A few months ago I interviewed Deb Chen. Deb is from Drummoyne Presbyterian Church in NSW and is in the final weeks of study at the Sydney Missionary and Bible College.

In early 2012 she will be going to Thailand to serve with her sister Denise Dickson and brother-in-law, John Dickson.

But how did this come about? How did Deb go from being someone who was happy to support others serving overseas to doing it herself? Listen as Deb tells her story.

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the link or download it by right-clicking on the file.

Deb Chen

Kevin Murray

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Deb Chen

Since starting in the role of National Director I have become aware of the brilliant work done by a relatively unknown group called ‘Missions Interlink’. This group isn’t very well known outside cross-cultural mission circles but it’s name says it all — it links together the many mission agencies around Australia with the result that there is an amazing amount of pooling and sharing of resources and ideas.

Listed below is what looks like a simple list of dates and events. But please don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s boring or irrelevant. This represents the cooperation of churches and agencies around Australia for the magnificent task of making the name of Christ known to the ends of the earth.

So if you are thinking of serving in a cross-cultural setting then please look through the dates and events to see if there is something there that suits you.

But it may be that you plan to stay in Australia in your current occupation. Is there something on offer below that would help you to better serve the gospel in Australia? Is there something you could learn to make you more effective in your local church? What if we took the training that cross-cultural missionaries go through and used some of that training for ‘ordinary people’ in the pew? What if we thought like missionaries while living here in Australia?

The church and the nation would be different!

Kevin Murray

JANUARY

5^th – 17^th February  EQUIP TRAINING

Six week course to give grounding in anthropology, phonetics, language learning and language awareness.

Held at SIL Kangaroo Ground in Vic

Contact info_equip@sil.org for more details and form.

Applications close 15 Nov 2011

10^th – 19^th Transition Training

Preparing for living and working in another culture

Held at Belgrave Heights Convention Lodge, 23 Lockwood Rd. Belgrave Heights Vic

For more details contact Karen Newman on 0411 513 024

20^th – 25^th MILL Essential Language Training for Cross Cultural Workers

Held in Hawthorn, Melbourne

Cost is $400, plus $10 per day if lunch required

No accommodation or child care facilities

Applications close 6^th January, 2012

Enquiries:  mi@ea.org.au

www.mill.org.au

FEBRUARY

18^th Debrief Day for returned Short Termers
10am-5pm at SMBC,

$35 or $30 if registering on line at www.afes.org.au/mission-debrief  (includes lunch)
Keynote speaker is Brian Stark, Director, International Teams, New Zealand and Director of International Partnerships for DELTA Ministries International. 

Other experienced mission experts will be leading seminars throughout the day.
This is a fantastic opportunity for returned short termers to think through,
process and pray about their response to God in the light of their recent
mission trips.  The day is also suitable for those who lead short term mission
trips or are involved in mentoring, training or helping those who go on
short term mission.
For more details contact Judy Kay jkay2x2@optushome.com.au

or Robert Ward  robert_jward@yahoo.com.au

MAY

1^st – 3^rd SMBC BIENNIAL MISSIONS CONFERENCE – Muslims & the Message: Bridging the Gap.

Closing date for registrations 23^rd April 2012

Registration form from SMBC

18^th – 19^th   ILLAWARRA MISSIONS DAY

Friday 18th. (Youth Event)
Saturday 19^th .(Open Event)
Venue: University of Wollongong

JUNE

2nd – OneWorld Missions Expo

at Erina Fair Shopping Centre.

Keep an eye on the ‘OneWorld Expo’ info page at www.missionpossible.com.au

AUGUST

11^th – 12^th REACHOUT

Speakers Dr Mark Young – President of Denver Seminary and Steve Maina, Director of SMS New Zealand.

We still have vacancies for Youthpartners 2012 so here is a re-post

28th December – 18th January, 2012 inclusive

Liro, Paama Island, Vanuatu

The Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu has chosen the town of Liro on Paama Island as the site of our next Youthpartners and Tradespartners project. The Church on Paama needs a building to use for offices, a meeting place and as a focal point for the Presbytery. Like our previous projects this will take a few years to complete. Please note there are only 10 places available.

