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Find the us in the virus

Luke Williams, the lead pastor at Follow Baptist Church in Officer, went live on Facebook in his neighbourhood park on the 20th March. His house is neatly situated adjacent to the park and playground – a great common area where neighbours gather. He confesses that as a family, they are connected to their immediate neighbours, but not so much with the wider neighbourhood.

With a desire to connect, and an acknowledgement of the danger some people face in becoming even more isolated than before, Luke and his family set to work, creating neighbourhood packages to be dropped on each doorstep. And in this unique crisis, a nicely wrapped toilet roll and a chocolate bar holds more currency than ever before. Each package carried with it an invitation to join a new private Facebook group – one that is unique to the neighbours that overlook the park. 

Seven days later, 17 neighbours had joined the private Facebook group – all people who had been previously unknown to Luke and his family. And now there are ideas bubbling for a Post Pandemic Pancake Party at the Park. 

Post Pandemic Pancake Party

Luke encouraged those tuning in to the live feed to find the ‘us' in the virus, and to find creative ways of connecting with neighbours.

"What if, during this time of social distancing, we actually become more connected with people around us?"

"We might see it as a toilet roll or a chocolate bar, but I see this as a seed of love, a seed of kindness, and hopefully a seed of compassion. Who knows what is going to happen? On the other side of the pandemic, we might come out with a new normal." One neighbour who received a toilet roll burst into tears as they were down to their last roll!

For this small neighbourhood group, a new way of connecting has begun. For Luke and his family, new ideas are flourishing. A week later, their neighbours have received a “Neighbourhood Stimulus Package,” which included two melting moments “to grab a moment with someone you love”, a card, envelope and stamp to send some old-fashioned letters, and "a pack of seeds to plant which remind us that new things grow from the darkness.” It also had some chocolates, a colouring competition for the group, some links for kids activities online and some tissues for “when things get too much”.



"When you sow a seed, you are not quite sure what is going to grow, or if anything is going to. But what I do know is that if you keep sowing seeds, something will grow! And hopefully it is friendship and kindness, and even faith in a time like this."

Source: BUV News

A curveball into the digital realm

Last Sunday, almost 20 Baptist Churches in Victoria live-streamed their services. A month ago, there was very few. The last four weeks have brought with them progressively tighter government restrictions on gatherings all across Australia. These have presented a gargantuan challenge to the church, which intuitively recognises the deep need we all have to "not give up on meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25). With social gatherings now limited to two, and physical distancing in place, all traditional ways of thinking about community and communal worship need to be radically changed. In this challenge, leaders have been extended and have needed to work well outside their natural abilities in order to achieve the great feat of gathering online. 

And, as with all healthy families, the lessons are being shared, and support is being offered between churches. Essendon Baptist has graciously written a blog post of their journey from ‘zero to go’ with the lessons in their steep learning curve. Their hope is that it will provide practical information and encourage others who are hoping to launch online with little lead time. The family is in this together, and growing together. Several church leaders from around Victoria have offered us their reflections on this sudden swerve into digitalisation. 

Mark Nidenko, Associate Pastor of Heathmont Baptist Church, comments on the explosion of changes in the last two weeks: “We have been greatly encouraged by the grace our congregation has shown us as we have worked out our response. We are enjoying the challenge of integrating a mix of technologies into our services and exploring the way that they allow us to run programs we thought would need to close (eg. Playgroup). We have been streaming our services and youth groups over YouTube and using zoom for our lifegroups and as our welcome cafe.”

Many pastors in the last two weeks have expanded their everyday vernacular to include "Youtube Channel, Facebook Live, Teleprompter, live-stream, Google Meet, Vimeo, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Zoom …” They have learned the varying capacities and the pros and cons for each offering for their own setting, and are now seeing their faces on those platforms. Grace Munro can attest to the weight of this work for church leadership: "Pastor Jun Tan at Balwyn Baptist has been VERY busy making the adjustment to online services, and we are definitely getting there, and it is good to get together even while not being together.”

In some churches, this new challenge has brought with it surprises and latent abilities. Kathryn Vaughan, Co-ordinator of Pastoral Administration at Camberwell Baptist Church says, “At the beginning, when it was hard to imagine how we could possibly transition our service online in a week, a few people surfaced unexpectedly from within our congregation with the willingness and the gifts to enable this to happen.”

