MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
PRESBYTERIAN
thepulse
this month:
Churches, shops, anything: 03
Specialist development division
launched to help churches best
manage and develop their ageing
and disused sites
The GMP explained: 05
You’ve heard the acronym tossed about
at the yearly meeting, but what is it and
how does it affect you?
Celebrations: 06
Bruce Christian retires from Rose Bay;
West Wyalong celebrates anniversary
Caring for the carers: 11
New ministerial support package
launched
Job training in the field: 12
Theology students join mission
Presbyterian Youth: 13
cover story:
Allowah needs friends
Read about one of the Church’s
most special ministries – and
how to support it – on pages 8-9.
Touch match brings 200 young people
together; mission week in Port Macquarie
Overseas missions: 14
Author Naomi Reed has some advice on
“going”; teenage missio Siobhan reports
from Bangladesh
And don’t miss ...
Commission of Assembly report,
prayer requests, Paul Cooper’s profile,
PWA conference, book review and more
“GLORIFYING AND ENJOYING GOD AS CHRIST-LIKE COMMUNITIES TRANSFORMING
OUR NEIGHBOURHOODS, OUR NATION AND OUR WORLD.”
june
‘08
editorialpage:
from the GM’s
desk:
The Commission of Assembly in April adopted the
Trustees’ recommendation to regulate the Trustees
Investment Fund (TIF).
The regulations approved do not change
anything from the current practice. Nevertheless,
the Trustees felt strongly that it was appropriate
for such an important area of potential impact
on our denominational wellbeing to have its
own clear foundation expressed transparently in
The Code.
While Trustees always report in detail to the
General Assembly it was considered desirable to
document for today’s investors, and future
investors (including future Trustees) the legal
mechanics and safeguards built into the Trustees
Investment fund over recent years. With
assistance from the Law Agent (our church
solicitor) and the Procurator (our church
barrister) the form of words captures in one
place legal trust issues and the practical
outworking in protecting the Church’s funds.
It was important to maintain appropriate
Trustees discretion so that the best interests of
the Presbyterian Church in NSW can always be
held paramount.
In this regard the regulations are meant to be
generic and withstand the test of time.
Sometimes it states the obvious like “the Trustees
shall consider the capital growth, investment
income and risk profile of the TIF.” But, it is
healthy to always be reminded of the constant
need for vigilance and prudent risk management
with appropriate ‘safety’ provisions.
churchofficesnews:
Church electrical wiring & switchboard
Church Offices have received several insurance
claims for churches and aged care facilities for
power surges damaging switchboards, fire alarm
system, electronic organ, computers etc, in
recent months.
The claims have been made under the
Presbyterian Church of Australia’s cover for all of
its churches, schools and aged care facilities.
It’s timely, therefore, to ask the question: Has your
electrical wiring been checked in the past 10
years? Have you placed a greater drain on your
switchboard due to installing new equipment, or
by increasing usage of electricity in your building
in recent years?
Perhaps it is time to have your church’s wiring
checked by a licensed electrician. Obtain a
written report on its condition and act on any
safety issues uncovered.
The regulations also recognise recent practice
whereby when a good investment environment
results in surplus funds well in excess of
operational obligations and prudent financial
provisions, a modest component may be added
to a general fund for the wider good of the
Church, such as helping church planting and the
like.
It is expected that these amendments to The
Code will help protect and strengthen the TIF
well into the future.
In Him
Wayne Richards
For further information contact:
Mavis Mock
Insurance Manager
Presbyterian Church Offices
PO Box 2196
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Tel:
(02) 9690 9313
Fax: (02) 9310 2679
Email: [email protected]
zimbabweneeds prayers
People who missed the World Day of Prayer for
Zimbabwe in April are being encouraged to “pray
anyway” for a nation in dire distress and teetering
on the brink of human disaster.
Moderator-General of Australia, Rt Rev Robert Benn,
says a desperate cry from the hearts of Zimbabwe
screams across the world, calling upon all Christians
of every denomination in every nation to pray.
| THE PULSE
Monthly newsletter of The
Presbyterian Church in the State of
New South Wales and the Australian
Capital Territory.
CONTRIBUTIONS of stories, ideas and
images are welcome. News briefs
and news stories should be sent
direct to the subeditor/journalist.
Photographs should be saved in
JPEG or TIFF format and must be
high resolution (300DPI). The
deadline is the end of each month
for publication in the fourth week of
the following month.
“Although World Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe was
held on April 27, I encourage people to let the cry
for help touch your heart and mind. Let it move you
to do what you can,” he said.
“Zimbabwe needs urgent help to be rescued from
violence, the concealing and juggling of election
results, deceit, oppression and corruption, and to
bring about righteousness, joy, peace, compassion,
Publisher: Presbyterian Church (New
SouthWales) Property Trust
Editor: Wayne Richards
Subeditor/Journalist: Karen Nicoll
0437 591 581 [email protected]
Circulation: Suzanne Jensen
[email protected] (02) 9690 9311
Proofreading: Janet Fuller and team
Design: 360 Degrees North
Printing: Pomon Printing
Distribution: Smartmail
Acknowledgement: Rt Rev Robert Benn
Registered by Australia Post
PP2455550/00020
honesty, justice,
democracy and
freedom from fear and
want. "Corinthians 4:2
says ,`it is by making
the truth publicly
known that we recommend ourselves to the
honest judgment of mankind in the sight of God.”
The General Office of The Presbyterian
Church in NSW is located in Sydney’s
Surry Hills and is responsible for
supporting approximately 300
congregations in 16 presbyteries and
600 properties. It provides many
services including investments,
finance, trusts, property, payroll,
insurance, communication and other
needs.
The Presbyterian Church of Australia in
the State of New South Wales is
constitutionally part of the
Presbyterian Church of Australia. It is
structured around elders (presbyters),
congregations, presbyteries, the
General Assembly and its committees.
General Manager and Secretary of the
Property Trust: Wayne Richards
Chairman of the Property Trust: Jeof Falls
State Moderator: Rt Rev David Seaman
168 Chalmers St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
PO Box 2196
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Phone: 1300 773 774
Fax: (02) 9310 2148
Email: [email protected]
www.pcnsw.org.au
FRONT COVER: Toby the therapy dog and his owner Margaret Piper pay a visit to a delighted Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital patient Nathan, 10. Find out
how you can help Allowah on page eight. Photo by Karen Nicoll.
02THEPULSE
newsthismonth:
new
on
the
block:
church launches property division
Churches considering their development options and
wanting advice on how to manage the process or
simply to gain an understanding of how to gain
development approval, can now tap into the expertise
of the Presbyterian Church of Australia ‘s (NSW) new
Property Development Division.
adhered to and that the Trustees interests are
protected,” he said..
“As well, for developments under $2 million, the
General Office is available to provide
development advice and assistance to
congregations.“
Why focus on Property Development?
The division – which includes the appointment
of a full-time Development Manager – was set up
last year when the Property Trust became aware
that the management of four live projects was
beyond the resources of Church Offices.
As a result, John Ishak was employed in March
2007 to oversee all major projects and
consultants engaged for not only those projects
already approved – Kirk Place Kogarah,
Glenmore Gardens Ashfield, PTC Burwood and
Hurstville Presbyterian Church, but any new
projects which are forthcoming.
Mr Ishak’s background is Property Development,
Project Management and Acquisitions, Chartered
and Financial Accounting and IT Business
Systems Management. Before coming to the
PCNSW, he worked with AVJennings, the listed
residential Property Developer and a number of
local governments and Chartered Accounting
firms in Sydney.
He, wife Suzanne and children, Michael, Lara and
Olivia attend St Pauls Menai Anglican Church,
where Mr Ishak runs a Bible study group and is
on the roster for leading services. He is also a
director of Sutherland Shire Christian School.
“I feel privileged to be working in an
environment that allows me to use my skills in
developing assets for ministry outcomes and as a
consequence the advancement of the gospel.”
he said.
General Manager, Wayne Richards, said a major
component of Mr Ishak’s role was also to explain
to congregations and other church operations
the Property Development Policy and approach,
to manage the process on their behalf and
provide assistance wherever possible.
“If and when a development gets underway,
John will work to ensure the congregation is kept
up to date, that the development program is
followed, the development team and consultants
are working to the development objectives, the
project is on budget, the church's mandate is
Currently the Church has more than 300
congregations across 190 Charges in 16
Presbyteries, with a conservative insured value
for buildings alone of more than $800million –
not including the land value, or the potential
land value if the permitted uses were applied
along with the ministry uses.
“What this all points to is the fact that we have a
huge responsibility to manage, and where
possible, develop our property assets wisely to
assist in furthering our ministry outcomes,” Mr
Richards said.
“Following some difficult dealings with third
party developers (and well meaning architects)
the Property Trust adopted in 2005 a Major
Property Development Project Policy for
developments valued over $2 million.
“The intention wasn't to intervene in minor
construction projects, but ensuring that there
were no lost opportunities, by exploring the
'highest and best use' of a particular site. The
'Policy' also requires that options which best fit
the congregations ministry goals are
incorporated, assets maintained and risks
mitigated.”
The significant change for all future
developments was that the Trustees will be the
developer for all major projects. When the
develoment is beyond the financial resources of
a congregation, the Trustees will manage, and in
some cases share in the developed non-ministry
assets, to ensure that the development is
delivered at no risk to the congregation.
The Trustees use the resources of independent
development consultants, who co-ordinate the
development team and provide the necessary
validations throughout the development
process, to ensure the church's interests remain
paramount.
Briefly the'Policy' can be summarised as follows:
Professionally written feasibility analysis and
business case required prior to approval;
Alternative options to be identified and
considered;
Appointment of independent project
manager;
Professional planning of the whole project
from start to finish;
Managed delivery of the whole development
program;
Joint venturing with the wider church
(Trustees) when desirable; and
Financing, risk and construction managment
to be arranged by the Property Trust.
Mr Ishak said it was the hope and prayer of the
Trustees that in the years ahead development
opportunities would result in significant works
being undertaken which would financially
maximise the individual ministry efforts and
activities of local congregations, as well as
increase the General Funds available to the
Trustees for discretionary support of other
denominational goals, keeping the created
wealth within the wider church rather than
passing to outside commercial interests.
“There are currently five active projects for which
we have received approval from the
Congregation, Presbytery and the Trustees to
proceed to Development Application (DA)
Stage,” he said. In two cases, Kirk Place, Kogarah
(see May 08 ‘Pulse’ article), development work is
well underway, with the scheduled delivery of
the completed development being mid 2009,
and Allowah Childrens Hospital, scheduled for
completion in 2008/early 2009. In addition to
these projects, the ‘team’ has had inquiries and/or
prepared property analysis reports for more than
19 congregations and church operations, with
some well on the way to receiving final approval.
