The Messenger Autumn 2012

MESSENGERThe

Publ ished by Westminster Presbyter ian Church | Volume 153 Autumn Edit ion 2012

2 The Messenger • Autumn 2012

ContentsVo lume 153 Autumn Ed i t io n 2012

AimsTo uphold the teachings of Scripture as summed up in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

To assist the WPC churches in their congre- gational life and witness.

To foster a spirit of unity amongst WPC churches.

subscription DetAilsThe 2011 subscription rates are as follows:

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The Westminster Messenger via Sandra Wilson 105 Regency Drive,THORNLIE W.A. 6108

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Please noTe: all subscriPTions due in advance.

contributions, letters, etc.All materials for the editor, such as contributions, letters and comments about The Messenger should be directed to:

Revd Clem White, 10 Melaleuca Terrace, HALLS HEAD, W.A. 6210

Phone: (08) 9535 3301

Email: [email protected]

DeADlines for eAch issueArticles of Church News, Letters to the Editor and contributions for each of the 4 issues are to be in the Editor’s hand no later than:

• Feb 14 for Autumn issue• May 16 for Winter issue• Aug 15 for Spring issue• Nov 14 for Summer issue

and addressed to Rev. Clem White at the contact address or email above.

the messenger committee• Clem White (Editor)• Sandra Wilson (Treasurer) • Pam White (Secretary)• Ray Wilson (Proofing) • Roy Lim (Designer)

Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of WPC, the editor or the committee. Submitted articles are welcome.

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T h e M e s s e n g e r

Reflections

27-29Missions

4-11Features

12-25Youth & Family

30-33

Photo on cover: Arthur and Fay Slater - editorial

3The Messenger • Autumn 2012

Many Australians do not know who the Noongars are. They are the 35,000 Aboriginal people who occupy the

south west portion of WA. A wide ranging study of their culture has revealed a people who have remained an identifiable community in spite of much adversity since the arrival of Captain Stirling at the Swan River colony on the Parmelia in 1829.

Since then there has been a concentrated attempt to destroy their heritage by the white society. Prior to the 1960’s the

government policy was to eliminate their Aboriginality at all costs. The Aborigines were seen as a sub human species largely because of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Even the established church went along with this belief and supported those people who tortured, starved, imprisoned, humiliated, shot and poisoned them. This behaviour is well documented in articles and books such as One Blood by John Harris.

At the same time the Noongars have contributed to the growth of WA through their hard and mostly unpaid work in the pastoral and farming industries. Without their help pastoralists and farmers would not be as economically viable as they are now.

The State Government has now presented to the Noongar people an offer to settle their claims over Perth and the south west. The South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, comprising five Noongars who represent the five main sub tribal areas, now have

the unenviable job of negotiating with the government on behalf of their people. One of those on the Council is Mrs Fay Slater who is a member of the Calvary Presbyterian church, Brookton. Fay has helped in these negotiations thus far. The Council believes they are heading toward a deal with the Government which will be of great benefit to the present generation but more importantly the future generations of Noongar people.

Unfortunately, there is a very small but vocal minority who are largely ignorant of the details of the proposal and are making it hard for an agreement to be reached. The Council now has the task of educating these and others in their community about the wisdom of accepting the Government’s offer.

As Christians who believe God has made all people of one blood we should pray for and encourage a better rapport between all peoples of this land, especially those who are marginalized in society.

Finally we should pray for Christian people like Fay and Arthur Slater who stand out against the rise of animism in the Aboriginal culture. They believe the words of Jesus, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This is the heart of the message they share with their fellow Noongars. U

Editorial

Clem White

A RESiLiENT PEOPLE

The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending:and to have the two as close together as possible.

~ George Burns


CY Goes to Malawi Caitlyn White

Six weeks has gone by quickly, but at the same time it feels like i’ve been in Mulanje for ages. i’ve learnt a lot about the practice of medicine in a developing country, about resource allocation, about HiV, about malaria, about TB, about poverty, about hunger and about pain. However, there is a lot more to learn which i realize would only be possible by spending a much longer time in a place like this. Last week the hospital was going through a slight crisis. The government had not paid the hospital what it owed it for the month. The staff had not been paid since Christmas time and the effects were starting to show. Some couldn’t afford food to feed their families. There is a nursing college here at MMH, and there wasn’t even money to feed the nursing students that live here on campus. They were told that they would have to go home on the weekend. Luckily the medical director managed to scrounge up the money to keep them for another couple of weeks, but we really don’t know if they will be able to stay much longer unless the government holds up their end of the bargain. The staff were paid a few days ago so that is a great relief. However, we are really low on drugs at the moment and there wasn’t enough money to complete a full order for the next lot. Last week we also ran out of the reagents to test people’s blood group so we couldn’t do any blood transfusions (usually there are many people in need because of anaemia due to malaria and HiV). The district hospital down the road apparently has even less than us right now so are sending sick patients here. Early on in our stay here, Lish had a couple of kids who were on oxygen die on her ward because the power went off (as it does almost daily here) and so the oxygen concentrators went off too. So yesterday when the power went off, i saw Lish run straight to the paeds ward as she had two sick kids on oxygen.

Unfortunately getting the generators up and running for people on oxygen isn’t often a priority for nurses and other staff on the ward here. However, when people saw Lish getting straight into action mode and running down to maintenance to get a petrol generator on they were very pleased and thankful. Luckily the power came on later in the night before the generators ran out of fuel (remember there is a fuel shortage here, so running a gen is quite costly). One of the kids did die during the night, but one made it- and Lish had done everything she could, so it was a much better outcome than last time although still very sad. Yesterday our friend Moses invited us to his house for dinner. His village is a 3km walk from the mission which he does every day. Moses and his sister insisted on killing a chicken for us to eat with them. A chicken is very valuable and we knew it was a big deal for them to eat chicken- especially in this time of hunger. But it gave them great joy to be able to share with us and it gave us great joy to be invited into their home and eat with them. We also picked some of Moses’ maize cobs and he roasted them for us. They tasted like popcorn! i sat on a mat with his nieces, nephews and other village kids and popped off the kernels so we could share together. The kids charged past at one point chasing the chickens. They caught one, killed it, plucked it and put it on the fire right in front of us. Moses also took us to his field of sugar cane and gave us some to take home. i was then called upon to help make the nsima (as i brag about my nsima making skills quite often). it was much harder stirring on the fire rather than on the stove as i was crying from all the smoke in my eyes! We were very grateful to have spent the entire afternoon there with them. This was the third time i’d been to Moses’ house but it was still a confronting experience. This guy is awesome and is always dressed well and speaks English better than

M i s s i o n s


any other Malawian i have met, so it’s crazy to see all the family he is responsible for and the conditions he lives in. The unfortunate follow up from the village experience is that today i am a little under the weather...We are now faced with packing, saying goodbye and leaving Mulanje. i will miss the beauty of the mountain, which stands as a tall and majestic reference point from wherever you are in the area. i will also miss the beauty of the people who are so kind and welcoming. Selfishly, I look forward to detaching myself somewhat from the pain here. However, i know i must not let myself do this too much and risk forgetting the feeling of discomfort

about the state of the world that i hope is the start of living a life that truly makes a difference. U

caitlyn White (CY) is entering her sixth year at medical school, UWA. Caitlyn has now spent six weeks at the Malawi Presbyterian Hospital. You can catch up on her blog at cygoestomalawi.blogspot.com.au Caitlyn is a member of Kelmscott WPC, WA.

Caitlyn White

Jacob was a cheat. Peter had a temper. David had an affair. Noah got drunk. Jonah ran from God. Paul was a murderer. Gideon was onsecure. Miriam was a gossip. Mary was a worrier. Sarah was impatient. Elijah was moody. Moses stuttered. Zaccheus was short. Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead. Now…what’s YOUR reason for thinking God won’t use you?God CAN use you where you are…if you let Him!


Marshall Musings Feb 2012DaviD & WenDy marshall

M i s s i o n s

Dangerous WeatherUnusually heavy snow has fallen in northern Japan and on the north western coast of Japan. According to a report by the Japan Meteorological Agency, 50 people had died in avalanches and snow removal efforts as of January 30. About two-thirds of those were aged 65 or older.

Thousands of people whose houses or apartments were destroyed by the tsunami are living in temporary accommodation on the north east coast of Honshu. Many of these accommodation units are not suitably insulated - so many people, particularly elderly, are suffering as this band of cold air sits over Japan. Poor insulation leads to burst water pipes, and doors that freeze shut.Several prefectures have run out of money for snow clearing and have had to ask the central government for disaster assistance. Without snow clearing, schools and businesses cannot function.

Financial UpdateThis time last year we included a financial update. it seems like a good time to do that again.Again we give thanks that God has provided all of our budgeted support for 2011. Part of this comes from faithful supporters, some of it comes from David’s CAJ stipend. We continue to be grateful for both.A year ago we asked you to pray for our next Home Assignment. During that time in Australia

we don’t have the benefit of David’s CAJ stipend. OMF made the decision to increase our budget figure during the years we are in Japan to save up for those times when they require us to be in Australia visiting supporters. We’re thankful to say that this increase in budget (or prayed-for- amount) was also provided during 2011. Praise God for his generous provision through you.Please keep praying that the Lord will continue to provide, at least as long as He wants us to serve Him in Japan.

Spotlight on CAJYou can’t afford it! You can’t afford to avoid Jesus.” Calvin Johnston was our speaker for Spiritual Life Emphasis Week (SLEW). He was the headmaster of CAJ when I first started working here, but has since returned to Canada. He shared much of the struggles that he and his family have been through with sickness and unemployment.Calvin’s message was that we need well-worn hearts that were ready to overflow with Jesus’ love to others, that weren’t afraid to be vulnerable and get beaten up by the contacts we have. He said we could not afford to leave God out of our understanding about how life works, nor could we afford to pay Jesus lip-service, while our hearts were far away.He was particularly frank about the love of money and the things it can buy, especially when there is so much poverty in so many places in the world.CAJ makes our goal to equip students to impact the world for Christ. We want our students to give their hearts to Jesus, and we want them to consider the needs of the many disadvantaged people in the world. Please pray that our students would resist the temptations of materialism, so prevalent in Japan. Join us in wrestling in prayer for the souls of those in our community who do not yet know Jesus. We firmly believe that they cannot afford to avoid him any longer.

Prayer points


• For the Japanese who are struggling during this extra cold winter. For Christian workers in the tsunami disaster zone as they minister to evacuees who are struggling in temporary accommodation.

• For wisdom in planning our trip to Australia in July/August. (We need a car for the first two weeks of July and from the 28th of July for a week or so.)

• Continue to pray for our financial support.• For Wendy continuing to negotiate change

at Japan Harvest, the magazine she edits.• For David as he travels to Shanghai this

month (see calendar) and the family in his absence.

• For both of us—wisdom for juggling responsibilities and activities.

• For CAJ students—results from SLEW week.

• For the boys as they continue to figure out their identities as Australians growing up in Japan.

• For Wendy’s English Bible study, with its broad range of English abilities and Bible understanding.

• For good health during these cold months.