Pastor Aaron Wardle of Wangaratta Baptist is fortunate to learn quickly with software. Even so, he admits, “It has taken a bit of effort to get it all set up!” In Wangaratta Baptists’ first stream, they used both Facebook Live and Youtube, wanting to achieve maximum reach. The online.church platform was utilised where those gathering can chat, share a heart, and share a live prayer request with the service hosts. Camberwell Baptist has chosen to use Zoom, which helps the congregation to connect with one another via text and allows people see each other on screen. 

Each church is approaching the challenge differently, bringing their unique culture to their gathered worship, and choosing the technical options that will serve their church and its surrounding community. Pastor Adam Hince of Essendon Baptist summarises perfectly, "I don't think anyone at Essendon is pretending this is church as we'd really like it – but we are making it work, and doing our best to connect with each other and not just with the screen while we do so. We're also doing our best to keep it like our normal church services – so it's not as polished as others, but it is ours.”

Our Churches in the Union have responded with agility and creativity to the COVID-19 crisis as it has unfolded into a pandemic. We have brought the good news in the midst of the vulnerability of the human condition, and sought to bring us into contact with one another under extraordinary circumstances.

Let us continue to show unprecedented love through these unprecedented times.

If your church needs support in your work to meet online, please head to our COVID-19 Church Resources and COVID-19 Advice Page. Both are being updated regularly to help you understand how to navigate the new challenges and gather your church online. Crossover is also providing practical help to churches entering the online space. You can check out their resources here.

Thank you to the teams at Balwyn, Camberwell, Essendon, Heathmont and Wangaratta Baptist Churches for sharing their insights in moving church services online. 

Source: BUV News

One Church Response to the Changing Landscape

At the beginning of this year if someone had said that all church gatherings would be banned we would have thought our society had been overturned and the world was going mad. In the space of a month however, we have moved from concerns about the Covid-19 illness to being asked to remain at home with all gatherings of two or more people banned. This has thrown all of us into quick action to try and work out how to be church when we cannot gather.

Encounter Baptist Church sits in the south-east suburb of Chadstone. It started six years ago as a church plant, looking to intentionally engage with discipleship and mission in the local community. Ps David Wanstall is the senior pastor of the church and describes how this church community has responded.

“We recognised quickly that as church we needed to develop light-weight ways to make sure people felt cared for, connected into community and spiritually encouraged.”

Encounter Baptist did not just want to stream services on-line but are seeking to have their members actively engaged with others in the church as well as their neighbours around them.

 

David identified “The challenge is to not be in a holding pattern during this time, but to continue to see people actively encounter God, encourage each other and engage with the community and neighbourhood around them. This can be difficult with social distancing rules but with some creative thinking, it is not impossible.”

Encounter Baptist has placed every person connected with the church in a home church. The home churches have approximately 10-12 people in each group with leaders identified for each home church. On Sunday morning the church uses a Zoom webinar to provide 30-40 minutes of gathered time that includes worship, prayer, notices, a kids spot and a short reflection time. Following the gathered time, each home group is encourage to connect together through their own Zoom accounts for worship, bible study, prayer, sharing and support. Home churches shape this time depending on who is in their group. A major part of the ministry team’s time is now focused on supporting and resourcing the home church leaders.

The church also has online gatherings during the week in running parenting courses, praying together, training missional leaders and connecting kids and youth together.

“In the first chapters of Acts the church met in large groups in the temple courts and smaller groups in people’s homes. We see this season at Encounter, where our gathered Sunday option is on hold, as an opportunity to strength our ability to gather together in smaller groups. In our case this is through online home churches. We don’t just want our church to survive this time but we want our church to thrive. We have seen home churches draw in people who have not previously been part of church. It is exciting.”

Source: BUV News

Dangerous Prayers for Dangerous Times

A call to be praying together for one another, our churches, our neighbourhood, our families, our world.

The Common Grace Series highlights the parable of the “Good Shepherd” in John 10:1-21. Jesus is portrayed as both the “gate” and the “good shepherd” and interestingly he “leads” the sheep as they “follow” him “because they know his voice”. Jesus the prophetic voice of protection, compassion, comfort, commitment, servant-heartedness, sacrifice, courage, humility and bravery leads the people with his staff and rod. His staff brings comfort and his rod protection. In these anxious, challenging and dangerous times we need to hear again the voice of Jesus and to experience first, his comfort and compassion and secondly, his voice as he leads us through these times. We need to be “listening” – spending time with Him in mutual conversation, that is, prayer, in order to navigate faith, hope and love. It is only as we come aside and pray that we can follow the voice of the one who leads.

