PresAID’s Easter Appeal 2023 is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many brothers and sisters in our overseas partner churches. This Easter, we have the opportunity to LIGHT UP TALUA in Vanuatu – will you help?

For decades Talua has relied on two hours of diesel-generated electricity per day. Rising fuel costs are now putting electricity out of reach. We’d like to install an entire electrical grid to provide solar power energy for the entire community 24/7.

You can download the video for the Appeal at https://vimeo.com/805451116

To find out more about the Appeal and to download materials please go to:

https://presaid.org.au/

APWM is starting to receive enquiries from people who would like to donate to the crisis in Turkey & Syria following the devastating earthquake.

We suggest that donations be made through APWM Partner Agency, Operation Mobilisation.

Türkiye & Syria Earthquake Response

Approximately 20 years ago, APWM commenced a programme to assist the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu with its need for the construction of new buildings and the maintenance of existing ones. The programme initially had two components — Tradesparters and Youthpartners — and was later simply known as ‘Workpartners’.

The building featured above, was opened in 2008 and is possibly the first building constructed in the programme. Its the library at the Talua Theological Training Institute, its formal name is the ‘Don Lewis Pacific Partnership Library’ named after Don Lewis, the lead builder for the project. Photos can’t convey the fact that it’s a rather large building. What makes this library so significant is that it houses the right number of theological books that Talua needs in order to qualify for external accreditation that enables Talua to award Bachelor degrees to its students. This is where partnership can make a significant difference.

At a recent meeting the APWM National Committee decided to conclude the Workpartners program in its present form. Instead, the Committee will, in consultation with the leadership at Talua, send small teams of qualified tradesmen and handymen to meet identified needs as required.

This means that even though travel restrictions have now eased, we won’t be returning to the previous pattern of sending teams of volunteers every six months or so to Talua or other locations in Vanuatu. The Committee’s intention is to continue supporting Talua as it manages maintenance and repairs with local workers, using funds provided by generous donors and (when specialist work is required) sending small teams of qualified workers from Australia.

APWM thanks those who led teams, participated in teams, and contributed to this ministry in prayer and finance. In this ministry’s new phase there are still ongoing financial needs, so any gifts to help with paying for materials and the people who carry out the work, would be very welcome! 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Many of us have been shocked at the unfolding events in Ukraine following the invasion of Russian military forces. This has resulted in thousands of refugees fleeing for their lives to neighbouring countries, including Hungary.

APWM Associate missionary, and Presbyterian Church of Australia minister, The Rev Dr Granville Pillar and his wife Ibolya, live just 50km from the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. They have been providing assistance for refugees.

PresAID has sent a gift of $5,000 from its Emergency Relief Fund.

Our Moderator-General, has launched an appeal for donations. These will be sent to Granville Pillar who will then work with local Hungarian churches to provide assistance for refugees. As is its normal practice, APWM will require an accounting for the use of these funds. 

The Appeal will be run over two Sundays — 6th and 13th of March and will then be closed.

The Moderator-General, the Rev Dr Peter Barnes writes

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Old Testament contains numerous calls from God for Israel to look after widows, orphans, and strangers. At times He singles out strangers and refugees: ‘When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God’ (Lev.19:33-34).

War is grievous anywhere at anytime, and it is grievous at the moment in Ukraine. Many thousands of refugees are fleeing into nearby Hungary where the Presbyterian Church of Australia is blessed to have a colleague who is known to many of us, Rev. Dr Granville Pillar. Over successive Sundays – 6th and 13th March – there will be an opportunity for us to aid local churches to provide practical help to some of those refugees. Please express your love for the stranger in a strange land, even if he or she be far from us.

With warm regards in Christ,

Peter Barnes (2 March 2022)

APWM asks you to do three things:

First, please pray in your gatherings this Sunday for those affected by these terrible events. Thank you to those who have been praying.

Second, please show the video, from the APWM Vimeo page, at your Sunday gatherings. It runs for three and half minutes and provides a first-hand perspective. 

The video link is: https://vimeo.com/683578943

Third, would you please make the following donation details available to your congregation? There may be some who would like to contribute to the appeal.

How to Donate

Direct Deposit

Bank: Westpac

Account Name: Australian Presbyterian World Mission

BSB: 032 260

Account Number: 151207

and mark your gift ‘Ukraine Appeal’.

Please email finance@apwm.org.au so that a receipt can be sent.

Cheque

Please send cheques to:

APWM National

1 Clarence St

Burwood NSW 2134

(Gifts are not tax deductible)

Please note, if more funds are received than needed, these will be deposited into the PresAID Emergency Relief Fund for future relief needs.

Thank you for your partnership.

The Falls family have now arrived at Talua in Vanuatu and write:

“God is good and gracious, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. He is sovereign, righteous, holy and merciful. Whether in the good or bad, the loud or the quiet, the turbulent or the peaceful, he is present, powerful, and good.  He has certainly been very gracious to us, and he has listened and answered so many of our prayers – we have made it to Talua Theological Training Institute in Vanuatu! Thank you for praying with us.

