The Link

ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF ARMIDALE

2020 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER

The right perspective

Rick Lewers WE LIVE IN AN AGE of new perspectives where the perversion of our humanity is persistent. It is disturbing but there is nothing new about it.

Let’s go back in time to the opening of the Bible with the voice of our God being heard.

God, we are told, creates that which is very good and offers man and woman endless privilege and blessing short of becoming gods themselves. Perhaps we would call God’s

voice the conservative voice of truth and reason. It is more than this, but it is at least this – truth and reason.

The timing of the intrusion of the progressive left is uncertain but the times certainly changed as a result of their voice. “Did God really say…” was the opening gambit. This was followed by the suggestion that God’s intentions for us were less than commendable and that He was holding out on us; that there was something better. Well you know the story, the created man and woman listened to the new perspective of the progressive Satan and not God. The Critic of God stirred his poison, the man and woman ate, and the created man and woman became The Critic’s critical children. With critical unrepentant responses the lives of the man and woman were plunged into all manner of confusions that sprang up when God’s gracious instructions were not heeded.

Since Satan’s progressive agenda away from God was kicked off, humanity has become the critic of God rather than the recipient of His blessings. From an incorrect positioning of self, humanity has lost perspective and fallen prey to perversions of our best selves. The tragedy is that we now see the perversions of our best selves as our best selves, and when life is so out of perspective nothing can save us but the God who made us. The creator God must act as our redeeming God. Not surprisingly when the Son of God entered a world where the perversion of our best selves was our best selves, Jesus Christ became the subject of our out-of-perspective criticisms. For salvation to occur, it was not a new perspective that was required, but a renewed perspective.

With a renewed perspective, the created acknowledges the creator, sees sin for what it is and turns to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, for the redemption of self and the end of confusion.

Few things are more important than a right perspective as the art critic Robert Cummings discovered. The story is told that Cummings was intently studying a painting from the Italian Renaissance master Filippino Lippi as it hung in London’s National Gallery.

As he critically assessed the 15th-century painting of Mary holding the infant Jesus with Saint Dominic and Saint Jerome standing near, Cummings was troubled. The proportions of the picture seemed all wrong. The hills in the background seemed exaggerated and appeared to fall out of the painting. The two saints looked awkward and uncomfortable. And just who was Mary looking at?

Cummings was not the first to criticize Lippi’s work for its poor perspective, but he might be the last. At that moment he had a revelation. It occurred to him that the problem might be his.

About The Link, Number 75 October / November 2020

ISSN 1834-0741 Anglican Diocese of Armidale PO Box 198 Armidale 2350 T: 02 6772 4491 F: 02 6772 9261 www.armidaleanglicandiocese.com Editor: Robyn Powell E: robyn@redropewriting.com The Link

Art direction and assistance from Stephen Mason and Anglican Media Sydney. Thanks to all photographers who contributed to this issue.

The Link is published by the Anglican Diocese of Armidale as part of the Diocesan vision to “Introduce people to Jesus and help them home to Heaven”.

2

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

The Virgin and Child with Saints Jerome and Dominic by Filippino Lippi. image: The National Gallery, London

This was not just another piece of religious art hanging in a gallery. In fact, the artist had never intended it to come anywhere near a gallery. Lippi’s painting had been commissioned to hang in a place of prayer.

Self-consciously, the critic dropped to his knees in front of the painting. Immediately he saw what generations of art critics had missed. He found himself gazing up at a perfectly proportioned piece. The foreground had moved naturally to the background, he had joined with the saints in worship, and the painting itself had turned from awkwardness to grace.

All this time, it was not the perspective of the painting that had been wrong, but rather the perspective of the people looking at it. On bended knee, Robert Cumming found kindness and grace that he could not see simply by standing as a critic.

As this will be my last article for The Link and as I finish my time as the Bishop of the Armidale Diocese I offer this perspective - Jesus Christ is Lord. To every critic I offer this perspective - Jesus Christ is saviour. I offer this hope - Jesus Christ rules to end the perversions of our best selves. My prayer is for all people to get Jesus in perspective and bow the knee before Him because from there, life will come into perspective and stay in perspective.

The Link

3

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

2020 The Year of

?

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN FOR many the strangest, the most uncertain, the most difficult year we have ever faced. The COVID-19 global pandemic has seen lives, livelihoods and ministries changed in ways even a Hollywood blockbuster could not have predicted. The impact on our Diocese has been enormous, especially as the crisis began only weeks after the devastating bushfires of the New Year period and as the ongoing drought still erodes confidence and hope as surely as the wind erodes our dry paddocks.

It is easy to say, “Where is God in all of this? Has He forgotten us?” But even with all the dire news, we can say with confidence that God has not abandoned us and maybe – just maybe – there is some good in all the misery.

We had a wander around the Diocese to see how various churches have been handling the unusual situations, and to see if the difficulties have indeed produced strange wonders.

