Bendigo school ministry

by Benjamin Cronshaw

Bendigo Baptist Church Eaglehawk campus, led by Pastor Brock Gravener, professes a “MAD COW” vision, which is an acronym for “make a difference, change our world.”

With the local primary school Eaglehawk Primary School just across the street, the church saw an opportunity serve the community and make a difference by helping the students. The church started school engagement around 18 months ago and has since forged a strong relationship with the school. As Brock said, “If we are serious about what Jesus says, we, as a church, simply ‘have’ to be in the school loving and serving them.”

In the mornings before school the church runs a MAD COW breakfast, with food provided by local supermarkets and the wider Food Bank network. The selection includes toast, porridge, cereal, milo and fruit. The breakfast caters for around 35-40 kids a day and reaches some 60% of the school’s students. Interestingly, Jesus himself once said to his disciples “come and have breakfast” (John 21:12). Having a proper breakfast in the morning is, of course, incredibly important for students of any age and imperative for learning. 

The program has had a noticeable and positive impact on the school culture. With breakfast provided, kids are getting to school early, they start positively and have a greater capacity to focus and engage in their learning. Student attendance increased, meaning more children are present to learn. With the students more engaged and positive, the school has achieved better educational results and has earned more funding from the government. Recognising the benefit the “MAD COW” program was having at the school, IGA donated a $1500 supermarket grant. 

Bendigo Baptist Church Eaglehawk helps out the school in a variety of other ways as well. Young adults from the church volunteer to play sports with the kids. Some volunteer as classroom assistants helping with reading and learning support. Sometimes a struggling student needs only the dedication of someone willing to help them learn in order to improve and thrive (I can attest to this having struggled with reading in Grade 1, but became an avid reader with the help of a reading assistant). The school even calls on church volunteers to help with maintenance assistance. 

Overall, the volunteer presence has had a very positive impact on the students. Brock noted, “It has been an absolute joy to observe how our loving volunteer team engage with the students and teachers in such a caring and gentle way. The joy and loving approach of our team has meant that students have softened and come out of their shell because they have felt safe and cared for.” One boy was “predominantly angry, abrupt and self centred” but over a few months became “a friend and a peer that people love to be around.”

 The church has also run a family fun day at the school with free food, a jumping castle and face painting. The event was well received with a lot of kids and their families going along. 

Brock was given a place on the school council, demonstrating the trust and appreciation that the school has for the church and enabling him to “speak into the future direction of the school.” 

He noted that the churches involvement is “so much more than just feeding students.” The church members have forged close relationships with teachers, parents and students. The students have a space where they can feel safe and loved. Ultimately, there is better learning and a strengthened community. I believe it is fair to say that Bendigo Baptist church is truly living out their motto and the message of Jesus, making a difference and changing our world. 

Source: BUV News

Creating Space  – CALD Youth

By Charlene Delos Santos

As a second generation Filipino-Australian, I find very few spaces where I can feel ‘at home’. I have often times felt like an outsider when I attend different Christian events or churches because I find myself in the minority. 

My need to find and create spaces for other minority groups and other culturally diverse emerging leaders is the reason why I am part of the planning team for the Ignite Multicultural Youth and Young Adults conference. 

 The Ignite Conference is on the 4th and 5th July, with a focus on providing a space for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) young people from across Melbourne to meet each other and develop in their faith journey whilst celebrating their cultural heritage. 

My hope is that these conferences will ignite networks, connections and leadership and ministry opportunities for CALD youth and young adults. 

Hope to see you there!

To register for Ignite16:
www.buv.com.au/ignite 

Source: BUV News

CRA research on Immigration and Religion 

(Training Next Gen Culturally Diverse Leaders Part 6)*

by  Darren Cronshaw 

BUV is exploring how best to resource training for the Next Generation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) leaders. The research of Christian Research Association (CRA) has underlined the importance of understanding faith perspectives of immigrants and their children. 

 CRA have been researching migrant and cultural diversity issues for over twenty years. The recent census data that I have analysed with CRA’s Senior Research Officer, Philip Hughes, has been especially informative for Baptists. The 2001-2011 census data shows that Baptists owe 98% of their growth over that decade to immigration growth (compared to 65% of Australian population growth from immigration). Of people living in Australia who identify as Baptists in the 2011 census, 29.9% were immigrants and 17.3% were second generation immigrants. So almost half of Baptists are first or second generation immigrants. (Hughes and Cronshaw 2013)

What, then, can we learn from the research of CRA about immigration, religion and the next generations of culturally diverse young people and their relationship with our churches? Here is an overview of three pieces of CRA research that I have been learning from.    

Survey of Cross-cultural ministry

In 2004 the Victorian Council of Churches commissioned CRA to research cross-cultural and multicultural ministry. (Hughes 2004: 1-3) This led to a resource book A Handbook for Cross-Cultural Ministry. (Hughes and Bond 2004) The project identified the importance for migrants of worshipping in the “language of the heart”. It also addressed issues of power and control, noting decision-making is often controlled by those who control the dominant language. 

Of particular relevance to next generation ministry, the project discussed youth spirituality interviews suggesting that people from different cultures approach faith and worship differently. This means that forms cannot easily be transposed from one culture to another, which can create misunderstandings. It also means there are things we can learn from and strengthen one another.