It’s a very exciting time to be part of the
reinvigoration of a number of church assets, and I
am always looking forward to receiving
invitations to address congregations on
development opportunities for their sites.
Unfortunately not all investigations provide any
real opportunity for further development, as we
are usually left with the remnant of what was a
much larger parcel of land to develop.
It’s not the first time that I’ve mentioned on a site
walk,“Isn’t it a pity we don’t own that parcel next
door”, only to be told that we once did, but we
sold that off to put up a new hall 50 years ago.
Hopefully these practices can be minimised in
future development activities. The reality is that
in some cases a modest development of the site
is the ‘highest and best use’, but at least all
possible options have been explored.
If you are considering development options for
your site and want some advice and assistance
on how to manage the process or just want to
understand what the Property Trust requires in
order to most likely obtain approval for any
major development, contact John Ishak on
9690 9357 or 0409 687 266.
JOHN ISHAK
03THEPULSE
moderatorsmonth:
DAVID SEAMAN’S TERM AS MODERATOR OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL COME TO AN END AT
THE 2008 GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT STANWELL
TOPS CONFERENCE CENTRE FROM JUNE 30, AT
WHICH TIME MODERATOR-ELECT BRUCE MELLER
IS EXPECTED TO BE SWORN INTO THE ROLE.
DAVID IS MINISTER OF ARMIDALE PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH, WHICH RECENTLY PROVIDED HIM AND
WIFE ALISON WITH A NEW MANSE. THE PULSE
WILL FEATURE HIS FINAL COLUMN NEXT ISSUE.
moderator’s
reflections:
Just a minute!
with david seaman
I remember
when as a
small child
asking my father
to do something
for me, his
response was “just
a minute”. I would
then count as quickly
as I could to 60 and tell
him a minute was over so
‘can you help me now?’
We live in an instant society:
instant coffee, 24 hour convenience
at the shops, instant meals from the
packet, fast food restaurants, self serve
counters, broadband internet, quicker,
faster, more efficient. We have lost the
appreciation that good things take
time. A generation ago, life moved
at a slower pace. Fewer cars,
more people walked, children
walked to school, life took
time.
Bread was made by
hand, not in a
machine, some
people still
milked the cow,
life had to be
planned to
go to the
shops etc.
Without
email, letters
were written,
posted and
responses
took one to
two weeks to
come.
Now we text across the state or overseas and
expect an answer within minutes.
But God is not the God of instant gratification.
Our God is slow to anger, patient (Ps 103),
deliberate and purposeful in his actions,
planning to save us from all eternity
(Ephesians 1) waiting until just the right time in
history to send his Son into the world. (Galatians
4). If we were given the task we may have said
`let’s wait until the world has faster internet’ and
sent the message by email!
Psalm 90 reminds us of the vastness of God. He
is the one who created the mountains, He is the
one who sees mankind as nothing but dust, He is
the one who is eternal, while we live a meagre
70-80 years. To us He says to take account of our
days, that we might seek to gain wisdom and
show God’s works through us to our children.
When we come to know Christ, our response to
His love is in an instant. A decision to conform
our will to His will.
We forget that God has been waiting millennia
for us to arrive on world history and knowing we
would respond to His offer of salvation. But our
sanctification is a work in progress; God moulds
our life to the image of Christ by a gradual
process of transformation.
As we read the biographies of the characters in
the Bible we see them warts and all, their godly
moments and their worldly ones, the great
mountain peaks of their faith and the deep
valleys of their faithlessness. Yet God continued
to draw them closer to Himself every day.
We, like them, have our days of growing closer to
Him and our days of falling away from Him. But
we often forget that while God is patient with us
we need to be patient with those around us, not
expecting instant sanctification from them but
encouraging them daily to aspire to the image of
Christ.
Benjamin Franklin said:“I am not an optimist but
a pessimist. For when the best does not happen
to me, I am not dismayed and when the worst
occurs, I am not surprised.
”The effects of our fallen nature are with us all
the time, so we should not be surprised that they
will emerge from time to time, but this should
not cause us to give in but to persevere to
overcome our fallen nature and continue on the
road to sanctification, remembering that he who
began a good work in you will bring it to
completion until the day of Christ (Philippians 1).
Our churches, too, take time to
grow in Godliness as they are
encouraged to follow Christ more
closely, reading His word and
applying it to their lives.
We often need to take a step back and see how
far we have come under the guidance of God.
1977 seems a long time ago for some of us but it
is just a blink in the sight of God. We still have
problems, we still have challenges before us but
we have come so far from that point in time. We
can’t change ourselves, our churches or our
denomination in just a minute.
It takes time and perseverance, hard work and a
constant eye on what we are changing into.
God’s purpose for us is to bring all things in
heaven and on earth under one head even Christ
(Ephesians 1).
Let us embrace the challenges of the present
and use them to inspire us to press on in the task
of spreading the message of the Gospel
throughout our world, to change our society and
to build the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Church, to his Glory and praise.
aintroducing
minute dubbo
in metro:
presbyterian
Dubbo Presbyterian Church is making the most
of the METRO program, with evening church
pastor Paul Sheely training Brad Batten in
ministry. Dubbo is currently made up of four
congregations. Brad is married to Marli and is a
first year METRO trainee. Paul is training Brad in
areas of gospel ministry such as preaching the
Bible, leading a Bible study, coordinating the
welcoming ministry of evening church, helping
04THEPULSE
in a primary age kids club, leading in a teenage
youth group and much more! Brad is excited
about the opportunity METRO presents for him
to be trained and discipled as he investigates the
possibility of future theological education and
full time gospel ministry.
METRO is the Presbyterian Church’s Ministry
Equipping Training Recruiting Organisation. It
offers men
TRAINEE BRAD WITH TRA
INER PAUL AT THE
RECENT METRO CONFERE
and
NCE AT
STAN
WEL
L
TOP
S.
women the
opportunity to
undertake a two-year mentor-based training
program for people considering theological
training and fullime gospel ministry. For more
information, go to http://metro.pcnsw.org.au/
newsthismonth:
$760k to the GMP
but what is it and how does it affect you?by wayne richards
The first thing to note about the General Mission
Program (GMP) is that it is probably misnamed. It
should probably be called something like the
Presbyterian Mission Program or
Presbyterian Church - Mission
Development Program. In
essence, it is the voluntary
collection of funds from
congregations to help resource the
ministry work of the General
Assembly.
This ministry work is conducted
by the various Committees
established by the Assembly. The
funds are divided up between
these Committees based on need
and availability of funds.
The single precise objective driving
GMP is the need to accomplish gospel work
beyond the resources of any one congregation,
through the coordination and one-mindedness
of the General Assembly. This can mean carrying
out Biblical imperatives on a scale and with an
efficiency no congregation can undertake on its
own, or it may mean helping congregations be
more effective in their local outreach mandate
with some vital support from aggregated
resources.
It is important of course that such committees
are focused on the right scope of activity. Over
the years congregations, through the Assembly,
have re-focused the committees. For example, in
the past certain work has been handed over as
practical administration rather than needing its
own specific committee (the Hostels committee
was handed to Social Services and the Indemnity
Fund Committee was replaced by the insurance
department in General Office under the
Trustees).
Last year the work of the Christian Education and
Evangelism Committees was refocused (and
reallocated) between METRO and Ministry &
Mission. Some Committees are completely selffunding, such as Presbyterian Aged Care and the
Business Committee of Assembly.
All Assembly committees are accountable to the
Assembly and must report each year. This regular
review helps to keep the distinct ministry
functions and purpose of each committee
relevant.
Ideally, this also delivers a productivity
advantage. Hopefully, making internal strategic
trade-offs (what you are not going to do) makes
the focusing on particular activities ‘pay-off’ with
good value for money for the denomination. It
can be said that today’s committees mainly
concentrate on training, education, ministry,
mission and welfare. Their share of available
funding is based on their operational needs as
expressed in their budgets, after allowing for any
capacity to raise income of their own from other
sources (e.g. fees, trust funds etc).
In 2007 the Assembly approved the following
allocations of funds:
assembly
kicks off early
was run formally along the lines of a British Court
system. Moderator, the Rt Rev David Seaman,
opened the day with a scripture reading and
prayer. Major decisions of the Commission of
Assembly included:
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE
APWM NSW
Church & Nation
Historical Records & Library
The 2008 General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church of Australia in NSW got off to an early
start on April 23, with the day-long Commission
of Assembly receiving reports and
recommendations from all committees, councils,
boards, Trustees and other agencies.
Held at St Peter’s Presbyterian Church North
Sydney, the event was a precursor to the General
Assembly itself, which will be held for a week
from June 30 at the Stanwell Tops Conference
Centre north of Wollongong.
The Commission of Assembly was empowered to
receive the reports and recommendations and
determine any matter receiving a majority of at
least 75 per cent of votes cast. As with the
Assembly proper, the Commission of Assembly
$60,000
$2,000
$26,000
$120,000
Ministry & Mission
$292,000
$10,000
Theological Education
$250,000
Total
$760,000
Some committees have the ability to raise some
but not all of the funds needed to operate
effectively, through student fees or opportunity
shop activity and the like. The GMP makes up the
difference. Unfortunately, in recent years the
giving pledged from congregations has not kept
up with the need. The giving collected last year
being approximately $620,000.
The role and purpose of each Committee can be
found in The Code Part III. But rather than pick
WHAT DO COMMITTEES DO WITH THEIR GMP FUNDS?
The following is a brief and incomplete
summary:
FUNDS ALLOCATED
FROM GMP
METRO
Social Services
out the work done by different committees it can
me more edifying simply to look in the
aggregate as to what ministry outcomes the
funds help to achieve.
Australian Presbyterian World Mission (NSW) was
instructed to pass over to the Australia
Presbyterian World Mission Committee
responsibility for and operational control of all
activities in Bangladesh from May 1 2008; and
thanked for their service to Bangladesh
The Rev Bruce Meller was reappointed as
Superintendent of the Ministry and Mission
Committee for a five year renewable term from
February 1 2009.
The Code III F – being the regulations governing
access to long service leave – will be amended.
The Commission of Assembly will encourage
members of the wider church to become Friends
of Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital and
request the prayerful support of the wider
church families during the redevelopment of the
hospital.
The Breaking the Silence Edition 3 Core
Promote and encourage world mission within
the Presbyterian Church. Recruit missionary
personnel. Recruit, train and equip people for
ministry. Provide training materials.
Facilitate the deployment of ordained ministers;
recruit, train and supervise home missionaries.
