SUMMER 2019
unveiled
IN THIS ISSUE
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A Call to Egypt
Welcome Thoughts From our Senior Pastor
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From Conversation Class to Community
ONE Conference
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Planning the Perfect Christmas Allowing space for God to work
Reflections on 10 Years of Ministry in Egypt
Spearheading the Call to Live Boldly
The Universal Language of Friendship
14 Pursuing Excellence
Athol Alcorn’s Kokoda Trek at 87
28 Living in the Community for the Community How a Healthy Church is Actually Good for You!
46 Financial summary
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Beyond our Walls
Buckets of Joy Bringing Joy to Local Families at Christmas
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Choosing Light over Darkness
900+ Children Enjoy a Positive Alternative to Halloween
38 Navigating the Unknown
One Couple Reflect on the Streams Course
Celebrating What Our Church Family is Doing in the Wider Community!
Tracking Riverlife’s financial progress.
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In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. M AT T H E W 5 : 1 6 ( N I V )
Typically, over the last month or so, farmers would be gathering the harvest. Of course, this harvest was only possible because of the investment that was made to intentionally sow their crops some five or six months prior. During that growing period the health of the crop was dependent on factors such as water, temperatures and nutrient levels, just to name a few. The thing is that it doesn’t matter if it is the season of sowing, tending or harvest, there is always work to do! After spending time going from village to village proclaiming the good news and healing sickness and disease, Jesus saw that there was so much need among the people and so few helpers to do the work. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38 NIV) As we enter a time of celebration, a time where we
pray for a harvest of people to come into the Kingdom of God, let us also be intentional about sowing and tending to the work of the Kingdom. It’s all too easy during the summer break to switch off, but the reality is the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Can I encourage you that while you rest your body and mind from everyday work and while you are enjoying a season of celebration with family, be intentional about your investment into Kingdom work. Look for the opportunity to tell others what God has done in your life and the hope that this can bring to their lives as well. Thank you all for a wonderful year at Riverlife. I wish you a very happy and holy Christmas and a prosperous and safe New Year. I hope you enjoy this edition of Unveiled. God bless, John Robertson Senior Pastor
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Planning the Perfect Christmas Do Christmas celebrations always end up a disaster? What happens when we lay down our plans and leave room for God to work on a day that is ultimately, about Him? Christmas at my house is always a complicated time. There are both sets of families, lots of children, events, productions, church services, parties, breakups; just about everything that you think could be in there! Plus, of course, that family birthday that is always awkwardly close to Christmas. In our recent production of ‘A Smithkins Family Christmas’ we saw how even the Smithkins family’s carefullytuned plans for Christmas ended up a complicated affair thanks to unexpected visitors and natural disasters!
It’s pretty easy to get lost in the busyness of the Christmas season. I know some of you are even thinking, “Oh, he should have said ‘holiday’ season, Christmas isn’t that inclusive anymore.” That just adds more complexity to the whole thing. And, at risk of being Grinch-like, it can sometimes be enough to want just to shut the whole thing down. The Sherriff of Nottingham in the classic Robin Hood movie may have been on to something when he threatened to cancel Christmas. But none of us really want that, do we? If you’re a
parent, you may be actually considering that idea. But deep down, there’s a desire to re-connect with either the golden age of Christmas-past, where we were young, not knowing the family politics that raged over the meal and the hosting duties. That, or the desire to have the Christmas we never had, maybe the one we think we’re owed and what we believe it always should have been. The more profound question that pops into my mind when I think through all of this is: what does the perfect Christmas really look like? If we go back to the first Christmas, it wasn’t the best-laid plans coming off without a hitch. The stable wasn’t the perfect labour suite with the right lights and the perfect music. The gifts weren’t overly helpful for a newborn: no nappies, barrier cream, onesies or picture books. The greeting by smelly shepherds and exotic Magi weren’t the family and friends that people want in the pictures of the magic moment. What it looked like was God’s best plans for humanity coming upon unsuspecting but willing participants, ushering in the single most important moment in time: the life of the Messiah. I’m almost certain that Mary didn’t plan it to look like
that. Joseph quite clearly didn’t plan for his bride to be pregnant by God with the saviour of the world. For him, Mary’s pregnancy was something that in hindsight, was a seismic blessing, but at the moment was utterly awkward. I think we are in danger of missing a crucial aspect of Christmas when we put our plans before the purpose of Christmas: remember that God loved everyone enough to give up His perfect place and position, and to enter into human history, the way everyone else did, so that by becoming the same as us, He was able to redeem us. That is the most important thing – that we stop for a moment and reflect upon the astounding mystery of God and why He would do something so seemingly mundane, so fragile, so earthy and human, to restore us to something so high and significant and glorious: intimacy with the divine. I don’t have a problem with the parties and the presents. It’s important to celebrate significant moments. The important part is that we actually take a moment to remember it. Think of a wedding, or a 21st birthday, or any other significant family celebration. There’s always a
bit that most people hate: the speeches. Having done a lot of weddings, I celebrate a lot of receptions. I used to roll my eyes when the parents got up, when the awkward best man circles around stories that we all wanted to hear but are totally inappropriate for such a special day. But I’ve come to love those moments, because it lets me glimpse behind the scenes, behind that relationship I have with the couple, and see them in the context of what is most important. I hear parents express what they desired for their child, what hopes and dreams they had and still have for their loved one, awkwardly emotional and deeply-held desires coming out. The people being celebrated share something, usually a long list of thank-yous. And I think these moments are what we can recapture at Christmas, that will bring us back to a place of making the celebrations point to the right person. N.T. Wright points out that if we take Christmas out of the Bible, we only lose a few chapters from the start of some of the gospels, but if we remove Easter, we lose the entire point
of the New Testament, and indeed, redemptive history. But Easter doesn’t happen without a Christmas, and Christmas holds with it the hope of the Resurrection. Christmas shows us the goodness of God. It displays His character and His promises. Christmas gives us the reality of His incarnation, His immanence, His faithfulness to commit to us for the long journey of life. Christmas provides us with the opportunity to celebrate this about Jesus. What if Christmas for each of us becomes the place where we make the family toast about the goodness and faithfulness of God? Why this becomes an essential element of Christmas for us is that what we celebrate, we replicate in those we are in relationship with. When we make Christmas about the consumer experience only, we replicate that in the children, the family, and the broader community around us. We replicate or we reinforce it, depending on how embedded that culture already is, and how influential we are in those relationships. As we approach this Christmas, and the freshness of a New Year, what are we celebrating, and so replicating in our families, relationships and communities?