Who can go? committed young Christians aged 18 to 25.

Cost: $2,000

Closing date for applications: 11th November, 2011. Download an application form here.

More details: Mission Partners 02-97921373

national@missionpartners.org.au

I’ve recently returned from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu. For many years the Australian Presbyterian Church has had the privilege of serving the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu by supplying lecturing staff at the Talua Ministry Training Centre. Andy and Rosemary Williamson are on the staff at Talua and I took the opportunity to ask Andy about Talua.

Kevin Murray

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the link or download it by right-clicking on the file.

Andy Williamson – A Big Vision!

Over 70 percent of the world’s population consists of people who are oral learners — people who cannot or do not read. Most of the world’s unreached and unengaged people groups are preliterate. They are primarily oral learners who cannot read or write the language that they speak — often because their language has not yet been reduced to writing. Their lives are lived out in an oral fashion. They learn about events in their world, form their opinions, share knowledge, and entertain one another using only the spoken word.

The implications of this reality are obvious when one considers that Christianity has traveled on literate feet since the invention of the printing press. Over 90 percent of the resources for evangelism and discipleship were developed for highly literate people. Our discipleship methods not only use written resources, but present these written resources using Western forms of logic and teaching.

Are these strategies wrong? How should we respond to those who sit in darkness without interest in or the ability to read any written word, including the Word of God? What inextricable role, if any, does the written form of God’s Word hold in our efforts to be obedient to his call to make disciples?

These questions ring philosophical when in the form of a blog post. And yet for those serving outside the bounds of Western literacy rates and learning models, the answers to these questions are central to the missionary’s ability to faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus. The context may differ from culture to culture, but a few key points must be kept in mind in order to process how to engage oral learners.

We Represent the Minority

First, I find it helpful to remember that we represent the minority as it pertains to methods of communication and learning. This minority is not just one of educational blessing, but one of a gift from God. He chose to give the world his Word in written form. And this has most certainly benefitted the Western power centers of Europe and the United States, in addition to other cultures in history. We are in the minority, but it is a blessed minority, and to whom much is given, much is expected.

Literacy Is Not a Requirement

Second, we must remember that the world’s oral learners are not less intelligent or capable. In fact, individuals in oral cultures are often marked by tremendous memorization abilities. Sadly, we have not understood the world’s oral majority or clearly communicated the truth to oral learners.

A few years ago I was teaching a group of churches in South America when a lady asked me whether she could go to heaven when she died since she could not read. The confusion arose from former missionaries’ stress on literacy in discipleship. They had been taught that despite repentance and faith in Christ, they could not be baptized and join the church until they learned to read. They assumed this was God’s requirement. Literacy is important and, I believe, it is an important goal for all believers — but of course it is not a factor in salvation.

Learn How to Communicate

Our faithfulness to the Great Commission calls us to learn new ways of communicating the Word that are intelligle to those who sit in darkness. We must love the world’s least reached peoples enough to share the gospel with them in ways they can understand. It’s then when pagans will be won, believers will be discipled, pastors will be equipped, and the church will expand for the glory of Jesus Christ.

David Sills is Associate Dean for Christian Missions and professor of Christian Missions and Cultural Anthropology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Reproduced from http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/most-of-the-unreached-peoples-in-the-world-are-illiterate

A small Victorian group recently headed to Malawi to encourage and minister to fellow Christians, and to participate in evangelistic efforts. God did some amazing things before their eyes. Just a few of them are included here.

Tuesday with the M’vano Women of Zomba
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Two hundred and fifty women of faith – what a powerful force for the kingdom! CCAP (Presbyterian Church of Central Africa) Zomba Women’s Guild ushered me toward the heavens this afternoon with Spirit-led singing, urgent prayer and deep attentiveness to the Word of God. But I rush ahead. The M’vano women of Colin Mbawa’s church showed us through their sewing and knitting workshop where they use six sewing machines donated from a church in Melbourne to engage in acts of mercy for the Gospel’s sake. Boxes of cloth sent from Victorian churches are turned into dresses for sale and gifts for the poor. Boxes of wool, likewise donated from PCV, are turned into jumpers.