Maintain gospel ministry by providing financial
and personal assistance in appropriate fields of
mission; supervise all matters relating to the
working conditions of ministers and home
missionaries and promote their personal welfare;
review proposals and report on alternative use of
redundant or surplus congregational assets.
Conduct research into matters of public interest
as bear upon the mission and message of the
Church and disseminate the results of such
research. Protect and archive important historical
material.
Provide and coordinate the social welfare
activities of the Church; inform the Church of
social service needs within the community;
undertake and implement programmes and
services to meet social service needs including
Allowah Children’s Hospital, pre-schools, youth
hostels, family and other counselling needs.
Administer the course of training for candidates
for the ministry in conformity with the General
Assembly of Australia regulations and under the
oversight of the General Assembly of Australia
and its College Committee; to provide
appropriate courses of training for elders,
deaconesses and others engaged in diaconal
ministries.
Sometimes it can be helpful to strip away the
various labels of endeavour to reveal the
aggregated outcomes of effort empowered by
GMP giving. The Committees themselves could
add much more to this impressive list of
activities. But seen as a whole it is a miracle this
much gets done with less than $1 million.
Document will be revised.
The Rev John McClean was reappointed to the
position of lecturer in Systematic Theology at the
Presbyterian Theological Centre from Jan 1 ‘09.
The Church and Nation Committee was
instructed to remove brochures on Islam from its
website until such a time as they have been
approved or adopted by the Assembly.
The Commission of Assembly will encourage
congregations to pray for current METRO
trainees and trainers, encourage congregations
to visit the METRO web page and use training
resources and information there, encourage
sessions and congregations to consider sending
their minister and a potential trainee or key
leader to the annual METRO conference,
encourage sessions and congregations to
consider the submission of a METRO application
and encourage Presbyteries to appoint a METRO
contact person to facilitate communication
between the presbytery and the committee.
The METRO Committee was asked to report to
the 2009 General Assembly with a plan for
METRO to be also offered as a part-time training
program.
05THEPULSE
statewidenews:
5 minutes with rose bay’s
retiring minister
Name? Bruce Christian.
What’s happening and when? I am retiring from
Rose Bay Presbyterian Church after 30 years.
Officially, it is September 5, but I will be moving
out of the Rose Bay manse and taking my
remaining Long Service Leave from July 5.
How do you feel about retiring? I have mixed
feelings! I love the work God has called me to do.
There are enough encouragements to enable me
to persevere in it in spite of my weaknesses and
failings and enough discouragements and
disappointments to keep me humble and to
remind me how much I depend on the Lord and that his Church is about him, not me.
I can identify with the Apostle Paul’s feeling
when, having reflected on the absolute wonder
of the Gospel and the Ministry (2 Corinthians 4:16), he says,“But we have this treasure in jars of
clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us.” (Verse 7) I have been
at Rose Bay for more than 28 years and the little
congregation has become my family, so it is very
hard emotionally to walk away from them. But
the Lord has other exciting work and challenges
for me to do so that helps in making the break.
What are you going to do with your time now? I will
the Church’s
own bookshop
It was only a little over a year ago that Reformers’
Bookshop became a joint venture between the
Presbyterian Church of NSW and the Reformed
Baptist Church of Stanmore. But word is
spreading fast. Located at Stanmore in Sydney,
the bookshop has had a long and faithful history,
with Stanmore Baptist Church key members
be employed as a part-time Chaplain at
Sutherland Shire Christian School. I was actively
involved in establishing the School and was the
father of two out of the nine children that
formed the inaugural class of 1977. The School
has grown since those early days to an
enrolment of 750 and a staff of 80, so I am really
looking forward to having a small part in what
the Lord is doing there. I also want to do some
writing and to continue putting together the
daily Bible study notes in the Australian
Presbyterian each month. It will be good to have
more time to reflect on what God is doing in his
Church and to enjoy his many blessings,
especially my wife, Pat and our children and
grandchildren.
Your date of ordination was 1975? Where did you
serve? Yes February 28, 1975, at Engadine. We
spent five very happy years at EngadineHeathcote-Helensburgh and another 28 and a
half very happy years at Rose Bay.
Tell us about one or two major changes you've seen in
your time? The first and most significant change
was the division of the Church in 1977. The
Presbyterian Church that continued after the
Uniting Church was formed, right from the
beginning, has been committed to its Reformed
Gabriel and Sue Lacoba originally opening it as a
ministry of the Church in 1984. They made many
sacrifices and went without a regular income for
10 years before passing the baton onto Pastor
Rob Harrod who again faithfully served in the
Bookshop while managing his busy pastoral role.
Currently managed by Walter Bruining, who has
worked alongside Mr Harrod until Rob took up a
pastoral role in Christchurch in February this year,
Reformers is staffed by David Hann (who will
officially take over management when Mr
Bruining retires at the end of May and accounts
manager David Enderby.
newsbriefs
...news from
our churches,
our people
and beyond...
PLC launches history book
Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) Croyden has
launched a new coffee table book which details –
in stunning black and white pictures – its long
illustrious history.
Produced for the school’s 120th anniversary, PLC
Sydney 1888-2008: A Photographic Essay
contains 200 images of students from the 1890s
06THEPULSE
to today, both in and out of school.
As says College Council Chairman, Rev
Peter Hastie, in his foreword, the book
gives readers “the opportunity to enter a world
that spans three centuries of Australian life. At
the flick of a few pages, browsers can travel easily
from one decade to another in a way that other
visual media such as films can never allow”.
The book takes the reader from its opening at
Fernleigh in Ashfield (when it had just 30 pupils)
to its current Boundary St Croydon site (where
today it has more than 1300 students).
You don’t need to have been associated with the
school to enjoy the book. It’s poignant, it’s
beautiful and it’s inspirational reading for
anybody.
Books can be ordered online:
www.plc.nsw.edu.au and cost $40 per copy.
doctrinal
basis of the
BRUCE CHRISTIAN IS RETI
RING FROM ROSE
infallibility
BAY, BUT NOT FROM MIN
ISTRY.
and authority
of the Bible and the
uniqueness of Christ as God and Saviour.
As one who trained for the Ministry in the years
prior to Church Union, I can say without a doubt
that this was a big change!
There have been noticeably significant, but more
gradual, changes since then, especially in how we
view ‘the Church’. I just keep trusting and praying
that we don’t become so caught up by the
world’s marketing techniques that we move
away from how God defines and describes his
Church in his Word - that is, people of all ages, all
cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, all
gifts and abilities, all kinds of employment, etc, all
singing from the same page!
What do you think you might be remembered for?
I don’t know. I think I would be happier knowing
that some people have been helped spiritually as
a result of my efforts, rather than that they
remember me for it. I have failed in many ways
(and there’s nothing like retirement to focus the
mind on these things!) - but Jesus never fails.
The bookshop is now fully systematized, has its
own website and deals directly with both local
and overseas publishing houses. It also produces
regular colour brochures which are sent out all
around Australia and abroad. Mr Hann said
Reformers’ was committed to glorifying our Lord
through the quality of material stocked and
recommend. “We support many Churches
through bookstall arrangements,” he said.
Reformers is located at 140 Albany Rd, Stanmore
and is open from 10am-4.30pm Monday to
Friday, or order online at www.reformers.com.au,
by phone: (02) 9569 9857 or fax: (02) 9569 8039
or email: [email protected]
Theology studies at the table
Are you interested in studying theology but not
quite up to full-time theological college?
You might want to consider Café Theologica, a
certificate level study course that can be studied
anywhere as it is taught by MP3 or Audio CD. The
course was previously called the Associate in
Theology or ThA but from this year is the
Certificate in Theology or Cert. Th., which is
accredited with the Australian College of
Theology (ACT).
Café Theologica is a new, fun and innovative way
to study the Bible developed by Presbyterian
Youth NSW in partnership with the Presbyterian
Theological Centre. It gets a few experts around a
table over a cup of coffee and asks them about a
subject. Topics include Christian Belief, Christian
Education and New Testament.
In total there are six subjects, with four currently
available – Christian Belief, Christian Education
statewidenews:
romans theme for
PWA annual conference
address and dedicate the State Council for the
following 12 months.
Guest speaker will be pastoral assistant at New
Life Presbyterian Church Gungahlan Nt
Belconnen, Lynette Nancarrow who will discuss
women’s ministries in the Church. The Market
Project for 2009 will also be announced.
During the afternoon session, Moderator elect
Rev Bruce Meller and his wife Lorraine will be
welcomed and assured of the PWA’s prayers for
the coming year.
Other highlights will include a session of prayer
and praise for the Presbyterian Women’s
Association, entertainment by the PWA choir and
hymn singing. The following day, Tuesday June
24, will be Sharing Day.
To be held at Church Offices at 168 Chalmers St,
Surry Hills, from 10am, the event will give PWA
members the opportunity to discuss how branch
meetings are formulated,
how other women in
the congregation
can be
encouraged
to join the
PWA and
what
functions the
various branches hold.
There will be a time of prayer and
praise for the PWA, the Presbyterian Church and
the General Assembly (to get underway on June
30). PWA members will present a report to the
Assembly at Stanwell Tops on July 2 and run a
seminar on July 3.
For more information about the conference or
the PWA, contact Evelyn Mill on 02 9150 6883.
a large congregation received the ministry of the
Word the next morning.
The last weekend in March was a time for the people of
The dinner was held at a local restaurant and
the Pioneer Memorial Presbyterian Church to
remember the construction 70 years ago, of the church attended by members, friends and special guests
including a previous Minister, the Rev Robert
building used today.
Spring and his family. Other guests included
Moderator-General of Australia Rt Rev Robert
Mayor David Bolte with Margaret Bolte,
Benn and Mrs Benn were welcomed at a dinner
Deaconess Kathryn Clark, Interim Moderator Rev
on Saturday night and
Sandy McMillan and his wife Karen.
The take-home message at the Sunday
Service was that there was an opportunity
for the older generation to pass on the
message of salvation to the younger ones
they loved, so that they also would possess
the critical tools for "life".
The town choir attended the service and
presented Bless This House – a particularly
poignant moment for 100 year old Elsie
ERT BENN WITH MRS
MRS LAUREL AND REV ROB
ELSIE LESLIE, 100 YEAR OLD
Leslie,
who had sung this song at the opening
L SPRING
BERY
MRS
AND
ERT
CHURCH MEMBER WITH
REV ROB
THE
T WYALONG)
of the church building 70 years ago.
MODERATOR GENERAL.
(FORMER MINISTER OF WES
Mr Benn made the most of his visit to the region,
visiting four out-centres to meet locals and
members with Pastor Graham French.
He also took part in a Session meeting.
“The West Wyalong Charge covers a large area
and includes a big number of farms which are
dealing with a monumental drought, which may
not be over yet,” Mr Benn said.