Opportunities Scott Dunlop - Vicar of North Tamworth Anglican Church and part of the steering committee for the year of ‘Seeing Jesus Clearly’ This year has certainly been very different to what we were expecting for our Diocesan wide year of evangelism, but we trust that God has answered our prayers to help people, ‘See Jesus Clearly’ in 2020. In preparation for the mission, much consideration and planning for furthering the gospel in 2020 was undertaken, but through COVID plans have changed, and God has provided other opportunities for people to ‘See Jesus Clearly’. The hope and light of Jesus has shone brightthan The Link

4

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Scott Dunlop and staff member Lisa Newnham

ever, as our world’s security and peoples’ pride got shaken. Church services going online has meant that people not normally reached got to hear God’s Word. Also, online evangelistic courses were able run in some parishes, as well as many other opportunities, not least individuals being able to testify about the hope they have beyond COVID-19.

At a regional level, the Reverend Al Stewart was scheduled to speak evangelistically around the Diocese in September and October. These live meetings have had to be cancelled. However, Al has been willing to produce an evangelistic talk on video that can be used especially at men’s events.

At present COVID restrictions still allow groups of up to 20 people to meet in homes so men’s breakfasts can be held. Why not invite some non-believing mates, and show the evangelistic talk on video? This could be done as one small group or could be linked online to others in the Diocese.

All in all, the year has been a big reminder that the only hope in our broken world is found in Jesus alone. Therefore beyond 2020 we pray that God would continue to strengthen our Diocese to help people see Jesus more clearly, as we introduce them to Him and help them home to heaven.

The Link

5

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

In the Ridge, on the Rock

The Reverend Kurt Langmead and his family made a big move early this year, from St Peter’s in Armidale to the community church in Lightning Ridge.

Supported by the Bush Church Aid Society, they were ready for life to be quite different in such a remote and unique place. Then COVID-19 hit. We asked Kurt to tell us about life in the Ridge, and how he is coping with a very new job.

The Link: How has COVID-19 affected your church?

It sure has been an interesting year to move to a new parish, to say the least! At one level, it’s business as usual. Our mission remains unchanged: ‘Building Christ’s Church – in the Ridge, on the Rock’ (that is, the solid Rock of Christ and his Word). COVID-19 hasn’t changed this mission – Christ is still Lord. He is still building his people. He is still using his people to seek the lost, both here in the Ridge and right across our Diocese, even to the ends of the earth.

The Link

6

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Of course, COVID-19 has meant that the way we go about our business has had to change significantly.

From the very first Sunday that services were suspended, we were blessed with an open door at the local community radio station, 89.7 Opal FM. Right off the bat we realised that some of the more common ways that churches were trying to live stream or go digital just simply wouldn’t work in the Ridge. We have a significant number of our congregation members who live off the grid, where internet connection (and even electricity) is not available! Strangely enough, it seems that something as old school as radio really fits the context here in the Ridge.

We have been producing and delivering (via email or to people’s front doors) a weekly ‘Connections’ Riding the airwaves: Kurt Langmead newsletter. These are the two main ways that we have been seeking to help our people stay connected communicates to the Ridge during COVID-19. But it’s more than about just staying connected. It is our prayer that through the radio service in particular, we will see members of our community who are not yet saved hear the gospel and respond to Christ’s call in obedience and faith.

Tell us about the ways you are training your members to connect more deeply with their community.

Our first foray into Zoom was to re-purpose our Tuesday night Bible study into a training course.

We began with the Matthias Media’s Six Steps to Reading Your Bible and had five or six core members engaging deeply with the training material, and God’s word in their own lives. One of the great outcomes of this deep engagement has been a growing desire by these members, and others, to be reading God’s Word for themselves. In particular, the training really encouraged all of us to slow down and pay attention to the details – the context, content, meaning and application of a passage.

For term three, after seeing how effective the training had been, we decided to shift this across to Sunday mornings once our COVID-safe plan was in place to enable more congregation members to be a part of it. We now are back to running a regular Tuesday night Bible study on Zoom, and another Matthias media course on Sunday mornings, face-to-face. This time the course is called Six Steps to Loving Your Church and it seems – ironically enough – a really appropriate time to be thinking this topic through. Even though we are not back to meeting in our regular Sunday services, we see this as a great opportunity to do some off-season training, as well as equip us right now to be loving our brothers and sisters who find themselves coping with the complexities of COVID with varying degrees of confidence and success.

The Link

7

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

What is ‘ministry of the pew’? What sort of mind shift do people need to understand its importance?

One of the key points out of the training material is the idea of a shift from ‘the ministry of the few’ to ‘the ministry of the pew’. It is a fantastic little hook to hang the thoroughly biblical idea that the Christian life is not a solo sport; we are all in this together! We have been studying 1 Peter this term, and Peter is big on this idea as well. We are not saved as individual Christians, but as God’s elect exiles, the world-wide people of God: ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’ (1 Pet. 2:9–10 NIV) The training builds on this idea of us all being part of one building, one body, and encourages each of us to recognise that we all have a vital role to play. We are all different, of course, just as a body is made of many parts. But we simply cannot keep going, let alone growing, without one another.

