About Time
It has been quite some time since we've reported to each of you our faithful prayer and financial supporters! For you we remain extremely grateful--as many of you have confirmed your commitment to pray for us and this remains a great necessity. You who are sacrificing with your personal financial giving, as well, continue to minister encouragement to our souls!
Support Levels
As I've mentioned in our previous report to you, our support from the States has been hit by natural attrition over the last several years. However, we have gained back minimal support from some individual supporters. Thankfully, the group of churches we are working with here in Australia is providing a degree of financial support as well.
What's Happening?
I promised in our last report that once we'd finalized the details of our new ministry position we'd share the details with you so that you might gain a better understanding of how to pray for us. We arrived back in Australia in January, this year. Please know that we've been keeping ourselves busy with an innumerable variety of ministry opportunities. It is, however, a great blessing to now have a more specific understanding of our longer and shorter term goals and to have a clearer sense of what is expected of us by the oversight Committee of the large church organization to whom we have been accountable to called "Christian Community Churches of Australia"! Up to this point Kim and I have been serving in our new church home, Norwest Community Church. We have been involved with speaking engagements, prayer meetings, visitation, mentoring, counseling etc.
We've had several opportunities to help out in other churches both in the capacity of filling the pulpit and in some mentoring of other pastors and church leaders, which is basically what I'll be doing in this new position.
In regards to the details of our new ministry responsibilities, I'll try to summarize here:
- First, locally, and eventually on a broader, more national level, we'll be traveling and spending time with the leaders of this growing group of churches.
- We'll be preaching / teaching in the churches, as well, when requested.
- We'll consult strategically with churches that would like to help in ascertaining where they currently are and where they are heading, or would like to head in reaching their community with the Gospel.
- We'll be encouraging new church plants.
- We'll encourage a stronger sense of world-wide needs in the area of Missions.
- We'll also encourage stronger leadership and training in various essential areas of ministry by presenting the opportunities that exist to further personal education through several accredited, solid Bible institutions that exist here in Australia.
- We'll endeavor to be an ear, as well as, a source of prayer support for those who need encouragement or who desire advice in regards to various issues that may arise (many pastors and leaders are struggling with various personal or church trials and others are dealing with pastoral-related emotional stress).
- We'll seek to encourage a stronger and more unified bond between the churches so as to be a greater witness and effective force in the face of the growing hostility and secularization of this very "western" society that is, sadly, becoming increasingly more in a state of apathy and indifference towards the things of God.
- Ultimately, we'll have far greater opportunities to minster to churches in Australia that we've ever had before. The 22 years experience we've had in church planting and being a pastor is of great benefit to our being able to make a contribution to the multiple facets of church growth and provides, as well, a great level of credibility with fellow Australians.
Project Mobility
Due to the changes in ministry, as we've explained above, I'll be traveling a great deal more than in the past. Also due to increasing fuel prices and other travel expenses, I'm planning to purchase a motorcycle to help ease some of the travel and schedule conflicts for Kim and me. We do have a Mitsubishi sedan which we both are able to use. The 1994 Mazda that Kim has been using for many years had pretty much "bit the dust"!
The motorcycle will be very useful for most, but not all of my personal travel needs, yet a great blessing in many ways. I'll need so spend abotu $5,000(US) for a proper used motorbike. (In Australia, by the way, motorbikes are almost twice what they cost in the U.S.!) If you can help towards this project, above your regular financial support, in any way, we would be so gratful.
Positive in Prayer
We are very excited about the prospect of how we can serve in these new ways here in Australia!! Please be much in prayer for us that we can truly be a blessing to both many individuals and churches. Please pray for wisdom and organizational skills, and that we would gain deeper insight as to how we can make a difference and have a greater impact in Australia for the Glory of our great King!
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