This April, as you prepare your heart and mind to celebrate Easter, we pray that you'll be encouraged and draw closer to our Saviour through this special devotion series "Before the Cross". Every week, we'll feature inspiring messages from BUV leaders and this week, you'll hear from Daniel Bullock, BUV Director of Mission & Ministries, who encourages us to be together on mission as Easter People.
Week 3: Easter People
Daniel Bullock, BUV Director of Mission & Ministries
Every year, Crossway LifeCare organises community Christmas dinners for their participants. These are people experiencing significant life challenges in their local area who have been referred to LifeCare's services which include domestic violence recovery, counseling, financial mentoring, and community mentoring.
This year, 174 participants in total attended two community Christmas dinners where they enjoyed performances from a live band, and participated in events such as the air guitar contest, face painting, nativity photo shoot (dress up in a nativity scene), craft table, bouncy castle, balloon artist. Box Hill Community Choir also performed at one of the dinner.
Our Crossway community donated many Christmas gifts for the families. Each family also received a gift voucher to help them get through the Christmas season.
"I didn't think my children and I were going to make it to the dinner on the day. We pushed ourselves to finally get there and we've just had such a wonderful time. This is my best Christmas ever! Thank you so much." – single parent from LifeCare's Women's Centre.
From a Community Mentoring mentor who attended with the person she is mentoring:
I want to say how good these LifeCare Christmas Dinners have been for the participants. It was very well organised with great attention to detail. The young woman who gave the Gospel talk was exceptional I felt. The meal was beautiful, the live band good and the service so willingly given by so many people.
From Matt Jones, LifeCare Community Team Leader:
We weren't just setting out to put on a couple of well-run events here. Our aim was to really engage with people, to meet them where they are at and to hopefully give them a real experience of peace, joy, hope and love this Christmas. We had 30 to 40 volunteers at each event, many who simply sat with and intentionally connected with people over the meal. It has been really encouraging to see and hear their overwhelmingly positive responses.
Crossway LifeCare is a community services organisation passionate about helping people in tough places flourish. Although some of their services have been suspended due to COVID-19, LifeCare has found ways to fulfil its vision during this time.
Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, Crossway LifeCare delivered about 30 food hampers a month. In the last 11 weeks, LifeCare's Community Pantry has distributed 613 hampers!
One client said, "To your wonderful volunteers, and the kind people who donate, please pass on my heartfelt thanks". And another, "I wanted to say thank you again for the generosity you have shown my family today. The kids have already picked out a movie to watch tonight to have the popcorn with! They were over the moon to unpack everything and spent some time together figuring out potential meal ideas. It was so lovely to watch! I felt like they were on a game show. Please know that we are so grateful."
Many volunteers help pack and sort the food hampers. On April 27 this included three of the Essendon Football Club Staff, Gregor, Luke and Andrew. These three men had been stood down from their jobs indefinitely due to financial challenges arising from COVID-19 restrictions, but they wanted to give back despite their personal struggles and were grateful for the opportunity to help.
Every year, Crossway LifeCare's Women’s Centre puts on a pamper morning to celebrate the women who attend the Centre for Mother’s Day. Most of the women who attend the Women’s Centre are mothers, and all of them have experienced family violence. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s pamper morning was unable to go ahead, so instead, the Centre delivered flowers to all the participants. After receiving her flowers, one woman said, "It's been a long, long time since I received anything for Mother's Day. They are beautiful, thank you ".
There are many more ‘good news’ stories and photos on Crossway Lifecare’s facebook page, demonstrating that even a pandemic cannot stand in the way of God’s love in action!
This April, as you prepare your heart and mind to celebrate Easter, we pray that you'll be encouraged and draw closer to our Saviour through this special devotion series "Before the Cross". Every week, we'll feature inspiring messages from BUV leaders and this week, you'll hear from Daniel Bullock, BUV Director of Mission & Ministries, who encourages us to be together on mission as Easter People.