After inspecting the workshop and enjoying lunch together, the 250 women met for worship. Two hours later we emerged singing Amazing Grace. Again, I was taken unawares by the day – I thought Colin had said I was to ‘greet the women’ – but it dawned on me during lunch that I was to preach. So, for the next half hour I turned over in my mind that ‘glimpse of heaven’ that we find in Revelation 4. And so the Lord empowered me to preach for 40 minutes on those grand pictures of heaven that come through John’s vision.

Beer and spirits vs Bible and The Spirit!

Saturday, 16 July 2011

An amazing night… have I ever said that before? Yes, but this was truly amazing. But, as usual, I run ahead of the story.

These are truly beautiful people. About a hundred of us crammed into the CCAP building – a flimsy and airy structure that looks as though it could blow over in a windstorm. This is evangelism training. I extended my series on ‘What is the Gospel?’ while John and Sue repeated their sessions each for a different audience. Such attentiveness and joy. Their sing- ing is an inspiration to us.

Each of the Presbytery ministers participate and their response is to say that we must repeat these presentations before the whole Synod when they meet in General Assembly. In a way I am surprised by their reaction – all I do is present a theological explanation of the Gospel according to the Scriptures.

The theme of my presentation is ‘You don’t need me’. My purpose is to encourage these dear people that they can understand the Gospel by understanding the Scriptures themselves and that they can evangelise Zambia better than we can. It’s been a humbling experience.

Fireworks at night …

Have you ever preached against the music and noise of a sports club drinking bar? Picture this – on one side of the soccer arena, Christians from CCAP, on the other side, an open air sports club with amped-up music, drink- ing and lots of noise!

The choirs sang, the sun sank under the horizon, and the preachers preached. I sensed the distractions. The children were noisy and the crowd less attentive than the previous night. But I enjoyed preaching. I always enjoy preaching God’s gospel in a way that would honour him. The op- position from across the paddock was making it hard. But little did I know that God was going to have the last laugh!

About three quarters of the way through my address, fire broke out. At the corner of the sports complex, a power pole caught fire and spectacular fireworks were coming from it! Sparks were flying everywhere – the night sky was alight. I preached on, pleading with people to remain. I said something like: ‘This fire will only last a moment, but the love of God lasts an eternity’. Yes, it sounds corny, but it was the first thing that came to mind! I needed to keep the crowd. Then, the fuse blew, the lights went out, the music stopped, the whole place went dark… except our side of the stadium! Yes, by the work of God, our lights and power remained. All around us was dark. The community was blacked out. THIS IS A TRUE STORY… I have five hundred eye witnesses! I was floundering a bit by this stage, but I babbled on. My job was to save the occasion and call the people to stay.

The people came back. The stadium settled. I handed to John S who preached with the Holy Spirit’s power and with great conviction… in the quiet. No drinkers, no music. We had the night to our- selves. About one hundred people came forward for counselling. We have no idea why each person came forward, but the pastors are following them up. Some came to know the Lord tonight. We are hoping that one of them might be a future ‘Stephen Lungu’. Will you pray?

A thousand churches Friday 1st July 2011

This week, we visited a village church way off the beaten track. I can’t remember the name just now but it is a CCAP congregation that commenced in 1922 and has been faithful to the Gospel ever since. Access to it is via a series of rough tracks barely used by cars. But they spotted us coming – 60 women on the move toward us swaying and singing ‘you are welcome, you are welcome’. Dear faithful men and women of God: humble, devoted to God and… poor. So poor they do not know where their next meal is coming from.

