Alison, can you tell us a bit about your journey into pastoral leadership?

Like many women, I moved into pastoral leadership hesitantly. My mother was a pastor at a time when the church was largely hostile towards women in ministry; it was not a situation I envied. Although I was studying theology, writing Bible studies, preaching, questioning how we did things as a church, and journeying with people towards change, it took several requests from the church, and a long process of God breaking down my internal resistance, before I could formally accept the call.

What would you say are the barriers (and blessings) to your ministry as a woman?

Although they rarely realise it, many people cling to an idea that ‘normal’ pastors are straight white men. This means that those of us who don’t fit into that mould are seen, first and foremost, as the perceived ‘difference’ to that mould. So I am seen as a woman not a pastor, and asked to talk about being a woman in ministry rather than just my ministry. The unspoken assumption is that neither I nor my experience are ‘normal’.

And so, for example, the men in my local Baptist ministers fellowship go away together to men’s conferences and retreats, because that’s what ‘normal’ pastors do; and I am excluded from the shared experiences, conversations and networking. I love the local blokes, but I have had to maintain a pastoral peer group in Melbourne to ensure I get the support I need.

To give another example, when I was ready to leave South Yarra the only work I was offered was with playgroups. Now, I love little kids one-on-one, but a group of them leaves me cold; it would have been a disaster both for them and for me. People who know me call me a pastor-theologian: I am a thinker, writer and preacher. But because I am a woman, others do not see these gifts; they just assume I should work with kids.

Ironically, having no formal opportunities has had its advantages. It opened the door for the Holy Spirit to prepare a people and a place for me here in Warrnambool. I am now the sole pastor of a four-year-old church plant of 50-60 regulars, including many children and teens. In this context, I have enormous freedom to try things which have never been tried before; to follow the Spirit’s lead; and to serve an intergenerational cohort of people, many of whom previously had very little connection with church. This ministry is a great blessing and joy.

In what ways do you see God’s hand at work in your ministry now?

When Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, he promises living water that will never run out. For me, one of the signs of God at work is an endless well of creativity bubbling up from within, which shapes and inspires my ministry. I am constantly dreaming up new paths through the desert, writing extensively, and in so doing watering other people’s faith. When I began Sanctuary, people described their faith as dry, desiccated, dormant, even non-existent (they came for their kids). People are now stronger and more confident in faith, and some young people are seeking baptism. Online (since COVID-19), I see many people, including many pastors, accessing our website, and borrowing and adapting things for their own circumstances.

As you reflect back on your own leadership journey, what advice would you give to women starting out on theirs?

In our society, there is enormous pressure on women to be inoffensive and to conform to other people’s expectations; this can be doubly true in the church. But your task is not to conform, make everyone happy, or be super-nice. Instead, your task is to love God and people, keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, follow the Spirit’s leading, and be true to your call.

For some, this will go sweetly. For others, this will upset a few apple carts and lead to conflict, even crucifixion. If this happens, know that this is normal. Healing in the gospel invariably leads to conflict, and journeying with Jesus means heading towards the cross: but on the other side of the cross you find life. So stick with him; keep dwelling in the Word; keep praying; keep loving your enemies—and make sure you have a couple of trusted colleagues who will journey with you through thick and thin!

Alison at her Ordination service in 2018 with a member of Sanctuary, Noah, who introduced her. 

This month, we are celebrating International Women's Day by featuring stories of courage and determination by ordinary women who are playing extraordinary roles within our Baptist community.

Finding one’s voice – Charlene Delos Santos

Charlene’s upbringing was not a typical one. Arriving in Australia at the age of six with her parents and younger sister, her Filipino heritage has largely shaped her family’s decisions and hopes. Her early experience of church, in a predominantly white youth group, was one of being on the fringe.

“It was hard being the only Asian person in my close group of friends.”

Charlene’s good humour, and affable smile belie the struggle for identity and finding her own voice in leadership in a culture where she does not fit the status quo. A life shaped by expectations from cultural heritage along with power structures pervading Western society are shared by many who call themselves second-generation Australian. For some, this tension can be overwhelming and destructive.

However, Charlene’s love for Jesus and desire to make him known has opened up a place for ushering in peace through right relationship with God and across cultural distinctives. Towards the end of the high school, Charlene had a strong encounter with God.

“During that time, I felt so loved by my father in heaven. I felt so surrounded and embraced by his love.”

Charlene was compelled to do what she could to share God’s love with others. As a student and with the support of Scripture Union (SU), she started a prayer group in school, and ran lunch time programs. “It was hard work, and at times really disappointing, but I felt Jesus was close.”

This foray into ministry leadership brought Charlene to a point of tension with traditional expectations of her migrant family. “Even though they were Christians, there was a lot of resistance to me seeking to be in ministry. As a child of migrant parents, they were worried about me not being financially secure or having a stable job. To compromise, I ended up doing a youth work degree at RMIT, rather than studying at Bible College.”

Upon graduation, Charlene accepted a position with SU in schools ministry and ran an internship program for culturally diverse leaders. After 11 years with SU, Charlene stepped out in faith, seeking God for a workplace where culture was celebrated and affirmed.

Through God’s sovereign hand, SURRENDER Conference sought her out and Charlene is now in her fifth year on the team. Her work with SURRENDER built connections with the BUV, where she is currently coordinating IGNITE, the BUV’s annual multicultural youth conference.

Reflecting on the conference, Charlene speaks with deep understanding,

“Many of the second-generation youth at IGNITE live every day with pressure from both sides – from their parents’ or church’s cultures and from western society”.