“There are many people facing a serious financial
challenge, as well as marketing issues arising
from political decisions.
“Against this, a local mine has brought
considerable benefit to the town of West
Wyalong, so that the prevailing sense of
regression and social winding down in Rural
Australia, is far less evident in this town. The Lake
Cowall Gold Mine, has led to jobs, people and
housing construction in the town, and
employment for many needy farm people.”
The Presbyterian Women’s Association has continued
its work in the book of Romans this year, adopting the
theme from Romans chapter eight, verse 35: `who
shall separate us from the love of Christ’ for its annual
conference in June.
To be held at Ashfield Presbyterian Church on
June 23, the conference is expected to be
attended by a large number of PWA members
from throughout NSW and the ACT. Members of
other denominations are also welcome to attend.
President, Evelyn Mill, said 2008 would be a busy
year for the PWA. “We have a busy calendar, but
also this year will be a year of prayer for our
Association, asking the Lord’s direction and
guidance for the future,” she said.
The conference will open at 10am, with opening
devotions led by the Presbytery of Canberra.
Guests will include outgoing State Moderator, Rt.
Rev. David Seaman, who will give a spiritual
west wyalong
celebrates
and New Testament. Christian Leadership and
Management will be recorded and the Field
Work unit prepared by the end of this year.
Each subject is contained within a semester, with
several CDs to listen to and assessments to
complete throughout the semester. Assessments
usually include two essays of 1000 – 1500 words.
While the Café Theologica course is designed as
course material for the Cert. Th., it is also possible
to use the material for personal study as well
(formally known as ‘audit’).
Course material, notes and audio can be
purchased from Presbyterian Youth. Soon they
will be available to purchase and download from
the Cafe Theologica website. Café Theologica can
be purchased for use by an individual person, or
churches / ministry organisations can purchase a
license to use for training large numbers. If you’re
looking for a great gift idea, you can buy an iPod
from Presbyterian Youth, with Café Theologica
already installed!
For more information visit
www.cafetheologica.com.au, or call Nathain
Secker at the PY office on (02) 8567 4700 or email
[email protected] .
Naomi’s second chapter
Author and The Pulse columnist Naomi Reed’s
next book, the sequel to Monsoon, will be
released this month and you’re invited to the
official launch!.
Titled No Ordinary View, the new book ($22.95
Arkhouse Press) will be launched on Thursday
June 5 at Springwood Civic Centre, Macquarie Rd
Springwood. Starting at 8pm and finishing at
9.30pm, this will be a combined churches event
and outreach.
The book continues the story of Naomi’s family’s
lives and ministry in Dhulikhel, including dealing
with issues related to the civil war, being
evacuated, living through the revolution etc.
It tells of her family’s desire to train Nepali
physiotherapists
and share God’s
love in word and
action.
Her honesty and
genuine longing
to see God’s
purposes and
sovereignty
make this
unforgettable
reading. While
we as readers don’t all live through
times of war, we all need to grow in our
dependence on God in the hard times that we
face.
Through reading this story, we too will be
inspired to trust “the Lord, the God of Israel who
summons you by name.”
Look for No Ordinary View at Reformers’
Bookshop at www.reformers.com.au
07THEPULSE
featurestory:
with karen nicoll
God's work displayed in
its glory at Allowah
The Presbyterian Church owns Australia’s only specialist hospital for children with moderate to severe
disabilities and it needs your help to make it bigger and turn it into a more beautiful and special place
for kids and their families.
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned,"
said Jesus, "but this happened so that the
work of God might be displayed in his life.”
Jesus’ apostle John may have been repeating
Christ’s answer to His disciples when they
asked why a man had been born blind more
than 2000 years ago, but the words in
chapter nine verse three of John’s gospel are
equally valid today – especially at Allowah
Presbyterian Children’s Hospital.
FOOD STORE: MOST OF THE CHILDREN AT ALLOWAH ARE
ON LIQUID DIETS.
It’s difficult not to ask “why?” after a visit to
Australia’s only specialist hospital for children
with moderate to severe physical and mental
disabilities at Dundas in Sydney’s north west.
While Allowah is a happy place oozing with
love, compassion, care and hope, it is also a
very sad place because it represents suffering
– not only for its young patients, but also for
their mums, dads, siblings and carers. These
kids aren’t here just because they are sick.
They are here because their disabilities are so
severe that they need specialist care.
It’s not easy for anyone to see God’s young
people trapped in bodies that cannot walk or
talk or even, in many cases, eat and drink.
It’s not easy to see older kids crying like little
babies do rather than being able to speak up
when they need something attended to. It’s
not easy to see the shelves of nappies and
formula in the storeroom, knowing that they
are for children, not babies.
While it’s beautiful to witness the love and
care provided to them by the dedicated
medical and nonmedical staff – which
includes Chaplain Rhonda Daley – it is almost
impossible not to leave there and simply ask:
08THEPULSE
“Why has this happened? Why have these families
been handed such massive challenges?”
It’s a question that, according to Rhonda, the
children’s parents tend to ask themselves regularly. It’s
also a question that, she says, often leads to feelings
of guilt and self-blame. And tragically, occasionally to
marriage breakdown. Parents and siblings usually
treasure their disabled family member, but the
emotional and physical demands are sometimes too
much for them to bear.
R AND R: ETHAN, 10, ENJOYS SOME FLOOR TIME.
“One of our aims here at Allowah, aside from
providing specialized medical care and support for
the children, is to provide care and support for their
parents and siblings and so relieve some of the
pressure by nurturing family strength.
Rhonda doesn’t have an answer to the “why?”
question. Nor do the medical experts. Some of the
kids who come to Allowah to be treated for a broad
range of problems don’t even have a firm diagnosis.
Many have genetic disorders and syndromes, but
some have brain injuries as a result of accidents.
But nobody who visits the hospital, Christian or not,
can possibly doubt the words of Jesus as expressed
by John – that they are as they are so that “the work
of God might be displayed in (their lives)” – or the
work Allowah is doing to help achieve that. PSS
acknowledges that God has provided the hospital
with fantastic staff; professional people who are
leaders in their fields and dedicated to the lives of the
children.
Christ’s presence is evident in the homely feel in the
hospital wards and the way the nurses and doctors
care for their young charges both clinically and
emotionally. Christian love abounds in every facet of
the organisation. Take the patchwork quilts on the
beds. Many have been provided with love, along with
colourful nappy and bath bags, by the
Presbyterian Women’s Association (PWA). The
Bibles and storybooks Rhonda reads to the
patients and their siblings have been provided
by the Bible Society and Dorcas. A group of
engineers have even come up with a number of
devices to make life easier and even fun, for all,
including standing frames. Scots College
provides hampers at Christmas and Quilts for
Keeps provides a take-home quilt for each child
and siblings. And local lady Margaret Piper
SHARING THE WORD: ALLOWAH CHAPLAIN, DEACONESS RHONDA
DALEY READS A SIMPLE BIBLE STORY TO A YOUNGSTER.
brings her labradoodle dog Toby in to provide
“pet therapy” to the children each week.
You may ask why a church decided to buy a
hospital, particularly a rundown one. While it’s
not uncommon for churches to own regular
hospitals or aged care facilities, it’s not common
for them to specialise in an area like disabilities.
Presbyterian Social Services convenor
(chairman) Rev Paul Copper said the decision to
buy Allowah had come about after the newly
formed Presbyterian Aged Care Committee took
over management of all the Church’s aged care
facilities.
“PSS had a number of aged care facilities under
its control and so lost half its ministry,” he said.“I
was very keen to find a new direction for the
committee. One of my convictions is that the
Church ought to be where others are not and
the whole idea of disabilities came up when we
heard Allowah was on the market.”
Paul and PSS CEO Colin Llewellyn went to see it
and saw it as a golden opportunity to make a
huge difference to the lives of many families.
“We did go in with our eyes wide open,” he said.
“It is not for profit, but it is run as a business. It
has to make economic sense. When we took
over, Allowah was rundown, had been on the
market a few years and was in danger of being
closed. We knew we would have to spend
money to bring it up to standard.
“The idea is to make it a beautiful place, to turn
it from what I perceived to being not terribly
attractive to a place where kids and their
families feel supported and loved. Allowah is a
lifeline for families and that’s why in the future
we aim to provide homelike facilities for
grownup kids with disabilities and to approach
the big issue of `what’s going to happen to my
adult child when I die?’.”
PSS has borrowed $6.5 million to add an
extension to Allowah and hopes to repay the
money with donations to the newly formed
Friends of Allowah group, announced in last
month’s The Pulse. Work began in April and is set
to be finished in 2009. The extension to the back
PLANNING AHEAD: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NURSING, TRACEY
SZANTO WITH ASSISTANT IN NURSING NESE LOUIZAS LOOKING
FORWARD TO THE COMPLETION OF THE EXTENSION.
and side of the current hospital will make way
for new, bigger bedrooms and staff areas.
“Unfortunately we don’t receive any
government funding,” says Executive Director of
Nursing, Tracey Szanto,“ so children who come
here have to be covered by private health
insurance. We do reserve one bed per night for
uninsured children, but we certainly need as
much help as we can get.”
Currently, Allowah has 35 beds. It was built as a
private hospital by a man with a personal
interest in disabilities and originally catered for
45 children from birth to three years old. The
upper age was later extended to 10 years and is
now 16 years. Due to the larger beds required
by older children, the licence was decreased to
35 beds, but Tracey says that will increase to 44
once the new building is completed.
Children do not need a referral to be admitted
to Allowah; some come through word of mouth,
although many are referred by occupational
therapists, speech therapists, social workers,
general practitioners, allied health professionals
and even DOCS.
“They come for a broad range of therapies and
treatments – physio, occupational therapy, dietetics,
speech therapy, play therapy, music therapy and
social work, to learn to eat, for medical reasons – and
we provide 24 hour medical cover,” Tracey said.
“We have visiting medical officers including
paediatricians who do rounds three times a week,
many from the leading children’s hospitals here in
Sydney, and we employ registered nurses, enrolled
nurses, assistant nurses, office staff, laundry staff , a
part time chaplain and a cook. We are also served by
volunteers who come in to provide a variety of
services.” As well, trainee nurses and other therapy
students from six universities regularly work at
Allowah, gaining valuable experience for their future
careers.
Allowah is crowded and desperately in need of the
extension. At the moment, office space doubles as a
dining area for “dining room therapy”.There are few
common areas for the children. Cots take up most of
the space in the small wards... There is limited space
DEDICATED: LAUNDRESS MARIAN WALGANSKI IN THE ALLOWAH
LAUNDRY. SHE WASHES UP TO SIX 37KG LOADS A DAY AND SAYS
SHE LOVES WORKING AT THE HOSPITAL.
for wheelchairs to be stored.