I started out to write this article to come up with some ideas about how families could discuss Christmas together. I think, knowing my family, they can smell a set-up a mile off, and they know when Dad wants to talk about serious things. I don’t think that’s always a bad thing, but you know your loved ones better than I do, and you know what you are personally thankful for better than I do.
Instead of having a list of preplanned conversation starters, why not replicate a little of the first Christmas: no plan, simply humble people with a willing attitude to be thankful for the arrival of God into our existence, an arrival that set in motion a series of events that led to a Saviour for all humanity. Like the Smithkins family in the Christmas show, why not let it be awkward, let it be honest, let it be a little messy? Let God lead you over the Christmas season and start to let the joy of the Saviour infuse your celebrations, as you let some of your plans go. Let the little kids ask the obvious questions. Pose a pointed question to that awkward uncle, or press your friend to really share something personal. But let it start with you, being vulnerable and open to being real about why you are thankful for the birth of our Saviour. Maybe our willingness to let our carefully laid plans go will help us find God’s plan for Christmas.
Jo Leutton Spiritual Formation Pastor
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I get the feeling that if we take the moments to discuss the nature of the gifts we receive, it opens the door to talking about the gift of Jesus. When I am giving my kids a gift, I like to choose something that they will love, appreciate or be blessed by. A simple moment to ask why they love something, or why they are thankful for that gift, allows us to open the conversation to how this whole season stems from one gift. Simple moments of prayer, gratitude, and Bible reading can make a huge difference. Why not take a moment at the next Christmas celebration to read a short section of the Christmas narratives? Read Luke 2, or the second half of Matthew 1. Why not take a moment, step through the awkwardness, and just express why you’re thankful to Jesus in this Christmas season?
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ONE Conference Wrap Up ONE Conference – ‘ALTAR’ was a thrust forward to the frontline for many of our youth and young adults. We knew as a team in the lead up that God was speaking about presenting ourselves as living sacrifices and that in doing so, we would see lives transformed. Teams of people prayed that our young people would be altered, never to be the same again. We are seeing fruit of the fulfillment of those prayers. Now, I love these types of events for the obvious reasons. They’re fun and God always does amazing things. It is often events like ONE Conference or Awaken Camp that we hear about in people’s baptism testimonies as
a moment when God changed everything. However, the unseen teamwork that goes on to pull something like this off is something that I’m continually blown away by. Not only do we have an amazing team of leaders for our youth and YAs, but at ONE Conference our teams from events, production, worship, pastors, street teams, prayer, prophetic, art, dance, life groups, and church family in general all come together as one big team. Thank you to all those who joyfully served and the parents who invested in this year’s conference. I believe it is these beautiful offerings to the Lord of time, talents, treasure, energy, and love that move His heart and attracts His presence.
Our guest speaker was Richie Seltzer: he is a man on fire, burning with passion to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to the world with the boldness and power of the Holy Spirit. He is committed to equip the church worldwide to get off the bench and into the game, actively sharing our faith. What’s arguably more exciting
is his personal dedication to preach the Gospel to everyone. I witnessed this firsthand each time we were anywhere in public, getting coffee or a bite to eat. Richie was constantly loving people and Father God through his obedience to share the good news of Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit. On one specific occasion before the conference, we were just out getting some burgers. In the midst of making sure that there was no ‘devil sauce’ on the burger – Richie’s code name for mayo – he received an accurate word of knowledge for the employee’s back pain, reached across the counter held hands and prayed. Right there, in the matter of about two minutes, the Gospel was preached with love and confirmed with power as the woman’s pain left and she received a gift from her loving Father in Heaven. Richie shared many testimonies like this with us at conference and by the time outreach electives came, I was so excited to see how God would move. We had more than 200 youth and young adults filled up with the love of God hitting the streets and shopping centres in our community. For the first time, we had a prayer command centre of
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It is His presence that changes a fun weekend away with your friends into a life-altering experience with God. He promises to draw near to us when we draw near to Him, and this is why I am so grateful that our young people are cultivating hearts to worship God and are growing up experiencing Him for themselves. God’s word promises us that in His presence is fullness of joy, and in a time when depression and anxiety run rampant, there is no better place for them to be! We spent hours in worship over the two days at ONE conference, and God made good on His word. He came close and the evidence was seen in a boldness to love others as we went outside the walls of the church to share Christ. This has always been an aspect of ONE Conference, but this year it was a whole other level.
