In mid-2025, we sent a small Australian team to work with our partners in Malawi — the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian — to distribute Bibles in remote villages and provide some training in Bible reading. The people who received the team and the Bibles were extremely grateful, not simply for the Bibles and the training, but for the fact that they had travelled all the way from Australia to places that are very remote.

But the team couldn’t reach every village, and so some of our brothers and sisters in Malawi have been continuing the task as you can see in this short video.

We’re planning to send another team in 2027, and so we’ve reopened our Appeal for donations to buy Bibles in the Chichewa language.

If you would like to make a donation, you can give:

Online

Go to www.apwm.org.au/finance/ where you can use one of the options.

The easiest option for many is direct deposit.

Account Name: Australian Presbyterian World Mission

BSB: 032 260

Account Number: 151207

Please write ‘Malawi Bibles’ in the description box. If you’d like a receipt, please send an email to finance@apwm.org.au letting us know you’ve made the donation.

Cheque

Send a cheque to:

APWM National

1 Clarence Street

Burwood NSW 2134

Please make your cheque payable to ‘APWM’.

Please note that donations are NOT tax-deductible.

If you have any inquiries about this, please contact Chris Siriweera 

siriweera@apwm.org.au

APWM asks churches to set aside Sunday 13th of July as Indigenous Ministry Sunday. This is an opportunity to particularly pray for God’s work among Australia’s Indigenous people. Here are some prayer points you may care to use:

· That lives would be transformed as a result of the Bible being translated into various Indigenous languages.

· Pray for Anne Spragg from the Ashfield Presbyterian Church as she settles into Bible translation ministry in the Northern Territory.

· Pray for perseverance for Rick and Kayleen Manton as they serve at Mount Druitt with the Mount Druitt Indigenous Church in an area with many complex social issues.

· For Christians in Indigenous communities — that they would be salt and light wherever God has placed them.

· That God would raise up young men and women to serve the Indigenous Church as strong, gospel-focused leaders in their particular locations.

This year, we have two Indigenous Ministry Sunday videos to show in churches or small groups:

1) Anne Spragg: Bible Translation

Anne serves in the translation of the Bible into an Australian Indigenous Language in West Arnhem, in the Northern Territory.

2) Rick and Kayleen Manton: Mount Druitt

Rick and Kayleen Manton are APWM missionaries serving at the Mount Druitt Indigenous Church in Sydney’s western suburbs. It’s an area with many social challenges and Rick and Kayleen love the people of Mount Druitt.

APWM asks that your congregation consider holding a special collection on that Sunday to assist in the continued funding of the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s ministry to Indigenous people.

APWM’s direct deposit details can be found at https://www.apwm.org.au/finance/

In the description box please write ‘Indigenous Ministry Sunday’.

Alternatively people can donate via the APWM web page at https://www.apwm.org.au/finance/

Please send an email to Bruce Campbell, our Accounts Clerk, alerting him to the deposit and he’ll send you a receipt by email. His email is

finance@apwm.org.au

Thank you for your partnership.

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The Australian Presbyterian World Mission [APWM] National Committee is delighted to announce that the Rev Chris Siriweera has been appointed unanimously as the next APWM National Director to succeed the Rev Kevin Murray. He will commence in mid-August with a period of transition.

Chris currently serves as the Ministry Development Officer for the Presbyterian Church of Victoria and with his wife Rose, belongs to the Donvale Presbyterian Church (Victoria). Rose served as a missionary with Bible and Mission in Lebanon.

Chris brings a wealth of experience to the role — the congregations he has pastored, his personal cross-cultural experience as a Sri Lankan migrant to Australia, the many ministry contacts he has in the Presbyterian Church of Australia and his knowledge of how the Church functions. He has also served as a Director of a Mission Organisation in Australia. Chris also serves as the Convener of the General Assembly of Australia’s Reception of Minister’s Committee.

Chris has a passion to see many come to Christ as their Saviour and is deeply thankful for the saving grace of Christ in his own life.

Rev Brett Graham
Convener, Australian Presbyterian World Mission (National) Committee

The Australian Presbyterian World Mission is very grateful for the donations received toward the goal of purchasing and distributing 10,000 Chichewa-language Bibles in remote villages in Malawi. To date, $120,000 of the $180,000 goal has been received. Approximately 5,800 Bibles are being ordered and the Appeal is being closed on the 28th of February. Through the Word of God, lives will be changed!

This video provides an update on the Appeal.

The APWM subcommittee looking for the next APWM National Director, has brought forward the closing date for applications. The new closing date is Tuesday 18th February 2025.

The Committee is looking for someone who:

• Is a mature Christian, loves Jesus, regularly reads the Bible, regularly prays, and has a record of interest in cross-cultural mission.

• Has at least a three-year theological degree from a recognised theological institution.

• Is a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, or someone working toward ordination within the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

Key responsibilities include:

• Coordination of Australian Presbyterian World Mission, including the supervision of the National Office staff, and liaison with the APWM State Committees.

• Implementing the APWM National Committee’s decisions.

• Preaching in Presbyterian Church of Australia congregations as well as overseas Partner Churches.

• Visiting overseas Partner Churches to aid the growth of the Presbyterian Church’s relationships with those Churches.

