Parking at BUV Office

Parking has changed at our BUV office. Please see the map below where street parking of various time limits is available.

Orange: No restrictions
Blue: 2 hour parking
Purple: 4 hour parking
Green: 1 hour parking (excluding various times – check signage)

• Please check all council parking signage and adhere to it. This map is a guide to assist you in finding parking and is not intended to be fully comprehensive in all instances. The Baptist Union of Victoria does not accept any liability whatsoever for the content, for any errors or omissions contained therein, or for any infringement you may incur.

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 full article.

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. 

A  substantial number of our BUV LOTE Churches consist of mostly refugees. Bear in mind that relationship and community are the main factors that glue these churches together; add to that the very limited resources and technical knowledge of how to live stream services, and you have a challenge on your hands  However, despite these difficulties, there have been some very positive results and even some churches who are thriving.  

One issue that many of the LOTE churches have faced for is generational tension – where the perception is that the first generation is still in full control of the church with the second generation sidelined.  Recently while talking to a Pastor from one our churches from the Chin community, this situation has changed. The knowledge and technical abilities of the second generation have made them very useful for the church.  In order to transition the church service to an online service, the first generation (basically, the whole leadership of the church) has handed over the organisation to the second generation. This has been successful and the leadership are very happy with the way the second generation is leading the online service.

A similar development in the relationship between leadership and the next generation is happening in other churches.  One Senior Pastor, traditionally considered to be one who would not be able to learn any new tricks, is delivering his weekly sermon through videoconferencing.  A younger member of the church successfully trained their Pastor to use technology to deliver his sermons online from his home.  I am sure this church’s leaders are appreciating input from the younger generation.

We heard from another church that is relatively small in terms of numbers, that has seen more than a five-fold increase in the number of people joining their online service – not only here in Australia but worldwide!  Relatives and friends in Myanmar heard about this church having an online service and due to restrictions in Myanmar also causing quite an impact on churches, many are joining their services online.  Since the language is not a problem, it has attracted a significant audience from overseas.

How about the financial situation in some of these churches?  Online giving is on the increase but there is still a substantial number of attendees who cannot do this.  Just prior to being unable to meet on church premises, one Pastor thought about the best way to collect the offering.  He decided to make a container / box for each household, with a slot at the top.  During the online service, there is an offering time when the attendees are invited to place their offering in the box, which will be collected once the restrictions are lifted.

Some churches have seen their offering more than doubled.  In one particular case, church attendees were encouraged to give through online bank transfer and if they needed assistance the church leaders were able to provide help   So, many members of the church are now set up and are regularly giving online and … to the church’s surprise, the attendees are being more generous online.

Another church is encouraging their members to join their online Sunday Service an hour before it starts so that they can have a chat with each other.     The online meeting is left open for another hour after the service so they can continue their connection with each other.

So, while it has been very difficult for LOTE churches to adapt to the current situation, it’s been good to hear the success stories. Many are doing just fine and some, even thriving.  They are being very creative and are getting more and more familiar with using a variety of technical tools while at the same time breaking down age old generational barriers.

Rev Marc Chan

BUV Multicultural Consultant 

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.

Insert video (embed on source)

Insert copy

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

Click here to read article.

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.

Leading in the middle – Robyn Song

Robyn is single, female, Asian, a migrant, a leader and a mother of four. But these titles don’t confine her. She is a woman who is cutting a path for others, as she stretches the perceptions and expectations of her peers. Change has not come through a desire for leadership, but through listening and learning along the way. In many aspects of her life she finds herself in the middle, acting as a bridge for others – a bridge for international students into community, for people of diverse background into theology, for women into leadership, for Western leaders in understanding a non-Western voice and perspective.

Robyn was born in South Korea, as one of five siblings. She’s in the middle. At the age of 19 her family moved to Sydney, following the calling of her father as a Baptist pastor. She moved to Melbourne in 2000, and life was full with volunteering within her church community, running her own business, and bringing up a family.

“It was a very busy period.” Robyn confesses as she reflects on her journey over the last decade.

And yet, even in the busyness of life, Robyn felt a strong desire to know God more, and decided to invest in this relationship through enrolment at Whitley College.

