will serve this community for many years to come.

Currently the renovations are almost paid for with a small debt yet to be repaid.

During the process of rebuilding the new facility, we also realised the old hall

Milestones

(delivered to the site in 1975) needed a lot of work and some members took on its renovation, with money coming in through garage sales and individual donations. ‘The Tea Room’, the hall’s new name, is now a fully functioning meeting/food area with air conditioning, full kitchen and TV for presentations/ teaching.

The outcome of all this hard work has been a new name and logo (YB), a renovated hall (The Tea Room), and a new facility (Connections) with offices, a men’s shed and a large air-conditioned activities area for our ministries and community projects. This space has become its name—a place where we can connect with our community. All of this because of a faithful God and a faithful congregation.

On 18 and 19 April, we celebrated an ‘opening the new and re-opening the existing’ of our entire property. On Saturday we had an open day where the

17

public could come and see what had been done to their old video shop. The day included a jumping castle, a Monster Truck, art demonstrations, playgroup activities and cheap food. On Sunday, QB Superintendent, David Loder, shared at our service where we celebrated God’s provision and dedicated the building to his work, committing to take our hands, plans and sense of ownership off it and asking him to guide and lead us as we reach out to those in our community.

Pictured top left - bottom right: Renovation shot, New building being brought in 1955, Pastor Dave and Janelle Tidey in front of photo story wall, Official opening, The new building

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06/15

Knowing God

QUEENSLAND BAPTISTS 2015 THEME

KNOWING GOD DISCIPLESHIP PART THREE

‘Him we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature (full-grown, fully initiated, complete, and perfect) in Christ (the Anointed One). For this I labour [unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me’ (Colossians 1:28-29 Amplified).

We have a clear understanding of the need for discipleship, but why?

What is the purpose, goal or outcome of discipleship? The Bible clearly states that Christianity is about life transformation. Most Christians will be able to recite several verses (or at least be familiar with them) that have to do with a changed life. But not only does the Bible teach this, most Christians can testify to the changed life that has happened for them since coming to faith in Christ. Even the world observes or at least expects Christians to be different. But why should they be different, and in what way?

The above verses talk about being mature or complete in Christ.

Elsewhere (for example Ephesians 4:14-15), it talks about becoming like Christ. So life changes are normal for the Christian. This is not about rules and regulations and do’s and don’ts in the commonly held ideas about rules. Yet in another sense, it is. Every love relationship has its ‘rules’. When I love someone, I learn their likes and dislikes.

I know what they appreciate and what hurts. As I get to know them more and more, I apply these ‘rules’ so that I please them, and live in harmony. For someone I admire, I even desire to become like them.

So these have their application in my relationship with Christ, in terms of behaviour.

What behaviours are important? Some are universal, both in time and place. The Bible is clear on some do’s and don’ts. Others are not so clear and may vary from Christian to Christian. We need to have a sense of clarity about these differences. Why is it OK (or not OK) for me to behave in one setting but not appropriate for others? Am I pleasing myself or do I have a genuine freedom to (or not to), before

God, regarding this behaviour? I am not free to do whatever pleases me!

But there are character changes that take place as well. These are not so much self effort but changes that Christ makes in me through his indwelling Spirit. Character changes are not a matter of discipline, but of transformation.

These changes can be likened to tending a plant. I create conditions for growth—water, fertiliser, weeding etc, but God grows the plant. In the same way, in my life I can create conditions for growth—reading the Bible, prayer, fellowship, service, etc, but God does the actual growing and transforming from within.

In all, change is a cooperative effort between the Spirit and us. God will do his part; we need to do ours. So where does the idea of ‘rules’ come in? Sometimes it is a lack of understanding. It might be straight legalism or facade of some sort. The reasons may be many.

Genuine life transformation is an outcome of good discipleship. Note Paul’s words: preach, proclaim, warn, admonish, instruct! Note the undergirding requirement—wisdom. This is not a free-for-all approach, but one done carefully and relationally. And it is not easy.

Paul labours to the point of weariness in his efforts. Good counsel for us all … but it is well worth the effort!

David Loder david.loder@qb.org.au

qb.org.au

Rise

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‘A well organised convention. One that will be remembered and referred to for a long time yet! Well done QB team!’

Let us go from here ‘…but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here’ (John 14:31 ESV).

Podcasts and videos from RISE are available for download on the QB events website: http://events.qb.org.au Go to RISE: QB Convention 2015/Media

RISE: QB Convention 2015 provided a great opportunity for people to take some time away from the day-to-day: to refresh, catch up with peers, learn, pray, draw closer to God … then RISE to ‘go from here’. QCCC at Mapleton is a great venue for drawing aside— especially for those who were able to stay either on the QCCC campus or close by in the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Here are some ‘bouquets’ received from attendees:

RISE included the QB Pastors’ & Spouses’ Retreat, including the annual P&S Appreciation Dinner, and QB Leadership Day on Friday 10 April, attended by 244 adults and 51 children.

We were delighted to welcome Pastor Edmund Chan and his wife, Ann, as guest speakers. Their ministry was timely and God-inspired.

‘One of the most valuable aspects of the convention was the time spent in networking with other pastors and their spouses.’

‘I was only there for Leadership Day but found it really encouraging and wish I had been able to be at all sessions. Top event.’

‘I came away encouraged by the uplifting spirit of the week, the prayer times in meetings, both programmed and spontaneous, and the positive Business day on Friday.’

‘Best QB Conference I’ve attended to date!’

About Edmund and Ann Chan: ‘Gidday my name is Chris Ganter. I have been a pastor now for 36 years.

I am a servant leader to a wonderful church called Rockhampton Baptist Church. I have the amazing privilege to minister with two highly skilled pastors as we serve the Lord with great joy together. I am only three years out from retirement, yet I still have so much to learn about our wonderful God. Brother Edmund has taught us some new things about the Lord as he spoke at Baptist Convention this year. He reminded us of timeless truths through helping us see those timeless truths from a different perspective. We have had our hearts and souls soar once more in jaw-dropping awe as we have seen again the Lord, high and lifted up. We have been challenged to serve with passion, humility and courage. To all this we respond with deep thanks to our Father who is in heaven.

What a mighty God we serve.’

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Rise

‘(Edmund) helped me to reinforce what is the essence of my ministry.’

06/15

qb.org.au

Rise ‘Absolutely brilliant! Made a huge impact on my walk with God and ministry going forward. Bought several of his (Edmund’s) books , which I’m currently reading.’

‘I really enjoyed the Chans’ ministry and teaching. They were very helpful and encouraging to me in my spiritual growth.’

‘They really helped my spiritual growth and strengthened the strong focus of Queensland Baptists for Discipleship.’ ‘(Edmund is a) humble man of God. God touched me in a big way, I came home changed.’

‘We need more speakers like Edmund and Ann Chan speaking the truth in love, relevant and practical and timely.

Keep up the great work you are all doing and thank you for ministering to us, we really appreciate all of you.’

Sincere thanks to everyone who worked hard to make RISE an excellent event, including all the staff at QCCC. Special thanks to John and Jo Stotschek who cared for the small children (to age seven) throughout the event. They see conducting the children’s program as their special ministry to the children … and their parents.

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DATE CLAIMER: QB CONVENTION 2016 Tuesday 5 April – Friday 8 April 2016 Guest speaker, Dr Gary Nelson, President and Vice Chancellor at Tyndale College & Seminary, Ontario, Canada.

Dr Nelson is a published author, dynamic speaker and recognised Christian leader in Canada and around the world.

Prior to becoming president of Tyndale, Dr. Nelson served for 10 years as General Secretary of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM), the national and global working arm of Canadian Baptists. During those years, CBM experienced striking capacity growth, expanding the organisation’s global impact in the areas of leadership development, theological education, sustainable community development and the development of key educational resources for congregations across Canada.

Gary will be joined by his wife, Carla.

Visit http://events.qb.org.au to stay up-to-date with information as it becomes available.

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Rise

‘Edmund was inspirational. I felt fed and strengthened through his inspired teachings.’

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qb.org.au

Rise

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QB kids and their families

06/15

Playing for keeps Recently I was in the USA, specifically Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennesee for a children’s ministry conference called CM CONNECT conference (check out CM Connect at cmconnect.org). It became abundantly clear to me that God was calling us to prioritise reaching families, specifically parents, to help them disciple their children.