We especially need to be reminded of this during COVID-19. The biblical mandate to not give up meeting together (as some are in the habit of doing) still stands! Of course, the way we seek to live in obedience to this command requires wisdom and creativity during these unusual times. But we still need to keep gathering; and we still need to keep serving one another. To keep doing the ministry of the pew, even if it has been a long time since we have actually sat in one together!

So, you are not yet back to a face-to-face church service. What have YOU learned from this new way of doing church?

I think the key thing that I have learnt from this new way of doing church is that, as the pastor, I am so often the problem when it comes to disempowering parishioners and communicating the message – whether by word or deed – that ministry is my job as the minister. At one level, I suspect busyness has frequently been the barrier to this simple act of self-reflection and recognition; with so many opportunities, so many competing expectations, so much good work to be done - it is so easy just to keep doing, doing, doing, rather than slowing down and remembering that we have been entrusted with the privilege of training and equipping the saints for works of service. The biggest thing that I have learnt from this new way of doing church is that it must start with me, and my heart; with my life and my doctrine. With the courage and patience, humility and role-clarity to remember that there is only one Head of the church, and it’s not me!

How different is your ministry in The Ridge from your previous churches?

Again, at one level, ministry is the same here as everywhere. As our Diocese and mission statement says, we are all about introducing people to Jesus and helping them home to heaven.

But, of course, there are some significant differences to the way this looks in a town like Lightning Ridge! For one, this place is super eclectic. Soon after arriving I found myself beginning to pray each morning for the 12 lost tribes of Lightning Ridge – opal miners, farmers, Indigenous community, etc. (I wonder if you can guess some of the rest?). In addition to being a real melting pot of people from all kinds of different places, Lightning Ridge Hospital has a bit of a reputation The Link

8

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

for being a place where people go to get away from stuff. At one level, this leads to a real sense of solidarity and community spirit in this town. But add another level, the deep-seated antiestablishment sentiment and egalitarianism which means that you will get along fine until you start preaching a gospel where Christ is Lord. Yet this is the only apostolic gospel the church has ever known! People love this place because no one judges, no one asks questions, no one puts themselves on a higher peg. It never ceases to amaze me how many times I hear locals say how much they love the very things about the Ridge that make it a difficult place to do ministry.

How are you being supported by BCA? Bec and I have come out to Lightning Ridge as field staff with the Bush Church Aid Society. Being with BCA comes with all sorts of perks. Not only do we have a whole other layer of financial and pastoral support, but we have six designated link churches – Wee Waa Anglican in our Diocese is one of them — and literally thousands of prayer supporters through the regular BCA prayer notes and newsletters. Despite the fact that 2020 will always be remembered as the year of COVID-19 and all of the isolation and distancing that comes with that, I can honestly say that we have never felt more connected and supported with the wider church right across Australia, and even into other parts of the world. The number of times that we have had personal letters phone calls and visits from BCA supporters is astonishing, and the care that is shown not only to Bec and me, but to our children as well has certainly been an encouragement in a year that has not been without its struggles, griefs, and challenges.

What can we be praying for you and the people at your church?

In line with the kind of things I’ve been talking about above, it would be great if you could be praying that we keep on keeping on with our part in the mission of building Christ’s church, here in the Ridge on the solid rock of Christ in his word. Give thanks for our core members who have not only kept going in their faith during COVID-19 but have actually been growing. Praise God for the beginnings of a shift in culture – beginning in my own ministry practice and heart – towards every member ministry, the ministry of the pew. Please pray for our church family to stay connected this year. Please pray for community members to be one for Christ through the radio service each week. Please pray for God to raise up workers for his harvest, especially, in our contacts, amongst children and youth. And, of course, please keep praying for good soaking rain right across our region that will cause the hearts of whole communities to rise up to God in thanks and praise.

The new method of doing church as training has some real fans in the congregation. Kurt spoke to three of his members who are enthusiastically embracing the idea of ‘the ministry of the pew’.

Brian (Macca) McCudden is something of a celebrity here in Lightning Ridge. At 87 years of age, he has spent a lifetime mining for opals, working as a talent scout (he is the one who got Kate Ritchie The Link

9

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Bryan ‘Macca’ McCudden

a job on ‘Home and Away’), being an extra in ‘Mad Max’, and serving on every single committee (almost!) that has ever existed here in Lightning Ridge... including our parish council!

With our new parish council having recently been appointed, I asked each of the members to begin reading The Trellis and Vine, a hugely influential book on ministry by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, encouraging ministers and whole churches to be making sure that we don’t let our programs (our trellises) get in the way of people (the vine).