We sat with them, hugged them and encouraged them. Then we conducted a short but very dignified service with sixty women from the village, twenty men, thirty children, the session clerk and the Village Chief! I preached an impromptu message from John 6 and they gave wrapt attentiveness to the Word of God (through an interpreter). They were so de- lighted to hear the message. Then, out of their poverty, they provided a gift to take home: some fresh muffins and the ever-present Coke for refreshments. I spoke to the Village Chief after the service and he said that his village totals 156 persons. I think I counted 110 of them at church! Then I spoke to the women and asked them their greatest need. I was thinking the reply was to be ‘to repair the roof’ or ‘food’ or ‘money’. Can you guess? Without racing ahead to the next paragraph? One by one these faithful women told me of their greatest need. Can you guess?

BIBLES! None of these men and women have a Bible. They are too poor to own a book! They can read, or, at least enough of them can read to share the knowledge around. They would give their right arm to own a Bible. We left with hearts aflame and decided there and then to give our immediate spare money and send them forty Bibles.

But what of the rest of Malawi? There would be at least one thousand villages in rural communities like this one. One thousand churches without Bibles – with at least a hundred people in each. And for ten dollars we can buy a Chichewa Bible.

That’s 10 X 100 X 1000 = $1 million dollars – that’s all it would take to give the most precious book in the world into the hands of every known church goer in rural Malawi.

There’s a challenge!

John Wilson, Victoria

REACHOUT E-TRACK is on 15th OCTOBER 2011 at SMBC Register HERE or find out more HERE

Whether you went to Reachout and are keen to keep being challenged or you are looking to find out what God is doing in the world, e-track is for you!
Being immersed in a prevailing culture of self-absorption, we are tempted to impose on Jesus our terms and conditions to follow Him.  To follow Jesus means doing His mission and He is leading and empowering us.  Motivated by the love of Christ we are to be His witnesses – local, cross-cultural and global.  As Jesus promised, some will listen to His voice.

Omar Djoeandy, the National Director of SIM will be speaking on ‘Mission: on MY terms? Following Jesus in HIS mission’

There are also four seminars where you can find out what God is doing in the world and how you can be involved.

As always, there will be plenty of mission agencies there over supper. You can ask them all your questions about mission as well as finding out what God is doing around the world.

The four seminars are:

God at work in Nepal – Raju Rayamajhi from Nepal Gospel Centre

“It’s like Jesus becoming like an Aboriginal man…” When the translated Scriptures impact a people – Barry Borneman, CEO of Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia

What’s my Pathway into Mission? – Sean Boucher & Richard Jenner from WEC

Engaging with God’s Global Plan in your 40s, 50s and 60s – Lindsay and Barbara Fell from Second Wind Network

find out more HERE

WHEN?

Saturday, 15th Oct 2011, 6:45pm.
Supper at 9:15pm. All over by 10:30pm.

WHERE?

Sydney Missionary and Bible College (43 Badminton Road, Croydon).
(please do not park in Badminton Road)

SPEAKER?

Omar Djoeandy, National Director of SIM.

Omar is “CIA” – Chinese ethnically, born in Indonesia and an Australian since 10.  He trained as a Medical Doctor in UNSW, completed a Master of Divinity in Kenya and worked as an Associate Pastor at Nairobi Chapel for nearly six years.  Nairobi Chapel is an inter-denominational church that grew from about 30 people in 1989 to over 2,500 in 15 years.

In 2004, he began serving as the Executive Director of SIM (Serving in Mission) Australia. He is married to Kay and they have three children. Omar enjoys squash, badminton and bushwalking.

COST?

Registration is $10 for pre-booked tickets via the website, or $15 at the door.

To register online click HERE

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not mis- sions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.

Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Ps. 97:1). “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the na- tions be glad and sing for joy!” (Ps. 67:3–4).

But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, “Let the nations be glad!” who cannot say from the heart, “I rejoice in the LORD. . . . I will be glad and exult in you, I will sing praise to your name, O Most High” (Ps. 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.”

John Piper Let the Nations Be Glad page 17

How did call call a lab technician to serve in mission? What is happening in Aboriginal ministry today? How does God use an ‘ordinary couple’ to bring glory to himself? The answers to these questions and more are contained in this interview with Bob and Lucy Quinn that I conducted during Reachout in August this year.

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the link or download it by right-clicking on the file.

Bob and Lucy Quinn

Kevin Murray