Keep an eye out on Sunday for the new issue of Fellow Workers. This full-colour, 16-page magazine is filled with news from around the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, as well as missionary updates from around the world.
Pick up a copy at your church this Sunday.
The new development at Kirkbrae has now reached the stage where the Social Services Committee at the February meeting was informed by our architect, Brett Somerville of Thomson Adsett, that the completion date for the administration building is 6 May, and the eight apartments, 22 July. The committee was encouraged by this news with the knowledge that there is increased community awareness of the new apartments with inquiries from retirees wishing to come and live at Kirkbrae.
With momentum gathering for the development, the committee decided at the February meeting to continue with the renovation of the cottage kitchens and bathrooms to meet community expectations for modern facilities.
To meet this need, the committee drew on the Mavis Smith Bequest for $54,000 which was generously matched by the Scots’ Property Trustees through a Trust held by the Trustees for housing elderly people. This total funding of $108,000 will enable the committee to undertake the renovation of six cottages.
This is an exciting time for the committee, the executive team and residents as we all look forward to the completion of the first stage of the redevelopment of Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes.
Julie Hunt shares with us how an elderly congregation recognised their bleak future – and chose to change. A story of inspiration – “we’ve stepped off a mountain and we’re waiting for God to take us wherever He wants to take us”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS0Xt0UQv9U]
Source: BUV News
Earlier on in the year, the BUV informed our church leadership about the ongoing hardships the local businesses in the East Gippsland region were experiencing, due to the devastating bushfires. Hearing about this truly broke our hearts, and we all felt we needed to help these communities out in a small way. So, a group of approximately 20 people from our congregation took the opportunity to travel to the East Gippsland region during the March long weekend (before the current COVID-19 restrictions came into place), visiting the local cafes, restaurants and accommodation sites to assist them financially.
Our first stop on Saturday was brunch in Bairnsdale where we split into two groups to ‘The Old Grain Store’ and ‘Metung Hotel’. There, we were advised that one of the towns hit hardest financially was a town called Bruthen. So we decided to visit this town. When we arrived there, some of us had lunch at 'Bull Ant Brewery' and some had afternoon tea at ‘Bruthen Bakery’. The staff there really appreciated our efforts to come down here to help them out in this time of need.
In the afternoon, we all checked into our motels at Lakes Entrance, splitting our accommodation arrangements over several different businesses. Our next stop was to go see the bushfire affected sites in the area. Although we were very saddened by witnessing the remains of many burnt down trees, the new sprouts emerging from the trees gave a sense of hope that the bushland will recover and be fruitful once again. Our last stop for the day was Lakes Pizza, where we had a delicious dinner.
On Sunday we started off by attending the Lake Entrance Baptist Church service. We were warmly welcomed by Pastor Michael & the church congregation. After the service we shared tea and coffee with leaders and members of the church. It was amazing to hear from one leader of the church that in the midst of all the damages and hardship caused by the bush fires, they are still praying and asking for God’s guidance to plant a church in Orbost, one of the bushfire affected areas. We are glad that we helped the church community by contributing our tithes and offerings.
After church we decided to go to Orbost to have lunch where once again we split in to two groups for two different cafes. We then visited another bushfire affected area in Orbost. It was devastating to see how the bushfires have affected the whole area and the environment.
After the visit to Orbost, we returned to Lakes Entrance. That evening, as a church family we all had a great time over dinner at “Nick’s Café and Authentic Thai Restaurant”. We stayed one more evening before heading home on Monday .Throughout the whole visit we were encouraged and amazed of the church’s faith in God and the spirit of rebuilding the bushfire affected areas again.
It all started with a friendship—with a Syrian woman I met in Shepparton in December 2017. When I asked her how I could help her and other Syrians recently arrived in Shepparton, she said they needed help practicing conversational English.
From that I began to teach classes, creating a program called Thrive Shepparton, with a plan for a creative expansion called Shepparton Story House. When students began to ask for writing and grammar alongside conversation, I knew it was time for Story House to begin.