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intercessors asking the Lord for specific people that God would have us meet and minister to. Outreach teams were connected in a group message and when the intercessors felt God gave them a word of knowledge, they would post it to help the team on the ground. For example, God revealed to the prayer team that we would meet someone in a red hat and shortly after we found the guy at Woolworths in Mt Ommaney. The testimony goes beyond words, but essentially he and his close friend both became Christians that night, his partner was moved to tears by the revelation of God’s love toward her, and his other friend who he later brought to church received an accurate word of knowledge about his life and discovered the goodness of God. That is just one of many testimonies of people sharing the love and message of Jesus with people outside the church’s walls. Something that Richie spoke about over the weekend was Jesus’ words to his disciples “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” He was speaking to them about the fields that are ripe for harvest. That it is nourishing to our faith and lives to work in the fields of souls, sharing the love and message of Jesus everywhere we go. Our young people were so energized by the
ways they saw God moving and how he used them in the harvest, that they are still gathering regularly and going out to share the gospel with whoever they are led to.
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” ISAIAH 52:7
This year’s conference was life altering: we’ve come into His presence, experienced His love and have been reminded when Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 28 it was not the ‘Great Suggestion’ to go make disciples of all the nations, it was, and is still today, the ‘Great Commission’ for all believers. This includes our youth and young adults and it includes me and it includes you! Dylan Krause Youth and Young Adults Pastor
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He is Majesty
Athol Alcorn 2019
Pursuing Excellence At 87, Athol Alcorn is the oldest person to ever complete the Kokoda Track. Initially walking for excellence, Athol soon discovered the type of excellence God had in mind.
A pillar of the Riverlife community, at 87 Athol Alcorn is the oldest person to ever complete the Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea. Not for the faint-hearted, this track marks the location of the battle that took place between Japanese and predominantly Australian allied forces during World War II in 1942. Tropical weather conditions including intense humidity, cold nights and diseases such as malaria make this a challenging ordeal that usually takes between four to twelve days to complete. On top of that, Athol is completely blind in one eye from macular degeneration and has just ten percent peripheral vision in his other eye.
Born in 1932 as the first baby in the Bundaberg Hospital, Athol Alcorn has always excelled in challenging circumstances. He was one of six children born to Margaret and David Alcorn and because he was the firstborn at the new hospital, Athol was presented with a commemorative silver mug at birth by the later to be the 26th Queensland Premier Ned Hanlon. Sadly, this treasured memento was lost on a canoeing trip when Athol was a teenager. After losing his Dad when he was just 18 months old, Athol and his five siblings were brought to Brisbane to be closer to family. Athol’s Dad had enlisted in World War I when he was just 16 (stating on his papers that
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he was 18) and upon returning, married Margaret and opened a bakehouse. Unfortunately, a deadly flour contamination spread throughout the bakehouse during the Depression, leaving the business in ruins. Feeling unable to continue, Athol’s Dad ended his life, leaving Margaret with six children under the age of nine. “Mum used to take us down to Toowong Presbyterian every Sunday as little critters, but our mates from school went to Taringa Baptist, so we started going to Sunday School there with them. They’re still our mates today and were eventually the group that started Kenmore Baptist Church in the early days,” Athol remembers. “I didn’t like school – in early years I did – but after Grade Five I got into bad company and left school. My two standout subjects at Primary School were athletics and sport – there wasn’t much learning that went on! At 13, a lady who was like a second mum to me found me a job at Taringa in timber venetian blind making for a father-and-son business, where I stayed for 18 years. I eventually left and started my own business, which I ran for 35 years until I retired.” A keen sports fanatic, Athol also played in Melbourne at the World Masters Games for
Badminton, taking home a silver medal in the men’s singles and a gold in the mixed doubles. Athol’s saddest memory of retirement though was the fact that he had to retire from playing AFL at 78 because his eyesight deteriorated so badly. “I wanted to play AFL until I was 80, but I couldn’t manage it as I couldn’t tell the good guys from the bad guys in the end,” he said. “I’ve battled all my life because I didn’t get a good education, but thankfully I loved to work. Not having a Dad, I had trouble at school, but when I went to work alongside grown men, I was right as rain.” Always one to sow into the younger generations, Athol reflects on several men from church who were his biggest mentors, one of whom later became his father-in-law. “They would always put a hand on my shoulder and enquire about me. I didn’t do it real tough for a fatherless lad because being amongst God’s people, there were those good guys to look after me. It’s turned around for me now because so many people come up to me on a Sunday and put a hand on my shoulder and ask how I’m going. I think God’s honouring what I was able to do with young people because of those men who sowed into me. The body of
"The body of Christ is so powerful if we really belong to it "
Christ is so powerful if we really belong to it. You will answer a lot of your problems, just being a part of the body of Christ.” Athol was presented with the opportunity to walk Kokoda after listening to audio books about the events that took place there in 1942. Agreeing to walk the track with his nephew Bruce Alcorn, Athol signed up with tour group Adventure Excellence knowing that God was on his side. “You see, God was so good to me – I don’t have sick days – the only time I ever had a sick day in 18 years was the day I cut my finger off,” Athol said, shaking his head. “I came home from Kokoda and nothing hurt or ached. I don’t understand it, but God is so good to me. So, I wanted to do Kokoda as a testimony to God’s goodness to me – that at this age, because of God, I could do it” he said. Training for 17 months through two summers and a winter, Athol had to complete a stress test and subsequent fitness assessment up on Mount Coot-tha to prove his capability. At one of the final dinners on the track, one of the group leaders said that he knew within the first ten minutes that Athol was more than capable of doing the walk. While Athol feels he did ‘ok’ at
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the physical component of the trip, he felt like the excellence came from the opportunities God gave him to witness to others on the trip. “The company I trained with was called Adventure Excellence and my results of the stress test were also ‘excellent’. I then heard Will Hart speak at the Live to Love Conference about excelling for Christ and so I thought God was going to use me to excel for him in a physical capacity on the trip. But that wasn’t it – the excellence came in the opportunities God gave to me at mealtimes to share my testimony. I was able to share stories of my life with them and in the end, they asked me to pray with them,” Athol said. The group visited Isurava, the Australian memorial erected at the site where both sides suffered countless casualties in the last days of August 1942. Four black marble pillars remind visitors that the story of Kokoda was one of courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice. Some 20 porters sang a moving rendition of the national anthem at the site and Athol bravely asked to pray for the group. Later over dinner that night, many shared how their highlight of the day had been when Athol prayed at Isurava. Not deterred by daily rainfall, the group covered the 96
