NewHope Baptist Church was one of 35 Victorian Baptist Churches who ran the 'Jesus the Game Changer' series in the lead up to Easter this year. The story of Silvia below is testimony of the impact of such a campaign.

                  Silvia with Erika – first time Erika has seen Kangaroos!

We need just look outside our very window to see how Jesus has shaped our world. Our society. He has inspired us to transform the world and to spread His glory in all that we are and all that we do.

The inspiration of the ‘Jesus the Game Changer’ series has seen many transformations of people’s lives. Many have learned how he has influenced everything that we are today, many have chosen to step out in faith proclaiming His teachings and way of life, and many have chosen to take up His cross and give their lives to Him.

One of our blessed NewHope staff, Silvia Marshall, was one of many to be inspired by this series and by Jesus. She chose to step out in renewed faith and purpose to connect in a strong sense of community. Feeling the desire to spread the love of Jesus, she reached out to her local Latin community over social media to find those seeking more in their lives.

God responds quickly! The day after, she had received a response from a woman named Erika who was looking for a church that could help her with her struggles. Soon after two more women, Lucy and Vivianna reached out as well to seek to support the church in different ways.

These ladies have been an amazing blessing and a great example to see how God works in all processes. They had come from overseas to a new country and didn’t know where their place was yet. NewHope were able to support them in prayer, with a strong community as a helpful place to support and guide them.

Thanks to Silvia, these women were able to be fulfilled with positions of helping NewHope in various areas. Lucy assists with kid’s church, Vivianna has volunteered at the café, and Erika has found that sense of community and attends our services. Silvia is a shining example of encouragement to help seek community and help others get involved in church life as a start point in their journey.

It is always amazing to see how much can change when we step out in Him. The game changes in everything that He is connected to and continues to do through us as His followers as we seek to know Him and make Him known. Through the series, we are reminded that it is not us who changes things, it is when we act through Jesus, true transformation happens.

And we praise Him every day for what He does for us and who He is.

Find out more about Jesus the Game Changer videos and resources here

Source: BUV News

Late last year, in a poor rural Cambodian village, Baptist World Aid Australia met a woman named Sem Rith. She told us her painful story.

One of 10 children, Rith was only in grade 2 when she dropped out of school. Her parents were just too poor for her to continue with her education.  “I had to help my family in the farm and look after the younger ones,” Rith explained. “I was not able to follow the lessons and I decided to stop. I was never able to go back.”

When you’re an uneducated girl like Rith, you have few prospects. Rith can barely read or write. And with no education to speak of, she had no hope of getting a good job.  Years later, now a mother herself, Rith was stuck doing the only work she’d ever known… growing rice. But even that was not enough.

“Rice is not very profitable,” Rith told us. “In the rural area, whatever we have, we just eat that. If we have less, we eat less. And in the seasons when we don’t grow enough rice, we need to beg from others to eat.”

This was Rith’s life. A constant struggle to survive. Every waking hour marred by underlying fear – fear of going hungry; fear for her children’s future.

And then disaster struck.

It happened when Rith was heavily pregnant with her second child and her husband was bedridden with sickness. The rains came. So much rain. Too much rain.  Rith could only watch as a huge flood devastated her village and destroyed her crops.

Her family was left with nothing.

Last month, Baptist World Aid launched its annual Matching Grant Appeal to support work that gives new, urgently needed livelihoods to mothers like Rith. Through the appeal, your gifts are matched with an Australian Government aid grant – which means they can have up to six times the impact. And, for Rith, that means six new income streams to help support her family!

When Baptist World Aid’s Christian partner in the field set up a savings group in Rith’s community, she joined.

Rith has worked hard all her life. But without the know how to do anything but grow rice, she had very little to show for it. Through her savings group she learned to keep chickens, and cows, and fish. She learned the skills to run a business. And, as it turns out, Rith is a brilliant entrepreneur!

Today, Rith’s six businesses generate enough income to give all her children the schooling she missed out on herself.

Source: BUV News

NewHope Baptist Church has just launched a new ministry venture with the official opening of a medical centre at 522 Middleborough Road on the church's Blackburn North campus.

Local residents will now be able to receive a full range of professional clinical and psychological services. Through this doorway they will also have access the network of ministry programs and supportive healing communities established by the church. At the official opening on Thursday 17 May, Guest speaker Toby Hall, group CEO of St Vincent's Health, celebrated the church's achievement saying: 'This is exactly what the church should be doing everywhere'. He reminded those present of our mandate from Jesus to bring healing to our communities. 

After three years of detailed planning and much hard work, the leaders of NewHope are praying that God will be glorified and the community impacted by this exciting new ministry venture. There has been a strong uptake of the services in the earliest weeks of operation and NewHope Medical is already recruiting for additional doctors to join the practice.

You can visit NewHope Medical online [newhopemedical.com.au] to learn more about the centre or to book an appointment today. 

Source: BUV News