Only it didn’t begin right away. Unable to secure a new working visa, I went home to the U.S. for nearly a year, during which time Rev Richard Horton at Shepparton Baptist Church contacted me. He’d read my plans for the Story House program and he wanted me to return to Shepparton to begin this program at his church.
In the year and a half since he contacted me, Shepparton Baptist Church has become home to two Congolese fellowships, an Indonesian fellowship, and continues to have an English service each Sunday and a Chinese service fortnightly. In mid-2018, Thrive Friendship Café launched at Shepparton Baptist Church, and friendships began to form between volunteers and close to a dozen Syrian families in our neighbourhood.
My working visa to begin Shepparton Story House at this already diverse church arrived the same week as COVID-19 restrictions. Not wanting to let down our expectant students, in term two we launched our three levels of English classes online, as well as our Bible Story & Chat program and Creative Writing Hub. With God’s grace, these programs have all continued through the past three months, growing despite launching online. Now we’ve also launched our program’s Story Platform with an online storytelling series: “Coming to Australia” which aims to show the diversity of migrants in our city and pave the way for our future story platform program at the church.
These programs aren’t just for our Syrian friends, but for those in our own church and all of those in the community around us who are learning English. So far our program participants have been from over a dozen countries.
It all started with a friendship— and as we hear and tell our own stories through our programs, we are blessed with many friendships across our beautifully diverse community.
During this time of isolation and separation, it is wonderful to see so many of the churches of the City of Whitehorse join together to share this message of hope and promise to the entire community on Easter morning.
Eddie Chapman, Box Hill Baptist Church’s Administrator, said “Knowing that all of our churches would be worshipping 'alone' over Easter, kind of made me feel like it'd be good to send some positive messages across churches in the area – So even if we're worshipping alone, we would appreciate that there's many of us doing so 'together'”.
Thankfully just a couple of days after it was suggesting it to Rev Jim Barr, the Pastor at Box Hill Baptist Church, there was a Zoom meeting with many of the Pastors in the City of Whitehorse, facilitated through Whitehorse Churches Care. Jim was able to ask the Pastors on the Zoom meeting to record their greetings around the virtual 'room'. This was then edited, tidied up, and distributed it out to all those churches to include in their own services or share accordingly.
“We're pleased that it's been well received across the congregations involved.” said Eddie.
Whitehorse Churches Care is an inter-denominational group with the following churches as members:
Stairway Church Whitehorse, One Church, NewHope Baptist Church, Gardenia St. Presbyterian, Blackburn Box Hill Salvos, St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Korus Connect, Crossway, St Alfred's Blackburn North, St Luke’s Anglican Church, Vermont, Nunawading & Waverley Lutheran Church, FGA Melbourne.
Video Link: https://www.facebook.com/boxhillbc/videos/157998505512612/
For pastors in Victoria and right around the world, let me just come right out and state the very obvious… Things have changed dramatically in recent times! I know it’s not a new piece of news but it needs to be said. And for pastors, there have been so many significant changes to the way we minister, that it is important to stop for a moment and acknowledge this.
You can most likely identify with the following…
These changes are real and have left many pastors feeling fatigued as a result of all the decisions they have had to make, emotionally drained as they feel like they are always trying to catch up, and physically tired as they wonder how long they can sustain this level of challenge. This is the reality for many pastors.
So now, perhaps more than ever, we need to hear anew the call of God’s word to us through the writer of the letter to the Hebrews…
“…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
While the events threatening to stop the recipients of the letter from persevering were persecution and the trials of life in their day, we face challenges and changes that can cause us to feel like we are unable to go on. But God wants us to persevere, to keep going, to run the race marked out for us.
Now is the time for pastors to have resilience more than ever. It’s the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, from challenges. Just like the “slinky” toy many of us had when we were growing up, resilient pastors spring back and resume their original form after stretching. They don’t give up, they endure, and they prevail in the midst of adversity. How can we ensure that we are resilient in these times?
Remember – God got you into this!
God has called you to run.