kilometres of rugged, isolated track, walking single file in the footsteps of those soldiers many years past. On one day, they completed a staggering 1,000 metres in ascents, as they covered the overland trail through the Owen Stanley Range. Determined to push on, Athol said while the terrain was hard, nothing was impossible with God. Given daily food rations in bags, Athol found he didn’t eat much on the trip, but really valued the cups of tea his nephew, Bruce, made for him. With his deteriorating eyesight making boiling water dangerous, the gift of a hot cup of tea was something he treasures about the trip in more ways than one. Shared mealtimes proved equally important for the group as the trek, as God’s plan for excellence began to unfold. “When we first started out sharing around the dinner table at night, I was chosen to speak first up. I hadn’t had time to prepare so just shared my testimony and how I came to know Jesus as a teenager,” Athol said. Upon hearing this story, the Kokoda crew presented Athol with a replica of the silver mug he’d lost as a teenager, which they then had inscribed to commemorate his trek. “God gives me beautiful words in my quiet times, and I put them
into poems. I got to share one of those poems on the Kokoda trip called ‘He is Majesty’. It’s a confronting poem and as I spoke it out at the table that night, I knew there wasn’t another Christian on the trip. There was so much swearing and bad language, but by the time the trip ended, there was none. The leader said to me, “I’m going to stop swearing now – I have two teenage boys and they don’t need to hear that”. That’s where God used me – not in my physical attributes, but in my ability to share my story and God’s majesty through conversation”. Having nursed his beloved wife Estelle before she passed away four years ago, Athol now volunteers at the children’s hospice Hummingbird House two days a week where children and families facing lifelimiting conditions can enjoy short breaks and care. When asked what he would like to be remembered for, Athol replied ‘that I loved the Lord’. “I know I’m going to live into my nineties; David Wagner told me that, and I believe it. Kokoda was not an obstacle because the Great Physician has my heart in His hands. I’m not planning anything marvellous to follow up. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, and God knows. He’ll sort me out.”
“It’s all to do with Jesus. I learnt that in India – when you delight in Jesus, you will know the heartbeat of God. God loves to see people adoring and delighting in Jesus. It’s going that bit further than believing and knowing we have salvation and actually delighting in Him. It’s a close walk with the Lord that makes all the difference. I’m sure as I’ve got older that I’ve got closer,” he said. “When Pastor Ric Benson first came to Kenmore Baptist Church many years ago, he bought a word to us that when you do something for the Lord, you do it with excellence. It’s still stuck with me all these years later,” he said. “Today it’s all about Jesus. It has to be all about Jesus. That’s what I’d want them to remember about me – that I love the Lord”. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that Athol does love the Lord. Excellently.
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From Conversation Class to Community Sentence structures, cups of tea and the language of love. I joined the Riverlife English conversation team in mid-2018. Initially I was passionate about helping people develop the communication skills they need to become part of their local community, but I quickly discovered that English Conversation at Riverlife meant so much more. Let me tell you about a typical week. It’s Tuesday morning, an hour before classes start, and students are already starting to arrive. Some arrive by themselves; many arrive with friends they’ve either introduced to the classes or have made at the classes.
The students help themselves to a cup of tea and settle in for a chat. Any new students and those returning after an absence are enthusiastically welcomed by the regular attendees. Everyone has stories to tell and questions to ask. For some students, it’s been a whole week since they had a faceto-face, relationship-building conversation with someone outside of their family. Classes begin. The students choose which class to join – Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced. In each class there is laughter, support, learning (language and culture) and sharing – so much sharing
about life and the challenges and opportunities of living in a country that is not your own.
Classes resume. From faux pas to the Good Samaritan and health, the topics covered are wide ranging, a reflection of English proficiency and of student and volunteer interests. At the end of class students are slow to leave, dragging out the goodbyes. Some students choose to stay on for Bible study. This is an informal affair. Over food, a Bible passage
One of the students, a selfproclaimed atheist is on a quest for more information about Christianity. Another student is a passionate believer, keen to connect with other Christians and learn more about God. Since the start of the year, multiple students have joined God’s family at these Bible studies. Wednesdays and Fridays are workshop days! Trialled this term, we have been offering a series of workshops where students can practice their English, learn new skills and connect with other members of our Riverlife family. So far, we have had Japanese Tea Ceremonies and Oriental Flower Arranging by Tomoko Kikuchi, Cake Decorating by Jojo’s Treat House, Embroidery
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And for the volunteers, opportunities to share about our lives that are centred on God. Morning tea brings with it more tea and chatter; English is practised, relationships are developed. Quietening the group for announcements is always something of a challenge but there are birthdays to celebrate, new students to welcome and invitations to Riverlife events to be issued.
is read and discussed. It’s not only an opportunity to practice English but also to ask questions and to share thoughts.
by Margo Heyburn and even a Grow your Own Food workshop by Pam Abrey. The workshops are a hit! None more popular than Margo’s, with the initial students attending week after week. The Riverlife women go out of their way to connect with the students, the teaching is great, the tea and cakes are delicious, God comes up time and time again in conversation. And so English Conversation is over for another week. Except for the chance and enthusiastic encounters with students at the local shops, and an impromptu cup of tea with a student in the Riverlife café after church on Sunday morning, and the weekly chat as students drop their daughters to Riverlife Girls’ Brigade on Tuesday night and
the daily message exchange as some of the English Conversation Bible study group read the book of Job together. English Conversation is very much about helping people develop the communication skills they need to become part of their local community. But it is also about welcoming people into the broader Riverlife community and most importantly, inviting people into God’s family. Maree Adams Volunteer at Riverlife English Conversation
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A Call to Egypt Celebrating ten years of ministry in Egypt
2019 celebrated the tenth year of our ministry in Egypt. From the humble conference beginnings with a small attendance and limited accommodation, the conference has grown each year to more than 900 attendees from all 26 provinces of Egypt gathering at the Agape Centre.