A few days after I gave out the book to our parish counsellors, I received a phone call from Brian McCudden. Brian wears hearing aids, which always makes phone calls interesting, but it was crystal clear the reason why Brian was calling. He wanted to tell me that he has not been able to put the book down! His words when something like this: “Kurt [pause] it’s Bryan. [longer pause] I just wanted to say I’ve been reading the book. I’m up to page ten. I haven’t been able to put it down. It’s fantastic. I guess I can see now why you are all such good ministers!”

Having spoken with Brian face-to-face since then, I know that he’s still reading the book (well past page ten!). Here is what Brian said when I asked him about how his reading has been going when I dropped off his ‘Connections’ newsletter last Saturday.

“I’ve been fascinated [by the book]. I keep it alongside my bed. I usually don’t get much time to read. I like the way all the people put their comments at the start, the way they all think the same The Link

10

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

[speaking of the reviews in the front cover]. I can see now why you’re all such good ministers. It’s the ideas and the way you lead the church.

I asked Bryan would he recommend the book to others, “Don’t miss out on it, it’s an experience you don’t want to miss out on.”

From Doug Caley – Vicar’s Warden “What have I appreciated most about the training in reading the Bible has been helping me to slow down rather than just skim over what I don’t understand. I became a Christian in the 90s down Nyngan way. I can’t remember a conversion moment; it was more like water dripping on the stone – there just came a point when I realised this is too good to be ignored. This year I started reading the Bible cover to cover. It’s been hard going at times, but I’ve enjoyed it. I am really enjoying seeing the way the whole Bible holds together as one book, and not just a collection of interesting stories. I’ve also joined my first ever Bible study and this has been a big help.”

As a farmer who lives outside of town, Doug has never been in a Bible study group before this year; the move to Zoom on Tuesday nights was the thing that made it possible for Doug to be involved in this way for the first time this year.

From Rata Jackson – COVIDSafe team leader “It sounds strange to say, but since COVID, I think our church has come together, stronger than we were before. Training is something we were used to, but now the focus is on the idea that before we go into the world to make disciples, you have to be disciples. I think there has been more mixing with our church family (in a COVIDSafe way of course!). Kurt as our new pastor has encouraged me to be reading books, reading the pastoral epistles, even to consider doing some study.

The highlight this year for me has been watching people grow – people who perhaps even wanted to run away, but they have stayed. They are in the Vine, in Christ. Kurt has got me reading The Trellis and the Vine. I love this book. Having a trellis is good. But we want a vine that’s pulling it down! Over growing the trellis! Replanting! That is what I would love to see.”

The Link

11

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Strap yourself in

For many people, the COVID-19 crisis, and the changes it has brought to everyday life, has proven a God-given time for reflection. The Reverend Tim Stevens from Guyra is just one person who has made some discoveries about himself, and is counting his blessings in the face of this world-wide disaster.

In my life, there have been a few significant moments where God has swiftly and powerfully taught me some very helpful lessons. I wonder if you can relate to my experience?

Without giving you my whole life story, in a season of life 7 years ago, I was (probably) an angry, self-reliant, know-it-all 29-year-old Moore College student. During my training years, I had enjoyed the company of many a Katoomba conference speaker. As for ministry prospects, for this privileged Gen-Y’er, the world was my oyster.

Writing those words makes me realise how silly that way of living was! But back then, I was completely blind to it. Pride can do that when you’re caught up in it. And so, with my prevailing prideful blindness, at the end of 2013, we discovered through a series of (literally) painful experiences that I had a significant heart problem. Which if left untreated would have undoubtedly had me entering heaven before I was middle-aged.

So the surgery was booked, the pacemaker was implanted, life slowly got back to normal, though I have never been the same since. Somehow that near-death experience was God’s way of making my character gentler, quieter, more open to being rebuked. It caused me to notice, learn from, appreciate, and be thankful for my quieter ministry peers, the ones who don’t always get seen.

The Link

12

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

In more brutal terms, my medical emergency was a sledgehammer from God to smash apart some of my deeply held idols. God-given wake-up calls should never be ignored, and they should never leave us unchanged.

Following that difficult season of life, as God worked through some extraordinary circumstances, He gave us a heart for country ministry.

We started pursuing (unglamorous) ministry outside of the cities. This was a journey that saw us leave the centre of the world (Sydney), to go to the end of the world (Mungindi), and now to the top of the world (Guyra). Then last year, just as life looked like it was settling down, our world was plunged into uncertainty again. We discovered that I also have a rare form of epilepsy.

I don’t share any of this to gain your sympathy. I share this because one lesson that God has taught us over the past seven years has been this… God is in control. I am not. If I want to be useful as I serve God and His people, I had better strap myself in. I’ll admit, it’s an analogy that comes straight from my love of rally driving, but for me it works. You might get muddy, but get out there and give it a crack.

This lesson has been very helpful for navigating a challenging 2020, because as with everything, God is still in control. So naturally, I expected that God would keep doing His thing while all the usual avenues for Gospel ministry were closed down.