Sunday school teachers (or kids church ministry leaders) have, on average, 1−2 hours a week with our kids. Families have the rest. A lot can happen in a week. Here’s a quote from my favourite book at the moment, Playing for Keeps

by Reggie Joiner & Kristen Ivy. ‘Several years ago, we handed out jars of marbles to parents and to leaders who work with kids and teenagers. There were 936 marbles in each jar. 936 is the estimated number of weeks between birth and high school graduation.

Parents and leaders were challenged to reduce the number of marbles in the jar to match the actual number of weeks they had left with each child. Then they were given a simple assignment: Remove one marble each week. Over time, the practice of losing marbles had a strange effect. It reminded them to value their time. It made each week matter a little more. It reinforced a simple principle: When you see how much time you have left, you tend to do more with the time you have now.’

What are we doing with the time we have now? The reality is, children have a ‘best before’ date. There comes a time when a child is no longer a child. And research indicates that once a child hits that date, they are no longer as open to the Gospel. 43% of all Americans who are Christians made a decision to become a Christian before the age of 13, and 64% made the decision before the age of 18. Nine out of ten church leaders

became Christians before they were 18.

Evangelism is most effective amongst kids (check out this article: https:// www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5barna-update/196-evangelism-is-mosteffective-among-kids#.VUmdsFwRrVp).

It is true that whatever we learn as a child affects us into adulthood: the good and the bad. Things we are intentional about teaching children, and things we aren’t. Our time is precious, and short.

So are we going to relinquish the time we have to teach them about the Gospel and rely only on the measly one hour a week that their Sunday School teachers have? (Note: Sunday school teachers totally rock for dedicating their time and energy into this one hour, and if you see a Sunday school teacher, you should definitely hug them, or highfive them, or whatever is appropriate according to your child safety policy.

Just appreciate them!)

qb.org.au

QB kids and their families

Start here. Start now. And if you want to know more, email qbkids@qb.org.au

‘The point is, if you are investing in a kid or teenager, you are already making history every week. The problem is, when you’re making history, you usually don’t know it … Let’s think about it another way. Most kids don’t know what you’re doing this week is going to be a formative part of their history.

They are just kids. They only see “now”. To them you just ... built a sandcastle. Took them to swim lessons. Played basketball in the driveway. Saw a movie. Ate some pizza … But you are an adult. You see yesterday, today and tomorrow.

So you should know better. You should realise by being present in their life week after week in a variety of different ways, you are actually making HISTORY.’ The QB Kids and their Families team is passionate about awakening parents and church leaders to their calling to impact children for the Gospel. We are passionate about not just running ‘Sunday School’ programs (seriously, who wants to be at school on a Sunday?) but reaching our young people, who are the most receptive to the Gospel, for the Gospel. We want to raise a generation who know the importance of life-long faith, not just church attendance.

So we need to equip families to disciple their kids. And we want to help you do that. Here is a really great list of places you can start to learn more about equipping families to be Gospel-centred in their homes. To be investing time into making history; to disciple their kids in the short time they have, so that ‘when they are old they will not depart from it’ (Proverbs 22:6).

Two books you can read: • Playing For Keeps by Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy: orangebooks.com/ books/playing-for-keeps-losingyour-marbles • Parenting Beyond Your Capacity: www.koorong.com/search/ product/parenting-beyond-yourcapacity-reggie-joiner-careynieuwhof/9781434764812.jhtml Or access these helpful resources: • Thriving Family: www.thrivingfamily.com • Australian Christian Lobby: www.acl.org.au/issues/family/ • Focus on the Family: www. focusonthefamily.com/parenting • Drive Faith Home: www.drivefaithhome.com • The Parent Cue: theparentcue.org

• • • • •

• •

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McCrindle Research: www.mccrindle.com.au HomeFront Magazine (A Spiritual Parenting Resource): homefrontmag.com Parenting with Veggietales: www. clubhousejr.com/veggietales/ It Starts At Home: www.itstartsathome.org Spritual Parenting (and other books by Michelle Anthony): www.michelleanthony.org/ books/?view=mobile Here2Stay: here2stay.org.au Splink 5 minute family devotions: http://d6family.com/splink/

Sally Contessi Team Leader, QB Kids & their families qbkids@qb.org.au http://kids.qb.org.au/ sally.contessi@qb.org.au

‘Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides’ (James 1: 2 TM) Obstacles can become stepping-stones to finding God’s peace. The brook would lose its song if we took the stones away.

Imelda Gilmore [gilmore.imelda@gmail.com]

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QCCC

06/15

Moving towards 2045 A couple of years ago QCCC Mapleton enjoyed its 30th year celebrations. In 1983 it was constructed as a family holiday centre and church campsite, with school bookings prominent, but not dominant.

QCCC Tamborine has been in the Baptist family since 1971 (as long as I’ve been on earth) and was purchased through donations of a church youth group who wanted a place to ‘have Christian fellowship with one another’ and also to participate in the various events of the neighbouring Mount Tamborine Convention. QCCC Brookfield was built in the early 1970s and for 30 years helped train a generation of pastors as the Queensland Baptist Theological College.

The diligent servants of the Kingdom who planned and built these sites, decades ago, could never have envisaged what they are today. If the focus of QCCC Mapleton and Tamborine hadn’t changed radically over the years, they probably wouldn’t exist today. When Malyon ceased to be a residential College, QCCC Brookfield became a neat fit to the existing infrastructure.

Camping ministries which have been responsive and adaptable to industry change remain viable. They continue to provide excellent opportunities for evangelism and discipleship to people not often reached by congregational church, in innovative and impacting ways not found within the four walls of church buildings. QCCC’s remaining sites have successfully negotiated the transition and have a solid foundation to be an effective witness into the future.

The challenge for the senior leaders in QCCC is to envisage what QCCC will look like and how it will remain relevant and viable 30 years from now. Here are a few ways we envisage the landscape will change, and our response to meet it.

The growth of international bookings as ‘inbound mission’: Domestic school camping programs will remain important to Australia’s curriculum, evidenced by the growing trend

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away from classroom learning by rote into innovation and tactile teaching methods. However domestic demand will likely be dwarfed by the growing demand generated by the rise of Asia in the global economy. Queensland’s natural assets, safety and certainty and proximity to Asia mean it will become the destination of choice for schools from throughout the region. The potential is mind-boggling. The growth of English-speaking international schools in the Asian region alone over the next ten years will result in an increase from 7,200 schools (catering to 3.7 million students) to 12,000 schools (catering to 6.9 million students). Compare this to Queensland’s total current population of 4.75 million.

Australia is the largest nation with a Judeo-Christian heritage in the region. Just as the focus and viability of Christian camping has remarkably changed in the last three decades, the next three decades could see a profound growth in a new methodology of Christian mission, particularly to nations in Asia without a JudeoChristian background. Western missions have had an ‘outbound’ focus of ‘sending’ people to exercise both the Great Commission and Great Commandment mandates in ‘non-Christian’ areas. Properly resourced, QCCC will become an ‘inbound’ mission, inviting people from throughout the Asian region to visit and participate in a Christian community, equally fulfilling all three Mandates of Christian Witness (1 Peter 2:12) with flexibility, dignity and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

Expeditions and ‘soft-top’ camping: QCCC is well equipped with ‘hardtop’ camping options—we have 750 beds under rooves at our various sites.

However, schools are clamouring for tent-camping and expeditions formats and it is this area where QCCC is

QCCC

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camping are excluded. However, work and social pressures have all combined to make traditional church camping programs harder to organise and afford.

QCCC plans to flip church camping on its head by partnering with Mission to Queensland to create ‘camping churches’.

The Camping Church will be a simple style of attractional church focused on hospitality, service and teaching, primarily aimed at families who have disconnected from traditional church methodologies.

Internships:

beginning to offer new services. ‘Softtop’ (tenting) options could be offered at existing sites (especially Tamborine) and could also become the focus of any additional sites for QCCC. QCCC Expeditions has engaged several significant clients in the last 18 months with several more large schools coming online in 2016.

Expeditions are conducted all over South East Queensland and Northern NSW and the journey format is great to maximise ministry time with kids.

Some schools are partnering with QCCC to incorporate a spiritual formation component throughout their Expeditions programs.