Why do this? Why pray? Because in these anxious and chaotic times, we too have a call to be the same prophetic voice of the Shepherd, leading those who are anxious, fearful and lost towards life abundant despite the challenges (John 10:10). We need more than ever to develop a sense of purpose and vision in order to undertake the present mission God has for us, that is, to be His light, His presence, His protection in a world in darkness. How do we do this? The parable talks about the sheep following the good shepherd, and as such, they are united together. “They are one flock, who hears his voice” (John 10:16). Together as the church we can be the true prophetic voice that is desperately needed at this time. Instead of retreating, or imagining that there is little we can do, on the contrary, there is so much to do. And the first thing is PRAYER.

Following Jesus isn’t always comfortable nor easy; it can be dangerous and risky. But we have the assurance of that the good shepherd is with us as He leads us, and we follow. And don’t you think Jesus might just want us to hear again His voice through the stream of myriad voices clouding our hearts, minds and bodies right now?

Here at the Baptist Union Support Hub we are committed to journeying with all of you and with our Good Shepherd. We need to have a committed sense of being again His united flock, following the Shepherd into new and perhaps even uncomfortable situations. So, we are establishing a Prayer Initiative we would love you to join. We believe that together, in prayer, and listening to His voice, we can be the voice others need to hear at this time.

Following are some ways we can commence a united prayer initiative.

1. Current organised days of Prayer – The Australian Prayer Network is calling for a National Day of Prayer and Fasting this coming Sunday 29th March. You can join in with your church community for this day by following the website. The Baptist World Alliance are also calling for Global Prayer in a Prayer Marathon, commencing Monday 30th April.

2. BUV Prayer Week – The BUV will have a focussed week of Prayer and Fasting for all Baptist churches and congregations commencing on the day after Easter Sunday (Monday 13th April and concluding Monday 20th April) – More details to come.

3. BUV Prayer series – The BUV’s Mission Catalyst team will be hosting a weekly Prayer series based on the latest Craig Groeschel book, Dangerous Prayer, (because following Jesus was never meant to be safe). We would encourage your online community to also download the book and read it together and so to start a prayer journey. Please stay tuned for the first in the prayer series next week.

4. BUV Prayer Calendar – The BUV Support Hub has a monthly prayer calendar where we join together with one another and pray not only for our churches. April’s prayer calendar will include specific prayers in relation to the virus and the situation of our world as well as requests from you.

5. Other helpful prayer links – Please let us know via email comms@buv.com.au how best the Baptist Union Support Hub can pray for you, your leaders, your people and your neighbours in this time. We will also be posting links to helpful prayer networks for inspiration, such as the 24/7 Prayer Rooms.

6. Theological Reflection from Mark BrettClick here for a theological reflection from Prof Mark Brett, FAHA, Professor of Hebrew Bible, General Editor, Journal of Biblical Literature, Whitley College, recalling the experiences of the Jews through the Babylonian exile and their responses from Lamentations to Isaiah 40. This is indeed a time when biblical reflection is crucial.

Good Shepherd, during Your ministry on Earth You showed Your power and caring by healing people of all ages and stations of life from physical, mental, and spiritual ailments. Be present now to people who need Your loving touch because of COVID-19. May they feel Your power of healing through the care of doctors and nurses. Take away the fear, anxiety, and feelings of isolation from people receiving treatment or under quarantine. Give them a sense of purpose in pursuing health and protecting others from exposure to the disease. Protect their families and friends and bring peace to all who love them.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

Rev Gayle Hill
Head of Mission Catalyst Team

Source: BUV News

Online Baptist Church Services

If your church has suspended its gatherings and / or you are self isolating at home, the following churches have online services.  See below for links.

Source: BUV News

Prayers for Our Nation Amidst COVID-19

Join us everyday at 1900 hours and for Sunday 29 March as we offer prayers for our nation, amidst COVID-19.

Gracious God,

We give thanks anew for your providence and presence.

We prayerfully seek your grace, amidst COVID-19 here and overseas.

We pray for those in need of healing.

We pray for your peace with those who are anxious or grieving.

We pray you will continue to strengthen and sustain all those who are serving in response.

We pray for your Holy Spirit’s discernment amidst the many choices and decisions facing our national, community and medical leaders.