And yet, despite the challenges, Allowah is an
amazingly happy place. Laundress, Marian Walganski,
washes up to six, 37kg loads of clothing and linen
each day.“I love working here,” she says.
Tracey, a Christian who came to Allowah from Prince
of Wales Private Hospital 15 months ago because she
felt called to do God’s work, says she feels honoured
to be in a role where she can make a difference.
Appointing a chaplain was one of the first things the
Church did after taking over the hospital, to look after
the spiritual needs of the children, their families and
staff.
Rhonda, a Deaconess whose role has its unique
challenges, relies on her close relationship with God
to help her in this ministry. It’s fairly obvious that the
children, because of their disabilities, are not really
suited to the usual Sunday school methods of
experiential learning and cognitive focus. Therefore
she has had to look for other ways to communicate
God’s love.
“I have to say that such classes might end up with a
child going to sleep or even, having a seizure,” she
said.“If I read a story, a child might chew the book. But
that doesn’t mean we don’t minister to the children.
We do that by caring holistically and with
theological integrity. I believe they have four
specific basic spiritual needs: They need to
have a purpose in life, to be loved, to give love
and to hope. Needs all met by God’s grace
through Jesus and His people.”
She says it took her three months to learn
ways to communicate. “Just because they
have a physical disability doesn’t mean they
have a spiritual disability. I suggest that their
souls, like ours, can be nourished or neglected.
So I look at what nourishes our souls
ordinarily. God usually demonstrates His love
through other people’s care.
Rhonda encourages families to provide family
photos and voice recordings so she can keep
them in touch with this primary source of
nurture - their home. She also believes that
it’s not just about the patient, but the whole
family. Rhonda said siblings faced huge
ALL SMILES: ROBERT ENJOYS THE CARE HE GETS AT
ALLOWAH.
responsibilities and stresses.“We have more
than 100 siblings who we work with who will
probably outlive their parents and will have
ongoing responsibility for the care of their
brother or sister,” she said.“Sometimes their
experiences may translate into behavioural
problems, but usually it can result in a very
compassionate, mature young person.
Allowah has kids church once a month, which
gives the children the opportunity to worship
God with other local Christians.
“I wouldn’t compromise theologically but I do
have to think creatively outside of the box,”
she says.“When people ask me if I think the
kids hear His word, instead of saying, `we
don’t know, we just trust’, I can now say, `yes,
they do’.”
You can support Allowah Children’s Hospital by
becoming a Friend. Ask your minister for details
or contact Presbyterian Social Services
02 96909376. Visit: www.allowah.org.au
09THEPULSE
peopleprofile:
with karen nicoll
it would be a lark for a minister to be wandering
around his back yard calling “Lucifer, Lucifer”.
Perhaps that’s why Paul introduces the male cat
as Lucy!
Born in the inner Sydney
suburb of Ashfield in 1948,
Paul and his elder brother
grew up in Croydon. His
mum had been a
telephonist in Epping when she met his dad, a
soldier from Kiama on the NSW South Coast.
Both were, Paul says, “church-going types” and
after deciding to have both their boys baptised,
took the commitment further and started
attending church regularly at Burwood
Presbyterian, then a very large suburban church.
Paul’s dad became an Elder and the family
followed what was, in those years, “normal
cultural Christianity which reflected the
Presbyterianism of the time”.
However, while Paul acknowledges he received
a good grounding growing up in church, he
doesn’t think he really heard the Gospel. “If it
was preached I didn’t hear it or I wasn’t
listening.”
“It was only when I was at university studying
geology in 1966 and my Christian background
was under challenge both in the classroom and
on the uni scene, that I started to question the
values I had inherited from my family,” he says.
“It was the time of Vietnam and I was in the
barrel of conscription. There’s nothing like the
smell of death to make you think clearly!”
Paul was in his second year when a student by
the name of John Woodhouse sat down next to
him. They became firm friends and John,
perhaps already set on the path that would see
him in the role of Moore Theological College
principal many years later, took him along to
Bible study groups.
“That caused a bit of reflection for a Pressie boy
who didn’t know one end of the Bible from the
other,” he says with a wry smile. “John Chapman
was explaining Romans, It was the first time I
had had the Bible explained to me and led to a
point of commitment (which) I am sure was a
point of conversion.
never
say
never
says ‘bull terrier’ Paul
Fresh out of theological college and newly arrived at
his first post, Paul Cooper was delighted when the
Catholic spinsters across the road accepted him and his
wife Megan’s invitation to dinner.
Paul had heard that the usual practice of the
two women had been to welcome all the new
Presbyterian ministers to Tocumwal-Finley, but
to date, a welcome had not eventuated. “It
turned out they had assumed we were the
children and our parents hadn’t yet arrived,” he
says with a smile.
ON GETTING ON: “I AM TOUGH, DIPLOMATIC AND I SMILE A
LOT,” SAYS BEECROFT MINISTER PAUL COOPER INSIDE HIS
CHURCH. “IT’S ALL ABOUT REMAINING UNITED EVEN WHEN YOU
DISAGREE.”
The dinner, he says, went very well; as did –
much to his surprise - the rest of the seven years
he spent ministering in the Riverina.
“I don’t think Tocumwal-Finley knew what hit
them when I arrived,” he says with a grin. “We
were pretty young. I hadn’t even preached three
sermons. But I was determined to do things
differently to the way they were being done in
many Churches. And it seemed to work as God
was very gracious.”
He admits he hadn’t been all that happy to be
going there. “But in hindsight, Ministry and
Mission (the State church committee which
places new ministers) had a brilliant insight into
the mind of God and Paul Cooper had none! It
turned out to be a wonderful place to go.”
For many reasons, both personal and
professional, a geologist before he became a
minister, Paul found that he fitted in to small
town life very well. The church thrived under his
ministry. He learnt the things that would stand
him in good stead when he moved into
education – and back to ministry – later on. He
took on an assistant minister (Bruce Meller). He
and Megan welcomed three of their four
children - David, Jennie and Stephen – there
(Andrew arrived when the family returned to
Sydney).
Sitting in the office of his Beecroft manse with
his ginger cat Lucifer mooching about, looking
for a lap to take up residence on, Paul says he
has come a long way from that first post. Lucifer,
by the way, was named by his kids, who thought
10THEPULSE
“Although morally it didn’t make
much difference to my lifestyle as
I already had Christian values like
kindness, honesty and so on, it
certainly altered the way I
thought about life and what the
point of it all was.”
An avid rock collector since high school, it
seemed natural for Paul to follow a scientific
path and his parents were delighted when he
secured a cadetship with the Mines Department
in his second year, along with his friend John.
“I think, especially as we were following the
scientific strand, that the university found it
difficult to cope with the fact that two of its
brightest students – we both qualified to do
Honours and graduated First Class – had found
God,” he says.
After graduating, both men continued to work
for the Mines Department until John left to
study theology at Moore College. Paul stayed on
for three years and was intending to complete a
PhD and work at the university.
BUT he was also involved at church, where he
was becoming increasingly disgruntled with the
state of things. “It got to the point where I
thought, I had studied four years for my
profession, but had done nothing for my
spiritual life,” he says. “So I decided to pack
myself off to theological college and do the
equal there, before becoming a useful but
difficult member of the congregation back at
Burwood.”
“I was in my second year when it became clear
that God didn’t need more people to map rocks
but needed more ministers to expound the
Scriptures.”
The issue was that he was attending the
Anglican college and the Presbyterian Church at
the time wanted him to change to its facility at
Sydney University. He didn’t want to “because I
believed the church’s theological college at the
time was one of the problems for the Church” –
and so his candidature for the ministry was
suspended by the Church and he was placed on
leave.
It was the first of many times during his career
that Paul would dig his heels in over an issue he
strongly believed in and it hasn’t made for an
easy path. But as he sits in a comfy chair in an
office which clearly illustrates the workload he
has set for himself, he says he wouldn’t have it
any other way.
“I had made extra money with the Mines
Department during the mining boom of the 70s
and it allowed me to pay my way through
Moore College. Having struggled with French at
school, I was dreading studying Greek, so I quit
my job to burn any bridges behind me which
might lure me from my studies.”
Paul says he was “lucky” when in 1977 Church
Union happened, as the newly created
Presbyterian Church, struggling for ministers,
was happy for him to finish his chosen studies
and later, ordain him. Sadly, he didn’t get the
support he had hoped for from his own
congregation at Burwood, despite the fact he
was an Elder, and says he wasn’t given many
opportunities to practice what he was learning
at college.
“When I went to my first parish, at Tocumwal Finley, I had preached just three sermons in my
life,” he says. Seven years on, he took a role as
chaplain at The Scots College in Sydney. “As I
had never heard anything good said about
school chaplains, I figured it was a challenge,” he
says, “and I love challenges”.
Six years later, he had won the boys’ trust and
respect after continually repelling their attacks
on Christianity, and had changed “from a
minister to a school teacher”. Later as a member
of the School Council he had been involved in
the appointment of an evangelical Christian
principal. The latter was no easy battle to win,
but Paul says he wasn’t giving in. “My wife says
one of my gifts is that I am like a bull terrier; I
can’t let go and rather thrive under difficult
circumstances,” he says. “I am good at dealing
with people who don’t agree with me. Scots is
now a genuine Christian school.” continued Pg 15
ministry&missions:
responding
to moral failure
by bruce meller
Few people like to talk about it. Fewer still want to
have to deal with it. Yet, within our fallen world, there
will be occasions when leaders are morally
compromised.
In response to this tragic reality, the Presbyterian
Church in Australia (NSW) Ministry and Mission
Committee has been working with the Rev.
Stephen Taylor (on behalf of the Presbytery of
the Northern Rivers) to help the Church
understand this problem and prepare our
presbyteries to respond Biblically in the most
helpful and comprehensive way possible.
The Committee has now referred this matter to
the General Assembly for consideration in July.
This review is presented here so that readers
might be aware of one of the many important
matters canvassed in the Committee’s report.
Sexual union within the confines of marriage was
intended by God to bring blessing to mankind.
However, inappropriate sexual behaviour
devastates relationships and brings
enormous and widespread pain, particularly
when that inappropriate sexual behaviour
involves a minister. Harmful consequences
extend not just to the people immediately
involved but to their families, their congregations
and the community at large. In addition, the
glory of God, the claims of the gospel and the
credibility of the church are seriously
undermined. That’s why the Presbyterian Church
makes every effort to prevent inappropriate
sexual behaviour and
to respond with care
to any occasions or
accusations of such
moral failures.
The Presbyterian
Church has, historically,
maintained a Code of
Discipline to address
aberrant behaviour.