Praise points• Full financial provision for 2011, including

savings for our Home Assignment fund.• SLEW week. Praise that they had good

meetings.• Callum enjoying wrestling, his godly coaches,

and personal growth as a result.• Good progress for Wendy in improving the

processes of editing Japan Harvest.• Jamie’s enjoying piano and making good

progress.• New Australian friends.• All three boys had great report cards for

semester one (end of January). Praise God. U

david and Wendy Marshall are missionaries in Tokyo, Japan with the Overseaas Missionary Fellowship

David and Wendy Marshall 1-19-10 Shinkawa-cho, Higashikurume-shi, Tokyo 203-0013 Phone: +81 42 479 4493Email: [email protected]/marshalls.phpBlog: www.mmuser.blogspot.comSend address changes to:OMF Prayer CoordinatorPO Box 199, BOX HILL, Vic. 3128Email: [email protected] Australia websitewww.omf.org/australia

MARSHALL MUSINGS February 2012

Serving with OMF in Japan

“You can’t afford it! You can’t afford to avoid Jesus.”Calvin Johnston was our speaker for Spiritual Life Emphasis Week (SLEW). He was the headmaster of CAJ when I first started working here, but has since returned to Canada. He shared much of the struggles

that he and his family have been through with sickness and unemployment.

Calvin’s message was that we need well-worn hearts that were ready to overflow with Jesus’ love to others, that weren’t afraid to be vulnerable and get beaten up by the contacts we have. He said we could not afford to leave God out of our understanding about how life works, nor could we afford to pay Jesus lip-service, while our hearts were far away.

He was particularly frank about the love of money and the things it can buy, especially when there is so much poverty in so many places in the world.

CAJ makes our goal to equip students to impact the world for Christ. We want our students to give their hearts to Jesus, and we want them to consider the needs of the many disadvantaged people in the world. Please pray that our students would resist the temptations of materialism, so prevalent in Japan. Join us in wrestling in prayer for the souls of those in our community who do not yet know Jesus. We firmly believe that they cannot afford to avoid him any longer.

Spotlight on CAJ

NEW email address

Q: What does an Australian family living overseas do on Australia Day?A: This year we held a small party (inside, it was about 0 degrees outside). David cooked up some meat patties (made from scratch). Wendy baked a pavlova. And we invited a couple of Australian families we know, as well as one American family. We played Australian board games, did an Australian map puzzle, and tore Mintie wrappers into the longest strip we could. We also ate Tim Tams, yum!

The boys also wore these new Australian shirts to school. They all enjoy identifying themselves as Australians, even though they’ve spent more of their lives in Japan than Australia.

This time last year we included a financial update. It seems like a good time to do that again.

Again we give thanks that God has provided all of our budgeted support for 2011. Part of this comes from faithful supporters, some of it comes from David’s CAJ stipend. We continue to be grateful for both.

A year ago we asked you to pray for our next Home Assignment. During that time in Australia we don’t have the benefit of David’s CAJ stipend. OMF

made the decision to increase our budget figure during the years we are in Japan to save up for those times when they require us to be in Australia visiting supporters. We’re thankful to say that this increase in budget (or prayed-for-amount) was also provided during 2011. Praise God for his generous provision through you.

Please keep praying that the Lord will continue to provide, at least as long as He wants us to serve Him in Japan.

Financial update

Dangerous WeatherUnusually heavy snow has fallen in northern Japan and on the north

western coast of Japan. According to a report by the Japan Meteorological Agency, 50 people had died in avalanches and show removal efforts as of January 30. About two-thirds of those were aged 65 or older.

Thousands of people whose houses or apartments were destroyed by the tsunami are living in temporary accommodation on the north east coast of Honshu. Many of these accommodation units are not suitably insulated — so many people, particularly elderly, are suffering as this band of cold air sits over Japan. Poor insulation leads to burst water pipes, and doors that freeze shut.

Several prefectures have run out of money for snow clearing and have had to ask the central government for disaster assistance. Without snow clearing, schools and businesses cannot function.

Doug (right) watches one of our guests attempt to do an Australia-New Zealand map puzzle.

NOTE TO ALL:

The Messenger committee are considering the merits of making past issues of the magazine available online. Please voice your opinions about this before May 16, after which a decision will be made.


PRISON BREAK NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2012

by tony Walker

M i s s i o n s

2011 has been a full on year for me. i started my internship at Bunbury prison in February 2011. My first three months consisted of supervision under Brian the senior chaplain. i had to learn all the prison procedures and protocol. As you can imagine security is of the utmost importance and there are many rules and regulations you have to be aware of. This was a real learning curve for me as there are so many things to remember and so many issues that are unique to the prison environment. For instance, i was not aware that chaplains have officer status and are forbidden to give references for any of the prisoners. Something as seemingly innocent as giving a character reference can lead to instant dismissal. Bunbury prison holds a maximum capacity of 330 prisoners. There are around 230 in the main block which is divided into three areas. There is maximum security which holds about 30. This is where new inmates are housed for a couple of weeks or for inmates who are causing trouble. There are around nine self-care units holding about 100 prisoners where inmates have more responsibilities and privileges; for example cooking their meals. The third area is made up of cells and a separate canteen where meals are provided. A second block (PRU) holds around 100 inmates and is designed for people coming to the end of their sentences. This is part of their rehabilitation prior to release. inmates here have the privilege of working in the community during the day. After three months’ probation i was given the keys (and a personal alarm!!) and the freedom to access all areas in the prison. My first week consisted of putting my hand in my pocket about a thousand times to make sure my keys were still there! it probably didn’t help when i was told the story of a chaplain in another prison who lost one of his keys and it cost the prison 80,000 dollars to replace the locks. As there were not a great deal of Christian activities happening during the week i asked permission to run an introducing God course during the week. i held

two courses, one in the main block and the other in PRU. Both courses were well received which was very encouraging. During the course i got to know the inmates in a deeper way and formed some good relationships. As part of my training as a prison chaplain i had to attend a Clinical Pastoral Education course at Royal Perth Hospital. This was a three month intensive course which involved both theory and practice. i found the course very helpful and challenging but extremely beneficial for learning new methods of pastoral care. After i completed the course i returned to Bunbury prison. Within two weeks i was accepted as a qualified chaplain. I am now recognised as a locum chaplain and am able to cover for holidays.

One of the biggest highlights of the year was seeing a released prisoner coming to know the Lord and being baptised. The picture above is me on the right, Frank Mitchell, pastor of the Foursquare Gospel Church Bunbury, on the left and Andrew who was being baptised. it was a great day and a wonderful encouragement for all who were there. i would appreciate your prayers for Andrew as he integrates back into society. Andrew had a very bad 2011. He found himself in prison and during the year he lost his Mum, Dad and younger brother all in tragic circumstances. He is a very likeable character so please continue to pray for him. Prison ministry is extremely diverse. The crimes committed range from parking offences


to murder. One of the biggest hurdles i have is to cater for both sex-offenders and non sex-offenders. There is a lot of peer pressure on non sex-offenders not to mix with sex-offenders. This causes huge problems as a chaplain in relation to how to minister to both groups. After wise counsel i decided to hold two different Bible studies in order to minister to both groups. in a perfect world it would be great to have everyone come together in the one study but prison politics as they are calls for versatility. i would like to take this opportunity to thank my supporters because without them i would not be able to continue in this ministry. Firstly i would like to thank WPC Presbytery for their generous support. i would like to thank WPC Mandurah who supported me for the first twelve months. My thanks also go to Arthur and his team at WPC Brookton for their ongoing support; Frank Mitchell and his team at the Foursquare Gospel Church in Bunbury for their ongoing support; WPC Bull Creek and WPC Kelmscott for their donations; Anton Noppers for helping me with my prison brochure and i would like to thank everyone for their prayers. i have formed many relationships with prisoners at Bunbury prison which has enabled me to share the Gospel with lots of guys. i love my work and love getting involved in prisoners’ lives

and helping them make sense of who they are in Christ Jesus and how they can have hope even in the most seemingly hopeless situations. i am currently visiting Bunbury prison on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Saturday is a good day because none of the guys are working so it is easier to catch up with them. i am holding 3 different Bible studies which are all well attended and received and is very exciting especially when you can see the guys growing in their faith. Wednesday is more pastoral and i catch up with prisoners and try and help those ones who are struggling. We do have a Bible study in the afternoon which is open to everyone. Until i get regular paid work i will need ongoing support so please consider becoming a partner in this great ministry if you have not already. i would also appreciate your prayers for me as you can imagine it is not all smooth sailing. i have attached a copy of my brochure which has details if you want to help and i am hoping the next newsletter will be in around three months Thanks again for all your wonderful support. U

Work to be Doneanonymous

Tony Walker is a member of Mandurah Westminster Presbyterian Church, WA

When there is work to be done for His kingdom many of us are like Moses, who thought he had blown his chances of rescuing his people, when he impulsively killed the Egyptian many years earlier. His negative response to God was, “Don’t send me, send somebody else”.

Gideon felt he came from an unsuitable family.

Even when God promised to be with them, these men took a lot of convincing!

Samson certainly blotted his copybook but he was humbled by the Philistine, Delilah, when he thought he could handle anything because of his God-given strength. God used these three men mightily for His purposes.

Peter was too proud at first, to let Jesus wash his feet but finally realised his own vulnerability when

he three times denied his Lord. As a persecutor of the Church Saul’s zeal could not be faulted until he met Jesus personally, on the road to Damascus, and was humbled and made ready to serve Him.

Peter and Paul realised they could do nothing in their own strength, and neither can we because “God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble…”

Often we can’t repay those who help us; we can only sincerely thank them. But we can say “Yes” when He gives us work to do.

We are not all called to spread the gospel of God’s saving grace in faraway places, but we can be part of the back-up team and support our missionaries in prayer, financially and by writing encouraging letters to them. U


M i s s i o n s

Brookton Bush Mission 2012January 17th to 22nd

tony veale

The team returned to Brookton for our second year, hoping to build on the very welcome welcome we received

in 2011. We had been amazed and thankful to God for how the community (and especially the Christians) of Brookton received us then, so we wanted to try a few new ideas, as well as reprise a couple of the events that worked well. The team prepared for months, with four team meetings as well as numerous task group meetings and discussions, and heaps of emails!We kicked off the program on Tuesday evening with a free Family Film night (“How to Train a Dragon”) at the Town Hall, with Jason bringing a Gospel focus to the message of the film.

Wednesday morning saw the first of three days of Kids’ Club, from 8.30 to 11.30 a.m., at the local Sports Pavilion at Brookton Reserve. We tried a new concept (thanks to Nadine) of getting the children around in a big circle and involving them all in various short activities, whether stories, craft, music, games or Scripture learning, all based around the Gospel story (with the three days being: Creation/God, Sin/Jesus, Faith/Commitment). Our overall theme was Mediaeval, so the play (written by Kashaca), the costumes worn and craft activities were based on knights, princesses, dragons, etc. Numbers were up on last year, with quite a few kids returning. One even remembered Scripture he had learned then! in the afternoon, some of the team visited the local nursing home, and sang songs with the elderly folk there, as we had done last year.

On Thursday afternoon, we gathered the kids and the team together for Water Games. As the temperature was about 37°C and humidity about 90% (or so it seemed) spending two hours throwing, splashing, squirting and dumping water on each other seemed the best way to build relationships!! We had a very long roll of black plastic which we used on the gentle slope of grass for a Slip’n’Slide, and using about 5 litres of detergent, a great deal of fun was had by all – including the team’s very own private slide session after the kids had gone!Traditionally, Team Night Out means going out for dinner so the cooks don’t have to do any work, but on Friday night, they chose to prepare a special meal, and provide the evening’s entertainment – learning bootscootin’ and participating in a few other group games, with much hilarity and fun.

