The Evolving Face of BUV Multicultural Ministry

I have worked at the BUV in various roles in the area of Multicultural Ministry for nearly two decades. Initially the focus of my role was on the 1^st Generation, newly arrived and refugees and asylum seekers – visiting many churches and pastors. I visited many families with young children and those just starting to have babies. We were very busy supporting those churches, especially the first generation in helping them adjust and live in a new culture.

And now 20 years later, these babies are now our emerging young leaders! I have been gifted by facilitating the Ignite Conferences the last three years, and seeing these leaders step up and grow.

The 1^st Gen has no idea, including myself, how to lead them because the journey is different for these 2^nd Gen young leaders. But I realised that I don’t need to ‘’lead” them, I just need to support and give them ministry opportunities.

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During this Ignite17 Conference, I was delighted to see young people take more ownership, display their capabilities, their creativity and show new ideas and initiative. I was encouraged to see how much they are wrestling with what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and also their cultural identity. We can see the 2^nd Gen carrying our present and future. I have great faith in them.

This Lent, Common Grace and Bible Society Australia invite us to rediscover Jesus's profound teachings veiled in everyday stories. As we come together, we're praying for ears to hear these teachings of Jesus afresh, to let them get past our defences and under our skin, as they transform us to make things right in this world.

Justice is not about punishment: it’s about healing.

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This series has been produced by Common Grace and Bible Society Australia.

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Stepping inside Balwyn Baptist church (BBC), caressed by her bright and free-flowing space, you will be forgiven for not being able to tell that this is actually a mixed marriage of an ageing wooden hall built over a century ago, a beautiful high ceiling brick worship place built between the two world wars, and a concrete extension built in the eighties of last century when the interest rate reached a crazy 18%. That’s the image you might summon when you think of BBC facing the unprecedented COVID-19 challenge, where her diversity in age, race, culture and traditions turned into amazing and enriching unity by God’s grace. 

The current pandemic has had an effect on everyone, regardless of age, race or religion and everyone’s perceptions and responses have differed. There is no “correct” way to react to the COVID-19 outbreak. The community at Balwyn Baptist Church has always been diverse, with worshippers ranging from Anglo- Aussies, to China, Mauritius and the Middle East. Fellowships that frequent the BBC schedule have assisted in developing strong trust and understanding within the church. Facing the pandemic together has only further highlighted that despite the many differences, there is unity in diversity. 

During this time, it has become even more important to stay close to God and His word. However, with health and safety regulations, Sunday church services were put on hold. Turning to online services like many others, BBC worked hard to keep the congregation connected via Zoom. This drastic change inevitably leads to some challenges within the church; most notably, the use of technology. The BBC community has been blessed with a notable variation in age. Some members of the church less familiar with the usage of technology have struggled with the conversion to online services.

Specifically, we witnessed the love of Jesus reflected in the actions of a member from BBC. Upon hearing that a member of the congregation did not have a device to operate Zoom on, she bought an iPhone 5 online and a 12-gigabyte sim card. This action of love and generosity has been echoed throughout the church with other members lending laptops to those who need it and helping each other learn how to use the program. Although the use of technology is still a challenge, the help that the church has willingly offered to each other has been a direct reflection of how differences have brought us together. 

It is inevitable that the reactions towards COVID-19 will differ. There are members who respond with a greater level of caution, and others who are more relaxed. The church has overcome the many differing viewpoints, and through God has been given the ability to converse in love and understandingly. It has been moving to witness the immense support and empathetic responses during this time. The controversial issues surrounding the pandemic which frequent the media and the perceived cultural stigma’s have not impacted the dynamic within the church, but instead through prayer and praise, the church has united in unwavering faith to provide support to each other. 

Although it is often perceived that diversity and unity are at opposite ends of a spectrum, God has the ability to link our differences. Through Him, BBC has been able to unite in current circumstances and embrace the diversity. It is these differences that have been a blessing to the church.  

By Victoria Li 
Year 11 student, BBC church member

This Lent, Common Grace and Bible Society Australia invite us to rediscover Jesus's profound teachings veiled in everyday stories. As we come together, we're praying for ears to hear these teachings of Jesus afresh, to let them get past our defences and under our skin, as they transform us to make things right in this world.

Justice is not about punishment: it’s about healing.

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This series has been produced by Common Grace and Bible Society Australia.

Click here to read article.

There’s nothing quite like coming home to a loving family. Having a place where you are known, loved and encouraged to fulfil your purpose. At Mill Park Baptist Church (MPBC), our members and our community are experiencing exactly that

Nestled in a multi-cultural suburb, north of Melbourne, MPBC welcomes people of all ages, races and socio-economic backgrounds to the family of God. Through the personal testimonies of many, we are seeing the fruit of our church embracing multi-ethnicity where over 30 different ethnic groups of people come together to worship and serve every week.

Mariam, one of our dedicated members, is a great example of this. Mariam migrated to Australia from Egypt and felt lost in a new country. She began attending MPBC with her family and soon found a sense of belonging and value within our community. Mariam knew that she was not alone and dreamt of people from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds feeling welcomed, loved, and accepted for who they are, and being empowered as tomorrow's leaders in a multi-ethnic context.