We pray we each might see quickly what more we can do to help those who are vulnerable.

This prayer for our nation in the family of nations, with all that is on our hearts, we gather now and pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.

AMEN.

Source: NCCA

Source: BUV News

Unprecedented Love Devotion Series – Part 1

Dear Baptist family, 

During these unprecedented times that we are facing, we, as followers of Christ, are called to remember the unprecedented love that God has shown and continues to show us every day.  As Easter draws near, we especially think of the enormous sacrifice that God made for us. 

We have developed a 5-part devotion series that will be distributed each Friday until Easter and will conclude on Easter Sunday.  For some you may choose to use this as a starting point, or a resource. Others of you will hopefully find it a small drop of inspiration in your day. 

As you use this devotion series to reflect on God's unprecedented love, please continue to show love in and to your community, especially by praying for those most vulnerable, those who are in isolation, those who are marginalised, our healthcare workers and for our leaders.

As countries are shutting their doors, let’s open our hearts. Together, we can face this unprecedented time with #unprecedentedlove. Please share your #unprecedentedlove in action either via comms@buv.com.au or on socials and we'll share with the rest of our BUV family.

We hope you enjoy Part 1 of this 5-part Unprecendented Love devotion series below and we look forward to bringing you Part 2 next Friday.   

Baptist Union of Victoria 

Devotion Part 1 
Unprecedented Love for Unprecedented Times
by Rev Jonathan Stark
 

“Would you like some toilet paper?” asked the young neighbour who had just pressed the doorbell. “We have enough and thought you might need some.”

A little kindness speaks volumes. Moments of unexpected love in times like these stay with us forever. But to be completely honest, it’s not easy to show unprecedented love. When there’s a crisis, it’s easier to stop caring for others because our own needs aren’t being met.

Like U.S. man Matt Colvin, who bought 18,000 bottles of hand sanitiser from stores across the state of Tennessee, we tend towards wanting what is best for us even if causes others to suffer. When Colvin then tried to sell the bottles at inflated prices, he experienced a huge backlash from the public and he had second thoughts. He decided to give the bottles away to a church to distribute instead. It took Colvin a while, but he got there eventually! It’s hard to love in unprecedented times.

But Jesus did. He demonstrated breathtaking love in the most hostile of times. He chose to love. He wasn’t tricked into dying, nor was he forced into it. He chose the cross. Though it would mean pain, humiliation and complete separation from God, Jesus chose the cross. There is nothing that demonstrates God’s love more powerfully than the cross. His love was unprecedented.

As Easter approaches we have an unprecedented opportunity to show unprecedented love to those around us. How was it that Jesus didn’t let all of the obstacles to the cross stop him from showing love? What kept him going? One possible answer to this question is found in Luke 9:51, where we learn that, “Jesus resolutely set his face towards Jerusalem.”

It seems that he made a decision to love and was determined to keep to going in the direction of Jerusalem where he would be crucified.

Have you made a decision to turn your face towards others in this unprecedented time with unprecedented love? Yes, there are challenges. And yes, it’s hard. But let’s choose to love like Jesus. He chose to love. Talk to your family and friends about your resolution.

And as we head towards Easter, let’s commit to finding unexpected ways to show unprecedented love in these unprecedented times.

God Bless,

Jonathan 

If you are self isolating or your church has suspended its gatherings, many of our Baptist churches are already live streaming their Sunday services. Here are their links :

Source: BUV News

Unprecedented Love Devotion Series

Dear Baptist family, 

During these unprecedented times that we are facing, we, as followers of Christ, are called to remember the unprecedented love that God has shown and continues to show us every day.  As Easter draws near, we especially think of the enormous sacrifice that God made for us. 

We have developed a 5-part devotion series that will be distributed each Friday until Easter and will conclude on Easter Sunday.  For some you may choose to use this as a starting point, or a resource. Others of you will hopefully find it a small drop of inspiration in your day. 

As you use this devotion series to reflect on God's unprecedented love, please continue to show love in and to your community, especially by praying for those most vulnerable, those who are in isolation, those who are marginalised, our healthcare workers and for our leaders.

As countries are shutting their doors, let’s open our hearts. Together, we can face this unprecedented time with #unprecedentedlove. Please share your #unprecedentedlove in action either via comms@buv.com.au or on socials and we'll share with the rest of our BUV family.