New ways of doing church: The 2011 National Church Life Survey helped to establish the importance of camping programs in congregational development. Camps ranked fifth in terms of people coming to faith with the four ranked above it being programs which use camping as a significant platform for evangelistic proclamation too. Half of Christians surveyed said camp was very important to their first faith commitment/conversion while 57% suggested camping strengthened their faith. This figure becomes much higher once people who hadn’t accessed

All of the vision for mission and evangelism within QCCC’s growth areas will require staff with the skills required to do their job and a solid grounding in a rigorous Christian worldview. To achieve this, QCCC will be launching an internship program to guarantee a reliable pipeline of quality Christian staff. The internship program is QCCC’s response to QB’s vision for discipleship effort, with Christian Worldview studies a compulsory component of the program.

Eventually interns will have the option to specialise in particular areas of ministry including outdoor education, hospitality, trades and event management.

Help needed: None of these ministry initiatives come cheap. If you’d like to assist QCCC financially, or with prayer, please contact me for more information.

Andrew Grant Director of Queensland Conference and Camping Centres andrew.grant@ qccc.com.au www.qccc.com.au

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06/15

QB women

Created with incredible loving care A long haul flight is never an experience to enjoy, but rather one to endure. In the early dawn light of 6 March, after 20+ hours on a plane, I was treated to one of the most breathtaking sights I’ve ever seen out of a plane window.

We were on our way to New York to attend the United Nations’ 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) and flying over the vast emptiness of Alaska. My breath was taken away as I saw, from that bird’s eye view, the incredible beauty of this strange ice-crusted land. I could see, as I imagined God would see when he created this wonder, a beautiful, peaceful land of possibility.

Noisy … Busy … Cold … Exciting …

Adventurous. It’s another very different land of infinite possibility. New York was a far cry from the peaceful view of Alaska. Attending the United Nations’ CSW59 to represent the Baptist Women of Queensland and the South-West Pacific was an incredible honour. To hear stories and gain a wider picture of what life is like for women around the world was a privilege and eye-opening.

Although I think it will take time to fully understand how this once-ina-lifetime experience will unfold, I can already see how it is shaping my thoughts and planning. My top three ‘take aways’ from the experience are these: 1. The importance of story. When we hear the stories of another we connect with them. It was by hearing the story of a nun rescued from torture in South America, and understanding the compassion and forgiveness she was able to extend to her captors, that I connected with her. I thought about the people who had wronged me and was I willing to forgive them as she had done.

I was touched when a woman shared her story of escaping from a human trafficking ring in the mid-west of America. I was struck with the thought, ‘She’s just like me’; that her story, could be my story.

When we share our stories we have a moment when many of the self-enforced barriers we keep between us come down.

We can see ourselves in another and feel compassion and empathy. To share our stories takes bravery and courage, but I believe God uses these stories to bring honour and glory to himself. My story is one of girl rescued from a black hole of depression to one of redemption by the hero who loves me eternally. We connect across our stories.

2. The importance of girls. The education, empowerment and visibility of girls in our world is vital for long-term change in seeing gender equality. When you improve a girl’s life through education, health, safety and opportunity, these changes have a positive ripple effect. As an educated mother, an active, productive citizen and a prepared employee, she is the most influential force in her community to break the cycle of poverty. It has been shown that an educated girl will reinvest 90 per cent of her future income in her family, compared with 35 per cent for a boy. And yet 250 million adolescent girls live in poverty and are more likely than boys to be uneducated, married at a young age, and exposed to HIV/ AIDS. As long as girls remain invisible, the world misses out on a tremendous opportunity for change.

This is a challenge to how we value the girls in our church communities. Do we allow them a voice to share their creativity and enthusiasm? Do we listen to their concerns and fears? Do we want to hear about their faith experiences and how they understand God’s love?

Do we give them space and resources to explore their passion for social justice?

Are we hindering or empowering them to contribute to our churches?

3. The importance of men in gender equality. For true gender equality to be reached within our society (and our churches), it will be because men stood up and declared it needed to happen.

Over and over again stories were heard of how women are not valued the same as men. How they are underpaid, over worked and frequently treated only as objects for sexual pleasure. The worth of a woman is not confined to her body but instead it is valued in how much her God loves her. And he loved her enough to die for her.

Queensland Baptist Women Team member, Pastor Darryl Peters, has launched the #heis4sheis social media campaign to raise awareness on how we treat women within our churches.

Posters with statements of equality and belief can be downloaded from www.sheis.net.au/heis4sheis and then photographed and uploaded to social media with the hashtag #heis4sheis. True change will begin when awareness is achieved.

My time in New York was a whirlwind of adventure and excitement. I’ll always remember seeing the impressive Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Madison Square Garden and the poignant 9/11 memorial, for its bucket list moment. But it is the challenges to my understanding of the world, and the role women have within it, that has been embedded in my heart that will affect me the most. I also understand better that God created his daughters with incredible loving care and that his dreams for them are beyond our wildest imagination.

Sue Peters Director, QB Women, Director, Australian Baptist Women, President, Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific www.sheis.net.au www.sheisleading.com admin@sheis.net.au

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The voice

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Spread the word!

Do you pass on your copy of The qb after you’ve read it?

Why not extend its reach and pass it on to a friend, take it when you visit someone, or leave it where it might be picked up and read.

Or order extra copies to add to your welcome packs for visitors to your church.

It’s a great resource for demonstrating what being a part of Queensland Baptists is all about.

And if you have friends or acquaintances overseas, don’t forget they can read The qb online at qb.org.au/news-media/

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QB youth

When asked about his personal passion, Aaron said that we wants to see Christians united and he has a slogan that he often uses to remind himself: ‘comm[unity]’. He aims to build community wherever he goes so that as Christians, we are ‘all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:28).

As to his role as QB Youth & Young Adults’ Ministry Team Leader, Aaron wants to use SENSE: he wants to support, encourage, network, strategise and engage (in their contexts) with QB youth and their leaders.

Welcome!

Welcome to Aaron Fozzard, who has commenced as QB Youth & Young Adults’ Ministry Team Leader.

Alongside his role with QB Youth, Aaron is the Associate Pastor for Youth at Crosslife—a Baptist Church (Helensvale). He has been active in youth ministry for the past decade, and has experience in music, drama, RE concerts, life groups, preaching, and discipleship.

During those years, he learned a lot … and he’s quick to add that he’s still learning. He built his knowledge about how to lead, and what being a leader looks like, he’s a better preacher and he increased his skills in leading

On the home front, Aaron and his wife, Nikki, will celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary this year. The couple has a son, Ezra. Aaron can be contacted via aaron.fozzard@qb.org.au or phone 0404 101 574.

music, and teaching others how to lead. He’s also learned that he has what it takes to persevere through difficult circumstances.

Aaron says he ‘did a runner’ from God straight out of school; he chased money instead of taking the path to follow Jesus that he knew was right for him. A phone call from a mate at church changed things; he was offered a job in construction where he worked for three years. Then he knew it was time to get really serious about ministry when his wife Nikki said so, so it was off to Malyon where he graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Ministry (BMin). Aaron is looking forward to returning to study at some point to complete his Master of Arts (MA) in Ministry or Theology.

developing Christians of influence Degrees in theology and ministry Bachelor | Masters | Doctoral

‘Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding’ (Jeremiah 3.15).

www.malyon.edu.au

qb.org.au Celebrating a decade of Church expansion

The 1860s was a decade of energetic outreach and church planting for Baptists in the newly independent colony of Queensland.

Annerley/Fairfield Thanks to this effort, the present day Annerley Baptist Church is celebrating its 150th anniversary later this year. The story begins in 1865 with a wooden building seating 100 erected near the present day Fairfield Railway Station. It was situated on a rise overlooking market gardens and farms opposite Five Mile Rocks in the Brisbane River. Opened at Christmas, the building cost £200 and was free of debt due to a vigorous appeal by the chairman of proceedings, Rev. William Moore. On Boxing Day, there was another opening service and a big lunch attended by about 170 people who enjoyed free transport from the city.

Services and a Sunday school had been held in local homes for some time prior to the erection of the building. The work was pioneered by the Grimes family, one of the leading names in Baptist circles and in the wider business and political community. Later, the fellowship was associated with the South Brisbane church (now Church@TheGabba) and then with the Baptist Union Home Mission, before becoming a thriving independent church.

It relocated to its present position in Annerley Road in 1934. About 10 years later, another church was established in the Fairfield district, which was growing again (this church is now the Fairfield Community Church after another relocation because of the 1974 flood).

Oxley Creek Some of the churches established during the 1860s did not survive. One was at Graceville, near Tennyson, at the junction of Oxley Creek and the Brisbane River, on donated land now spanned by Pamphlett Bridge. It was opened on Sunday 22 May 1864, with another dedication service on Queen’s Birthday, 24 May. The building cost £85, but there was still a £10 debt at the opening, which was once again chaired by Rev. William Moore and attended by a large crowd.