Saturday was our Big Day. We had decided to try to engage the community as a whole by holding a Carnival Day at the Town Hall. Through Janice’s very clever

organisation, we had something like 22 different activities planned for the day, from 10.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This included live music, free pony rides (with a horse from a good friend from Pingelly), puppet shows, a full replay of the play (from the Kids’ Club), a bouncy castle, a cake competition, sugar cube castle constructing, with numerous games and craft making. Sounds crazily busy,


and it was! However, as it was 39°C, and the hall has no air-conditioning, we had really run out of energy by 1.30 p.m. when the last of the townsfolk left. We are thankful to God, though, that something like 100 people came through (out of about 1000 people in Brookton). The evening saw our regular Quiz Night, at the Town Hall, once again (5 years in a row) run by Jason. Nearly two dozen people from the community came and had a great time, and learned a few trivial things, too!

On Sunday morning, we held a combined Church Service for the people of Brookton and Pingelly. We had asked the various churches to cancel their own (usually small) service and come to ours. We

wanted the Christians in the area to be encouraged to work together for the sake of the Gospel, and by modelling our own cross-denominational teamwork (we had 8 different churches and 4 denominations represented on the Brookton Bush Mission team), as well as not favouring one particular group, so we ran the whole service. Duane Olivier (Kingsley Community Church) preached from Jesus’ Parables in Matthew 13, about the way the church can have an impact on a community despite its seemingly small size. Nearly 60 people from a number of churches came along that morning, and many said later how much they were encouraged by being together in such a way. We praise God for His working through us to our brothers and sisters there.This year’s mission was an opportunity to run with a few different things, and even though the team was slightly smaller than previously, we know God both used and blessed us in Brookton. We pray that next year’s mission will build again on what we’ve done, and we hope to focus even more on Jesus and His life-changing Gospel as we present Him to the children and the community. U

Tony veale is the director of the Brookton Bush Mission


ThE GREAT EAST JAPAN DISASTER - A YEAR LATER

Fe a t u r e s

March 11, 2011 is a date that few adults living in Japan at the time will forget. For Japan, this March is a significant

time as we remember the anniversary of the huge triple disaster on Japan’s coast. The earthquake that Japan experienced was in the top five largest ever recorded. (We were a long way from the epicentre here in western Tokyo and the earthquake caused almost no damage at all). At the time Japan was front-page news for many days. My blog received unprecedented attention. The emails and phone calls that we, and our family, received from people concerned about our safety were overwhelming. However, Japan’s recovery is no longer in front-page news. it is appropriate, therefore, to update you on what’s happened here in the last twelve months.

DAMAGE

I have seen figures ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 as the number of those who died as a result of the earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami has been estimated to have been over 30m in height in some localities. And in some places it reached up to six kilometers inland.

There are still many people missing. Thousands have become refugees within their own country; this includes all those who were evacuated from around the nuclear power plants that are about 250km north of Tokyo.

Of course the financial damage to the country is massive. Whole towns were wiped out. Still

the clean up continues; recently i read of pleas for other prefectures to take debris from the damaged area because the amount is too large for the disaster stricken prefectures to manage on their own. Exports were affected, with many

radiation-scares across the world. Fishing, a large industry of the region, was devastated, with much loss of property and life, not to mention radiation issues.

Many thousands of people are still living in temporary housing (tiny boxes). They have been given a two-year limit by the government, after that many don’t know where they’ll be living. Many lost their livelihoods, as well as their houses, and family and friends. Suicide is rising in the area as many find they cannot find any hope for the future.

RELIEF

Professionals such as the Japan Self Defense Force performed most of the search and rescue work. Ordinary citizens who went to help in those early days were involved in relief work: providing necessary provisions, soup kitchens, as well as clearing away debris.

RECOvERY

The relief stage has largely ended. Now the focus is on recovery. Workers are still cleaning

out houses and businesses, and, if they have the necessary skills, rebuilding.

But increasingly Christians have been involved in reaching out to displaced, hurting individuals. Japanese social networks are

complex; relationships are typically formed over many years and the displacement that the disasters caused have disrupted longstanding connections. New friendships take a long time to form in this country, even more so after

It is also noticeable that as time goes on the Christian groups are the ones who are staying to help, the non-Christian help is gradually disappearing. This makes a deep impression.

by WenDy marshall


suffering such trauma. OMF and others are working on linking people, using a variety of strategies.

STORIES FROM ThE DISASTER zONE

Even though David and i haven’t had hands-on involvement with the work in the disaster zone, we are well placed to hear many of the stories of what’s been happening on the ground.

A church in F u k u s h i m a p r e f e c t u r e , about 30 km from the d a m a g e d nuclear power

plants, has had an amazing ministry over the last twelve months. They’ve had numerous volunteers staying at their ministry centre: an average of 40 every night since late March. They’ve reached out to their local community in varied ways, including provision of needed goods, visiting in hard-hit communities, and the ministry of listening. The pastor said, “The same person has lost his wife, his brother, his house . . . How much do we really understand about losing all of these things? Sometimes i have nothing to say. Are we willing to take the time to listen? Over and over again?”

indeed, the balance between recovery and evangelism is hard to find. Many ministries are trying to build relationships first by meeting needs in the community.

One missionary with her husband have managed a base camp in the disaster area where volunteers stay while serving the community. She commented that a lot of their work now is, “entering the survivor’s world and going through this time with them. One survivor said (to us) with tears, “’Thanks for not forgetting us.’” This missionary reflected, “The change has come slowly, but communities are rebuilding. We have started to hear more and more from survivors, “‘i think we are getting better.’”

it is also noticeable that as time goes on the Christian groups are the ones who are staying to help, the non-Christian help is gradually disappearing. This makes a deep impression.

Another ministry began as a result of quilters across the world sending quilts for survivors (i’ve heard that up to 1,700 quilts were sent). But they didn’t stop with just sending completed

quilts — they assembled and sent quilting kits, and others sent funds to purchase sewing machines. As a result, quilting, patchwork, and handicraft groups are starting all over the region, many of them facilitated by missionaries or Christians. These groups provide natural connection points between survivors. They also provide a reason to get up in the morning, when many other reasons were swept away last March.

OMF began working in the north of the region from almost the very first day after the earthquake. in June they set up a centre where they also house volunteer teams from Japan and beyond. Four permanent staff members (one missionary couple and one Japanese couple) are building relationships in the region by running mobile cafés, concerts, and parties. They aren’t just building friendships between themselves and the locals, they are facilitating relationships between the survivors.

These are just a few of the stories and “happenings” in the recovering coastal area north of Tokyo. But one of the joys of this last year has to been to see greater cooperation between churches and mission organisations. We’re praying this will continue for many years.

DON’T FORGET JAPAN

The task is not over in the disaster zone in north-eastern Honshu. Much prayer went up for Japan back in March and April of last year. Please don’t forget Japan in your prayers. This nation is still needy, in a way that is hard to take photos of. Many are searching for meaning after the great loss that they’ve suffered, pray that they’ll find it before it is too late. U

david & Wendy Marshall have served as missionaries in Japan with OMF International since 2000. They have three boys, Callum, Douglas and Jamie. They are members of Metrowest Community Church in Brisbane. Wendy writes almost daily on her blog about ordinary life as an Australian family in Japan: www.mmuser.blogspot.com.


SETTLING BACK IN ThE USAby barbara Cross

Fe a t u r e s

Because David has been so anxious to “get settled in our own place” we had started looking at houses over the

internet. (i still am amazed that one can “tour” houses “without leaving the comfort of your own home,” as the advertising usually goes). We also looked at a number of houses with a real estate agent who is working for us as the “Buyers Agent”. (i know that in Britain they don’t put in the word “real” before the word “estate” as they do in the US – don’t know the reason why we use it here). Anyway, we saw some that one of us liked and some that neither of us liked – which cut those tours very short. Finally, we drove past a house that we had seen online, and it is only one and a half miles from the center of Carlisle. We liked what we saw. We asked our real estate lady to take us on a tour. We both really took to the house, though it is some 37 years old. it had been owned by a couple that had lived in it since it was new and it had been well cared for over the years.

Before we made an offer the people had lowered the price (nice for us) but the first offer we made was rejected. We came back with another offer, which our agent felt was very fair. We made it clear it was our “final offer”. it was accepted though obviously not without some hassle on the other end. The gentleman who owned the house had died and the wife is in care. This left the three adult children to battle out what they would accept. We understand that the vote was two to one in our favour and so we just learned that unless there are things we don’t know

about the house, it should be ours. Of course, there are all kinds of inspections – two of them that don’t need to be done in most of Britain – one is for radon gas that can come from the limestone that covers this area and the other is for termites which the UK is blessed not to have. We don’t think there will be any problems with those. As far as we know the structure is sound but that all has to be checked out.

Because this home was owned by someone even older than we are (!) the decoration, while in good shape, is quite dated – wild wall paper in a few places and very ugly coloured counter tops in the kitchen. These can be redone to bring it more up to date for more “up-to date” oldies like us!

One other thing that is nice is that the house comes with washer, dryer, stove, fridge, dishwasher and a microwave so that saves us a lot of money in buying these items since all of these had to be left in the UK because of difference in electricity.

The house has four bedrooms, giving us room for an office and room for guests to stay with us. The garden is small by American standards (110 x 115 feet) but will be easy to care for. it has already been nicely landscaped and we see spring bulbs already bursting through.

The owner of the house we are renting has only asked that we give him 60 days’ notice so that will give us time to stay in this house while we do the work to bring the other house up to date. it will need painting throughout

WE HAVE TAKEN ANOTHER STEP TOWARD BEING SETTLED IN THE US - WE JUST BOUGHT A HOUSE - IF ALL GOES THROUGH - (No need to read further if you don’t want the details).


Page 2 from: Barbara H Cross, February 2012

up to date. It will need painting throughout and completion of the floor in the attic for storage, as well as the redecorating we already mentioned. Unlike many homes in this area there is no basement but that means we don’t have to worry about water seepage coming in as many had to contend with this past year during the huge amounts of rain that they had. There is a double car garage and since we are have only one car there is room for David to have a good sized space for his work bench.

We committed all of this to the Lord as to whether this was “His choice” for us and we continue to ask Him to be with us as we go through the rest of the process of obtaining a “new home.” (We will send you the actual address once the property is transferred).

In another phase of settling into the community we have joined, as I have mentioned to some, the very active Cumberland County Historical Society here in Carlisle. I know my British friends will feel there isn’t really any hisotry of note in a place only settled in the early 1700s but actually it is quite full of fascinating history for a small town. Last week we went to a historcial lecture on the WW2 POW Camp secretly located outside of Carlisle for interigating Nazi soldiers. This week we heard another great talk and saw wonderful pictures of a local girl who for a continuous 6 months had walked the 2,184 mile Applicachanin Trail going from the deep south in Georgia to the far north in Maine. Our speaker had some wonderful pictures to illustrate the beautiful moutains and wilderness that the trail passes through. This trail comes through our area so it is of special interst to us as it is nearbty.David and I hope to walk a bit of it one day when the weatehr is warmer but I think our walk will be very much shorter! However, we did learn that people our age and older do walk the whole thing!

In the midst of this all of this we continue to be very involved in visiting and ministering in churches that have sponsored us in the UK. However, this week David will be preaching, as he does once-a-month at the PCA church in York where he is the interim pastor while they serach for a new permanent pastor. I continue with my writing and hospitality ministry as well as taking on speaking engagements invovled with our MTW travels.