This doesn’t mean that the journey hasn’t sometimes felt uncomfortable! I hope you can see that in the history lesson above. As you read the unfolding story of God’s dealings with humanity, you quickly begin to realise that God often has methods that we would categorise as being unusual. To illustrate this point, take Abraham. We find him in Genesis 12 living in a world that had repeatedly rejected the blessings of God. In turn, God had removed His blessings from humanity at the tower of Babel.

Abraham and the world he inhabited did not look like the fertile ground for a prosperous future.

Yet, in Genesis 12 God declares, Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Following these words, we see in the life of Abraham, with its many ups and downs, that God is in the business of working in hopeless situations. If you don’t believe me read Genesis 12-50, you won’t be bored!

This theme continues through to the world of 1 Samuel 16, where we see God’s rejection of His anointed king, Saul. God says this to His prophet Samuel How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? As King of Israel, Saul was a total failure.

His rejection by God is another one of those desperate moments where it looked like all God’s promises would fall flat.

Yet as you might expect, our powerful God always has a way out. As we keep reading, we hear God continue Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.

God’s solution to the problem of Saul’s leadership was to be found in the most unlikely of places… in a shepherd boy called David. Though despite humble beginnings, his leadership was set up for The Link

13

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

greatness as God promises in 2 Samuel 7 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. It was a promise that for a time showed great promise. Chapter 8 summarises David’s kingdom with these words, So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.

Yet, by the time we arrive at 2 Samuel 11, this is the picture of David’s life: And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her”. This devastating downward spiral of David’s life and God’s impending judgement of it leads David to write these words in Psalm 51. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

David was terrified that God was going to do what he had done to Saul. Yet the unconventional (and merciful) reply from God was The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

God’s mercy resulted in the birth of Solomon, then Rehoboam, Uzziah, and many others until the family tree of Abraham and David pauses in Matthew 1 to introduce us to Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

The genealogies in the scriptures are always a wonderful reminder that despite human sinfulness, God’s good purposes cannot be thwarted. Solomon was ultimately corrupted because he loved foreign women. Rehoboam presided over a civil war that split the nation of Israel in half. Uzziah was unfaithful to God for which the Lord punished him with leprosy. I could go on. All these sinful men paved the way for Jesus to be born in the line of Abraham and David, who is the fulfilment of God’s promises to both men.

What does that fact the God is in control have to do with where we sit in such a messy and disordered 2020? Well, given my own experience of God’s ability to work in my own chaotic circumstances, and given His track record of being unhindered by the sinful behaviour of other humans, we’re left to consider 2020. In a year disturbed in every way by COVID-19, we need to remember that God’s purposes have not been halted. Given His track record, it should also give us an eye for new things he might be doing in all the mess. To fail to do this will mean that we miss the blessings God has given to us.

By no means an exhaustive example, in our small church in Guyra, we regularly get 25/30 people along to church each week. Yet, during 2020 we have had on average 60/70 people logged on to YouTube to participate in church. While not ideal to not be meeting in person, and while you can’t identify the anonymous watchers of services, we have had twice the number of our congregation hearing God’s word read and preached every week. Praise God! I can’t help but think in our 2020 year of evangelism, that for our small church, COVID has given us an excellent opportunity to introduce people to Jesus, instead of introducing them to our way of doing church.

It’s been the same story with the youth ministry of the Diocese. 2020 saw us having to cancel almost every event that we would normally run. While this was sad, it meant that we had the time to do 3 months of weekly Q&A sessions with teenagers sending us often very challenging questions.

The Link

14

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Showing us that our young people are thinking about the heavy topics of life much earlier than we might have otherwise thought. God’s word practically applied to the difficult parts of life, that teaching going out to more young people online. We now have a whole list of topics that we need to teach on when we can get back to “normal” ministry. Triple benefit!

Which is where our attention goes to next. How do we, under God, use this season for the growth of God’s kingdom into the future? No doubt, 2020 has been a significant year where God has powerfully taught all of us some helpful lessons. Maybe you’ve realised that you idolise your family or your own comfort. Perhaps you’ve realised that you don’t care about your family enough.

Maybe you’ve realised that you’re not as committed to your local church as you thought you were?

As things slowly start up again, it’s a brilliant time to change that.

Don’t forget… God-given wake-up calls should never be ignored, and they should never leave us unchanged. Ultimately you’ll need to work out what those changes are for you. But for me? Just like every difficult season I’ve faced in life, 2020 has taught me again that our powerful God is in control. I am not, and I should strap myself in and see how He uses me for His glory in all the mess.

Videos and bells During the various stages of the COVID-19 crisis, from full lockdown to just staying home because we are out of the habit of going out, lots of people have been watching a lot of television and surfing a lot of the internet. Knowing that this was a way of reaching people, the Reverend David Robinson of Glen Innes joined together with his old college friend and colleague the Reverend John Cooper of Tenterfield to produce some videos. But it did not stop there.