At the first anniversary celebrated on 16 June 1865, four boats left Turbot Street ferry in the city to transport visitors to

QB archives the site, but even then, it was necessary for the men to walk along the banks of the river to allow space on the boats for the women and children.

At the church, there was entertainment including cricket and swings. With a crowd of more than 120, the meal had to be served in several sittings and the service itself was moved outdoors.

A special collection cleared the debt. The building was used by many different denominations, especially the Presbyterians, for some years, but with changes in the population, establishment of other churches, and difficulties of obtaining regular preachers, the work closed.

Edward Street Baptist Church

This year is also the 150th anniversary of another church which, although only short lived, became quite influential and lived for several years in another guise.

Following a major dispute in the Wharf Street church in 1864, many members left and in April 1865 formed a new church. They erected a building in Edward Street (designed by the Baptist architect, Richard Gailey) at a cost of £330, which was opened on 23 Jan 1866. Only three years later, it was sold to the Free Church of England, and then the Church of England Diocese used it as its Synod Hall. The building appears to have been demolished to make way for the railway from Roma Street to Central. After vacating the building, many of the Baptists formed another church, meeting in a new chapel in Fortescue St, Spring Hill, also designed by Gailey. This fellowship lasted until 1885, after which its building was relocated to Nundah where it remains to this day. There were several other fellowships, some with their own buildings, around the Brisbane area. The minister of Wharf St, Rev B G Wilson, was originally responsible for much of this growth. He had a powerful sense of call to evangelising Queensland—perhaps sometimes to the detriment of his home church. But he was assisted by many others who carried out much of the regular work

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Edward St Brisbane, ca 1872: Edward St Baptist Church—right foreground

of establishing and maintaining these preaching places, which also included, at various times, the Boggo district, German Station/Nundah, Bulimba, Pimpama and later Enoggera. Some of these works were taken over by the Edward St/Fortescue St church.

One of the most effective and faithful of these assistants was Rev. William Moore, who was the first pastor of the Petrie Terrace and Rosalie churches. He also helped set up the church in Toowoomba, and was a tireless worker at the preaching stations around Brisbane. Much of his work was in the nature of ‘helping out where needed’. For example, he assisted in the early years at Taringa by conducting monthly communion services over a few years in the 1890s when he was in his seventies. This was a great period of growth but it was inevitable there would be some settling down in time. It is clear that the Baptists of this period, though small in number and without much property or finance, were determined to do what they could to extend the Kingdom of God in any way possible.

Baptist Church Archives archives@qb.org.au, Ph 07 3878 3178, 07 3354 5642 or 07 3256 8897 The Baptist Archives PO Box 6166, Mitchelton Q 4053

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06/15

Malyon

We need MALYON now, more than ever The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, ‘When evening comes, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,” and in the morning, “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast”. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times (Matthew 16:2-4).

Australia has changed a lot since Malyon opened its doors in 1904.

And the impact of church on society has changed a lot, too. Today we live in the wake of all the changes our nation has been through, including all the crises of the last two decades— climate change, financial meltdown, global conflicts, terrorism, and a deliberate move away from the traditional values and beliefs which united previous generations.

I’ve always been interested in the observations of Christian cultural

commentator Mark Sayers, and most recently enjoyed listening to him at neoLeder 2015. Mark suggests that the reality of ‘the times’ we live in is that: • The media blends what is real and what is fiction so that there is no clear distinction where one ends and the other begins. It presents us with fake or unattainable things as reality, to be emulated • The path to self-fulfilment is culturally defined as collecting experiences • The prevalence and influence of social media means that we use others as mirrors to get a sense of self, constructing our own identity based on the constructed identities of others • There is serious resistance to making a commitment to any person, thing, time or place in case something or someone better comes along.

It’s hard for Christians to resist the pull to participate unthinkingly in our culture. It really is. In fact, we do it all the time. But we are called to do exactly the opposite: ‘So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you’ (Romans 12:1-2 MSG).

But, as Mark and other commentators such as Tim Keller point out, the

qb.org.au

Malyon

paradox of the ‘the times’ we live in is that it is also characterised by: • A growing interest in the inexplicable, the unspeakable, that which cannot be explained by rationality • A renewed search for optimism and sincerity • A growing collective desire for change • An overt search for meaning and authenticity in the daily acts of living • A yearning for community and deep friendship.

We live in a time when we are both looking backwards and looking

forwards. This is a key time for Malyon to play its role in equipping God’s people for the ‘the times’ we live in.

It’s also imperative that Christians understand ‘the times’ and know how to live for God within them.

At Malyon we would love to help equip you to do this. Our vision is to help our students grow as people who can influence others in a biblical way. Our graduates these days don’t just work in churches. In fact, we have graduates working and serving God in just about every area of life you can imagine—in schools, the arts, graphic design, the army, engineering offices, the Royal Australian Flying Doctors, law firms, businesses, churches, not-

33

for-profit organisations, on overseas missions, in accountancy practices, in family homes or teaching classes. These days, Malyon is for anyone who wants to know God more deeply and serve him more effectively, wherever God has placed them.

Look out for new courses available in 2016.

Enrolments for Semester 2 at Malyon are now open. Go to www.malyon.edu.au for more information.

Eustacia Yates Communications Manager | Malyon

Some Key Options @ Malyon...

What are the Who can study? study options?

Diploma of >> Ministry OR Theology Bachelor of >> Ministry OR Theology OR Christian Studies Graduate Certificate of Divinity Graduate Diploma of Divinity Master of Divinity

Master of Arts >> Ministry OR Theology Master of Theology Doctor of Ministry

Why would I study this?

How long will it take?

Anyone who has completed yr 12 with minimum OP 15 (or equivalent) Anyone who has completed yr 12 with minimum OP 15 (or equivalent)

A one year course giving you the basics of the Christian message, with an emphasis on practical application of Christian thinking to contemporary world issues.

A foundation course for training in church leadership, pastoral ministry, chaplaincy, overseas missions.

1 year full-time or Up to 4 yrs part-time

Bachelor Degree in any field of study

A short course giving you an overview of the Christian story and how Christianity explains and answers key issues of our modern life.

Complement your existing qualification with this one year course which facilitates Biblical thinking about your every day work and life.

Lean how to think Biblically about the elements of everyday life. Develop your Christian world view so that you can effectively serve God in your homes and secular workplaces.

A specialised course for practitioners in ministry or theology who already have some professional experience or are seeking initial professional development.

A research degree for theology graduates who are already engaged in the ministerial profession and aspire to teach in theological colleges.

6 months full-time or Up to 2 yrs part-time

Bachelor Degree in any field of study Bachelor Degree in any field of study

Bachelor of Ministry or Bachelor of Theology

Bachelor of Theology

Contact info@malyon.edu.au for more information.

See http://www.metamodernism.com/2015/04/02/oscillating-towards-the-sublime-2/

3 years full-time or Up to 9 yrs part-time

1 year full-time or Up to 4 yrs part-time 3 years full-time or Up to 9 yrs part-time

2 years full-time or Up to 8 yrs part-time

2 years full-time or Up to 6 yrs part-time

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06/15

Malyon Workplace

Fruitfulness on the Frontline Malyon Workplace Director, Murray Wright, sends this update: Fruitfulness on the Frontline continues to flourish! When we posted this reflection from Pastor Sam Jackson (Toowoomba Community Baptist Church) on our Facebook site, we had the biggest response ever to a post. In case you missed it, here it is: ‘Something very simple had a profound impact on me recently. I had finished preaching [in the Fruitfulness on the Frontline series] about work—about making good work—about working as if you were working for Jesus (Colossians 3:23,24).

‘And I asked everyone to stand and to face the place that they would be at that same time (10:57am) tomorrow.

Literally 360 degrees—all parts of our city—were ‘faced.’ But it wasn’t that sight that impacted me most of all....

‘It was the realisation that these 250 people would encounter literally thousands of people in the next six days—people who would NEVER set foot in a church building. People who have little to no understanding of Jesus and his gospel. People who don’t own Bibles. People who don’t pray ... or do pray, but to no one in particular. People in desperate situations. People without hope.

‘Literally thousands of people.

‘People who I hoped would come one of these Sundays ... wait a minute!

‘You know how it is—you’ve planned, prepared, promoted, and prayed over those events and programs that you hoped would draw a crowd—I have too.