We expect this to be our future home.

and completion of the floor in the attic for storage, as well as the redecorating we already mentioned. Unlike many homes in this area there is no basement but that means we don’t have to worry about water seepage coming in as many had to contend with this past year during the huge amounts of rain that they had. There is a double car garage and since we have only one car there is room for David to have a good sized space for his work bench.

We committed all of this to the Lord as to whether this was “His choice” for us and we continue to ask Him to be with us as we go through the rest of the process of obtaining a “new home.” (We will send you the actual address once the property is transferred).

in another phase of settling into the community we have joined, as i have mentioned to some, the very active Cumberland County Historical Society here in Carlisle. i know my British friends will feel there isn’t really any history of note in a place only settled in the early 1700s but actually it is quite full of fascinating history for a small town. Last week we went to a historical lecture on the WW2 POW Camp secretly located outside of Carlisle for interrogating Nazi soldiers. This week we heard another great talk and saw wonderful pictures of a local girl who for a continuous 6 months had walked

the 2,184 mile Appalachian Trail going from the Deep South in Georgia to the far north in Maine. Our speaker had some wonderful pictures to illustrate the beautiful mountains and wilderness that the trail passes through. This trail comes through our area so it is of special interest to us as it is nearby. David and i hope to walk a bit of it one day when the weather is warmer but i think our walk will be very much shorter! However, we did learn that people our age and older do walk the whole thing!

in the midst of all of this we continue to be very involved in visiting and ministering in churches that have sponsored us in the UK. However, this week David will be preaching, as he does once-a-month at the PCA church in York where he is the interim pastor while they search for a new permanent pastor. i continue with my writing and hospitality ministry as well as taking on speaking engagements involved with our MTW travels. U

david & barbara cross have been missionaries in England and Wales for many years with Mission to the World (MTW)

We expect this to be our future home.


INTRODUCTIONi don’t get out much when it comes to visiting other Churches, but have recently experienced folk coming to our church in search of a place where the Word of God is taught. it emerged, out of discussions with them, that many of the Churches visited enroute were in denial when it came to the doctrine of original sin. Many years ago i read a book by a teacher of a Bible college who made this comment, “Because i had not dealt adequately with the doctrine of sin, my students had problems with all the doctrines of the Bible.”it is safe to contend that what we believe about sin will determine what we think about the Saviour. indeed, what we believe about sin will affect our view of salvation.

hISTORICITY OF ThE FALL6.1 Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory.in discussing the matter of the fall it is important for us to ascertain the authenticy of the occasion. Why is this so important to us? if it is not a historical occurrence then it fails to apply any real impact on the destiny of

mankind. it would reduce the precepts of God to concept without substance. We may just as well be looking to any mythological concept with a new type of respect. it would go like this: Once upon a time there was a god, it is claimed, who made the whole world. Within that world he made a man and a woman and placed them in this amazing place called Eden. He gave him authority to take charge of the garden, and made for him one rule which was to not eat of the fruit of a certain tree. The man with his wife ate the fruit and was thrown out of the garden. From this time on men and women have been very unhappy. But God had a good idea. i will make another man and this man will be a god-like man and he will not be disobedient. We can imagine how the story goes

and how everyone lives happy ever after. To many people it is just a good story, which makes the story of Jesus make more sense. The problem is that if the former story is just a good story, then the

latter scene lacks credibility as well. if concept and myth was sufficient, why couldn’t the Lord just allow the sacrifices of the Old Testament to do the job? To follow this theological statement to its logical conclusion we must understand all aspects of it to be factual, historical. This means a historical Jesus, was needed to pay the penalty incurred by a historical Adam.So God has presented for us more than concept. He has presented for us the historical origin of sin.

OF ThE FALL OF MAN, OF SIN, AND OF ThE PUNIShMENT ThEROF

by DaviD smith

Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 6

Fe a t u r e s

All men are now in a position of death in regard to God. We are unable to raise ourselves from the coffin to bring life back into our broken bodies.


ExTENT OF SIN6.2 By this sin, they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body.Understanding the nature of sin in the being of individuals affects our view of salvation. Many people believe we are merely inclined toward sin. This thinking allows for the ability within the mind of man for him to elect to change this inclination to favour God. But the watered down view has a few implications which might alter our theological outlook.• We are not really dead yet when it comes to

sin. We are able to reach out to God.• We have enough goodness within us to

change our mind about God.• Some also conclude the body is sinful, while

the soul is pure.if the Bible allowed movement on any of these areas they might have a case. But the Bible has never allowed any ground on this matter, Rom. 3:10,23.The confession teaches us that we (all mankind) are wholly defiled, in both body and soul. This leads us to the teaching of total depravity. Every part of our flesh and spirit is affected by this virus of sin. it is like arsenic being put into pure water and being asked to separate the arsenic from the water to make it drinkable. All men are now in a position of death in regard to God. We are unable to raise ourselves from the coffin to bring life back into our broken bodies. Likewise we are incapable of making any decisions or thoughts which are credited to us as pleasing to God. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” This is because every ‘good’ act we commit is cancelled by sin.

TRANSMISSION OF SIN6.3 They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation.One of the questions often asked in evangelism is, “What happens to a child who dies before they have had opportunity to sin?” Again this question is derived from the same pot of

ignorance in relation to the origin of sin. But it is more to do with the manner in which sin is transmitted. Some have attempted to describe the sinfulness of a child in terms of thoughts they may have in the womb. This does again suggest a lack of understanding of the nature of sin.it might be a much easier concept to understand if we lived in a more tribal society. Within tribalism there is less of the individualism we are used to and more of the corporate decision making of the chief or elders. A child born into a remote jungle tribe in Venezuela is automatically considered an enemy of any hostile opposing tribe, even though the child is still indifferent to the politics of the situation. When a warring tribe attacks the enemy, it ruthlessly kills anyone, regardless of age or gender. We have been born into a tribe which is considered, (and counts itself) as an enemy of God. “Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) This is an imputed sin, which becomes the lot of all people born under the chief of the tribe, Adam. To escape this relationship with sin, we need to be removed from Adam’s tribe, and placed into Jesus’ tribe. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (2Cor. 5:22)

INCLINATION OF SIN6.4 From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.Again we are brought back to the polluted water syndrome. How is it possible for us to trust our very motives when our being is so utterly corrupt? Like David in Psalm 51 “My sin is ever before me…” we will be at odds to divide the truth from a lie. Even my own righteousness is like filthy rags. I think I am doing right, only to find pride has possessed me. I want to help people, then discover i just want to feel good in my own being. My motives are suspect, my worship is tainted, my choices corrupt. No wonder Paul ends up saying “Wretched man that i am.” To this end we are not only dependent on the righteousness of Christ for salvation, but to cover, also, our ‘good works.’ “i have been


crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which i now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

EvER PRESENT SIN6.5 This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.Many Christians are of a mind that they no longer sin. But the matter of sin is still present in the life of the forgiven. We must never confuse the meaning of having sin covered, with being sinless. in the presence of God the believer has been declared to be without sin. This does not mean that sin past, present or future has been removed. it does, however, mean that it is not counted against the believing sinner. it so often perplexes the Christian as to how it is that sin is ever present. Even 1John 2:1 commands the believer not to sin, but then continues with a statement of expectation that sin will be a continual battle. While the command not to sin and the expectation that sin will still occur, it concludes with the statement, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”if sin were not an ongoing issue to the Christian, then the apostles would not spent so many pages in an effort to get us to deal with it.

ThE GUILT OF SIN6.6 Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, does, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.it is not enough to say it was all Adam’s fault. Given the opportunity every person born to Adam confirms the decision made by our first parents. As has already been noted above, sin is a condition into which we are born. We were already at enmity with God, and have added to our guilt (if that were possible) by continuing to demonstrate such enmity. But we can never say that since we have begun in sin we may as well go all the way and continue in it wilfully. Since we are freed from the condemnation and power of sin, we are able to

desire what God desires. The power that sin has over fallen man leads to death, condemnation and eternal misery. Since this is not the lot of the believer, now being freed from condemnation he is able to pursue the activities associated with righteousness. Having died with Christ, we are raised together with Him to newness of life. JESUS MY SAvIOUR, MY RIGhTEOUSNESSSome people by now might be thrusting their hands in the air in resignation, saying “it’s all too hard.” To this we must respond, “Exactly.” But while the effects of sin are so extensive, we must realise the extent of God’s grace. When Jesus talks about the ‘self-dependant’ rich man finding it impossible to enter the kingdom, that goes for all of us. Scripture leaves us with absolutely nothing of ourselves by which we might find a credit to gain God’s favour. This goes for both before we become Christians and also after. This means there is no room for boasting before or after. There is no room for any thought of action which demonstrates self-righteousness. The believer is totally dependent on the righteousness of Jesus. He is dependent for salvation, and every act in life. This means that even if i do what i think to be a good deed, it is only good in the eyes of God through the cleansing blood of Jesus. This will then pull us up in a sea of humility when we question another’s worth. As a new Christian i was led to gratefulness for the cross which redeemed me. As i grew i was caused to stand in awe at the mercy shown to me a sinner. But as i have grown in the word and doctrine of God, i am overwhelmed with adoring joy and satisfaction knowing despite the extent of my sin/sinfulness. He has fully redeemed me in love and raise me to be His child. “Nothing in my hand i bring, simply to the cross i cling.” (Augustus Toplady) U

david smith is the Pastor at Grace Christian Church


TriNiTy TheOlOgiCAl COllege WeSTerN AuSTrAliA Address: Trinity House 632-643 Newcastle

Street, LeederviLLe, WA Telephone: (08) 9228 9067email: info@trinity. org.au

AuSTrAliAN iNdigeNOuS MiNiSTrieS AliCe SPriNgSPostal: PO Box 31, Alice Springs, NT 0871 Telephone: (08) 8955 5271 Contact: rev. Phil & Cathy Stuart Church Service (winter):Meets: 20 Parke Cres, Alice Springs Time: 10.30am email: [email protected] Stuart’s web: www.stuarts.id.au

eNglANdrevd david and Barbara Cross email: [email protected]

PrOvideNCe reFOrMed PreSbyTeriAN ChurChPastor Christopher Seah Mob: +65 9139 4654 Meets: 350 Alexandra road, Level 3 (Next to Princess House)

SiNgAPOre 159946. Time: 9.30amBible Study/Sunday School: 11.30amPostal: c/o Apt Block 1d, Pine grove, #08-

15, Singapore 593001 email: [email protected] Website: http:www.providencerpc.org

grACe PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh bellMere, Qld 4510 Contact: revd Bill Ham (07) 5428 1797 email: [email protected]

grACe TheOlOgiCAl COllege c/- 36 Balaclava Street WYNdHAM

SOuTHLANd NeW ZeALANd Contact: revd Andrew Young

evANgeliCAl PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh PO Box 31-210, CHriSTCHurCH,

NeW ZeALANd Contact: Trevor Webb email: [email protected]

ChurChFreO“the gathering” 5:15 pm Sunday 408 South

Terrace SOuTH FreMANTLe, WA Contact: Chuck Linkstonemail: [email protected]

eASTgATe bible ChurChMeets: 52 Herries Street - TOOWOOMBA,

QLd. Time: 10am Contact: dave Kiewiet (07) 4636 5438 Web: www.eastgatebiblechurch.net

FebruarY 2012

Please note: While every care is taken to ensure the information on these pages are accurate, it is the responsibility of each church or organisation to inform the editor of any changes.

OTher CONTACTS:CONTiNued FrOM PAge 35

A minister waited in line at the service station to have his car filled with petrol just before the Easter break. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him.

Finally the attendant beckoned the minister’s car to a vacant pump.