“My immediate response to COVID-19 was frustration that it had to happen. However, we quickly got the Parish Council together to work out how we were going to maintain contact with our people, as well as some form of services.

Being friend since college days, and living relatively close to each other, John Cooper and I have made a point of talking fairly regularly. During the early stages of COVID we were both noticing similar trends. In particular we heard stories of people who were not part of any church viewing our Youtube services. We wanted to make sure that if people were finding our channels, that they would find there something in the way of a basic gospel series. Since we thought we could do a better job of it if working together, we decided to do that.

The Link

15

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

This led to us creating four short videos covering: • Rebellion - Creation and sin • Rescue - The cross • Resurrection • Response - what it means to have faith John Cooper presents a “Meeting Jesus” video.

You can find the videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqRnuxlwHPNtuTgp8uorSc2vfOGhiPGLb Here in Glen Innes we really wanted to find any way we could to remind people that we were here and that we were trusting Jesus through the uncertainty and worry. We have quite a large, loud bell so we used posters, letters, Facebook and the like to try and let people know why we were ringing the bell. We then rang it every day at 9am from the time our church meetings stopped until just after we began to meet again.

Each day I went ‘live’ on Facebook, read and reflected on a few verses of Scripture before we rang the bell. Those videos developed a good little following so have continued after the bell stopped ringing. I’ve also had lots of chances to explain why we rang the bell to people who heard it but had not seen all the other promotion. You can find those videos here: facebook.com/search/ top?q=glen%20innes%20anglican%20church I am praying that people will see how self-sufficient we are not. We have this amazing way of thinking about life; that we have built it and that we really are in control of a relentless march of progress to a more prosperous and easier life. But COVID has taken it all away from us in an instant. I hope this makes people realise that they have not outgrown the need for God even a little bit.”

David Robinson broadcasts online church from the showground.

The Link

16

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Persevering when plans unravel The Reverend Tory Cayzer (below) from Kootingal was also a part of the Seeing Jesus Clearly committee. He outlines how all the human plans unravelled, and how God showed us His sovereignty in it all.

“We started praying for 4 people on a Focussed Prayer List last year in preparation for the year. We had hoped to run public evangelistic events through 2020. The first event planned was Reconnect Sunday (5 April), with the drawcard being Bishop Rick Lewers.

Reconnect Sunday was right at the start of COVID and so Rick straight away said he wouldn’t be able to come. We decided to prerecord Rick’s sermon, a testimony of one of our ladies, and put some clear gospel songs in. In a strange way, I suspect putting it on the internet made it accessible to more people than if we had it at Moonbi church as planned (last time I checked it had over 170 views). I was really encouraged to see a person newish to our church post it on her Facebook feed - Rick’s topic (One Minute After You Die) really nailed it for what she and a lot of people were asking.

July School holiday mission week was canned as it would be too hard to prepare for, while not knowing if it could happen, due to COVID restrictions. Al Stewart’s evangelistic meetings were all called off, but Al is recording an evangelistic talk for men’s events.

It’s been exciting to hear how people are persevering in praying for the people on their Focussed Prayer List. Twice this year I’ve been rebuked by people suggesting we should pray for the people on our list (when I’d forgotten!) and once a friend I read the Bible with asked me how a bloke on my list was going. To my shame, I had stopped praying for him as I thought he was in the too hard basket. I was rebuked but these reminders from my church family were a delight to me!

Probably the hardest thing was the uncertainty of not knowing if these events would ever happen.

I was disappointed most about the July holiday mission week as we were relying on that to

The Link

17

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

kickstart some new ministries in our church (youth and seniors) and it’s our main shot in the arm for evangelism each year.

I think it has been good for us to remember that big public events aren’t the only way to do evangelism; personal relationships are key. Perhaps too, it reminds us that God is sovereign over all evangelism. He knew all along this pandemic would happen – He is Lord of the Coronavirus.

A positive for us is that with all our public meetings cancelled we could start a junior youth group - our kids’ club leaders said this ought to be the priority. We couldn’t restart the Kids Club as we normally get 50 kids in a space that can now only accommodate 25. Instead, we decided to start a Junior Youth Group with the older kids and other community connections we have. I doubt the Junior Youth Group would have begun so soon if it wasn’t for the pandemic, and I think the Junior Youth Group is the best thing that’s happened for a long time! It still feels like changes are constantly happening. Already we know that we probably can’t do our Christmas Carols at the local retirement village in December, so we are trying to think of a way we can still connect with the community with some variation of this....perhaps online.

In God’s sovereignty, the two books we had planned to study in church this year were perfect wisdom for us. We read 1 Thessalonians which reminds us to always be ready and steady for the return of the Lord. Keep standing firm in the Lord. While there were all sorts of conspiracy theories surrounding the origins of the coronavirus, it was good to be reminded that we don’t need to be taken by those unhelpful ideas but need to remain steady and focussed on the gospel: Christ died for our sins, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

Recently, we finished the book of Job. This was most helpful as there is much suffering happening in our church family at present. But it also reminds us that all suffering and trials are a test from Satan - will we trust in God and His command to speak about Jesus despite what happens in life?