Finally, the project outlined models of cross-cultural ministry that churches adopt:

1. Inclusive congregations, of mainly Anglo-Celtic background but welcoming the gifts of other cultures
2. Ethnic churches, with mono-cultural worship in a language other than English 
3. Ethnic congregations in other churches 
4. Multicultural congregations, where worship is expressed with a variety of languages and cultural practices. (Hughes 2004: 3)

BUV churches are represented across this range of culturally diverse ministry. (Yang 2012) As well as mapping the ways BUV churches gather for worship and express inter-cultural ministry, it would be worthwhile to conduct an audit of cultural diversity in governance and decision-making. It is imperative that the voices and leadership of LOTE church members are welcomed in the broader denomination. It would also be worthwhile to investigate the missional goals of various churches. Some focus or limit mission to those who share their culture and language, whereas others recognise a call to broader mission and see language as a challenge to grapple with rather than a boundary to work within.  

Spirit of GenY

The Spirit of Generation Y Project interviewed 155 young people including nine immigrant and eight second generation immigrants, showing different perspectives to faith. (Hughes 2004) The young immigrants spoke positively about faith and attended church with their extended families. Several spoke of God helping them and feeling close to God. They expressed they were judged by religion rather than being able to judge or evaluate faith, and in contrast to most Anglo-Celtic youth said they should not question or doubt God (or ministers, teachers or fathers).

Second generation young people still felt strong connections with their parent’s cultural background as well as their adopted country, and most were still involved with their church and faith. However, there was a little more ambivalence about questioning faith: 

In many cultures across the world, the sense of authority is important and faith is an aspect of life that is transmitted in an authoritative way and is not to be questioned. Faith is something that belongs to the whole community, and worship is an important part of the life of many ethnic communities. 

As ethnic links begin to weaken a little among second generation immigrants, it would seem that young people feel a little freer to question aspects of faith. Yet, there remains hesitation, even a sense of guilt sometimes, in challenging the tenets of faith. (Hughes 2004: 11)

Some had left church and some had changed churches or attended other denominations such as Pentecostal churches. Hughes suggests this may be an “Australian” option which maintains an attractive sense of authority. (2004; also Hughes 2009: 3-4)

Kim Chan suggests that not questioning or doubting is consistent with traditional Confucian values and helps make them acceptable to their parents. A crucial question is whether this perspective will keep them in the church, or whether they will find a “first generation” style of faith difficult to maintain. First and second generation youth are often comfortable in a LOTE church enclave as they navigate teenage and early young adult years, when other factors marginalize them from Anglo-Australian society. As they grow beyond 25, they may develop completely different responses and frameworks. (Chan and Chan 2016; cf. Chan and Chan 2015) Our conversations with the next generation in LOTE churches needs to include those of different ages and stages, and prophetic rebels who have left as well as loyal stayers who are still in church. 

National Church Life Survey 

CRA have published findings from the National Church Life Survey (NCLS) which has investigated the cultural background and attitudes of migrants. NCLS 2001 asked about involvement in (so-called) ethnic ministry and relationship with LOTE congregations. NCLS shows that Baptists are more culturally diverse and more involved in ministry among culturally diverse groups than Uniting and Anglican churches, but less than Catholic and Pentecostal. NCLS is translated into a number of languages but NCLS figures likely underrepresent migrant attenders because of lower participation of monoethnic churches. (Powell 2004; Powell 2009) With another five yearly NCLS coming later in 2016, it will be important for all our churches, including LOTE congregations, to participate in NCLS and see all we can learn from the latest survey results.

Bibliography

Chan, Samuel and Kim Chan (2015). A Mission of the Second Generation (Australian Born Chinese) in South Australian Migrant Churches: Dealing with Unintentional Marginalisation Due to Confucian Values. We Are Pilgrims: Mission from, in and with the Margins of Our Diverse World. Edited by Darren Cronshaw and Rosemary Dewerse. Melbourne, UNOH: 97-110.

Chan, Samuel and Kim Chan (2016). Interview. Directors of Red – Pioneering Australian Born Asian Ministry in South Australia. Adelaide by Skype, 11 March.

Hughes, Philip (2004). “Ethnic Background and the Spirituality of Youth.” Christian Research Association Bulletin 14(4, December): 10-11.

Hughes, Philip (2004). “Ministry in Multicultural Contexts.” Pointers: Bulletin of the Christian Research Association 14(4): 1-3.

Hughes, Philip (2009). “Religion and Ethnicity.” Pointers: Bulletin of the Christian Research Association 19(3): 1-4.

Hughes, Philip and Sharon Bond (2004). A Handbook for Cross-Cultural Ministry. Melbourne, Christian Research Association.

Hughes, Philip and Darren Cronshaw (2013). Baptists in Australia: A Church with a Heritage and a Future. Melbourne, Christian Research Association.

Powell, Ruth (2004). “A Snapshot of Multicultural Issues from the 2001 NCLS.” Pointers: Bulletin of the Christian Research Association 14(4): 4-5.

Powell, Ruth (2009). “Snapshots of Migration and Church Attendance.” Pointers: Bulletin of the Christian Research Association 19(3): 16.

Yang, Meewon (2012). Ways of Being a Multicultural Church: An Evaluation of Multicultural Church Models in the Baptist Union of Victoria. Master of Theology, MCD University of Divinity.

This article is part 6 of a 9 part series, drawing on a paper “Transforming Training for Next Gen Karen and Chin Leaders” to be presented at the Children, Youth and Mission Study Group at the Assembly of the International Association for Mission Studies, August 11–17, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea, and a longer version BUV background paper “Training Next Generation Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Baptist Leaders for Mission” to be published in Philip Hughes (ed). Changing Faith in the Australian Culture (Melbourne: CRA, forthcoming 2016). The research is part of a 2016 Collier Charitable Fund supported BUV project “Training Next Generation Multicultural Baptist Leaders”. As author, Darren appreciates conversations with LOTE Church leaders and BUV staff, and welcomes feedback to darren.cronshaw@buv.com.au 

Source: BUV News