“Reverend,” said the man, “I’m sorry about the delay. It seems that everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.”

“I know what you mean,” the minister chuckled, “It’s the same in my business.”

~ Author unknown


iNTRODUCTiON

“Family values” is one of the favourite buzz-words in the world today. Politicians are keen to tell us that they are all for families. There is even a political party called ‘Family First’.

Family is important to most of us, whatever our families look like; whether they are the traditional nuclear family, or the life of a single person with brothers and sisters and parents, or the life of a person who is divorced or widowed.

Before we dig further into God’s word for this topic, let’s remember what this sermon series is about. We are looking at the topic of idolatry. An idol is something that you love, and serve, and worship more than you love, and serve, and worship God. All Christians would be keen to say that we serve God and put him first in our lives. And perhaps we genuinely believe that. But i think that for all of us, it is not always true on a functional level. We say that we find our fulfilment in Jesus, but in reality without our work we feel worthless, as if we cannot be useful. We say that we love God alone, yet we seldom speak of him to others and our thoughts never seem to head in that direction. Today we are narrowing our vision – we are moving from thinking of idolatry as a concept and drilling

down into looking at one example - the idol of family.So how are we going to explore what the Bible says about using family as our idol? Firstly, we will have a look at what the Bible says about families – what they are meant to do, and what they are intended for from God’s perspective. Then we will look at how we so often turn what is a good gift from God into the thing we live for instead of God. And then we will look at some practical ways of knowing if this is a problem for you, and what you can do about it.PHYSiCAL FAMiLiES ARE A WONDERFUL GiFT FROM GODWe need to start by trying to define what it is that we are talking about. What is a family? Commonly, people think that a family is a husband and wife with some kids. But the word ‘family’ is wider than this. in fact, the word ‘family’ is almost never used in the Bible to speak about a husband and wife and some kids - normally the concept of family is wider than this. it often includes cousins, uncles, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings and the like. ‘Family’ is a broad concept that really just means the people you are related to by blood or by marriage.if you are single hearing this, whether never married, divorced or widowed, please don’t switch off! This is not a sermon only for those who are married right now. We can have family as what we love most even if it means our kids, or our parents, or our extended family. Or we can even love the idea of family more than anything else, even if we currently have little family of our own. The purpose of families is to reflect God’s

ThE IDOL OF FAMILYLuke 14:25-35, Luke 8:19-21

simon van bruChem

Fe a t u r e s

This is the modified transcript of a sermon preached at All Nations Presbyterian Church on 21 August 2011 by Simon van Bruchem. It follows on from the last article published in the last Messenger on idolatry in general.


character - to show each other and the world what God is like. You can see this in Ephesians 5 - the marriage relationship is intended to be a reflection of Christ’s love for the church. The love of a good father should help us to understand God’s love as a Father to us. Mothers should care for us like God does (is 66:13). Children should obey their parents as Christians obey God. A well-functioning biblical family will show its members and outsiders what it means for God to love his people.You might say, ‘That’s all wonderful in an ideal world. But i don’t know any families quite like that, and mine clearly isn’t!’ That’s true – because there is sin in the world family life is affected. Genesis 3 tells us that there will be conflict between men and women, and this is evident most clearly in families. it will be hard to give birth to and to raise children. instead of the ideal of families lasting until death, many families do not. They break apart and do not illustrate God’s unending love for his people in that way. But just because family life is hard because of sin, that doesn’t mean family cannot be productive as God intended. Those who love Jesus should be aiming for the ideal the Bible calls us to, and not settling for the disaster the fall has left us with.So should we love our families, whether they are our immediate families or our extended ones? Most definitely! It is good and right to love family more than ourselves, to put effort in to provide for our families, and to be protective of them.Those who are fathers and mothers among us should be proud of their position, and take it seriously. it is right to enjoy your children. it is right in God’s eyes to teach and raise your children well. Those who have parents should respect them and care for them. God says so very clearly, and there is no problem with this. The gift of family is a great gift from God to us.So if family is such a good thing, and everyone agrees with this, why say that it can be an idol? Well, because Jesus says it.WE SO OFTEN MAKE THE GiFT OF FAMiLY iNTO AN iDOLWhen you think of ‘family’, you will have a certain idea in your head of what that is like. Your picture might be a positive one or a negative one based on your past experience. We

have seen that family is ultimately a good thing for us – it is all through the Bible, not simply in one or two verses. So how can a good thing be an idol, something that we love more than God? it is the good things that are the greatest danger for us! Please open your Bibles with me to Luke 14, and to verse 25.Before we look at what Jesus says, have a look at v25. “Now great crowds accompanied him”. Jesus was cool! He was the best show in town! People wandered all through the land to hear him speak – before internet and TV, he was what everyone talked about. You would think this would make Jesus happy – it is great that people make the effort to come to hear him speak. But he makes what his media advisor would say is a bad move – he seems to try and convince people not to follow him! Did you notice that? it is in v26.V26 “if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”Did you hear that verse correctly? Don’t tone it down, feel the impact of it. The Good News Bible and Contemporary English Bible translate it as “if you do not love me more than your father and mother…” That might get the main idea across, but it misses the roughness of Jesus here. Yes, Jesus used the word ‘hate’! And there is really no other way to translate that word. it is quite a common word in the New Testament. it is used to describe your natural attitude to your enemy (Matt 5:43), to how the world treats the disciples (John 7:7), and what God thinks of sin (Heb 1:9). Jesus says that compared to how much you love him, you must hate your family. Of course that doesn’t mean you should not care for your family – Jesus is putting it starkly so you get the point. Matthew 10:37 has this idea put more positively: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”Do you see what Jesus is warning the crowds, and us, against? Jesus thinks family is a potential idol. Your family is something that you can love more than him. You can quite easily love your husband, or wife, or kids, or parents, more


than you love Jesus. And this is a great wrong if you do this! it means you are not worthy of Jesus, and that you cannot be his disciple! And Jesus doesn’t say: you just need to love me a little more than your family members; he says in comparison to how much you love Jesus, you should hate your family!How is it that we make family into an idol? Maybe it is easier if i paint you a picture instead - let’s think of a typical Christian couple in Perth; let’s call them Barry and Diane. Barry and Diane are members of a church, and have been for a long time. They have two small children.

Since they had children they seem so busy, and so much of their lives seems to be driving the children around and working to pay for the house and children’s activities. They think long and hard about where to educate their children. They have long discussions over renovating the house, about buying a new car. They don’t have much time to do anything except within their own family – they rarely catch up with old friends, and they are unable to come to any church events except on Sunday morning. if we were to assess how Barry and Diane were loving and serving God, how would we do this? Yes, they truly believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is their Lord and Saviour. They do think church is important – they almost never miss a Sunday. But based on the evidence before you, would you say that they love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength? it would be hard to conclude this. They certainly love their family with their heart, soul, mind and strength. They in practice are worshipping the family – this is what dominates their thinking, it is what they work for, it is what they sacrifice other things for. And it probably never even occurs to them that they are worshipping something other than God. According to the passages we just read, Barry and Diane cannot be called disciples of Jesus, and are not worthy of Jesus. This is because they do not love God as much as they love their family.As you hear this, you might think: ‘My family

doesn’t look like Barry and Diane at all. i’m single - it has nothing to do with me, i am not obsessed with my kids.’ But i could just have easily told the story about a single person who lived for the dream of meeting the perfect husband or wife. The idea of being married can become an idol, and romantic comedies feed our thoughts that this is the perfect state of life. But as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Marriage is a blessing, but it is difficult, and it will not solve your problems and bring you ultimate fulfilment.And if you are divorced or widowed, the story

could just as easily be applied to you. You can still live for your parents, your children, or even the idea of the one who was close to you that you have lost. it can dominate your life so that you have no room for enjoying God and worshipping Him.

How might you know if your family is a problem for your service of God? There are two ways you can check. Firstly, think about how God fits into your everyday life. And i want you to eliminate Sunday from this thinking. Sunday morning church is only a couple of hours a week – how do you follow Jesus with your family the rest of the time? • Do you talk about God among your family

members? • Do you pray together? • Are you involved in some kind of Christian

service together? • Do you ever go without things you would like

for your family because that money is needed by the church or missions?

• If God is not a significant part of your family time in some way, are you really following God?

There is a second way you can check if family could be an idol for you. Think about how your spiritual family, the church, fits into your family life. Are you, as a family, involved in the church? That doesn’t just mean on Sundays either. Do you pray for others in church? Do you meet with them, and encourage them, and email them, and use Facebook to support them? identifying an idol is only part of the process though. if we stop with identifying the rival

The biblical answer cannot be to choose church or God over our families.


gods, we might feel a little guilty for a while, but then we go back to living like we always have. Let’s get practical.HOW TO BREAK THE iDOL OF FAMiLY TO FOLLOW JESUSi hope that for some of us you might be feeling a little convicted right now. Maybe your family is the centre of your life instead of God. The answer to this problem is not to leave your family, or to love them less! Remember how many texts from the Bible we saw at the start of this sermon about how wonderful the gift of family is? Dealing with idolatry doesn’t mean not loving anything except God; it means loving the good gifts of God in proportion to how much you love God.As we think about how to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, it is helpful to return to Luke 14. We only looked at two verses before - v25 and 26. But Jesus didn’t finish talking at v26 -he continued explaining what it means to be his disciple. in Luke 14:27 he said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Following Jesus requires some sacrifice. It costs something to be a disciple of Jesus; Christians should be aware of the cost. So we need to ask ourselves the obvious question - what kind of cost is there to our families because we follow Jesus? How should Christian families look different to other families? There are many ways to answer that, and it depends on your family as to which ones might apply to you.The obvious one when you think of cost is money. You sacrifice for what is important to you. Most families pay a cost towards their children’s education, and sometimes this is a hefty cost. Most families pay a cost towards a house and car they think is suitable for their family, and sometimes this is a hefty cost. is there a significant cost to your family budget because you are a Christian? Does your giving hurt you at all, mean you cannot do other things?But there is far more to this than money. Are you willing to use some precious family time to serve others and to serve the church? We have tried a few times to find a way families with kids can meet together to read the Bible and pray, but there is always little interest. There is plenty of time for swimming lessons, Saturday classes, and music, but little time for Bible study. How

passionate are we really in following Jesus with our families?The biblical answer cannot be to choose church or God over our families. We know this because family is a good thing given by God. The Biblical answer needs to be that we use our family structures to serve God, like God always intended. We need to use our families to serve God, rather than see God as some threat to our family time. Remember that this is God’s plan for families - to reflect his character and to help everyone in the family to serve Him better.So how can we do this? Let’s finish with some practical examples. Make sure that your whole family are learning about God together. Read the Bible to your kids. Pray with your husband or wife or with your parents if you live at home. Go to church and talk about what you learnt, apply it and help one another to think it through. if it is possible, try to meet regularly with other people from church to study the Bible and pray as a family. Make the most of structures at church to help your family grow in their faith - teach Sunday school, come to Bible Café, come to camp together. Make God the core of your life that your family revolves around. And think about what you might do together as a family to serve and worship God. Maybe this will mean sponsoring a missionary or sponsor child, and writing to them and praying for them. Maybe it will mean showing hospitality to others and having the family involved. Maybe it will mean going together to visit someone in hospital. You want everyone in your family to see clearly that being a disciple of Jesus is important to you, and important to your family.See, Jesus died for the sins of those who trust in Him, so they could be forgiven and have eternal life. Nothing else is more important than this. Make sure that if you believe this, your life speaks very clearly that God is the one you love with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Use your family to serve God - he is worth it. U

simon van bruchem is the Pastor at All Nations Presbyterian Church


Dear friends,Greetings in the Lord. We hope all is well with you and that you are rejoicing in the Lord and thankful for His love. We too are grateful for His mercy and goodness to us.These days a tune has been going through my head; “Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays.” i’ve been thinking about that word, “home”. When we are growing up it of course means where we and our parents or those who are raising us (as in the case of the Children’s Home) live.