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The Agape Centre itself is testimony to God’s provision, faithfulness and that He is totally a miracle-working God! It has experienced opposition and several attempts at total destruction by radical Muslims, but praise God, it has survived and grown. It is located north west of Cairo, in a sacred and ancient area where Christians fleeing from the persecution experienced in Europe, came to practice their faith in the 3-4th century AD. They became known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. The desert monastic communities that grew out of the informal gathering of hermit monks became the model for Christian monasticism. According to tradition, the area is supposed to be where Mary and Joseph took Jesus when they fled to Egypt to protect their child from Herod. Resurrecting a former Youth With a Mission (YWAM) retreat, the Agape Retreat Centre, built and run by Magdy and Analise Saber, can now accommodate (in air conditioning – amen!) more than
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For me, involvement and investment into this ministry is an act of obedience to what Jesus placed on my heart, a response to the opportunity presented to me to minister in Egypt all those years ago. Beginning as a gathering with a focus on prayer, worship, fellowship and encouragement in a safe place free from the persecution and judgment Christians experienced in local villages; the conference program has matured over the ten years since its inception. The program now additionally provides motivational and Biblical teaching, prophetic instruction, training and challenge for emerging and present leaders, development of spiritual disciplines and more recently, marriage enrichment (so needed in Egyptian society). The participants receive Christian ministry resources either free via the conference or at heavily discounted prices from the Centre Bookshop. Faithful sacrificial giving from believers
predominantly in Australia, ensures that the conference can be heavily subsidized, allowing many who would otherwise be excluded, to attend the time of fellowship, equipping and resourcing.
1000 guests complete with a huge dining area, multiple halls, an auditorium that seats 1200 people, a pool, a prayer pavilion and a nearly completed indoor/ outdoor assembly area for 5000 people. This year, due to work commitments, the counsellors from the Alexandria Youth Committee (AYC) were not able to attend the conference at the Agape Centre, so it was decided that I would travel to Alexandria and provide four days of dedicated training for their group following the Conference. I conducted training based on three books I had written on Marriage Counselling Training, which have now been translated into Arabic and published and printed by Magdy’s printing business. All materials are provided without cost to the group of specialized counsellors. From feedback and observed responses, all teaching was enthusiastically received and will be of great present and future benefit both personally and in the broader Egyptian Church. For the last five years, my translator/interpreter for the marriage training has been Pastor Rezk. Pastor Rezk leads a church in Egypt some 15 hours by road from the Agape Centre. He
has become a close friend. Each year we spend considerable time together working through the teaching material and workshops and talking through his ministry. Over that time, Pastor Rezk and his wife have used the training materials in their district to disciple their growing congregation and to assist Muslim couples to heal, strengthen and develop their marriages. Pastor Rezk’s church has grown from around 20 people to now around 250 people, with outreach meetings and discipleship in neighboring villages. Riverlife Baptist Church financially supports Pastor Rezk. This year, 50 emerging leaders from his church attended the Conference and enjoyed a special commissioning with the key speakers.
“The ministry over the last ten years has born considerable fruit, an investment into the magnitude of what God is doing in this special nation of Egypt.”
To know that there are Christians from Australia who are prepared to invest in their welfare each year, provide essentially free resources for them personally and for their churches, to provide skills training and to speak prophetically and biblically into their lives, is such a source of encouragement. Please continue to uphold the awakening Egyptian Church and our partners in much prayer. 27 UNVEILED SUMMER 2019
Ric Benson Pastor-at-Large
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Living in Community for the Community How surrounding yourself with community can boost your mental health When do we know we are well? The World Health Organisation defines health as a ‘state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity and as a resource for living a full life.’ We’d all ascribe to that, but we all know that maintaining health needs constant attention and we may all have different starting points. Research highlights that where we are born and the genetic imprint we receive from our parents, all influence us before we even begin our walk into life.
We know the rules of health: sleep well, eat healthily, drink lots of water, exercise regularly, don’t smoke, get a flu shot, etc. However, when it comes to mental health, we can feel we don’t quite have the same control. The holiday season in particular, can be one that sparks feelings of anxiety and loneliness in people for a whole range of reasons. Anxiety is now described as the most common mental illness and it’s thought at least 30 per cent of the population are experiencing this mental health problem. It
is prevalent amongst our youth who are regularly ‘overwhelmed by anxiety’. The challenges they face can be deemed too hard for them and many of the ways to prove their adulthood are selfdestructive such as drugs, sex, or alcohol. With the childhood years being eroded faster and faster, many are often simply not developmentally ready for such challenges.