More recently the
Church has developed
a comprehensive
procedure to protect
children and young
people and prevent
abuses of power. The
Church still needs,
however, a coordinated, coherent,
consistent and
accessible resource to guide presbyteries
confronted with accusations (or actual
occasions) of moral failure which might be
brought against its ministers.
The Committee’s report aims to provide that and
also to:
1. identify behaviour that constitutes “moral
failure”;
2. help the Church recognise that moral failure
may be evidenced in varying degrees;
3. clarify the Biblical framework for responding
to moral failure with particular regard to the
nature of forgiveness and the need to restore
penitent believers to fellowship while not
necessarily to positions of ministry or
leadership;
4. highlight the pivotal role of presbyteries
within the Presbyterian Church;
5. offer step-by-step guidelines for presbyteries
dealing with accusations of moral failure when
they are made against ministers (this process
could be adapted by Sessions if called upon to
deal with elders or other persons in leadership
in congregations);
6. provide a series of flowcharts detailing the
various issues that must be considered and
the linkage between desirable presbyterial
practice and the formal procedures
established in The Code and The Code of
Discipline; and
7. identify resource persons inside and outside
the denomination who could be
acknowledged by the Assembly and called
upon by presbyteries to help them respond to
any accusation of moral failure.
Read Part Two of Responding to Moral Failure in the
July edition of The Pulse: restoration, the duties of a
Presbytery, complications of same and definitions of
responsibilities.
A copy of the complete report is available from
the Ministry and Mission Department by
phoning the Church Offices or from the
Committee’s web-site: www.mm.pcnsw.org.au.
Breaking the Silence Edition 3 is the Church’s
official protocol for preventing sexual and other
forms of abuse. Copies may be obtained from
Presbyterian Social Services, PO Box 2196,
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012.
*BRUCE MELLER IS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MINISTRY
AND MISSION COMMITTEE AND MODERATOR-ELECT FOR
THE 2008 GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
help
available
for stressed ministers
Ministry is widely recognised as being a vocation
involving high stress due to its strong
interpersonal nature. Those involved in gospel
ministry are prone to burnout and stress-related
health issues.
As a denomination, the need for self-care
strategies is gaining wider acknowledgement
and acceptance.
However any minister may encounter excessive
stress due to, say, a period of abnormal demand,
or relational tensions or unresolved personal
issues.
Ministry and Mission Committee is mindful of its
mandate to promote the personal welfare of
ministry personnel, and by extension their
families. To address the real needs of ministers
and their families in excessive stress, Ministry and
Mission Committee has developed the
Ministerial Assistance Package. The
Ministerial Assistance Package built upon
and integrated M&M’s responses to
previous ‘one-off’ experiences.
The Ministerial Assistance Package has
capacity to address both preventativeproactive and recovery strategies. Already
this year, the MAP has been accessed to varying
degrees eight times by ministry personnel.
While the Ministerial Assistance Package is
administered through Ministry and Mission, it
enlists the active co-operation and resources
from the Trustees, Presbyterian Counselling
Service (PSS), and the Home Mission and Church
Extension Committee (PWA). Parts of the body
banding together to help another!
The assistance provided is tailored to each
situation and may include short-term
accommodation, living assistance during
unplanned breaks in ministry, counselling for
debriefing or preventative purposes, financial
assistance for urgent medical/family needs,
short-breaks from abnormal demands, and
relocation expenses.
Other more broadly targeted assistance may
include ‘in-service’ training opportunities on
relational enhancement, financial management,
resilience in ministry, and prevalent hazards in
ministry.
11THEPULSE
ministrytraining:
ministry students
travel far and wide for mission
Thirty students and assorted family members,
three faculty members, nine churches, five
ministers, thousands of kilometres of travel,
dozens of talks, thousands of school students,
generous hosts, days of preparation, plenty of
prayer, a few doses of nerves and litres of coffee
… that about sums up the Presbyterian
Theological Centre’s mission, held from April 6-13
this year.
During the week, teams of 10-15 students and a
of a church as well as helping with special
outreach events.
Primary school assembly presentations were a
major activity of the week for all the NSW trips.
The Southern Highlands team used skits and
singing to tell the story of Jesus raising Jairus’
daughter (Mark 5). One of the highlights for the
Coffs Harbour team was presenting the gospel
message about “Jesus the real hero who saves
sinners” to over 2000 children from 6 different
patience and smiles –Abigail Swan (eight months
old) had a particularly high rate of smiles per
minute.”
Mission gave students new experiences of
ministry of all sorts. Darryl Spriggs, leader of the
Kempsey team, said that after students had been
given a taste of country ministry some
commented that it was the first time they had
ventured into such a rural area.
One of the goals of the mission trip is to build
community amongst the students. Although
students generally know each other from classes,
far deeper friendships are built as they work
together and enjoy their free time in some of the
local sites.
Steve Soldatos, minister at Kempsey-South West
LEFT: JOON PARK TALKS TO CHILDREN IN CANTEEN
CREEK NT.
ABOVE: IAN STENHOUSE AND KRISTIAN HARTBERG
SHARE THE STUDIO OF TANK FM WITH BOB SHANNEY
FOR THE KEMPSEY CHURCH.
RIGHT: SIMON WONG LEADS SCRIPTURE IN THE
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS.
faculty member went to the churches at Coffs
Harbour and Kempsey-South West Rocks and to
the Southern Highlands to work in Moss Vale,
Bowral and Mittagong. A small group flew to the
Northern Territory to visit the Aboriginal
community at Canteen Creek. Each of the teams
was hosted by locals and enjoyed getting to
know families who welcomed them into their
homes.
Canteen Creek, 300 kilometres south east of
Tennant Creek, was the most exotic destination.
Cliff Letcher from Australian Indigenous
Ministries took three PTC students to spend a
week with the indigenous community and share
in ministry. They spent a lot of time with the
children of the community.
They were also surpised to realise the language
and cultural barriers that had to be crossed in
reaching Aboriginal people. One very practical
difference was the view of time in the
community. Student Damian Choi said: “No one
seemed to worry about what the exact time was
… sometimes God’s time is not measured in
weeks but in some cases in years”.
Fellow student Sam Smith said he was
encouraged when his team attended the church
in Tennant Creek.
“ This is a mature church, where the local men
have assumed the leadership of the church, with
the elders sharing the teaching and running of
the service.” They also saw the enormous need
for young men to lead in the church and
community.
Each of the NSW teams shared in regular church
services and the regular parts of a week in the life
12THEPULSE
schools. Team members revealed hidden talents
in music and drama. A year 3 student from Moss
Vale Public was asked about the presentation, his
answer:“It was awesome” with both thumbs up!
The Highlands team also worked with church
members to hold a women’s lunch, a men’s
dinner and funhouse, a children’s outreach. They
ran a chapel service at a local nursing home and
were involved in a seminar at the local Anglican
school.
The program at Kempsey-South West Rocks
included a men’s prawn and snooker night,
dialogue meetings, a ladies’ coffee and dessert
evening, youth group and hymn-fests. Two
hymn-fests, featuring “old favourites” were
effective outreach. The musical talent of team
members added to the success of the hymnfests. A few students also had the chance to be
part of a live radio broadcast.
At Coffs Harbour the team were part of a men’s
dinner and a carnival style family fun day. They
also shared the gospel in the mall using some
street art of Two Ways to Live in bottle tops to
start conversations.
Steve North (minister of Moss Vale and interimmoderator of Bowral-Mittagong) offered this
assessment,“The team showed that we can be
united in Christ while ministering to our local
area. I'm prayerful that our gracious Lord will use
the seeds sown last week to raise a mighty
harvest for his glory.”
Peter Moore, the lecturer who went to the
Highlands told Pulse,“I was really proud of the
consistently high standard of ministry of the
team members – their thoughtful passion,
Rocks, was excited about the results of the week.
He saw church members courageously inviting
friends to come and hear the gospel. The result
was that the churches there have more than
twenty people to follow up, and six are going to
do the “Introducing God” course.
Jamie Newans, minister of Coffs Harbour, said
that “Each of the team members had particular
strengths and gifts and it was great to see these
in action throughout the week, as well as seeing
them have a go at things they may not have
done before.”
PTC students and people from the churches
finished the week with new friends and a
renewed excitement about being part of God’s
mission to his world. Simon Wong, the student
leader of the Southern Highlands team, thought
about the team and churches and said that
“there was a very real living joy of Christian
fellowship and we all took much encouragement
from our common desire to see the Gospel
flourish amongst the churches and the entire
region. The team made their mark in the lives of
those in the Southern Highlands, but they had
also made their mark in ours.”
how to invite a
PTC mission team to
your church
PTC is interested in arranging missions to
churches. There will be no missions next year,
but expressions of interest for 2010 should be
sent to John McClean at
[email protected] .
presbyterianyouth:
diversity the key to
Port Macquarie mission
University students and workers, various ethnic
representatives and people with an array of
different skills united in their passion to serve
when the Chinese Presbyterian Church and
Presbyterian Youth sent a team to support Port
Macquarie Presbyterian Church in a week of
mission late last year.
The mission is part of a three year plan, where the
team goes to a church over three years to
partner with that church in spreading the good
news of Jesus with the community.
This December will be the second year the team
heads to Port Macquarie, where they will have
the theme,“We Belong to God”. After three years
partnering with the church to resource and
equip them to implement their own outreach in
future years, the team will move on to another
country church.
One team member hoping to return is Sylvia
Tanious, who said she had been inspired to see
how such a diverse group of people, with
different experiences and interests – from all
different walks of life – were brought together
and united through the Holy Spirit.
“We prayed together, encouraged, supported
and served each other – all because we loved
God and were serving Him.”
The week of mission revolved around the theme
of God as Creator. That message was taken into
schools in the region and communicated
through music, mime, testimonies and small
group interactions.
In one small group, at a school that had never
had Scripture or Special Religious Education, one
of the Year Nine students asked Sylvia how she
knew God was real.
“In a couple of minutes,” she said,“I was able to
tell him about the real changes and impact God
has made in my life and the visible display of His
work all around me.”
On another day, after presenting their message in
three primary schools and visiting a nursing
home, the team also ran a dinner prepared by the
male members.
Those who are often forgotten in the community
were not neglected either, as the team visited six
retirement villages and nursing homes in as
many days. They entertained the elderly and
infirm while all the time trying to be an
encouragement and a witness to the frail,
exhausted and often overlooked.
In the afternoons the team ran a Kid’s Club. This
activity led up to a Carols by Candlelight event
on the Saturday night hosted by the church. The
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: HELEN (LEFT) TALKS TO A RESIDENT AT A NURSING HOME; THE PORT MACQUARIE MISSION TEAM WITH SOME MEMBERS
OF PORT MACQUARIE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH; THE TEAM TEACHES KIDS FROM PORT MACQUARIE PRIMARY SCHOOL A FEW SONGS.