We flew into Santo this morning, and made it to TTTI by mid-morning. We are so thankful that we can finally unpack all our suitcases, and start to settle in. We have been through a lot of transitions recently as a family. We were in Melbourne for a month across June/July, we were in country NSW for the end of July, 2 weeks back home in Sydney, before a night in quarantine in Brisbane, 14 nights in quarantine in Vila, 6 nights of freedom in Port Vila, and now (many months later than we had optimistically planned, but many months before we had pessimistically thought) we are here. 

A special shout out to the Atwood family, CMS missionaries in Port Vila, for being so incredibly supportive while we were navigating Port Vila. Another shout out the folks at SIL/Wycliffe for their help with accommodation. Finally, we are incredibly thankful for the Richards Family here at TTTI, who prepped our flat, cooked us dinner, and have been showing us the ropes. 

So please join us in praising God for his generous answers to prayer. 

Some key prayer points moving forward:

• Pray we adjust quickly to the new ways of life… less power, less internet, less water pressure, way out of town, new house, new community, new rhythms / timetables, etc. etc. etc.
• Pray as we miss family & friends back home. We feel a long way away, heightened by the covid restrictions on flights and borders. We’ll miss our Dads this coming Father’s Day Sunday.
• Pray for great first impressions as we meet the college community, and pray for a great start to Rob’s teaching in Term 3 (it all begins THIS Monday).”

Australian Presbyterian World Mission would like to thank the individuals and congregations who gave so generously to our Appeal for funds to help our brothers and sisters in India. The individuals and families who have received assistance have expressed their gratitude toward you for your generosity.

With deep gratitude, we will close the Appeal on Friday 16th July 2021. Donations received after Friday 16th July will be sent to our Partner Church, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of India. The donations will be used by the church to assist individuals and families who have been impacted by COVID.

Thank you for this practical expression of love and care.

Australian Presbyterian World Mission would like to thank the individuals and congregations who gave so generously to the Moderator-General’s Appeal for assistance for Timor-Leste following the impact of Cyclone Seroja.

We have been extremely encouraged by the response!

We have now reached the point where we have received enough funds for relief in Timor Leste. So with deep gratitude, we will close the Appeal on Tuesday 8th June 2021.

If you were considering giving toward the Timor-Leste appeal but have not yet done so, we encourage you to consider making a donation to APWM’s Appeal for COVID relief for India which will be distributed through our Partner Church, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of India.

India COVID Appeal 2021

Thank you for your partnership!

The COVID situation in India may have disappeared from our headlines but COVID has not disappeared from the lives of our brothers and sisters in India. For that reason APWM has decided to conduct an appeal so that we can provide tangible aid for those who face medical bills, who have lost loved ones and who have lost their jobs and income.

Normally, APWM would be reluctant to ask for donations so soon after the Appeal for Timor Leste and the extremely generous response by so many members of the Presbyterian Church Australia. However, these are not normal circumstances. After communicating with the leaders of our Indian partners we now have a much clearer picture of the need. If you feel that God is leading you to give then please use these details:

How to Donate

Account Name: Australian Presbyterian World Mission

BSB: 032 260

Account Number: 151207

and mark your gift ‘India COVID’.

Please email finance@apwm.org.au so we can send a receipt.

Cheque

Please make out cheques to ‘Australian Presbyterian World Mission’ and send to:

APWM National

1 Clarence St

Burwood NSW 2134

(Gifts are not tax deductible)

Thank you for your partnership.

In response to recent enquiries, APWM is happy to announce that we are now able to receive donations for COVID relief in India. Any such donations will be sent for use by our Partner Church, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of India and the Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

If you would like to make a donation please go to https://www.apwm.org.au/finance/ for deposit details and then please send a short email to finance@apwm.org.au to let us know you have transferred the money and we will send you a receipt.

Please mark your gift with the words ‘India COVID’

Cheques should be sent to

APWM National

1 Clarence St

Burwood NSW 2134

(Gifts are not tax deductible)

Thank you for your partnership.

On Monday our APWM Accounts Clerk returned from annual leave and I asked him for an update on the gifts received in response to the flooding in Timor Leste. I was stunned when he told me the amount. Thank you very much for your generosity

We recently sent $9,000 for immediate relief and the leaders of our Partner Church in Timor Leste were overwhelmed at that amount. They said, “Please thank the members of the Presbyterian Church of Australia for their partnership and generosity.”

The next step is the hard work of assessing the damage and commencing repairs. This will take time because of COVID lockdowns in the capital city, and damage to very steep roads which will slow down the assessment process.

Many of you will have seen that the COVID situation in India has escalated at an alarming rate. This has impacted our Partner Church, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of India and our friends at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Dehradun. We, therefore, ask that if you were planning to send a gift for Timor Leste that you now consider marking that as being for the Seminary which now has considerable expenses arising out of medical bills, the need for oxygen tank hire and COVID tests which are not free.

Thank you for your partnership.

Kevin Murray.