Devotion Part 1 
Unprecedented Love for Unprecedented Times
by Rev Jonathan Stark
 

“Would you like some toilet paper?” asked the young neighbour who had just pressed the doorbell. “We have enough and thought you might need some.”

A little kindness speaks volumes. Moments of unexpected love in times like these stay with us forever. But to be completely honest, it’s not easy to show unprecedented love. When there’s a crisis, it’s easier to stop caring for others because our own needs aren’t being met.

Like U.S. man Matt Colvin, who bought 18,000 bottles of hand sanitiser from stores across the state of Tennessee, we tend towards wanting what is best for us even if causes others to suffer. When Colvin then tried to sell the bottles at inflated prices, he experienced a huge backlash from the public and he had second thoughts. He decided to give the bottles away to a church to distribute instead. It took Colvin a while, but he got there eventually! It’s hard to love in unprecedented times.

But Jesus did. He demonstrated breathtaking love in the most hostile of times. He chose to love. He wasn’t tricked into dying, nor was he forced into it. He chose the cross. Though it would mean pain, humiliation and complete separation from God, Jesus chose the cross. There is nothing that demonstrates God’s love more powerfully than the cross. His love was unprecedented.

As Easter approaches we have an unprecedented opportunity to show unprecedented love to those around us. How was it that Jesus didn’t let all of the obstacles to the cross stop him from showing love? What kept him going? One possible answer to this question is found in Luke 9:51, where we learn that, “Jesus resolutely set his face towards Jerusalem.”

It seems that he made a decision to love and was determined to keep to going in the direction of Jerusalem where he would be crucified.

Have you made a decision to turn your face towards others in this unprecedented time with unprecedented love? Yes, there are challenges. And yes, it’s hard. But let’s choose to love like Jesus. He chose to love. Talk to your family and friends about your resolution.

And as we head towards Easter, let’s commit to finding unexpected ways to show unprecedented love in these unprecedented times.

God Bless,

Jonathan 

If you are self isolating or your church has suspended its gatherings, many of our Baptist churches are already live streaming their Sunday services. Here are their links.

Source: BUV News

7 Ideas for Church Financial Leaders Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

This is an unprecedented time for churches, and Pastors are going to be inundated with unfamiliar requests and unusual circumstances.

Not the least of these will be the effect on church finances.

The Pastor should not bare the brunt of this either with regard to their personal finances or the wider church finances. They already will have an increased workload and be sharing the burdens of the wider community.

In times like these it is vital that the church leadership step up and own the challenges of the church. The may not be able to field individual concerns but they can:

  1. Regularly check that the Pastor/s is coping
  2. Communicate to the church the need for stable finances
  3. Invite responses from the church if regular giving will be a personal challenge
  4. Suggest/investigate other ways to give. The Baptist Financial Services Giveway site is established for this purpose. Click here for more information
  5. Ensure Church bank details are readily available
  6. Encourage regular attendees to set up Direct Debit to the church account
  7. Mention how and where people can give cash or cheques during the week

An email or letter from the church leadership acknowledging the additional pressure for the Pastor and covering some of these points will help share the load.

Source: BUV News

COVID-19 Church Resources

In these unprecedented times, our BUV support hub is here for you. As the body of Christ, we now have an opportunity to serve, more than ever, by providing care, love and hope to others in our community.

And we can do this together by sharing the load and resources.

Our BUV regional pastors are just a phone call away if you need any advice. You can also go to our website www.buv.com.au/coronavirus or follow us on social media where you’ll find the latest advice that can help you and your church during this pandemic.

We are also building a resource library on this page for you. If you have resources to share with the wider baptist family, we'd love to hear from you. Please email comms@buv.com.au

As countries are shutting their doors, let’s open our hearts. Please continue to pray for our communities, especially the most vulnerable, our healthcare workers and for our leaders.

Together, we can face this unprecedented time with #unprecedentedlove ❤️

Official Information
Australia Government Department of Health
Victoria Government Health and Human Services
Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for COVID-19
Australian Government Advice for Organising Public Gatherings 
Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws
Baptist Insurance 

Other Useful Resources
Responding Pastorally to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Preparing for Potential Church Closure FAQs
Coronavirus and Church Planning Template
Crossover Outreach Resources

CCLI Church Streaming Licence
How to Launch Your Church Online Quickly

Many of our Baptist churches are already live streaming their Sunday services. Here are their links :

Source: BUV News