Women from the church invited their friends to
what one described as a “top restaurant quality”
meal.
While the men on the team prepared and served
the meal to the 80 women who came, the
females entertained them and mingled with the
guests. On Saturday morning, at a Men’s
Breakfast, the men and women reversed the
roles. More than 50 fifty men turned out to eat a
breakfast cooked by the women on the team.
letter-box drop that alerted the wider
community to this activity even attracted visitors
from overseas. On that night, by the time the
team finished running this event they had been
working to communicate the love of God for
over 16 hours, nonstop.
If you’re interested in joining the team, or for further
information, please contact Mick Quirk at PY on 8567
4700 or by email [email protected]
touch football brings
together youth
by peter adamson
Twenty churches from across Sydney and Wollongong fielded teams for Presbyterian
Youth’s annual touch football competition, played at Presbyterian Ladies College
Croydon in perfect autumn weather, on April 12.
Ashfield was the eventual winner for the third
consecutive year over Bexley.
But participation rather than winning or losing,
was the theme of the day, which was such a
success that PY would like to continue to see the
competition grow.
“Obviously teams are limited by how far they can
travel for a day comp, but teams have come from
Southern Highlands, Newcastle, Bathurst – even
Tumut.” PY General Manager Murray Norman
said.
“The possibility exists for the competition to grow
and develop into a key day in any youth group’s
annual program. It’s a great day for youth groups
to get together, play a bit of footy and hang out
with each other – and with a couple of hundred
other teenagers from around the place. It can also
be used by youth groups as an opportunity for
their teenagers to invite non-Christian friends.”
The rules of touch football encourage participation and
teamwork, not size and speed. Both boys and girls can play.
There is no contact other than a touch, which immediately
brings play to a stop. Games are played in two sevenminute halves and there is a turnover after every six
touches.
In order to encourage participation, only two of the players
on the field could be over 25 and, at any time, two of the
players had to be female. Regular interchanges were
allowed and encouraged so, everyone had the opportunity
to participate at some point.
From PY’s perspective it takes a lot of skill to organise the
day. Not only does it take three fields, nearly 200 players, six
referees and three balls to make a competition. But also
everyone who is a player and all their supporters have to be
fed lunch and looked after.
THE TOUCH FOOTBALL COMP IS RUN ON A SATURDAY IN THE TERM ONE
HOLIDAYS EVERY YEAR. WHY NOT LOOK AT INCLUDING IT IN YOUR
YOUTH GROUP CALENDAR IN 2009? FOR MORE INFORMATION,
CONTACT THE PY OFFICE ON 8567 4700.
TOP: MEMBERS OF THE STRATHFIELD AND
HURSTVILLE TEAMS CATCH UP. ABOVE: THE
CENTRAL SYDNEY TEAM GETS READY TO RESTART.
13THEPULSE
overseasmission:
short-term
mission
gives Siobhan a taste for God’s work
She’s only 19 but that wasn’t going to stop
Springwood/Winmalee Presbyterian Church’s Siobhan
Wood from fulfilling a goal to do some overseas
missionary work when the opportunity arose.
Siobhan recently returned from a month-long
stint in Bangladesh where she worked as camp
cook during a short term Proshikkhon mission
trip led by Keith Benn and organised through
Mission Partners (also known as the Presbyterian
World Mission), Wycliffe Bible Translators and
Bible Student Fellowship of Bangladesh.
“It came about with the realisation that some
Bengali Christians, although passionate about
God, were still practising their tribal traditions,
partly because they did not have the Bible
written in their own language,” she said.
“Although there is a Bengali Bible, not all
Bangladeshis can speak it let alone read it. There
are many different dialects in Bangladesh. Also,
they don't know another way to live.”
Siobhan’s team worked with small groups of
tribal pastors and Christians and helped them to
really look at their culture and realise what their
beliefs were.
“Just imagine if you were asked to tell someone
what Australian beliefs are. Sure you might be
able to give a few surface ones, but it's not until
you get someone who has pretty much no idea
what-so-ever about your culture asking you to
explain until they understand it that you can
truly discover what the underlying beliefs are,”
she said.
“We focused on sickness. We
asked the three tribal groups mine was Garo; the other two
were Hajong, and Hodi - to
imagine if in the morning they
woke up to find their child very
sick and continued to get worse
throughout the day until at 4pm
the child died.
“For about four days we sat with
our designated tribal groups
and asked them what they
would 'typically' do throughout
that day, how they would
behave, and then why they did
that. From that we worked out
their beliefs. Then we spent the
next few days finding different
Biblical references to those beliefs and practices,
then after we translated them we got them to
look over them and they worked out as a group
what things/aspects they should reject, accept, or
transform.“
The trip wasn’t, she said, about turning the
people into `Western Christians’, but rather, better
Bengali Christians.
“Obviously it's an ongoing thing for them as
church leaders to continue to look at their
culture.”
Siobhan says her experience was so rewarding
that she would like to go back to Bangladesh and
SIOBHAN WITH SOME OF THE CHILDREN SHE MET WHILE
ON A PROSHIKKHON MISSION IN BANGLADESH.
visit her brothers and sisters in Christ.“Long term
I'd like to continue doing God's will and go
wherever He may lead, whether that be overseas
somewhere or right next door,” she said.
For more information on Proshikkhon contact:
Keith Benn
Wycliffe Australia
Proshikkhon Coordinator
29 Cotswold St
CARINA QLD 4152
[email protected]
pray, give, go:
with Naomi Reed
but how can I best prepare to go?
When Darren and I felt led
to serve in Nepal in the
early 90s, we were filled
with enthusiasm for the
task. We had read all that
we could about the physical and spiritual needs
in that country and we couldn’t wait to get there
and begin the task of ministering cross-culturally.
It was like we wanted to jump on an express train
and anything less, especially anything with stops,
was merely fuel for our frustration.
So when we applied to INF and discovered that
the process of application and preparation would
take at least 18 months, we were horrified.
How could it possibly take that long? Surely God
had already shown us the need and given us a
heart to serve him in Nepal. Wasn’t that enough?
Over the next 18 months, the answer became
clearly ‘no’.
One of the biggest challenges in missionary
preparation is working out the best ways to
prepare for your new life while still carrying on
normal life in Australia and earning a living.
Often, mission agencies require a certain amount
of theological training as well as specific intensive
cross-cultural training. Sometimes, further
professional qualifications are required to gain a
work visa into the new country.
14THEPULSE
As well as that, the applicant usually wants to
begin to meet nationals from that country and
start language and cultural training while still
here in Australia. And on top of all that, the oftendaunting task of support-raising and spreading
the vision must be tackled.
Over time, the question becomes more, ‘How will
we ever be ready?’ rather than, ‘Why can’t we go
tomorrow?’
But perhaps that very feeling of inadequacy that
begins during missionary preparation is one of
the most important aspects of the journey.
Rather than being
something to be
discouraged by, it
becomes instead the
trigger that causes us to
rely more and more on
God. We begin to cling on
to his sovereignty and
adequacy to meet the
need, rather than on our
own clever abilities.
And more than anything,
that’s what we need to
know and to do in the cultures to which we are
sent, where stress and challenge and ambiguity
are daily realities. If God is sovereign and able in
Australia, then He is equally sovereign and able in
Tanzania and Sri Lanka, Nepal and PNG, Iraq and
Bolivia.
If God is sovereign and able within a society of
affluence and wealth then He is equally sovereign
and able within a society of poverty and war.
And we begin to see over time that He is able
because He is, not because we have just reached
our 80 per cent support target or finished our
final interview. And it’s this very reliance on the
One who holds all things in His hands that is the
best preparation for any of us, for service
anywhere.
NAOMI REED IS A RETURNED MISSIONARY WHO IS
CURRENTLY ON THE INTERSERVE STATE COMMITTEE, THE INF
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE AND SERVES AS A FACILITATOR
FOR MISSIONS INTERLINK. SHE AND HER FAMILY ATTEND
BLAXLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
intouch:
yearbook & church directoryalterations
If you have a copy of the Presbyterian
Church of Australia (NSW) Yearbook and
Church Directory, then it’s time to mark
some changes in it, as many people have
been on the move since The Presbyterian
Pulse was last published.
EMAIL ADDRESSES
If you have changed your details and
would like to include them in next
month’s column, please forward to
[email protected] or call Suzanne
on (02) 9690 9371.
MINISTERS, HOME
MISSIONARIES, ETC.
Graham Self
[email protected]
Richard Lee
[email protected]
Rev. Angus and Mrs. Jean Beaton
“Deepwater Court” Retirement Village
To buy a copy of the yearbook, contact: 17 / 25 Park Road
Woy Woy NSW 2256
Mignon Goswell (Manager, PTC Media) H: (02) 4342 5061
684 Elgar Road
Very Rev. Bruce Christian will be
Box Hill North Vic 3129
officially retiring as minister at Rose
Australia
Bay Presbyterian Church from
M: 0400 880 515
September 5 2008. His new address
F: +61 3 9898 9872
from July 5 2008 (when he effectively
or
completes his ministry at Rose Bay) will
be:
Walter Bruining
85 Hutton Ave
Australian Presbyterian Office
Bulli NSW 2516
PO Box 375
M: 0404 108 947
Kilsyth Vic. 3137
E:
[email protected]
T: (03) 9723 9684
F: (03) 9723 9685
E: [email protected]
book
review
by david hann
Catch the Vision (John J. Murray)
(EVANGELICAL PRESS)
Have you ever wondered whether you might see
our Lord ignite a revival to your neighborhood,
Rev. David Tsai will be the Interim
Moderator Designate for Rose Bay
Presbyterian Church.
OTHER
Rev. Harrijanto Rusli
5 Kanoona Avenue
Homebush NSW 2140
H/F: (02) 9706 7900
O: (02) 9559 6910
M: 0403 169 011
E:
[email protected]
Kurri Kurri Presbyterian Church
PO Box 356
Kurri Kurri NSW 2327
New postal address:
Services at Woolgoolga Presbyterian
Church have ceased from the
beginning of May. Woolgoolga was
part of the Coffs Harbour Presbyterian
Rev. Adriaan Schepel, M.W.C. translated Church.
Sydney South to The Hawkesbury
Presbytery on 11 March 2008
9 Pepperidge Avenue
Oakhurst NSW 2761
T:
(02) 8665 6843
M: 0406 315 091
E:
asterracottem.com.au
Rev. Robin Turner, will be the
Moderator for the Home Mission
Station of Cessnock-Kurri Kurri
Presbyterian Church from 12 May 2008.