When we marry we have two homes for a while as we establish our own home and still have ourchildhoodhome. But then our parents might move and their new place doesn’t feel so much like home. And eventually even that home is gone. Your children move out and then your place doesn’t feel so much like the home it was.When we went to the mission field I remember thinking that for our children, with our moving often and traveling (on the field and in the States) and David traveling even more, i would have to be the stable factor. Wherever i was would be their “home”.After so many years in india it came to be that when we were in india we would call the U.S. “home”,but when we were in the U.S. we would call going back to india “going home”. And now we are setting up a home in the U.S. before we go home to india.Home is a word that is defined in many ways. I remember an indian acquaintance explaining that he had a home in Dehra Dun and also in Delhi. i

hadn’t thought his family was that wealthy. But then i came to realize that his home in Delhi was where his brother lives. Often they will freely invite you to go and stay in their brother’s or some other relative’s home, for that is their home too.On November 7 my mother, Helen Rowan, at the age of 94, went to her true home in Heaven. There I imagine there is no difficulty about defining the word “home”. Mother’s funeral at the Quarryville Retirement Center was a time for our family to rejoice for her and thank the Lord for giving us a

good, precious mother. David’s mother, living at the Quarryville Retirement Center, turned 99 in November. Her health is as good as can be expected, but her memory is weak.Right now we are in the Pennsylvania/Maryland/Delaware area, visiting our supporting

churches and friends as well as David’s mother. Our travels that i told about in the last update went well. After 5 weeks in the States we are feeling more “at home” wherever we go, especially with you, our friends and supporters, who have been reading our updates and praying. How we praise God for you.You may have heard a rumor that we have retired. NO, that is NOT TRUE. We are still very much working with MTW. We have not even set a date for retirement yet. i am sorry that my last update may have seemed confusing. We are working on establishing our own home base in Hendersonville, NC., and we did clear a lot of accumulated stuff out of our home in india before we left so the house could be used for an office & for guests, but we expect to use it again also.So please carry on as usual with your support and prayers. - for us and for Grace Academy and the Children’s Home. As we travel we are representing both institutions as well as the c.p. and Seminary work in North india.

NOT RETIRED(but where is “home”?)

by DaviD anD eleanor Fiol

Fe a t u r e s

After so many years in India it came to be that when we were in India we would call the U.S. “home”,but when we were in the U.S. we would call going back to India “going home”.


Please remember in your year-end giving that (1) Grace Academy is still in need of funds for what we hope will be its last building (MTW acct. #92695) and for sponsorship of indian missionary children (contact David), and (2) the Bhogpur Home needs extra gifts in order to give the children a special Christmas celebration as well as for general expenses (MTW acct. #82690).

PRAiSE THE LORD:1. For safe travels for us, both around the world and in the U.S. The MTW conference in Malaysia was a wonderful blessing and our time with Alan, Chinglien, Tevah and Rinah in Taiwan delightful.2. For good health. Our annual physicals showed all is well and we thank the Lord.

PLEASE PRAY:1. For the Grace Academy family as the children

travel to their homes for the Christmas break. Some of them go as far as Nepal and North East india.

2. For the Bhogpur home, that their Christmas celebration will be a time of physical and spiritual blessing for all.

3. For a group of 8 ladies, 6 of whom are Grace Academy teachers, who have started Book Two of the Taftee course with one of them leading. i had led them through Book One. They have taken a break for Christmas. Pray that when they resume their studies in January they will all be able to move ahead together with renewed dedication.

4. For all of the Grace Academy and Home Academy (the Children’s Home school) teachers, that they

will have a desire to study the Word and apply it to their lives and the hearts of the students.

5. For us as we continue to travel to visit you, our highly-valued prayer and financial partners, and as we set up our home in North Carolina between trips.

6. For the scheduling of our next return to india – perhaps in late spring and summer for board meetings of the institutions and other work.

May you find great joy at this season as you remember Christ, who left His Home to come to earth and make it possible for us, who trust Him and love Him, to call His Home in Heaven our true eternal Home.

in Christ,

Eleanorfor David and Eleanor Fiol

So please carry on as usual with your support and prayers.—for us and for Grace Academy and the Children’s Home. As we travel we are representing both institutions as well as the c.p. and Seminary work in North India. Please remember in your year-end giving that (1) Grace Academy is still in need of funds for what we hope will be its last building (MTW acct. #92695) and for sponsorship of Indian missionary children (contact David), and (2) the Bhogpur Home needs extra gifts in order to give the children a special Christmas celebration as well as for general expenses (MTW acct. #82690). PRAISE THE LORD:

1. For safe travels for us, both around the world and in the U.S. The MTW conference in Malaysia was a wonderful blessing and our time with Alan, Chinglien, Tevah and Rinah in Taiwan delightful.

2. For good health. Our annual physicals showed all is well and we thank the Lord.

PLEASE PRAY:

1. For the Grace Academy family as the children travel to their homes for the Christmas break. Some of them go as far as Nepal and North East India.

2. For the Bhogpur home, that their Christmas celebration will be a time of physical and spiritual blessing for all.

3. For a group of 8 ladies, 6 of whom are Grace Academy teachers, who have started Book Two of the Taftee course with one of them leading. I had led them through Book One. They have taken a break for Christmas. Pray that when they resume their studies in January they will all be able to move ahead together with renewed dedication.

4. For all of the Grace Academy and Home Academy (the Children’s Home school) teachers, that they will have a desire to study the Word and apply it to their lives and the hearts of the students.

5. For us as we continue to travel to visit you, our highly-valued prayer and financial partners, and as we set up our home in North Carolina between trips.

6. For the scheduling of our next return to India – perhaps in late spring and summer for board meetings of the institutions and other work.

May you find great joy at this season as you remember Christ, who left His Home to come to earth and make it possible for us, who trust Him and love Him, to call His Home in Heaven our true eternal Home.

In Christ,

for David and Eleanor Fiol

We’ll meet you anywhere and set up an office while we wait

We’ll meet you anywhere and set up an office while we wait

The message of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, is the story of the Bible - it is the story of salvation. the story of Jesus Christ is traced from the beginning of the Old Testament, for He is the true theme of the Old as well as the New Testament.He appears in genesis as the Seed of the woman.in Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb.In Leviticus, He is the atoning sacrifice.in Numbers, He is the Smitten Rock.in Deuteronomy, He is the Prophet.in Joshua, He is the Captain of the Lord’s Host.in Judges, He is the Deliverer.in Ruth, He is the Heavenly Kinsman.in the books of Kings, He is the promised King.in Nehemiah, He is the Restorer of the Nation.in Esther, He is the Advocate.

in Job, He is my Redeemer.in Psalms, He is my All in All.in Proverbs, He is my pattern.in Ecclesiastes, He is my Goal.In the Song of Solomon, He is my Satisfier.in the Prophets, He is the Coming Prince of Peace.in the Gospels, He is Christ, coming to seek and to save.in Acts, He is Christ Risen.in the Epistles, He is Christ at the Father’s Right Hand.in Revelation, He is Christ returning and reigning.

This is the eternal message of the gospel: it is the story of life, peace, eternity and heaven. it has a single, clear and bold message for every living being - the message of Christ and His offer of peace to us with God. U

The Story of the Bible


ThREE CROSSES ChURCh, MURDOCh WAThree Crosses Gets Organized

Three Crosses have appointed Mandy Dodd as an administrator to work half a day a week. Mandy has been part of Three Crosses since it began four years ago. She started in her new role in mid-January.

Mandy describes her job as “doing the admin. that will enable everyone in the church to contribute more effectively”.

i am excited about the potential for this to facilitate further growth. Although it is only a few hours a week, being better organized will help more people to be more involved in evangelism and discipleship.

Three Crosses held its first church gatherings in Murdoch WA, on the first Sunday of 2008. On that Sunday, the morning and evening church services were attended by 20 people each. in the last four years both churches have seen a number of people come and go, people converted, and a modest growth overall. The church seeks to reach the local community which includes a university. Our prayer is that getting better organized will help us to be more effective in the gospel, and that under God; the church will grow more rapidly.

~ Matt Waldron

GRACE ChURCh, BUDERIM, QUEENSLANDGrace Church Buderim recently hosted a week-long visit by our founding pastor, Dr Sam Larsen. Sam, who’s spent the past several years lecturing in missions at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi, was visiting Australia to celebrate the silver anniversary of the founding of Westminster Theological College.

The College, now called Sunshine Coast Theological College, which has Australian College of Theology accreditation and is now

based at Grace Church, began in Brisbane and Sam was its first principal. He was guest speaker at a special celebration and SCTC convocation service at Grace Church on February 10.

While on the Sunshine Coast, Sam preached at Grace Church on missions, and spent time catching up with some old friends and many new ones.

Sam, his wife Louise and their children Eric, Kristen and Hans left the Sunshine Coast to return to America in late 1988. The three children have since married and Sam and Louise now have 11 grand-children. On this latest trip to Australia, Sam was accompanied by his youngest, Hans, who is a major in the United States Air Force.

Nathan Runham, and his wife Georgiana and son Calvin, are settling in to Grace Church, after transferring from WPC Bull Creek, and have a home within walking distance of the church building. While continuing his theological studies through Queensland Theological College, Nathan is assisting the church in a preaching series on Galatians (morning church) and on Matthew (night church). As well, Nathan is helping out with “Unleashed”, the senior youth group, leading them in a series of studies from the Gospel of Mark

Clint and Melissa Lombard, from Cape Town, South Africa, joined the church in late February. Clint has formerly ministered in the Church of England in South Africa, and is expected to have a big role in the church and especially among the many South Africans who have made Grace Church their home.