But this crowd you and I hope to draw is made up of the very same people YOUR people work alongside, live next door to, play on the same team with, sit in the same class as, and so on.

‘And as I stood there looking at this 360 degree outlook into our city, I realised I had two options.

One: continue with the planning, preparation, and promotion and pray that the crowd would come. Or two: focus my energy on equipping those who were standing—those who had the relationships with the crowd I longed to draw.’

Several of our QB churches are completing the Fruitfulness on the Frontline series. If you’d like more information, please contact Murray, 0406 766 240, info@malyonworkplace. org.au or visit http://malyonworkplace. org.au/ or https://www.facebook.com/ MalyonWorkplace Reprinted with permission.

qb.org.au

Persecution brief

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With the exception of foreigners, Christians in Yemen are forbidden from attending church. It is also illegal to evangelise, as Sharia law forbids Christians from sharing their faith and Muslims from converting.

So far, it appears that despite the circumstances, believers have continued to meet, refusing to be paralysed with fear. It is so important so that they can encourage one another and strengthen the community of Christians as they face persecution.

Source: Open Doors

Please pray!

SUDAN The trial of Rev. Yat Michael and Rev. Peter Reith, the South Sudanese clergymen facing six serious criminal charges, began on 19 May at the Khartoum Bahri Criminal Court in Khartoum.

MEXICO 15 April 2015: It was a joyful and historic day for a group of indigenous Mexican Christians living in Chiapas. Five years ago, 12 families were forced to leave their community because they had come to faith in Jesus Christ. Only now have they been able to reach an agreement with the local community and government, allowing them to return.

The clergymen are jointly charged with undermining the constitutional system (Article 50 of the Sudanese Penal Code); waging war against the state (Article 51); disclosure and receipt of official information or documents (Article 55); arousing feelings of discontent among regular forces (Article 62); breach of public peace (Article 69); and offences relating to insulting religious beliefs (Article125). Of the six charges, Articles 50 and 51 carry the death penalty or life imprisonment in the event of a guilty verdict.

For this group of Christians, their return is a milestone which has brought them much joy. One told an Open Doors’ worker, ‘We have confidence that, despite all the pending uncertainties about our return, God is faithful and he will continue to help us and our community to get along’.

The local community had been persecuting this group, by denying them electricity, water and handing down a fine for rejecting the Roman Catholic faith. Persecution intensified when the community decided to send the families away, and for five years they lived in another town. Throughout this period, they never stopped fighting for their rights, and thankfully the group was finally able to return home.

Unfortunately this group’s experience is not unique for indigenous Christians living in Chiapas. Many Christians are persecuted by their local communities who often demand that everyone follow the cultural religious tradition of Roman Catholicism mixed with mysticism.

YEMEN For years, many factional groups in Yemen have spread terror and fear. But recently the country of Yemen seems to have become a new Sunni-Shia battle ground, with both Iran (Shia Islam) and Saudi Arabia (Wahhabi, a branch of Sunni Islam) openly fighting on Yemeni territory.

While this may be an oversimplification of the conflict, the multiple sides warring in Yemen are causing widespread devastation. This is not helped by the fact that Yemen is the poorest country on the Arab Peninsula with 45 percent of the population living below the international poverty line (USD $1.25/day). The suffering caused by this most recent conflict has made an already difficult situation for Christians even worse.

Rev. Yat Michael has been in detention since 14 December 2014, while Rev. Peter Reith has been detained since 11 January 2015. The National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) detained both men without charges or access to a lawyer or their families until 1 March 2015. The men were then transferred to the custody of the Attorney General, where they were given access to legal representation and family visits.

Rev. Yat Michael was arrested shortly after making a speech at the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SEPC) Khartoum Bahri congregation. The church has been in a land dispute with private investors who are being supported by the government.

At the time of his arrest, NISS agents reportedly stated that they were offended by Rev. Michael’s speech encouraging the church to continue standing firm through the trials they were experiencing. At the opening of the trial on 19 May, the prosecutor played a video of Rev. Yat Michael’s speech at the Khartoum Bahri Church, confirming that NISS agents were filming church services during the land dispute.

The Sudanese authorities have also attempted to illegally sell other properties belonging to the SEPC. In December 2014, lawyers lodged a constitutional appeal after the Ministry of Justice issued a one week eviction notice to the church’s tenants. The chairman of the SEPC council responsible for church buildings and land, Rafat Obid, has faced a campaign of harassment by the NISS as a result of his work on the committee.

The severe charges levelled against Rev. Michael and Rev. Reith are the latest development in a series of repressive official actions targeting Christians in Sudan.

Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

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06/15

Global interaction

Journey to the Silk Road Ben, Petra, Bryce and Lachlan are candidates with Global Interaction.

They are currently preparing to head to the Silk Road and will hopefully be there by September this year. Here they share a bit about their journey so far.

Since 2012, Apple has released five different kinds of iPhone, Gangnam Style (a song performed by a Korean popstar) has come and gone, and Petra and I have been candidates with Global Interaction preparing to serve with the team on the Silk Road.

Through just over three years of preparation, we have experienced all kinds of emotions: excitement, exhaustion, encouragement and gratefulness.

We have felt excited. It’s exciting to be invited by God to share in his work

on the Silk Road. It’s exciting to be able to share with different churches about our passion for the Silk Road, and to see people respond.

We have felt exhausted. We committed to three years of Bible college and have no regrets; but it was an exhausting process. We also have two young boys (Bryce is 3, Lachie is 1) and it takes a monumental amount of effort to get ready to share with churches. This does take its toll on our energy levels.

We have felt encouraged. It is incredibly encouraging to have people partner with us; whether this be people who have partnered with us financially or through prayer, we are encouraged.

Finally, we have come to appreciate the faithfulness of our great God even more. The last three years have not

been without their challenges; whether financial, health, or just general energy levels (with two boys in the house I’m sure many of you can appreciate this!).

However, God has, time and time again, provided for all of our needs and kept us going.

Three years down, many more to come.

We can’t wait to get to the Silk Road and join in the work that is happening.

There will be many times of feeling excited, exhausted and encouraged in the future. But we have no doubt that God will continue to show his faithfulness to us and the K people on the Silk Road as well.

If you would like to receive our newsletter, please send us an email, Benjamin.magerl@gmail.com We also have a semi-regularly updated blog, http://benandpep.com qld@globalinteraction.org.au www.globalinteraction.org.au

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Carinity

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‘There are so many experiences that are just beyond description. I tend to express myself through poetry,’ Gordon said.

‘When people are at the end of their life’s journey, they want to share their most intimate details. To experience that kind of sharing with someone, outside of a relationship or family setting, is one of the most amazing things I have witnessed.’

Carinity Chaplaincy Coordinator, Don McPherson, said Gordon be very Aged Care would • Education • L much missed by the staff and patients at www.c the PA Hospital.

An outreach of Queensland Baptists

A new chapter begins For the majority of people, their 60s is when they look to retire. For Gordon Dobbin, it was when he embarked on a new path as a hospital chaplain. Twenty five years later, Gordon, a fixture at the PA Hospital in Brisbane, has recently retired at age 90. He was likely to be the oldest hospital chaplain in Queensland.

He doesn’t have any grand retirement plans, other than having the first coffee of the day with his wife, Heather, after years of getting up many hours before her.

It has been a long and sometimes difficult journey for Gordon, which started in 1986 when he underwent multiple surgical procedures. His family was repeatedly told his survival from these surgeries was unlikely. Beating all the odds, he was discharged from the PA hospital in April 1987.

‘After the miracle of surviving, I wanted to assist others, and I got the chance when the PA called me shortly after I was discharged, asking if I could assist someone who had the same diagnosis,’

Gordon said. ‘From there I started visiting ICU, M6 and surgical patients regularly.’

After seeing all the good he was doing at the PA, in 1990, Queensland Baptist Care (now Carinity) asked Gordon to officially become a hospital chaplain.

‘If you had asked me before the surgeries if I wanted to minister at a hospital, I would have said “no way”. I wanted to work with youth as I had always been an active person. But I have been blessed that the lord called me to ministry.’

The number of people Gordon has assisted over the last 25 years would be upwards of 80,000. That’s equivalent to ministering to every person in Rockhampton!

As a chaplain, Gordon worked seven days a week and public holidays, often ducking off to see a few people on Sunday mornings before attending church.