Rev. Keith Walker
13 Railway Parade
Springwood NSW 2777
T:
(02) 4751 6674
E:
[email protected]
town or city? How might our Lord bring that
about in this great country that often seems so
spiritually barren?
You can’t help but be inspired to catch the vision
as John J Murray explores the way the Lord has
moved over the past 50 years to recover the
Reformed faith.
With profound insight and warm zeal he shows
how Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Geoffrey Williams, JI
Packer, Iain Murray and other notable leaders
have been used mightily by God to revive the
Reformed faith in mid-20th century United
Kingdom, Wales and beyond.
Catch the Vision is an invitation to believe that
God can renew his church when God appointed
leaders preach the truth of His Word with faithful
passion and conviction.
Catch the Vision is available for $22 from
Reformers’ Bookshop:
www.reformers.com.au
Tel: (02) 9569 9857
Fax: (02) 9569 8039
email: [email protected]
DAVID HANN IS THE MANAGER OF REFORMERS BOOKSHOP
peopleprofile: paul cooper
CONTINUED FROM PG 10
Then with goals achieved, it was time to move
on – so he set off for the Presbyterian
Theological Centre as a lecturer in pastoral
theology, remaining there 14 years helping to
train a generation of ministers. During this time
he completed a research masters on the
Westminster Confession in Victoria, which set
the scene for what happened at church union
in 1901. “Unusual, a science major doing a
history degree,” he jokes. “But then, I was also a
school chaplain without teacher training!”
Paul also completed a Masters in Adult
Education and is currently completing a PhD
on John Hay Goodlet, an Elder at Ashfield. He
has been a Trustee of the Church’s Property
Trust for seven years.
He returned to church ministry four years ago
with his move to Beecroft and has also
continued as Convenor (chairman) of
Presbyterian Social Services, which he had
joined while at the PTC as a result of his
concern at the attitude he felt had arisen of a
sharp distinction between the Gospel and the
ministry of `help’. Paul feels they should be
kept together with the ministry of ‘help’ being
an outworking of the Gospel.
When it was decided to combine all the
Church’s aged care facilities to form
Presbyterian Aged Care (PAC), Paul was keen to
ON GETTING THINGS DONE: PAUL COOPER DOESN’T BELIEVE
IN WAITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT. “MY WIFE SAYS I AM
LIKE A BULL TERRIER WITH A BONE. I DON’T GIVE IN EASILY”.
find a new direction for his Social Services
committee. Allowah Children’s Hospital was on
the market and Social Services CEO, Colin
Llewellyn, and Paul saw it as a golden
opportunity to live out the Gospel.
Social Services also deals with child protection
issues, runs a counselling service, has facilities
run in conjunction with DoCs, has a recycling
business and runs chaplaincy in hospitals and
jails.
Back behind the pulpit at Beecroft
Presbyterian Church, Paul says he is enjoying a
harmonious relationship with his
congregation. “I think the fact I am older and
have had a lot of experience, has allowed me
to negotiate a number of minefields in my
church life without too many explosions,” he
says. “I am tough, diplomatic and I smile a lot.
The big test, of course, is to remain united
when we disagree.”
15THEPULSE
lastword:
with peter barnes
NICODEMUS AND THE NEW
BIRTH (John 3:1-15)
Jesus Christ is the
unique God-man. That
is how John introduces
Him (John 1:1, 14). Now
we want to look at
Jesus' conversation
with Nicodemus, a
learned Pharisee and
a member of the
Sanhedrin (the ruling body of the Jews).
Just as there are supposed to be three Rs in
education (reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic), so
there are three Rs in Christianity - ruin by the
Fall, regeneration by the Spirit, and
redemption through the sacrifice of the Godman.
1. We are all ruined by the Fall.
Nicodemus is introduced to us in verse 1 as a
Pharisee, not one of those half-hearted liberal
Sadducees, but a strict and earnest Pharisee.
He was a ruler of the Jews, which means that
he was a member of the Jewish ruling council
known as the Sanhedrin. Verse 10 says that
he is, literally, 'the teacher of Israel' not 'a
master' as the KJV has it. This is a man with a
few clues - a doctorate in divinity, even. This is
a pious, orthodox teacher of the Law.
He approaches Jesus with some respect and
humility: ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a
teacher come from God, for no one can do
these signs that you do unless God is with
him’ (3:2). He comes at night, perhaps out of
fear of what people will think or perhaps out
of a desire for uninterrupted conversation. He
calls Jesus 'Rabbi' even though Jesus has no
formal qualifications. So he was impressed by
Jesus' teaching; and he accepted that Jesus
had performed miracles; he does not try to
explain these away.
Yet Jesus speaks to him as though he does
not possess any spiritual clue at all. Jesus tells
him that one must be born again to see the
kingdom of God (3:3), to which Nicodemus
responds: ‘How can a man be born when he
is old? Can he enter a second time into his
mother’s womb and be born?’ (3:4). The key
to Jesus' treatment of Nicodemus' spiritual
condition is found in verse 6: ‘That which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit’. We are all either in
Adam or in Christ. If we are still in Adam, we
are flesh of flesh, sin of sin, corruption of
corruption; but if we are in Christ we have
the Spirit, we are in another realm.
Those in the flesh, the natural man, cannot
please God (Rom.8:7-8). For all his religion, his
being a Pharisee and a teacher of the Law,
Nicodemus did not possess the Spirit and so
did not understand what Jesus was talking
about. Adam’s Fall has ruined us all. Do you find it
easier to gossip or to pray? To read the Bible or
watch television? To speak of Christ or of the
last football game? The answer is obvious: we
are not naturally spiritual.
2. We all need to be regenerated by the Spirit.
Jesus pounces on Nicodemus. Bluntly and
repeatedly He tells him that he needs to be
born again, and that can only come from the
Spirit of God. Five times He speaks of the
rebirth (vv.3, 5, 6, 7, 8) and three times He says
that this comes about through the Holy Spirit
(vv.5, 6, 8). The 'water and the Spirit' in verse 5
may mean the water is a way of referring to
the Spirit (Calvin), or it may refer to baptism
with water and the Spirit, or, most likely, it
may refer to physical birth or generation and
spiritual rebirth and regeneration. Semen is
one thing, the Holy Spirit quite another.
Whatever the case, the emphasis is on the Spirit's
work. What is true of Nicodemus is true of all
of us. ‘You (plural) must be born again,’ says
verse 7. Jesus does not give Nicodemus a selfhelp programme: 'Lay off the cigarettes and
the grog. Stop lazing around in front of the
television, and you will be right.' Jesus is not
speaking of improvement so much as a new
creation (2 Cor.5:17).
The coming of the Spirit brings the new birth
- a new disposition, a new outlook, a new
understanding, a new character. The person
noticeboard:
job opportunities, seminars & misc.
PY Winter Youth Camps
Surplus Sancturary Furniture
YEARS 5 AND 6, JUNIOR YEARS 710 SENIOR YEARS
11 AND 12 AND POST SCHOOL
Belconnen Home Mission Station is looking
for a new home for surplus sanctuary
furniture. New owners are sought for
matching Moderator’s chair and two elders’
chairs, plus a communion table. The chairs
have padded seats. The timber is a maple
colour and all four pieces have curved legs.
The table is 1240mm long x 720mm wide x
950mm high. All are in good condition.
Enquiries to:
Mrs Jenette Cram
Session Clerk
Tel: (02) 62787379
PO Box 815
Belconnen ACT 2616
Application forms: www.pynsw.org.au
or call the PY office on (02) 8567 4700
Early bird closing date: May 16
Camp dates: Long weekend, June 6-9
Location: The Tops Conference Centre
between Wollongong and Sydney
College registrar
The Presbyterian Theological Centre is
seeking to engage a part-time Registrar to
assist with its growing administrative load.
Applicants should have high level
administrative skills and preferably a
theological degree.
For terms and conditions, contact the
Administrator at [email protected]
who is born again of the Spirit of God
suddenly has some idea of who God is, what
His kingdom is all about, why as a sinner he
needs to trust in Christ alone for salvation,
and what it means to be a child of God.
Regeneration is a supernatural act - it is
something God does, not us.
3. We all need to be redeemed by Christ.
A person who is born again will trust in
Christ - in His person (who He is) and in His
work (what He came to do). He will trust in the
Redeemer (3:10-13). Jesus is referring to
Himself as the Son of Man, as He so often
did. Nicodemus in verse 2 had said: We know
that you are a teacher from God. Jesus in
verse 11 says: We know a bit more than that.
Then He goes on to say in verse 13 that no
one has been to heaven and come back to
tell us about it, but the Son of Man came
from heaven (see 1 Cor.15:47). The first of the
heavenly things Jesus spoke about is Himself
- He came from heaven.
Then Jesus tells Nicodemus of His work: ‘And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up, that whoever believes in Him may have
eternal life’ (3:14-15). Back in Numbers 21
there was a plague of serpents in the desert.
God told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent
on a rod, that whoever looked upon the rod
with faith might live. A serpent on a rod
might seem a strange picture of Christ. A
lamb, not a serpent, surely. But on the cross,
Christ took the curse of sin upon Himself; He
became a curse for sinners (Gal.3:13).
We have reason to believe that Nicodemus
did receive new life by the Spirit and come
to faith in Christ (see John 7:50-52; 19:38-42).
That is the issue for us too. If the Spirit has
worked in your life, you will trust in the
divine Redeemer, who satisfied the justice of
God by dying in the place of sinners at
Calvary. All of us have been ruined; ask
yourself whether you have been regenerated
by the Spirit, and redeemed by Christ.
THE REV DR PETER BARNES IS A LECTURER IN CHURCH HISTORY AT
THE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL CENTRE AND MINISTER AT
REVESBY CHURCH. HE HAS PUBLISHED A NUMBER OF WORKS
INCLUDING COMMENTARIES AND IS A REGULAR FEATURE WRITER
FOR AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINES.
Bowral accommodation
Two units are currently available at
Presbyterian Aged Care’s Park-Linn Haven,
Bowral retirement village. Ideally located
close to Bowral Hospital, the village is
opposite the historic Bradman Oval and
Museum and close to the local bowling
club. Local bus services operate past the
door and the village is within walking
distance of Bowral shopping centre,
Wingecarribee Shire Library and local
churches.
The village consists of 12 architectdesigned units set in large park-like
gardens. The available units are located on
the first floor, have two bedrooms, two
bathrooms including provision for laundry
facilities, lounge/dining room and private
balcony. A monitored emergency call
system has also been installed for added
peace of mind.
The units are available on a lend/lease basis
starting from $215,000.
For further information, please contact
Lisa Ralphs on 02 9690 9319.