~ Bob Burnett

ThE MESSENGER COMMITTEERequest from South AfricaRecently we had a request from a pastor in Pretoria, South Africa for back copies of The Messenger. The pastor wants to use articles in The Messenger as reading material for Christians in their churches. Sandra Wilson has kindly put together several back issues and sent them off. We pray they will be used for the glory of God. U

C h u r c h N e w s


Last week my Grandma Sopher died and two days ago we held her funeral. She was a beautiful woman of faith. I guess significant events in our lives, such as a death, cause us to pause, to think and to reflect. Here are some of my adhoc reflections from that sad and glad day that we said good-bye.1. The influence of a life of Christ-like love.My grandma loved God and she loved others. She lived the Sunday school lesson of ‘Jesus, Others, Yourself.’ And people couldn’t help but respond in love to that outpouring of herself. She had nine children and numerous grand and great-grandchildren - many of whom don’t own Christ as their Lord. But oh how every one of us loved her! And all who knew her were given a picture of the beauty and love of Jesus.2. Only God can save.it was a Baptist service and all three of the children who gave tributes also gave a plea to accept Christ as Saviour. The last refrain of the final hymn was modified to ‘Is it well with your soul?’ The minster also joined in to hammer the evangelistic message. i am not hopeful that it will soften hard hearts. it seemed so clear to me that our words and our passion in themselves have no power. We must look to the overcoming power of our almighty God to change hearts and minds. And i guess this should drive us to prayer.3. The reality of our future hope.Grandma died at ninety-five and a number of strokes made the last few years a struggle. Her passing was a blessing – an end to suffering and a joyful meeting with the Saviour she loved. There is some sadness, but mostly there is just gladness for her sake. As i talked to various relatives at the funeral the contrast between believer’s hope and unbeliever’s melancholy was striking. On the Monday before her death we were told that she was unlikely to make it through the night. i

lay in bed that evening with the spine-tingling knowledge that at any moment Grandma would pass from this world and be in the direct presence of God. Hallelujah!4. People sit alone, even at a wake.There were two men who each sat by themselves at the luncheon. They nibbled and stared ahead, looking uncomfortable. it lasted a long time i think. Of course this happens all the time and i’m not sure why i was so disconcerted to see it happen here. But i was and it saddened me and made me long for that day when loneliness will be no more in the kingdom of God.5. Some epitaphs are meaningful.i had always thought my Grandpa’s tombstone read ‘Rejoicing with the Lord.’ it doesn’t. it says ‘Still rejoicing!’ You see my Grandpa was sick and in and out of hospital for about ten years before he died. Whenever he was asked how he was getting along he would reply ‘Still rejoicing.’ i love the way those words are transformed in the light of eternity. My Grandpa is right now rejoicing with God. When his tombstone has cracked and crumbled in a few hundred years’ time he will be rejoicing still. What a glorious truth. My Grandma doesn’t yet have an epitaph. Most likely it will be one of her favourite sayings ‘Our God is able, and he enables.’ She found that to be wonderfully true in her own life. God grant that i may live in such a way that the testimony of my funeral and gravestone will be like that of my beautiful Grandma. U

REFLECTIONS ON A FUNERALby sean buttsWorth

R e f l e c t i o n s

sean buttsworth is a member Belconnen WPC


James Ronald Wilson (Ron) was born 9th May 1922 in Swinton, Scotland to James & Emily Wilson. He was fifth child amongst 11 born, with 9 surviving childhood. They migrated to WA, landing in Albany in 1926 and went to live in Katanning.

They enjoyed childhood in Katanning, even through the depression. Dad’s job after school was to find out from “mother” what she needed from the shops, then go to “father” at his work as a mechanic and get the money needed to buy what mother wanted and get it home. There was the cow to milk, wood to chop, and the huge vege patch to tend. But there was also lots of wonderful time playing with family and friends. Dad described it as “a lot of freedom”. He also loved drawing and won a prize at Katanning Show for a drawing of a rose. Keep that in mind when we review the rest of his varied, active life. The family was active in the Katanning Presbyterian Church. He moved to Duranillin and worked the family farm on his own when he was 14. He played footy as a ruckman and rode his bike to games. A couple of games in a row he fell badly on his back and the second time he had to walk home pushing his bike along sandy roads because his back was so sore. He got home around midnight! He loved watching the footy with us – barracking for East Perth and since 1987, the West Coast Eagles! Dad later farmed “Kirrimuir” with his brother Duncan for a while and then they felled trees together. The war came and he tried to enlist with his older brother Ray but was told to go home and grow up a bit more!

He managed to enlist when he turned 19, in 1941, and was at Northam, Geraldton, Melbourne, and then Cairns to sail to Milne Bay on 8th Feb 1943. His small, slow boat went through a cyclone and he had to stay below decks! His comment was “the only thing you could say about that was ‘i survived!’” Following this, Dad took a landing barge to Goodenough island then Kiriwina island, and Los Negros island. Leave was granted and he returned home via a freezing Melbourne town, to Mount Lawley. Dad was trained in fighter control and observation. He returned to the islands via train to Adelaide and then Darwin. From there the team went into the final, ugly, allied campaign in the islands at Balikpapin in Borneo. At times, Dad and his mates had to live like Bear Grylls. Surviving in remote tropical locations was not a movie, but reality – especially when the food drop went awry and you had weeks before the next one! He grew to hate pineapple and raspberry jam due to the limited diet he had at one stage! He was mentioned in dispatches and was made a Sergeant in the RAAF in early 1945.Dad stayed on in Balikpapin at the end of the war to help repatriate allied POWs. He finally came home in April 1946. (After being in the tropics that was a shock to the system!) Dad returned to the family home which was by then at Mt Lawley. He completed an accounting course and was involved in the life of St Giles Presbyterian Church, being the secretary and running the badminton club. Soon after he worked for Elders and they sent him to Onslow as their accountant.

A hERITAGE OF FAIThby ray Wilson

R e f l e c t i o n s

Memories of Ron Wilson, (died 27th January 2012) by his children, at his memorial service at Kelmscott WPC, February 2012.


He met Mum there and amongst other activities they survived the hot nights by playing bridge into the evening. He had a BSA motorbike on which he courted Mum. They were married at St Giles church on 30th September 1950 and then they went on their honeymoon on that motorbike! They moved down to Busselton with work from Elders, then Safety Bay, Northam and Bencubbin where he took on the role of Shire Clerk. We children (Chester, Miranda, Alison, James and Ray) were born through those years.

A move to the farm at Kojonup followed that. He cleared most of the property from raw bush and set it up the way he wanted to which was very satisfying. Dad would cool us down with the fire hose on the hot summer days in Kojonup. Sons Jim and Ray remember him shooting a huge boomer roo. Dad’s eldest son, Chester, remembers him hitting a rabbit with the ten pound sledge hammer thrown underarm! We all remember doing fencing with Dad at various properties. Visits from the extended family were special times with Aunts, Uncles and cousins. We were there seven years but when Chester needed senior high school we moved somewhere that there was a senior high school and a church with a good youth group – so we ended up at Eleventh Road, south of Armadale on 40 acres with Dad working at Elders again. We moved to 10 acres out on Westfield Road only a few kilometres from where Kelmscott WPC building is now located. As we children spread our wings, Dad and Mum retired and moved to Warnbro – loving the beach and catching up with grandchildren. They were involved in Mandurah WPC in the early days. Eventually they moved back up to Perth to be close to grandchildren. Family was always important for Dad and Mum. Dad lived in their Huntingdale home the longest of any homes. Sadly, it was there that Mum came down

with pneumonia and died in 1997. Dad loved driving. He drove across Australia many times, from 1960 when it was all bulldust across the Nullarbor Plain. Mum often struggled with the long hours in the car getting to the destination for the day! No one else drove when Dad was in his car, until in his late 70s, Jim finally got to drive him down to visit his daughter, Alison, in Albany one time in his Corolla! Memories for us include the games of scrabble, bridge and canasta. They were titanic battles, as were the games of crib. There was a wonderful

willingness to play and enjoy each other’s company amidst the various battles of life. Dad rarely said very much; being a typical Aussie bloke of his era. He had to be prodded very hard to relate much of his life growing up and through the war.Through all of this, Dad’s love for family was paramount. The fact that all five of his children

are here with our children rejoicing in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is a testimony to his and Mum’s desire that we have a solid foundation in Christ. A feature of our family gatherings for meals, even down to today, is singing Dad’s version of grace together. it’s very special to do that! Through the war his faith in Jesus Christ was important to him. in his last 20 or so years, his faith was refreshed through the ministry of people such as Peter Adamson, Andrew Priddle and Julian Bull. So his love for his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, was also vital to his life. He contributed a lot to the building of this (Kelmscott WPC) building and the upkeep of the grounds for many years. He did the fencing with Mum. He mowed the lawns. Finally, his special chair which he needed in the last few years here at church is over here as a reminder of the special place he held as the “senior gentleman” in the life of Kelmscott church. Dad loved reading the Psalms and the Gospels. His Bible is here, too. He enjoyed simply reading of his Lord. He believed that you spread the gospel by “living the life” and if you have to, you use words. U

The fact that all five of his children are here with our children rejoicing in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is a testimony to his and Mum’s desire that we have a solid foundation in Christ.

ray Wilson is a pastor of Kelmscott WPC


Youth & Family PagesPrayer Changes Things - by Laura MurPhy

How many times have you been in the situation where you are the only Christian in the group of people you

are talking to, and the talking subject gets out of hand? Or have you ever told a little white lie just to fit in? Or maybe you have bought a piece of clothing that you later look back on and see it’s slightly inappropriate? i think everyone at some stage has come across one of these situations or something similar. No matter how good an example you wish to be, i think we all get distracted and miss the point. Obviously we are not going to be perfect and we’re not always going to get it right, but how can we improve? Well, i’m probably not the best person in the world to be getting advice from, but if i had to say something, it would probably be –pray. i think a lot of people underestimate the power of prayer and i’m not sure about anyone else but I take it for granted a lot. However, I find that when i pray, i feel a lot better about having a talk with God and just explaining my problems

and although they sometimes don’t get answered the way i want, just telling it to God helps. i’ve recently started praying before doing a lot of things. Just the other day i went out to the shops to buy a birthday present for a close friend of mine and being the disorganised person that i am,

left it to the day of the party and i was running out of time. I could spare only about forty-five minutes on looking for a present. But before i went, i prayed that my eyes would be opened and that i would make right decisions in what to buy. Sure enough i managed to go in the shops find exactly what I needed within only thirty

minutes. Now you might think that’s a minor problem, and really it is, but the way i see it God really loves it when we talk to Him, and even with the smallest problem he can help us out. i now try and pray before i go out with friends, especially friends who might not be Christian. i pray that i won’t get caught up and distracted and that i’ll show a good example, and i’ve found it always seems to work. i pray about a lot of things when i get the chance, and it might look a bit strange that every time i face the smallest problem i turn to God, but the way i think we should have a relationship with God, is clear with the first line of the Lord’s Prayer ‘Our Father who art in Heaven…’. Take a look at the second word – Father. We need to have a relationship with God like we have with our Fathers on earth- plain and simple. if you disobey your dad, don’t talk to him and totally ignore him, you’re going to hit consequences in the long run. it’s the same with God. We need to obey Him, talk to Him and give our full attention towards him, or else we will face consequences. We need to think of God like a father and tell him all our problems and being the caring God He is, He will listen and help in any way we need. So keep this in mind when the topic changes with the group of non-Christians you’re talking to, or just before you tell everyone that little-white-lie or before you buy that shirt-a quick five seconds with God is all you need, and believe me, He’ll listen. U

laura Murphy attends Kelmscott WPC WA


MoLLy’s Prayers - anonyMousOn Monday, Molly the minister’s daughter, was very naughty, so her mother told her she couldn’t go to the Sunday school picnic on Saturday.For the next few days she behaved so nicely that her mother changed her mind and said she could go to the picnic after all.Surprisingly, Molly’s reaction was one of gloom and unhappiness.“What’s the matter?” asked her mother. “i thought you would be glad to go to the picnic.”“it’s too late,” said Molly. “i’ve already prayed for rain!”Another time Molly was overheard praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better girl, don’t worry about it. i’m having a real good time as i am”.

insPiraTionaL ChrisTian QuoTes on raising Kids froM The bibLeProverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go;even when he is old he will not depart from it.Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom,but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.Genesis 18:19 For i have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Youth & Family PagesWESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISMWITH THE SCRIPTURE PROOF

Q. 36. What benefits in this life accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?A. The benefits in this life which accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification are: assurance of God’s love [a], peace of conscience [b], joy in the Holy Spirit [c], progress in holiness [d], and perseverance in it to this life’s end [e].[a]. Rom. 5:5[b]. Rom. 5:1[c]. Rom. 14:17[d]. ii Pet. 3:18[e]. Phil. 1:6; i Pet. 1:5

Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness [a], and immediately pass into glory [b]; and their bodies, being still united to Christ [c], rest in their graves until the resurrection [d].[a]. Heb. 12:23[b]. Luke 23:43; ii Cor. 5:6, 8;

Phil. 1:23[c]. i Thess. 4:14[d]. Dan. 12:2; John 5:28-29; Acts

24:15


Youth & Family Pages3 Teenage girLs in brooKTon by JessiCa, CheLsea and aMy who aTTend rehoboTh ChrisTian sChooL, PerTh.

