Our March 2013 APWM Partnership Newsletter is now available for download here. This is the edition that will appear in the mailing that goes throughout Australia in the Reformer’s Books material.

Our February 2013 APWM Partnership Newsletter is now available for download here. This is the edition that will appear in the NSW Pulse magazine – the content is the same in the other Australian states.

Workpartners Vanuatu July 2013

Applications are now open for our Workpartners July team.

When: 28th June to 14^th July (Brisbane evening 14^th July).

Paama Island: Building a Presbytery Resource Centre

Cost Approximately $2,000. We suggest that participants pay 1/3 themselves, approach their church seeking a contribution of 1/3 and then fundraise the remaining 1/3.

Who can go? Committed Christians, minimum age 18 years (Paama).

Contact APWM (02) 9792 1373 or national@apwm.org.au or click here to find and download an application form or to get more details.

Another update on our Vanuatu Workpartners team.

The work is progressing well and the trusses are completed as far as possible for this trip.

It’s still hot and humid but everyone is doing well.

A quick update on our Workparty to Paama Island, Vanuatu.

Everyone is fine except for some light heatstroke for one team member. It’s very hot!

The building work is going well. The team is in good spirits and there is a good unity.

One team member is a doctor and today has gone with 2 other team members to another village. He is aiming to carry out health checks on every child on the island.

Please remember to pray for our Workpartners team serving on Paama Island, Vanuatu. Today (Monday) is Day One of the building work that will continue on until the team returns to Australia on Christmas Eve.

They are constructing the next stage of a Presbytery resource centre for the Presbyterian Church. Please pray for unity and safety for the team, for good relationships with the people of Liro village and that God would use this building as a means of strengthening the work of the gospel on Paama.

What do you give the person who has everything? Something from our 2012 Christmas Catalogue. This year you can buy ‘gifts’ for people in Myanmar and East Timor. Here’s now it works:

1. You choose the item(s) on our list that you would like to purchase for your friends/family.

2. Send us your order, including payment and postage. Please note that these gifts are not tax deductible.

3. We send you the cards you have ordered. You are then free to give these cards to your friends/family for Christmas. The cards state which gift(s) you have purchased, on their behalf, for someone in East Timor or Myanmar. The card does not state the monetary value of the gift.

4. APWM then sends the money to our partners in East Timor or Myanmar. They will then purchase the gifts locally and distribute them to those in need.

Please click here to download the catalogue and order form.

Kevin Murray

The Church in Timor Leste has been able to purchase land! You can read all about it here

http://bondiatl.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/at-last-dili-church-is-able-to-purchase-land/

With local coordination from Daniel Marcal, we will run a training programme for 16 evangelists and nine pastors at Licquica west of Dili. The training will be focussed on the core skill of preparing and giving a Bible talk. In addition, there will be a session on cults and time for a synod meeting. Wilson Fernandes will arrive early to spend a weekend with the church in Dili and David Burke will have some consultations on behalf of APWM and PresAid before he departs for Singapore.

The team members are as follows:

• DAVID BURKE: David has been a Presbyterian minister since 1979 and has served in Australia and Singapore. He has conducted mission ministries in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. He last did ministry in Timor Leste in 2009. David is presently a full time lecturer at Presbyterian Theological Centre Sydney. He is married with three adult children and four grandchildren.

• WILSON FERNANDES Jnr: Wilson has been a Presbyterian minister since 1992 and has served in Brazil, United States of America and Australia. He has planted churches, directed Christian camps for 11 years and taught missiology at the Presbyterian Seminary in Brazil. He has a Doctorate of Ministry Degree, Master’s Degree in Theology / Missiology, a Specialization in Advanced Christian Leadership and a Bachelor degree in Theology. Presently, Wilson is planting a church in Sydney among the Portuguese-speaking people. He last did ministry in East Timor in 2009. He is married and has two adult children.

• YAS SHIMIZU: Yas is currently studying at the Presbyterian Theological Centre in Sydney.  He was born and raised in Japan.  He traveled to the USA after university graduation.  In the USA Yas studied English, IT, and also worked as sushi chef.  Yas returned to Japan in 2007.  He married an Australian and moved to Australia in 2010.  They have a two year old daughter.

Prayer points:

• Trainers: for all preparations to be complete before departure for Timor Leste;
• Local participants: to be able to get away for the training;
• Local participants and team members: safety in travel and good health during the training;
• The training: faithful and relevant teaching and good learning.
• Daniel Marcal: effectiveness in coordinating on the ground arrangements
• Synod meeting: to be a good time of encouragement, fellowship and decision-making.

http://bondiatl.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/ministry-training-in-2012/

This morning I preached twice at the Oyumino Japanese Church. What a great privilege to be able to share the Word of God with brothers and sisters not only from Japan but also Australia, the Philippines, Sudan, Singapore and America. It was a foretaste of heaven.

Please continue to pray that God would enable the Japanese Church to reach out with the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kevin Murray