‘On behalf of the staff at Carinity, the PA, and the numerous patients and families who you have assisted over the past 25 years—thank you, Gordon, for dedicating your life to helping those in need,’ Don said. ‘Chaplains play an important role in the holistic wellbeing of hospital patients, staff, and their families. Many of Carinity’s chaplains, like Gordon Dobbin, are volunteers.’

For more information about Chaplaincy please visit www.carinity.org.au.

O, God my life I yield to Thee To use as you see fit Thanking you for the privilege Of ministering to the sick.

Lord Jesus let me like Thee be, Sensitive, loving, kind, With courage to do the father’s will With singleness of mind.

Holy Spirit indwell me, Each moment of every day So that as I minister to the sick I might know what to say.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Hear my earnest plea.

Keep me ever in Thy will That useful I might be.

Gordon Dobbin

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06/15

BWAA

Baptists work together after Nepal earthquake On 26 April, Australians woke to the news that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 had hit Nepal near the capital city of Kathmandu.

‘Baptist World Aid Australia is working with our integral alliance partners and three local Nepali partners to assess the situation on the ground and distributing shelter, hygiene kits and emergency items including tents, blankets, health kits and telecommunication equipment,’ Dan Skehan, Disaster Management Specialist, says. ‘Australian Baptists have been quick to respond to the terrible situation in Nepal. Funds donated to our Disaster Action Fund are having immediate impact for children and families affected by

the earthquake. It is a heartbreaking situation though, especially for our Nepali partners, United Mission Nepal (UMN), International Nepal Fellowship (INF) and Multipurpose Community Development Services (MCDS), who are dealing with their own personal situations of loss and grief.’

Please pray for families and communities affected by the earthquake in Nepal. Pray that lifesaving necessities and medical help will get to remote communities quickly. Please also pray for God’s comfort for those who have lost family members and loved ones, and for those who are in a state of shock about what has happened.

If you would like up-to-date information about what is happening on the ground in Nepal, please visit www.baptistworldaid.org.au

Nepali women hungry for change The enthusiastic response to the release of Baptist Word Aid’s latest Ethical Fashion Guide has shown that Aussies care how overseas garment workers are being treated. Making ethical shopping choices is a big step in the right direction—but what about workers trapped in other industries around the world?

In 2022, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup. The world will turn its eyes to this small but industrious nation, and Qatar is determined to present at its best. This has involved a massive upgrade to existing infrastructure, which has meant bringing in thousands of migrant workers from countries like Nepal.

What should have been an opportunity to earn good money to send home for families has turned into a workers’

qb.org.au nightmare. According to a report released in December, long shifts, extremely hot weather, forced and unpaid overtime as well as cramped and unsanitary living conditions has led to the terrible and largely unreported death rate in Qatar of one worker every two days!

A world away, one woman is doing everything she can to bring her husband home so he doesn’t become one of these tragic statistics.

Mansuba lives in a rural community in Nepal. Like many others in her village, she has little education and even less opportunity. Mansuba and her husband Hem started married life as subsistence farmers. In the good years, they would grow enough food to feed themselves and generate a small income selling surplus crops at the markets. In the lean years, they went without. Things changed for them after the birth of their son, Kudan. Without sufficient food or income, Mansuba realised his education and future were at risk. In desperation, Hem made the decision so many men from Nepal are forced to make—to leave his family and country to seek low paid labouring work abroad.

‘We would do anything to give our son the best education. We don’t want him to be like me or his father and to go to a foreign country to earn. If he has education and the right skills, he can do well in his own country,’ Mansuba recalls.

Once Hem left for Qatar, Mansuba was on her own and in a very vulnerable situation. When she heard about a women’s self-reliance group, started by Baptist World Aid Australia partner United Mission to Nepal (UMN), she was quick to sign up.

Through this group, Mansuba received two goats to start her own small business. She also received training on how to care for and raise them. With a small loan from the group, Mansuba purchased land and built a secure shed.

Within two years, and after much hard work, her two goats had grown to a flock of 26! The income meant Mansuba and her son were able to start

BWAA eating regularly and Kundan could remain in school. Mansuba says the ongoing support from UMN is crucial to her success.

‘The staff showed me how to protect the goats from disease. They assisted me when the animals got sick. If I hadn’t been in the group, I wouldn’t have got this confidence, enthusiasm and knowledge, which has made a big difference in my life.’

Now Mansuba is working towards another dream—bringing her husband home from Qatar.

Through hard work and the support of UMN, today Mansuba manages 66 goats—that’s a 33-fold multiplication of her initial flock! It is a wonderful story of success, which now generates enough income to allow her dream to become a reality. Mansuba is expecting her husband home from Qatar any day now. And it’s all thanks to the generosity of Australians who committed financially to say, ‘I believe in you!’ to some of the poorest families living anywhere in the world.

As Psalm 144:13 (NLT) says: ‘May our barns be filled with crops of every kind.

May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands.’

Those flocks of thousands may not be far off in Mansuba’s rural community in Nepal. While she waits for Hem, she is training others in goat-rearing and small business skills. She also contributes back into the savings pool so more women can take out loans and dream of bringing husbands, sons and fathers back from overseas. Together, these communities are working to break the poverty cycle before it can swallow yet another generation of children.

Investing God’s love into the lives of families like Mansuba’s has multiple impacts. Not only has Mansuba multiplied her goats for food and income, her son is receiving a good education and her husband can leave unsafe and lowly paid working conditions in Qatar and be reunited with his family.

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It’s Matching Grant time!

Don’t forget that gifts to the Matching Grant appeal before June 30 have up to six times the impact through accessing Government grants.

Will you pray for women like Mansuba around the world? Please also pray that Australian Baptists would once again get behind Baptist World Aid and give generously.

To make a gift to the Matching Grant Appeal, please call Baptist World Aid on 1300 789 991 or visit www. baptistworldaid.org.au.

In April, Baptist World Aid Australia released their latest ‘Behind the Barcode’ ethical shopping guide to international acclaim. The Australian Fashion Report examines 59 companies and 219 brands operating in Australia and provides an overall grade from A to F based on companies’ labour rights management systems and whether workers overseas are being paid a basic living wage.

‘We have been overwhelmed by the impact the release of the report has had in the media. Stories were picked up on TV, radio, and print and in online news across the country,’ said Gershon Nimbalker, Baptist World Aid Advocacy Manager.

‘In the first week alone, we had over 2,000 people download the Ethical Fashion Guide. This means thousands more consumers have been empowered to purchase clothes from companies that treat their workers ethically.’

Timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,100 workers, the Australian Fashion Report aims to make people think about where our clothes are coming from and how the people producing them are being treated.

The Australian Fashion Report is available for free download from www. behindthebarcode.org.au.

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06/15

Body life

What is ‘church’ to you?

Do you think of church in terms of what you get out of it or what you put into it?

In his book, A Fellowship of Differents, theologian Scot McKnight suggests there are three biblical words in the original Greek that can help us appreciate different ways of seeing church—Leitourgia, Ekklesia and Koinonia.

Leitourgia is the word from which we get our term Liturgy which means customary public worship, that is, a church worship service. This is what many Australians mean when they say ‘church’—going to a specific building on Sunday morning to worship and hear a message. Even though the emphasis may vary between the worship and the sermon, for many people ‘church’ means the leitourgia. ‘having a sense of belonging to the group that gathers’ Ekklesia carries the idea of being called out from one’s every day routine and gathering together for a special assembly.

From this understanding comes the notion that ‘church’ is a gathering on Sunday morning where the central focus is not just the worship, nor even the sermon, but the gathering itself.

While for a few the emphasis may be on separation from the world, for most it is being part of and having a sense of belonging to the group that gathers.

Koinonia means sharing, participation and intimacy. It embraces what we know as community and fellowship.

Here the understanding of ‘church’ is more than worship, sermons and

gathering, although it includes these, it is better described as a fellowship of people. This is a group of people who know and love one another. They seek not only personally to become like Christ, but together to become like Christ, and so are truly the body of Christ in the world. More than just gathering, they share life together and in that present a glimpse to the rest of the community of what God’s new creation looks like.

This is what Paul had in mind when he called the church a family and those in it know each other as brothers and sisters. It is a community that not only worships together (leitourgia), and belong together (ekklesia), but they share in each others’ lives in mutual fellowship (koinonia).

Each of these words conveys something important about the nature of ‘church’ and of what God desires for us. They can give insight as to how each of us personally understand what it is to be church.

For some it is nothing more than attending the Sunday morning worship time (leitourgia). Coming to worship, they hear the sermon and then go home again. Hanging around for morning tea following the service is not within their understanding.