This step of faith was not supported by many in her life, partly due to women not being widely accepted in leadership at the time. As a forerunner for other women, she needed strength to persist in her on-going commitment of serving and learning. And it has been precisely in her place of her ministry that she has found a significant leadership opportunity, as she assisted in the coordination of the Whitley College TransFormation program, an innovative and accessible Diploma for culturally and linguistically diverse theology students.

While studying at Whitley, becoming a pastor was not in Robyn’s thoughts, however God slowly unfolded his plans for her life. Robyn took up an internship role with Auburn Baptist Church as community development coordinator of AuburnHub – a hospitality space and English classes for migrants and international students.

Rev Darren Cronshaw of Auburn Baptist Church affirms Robyn’s capacity to effectively bridge the cultural divide. “One of Robyn’s best contributions to the church is helping us understand what it takes to be a church that is hospitable and welcoming to people of different cultures. We want non-Westerners not just to be welcome as visitors but also to be included as equals.”

Robyn also served as part of the BUV multi-cultural ministry group for 12 years and has been also a part of the BUV Mission Grants Panel for the last six years.

“I was influenced by many good women leaders, especially at Whitley and BUV. It’s very inspiring to see them stand up and take up their calling. I also saw many examples of men and women working well together. These gave me confidence to play a role in the areas where I serve.”

In 2015, Robyn was offered the role as a pastor for the English service at Bentleigh and Korean Baptist church. She is one of the first female Korean pastors, especially in the Baptist world. Now looking back, Robyn can see a change in culture over the last 15 years, as more women are offered opportunities to lead. She encourages women of diverse background to embrace their culture.

“Don’t be somebody that you are not. Embrace both cultures as your being the middle person can bridge the difference across cultures.”

Robyn describes this position in the middle as a fortunate position, “I learn to be Korean as well as Aussie. I am both and I embrace both. The blessing is double!”

In her capacity as a member of the BUV Multicultural ministry group, Robyn reviewed the Soong Chan-Rah publication, “The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the church from Western Cultural Captivity.” One of the key insights she draws out is that:

“part of what is needed for non-Western leaders to have their voices invited and their leadership welcome … A dilemma for non-Western leaders is that they often have a passion for mission, deep experiences of faith and ideas for how the church can flourish, but they also hold values about respect for leaders especially in the church. Thus they may be hesitant to offer their contributions if they are not invited.”

Finding her own voice has been a long season of learning for Robyn, as she is naturally a very shy and introverted person.

“Over the years, I learnt to speak up. It took me almost twenty years of learning. I used to filter what I wanted to say, as very often, I understand the conversations from both Australian and a multicultural point of view. It can be challenging but also an opportunity to help others see the other side of the story.”

Her hope for the future is compelling. Having already experienced much cultural change in the last two decades, she longs for more.

“I would encourage women to take up their calling and challenge, get out of their comfort zone, make themselves available to see other cultures and be inspired for change.”

But she also issues a challenge to existing church leadership to be more open-minded and to give opportunities, training and encouragement for women to lead so that others can see and follow.

“This will encourage more women leaders and I believe that change can happen.”

Robyn Song is a Pastor at Bentleigh and Korean Baptist church and also a 2020 Ordinand.  

When asked about his new role with Global Interaction Australia, Geoff Maddock prefers to offer an analogy rather than a title. He likens the role of State Director to that of connective tissue – connecting the movement of Victorian Baptist churches with international cross-cultural work. By extending the analogy, this is work that requires agility and connection – both of which have been forged in Geoff throughout his life.

