Monthly Archives: June 2020
Jesus vs Suffering
Are you prepared for the next time we face a season of suffering?
Bushfire relief efforts – Better Together
Thanks to the generosity of our Baptist Family, we are supporting our pastors and volunteers with bushfire recovery efforts through COVID-19 restrictions.
As part of the BUV Bushfire Recovery strategy, a partnership was formed between the BUV Hub, NewHope Baptist Church and Lakes Entrance Baptist Church. This allowed Lakes Entrance Baptist Church to immediately get local church member, William Florance, on the ground to assist those who had been affected by the fires. This ongoing partnership has allowed William to continue in the role where, months after the fires, he is still meeting people who are very much at ‘first base’ in the process of recovery. Add COVID-19 to this and the result is that many people are struggling with layers of trauma and complexity. Once again, thanks to the generosity of our Baptist Family, we are able to be in this for the long haul and to be able to continue supporting the pastors and volunteers who are out working with those who continue to be impacted by the events of the last few months. Here’s a video interview with William by Katrina Lambert (from NewHope BC).
The team at
Source: BUV News
Bushfire relief efforts – Better Together
Thanks to the generosity of our Baptist Family, we are supporting our pastors and volunteers with bushfire recovery efforts through COVID-19 restrictions.
As part of the BUV Bushfire Recovery strategy, a partnership was formed between the BUV Hub, NewHope Baptist Church and Lakes Entrance Baptist Church. This allowed Lakes Entrance Baptist Church to immediately get local church member, William Florance, on the ground to assist those who had been affected by the fires. This ongoing partnership has allowed William to continue in the role where, months after the fires, he is still meeting people who are very much at ‘first base’ in the process of recovery. Add COVID-19 to this and the result is that many people are struggling with layers of trauma and complexity. Once again, thanks to the generosity of our Baptist Family, we are able to be in this for the long haul and to be able to continue supporting the pastors and volunteers who are out working with those who continue to be impacted by the events of the last few months. Here’s a video interview with William by Katrina Lambert (from NewHope BC).
The team at
3 commitments towards a flourishing Church (even through a pandemic)
3 commitments towards a flourishing Church (even through a pandemic)
VIews from the Manse – A woman of noble character
A woman of noble character – Proverbs chapter. 31
Views from the Manse celebrates all women and men who have tirelessly and prayerfully supported their spouses in pastoral ministry through the years and, in the present.
Proverbs 31 contains an acrostic and is a very unusual form of writing in scripture. It is based on the advice given to King Lemuel by his mother in Proverbs 31: 10 – 31. Below is a modern paraphrase.
Although this scripture speaks about women, as it was contextual to the day and age, all spouses, regardless of gender, should be included and celebrated for the role they play in partnering in ministry.
This relates to the first article published in the View From the Manse series.
A worthy woman, like wisdom is hard to find
A woman who brings her husband good all the days of her life
is beyond price and her husband will adore her.
Never skimping, she provides for her household well
with scarlet wool and linen clothing.
Never one to slack,
She rises early to bake fresh bread
or pancakes for breakfast.
Passing up a good investment is not her style.
She spots a good buy and pounces on it,
then plants a vineyard and builds a winery
to capitalise on her investment.
Her hands are strong.
Her palms hold a spindle
but she opens them to the poor
and extends her hands to the wretched.
Everyone in her household is warm.
All are dressed in beautiful clothes.
All have warm Doonas on their beds.
Let her husband praise her
And her children bring her honour
No praise is too great for such a virtuous, God fearing woman.
Creating Opportunities and Casting Hope
COACH (Creating Opportunities and Casting Hope) is a community-strengthening program that aims to empower individuals and families through one-to-one mentoring, breaking generational cycles of poverty and family breakdown.
COACH partners with not-for-profits and churches to train volunteer mentors and match them with individuals in need. Over 12 months, COACH participants meet with their mentors each week.
A COACH mentor is a friend with purpose, offering practical help and mentoring towards life goals. These goals include education, employment, training, improved mental health, reduction in addictive habits, financial management, housing, family cohesion, decrease in social isolation, and improved physical and emotional wellbeing. Mentoring is a way to bring out the best in people and help them make use of their own resources. It also promotes individual responsibility and builds community cohesion.