We encouraged her to take up a leadership role and supported her team to launch an “International Expo” event, celebrating ethnic diversity.  Using her own experience and story, Mariam offered all she had to the Lord. And faithfully, He has used it mightily! Through a showcase of diverse food and cultural performances, the International Expo, now in its 5^th year, is an event that our community looks forward to participating in and celebrating. It is a beautiful demonstration of Revelation 7:9,

‘After this I looked and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.’

And then, there’s SHAK! Whispering in the hearts of Siew-Peng and two sisters, Joanna and Sonya, God united their vision to Share His Almighty Kingdom through a community kitchen. The SHAK was birthed in 2015 to share God’s love through a hot meal and warm conversations. Today, this incredible ministry feeds 20-25 people each week, impacting many who are lonely and struggling with issues such as mental health.

Theresa, was one of the many individuals, captivated by this ministry. Having been diagnosed with Cancer and sitting with questions of faith, Theresa saw how the SHAK was a reconciling community of Christ where all can belong. She was deeply moved and started volunteering at the SHAK. On her last birthday before passing, she asked that all her gifts be a contribution to the SHAK and provided new equipment for the kitchen. We are thankful that Theresa left a legacy that continues to transform lives within our community.

There are also stories from people whose lives have been changed through the process of counselling. Mill Park Community Care, our professional counselling service, was established back in 2013 through two church members with counselling training and experience. This more publicly accessible form of counselling is quite different to traditional pastoral care and has helped many outside the church four walls, to work through issues and deal with emotions. One of our clients shared with us her story below:

 “If you were to tell me six months ago that I would be currently living addiction free and full of purpose – I would have literally thought you were downright crazy. It was three words that changed my life forever… "By His grace." It was the grace of God that met me from the very first counselling session at Mill Park (Community Care) with my counsellor or "Doc" as I refer to her at times. I knew in that room, on that very first session, that God was in that place. Don't get me wrong it wasn't easy by any means and I had to go to some dark places but… (it) was so easy to talk… and I could literally share everything… I have by no means arrived, but I do know that generational curses, habits and addictions are forever broken off my life – wrong ways of thinking have also completely been rectified (this is a continual process) and I have gained a greater clarity of the "big picture" of my life and how I best fit in that by God's strength, through His will and by the power of His Holy Spirit. Let me finish by saying that even if you're not spiritual or religious in any way – the counselling team is still right for you to gain good quality, world-class counselling in my humble opinion.”

We also have ministries across every generation, that share the love of Jesus and good news of the gospel to the community – from kids to youth to young adults and beyond. Thanks to volunteers like Kat Stokes, our church provides playgroup twice weekly as a wonderful way to connect with parents and their young children. The ZONE is another outreach program available to primary school children. Through fun activities once a month, children in the community have the opportunity to make friends with believing children their age and establish connections with faith-filled mentors to help them grow.

At MPBC, we believe there’s a place for everyone at His table and it’s something we find engrained throughout the DNA of all our ministries. With so many unique gifts and callings working together as one family in Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:7 and 11 so perfectly sum up what we are seeing at MPBC:

‘To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good… All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.’

Paul Huglin has been the Senior Pastor at West Preston Baptist Church for the past nine months. He and his wife Apryl were attracted to the church as they knew it had a heart for its community. Paul has previously served at Diamond Valley Baptist as the Associate Pastor for many years, but most recently as a Community Pastor serving as Chaplain to the local Shopping Centre. Apryl works with Baptcare as Chaplain in the Sanctuary program supporting Asylum Seekers. Recently, and despite the Coronavirus restrictions, an opportunity to align the church and Sanctuary has emerged.

“Asylum seekers are the most vulnerable group of people in our community” says Apryl. “They are unable to work and therefore draw an income, but they also do not receive any subsidies from the government. Some of them have absolutely no income and somehow must support their families”.

With the food bank shortages that are currently being experienced, even this avenue of support has become scarce, however, West Preston Baptist has been able to open their own food bank and provide monthly cooked meals to residents of Houses of Hope/Sanctuary. Apryl has also sourced companies that have been willing to donate to this very needed charity. Wholesalers and restaurants are now giving, and another encouraging outcome of this initiative is how it has renewed the church’s connection with its local community. Members of the church are regularly volunteering to assist in this new and significant project.

For more information as to how your church may assist this most vulnerable group of people please contact:

sanctuary@baptcare.org.au

baptcare.org.au/sanctuary

Phone: 13 BAPTCARE (13 22 78)

It was 1972 when Gilbert said that he was considering going into the ministry. We had been married 10 years and had two children, Tim aged 8 and Libby aged 6, and were members of the local Church of Christ, a church I first attended when I joined the Sunday school at the age of 5.

He wanted to join the Methodists who were in discussions with the Presbyterian and Congregationalists about forming a Uniting Church. The Church of Christ had been part of the early discussions but had decided not to proceed.