This helped me to remember that Satan doesn’t want us to do evangelism in 2020, he wants us to think our 2020 Seeing Jesus Clearly year is over and so we need to keep praying and looking for opportunities to trust in God as we speak about evangelism.

We don’t always get an answer for the reason behind each trial in life. But what we do get is the promise that God can be trusted and that He uses all our trials for His glorious plan in Jesus. If we ever doubt that, we only need look at the Cross. God has a glorious plan to overcome the sickness and death in this world. He is so personally attached to our good that He came into the world to defeat that sickness, sin, and death on the Cross. We need to remember that we are not at the end yet. Job received his blessing in the end and so will we if we persevere in trusting in his plan for us in Jesus.

Why can we still trust God? As Job learnt of God (the hard way!)

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:2-3) God is God, not us! Trust Him. We are in good hands”.

The Link

18

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Mission Impossible?

Sharon Kirk THEY HAVE ARRIVED! FOLLOWING A journey that took seven months longer than anticipated, the 4,500 theological books sent from Armidale Diocese as a gift to the Bible College in North Kigezi Diocese, Uganda finally reached their destination on Friday, 7 August 2020. The story of these books is God’s story from beginning to end.

It all started with a throw-away comment three years ago. Andrew and Margie Newman and I were on an exploratory trip to ascertain the needs and potential of the Canon Ndimbirwe Bible College in North Kigezi. We discovered that the potential, under God, was enormous; the needs, however, were overwhelming.

While touring the College in 2017, Margie and I were standing in the near-empty and dilapidated College library. Our hearts sank as the reality of the situation became all too obvious.

The students training for lay and pastoral ministry in North Kigezi had precious few resources to assist them in their studies. The resources they did have were generally old and scattered in no discernible order around largely makeshift shelving.

With tear-filled eyes I said to Margie: ’We could fill this place with all the unused books from theological libraries in our Diocese!’

Never in our wildest dreams did we think such an idea would ever be possible.

Upon returning from Uganda, Andrew and Margie followed God’s leading towards long-term missionary service with the Church Missionary Society. We give thanks to God that, in His good plans and purposes, He has led the Newmans to North Kigezi to assist with the ministry and development of the Bible College there.

I returned to share with friends and parishioners the great needs of the College, then I put it all in the ‘too hard basket’. Within weeks, a friend from my Bible study group presented me with two books: ‘This is to start the collection for the Bible College,’ she said Unloading the book boxes. with a smile. Little did she know, I had no The Link

19

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Bishop Benon, Agnes (CNBC librarian) and Brian Muhereza (CNBC Deputy Principal) ready to unpack the books.

intention of collecting books to send to Uganda! I put the books in my spare room and tried to forget about them.

Over time God kept reminding me of those two books and an idea started to form: ‘I wonder if we really could gather books and send them over?’ In more rational moments, I realised that it was an impossible mission. Or was it? God wouldn’t let me forget the idea; instead He kept feeding it with possibilities. So, I started to ask some questions.

The first freight company I spoke with cautioned me strongly against it. They had shipped ‘donated religious goods’ to Africa before and had seen the goods destroyed on the dock because no-one could pay the enormous import duties. It all seemed impossible and far too complicated; I was ready to walk away from this crazy idea. God, it seemed, was not.

One person after another encouraged me not to give up. I kept asking questions of government officials in Uganda, and a ray of hope began to appear. Over the course of 12 months, that ray of hope waxed and waned.

There were roadblocks; many of them! There were countless times when it was all too hard, and we thought we had hit an impassable brick wall. But on every occasion God kept providing what was needed. He raised up a team of people to work alongside me on the project. When we needed critical information, he put us in contact with someone who could help. When particular expertise was needed, God brought along someone with the skillset required. It was as though God was going one step ahead of us all the way, showing us what we needed to know, providing a solution to every obstacle, and leading us along a path that often-times seemed like a wild (and scary) leap of faith. As He did so, the mission impossible gradually became more and more possible.

Meanwhile, those two discarded books began to multiply, almost miraculously. Books began to trickle in, first a few, then a few hundred, then a few thousand. People from across the Armidale Diocese and beyond were generous and it seemed God was blessing our efforts with His abundant provision.

I well remember one occasion when we went to buy some new books for the collection with The Link

20

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Great news says Margie Newman After eight months in transit, on the 7th August, the 4,500 books from the Armidale Diocese finally arrived at the CNBC library!!!