Click here to hear more from co-author of COACH, Mark Matthews, as he shares with us how a missional venture started in order to assist the poor and marginalised, has now grown into an incredible Empowered Faith Community which is now changing the lives of numbers of people on the Mornington Peninsula.
(COACH Network is operated by Crossway LifeCare in partnership with Mission Australia).
Creating Opportunities and Casting Hope
COACH (Creating Opportunities and Casting Hope) is a community-strengthening program that aims to empower individuals and families through one-to-one mentoring, breaking generational cycles of poverty and family breakdown.
COACH partners with not-for-profits and churches to train volunteer mentors and match them with individuals in need. Over 12 months, COACH participants meet with their mentors each week.
A COACH mentor is a friend with purpose, offering practical help and mentoring towards life goals. These goals include education, employment, training, improved mental health, reduction in addictive habits, financial management, housing, family cohesion, decrease in social isolation, and improved physical and emotional wellbeing. Mentoring is a way to bring out the best in people and help them make use of their own resources. It also promotes individual responsibility and builds community cohesion.
Simone met her mentor, Miranda, during a challenging time in her life. Simone has three special needs children, was homeless for the third time, and was going through a difficult relationship breakdown. Simone and Miranda started meeting fortnightly and now Miranda is only a phone call or email away. Simone appreciates that she can call her mentor just for a chat as well as in the hard times.
Prior to joining COACH, Simone says she spent most of the day in bed and was struggling to cope with the stresses and pressure of everyday life. She also added that having special needs children has been “isolating and it’s been hard to maintain friendships”. The COACH program and her relationship with Miranda have enabled Simone to find hope. She is now debt free and working in a café which has been a great confidence boost for her. Simone says she calls it "hope, instead of COACH, as it’s a hope program.”
Miranda shares that COACH exemplifies the things she is passionate about – giving time to build genuine friendships that are about growth, healing, and restoration. She sees COACH as a program that anyone can be involved in.
(COACH Network is operated by Crossway LifeCare in partnership with Mission Australia).
Source: BUV News
In Step with Jesus, with others and with God’s mission
On behalf of our Global Interaction state team and national office, thank you! We’ve had a fantastic May Mission Month, highlighting and celebrating our cross-cultural workers as they join God’s mission throughout the world. We’re especially grateful for your partnership and encouragement during these difficult weeks and months. Baptist churches from across Victoria and Tasmania have hosted Zoom calls from Global Interaction cross-cultural workers, included our web resources in their online services, and checked in with people and projects they support from Mozambique to Cambodia, from Thailand to Yuendumu.
This year’s theme was centred on our commitment to remain in step with Jesus, in step with others, and in step with God’s mission. Acts 15 provided the framework and anchored our reflections on the challenge to keep faith, not religion, at the heart of our Christian witness. We were especially excited to release the beautifully produced short film, In Step, which narrates the story of three Yawo believers in Malawi and how God is using the Global Interaction team in that place. If you missed out, go and check out In Step and explore the treasure trove of other excellent videos at our online resource hub – https://www.globalinteraction.org.au/mmm.
As you can imagine, it was a different kind of May Mission Month. We sorely missed the joy of sharing, in person, the work of Global Interaction. However, our discussion tools, children resources and themed sermons were adapted and produced in a way that made them easy to incorporate into online church services. We were also grateful for the technology that allowed our staff and cross-cultural workers to appear live in online church services. We provided over 40 videos to choose from including messages from State Baptist leaders and many of our cross-cultural workers who, despite COVID-19, remain in the places God has called them. We also launched our podcast “Missioning” and will be adding more episodes throughout the year.
We appreciate your ongoing partnership throughout 2020 as we equip, send and support the remarkable people God calls for this specific, cross-cultural ministry. Even though May has come and gone Global Interaction’s important work continues across the year and through time zones, so please check out our resources online and stay tuned to learn about the ways God is at work around the world.
Peace and Grace,
Geoff Maddock
State Director VIC/TAS
Global Interaction