Anxiety differs from depression, in that anxiety is about feelings of being threatened or vulnerable somehow and our reactions rise to cope with that. Depression, however, is characterised by a sense of sadness that doesn’t lift, like the colour has run out of the photo and you are left with a black and white world. It’s often described as the black dog, which is a cloud hanging over your life. Good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfil a number of key functions and activities, including the ability to learn, the ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative
One of the first signs of mental health deteriorating is the desire to withdraw rather than connect. It is well established now that social connection uplifts a person’s mental health. The Genesis 2:18 line of “It is not good for humankind to be alone” has more meaning than just the male and female connection. We need interpersonal relationships - to chat, to belong, to share, to laugh and to cry. The beauty of a functioning church family is that all of that happens on a Sunday in Riverlife, in and out of the foyer! The two top predictors to a longer life are who your close relationships are and are they people you can call on for a loan, or if you’re having an existential crisis? The other predictor is social integration i.e. how much contact do you have with people as you move throughout your day? Do you chat with a barista, postman or bus driver or do you find yourself alone in your own headspace most of the time? Current statistics suggest we spend more time online than sleeping and that digital relationships have replaced physical ones – does it make a difference? The short answer is yes! While it may appear that you are connected through
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Anxiety is the apprehensive anticipation of future danger or misfortune accompanied by a feeling of worry, distress and or somatic symptoms of tension. The focus of anticipated danger may be internal or external. (Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorder States)
emotions and the ability to form and maintain good relationships with others.
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numerous digital platforms, faceto-face contact with an actual person releases a cascade of neurotransmitters that act like a vaccine in your system, releasing oxytocin and lowering cortisol, which in turn increases trust! If you want to dive more into that topic, listen to Susan Pinker’s Ted Talks on living a longer life. Isn’t it interesting that the secular world is discovering concepts that in church are experienced daily. Our community life together reaches in to restore us and reaches out to restore others. Having a spiritual perspective on life gives us resources we may not always recognise. Community is a huge one, offering connection to God and to others. We can pray for ourselves and others, we can learn about who we are and our identity in Christ and help our body, mind and spirit align with our identity as loved by God and bought at a price. When these truths can sink into our beings, they change us in a positive way. It may not heal everything immediately, but it gives us an anchor in our beings that brings resilience to cope. Resilience is a word the secular therapeutic world is discovering we all need if we are to make our way in this world as healthily as possible.
Just as we look after our bodily needs, we need to look after our mental health needs. And as the airlines remind us, once we have fitted our own oxygen masks, we can then turn to those around us and help them with theirs. We can be on the lookout for those who may be struggling to deal with life but not able to talk about it. Afterall, if we are a healthily functioning body of Christ, we will enjoy our journey together with all the ups and downs. In looking particularly at anxiety, there is a common misunderstanding that we can live without anxiety altogether. This is not the case. Anxiety is not always a dysfunction but a protective mechanism that is necessary for living. To have an inactive limbic system would cause a person significant suffering. We worry that anxiety is a sin, that verses such as ‘do not be anxious’ and ‘cast all your care on Him’ can feel like a condemnation when in actual fact they are there to offer us comfort. They are more related to worry and concrete concerns such as food, clothes etc rather than the sort of diffuse instinctual anxiety that plagues most anxiety sufferers. Psalm 56:3 says ‘When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you’.
2 Corinthians 5:7 talks of living by faith and not by sight. Anxiety and trust seem to coexist. One can have a level of anxiety on a sight level whilst living a life of faith and trusting in the promises of God. It doesn’t always follow that having faith in God is demonstrated by a lack of anxiety.
What to do if You’re Feeling Anxious
Is anxiety a reliable measure of a person’s trust? No! Does God care about your anxiety and want you to trust Him despite what your anxieties are telling you? Yes, He does!
++ Water is therapeutic and tactile – showers, waterfalls, the beach
Check out our recent message ‘Rejoice Always'
++ Take a walk in nature – it’s God’s first Bible and speaks to us all!
++ Drink green tea (yes really) ++ Make sure you’re getting proper sleep, exercise and nutrition ++ Contact a Riverlife Pastor for a chat ++ Book a ministry session via the Riverlife LifeCentre ++ Ask for our list of psychologists and counsellors ++ Call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or visit www. beyondblue.org.au or www. blackdoginstitute.org.au For more information on anxiety from a Christian perspective, check out these authors: ++ John Townsend ++ Cloud and Townsend ++ Dan B Allender ++ Larry Crabb
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Linda Liddell District Pastor
++ Find a community activity to engage in
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So, talk to your friends, make new friends, share your burdens with each other, pray with one another. In doing so, we then create a culture in our community of openness and healing that both we and our wider community needs and is desperately looking for.
++ Reach out to a friend and ask to catch up
Choosing Light Over Darkness Bringing the community together to celebrate the Light!
The annual Riverlife Light Party took place again this year, with a record 900+ children from the local community in attendance. Adults and children alike donned their favourite dress-up costumes and enjoyed a familyfriendly night of carnival games, jumping castles, magic shows, entertainment and food. Lolly bags were filled to the brim and happy, smiling faces were still in abundance even after the event
had officially finished! With Halloween becoming more and more popular in western culture, the aim of the Light Party is not to join this tradition, but offer a safe, positive alternative where the community can enjoy a night of fun and create space for intentional conversations, providing opportunity to share the Good News and display God’s light.