‘Mission’ is Geoff’s passion and first love, and yet he is quick to admit that he wrestles with the term. Previous ideas about mission are being forced to adapt to the new world in which we find ourselves. With experts forecasting that most of the world’s populations will be living in cities by 2050, missional ideas limited to socio-economic groupings, or isolated geographies must be stretched and changed to adapt. “Mission is now from everywhere to everywhere. This definition frees us up to participate in mission wherever we are. There is no privileged location … As I step into this role with Global Interaction, I’m energised by the conviction that incarnational mission done well is the same across the street and across the world – two organisations but one missiology”

Having been brought up in Yackandandah, Victoria, Geoff moved to the USA to undertake his Masters in Intercultural Studies. However, his study was not limited to theological insights within classroom walls. In 1999, Geoff and his wife Sherry moved into an under-served African-American neighbourhood in Kentucky, while both still undertaking study. “We learned our missiology by doing it. The feedback of action and reflection in community fuelled a sharp learning curve.” Geoff realised that in his Kentucky neighbourhood, God was already present; already at work. The way neighbours loved one another, cared for their families and appreciated beauty were evidence of the presence of God in the community. “It is clear that God is close to the broken-hearted. There was also a lot of hurt [in the neighbourhood] because of the legacy of slavery. There were a lot of wounds still bleeding out.” For the Maddock family, at the heart of mission is being credible witnesses of shalom in the neighbourhood. “We should inhabit the kind of world that we tell people about – one of forgiveness, love, justice and welcome.”

After 18 years of loving and serving his neighbourhood, Geoff returned to Australia, bringing with him a lived-experience of mission that remains agile. His family moved from a community with an urban farm that fed the neighbours, to vertical living in Melbourne’s CBD, with no soil in sight. Their apartment building, owned by Collins St Baptist Church,  includes a ‘House of Hope’ which provides accommodation for asylum seekers at risk of homelessness. Geoff’s practice of mission across the world has been brought into Melbourne’s CBD, where mission is evidently from everywhere to everywhere.

It was not long before Geoff and his wife Sherry started a social enterprise, ‘Planted Places’, the first indoor garden in Melbourne’s CBD. Planted Places centres on closing the distance between people and plants. They have installed multiple gardens at Baptcare facilities where single men who are asylum seekers are housed. They have also been using The Green Room (Collins Street Baptist’s basement converted into an indoor garden) to connect with neighbours.

Geoff says, “Caring for even a small house plant transports us to our first human vocation – to tend and to keep. It restores us to the Creator’s design.” Those keeping plants in their homes are shown to benefit in many ways including improved mental health, lowered blood pressure and improved air quality.

During this COVID-19 crisis, Geoff and his wife Sherry continue to seek out people of peace in their neighbourhood. Without the clutter of one million people daily descending on the city, their neighbours are less obscured. However, the isolation experienced by many living in the city is a great challenge. Geoff and Sherry are currently in conversation with the City of Melbourne to identify people who are vulnerable in isolation – students, the single, older people and asylum seekers – and work out how to distribute plants to those cooped up.

Recently a collection of 75 easy-to-care-for indoor plants were distributed through Baptcare to the residences of people seeking asylum. Sherry says, “[The plants] did what we couldn’t, that is to become physically close companions in a time of isolation. Plants were received by families and children with joy. We heard reports of delight and ‘lit up faces.’ While also collecting weekly food supplies, men from Baptcare’s Sanctuary program were able to choose a plant and they did so with ‘great care.’ At this time of collective restriction and enforced isolation indoors, interior green space and plants as companions become essential. As essential as the clean air they bring.”

The current COVID-19 climate again calls Geoff and his family to adapt – to be agile and to connect with God and people. And in this mission, God is already present and at work. Geoff sees this presence in the forced Sabbath from busyness, which is creating conditions to hear God in a way that would otherwise be drowned out. “Part of what I see in Australia is that people are acknowledging how grateful they are to be here. Gratefulness is an antidote to anxiety. Gratitude opens the door to a generous God.”

From Yackandandah to Kentucky to Melbourne’s CBD, Geoff, along with his family, has needed to adapt to vastly different circumstances and surroundings. And yet the mission continues to be one that joins in where a loving God is already at work, while being a credible witness of shalom to the neighbourhood.

In announcing this new role, Geoff says, “I’m excited about the fact that God is already at work from Camberwell to Cambodia and from Traralgon to Thailand and we have the joyful opportunity to join in.”

To connect with Geoff Maddock, Global Interaction State Director (Vic and Tas), email: victas@globalinteraction.org.au

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.

<insert ignite highlights video here>

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.