For others, church is more than the Sunday service. For them, morning tea is more than just a time for a drink and a biscuit, it is about being together, giving opportunity to connect, catch up and belong (ekklesia). But there are other ways to belong, such as serving

in one of the myriad of ways possible within the life of the church, such as attending one of the home groups during the week.

But the Church Jesus builds is more than just attending and belonging in that he calls us into deeper levels of care and love. It is a call to not only gather, but to scatter into the surrounding community to love and serve. It is a church that prays for each another, not only on Sundays but throughout the week. It is a rich and diverse church that crosses boundaries, embraces differences and draws people into its fellowship (koinonia).

All three church ‘types’ need each other to work side-by-side if we are to be the church God wants These three words, leitourgia and ekklesia and koinonia, provide us vital insights into what it means to be God’s church today. All three need each other to work side-by-side if we are to be the church God wants us to be. But this asks a commitment from us. It is a commitment that leads us beyond much of the individualism and consumerism of our society towards fellowship and community.

So there is a cost. The question it is, are we willing to pay that cost?

Stephen L Baxter Senior Pastor at Hobart Baptist Church Heaven2earth https://stephenlbaxter.wordpress.com/ Reprinted with permission

qb.org.au

Reviews: Books, DVDs, Music BOOK: Next of Kin (Carol Preston) $19.99 Available from all good bookstores or online at www.rhizapress.com.au

BOOK: The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama (Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen) Fairly recently I read The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama (Grand Rapids: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2009).

It’s a revised and abridged version of the authors’ previous work, The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004). In the preface of The True Story of the Whole World they quote Bob Webber and Phil Kenyon: ‘Today, as in the ancient era, the Church is confronted by a host of master narratives that contradict and compete with the gospel. The pressing issue is: Who gets to narrate the world?’ (page 7; my emphasis).

That made a huge amount of sense to me. We all live our lives according to the scripts of overarching metanarratives (or worldviews, if you like).

These metanarratives ‘narrate the world’ to us; they provide the ‘stories’ according to which we think about the world and live in it. When we become Christ-followers, we are called to live according to a new and different metanarrative. But there seem to be two particular

challenges in doing so. 1) The old metanarratives (often held subconsciously) aren’t easily loosened and usually come over with us, unrecognised and unquestioned, into our Christian lives. 2) Discipleship (which we could view as teaching new believers how to live according to a new and different metanarrative, or marching to the beat of a different drum) is only rarely treated with the seriousness it deserves. The result? Most Christians and churches are, to a greater or lesser extent, mere reflections of the surrounding culture.

What can be done about this?

Bartholomew and Goheen argue that the Bible tells the ‘true story’ of the world; it provides the authentic metanarrative by which we learn to live the new life in Christ. Thus their passion (and mine, increasingly) is ‘that people learn to read the Bible as it was meant to be read – as the true story of the whole world’. The Bible tells the one authentic story-line of the world. Living Christianly means finding our place in this story, and living accordingly.

The True Story of the Whole World aims at presenting the overarching biblical story in six ‘acts’, and encouraging readers to find their place (or live their lives) in this story.

D Morcom

A tale from Australia’s colonial years, next of Kin tells the story of a woman in colonial Australia who was brave enough to stand against discrimination.

Fanny Franks was raised to believe in honesty, equality and acceptance of all people, regardless of their background or circumstances. When she meets Jack and Jim Smith, she is determined to intervene and help them find happiness, until trauma in her own life brings a personal experience of discrimination and shame for which she is ill prepared when she becomes pregnant as the result of a rape.

Next of Kin is the latest novel from author Carol Preston.

Set in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales in the late 1800s, it is based on Carol’s own ancestors, who took on the many challenges of starting out in a new land and in new communities.

‘Writing Next of Kin gave me a new appreciation of the difficulties around multiculturalism,’ said Carol. ‘It was eye opening for me to explore the development of these issues through the eyes of my ancestors and imagine what it must have been like for people of different cultures, languages, expectations and traditions to work together for their common good in an emerging nation.’

COMPETITION

Win a copy of Peter O’Sullivan’s book, Touch & Go. Email the name of the book’s main character to qb@qb.com.au. Winner will be randomly chosen.

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BOOK: Touch & Go (Peter O’Sullivan) $29.99 Available from all good bookstores or online

Peter O’Sullivan worships with the Grove Baptist Community Church. He is also the author of Touch & Go, a novel about a young lawyer whose career and life take a dramatic turn when he becomes embroiled in a murder investigation and trial. The book has a Christian message: in the end, the story’s protagonist is left to question his own moral compass, as often occurs in real life.

In 2010, Peter took a year off after working as a lawyer for nearly 30 years without an extended break (he is a Registrar of the Supreme Court of Queensland).

Also around that time his wife was diagnosed with chronic lymphoma and she underwent a stem cell transplant. As Peter puts it, he ‘decided to get fit, look after my wife, and write a book’.

Four years and countless drafts later, he published his first novel.

The story is set in Brisbane, Peter’s home city, and the plot draws on his experiences as a lawyer. It includes moral dilemmas faced by all lawyers eventually, for example, should you always tell the truth regardless of the consequences for your client?

The Grove Baptist Community Church is about to start the process to build on their block of land (they’ve been meeting in a local school for the past eight years) and Peter is donating half the profits from his book sales to the building fund.

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06/15

We remember

North Beach at dawn

Uncomfortably cold.

Amazingly quiet, despite the number of people.

Brian and Caroline at Walker’s Ridge looking down on North Beach

Eerily dark, as the lights are dimmed and the dignitaries are guided to their seats at the front of the crowd. The beachfront is illuminated with soft lighting, casting a pale pre-dawn glow across the almost 100 metres of water nearest the shoreline. To the west, out to sea, are a line of dim lights, but it is still too hard to discern what lies out there in the inky darkness.

And then the sound of water lapping on a beach. Is that just the small waves gently touching the stony shore—amplified for effect—or could it be a poignant echo of muffled oars dipping into the calm waters of the Aegean Sea? The silence amongst the more-than-10,000-strong crowd is even deeper. The only sound, as the minutes slip by, is those small waves splashing on the stones and trickling back into the sea.

North Beach, Gallipoli. 25 April 2015. Anzac Day. One hundred years on.

One hundred years since the first wave of young Australians climbed down from British warships and rowed their tiny wooden boats towards that ‘fatal shore’. One hundred years since Lieutenant Duncan Chapman of the 9th Battalion AIF stepped ashore on a stony beach that would become known as Anzac Cove, and led his men inland. (According to Charles Bean’s Official History, this 26-year-old from Maryborough in Queensland was the first man to land—although some modern historians now dispute this claim.) One hundred years since the nation-shaping legend of ANZAC was birthed on the beaches and in the steep rugged hills of the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.

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In the early 1970s, an anti-war ‘peaceis-always-right’ sentiment—perhaps in response to the televised horrors of the Vietnam War—meant that Anzac was viewed with embarrassment at best, and repulsion at worst. But that changed. Somewhere in the 1980s, our country rediscovered a sense of national pride. And with that came a renewed interest in Gallipoli.

It is now almost a ‘rite of passage’ to visit Anzac Cove, especially for Anzac Day, and since 2000, the Dawn Service at Gallipoli has been held at the Anzac Commemorative Site at North Beach, a few hundred metres north of Anzac Cove. Ari Burnu Cemetery (between the Cove and North Beach), which had been the location of Dawn Service commemorations for many decades, was no longer adequate to handle the increasing numbers of Australians and New Zealanders who wanted to connect with this part of the heritage of our two nations.

This year though, it was not just the young. Apparently a Facebook comment—posted by a young Australian backpacker—bemoaned that the 2015 Dawn Service was filled with the ‘baby boomer’ generation and that there was no room for the ‘ordinary’ backpacker. Eight thousand Australians and 2,000 New Zealanders, randomly selected by ballot, joined dignitaries, national leaders, senior military officers, and a number of direct descendants of Gallipoli veterans to mark the centenary. They may not have been young backpackers, but they were ordinary Australians of all ages and from all backgrounds … much like those who arrived on these shores one hundred years ago.