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L I G H T PA RT Y T E ST I M O N A LS
“My family attended the Light Party and wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed it. The girls have been looking forward to it for weeks. We were grateful to have the option to enjoy a fun activity that was in keeping with our beliefs”. Kathryn G “My mind cannot even fathom the time, energy and love Riverlife put into this amazing event - thank you! I had so much feedback about how great last night was and there were so many disappointed kids (mine included) when it was time to go home!” Kerri G
“We liked the magic show – very impressive! Good food and quick service – all for an affordable entry fee. The kids loved it – there wasn’t enough time to do everything as there was so much to do!” Renee E “We had a great time. Even though there were lots of people, everything ran so smoothly – no long waits! Loads to do for everyone. Particularly loved the magician!” Vicki W
"I don’t support Halloween but didn’t’ want my six-year-old to feel like she was missing out. After looking for a safe and positive alternative, I was happy to be invited to the Light Party! Wow – what a positive family event! There were so many fun things to do, and I was happy to have an easy dinner. We’ll definitely be back again next year!” Wendy S
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Following the success of Buckets for Bubs, more than 120 families were blessed for Christmas thanks to Buckets of Joy! It all started on a quiet afternoon last year when God woke Sarah Watterson up from her nap with a BIG idea. It was an idea so big that Sarah didn’t know quite what to do with it, other than tell God if He wanted it to happen, He’d have to show her how.
the idea of actually having the dignity to personally choose gifts for their children, have them giftwrapped and tucked away ready for Christmas was something God laid on my heart,” she said.
“God gave me a vision for a Christmas shop where people from the community could come and choose what they needed for their family for free at Christmas,” Sarah said.
“We wanted people to be able to not worry about how they were going to make the budget stretch enough for gifts by taking away the pressure, letting them know someone cared and reminding them about the true meaning of Christmas.”
“Rather than just receive a hamper of pre-selected goods,
Following the success of Buckets for Bubs earlier
in the year, Buckets of Joy kicked off in November with resounding success as more than 120 families from the local community showed up on the day.
“Many families don’t have access to a car or are unable to drive, so when we told them we would provide free transport, they were blown away,” she said. Upon arrival, families were able to choose one large gift per child as well as three small stocking stuffers, two Christmas tableware items and some festive choccies. Gifts were wrapped and quickly stashed in the boot of the car away from prying eyes, while the children enjoyed a morning of free entertainment, craft and games. Families were then invited to stay for a special Christmas morning
“We’ve been overwhelmed with positive feedback from the day, with many saying how loved, accepted and special they felt. A number of families have since come back to visit and others planning on attending our Christmas Extravaganza in a few weeks!” Sarah said. “It was quite emotional to look around on the day and see the place buzzing with activity – just as I had first imagined all those months ago. God truly is amazing – when we give Him our ‘yes’, He has a way of making even the impossible happen,” she said. As the dust settles and the good news stories continue to roll in, Sarah can’t help but wonder what God will say to her next time she has a nap. One thing is for sure, that if God wants it to happen, He’ll make a way.
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“One of the barriers to people attending for Bubs earlier this year had been transport, so we provided three minibuses this time to collect families and bring them to the event,” Sarah said.
tea, chat and soak up the sounds of the live Christmas carols! 37
The families were identified by working with existing local community organisations such as Mission Australia, Home Interaction Program, Brave, Helping Hands, Barriers, local school Chaplains and Pushing Circles of Care.
Navigating the Unknown
How one couple found peace amongst the storms of life
Having only joined Riverlife at the beginning of the year, Sarah and Gavin found the course gave them not only the tools to live their lives with peace and freedom, but a great way to connect with the community at Riverlife. “There are a lot of circumstances we would like to be different in our lives. But in the fallen state of the world, and with the free will of man, that’s not always possible,” said Sarah. Open about their journey to fall pregnant and their struggle navigating such an emotional rollercoaster, Sarah and Gavin found their Transforming journey filled them both with a deep sense of peace.
“We have gone through four IVF cycles. We have cried out to God to intercede for us. Ultimately, Transforming brought about a desire to be like Jesus – asleep peacefully in the boat through the storm, with complete faith in His Father.” Throughout the eight weeks, the pair found doing the course together really helped them unpack their thought processes and grow at the same pace.
“One of the things that was profound to me is my relationship to Jesus. I felt that He was with me and more accessible than ever before.” "Being able to share revelations like that with Sarah was really special and we actually found we were able to help answer questions for each other when we got stuck!” he said. “The course really helped us step through our fears and understand their sources. It has
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Radically transformed by God’s love, new believers Sarah and Gavin Grant recently completed the Transforming course. Held on Sunday nights over eight weeks, Transforming equips participants to deal with the issues and brokenness of their past, and embrace living in freedom through God’s empowering grace. Transforming is part of the Streams suite of discipleship courses, designed to help you grow and mature in your faith.
Since then, Gav and Sarah have a completely different outlook on life.
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helped us have more empathy for others who have walked their own challenging paths.” The Streams courses include a special ‘Encounter Weekend’ which involves a dedicated three-day retreat designed to solidify the teaching and create space for a profound encounter with God. It was a highlight for them both, where they were able to experience a deeper level of intimacy, worship and connection with the Holy Spirit.
“Transforming brought us a miracle too,” said Sarah. “Our first IVF process after Encounter, my left ovary appeared when it had been missing for the previous 12 months (and like 20+ years).”
“I’ve felt more drawn to service work to encourage people and this was confirmed when I was asked to join the Alpha Juvenile Detention Centre Team,” said Gav. “Rather than wasting my time on worldly pursuits, I have now decided to study Chaplaincy next year in pursuit of God’s Kingdom for us.” Sarah also shares her heart to care for others, “I have always been ‘Mum’ to my friends – the person people turn to when they need someone to talk to. So, I’ve signed up for the Life Centre training,” she said. “Transforming gave me the confidence to share words from God to my colleagues and bring the light and heart of Jesus into my workplace. Not necessarily changing our jobs to find Jesus but bringing Jesus to our jobs.” Amongst incredible testimony from their personal experience with the Transforming course, Sarah and Gavin eagerly encourage others to enrol. “Do it! Don’t listen to the enemy’s excuses to hold you back, because Streams is everything it says on the jar, it will transform you from the inside out,” Sarah said.
