You can download our Winter 2015 APWM Partnership Newsletter here.

It’s full of just some of the great things that God is doing to honour His great name as the gospel goes out!

APWM calls on the Presbyterian Church of Australia to pray for the nation of Nepal following this week’s devastating earthquake. APWM has partnerships with a number of mission agencies, such as Interserve, INF (International Nepal Fellowship) and Pioneers, who are active in Nepal. These agencies have established emergency relief appeals, details of which can be found on their websites, and we commend them to you as a practical way of helping people in need in Nepal.

http://interserve.org.au/nepal-earthquake-response/

http://www.inf.org/inf-australia

As a result of the severe weather in Sydney over the last few days, our office has temporarily lost its landline phone service.

If you need to contact us please use email. Either:

national@apwm.org.au

or

office@apwm.org.au.

We’ll let you know when the phones are working again.

Rick Manton is scheduled for heart surgery to repair or replace a heart valve on 27th April. The anticipated recovery time is three weeks. Rick and Kayleen would like to thank those who have been praying for them. Please keep this important ministry in your prayers.

From 1996 until 2010 Dr David Pilgrim of the Hurstville congregation, served as the Convener of the Australian Presbyterian World Mission National Committee.

Last Saturday, 11th April, David went to be with the Lord Jesus. A Thanksgiving Service for David’s life will be held this Friday 17th April at 2:30pm at the Hurstville Presbyterian Church (corner of MacMahon Street and Park Road). Please note that parking is limited.

David worked tirelessly for the cause of the gospel for many years through APWM and his local church. He was an elder at the Hurstville Presbyterian Church and was a significant figure in the conversion of a number of people.

On the weekend 28th and 29th March, Rob Duncanson and Kevin Murray travelled to Timor Leste for the official opening of the Dili church building of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Timor Leste. Thank you to the many generous supporters who gave through PresAid to make this possible. This will make a significant difference in the life of this young denomination.

A Pastor’s library drying out

In response to Cyclone Pam, Australian Presbyterian World Mission sent Glen Connor to Vanuatu to make an assessment of the situation and hold talks with the leadership of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu. Glen, who has recently returned from serving at that Talua Ministry Training Centre, knows the language, the people and the cultural context. He was an ideal person for such a task and we thank he and his wife Rachael for his willingness to serve in this way.

At the time of writing the Moderator General’s Appeal for Vanuatu has raised $209,634. Based on discussions with the leadership of the Church in Vanuatu we will be sending this money to assist with some immediate needs and also in areas such as the repair or rebuilding of Church property throughout Vanuatu, the repair of Church schools, the reprinting of over 20,000 New Testaments and 6,600 whole Bibles in Bislama (the national language of Vanuatu) and the restocking of Pastor’s libraries. Any further donations will be used to assist with the rebuilding of Church property.

Thank you to those who have given to assist our brothers and sisters in Vanuatu!

Thank you to those who have been able to support the Moderator General’s Appeal for Vanuatu. For those who need it, the link is here

https://www.apwm.org.au/2015/03/2722/

Yesterday Glen Connor left for Vanuatu to talk to leaders of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu and to learn first-hand how the Presbyterian Church of Australia can help our oldest Partner Church. This morning John and Kara Dekker left to commence service at the Talua Ministry Training Centre. By all reports Talua escaped the effects of Cyclone Pam relatively unaffected.

A few years ago members of the Presbyterian Church of Australia generously paid for 24,000 Bislama New Testaments to be printed and given away for free. APWM was in talks about printing more Bibles before Cyclone Pam struck. Many people will have lost their Bibles in the cyclone.

One of our recent Workpartners projects was the construction of the Southern Islands Presbytery Bible College on the island of Tanna. The island copped the full fury of the cyclone. The main damage to the building was the verandah as can be seen from these ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures.

Thank you those who have been praying!

Thank you to those who have donated to or promoted the Moderator General’s Appeal for Vanuatu.

The appeal can be found here

https://www.apwm.org.au/2015/03/2722/

To date $11,766 has been donated.

We have heard from Andy Williamson and he and Rosemary are fine. Talua still has no email or internet.

For those who have been following the story of Tom and Margaret Richards on Tanna (at the APWM-built Southern Islands Presbytery Bible College) they are also fine but out of regular contact, although their house suffered some damage.

Here is a short quote from a great article about the logistical problems that the nation now faces “A Category 5 storm is a short straw for any country to pull, but especially for Vanuatu, a geographically fragmented nation spread over 800 miles in the middle of the ocean. It’s already difficult to communicate and travel between the country’s 82 separate islands—let alone after a cyclone hits.”

You can read the whole article here

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/severe-challenges-bringing-cyclone-relief-vanuatu/

We are now in the process of assessing how to best use the money that will be donated. 100% of the money donated will be sent to Vanuatu. APWM is sending Glen Connor to Vanuatu for talks with the leadership of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu about how to best use the funds. This trip is being funded by a generous donation specifically for that purpose.

Thank you for your prayers.

The Talua Ministry Training Centre is located on Santo Island, the largest island in Vanuatu. As far as we know Talua has not been greatly affected.

The following has just been posted to Facebook by someone from Santo.

“Copy of an email from @Village de Santo:
Hello from Santo,
Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and wishes sent during this very sad time in Vanuatu.
Santo has been blessed, Cyclone Pam has passed by the Island of Santo causing only minor damage. We have clean water, power and plenty of food. We also have travelers waiting to return to their countries as soon as possible.
ALL RESORTS AND BUSINESSES ARE OPERATING AS NORMAL.
As of today we still have no communications. Turtle Bay Resorts satellite system is being used by the community to send out emails and to keep up with information on Port Vila ‘s terrible situation.
The business community of Santo is terribly concerned of the warnings for travelers to cancel their travel plans to Vanuatu. The media of course is reporting the situation in Vila but this is not Santo.
If our Island can keep receiving the visitors, businesses in Santo will survive the crisis situation in the months to come.
This in turn will support many local people who will be able to support their families in Port Vila to rebuild their lives.
No tourism and our Vanuatu economy will suffer greatly.
All the resorts are receiving an over whelming amount of cancellations. If this keeps happening the economy of Vanuatu will suffer.
Until Port Vila is rebuilds, Santo can and will continue as usual.
Please pass the word through social media and your booking sites that Santo is ready and waiting for tourist, as soon as the flight are returned.
We asking everyone in particular: Wholesaler travel Companies, OTA, Travel agents to support Vanuatu now when we need you the most.
Kind regards
Beverley Anti”