It is God who got you running this race. You believed the gospel, you responded by faith and began the journey as a follower of Jesus. You surrendered your life to him. And now you are a pastor and you are running this race. People are looking to you. God called you and has equipped you. You must persevere. Until God makes it clear you have completed the race, keep running.
You have a call and a sense of purpose, so remember that “the one who called you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24) It might just be the right time to retreat and spend a half or full day in prayer. On this day, why not reflect on how God called you initially into pastoral ministry, give thanks and praise for all that he has helped you through in the past, and ask God to help you, to strengthen you, to give you wisdom, to empower you and to fill you in the light of this current challenge. Remember that God’s grace is sufficient, and that when you are weak, you are strong in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
Remember – Comparison Kills
God’s has marked out the race for you.
“…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
As churches have started streaming their weekend services online, many pastors have had their very first opportunity for a long time to see what other churches are doing and to compare themselves with other pastors & churches. It’s possible to see the sermons other pastors are preaching, how they pray, how they lead. We can end up feeling all kinds of regret, inferiority and inadequacy. But the writer to the Hebrews says that we are all in a race, but it is one that he has marked out for each of us. We don’t run the race in the same way as someone else does. Run your own way in this race, the way marked out for you. Run with the unique gifts, skills and experiences he has given you. Craig Groeschel has said, “The fastest way to kill something special is to compare it with something else.” Don’t waste time comparing yourself or your church with others. If you keep looking around, you’ll run off course. Run your race with all that you have for God’s glory. Be yourself, everyone else is taken!
What are your strengths? Build on them. What gives you joy? Work toward those things. What are the unique needs in your church and your community? Ask God to help you meet them. The race is before you. Run your unique way. You have something special as a pastor to offer the people God has entrusted to you. We’re cheering for you!
Remember – Look to Jesus
“…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Look to the One who called you to run.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we can experience the fullness of God’s grace poured out on us. We may have failed, stumbled and fallen so far short of our hopes and expectations, but at the cross as we see Jesus, we can declare with boldness, “I am forgiven, I am accepted, I am redeemed, I am called.” This fills us with joy.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus we see his example of how to persevere. The cross of Christ reminds us of the terrible suffering Jesus faced which was not only experienced physically but also in taking upon himself the sin of the world. Still, the promise of future joy provided Jesus with the strength to suffer. We are called to help pastor flourishing churches. What a joy it will be to see lives changed and communities impacted. Keep your eyes on Jesus as you run and don’t give up!
Resilience Resources
We need resilient pastors who persevere in the face of great challenge. Now is the time to build your resilience. The BUV has great resources to help you and I want to point you to a number of them.
Together as Baptists on mission we can not only persevere through this time but I believe we can prevail. Remember that God got you into this, that comparison kills and that Jesus is the one to keep looking to at every step of our race. There will be great joy when we meet Jesus face to face one day and we celebrate together!
Running Alpha Online is here to stay. In a matter of weeks, 190 online courses across the country have been registered with digital gatherings quickly becoming the norm. Whilst online Alpha has been explored in the past, the sudden surge in interest in Australia indicates that people are more than ready to adapt. “There is no going back. Alpha Online will remain an option even when we can meet in groups again,” says Philippa Fielding, Alpha Australia Church Relationship Lead.
For some churches, attendance in services has surged since going online. There is still speculation regarding the trend, but anecdotal evidence suggests that people are enjoying some anonymity in gathering online and the forum is logistically easier for many who may be experiencing illness, distance or a lack of transport options. There also seems to be a greater appetite in society for asking the big questions of faith and life and the forum is more welcoming of those who might be experiencing growing uncertainty or anxiety.
Giving support to observations, McCrindle has recently researched the emotional state of Australians. “The unfolding situation around COVID-19 is creating a sense of uncertainty among Australians. Two in five (39%) feel extremely or very uncertain … while another 52% feel somewhat or slightly uncertain. In this context of change and uncertainty Australians are feeling anxious (45%), frustrated (37%) and vulnerable (29%). There is still a sense of optimism, however, with more than a quarter (27%) feeling hopeful.” You can find the full McCrindle report here.