Registration for the Streams Transforming, Engaging and Restoring courses is now open, with the courses kicking off on Sunday 9 February 2020. If you have completed Transforming, perhaps consider joining Sarah and Gav as they enrol in the recently-updated Engaging course and learn how to understand God’s design for their lives!
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To find out more, or to register, click here https:// riverlifechurch.org.au/ ministries/spiritual-formation/
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Beyond our Walls Here at Riverlife, we want to celebrate the incredible things that our church family are doing in the wider community!
Zinta Harris Led by a heart for justice, estate lawyer, author and Riverlife member, Zinta Harris has been the proud recipient of several law accolades in 2019.
In recent months, Zinta was awarded “Women Lawyers Association of QLD Trailblazer of the Year” and the prestigious “Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards - Sole Practitioner of the Year 2019”. She was also a finalist in several awards including “Women in Business - Innovator of the Year 2019 (Greater Brisbane)” and “Lawyers Weekly Women in Law
Despite growing up with a strong sense of justice, the passion to study law only arose later in life during Zinta’s faithinspired gap year, travelling overseas in search of purpose. “It was somewhere on a train between Munich and Florence that I came upon the idea of studying law,” said Zinta, recalling the moment her heart was stirred upon reading a UQ Course Handbook. “Little did I know then, where that spark would take me.” The spark led her into several years studying and practicing
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Specialising in succession and estate law, Zinta’s law firm, Resolve Estate Law, has been compassionately journeying with clients during the difficult process of losing loved ones and reaching settlements with estate disputes.
Awards - Thought Leader and Innovator of the Year (firm)”.
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law and in one of her earlier cases, Zinta was shocked and grieved by the brutal culture of estate law. “It was an all-tooreal nightmare for our client. There were no winners in this battle. Family relationships were utterly destroyed, and the inheritance left in tatters after paying the costs of bitterlyfought litigation,” Zinta said.
that aim to surround families with a team of support to settle estate disputes without having to go to court. Zinta sees her work as a ministry bringing healing and wholeness to families in grief, fulfilling God's call on her life "to look after orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27) by training others to take a more compassionate approach.
The fiasco inspired Zinta to specialise, undertaking further study to qualify as an accredited specialist in both Business Law and Succession Law. She remains the only lawyer in Queensland with this dual accreditation. Last year she wrote a book to help families facing an estate dispute reach resolution without going to court. Last week, this book "Rest in Peace - how to manage an estate dispute without inheriting heartache" won the 2019 Australian Business Book award for "Best General Business Book" and was one of 4 finalists for the "Book of the Year".
“So, here I am – dedicating my remaining law life to change how disputed estates are resolved by bringing collaborative practice to estates law!”
Now, Zinta’s firm incorporates early stage resolution models
If you know of someone going through an estate dispute, why not recommend Zinta’s book ‘Rest in Peace’ here: https:// resolveestatelaw.com.au/restin-peace/
rescued children into safety and healing. Founded by Riverlife member, Rodney Callanan, DIAS is a registered charity empowered to bring care, hope and opportunity to vulnerable children across Africa.
Rod Callanan
In the 21st century, it is difficult to conceive that ritual child sacrifices and witch doctors are still commonplace. And yet, child sacrifices are on the rise in Uganda where abducted children are tortured and massacred as part of the spiritual practices of witch doctors. Many victims struggle to recover from their abuse and trauma, but thankfully, there is still hope. Droplets in A Stream (DIAS), is working to end child suffering in Uganda and Kenya and bring
The short film’s incredible success at the Cause Film Festival is a powerful testament to the importance of DIAS’ cause and the incredible quality of production by Andrew. To find out more, please visit their website and consider offering your resources to help the vulnerable children in Africa. To find out more about DIAS, click here: https://www.dias.asn. au/
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Featuring the humanitarian work of Droplets in a Stream, the short film ‘End Children Sacrifice’ was awarded the ‘People’s Choice Award’ at the recent Cause Film Festival.
The film ‘End Children Sacrifice’ features one of DIAS’ current projects to eradicate the practice of child sacrifice in Uganda. Filmed by Nick Andrew of Shot Imagery, the film tells the heartbreaking true stories of those who had been victims of the cruel phenomenon in Uganda.
As a family focussed on releasing empowered people to declare and demonstrate Christ’s kingdom, we are believing even greater things will happen in 2020 as we seek to equip and mobilise entire generations to reach the nations for Jesus!
Actual Income
% of Budget
Budget Variation
October 2019
106.2
$19,120 -$33,990
Pastor al
29%
Mis
18%
s ini
try
19%
M
34%
Administratio n
e r ty op Pr
Co sts
nd
Expenditure by Expense Category
2019 YTD (10 mths) 98.9
so n a
Financial Summary
Thanks to your generous support, during 2019 Riverlife was able to financially support mission work in Egypt, India, Lebanon, Mozambique, Thailand and Turkey.
He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Mark 16:15 (NIV)
Per annum
Per week
$11M
Per auditorium seat
$2,461
$47
$7,333
Per regular attendee (18+)
$2,198
$42
$6,471
6
201
2018
2019
0 .75
0.8
2017
0.7
Income vs Budget
0.85
0.9
0.95
1
1.05
1.1
Income Budget Debt
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Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
MORE TESTIMONY Have more testimony on what God has done at Riverlife and the surrounding community? We’d love to hear about it! Please email your testimony along with your name and contact details to church@riverlifechurch.org.au
By submitting testimony you are giving Riverlife Baptist Church your permission to share this testimony verbally in messages or sermons and in written form in reports and email newsletters.
Unveiled is a publication of Riverlife Baptist Church If you have any further questions about anything you have read, please visit the information desk in the foyer on Sundays, call the church office during business hours or visit our website. Our regular service times are 9am and 5pm every Sunday.
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