We had gone to a Methodist church for eight years while Gilbert was a teacher in the High School in Bairnsdale. While there Gilbert had become a local preacher and we had been very active in the life of the church.

Our Christian Life was very important to us so this decision wasn’t a complete shock. It seemed like a natural progression of our faith. So he had a talk to the local Methodist minister who gave him lots of wise and helpful advice and everything started moving.

But first we had to tell our parents.

Gilbert’s Mother and Dad were both active members of their church and so telling them would be easy. Gilbert visited them one night to break the news. They didn’t seem to be very surprised and seemed to be quite pleased. However the next day, while Gilbert was at school I had a visit from his father, who wanted to know how I felt about the decision. I think I convinced him that I was happy with the prospect and keen to provide Gilbert with my total support.

It then remained to tell my parents.

I wasn’t from a church family and was not sure how they would take it.  Dad went very quiet and Mum could only say ‘But what about your securities?’

By this time we had moved back to Ashburton from Bairnsdale and had bought a nice little house not far from them. The children would often visit their grandparents on Saturday mornings, with Tim spending time in the garage or garden with Grandpa and Libby following Grandma around the house talking her head off. My parents loved having us nearby, especially after we had been so far away when the children were babies.

Gilbert had enjoyed teaching and it provided a secure future and it was also important for Mum and Dad that we lived in a nice house.  

Ministry did not tick any of these boxes very well. We might end up in an awful manse and Gilbert may find himself dealing with difficult people in the congregation. Also ministry was seen to be a less secure job than teaching.  

However, Mum and Dad soon came around and accepted our decision. Dad could not have been prouder on the night of Gilbert’s ordination.

Personally, this was a big change for me as I was under pressure to take on leadership roles in the church. Though I had been active in women’s fellowship groups and had taught in the Sunday school I had always been a shrinking violet, preferring to be part of the group and to sit and knit or chat. Every now and then I would add a bit of cheek or advice but never take the lead.

When pressed in this new situation I gave in, but do not think I was a great leader. Women’s fellowship groups were always friendly and happy places for me and there were always other ladies who could step in and deal with the contentious issues. As I started out there were some terrific minister’s wives around who acted as role models. They gave me good advice so that in due course I found my own style but it was very low key.

While Gilbert was studying he was appointed to Altona North and after he graduated we went to a church based in Deloraine, Tasmania. It was a big shift but we enjoyed life in the country and it was excellent for the children.

After three years in Tasmania we moved back to what is now the Uniting church in Highfield Rd Canterbury. This was a larger church and we stayed for eight and a half years. The children were in high school by this time and it was a big change for them to be in a much larger school and to have to catch a train and a bus to get there.  

Being a minister’s wife at this time brought with it the expectation that you would provide leadership, fresh ideas and be available at all times. At first I was happy to accept this traditional role but later on, with more women working this was seen as being unfair. It was not long before some women were expressing amazement that I would try and fill the traditional role, especially the expectation that you would be available to respond to all sorts of situations at any time of the day or night.

As more and more women became highly educated, they began to have their own professional careers in teaching or nursing etc. As a result they contributed substantially to the family finances, and were able to help stabilise the budget during the crunch points of family life, while at the same time maintaining their own credentials.

When the children were in their teens, with one at University and the other finishing secondary school, money became tight for us and we began to worry as to how we would manage.

I thought it would be a good idea to find a part time job that would fit around my other commitments. This seemed a tall order. However, while shopping at our local greengrocer I noticed a sign in the window advertising a position for two days a week. Everything about the job was just what I had hoped for. I applied and was given it on the spot!

So, I became a part time shop assistant, not the most highly paid job in the world, but it made all the difference to our budget and life became far less stressful.

It was wonderful to be working ‘in the world’ again and meeting people who were not part of the church. And to be paid for the privilege was a marvellous bonus. I loved the work and the family I worked with, and stayed with them for ten years.

When we left Highfield Rd, Gilbert was called to the Rosanna Uniting Church.

After seven years at Rosanna he was called to the Diamond Creek Uniting church, located near the Hurstbridge railway line. It was part of the Diamond Valley parish and in a lovely area. It had a fairly new manse that was rather big for the two of us. But it was great for entertaining visitors and holding study groups and meetings. With both of our children married and having children of their own it was always good to have sleepovers or holiday times together.

Rosanna was a busy and challenging parish and after nine years Gilbert was able to retire.

We moved to a house in Ringwood and settled into a rather quiet life together. It is good to be free of the responsibilities of ministerial life and to be involved in our local church where other people are able and willing to provide the leadership.

Looking back over all the changes we have seen and the wonderful people we have met it has been a very full life. When one is in there you just get on with it and do not always appreciate how good it is especially when health issues arise and times are not so easy. At those times the church family is always there with lots of kindness and support.

And I suppose that is how we have always regarded people in the church, as family who are close, affectionate, and respectful.

This makes the whole life of ministry such a very special privilege.

I give thanks to God who was with us all the way.

Yvonne Joyce