Week 2: Easter People
Daniel Bullock, BUV Director of Mission & Ministries
On a warm summer morning, we meet Pastor Glenn Koh at a ‘building site’. The café down the road is open, but we decide to chat amongst the clamour of hammers and screw drivers, overlooking unfinished surfaces and frequently needing to pause until the saw has done its job. It is the site of Pathway Baptist Church(PBC). It is the site of growth and the evidence of a church that is flourishing together as family. The noise doesn’t deter him. He is an enthusiastic man with kind and wise eyes.
Glenn speaks purposefully with excitement, “I always encourage people to be part of a building project in their church life because you can see God at work.” He is buoyed by the faith of the people around him who are hopeful for the ways that the new PBC extension building will minister to the Bulleen community. This is where Glenn has put down roots and has committed to cultivating the soil. A place completely unknown to Glenn in his formative years, and even unexpected in his adult years.
At the age of seven, Glenn was selling newspapers on the streets of Singapore. Every secondary school holiday, he sold biscuits door-to-door. One particular day he started with his usual line. “I am selling biscuits to help finance my own education.” However, the potential customer immediately responded with, “You wait! You wait!” Glenn stood at the door as the man fetched his own son from within the house. Using Glenn as an example and a moral lesson, he said, “Look at this boy! He has to work!” A packet of biscuits would sell for $3.20, which would earn Glenn 40 cents, but this man handed over ten dollars and said, “I don’t want your biscuits. You keep the ten dollars.” As Glenn recounts the story from his childhood, he laughs, “I will always remember this. I met so many customers, but I only remember him because he was so kind to me. Kindness always leaves a deep impression in people’s lives.” Kindness, as was shown to him is now a mark of his own life and ministry.
Glenn’s buoyant outlook belies a tough childhood. At just 10 months of age, Glenn’s father passed away, leaving his mother, without a welfare safety net, to care for him and his five older siblings. Tragically, his mother passed away when Glenn was nine years old. His older sisters, still teenagers themselves, raised him and his three brothers, while holding the family of six siblings together. In his young years, Glenn’s was exposed to the gospel through church people singing in his housing estate. But, it was through a friend’s invitation to a Scripture Union Camp that fifteen-year-old Glenn first experienced a Christian community. His curiosity at their kindness led him to explore faith more deeply and within six months he had decided to follow Jesus. “If my friend didn’t bring me to church, I might be a drug addict. I was surrounded with good people from a young age and that helped me understand how the Church was such a good environment for me and set me on the right path.”
Soon after his decision to follow Christ, Glenn attended a mission conference. More than 35 years on, Glenn recalls with clarity the challenge delivered to the conference delegates. “The God we worship is worthy to be made known.” This challenge moved Glenn onto the next step of obedience. By his mid-twenties, Glenn was serving through Operation Mobilisation in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. Although not knowing it at the time, these two precious years were preparing Glenn for the challenges of cross-cultural ministry that would imbue him as a pastor in Melbourne.
With the support of his home church in Singapore, Glenn began studies at the Bible College of Victoria (now Melbourne School of Theology) in 1996. He then continued in post-graduate studies at Ridley College. His original plan was to return to Singapore, however, Glenn became a youth pastor at Evangelical Community Church in Blackburn South, a role he held for six years. Then, in 2007, Glenn established Sonlife Community Church, which amalgamated with Bulleen Baptist in 2016 to become Pathway Baptist Church – two culturally distinct congregations which have become one family.
Glenn reflects on his life of living in different cultures. While serving with OM, “food wise, there were no challenges. I could sleep anywhere, I could talk to anybody. My OM cross-cultural experience prepared me as a pastor.” However, being Singaporean in Australia, there are deeper and more challenging cultural distinctives. Australians have very firm personal boundaries. But, Asian culture doesn’t say, “It’s your day off, I won’t call you!” Glenn is well suited to this pastoral work, as he is imminently relaxed and prepared to give time to those who need it.