“When they gather at the IGNITE conference, they can breathe. They feel like they can be themselves. Many are building bonds with other youths outside their church and community because they understood each other.”

Charlene describes it as not knowing where one fits in, yet also trying to integrate multiple cultural identities.

“Because of my personal journey, I am passionate to engage with and support this next generation of culturally diverse leaders.”

Charlene is working closely with the team to provide focus on international leadership development for the IGNITE leaders and for connections to be maintained beyond the conference.

Being one of the few Asian women in ministry leadership today, Charlene dream of a diverse church with more multicultural leaders – particularly female leaders.

“There are many good women leaders serving in their church communities, but there are also limitations to areas in which they can lead, many barriers and missed opportunities. Currently, there are also few role models for young second-generation leaders to follow.”

Charlene is in the continual process of deepening her relationship with Jesus and learning her own voice in leadership. But she freely admits that finding her voice in leadership has been fraught at times. The majority of leaders in meetings represent traditional Western society, and subtly hold the power of opinion. ‘When I am in a meeting, I listen to these voices in the room more than others to gauge whether I am on the right track, rather than ask, “What is my voice? What do I think?"

Charlene laments the times she has not listened to her gut and has shaped and filtered her ideas to suit what the powerbrokers may want to hear. “There are other times where I live out of that sense of what God has called me to do and be. And other times when I should have listened to my gut, but I decided to go with what I thought success looked like. And it has hurt.”

The journey to finding her voice has required self-reflection, courage and persistence. She freely admits, “It’s a challenge I’m learning to overcome!”

Charlene Delos Santos is the Co-Director of Surrender Australia and the BUV Multicultural 2nd Generation Coordinator. 

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)

At a time when most see ‘unprecedented’ obstacles, Mornington Peninsula Mayor Sam Hearn sees opportunity. With COVID-19 lockdowns forcing the closure of many Community Support Centres, Sam (who is also involved in the leadership of his neighbourhood Baptist church community) dreamed up the ‘People’s Army’: redeploying stood down local council staff to deliver care packages to vulnerable and isolated people in the area. The idea came to him after seeing community members share on Facebook how they were reaching out to their neighbours.

‘People have been doing it far tougher than they probably have for decades and decades,’ said Sam. ‘And yet the way that people have just reached out and suddenly become so much more intentional about wanting to do things for their community has gone through the roof.’

The food parcel plan is part of the Mornington Peninsula’s Caring for Community program, intended to help lessen the spread and effects of the pandemic by creating a sense of ‘togetherness’. The council co-ordinated response involved creating a database of all the vulnerable, elderly or disadvantaged people in the area and setting up supply chains directly from supermarkets to requisition food for those who could not get it themselves. More than 2500 families have been supported so far and the formal council response created a ripple effect into the community, with locals sharing approximately ‘ten times’ the resources of the council on an informal level.

‘It cuts through in a different way when someone sees their mayor or a local community leader saying, “This is the way we as a community are going to respond to this,”’ said Sam. ‘So I’ve gone on the front foot very quickly to give the message that this is about checking on your neighbour, call your friends, check in on the older people in your street, make sure people are doing okay.’

It’s not the first time Sam has headed up something like the food parcel plan. As bushfires raged over summer, more than 200 Mornington Peninsula Shire staff came together to offer support, comfort and accommodation to over 1000 Mallacoota evacuees. Sam views the mission to ‘love your neighbour’ as inseparable with community support, particularly in challenging times.

‘I think the biggest opportunity is for the church to truly and fundamentally be a community of people that are really present individually and collectively in an intentional way as good citizens in their local community – that’s always mattered and is always needed.’

Sam has been committed to building long-term community relationships and trust in this local community, seeing it as vital to mission. His first sense of calling was to his own high-school of Mornington Secondary College when he came to faith as a 15 year old and continues now with his role as Mayor.

‘If we as the church want to actually be relevant and present in our communities, we need to build selfless, long-term, trusting, generous relationships with our local community…to support in anyway way,’ said Sam. ‘I think this year will have shown churches across the country whether they are really connected to their community… If you have only turned up when this crisis hit saying “We want to rescue you, we want to help out”, most people will go “Who the heck are you?”’

‘The great thing is that all church communities can encourage and mobilise their members to reach out and care for their neighbours at a time like this.’

Rather than merely an obstacle to overcome, Sam sees the pandemic as an opportunity to serve community, and for churches to reflect on their local community involvement. Bringing hopeful change to community often feels slower than Sam would like it to be, but the pandemic has brought what matters most to the front and accelerated the process.

‘COVID-19 has probably shown us, reminded us and confronted us with the fact that as human beings we’ve always been together at our most cellular and foundational level,’ Sam said. ‘We’re realising that staying socially connected is what matters most to us – being part of community, feeling loved, giving love, knowing our place and feeling a sense of belonging.’

‘This is especially true as we’ve had the heartbreaking experience of coming out of the first wave with a sense of optimism and gratefulness only to see a second wave emerge,’ Sam said. ‘It’s really taking a heavy toll on people’s mental and emotional wellbeing, and a sense of connection and hope is more important than ever.’

Through the second wave, Sam is practically reaching out and connecting with the people he personally is caring for: delivering food to a single dad in his neighbourhood, chatting to other families at kinder drop off, giving the local café owner a call to encourage him.

‘Those simple things can really help people find strength to persevere, not to mention being a witness to the hope and love that is there for them in Jesus.’