Google Trends indicates that questions such as ‘What is the point?’, ‘Why and I here?’ and ‘Is this it?’ have all been at their highest for the last 12 month period in March and April this year, potentially correlating with the declaration of the pandemic by the WHO.
Offering Alpha is a natural step for people who want to ask their questions in a safe environment. Surprisingly, “Alpha Online is proving to be an easier forum for some introverts,” says Philippa. Some don’t turn on their videos. They choose to maintain the conversation through audio only. For those churches who are now part way through their courses, it has become evident that there “doesn’t seem to be as much pressure online.” Alpha Online has also seen an increase in participation of people with transportation challenges and single parents, who ordinarily face the difficulty of finding care for children in order to be able to go out of an evening.
The personal invitation has also been made easier in the online setting. Inviting a friend has always been a central focus of Alpha. The physical distancing requirements and isolation have shifted our focus to broader connections. Some Alpha participants from a Victorian Baptist Church have invited their friends living in Iran and China to join an Australian-based Alpha. And other Australian courses are crossing state borders, with participants not constrained by geography. As our globalised world helps us to forge relationships not bound by borders, so Alpha Online is enabling those relationships to delve into these big questions together.
Many churches are running small Alpha gatherings on the Zoom platform using a paid account, which allows for break out rooms and longer meetings. However, others are choosing to use a free Zoom account, and having guests login together for 45 minutes after watching the Alpha Film Series independently through Vimeo. Some churches, confident in using the online platform, are hosting Alpha and including other church groups, who then breakout separately for discussion. A Victorian church, never having previously run Alpha, is offering Alpha every night of the week. Others are starting up new Alphas each week. The tradition of running Alpha once or twice per year consecutively no longer needs to be adhered to. Creativity and ‘giving it a go’ have been hallmarks of those who have leapt into the opportunity.
These trends are not unique to Australia. All over the world Alpha has been utilised as a safe forum during this crisis. Holy Trinity Brompton, the home of Alpha in London, is currently running its biggest Alpha cohort in history. 1100 people are gathering weekly. It is also hosting 1500 couples in the online Marriage Course. “This is a good thing since some couples are under greater pressure in the crisis,” says Philippa.
The essential elements of Alpha are being reprioritised. Food together is not an option; the ‘Weekend Away’ is being handled differently by different groups as leaders share their stories and ideas with one another; but prayer ministry remains vitally important and is often being organised through breakout rooms with smaller gatherings of people. Training is offered for churches who are keen to learn how to make the most of Alpha Online. As people have been led in prayer in the training context, “there has been a sense of the Holy Spirit there with us online.” Prayer remains a priority throughout Alpha, with The Prayer Course online being recommended as a potential follow up course at the close of Alpha.
Whilst the online forum provides an insurmountable challenge for some to participate, for many, it is exactly what is needed at this time, and a gathering that many have been waiting for.
For more information and resources, go to the link below:
Courses:
Alpha https://www.alpha.org.au/
The Prayer Course: https://prayercourse.org/
The Marriage Course: http://www.marriageandparenting.org.au/tmc
Devotions recommended by the Alpha team
Bible in One Year https://www.bibleinoneyear.org/
Lectio 365: https://www.24-7prayer.com/dailydevotional
Bridgetown Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bridgetown-audio-podcast/id84246334
In lieu of being able to physically gather for our biannual Members Dinner tonight, we've create a Members Update Video for you. In this video, you will hear from Jo-Anne Bradshaw, Union Council Chair, from Daniel Bullock, Director of Mission and Ministries, on the year so far and strategic direction, and from Debbie Uy, Director of Finance and Administration on the Financial info. In addition, we will welcome some new churches and faith communities to the BUV and will hear briefly from our 3 Ordinands.
Its a great 30 minute video update and we encourage you to make time to watch it sometime over the weekend.
The 2019 BUV Annual Report is now also available – Click here