However, this begs the question, how does he find rest and rejuvenation when always on call? Glenn pulls out his watch to reveal his answer. That morning he walked for two hours. In fact, he walks for two hours every morning. On hot days he will head out early. The rain doesn’t deter him. There are no excuses. While walking he spends one-on-one time with God. He listens to sermons, listens to music, formulates sermons. His daily discipline helps him to remain vital in his work. He acknowledges that his leadership of twelve years in the church is at times a struggle, and commitment to the work can be tough. But, he is keen to rebuild an old adage. He says with conviction, “The grass is greener where you water it. Stay put, grow roots and cultivate.”
Glenn is passionate about sowing seeds of the gospel and kindness in people’s lives. But, there are also times Glenn has been able to reap. Recently he baptized an 86-year-old lady. “I cannot imagine getting credit just because I preached one right message. Can you imagine how many people ahead of me have sown seeds in her life?” In this own life, Glenn is keen to acknowledge the kindness that has been sown in his life – those who have gone beyond what is expected. The ones who have taken on the role of nurturer, extended an invitation, given generously and supported his learning.
The diverse family at Pathway is partly a reflection of its pastor. However, for all the training and varied experiences that have helped to shape Glenn, he is quick to acknowledge what draws together God’s people in Bulleen. “We have a 102-year-old and teenagers in our congregation. It is important to always go back to God’s word. Preach God’s word. It is timeless. We don’t have to contextualize until we lose the distinctive truth, as truth is always relevant.” Pastor Glenn is leading his congregation to sow the gospel – a timeless gospel transcending cultures and generations. As he sits amongst the unfinished walls and delights in the progress around him, he offers encouragement to all who are in the midst of this gospel work. “Sow seeds and God will do the work.”
I have been thinking, over the last few weeks, about the term ‘essential’. It has become part of our vernacular in a previously unseen way. I used to say ‘essential’ when I was speaking about getting something important or urgent like “It is essential I get chocolate today”. Now, the word has become synonymous with restrictions. Am I an essential worker? Is this task essential so I can leave the house? We have been forced to consider every area of our life, every action that we take to determine if they are within the requirements and restrictions of the current time. It has impacted every area of our life in a way that has not been known before.
By its definition essential means “absolutely necessary, extremely important.”
It got me thinking about the ways in which church is essential, particularly in the lead up to Easter when our Prime Minister indicated that ministers of religion were essential workers for the purpose of Easter services.
Is church essential?
According to McCrindle research the percentage of the Australian population who identify Christianity as their religion has declined over the last decade from 68% to 61.1%[1]. It should be noted that the number of people identifying as Christian does not necessarily translate into people attending church or being an active part of a faith community with National Church Life Survey data from 2011 suggesting that about 7% of the Australian population attend church on a Sunday[2]. On numbers alone, the data does not seem positive.
However, what the COVID-19 restrictions have shown us is an interesting dynamic, with research suggesting that many churches are reporting higher numbers of people linking in through online services than those who previously have attended church services. We have seen many encouraging and inspiring examples of churches adapting to the changing environment with the current situation providing many different opportunities for mission. Carey Nieuwhof gives some great thoughts about how to press into the digital space for growing our churches.[3]
It still, though, doesn't answer the question about whether church is essential?
To me it is! As a member of a church community I love belonging to a faith community. They encourage me, challenge me to grow, support me when I am feeling wobbly – generally they are the hands and feet of Jesus to me. Now I recognise that while there is the deeper ontological question about the essential nature of church, there is also the way in which the church is functionally essential for us today.
The essential nature of church is not just about how many people come through our doors but more importantly is being a flourishing community of believers who love God, love each other and love the world (or just our neighbourhood) around us.
Here are some suggestions to help your church prove itself to be essential at this time:
Loving God:
Loving each other:
Loving our neighbourhoods:
Being an essential church includes finding ways to deepen our love of God, each other and our neighbour. My guess is, if we encourage every single person in our church to do something in each of the three areas, we will have flourishing churches whether we are meeting in person or not.