The actual Dawn Service was similar to Dawn Services across New Zealand and Australia, already completed hours before the eastern sky over Gallipoli

We remember

began to lighten. North Beach may have had HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince Henry of Wales (Prince Harry), but the focus was still on the service and sacrifice of ordinary men. North Beach may have been addressed by Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and John Key, but the elements of the service matched those in services from Auckland to Albany, from Christchurch to Cairns,

from Dunedin to Darwin. North Beach may have seen a line of grey warships—led by a Turkish frigate, followed by HMAS Anzac, and then New Zealand, British, and French vessels—slowly and silently glide past, but the central words and underlying sentiments were no different to those expressed in every town in New Zealand and Australia on this day.

It is just that North Beach is ‘there’.

There, where they came ashore, in the disorganisation and in the darkness, the first wave of ANZACs landed both in Anzac Cove and on the southern end of North Beach.

There, just to the south of Fisherman’s Hut where units of the 7th Battalion were severely mauled by Turkish defenders on 25 April 1915, suffering the worst casualties of the landing.

There, below the bare rocky outcrop christened The Sphinx. There, overlooked by Walker’s Ridge and the Nek, where on 7 August 1915

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the 8th and 10th Australian Light Horse would be sacrificed in a series of pointless charges at Turkish lines, as portrayed in Peter Weir’s 1981 film Gallipoli. There, where in December 1915 the last ANZACs silently departed Gallipoli, leaving behind the battlefields of a failed campaign and the bodies of more than 10,500 of their mates.

Lest we forget!

Brian Robertson is the Pastor at Coral Coast Christian Church – A Baptist Church Family pastor.brian@coralcoastchurch.org

Brian adds: ‘Defeat is not always the final word! Some 2,000 years ago, a cross seemed to proclaim to the world, “Defeat”; the end of meaning and hope. On the third day, though, defeat and death were overcome by life. It had been a costly victory, and it must never be forgotten that, while the grace of God is free, it is not cheap.’

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06/15

Everyday living

Social junkie blues

Sipping coffee at a corner street café, my friend Marty peered over his dark rimmed glasses to make his concluding remarks. ‘Eventually the music stops each night, everyone goes home, and I’m facing my problems again. Alone.

I can’t stand being alone; the silence is unsettling so I distract myself with whatever I can.’

There is a soul richness to be found, and it’s a must for real relationships. But, it will remain out of reach until we leave the crowd behind. We have to come down, and walk off our social junkie blues in the wilderness. Psychologist and theologian Henri Nouwen maps the terrain:

Let’s face it, we are a generation of social junkies. Want to freak a teenager out?

Hide their phone and observe them panic within minutes. People wake up and fall asleep with a finger browsing the latest text message. Traditions of private prayers have been replaced by public posts. Of course, it’s healthy and natural to desire relational connections, and brilliant that these can be made so easily with loved ones near and far.

But for many people like Marty, the experience of being alone is something to be avoided and feared.

‘Instead of running away from our loneliness and trying to forget or deny it, we have to protect it and turn it into fruitful solitude. … We must first find the courage to enter into the desert of our loneliness and to change it by gentle and persistent efforts into a garden of solitude.

This requires not only courage but also a strong faith. As hard as it is to believe that the dry desolate desert can yield endless varieties of flowers, it is equally hard to imagine that our loneliness is hiding unknown beauty.’1

Paradoxically, in our quest to be fully connected in a vibrant community, our fear of loneliness may be holding us back. Addicted to the high of socialising, we’re afraid of withdrawal. Yet, it’s in the isolation that we reconnect with our true self—warts and all. It’s in the silence that we hear the movements of our own heart, calling us to face our problems and be free.

Here’s the kicker. It’s out in the desert we discover we’re not alone. The wind whips up the sand, and new paths forward are uncovered. The Spirit guides us on. Jesus walks beside us, having defeated the accuser of our soul. And the Father feeds us when we’re too weak to stand. It’s in the wilderness that we become fully alive as we are made whole.2 The community of love that

1 2

Nouwen, Henri. Reaching Out, pg 13. Harper Collins, 1995. Sounds like the valley of Baca in Psalm 84.

Cf. 1 Kings 19; Psalm 23; Matthew 4.

is the Triune God lays out a table and satisfies our soul. It’s in this place we move from loneliness to solitude. It’s in this place we move from hostility to hospitality. From isolation to community. From oppressive loneliness to rich freedom.

Let’s be honest. This is minutes in the reading, but a lifetime in the living.

No one loves the desert. But for people like Marty and me, the journey toward authentic community will always be a two- step dance: the left step of togetherness always alternates with the right step of solitude. As we courageously enter the desert places of life we are made acutely aware of both our deepest need to be loved, and the One who is able to love us best. As this new reality of God’s presence is woven into our everyday lives, a new richness in each of our relationships is born— and we finally beat the social junkie blues.

Ryan Vallee is the Pastor of Community Development at Kenmore Baptist Church Ryan.vallee@kbc.org.au Reprinted with permission: visit Ryan’s blog at http://wonderingfair.com/

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Fun zone

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06/15

Classifieds POSITIONS VACANT

FISHERS OF MEN Fishers of Men(FoM) is a registered, nondenominational charity, operating in Brisbane and Logan for over 10 years. Bobby Mearns, founding Pastor was a heroin addict for 20+ years and was saved through the ministry of Jackie Pullinger in Hong Kong.

FoM provides: food/ food parcels/ clothes and blankets at meetings for homeless held twice a week (free) and furniture for people setting up house (free). • •

A mobile street van service for Logan twice a week, Fri and Sat nights Residential Christ focussed rehab, turning men from addiction to Christ For further info please visit www.fishersofmen.org.au or call (07) 3341 0160.

A will to end poverty Do more than you ever thought possible by leaving a bequest in your will.

Call us on 1300 789 991 or visit baptistworldaid.org.au

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PART-TIME PASTORAL ROLE CHURCHILL BAPTIST CHURCH Churchill Baptist Church is a bible-based church in the growing, family-friendly community of Ipswich. The Church is seeking a part-time pastor. The person we are seeking would be a Godly leader with a strong focus on Spiritual growth, pastoral care and a willingness to reach our local community.

The role would include; • • •

Visitation and pastoral care Regular preaching and teaching Encouraging and supporting the Church community in ministries and outreach

Expressions of interest are invited from persons who feel that God is calling them to this role. Please call 0438 889 504 or email mkleinhans@yahoo.com to obtain further information.

WONDAI BAPTIST CHURCH PASTOR NEEDED Only a hop, skip and jump from Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Toowoomba. Wondai is the place to enjoy God’s creation.

At night be amazed at the incredible display when viewing the night sky. We are not the other side to the black stump There is medical facilities, schools, grocery shops. Two dams are within a pleasant drive so one is able to enjoy a variety of water activities. Wondai is located 240 km northwest of Brisbane on the Bunya Highway and is 160 km from the Sunshine Coast, while Kingaroy is only 30kms away.

The Wondai lies at the geographic and business heart of the South Burnett, a substantial industrial and agricultural region in South East Queensland. The Shire’s economy is dominated by agriculture and timber, though it now has a growing tourism sector. Wondai is well serviced by sporting facilities including golf courses, tennis courts, rifle range, squash courts, lawn bowling rinks, sporting ovals for cricket, soccer, rugby league and swimming pool.

What we don’t have is a resident pastor.

The church: Baptist Church Wondai; is a country church with an outstation at Proston and occasional ministry at Boondoma homestead.

For further information contact Ivan Sinclair 07 4169 0020.

Classifieds

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ACCOMMODATION BRISBANE: House available from October 2015 for missionaries or church workers on the move. Three bedroom, single garage, everything provided. Transport at the door.

Minimal rent. Email: gtho4536@bigpond.net.au.

CALOUNDRA - GOLDEN BEACH: Highset three bedroom holiday home. Weekends or weekly. Pets OK. Close to beach.

Phone 0402 077 822 or lizottaway15@gmail.com.

CALOUNDRA: Sunshine Coast, Qld, beachside units from $300/wk, phone 0427 990 161.

HOUSE-SITTING: Short term (1-4 weeks) Plants, Pets, Pools no problem. References available. Phone: 0427 654 501.

Email: billkippen@gmail.com.

NORTH BRISBANE: Self contained unit style accommodation with water views. Perfect for sabbaticals, couples retreat, conferences. Queen size room, ensuite, kitchenette(breakfast basket daily) Mention The qb reader special when booking$120/night. Regular rates $160/night). Phone Helen Gynther 0400 832614 or email helen@moretonmusic.com.

FOR HIRE LARGE AUDITORIUM: Seats 290. Qld Baptists’ Centre at Gaythorne. Phone Sharon on 3354 5600 for more information or visit www.qb.org.au – venue hire.

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