On the 26th of November, we along with Samara Swartz and Mrs Nathan went on a mission trip to the little country

town of Brookton. While there we were able to talk to and develop relationships with the local people.

On Saturday night we led a Ladies’ Night at the Brookton Calvary Presbyterian Church. On Sunday we ran the Sunday school and were involved in the church service. Later we went to the Kalkanie nursing home, where we entertained the seniors with songs and a play. After this we went to a 15 metre high cross at Pingelly, a nearby town, where we joined with other Christians in a time of prayer for the local community.On Monday morning we were blessed to be able to visit the local public school and share the gospel with all the students.Throughout the weekend we felt the local Presbyterian Church was serving us rather than we serving them. They went out of their way to plan their weekend around us and provided us with all our meals, accommodation and organized opportunities for us to get to know them. We had a lot of fun just spending time with the local children, playing games and singing. The day at the school went very well as the children seemed to really enjoy us being there. They loved the origami boat craft and racing each other along the benches.

MY FAvOURITE PARTJessica.i enjoyed the entire trip. Although i was pushed out of my comfort zone in many situations, these times ended up being some of my favourite experiences. i particularly enjoyed the Kalkarnie nursing home. it was very different from anything i have experienced in my life and i was quite uncomfortable being there. At the end of the songs, stories and play, we talked with some of the residents. i met one old lady who told Chelsea and me about her life and how her husband had passed away not so long ago. i discovered that she had worked where i had grown up and when i told her she was overjoyed. She told us how she was having a boring day, previous to our visit and had nothing to write in her diary. When she heard what Chelsea and i had to say, she suddenly brightened and told us she could not wait to write about her day in

her diary. She even had tears in her eyes. it was such an amazing experience to have brightened her day with something that to me seemed so insignificant and it is something I will not forget for a long time.


insPiraTionaL ParenTing ChrisTian QuoTes for raising ChiLdren“The family should be a closely knit group. The home should be a self-contained shelter of security; a kind of school where life’s basic lessons are taught; and a kind of church where God is honored; a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures are enjoyed.”

~ Billy Graham

“A child needs both to be hugged and unhugged. The hug lets her know she is valuable. The unhug lets her know that she is viable. if you’re always shoving your child away, they will cling to you for love. if you’re always holding them closer, they will cling to you for fear.”

~ Polly Berrien Berends

“We do not develop habits of genuine love automatically. We learn by watching effective role models – most specifically by observing how our parents express love for each other day in and day out. ”

~ Josh McDowell

PLease send us sniPPeTs for our Mag ThaT you ThinK are reLevanT To our younger readers!

Youth & Family PagesChelsea.For me the mission trip was a great experience. i was expected to do things i was not comfortable doing. But i found afterward it really made me grow in confidence and in my ability to share God’s Word. i enjoyed the whole trip, but particularly the nursing home and the school visit. At the school, the younger kids were great fun and i enjoyed the things we did with them. i was particularly nervous about how the older high school students would react to what we were going to share with them. We were each given a group to talk to and i was surprised how open my group was to what we were telling them and were very easy to talk with. it taught me that God is in control of every situation and that i should not fear or create false expectations of things.

Amy.My favourite experience was simply spending time with the local kids and singing Justin Bieber with them. i really enjoyed the bus trip back from Pingelly where we prayed at the 15 metre cross. On the trip the local kids started to sing the songs we had taught them at Sunday school that morning. it was really awesome to see them belting it out on the back seats of the bus. This i found very encouraging. i hope they will remember those songs and sing them around the community where others might listen to the words which speak about the gift of eternal life and of God. U


AuSTrAliAN CAPiTAl TerriTOry belCONNeN WPC Meets: 61 Templeton Street, (cnr rowan St.) COOK, ACT 2614 Time: 9.30am and 6.30pm (every Sunday)Address: 61 Templeton Street, COOK, ACT 2614 Office Ph: (02) 6251 7727Fax: (02) 6251 7737 email: [email protected] Contact: revd geoff Findlay Telephone: (02) 6259 7707 (a/h)

NeW SOuTh WAleS S.e. AuSTrAliA PreSbyTery Moderator: revd geoff Findlay email: [email protected] Clerk: elder Perry Blackmore email: [email protected]

QueeNSlANd ChriSTiAN COMMuNiTy ChurCh PACiFiC PArAdiSeMeets: North Shore Community Hall, david

Low Way, PACiFiC PArAdiSe Time: 9.30am Postal: 119 glenview rd, gLeNvieW QLd

4553 Contact: revd dan Bosshard Mob: 0439 708 092 email: [email protected]

grACe ChriSTiAN ChurCh (buderiM WPC) Meets: Corner of Stringybark rd and Toral

dr, Sippy downs, SuNSHiNe COAST

Times: 7.45am, 9.30am and 6.00pm Chinese Church (Mandarin language) meets at 1pm. english Hour (free english classes) at 4pm.

Postal: PO Box 346, BuderiM, QLd 4556 Telephone: (07) 5445 8933 Contact: revd Bob Burnett (07) 5442 1783 email: [email protected] Web Site: www.gracechurchbuderim.com.au

MeTrOWeST COMMuNiTy ChurCh (MT OMMANey WPC) Meets: Mt Ommaney Special School, 94

Capitol drive, MT OMMANeYTimes: 9:30am & 5pm

Website: http://www.metrowest.cc Postal: 2/101 Harts rd, iNdOOrOOPiLLY,

QLd 4068 Contact: revd ian Spenceemail: [email protected]

grACe ChriSTiAN ChurCh (redbANk WPC) Meets: School road, redBANK PLAiNS Time: 9.30amNathan Campus Postal: P.O. Box 347, gOOdNA, QLd 4300 Contact: revd david Smith Telephone: (07) 3495 7051 email: [email protected]

PreSbyTery OF QueeNSlANdModerator: John Hamilton Clerk: ian Spence Postal: 2/101 Harts road,

iNdOOrOOPiLLY, QLd 4068 Telephone: (07) 3371 2512email: [email protected]

WeSTMiNSTer TheOlOgiCAl COllege QueeNSlANd Principal: revd Terry Clarke 10 Hollings Close, KurABY,

QueeNSLANd 4112 Postal: PO Box 346, BuderiM, QLd 4556 Telephone: (07) 5445 8501email: [email protected] Web: www.wtc.qld.edu.au

WeSTerN AuSTrAliA All NATiONS PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh Meets: The Beaufort Centre, 74-82 Beaufort

Street (2nd Floor), PerTH. Time: 10.00amEmail: [email protected] Web site: www.allnations.org.au Telephone: (08) 9228 4951 Fax (08) 9228 4956 Postal: PO Box 8693, Perth BC WA 6849 Contact: revd Simon van Bruchem email: [email protected]

brOOkTON (CAlvAry PreSbyTeriAN)Meets: richardson St., BrOOKTON Time: 10.30am. Postal: PO Box 99, BrOOKTON, WA 6306 Contact: revd Clem White (08) 9535 3301 email: [email protected] Or elder

Arthur Slater (08) 9642 1231

Westminster Presbyterian Church

C o n t a c t s


bull Creek WPCMeets: 32 Bull Creek drive, BuLL CreeK Times: 9.30am, 6.30pm. Postal: 32 Bull Creek drive, BuLL CreeK,

WA 6149 email: [email protected]: (08) 9332 6300 Fax: (08) 9332 1991 Contact: revd Steve Schoof (08) 9310 3357 email: [email protected] Contact: revd Mark vivian (08) 9455 3919email: [email protected] Contact: revd Craig Newill (08) 6161 0525 email: [email protected] Website: www.wpc.net

bull Creek WPC indonesian ServicesTime: 9.30am Meets: 190 Bateman road, BreNTWOOd Time: 4.00pm Meets: 32 Bull Creek drive, BuLL CreeK,

WA 6149 revd Paulus Surya (08) 9414 5872

CANNiNg vAle COMMuNiTy ChurCh (CANNiNg vAle WPC) Meets: Canning vale Community Centre,

Cnr Waratah Blvd. and eucalyptus Blvd., CANNiNg vALe

Time: 10.30am Postal: PO Box 5153, CANNiNg vALe

SOuTH, WA 6155 Telephone: (08) 9256 4776 Contact: revd Alex Nathan email: [email protected]

kelMSCOTT WPCMeets: Lot 60 Centre rd, (Cnr railway Ave)

KeLMSCOTT, WA 6111 Times: Prayer 9.15am. Service 10.00am Postal: PO Box 305 THOrNLie WA 6988 Telephone: (08) 9398 7200Contact: revd Anton Noppers (08) 9498 3306 email: [email protected]

kiNgSley PreSbyTeriAN ChurChMeets: 15 Moolanda Bvde, KiNgSLeY Time: 9.30am Postal: 15 Moolanda Bvde, KiNgSLeY, WA

6026Telephone: (08) 9309 4043 Session Clerk: elder Tony veale (08) 9448 6542 email: [email protected]

MAidA vAle WPCMeets: 4 Old Maida vale rd, MAidA vALe Times: 10.00am and 6.00pm Postal: 4 Old Maida vale rd, MAidA vALe,

WA 6057 Telephone: (08) 9454 7401 Fax: (08) 9454 4307 Contact: revd roger PalmerEmail: [email protected]

MANdurAh WPCMeets: The Nellie reagan Hall, Peel St,

MANdurAH Time: 10.00am Postal: PO Box 5875 Mandurah, WA 6210interim: See Kelmscott WPC for contact details of pastoral team.

MurdOCh Three CrOSSeS ChurChMorning: 10am Mandala Hall, Mandala

Crescent, Bateman at 10amevening: 6pm Murdoch university, MurdochPostal: 9 Johansen Promenade MurdOCH

WA 6150 Contact: revd Matthew Waldron Mob: 0438 021 286email: [email protected]: www.threecrosseschurch.com

PreSbyTery OF WeSTerN AuSTrAliAModerator: revd Simon van Bruchem email: [email protected] Telephone: (08) 9228 4951 Work: (08) 9457 0107 Home Clerk: elder Steve HeathcotePostal: 21 Carcoo Court BeCKeNHAM 6107 email: [email protected] Telephone: (08) 9479 1508

SyNOd OF WeSTMiNSTer PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh Moderator: Simon van Bruchem Clerk: Mark vivian email: [email protected] Treasurer: elder dirk Soet Telephone: (08) 9444 7506

Continued on page 19


SCTCPreachingLecturesChrist-Centered Preachingwith Dr. Bryan ChapellDr. Chapell, the president of Covenant Theological Seminary, is a world renowned preacher and conference speaker. He is the author of the highly acclaimed book Christ Centered Preaching.

30 March 2012Location:Grace Christian ChurchThe church is located at the corner of Stringbark Road and Toral Drive in Buderim

Cost:$35 - Early Registration$45 - After 16 March 2012

Registration Deadline: Monday, 26 March 2012

Contact:(07) 5445 [email protected]

The Messenger Autumn 2012

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Transcript of The Messenger Autumn 2012