• Maintaining an active interest in the history of cross-cultural mission and current trends in cross-cultural mission through reading in those areas.

• Advancing and shaping the direction of missions within the PCA, especially through involvement in state and national assemblies.

Applications are now invited from those interested in the role. Please contact the Committee Convener, the Rev Brett Graham —  brettg71@gmail.com A job description is available.

Please note that the position is based in Sydney in the National Office which is in the Christ College building in Burwood.

Applications close Tuesday 18th February 2025 and should include:

• A covering letter setting out why you believe God has called you to apply for this position and why you think you are a suitable candidate.

• A full CV setting out your ministry experience, including full details of roles held and relevant cross-cultural experience.

• The names and contact details of three referees whom APWM may contact, with your prior agreement, to seek a reference later in the process.

On Tuesday 17th of December, Vanuatu was struck by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake. Most of the human injury and damage appears to have occurred in the nation’s capital city, Port Vila. Vanuatu is a nation with 80+ islands and Port Vila has the highest concentration of people. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred the following day. There are no reports on the earthquake’s impact on islands near Port Vila.

The latest news from Port Vila is:

* At least 14 people have died.
* Hundreds have been injured. 
* The road to the shipping wharves has been closed or restricted due to a landslide.  

APWM has been in contact with the Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu, and with communications problems in Vanuatu, no response has been received. 

APWM has two missionary families in Vanuatu: Rob and El Falls at Talua and Jared and Bethany Killey serving with Wycliffe. Both families are on Vanuatu’s largest island, Santo, which is 275 km from Port Vila.

The Rev David Burke, the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s Moderator-General, has issued a call to prayer for Vanuatu.

Dear Church Family,
As you may be aware, Port Vila (the capital city of Vanuatu) suffered two earthquakes on December 17th and 18th. Early reports suggest significant damage and some loss of life.

The Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu has been a major gospel partner of the Presbyterian Church of Australia over many decades. For now, we are waiting for updates from the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu as to how we in the Presbyterian Church of Australia can help.

In the meantime, I ask that we pray for the nation of Vanuatu and the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu in our churches this coming Sunday.

Please pray for:
· Generous hands from the global and regional community to provide effective help in rescue, recovery and rebuilding.
· Gospel generosity by churches in Vanuatu to help affected people and churches
· Wisdom and generosity by the Australian church as we respond to any calls for help by our Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu partners.

David Burke
Moderator-General
18th December 2024

Christians in remote villages in the African country of Malawi have a deep need for Bibles. These are people who have little income and cannot afford a Bible.

Can you please help meet their need?

APWM is seeking to raise funds to buy 100 Bibles for each of 100 remote villages in Malawi. That’s a total of 10,000 Chichewa-language Bibles!

In mid-2025, we’re planning to send a small Australian team to work with our partners from the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, to distribute the Bibles and provide some training in Bible reading.

If you would like to make a donation, you can give:

Online

Go to www.apwm.org.au/finance/ where you can use one of the options.

The easiest option for many is direct deposit.

Account Name: Australian Presbyterian World Mission

BSB: 032 260

Account Number: 151207

Please write ‘Malawi Bibles’ in the description box. If you’d like a receipt please send an email to finance@apwm.org.au letting us know you’ve made the donation.

Cheque

Send a cheque to:

APWM National

1 Clarence Street

Burwood NSW 2134

Please make your cheque payable to ‘APWM’.

Please note that donations are NOT tax-deductible.

If you have any inquiries about this, please contact Kevin Murray

kevinmurray@apwm.org.au

Imagine going to church on Sunday and the sun is beating down and so everyone has to sit in whatever shade is available — and then keep moving as the sun shifts. Or, it’s raining — and the ground is wet and everyone has to keep dodging the rain while they listen to the sermon. How long would you put up with this before asking the Board of Management to do something about a roof? 

That’s a common scenario for the congregations who belong to our Partner Church, CCAP Zambia. Building church walls from local materials is the easy part, finding the funds to put up a roof is the hard part.

Through the PresAID 2023 Christmas Appeal we’d like to put roofs on three buildings and also:

• fund a sewing training scheme for women in Ethiopia so that they can earn an income, through our Partner Church, the Presbyterian Church of Ethiopia. 
• provide further training for pastors in Timor Leste, who have little training, through our Partner Church, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Timor Leste.

To watch a video about this year’s Appeal, please click this link.

For details about this year’s Appeal please go to the PresAID website

http://presaid.org.au

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our Appeal for Matt & Kate Vinicombe following their car accident on Christmas Day 2022.

We’re looking to raise $800,000 so that they can purchase a house that will cater for Kate’s needs.

You can donate to their agency, CMS using the following link

https://donate.cms.org.au/vinicombemk

or you can make a bank transfer with these details

Bank: Westpac

Account name: CMS Victoria
BSB: 033-112
Account number: 280677
Reference: Your first name initial and surname (e.g., J Citizen); missionary surname (Vinicombes)

Please get in touch with the APWM office if you need any assistance. (02) (02) 8073 7490 or national@apwm.org.au

Motor Yat is currently in Australia to deal with a visa issue. APWM took the opportunity to ask him to provide an update on his ministry. You can download the video here

https://vimeo.com/811494636

Why not play it in church?