Sources:
It’s now the end of July, 7 months since the first of the Upper Murray cluster fires that began an inferno of similar severity to the 1939 bushfires. One of the main differences, is that many larger properties have been subdivided into smaller properties, a large percentage of which do not support families on agriculture alone. These are either smaller farms where perhaps one partner works to put food on the table and provide funds for large capital expenses; or lifestyle blocks, where owners either rely solely on outside income or may be semi-retired and only generate a modest income from their land.
Whatever the situation, many of these properties lost livestock, pasture and fodder (stored hay, silage, and grain/pellets). Additionally, the loss of infrastructure in the way of fencing, yards, water systems, sheds, equipment and for some, houses, took a huge toll. Whilst some people had insurance, even those who thought they were well covered are finding huge gaps they are unable to meet.
Large grants have been made available to commercial scale farmers whose farming income exceeds their off-farm income, which has assisted with the shortfall. A huge number of fire affected people in the Upper Murray do not qualify for these grants.
Hence the importance of organisations such as Blaze Aid, Red Cross and many different church and philanthropic groups that are coming to give financial aid and help.
The Corryong Baptist Church with the backing of donations from generous Baptist folk has been in a position to help fire affected farmers across the board. From my perspective assisting Pastor Graeme van Brummelen, it is not the amount of financial aid that we are offering, but that we consider each and every person of equal worthiness, no matter whether they have 2 cows or 200 cows. This is the teaching of Jesus, which we demonstrate by our actions rather than our words in this situation.
Jesus also taught compassion. Because I don’t have his ability to see into people’s hearts I am learning to become a better listener. I can help the person a lot better if I understand where they’re at in their recovery journey.
At this point in time, some folk have told their story often enough and don’t want to go through it again. For example they’ve been happy to receive a seed or freight subsidy from the BUV, but don’t want to accept a Relief and Stimulus Package as they feel this is “double dipping”. They are grateful but their head is full of the next steps they need to take to prepare for a fencing team arriving sometime in the next month and they only have headspace for that task.
Some folk have been lost for words when receiving a package or assistance. Having reason to follow up in the future, gives them the opportunity to tell their story if they wish to, or determine whether they have other needs where we can help or connect them.
Others have only just come up for breath from their task-focussed labours to contain their animals from wandering all over the district and keeping them alive. Or they’ve had their livestock away on agistment, have managed to replace some fencing, the stock have arrived home, it’s winter, they need hay to get them through, their hay shed has not been rebuilt and they don’t have any stored fodder. This is only one thought stream as the reality is juggling a myriad of thoughts and tasks. They feel overwhelmed and are only now asking for help and perhaps, not feeling comfortable in having to ask. Their first and foremost need may be to tell their story. Sometimes they are ready to receive assistance and we are in a position to offer them something or refer them to where they can get the help they need.
Others may be further down the track in their recovery, but have lost or never had social connectedness. They may not even want to receive any financial help from a church, but need someone to come alongside, listen, and perhaps connect or re-connect them back into the community. One of the effects of a natural disaster can be to fragment existing relationships, both at individual and group level. For these people, someone to assist them into easing back into community belonging is another role the church can offer. Sometimes other community groups are already forming or in existence and local knowledge of this nature is invaluable. The church needs to be part of the overall community for this to happen.
Currently, Corryong Baptist Church has put together the 4th round of Relief and Stimulus Packages, which are a wonderful resource to have on offer when making the first connection or following up with fire-affected people. As many folk on properties also have off-farm income from a business they either work for or operate in town, these businesses have been whacked with a double-barrelled shot from both the bushfires and coronavirus. BUV donations have purchased vouchers from the bulk of these businesses, supporting their owners and employees as well as those receiving these packages.
Such is the heart of this community, that several businesses declined the offer to purchase vouchers for Round 4. Their story was identical. “We’d love to take your money, but we’ve only redeemed a few vouchers from the earlier round. Re-direct it towards groceries instead”. Not only are these businesses struggling from lack of custom, they often echo the words of property holders who decline our financial assistance with “I’m sure there’s somebody else who needs it more”.
Sharon Roberts
Corryong Baptist Church