They are in good condition and the Library Taskforce are all excited.The delay in the arrival of the Australian books meant we were ready to begin processing the new books the moment they arrived. A wonderful gift! Brian Muhureza (Deputy Principal) says that this library will be second only to the Ugandan Christian University library in Kampala. It is a great gift to the future clergy and ministry workers of this Diocese. some donated money. We looked at a set of high-quality theological dictionaries but decided against them because they were too expensive. The following week we received a message with a photo of some books a person wanted to donate. There on his shelf, were three of the four theological dictionaries we had hoped to buy!

The piles of books grew. In order to create some order out of chaos we decided to start sorting, documenting, and then packing books in boxes. We still had no idea whether we could actually get the books across to Uganda, but we hoped God would keep opening doors. And He did.

At the end of 12 months we had over 4,500 books packed in 72 boxes —three full pallet loads.

What a miracle to have made it this far! A freight company was lined up and it seemed the door was indeed open to send them on their way. The journey was expected to take six weeks.

Over eight months later the books finally arrived, following many more roadblocks along the way. At one point the boxes seemed to disappear en route. Then there were lengthy delays in Mombassa and Kampala, with customs and government red tape, changes to rules, more paperwork required, and further charges being threatened. It was a long and frustrating few months as the books sat so close to the Bible College but seemingly unable to travel the final stretch. Simon Carter, Chair of the North Kigezi partnership committee, patiently dealt with each obstacle … and we continued to pray.

There was great rejoicing in Australia and Uganda when news came through that the books had actually arrived at the College. As the loaded truck drove into CNBC, Deputy Principal, Brian Muhereza, burst out in praise: ‘Glory to the Lord, the books have arrived; hallelujah!’.

Indeed, we do give thanks and praise to God for His work from start to finish in this project.

What a privilege it has been to be part of something that was always far beyond our human capabilities and to see God bring the project to fruition. What a joy to be involved in an impossible mission that was made possible by the mighty hand of God. The Link

21

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Coffee vouchers and jobs!

Claire Dunlop (right), manager of Anglicare Northern Inland, has given us insight into the changing ways Anglicare has been providing care and support to our area.

Still caring in new ways

The Link

22

Covid-19 Emergency Relief Additional funding

Department of Social Services have provided additional Emergency Relief funding applicable from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021 to assist community members in the New England and North West areas.

To access support for your clients, please email our Food and Financial Assistance team on ffanortherninland@anglicare.org.au.

Types of assistance available: • Food • Medical • Clothing • Rent arrears • Travel • Removals • Telephone/Internet • Financial Counselling Other assistance where required, and by assessment

Assistance will be arranged remotely through our Sydney team, is based on individual assessments and not guaranteed. Please note, Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) utility bill assistance can be arranged via the Services NSW website.

ANG5955

When COVID hit our region in March things became topsy-turvy for all of us. Anglicare staff members have been working from home and Anglicare services have been provided through phone and online support. People are always needing help from Anglicare and we didn’t really see this slowing down despite the changes to the ways we could provide that support. We are now very pleased to be moving back to face-to-face work. We are now able to deliver a mix of all three methods; face to face, phone and online. The Department of Social Services provided additional Emergency Relief funding during this time and anyone can be assessed for some extra financial assistance for one-off items. If this is something you think will be of benefit, please email ffanortherninland@anglicare.org.au to enquire.

Anglicare doors are still open and we are continually working toward safe and effective service delivery in these unusual times of COVID.

anglicare.org.au

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Coffee brings good

Local women Jenny James and Linda McNeil in Moree were delighted with their Anglicare Go Without for the Drought coffee vouchers. Not only did they enjoy taking a friend out for a coffee, but Anglicare went on to be part of the solution in a whole other way; we gave them jobs! These women have joined the Out of Home Care team as casuals to provide supervised contact for children in out of home care in rural and remote areas. Anglicare is helping not only through the socialisation and community connection of coffee vouchers but also with employment which helps long term with the economic healing of a community. Have you seen the coffee vouchers in your town yet? We would love to know any stories you might have of how they have opened up conversations. Please reach out to Anglicare if you would like to be involved on the coffee voucher project.

The Link

23

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Green or brown…it’s still a drought.

The effects of the drought were already hitting some people hard and then COVID came. Amanda (not her real name) and her husband are finding life tough with work drying up for her husband, who does sub-contracting work. Bills which they normally would have been able to pay with no problems, are now being put on hold. Amanda’s husband used to have two years’ work in advance and now it’s gone. As the green drought kicks in work is coming back, but it is not stable work as the drought still hasn’t broken and now COVID has hit.

Did you know there is such a thing as a green drought? This is defined as “a period of limited rainfall causing new but insubstantial plant growth.” In Northern Inland we have received some soaking rain so this means we are now in a “green drought”. We, as communities, are very thankful to God for the rain and answered prayer. We all know we have a long road ahead of us before the land is restored to what it once was, but we are all thankful for the rain we have had and continue to hope for more. The green drought provides more immediate work but the long-term work is still not there to provide stability.

The Link

24

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Under the mask

Gus Batley Tamworth Base Hospital Chaplain

IT IS NOT EASY TRYING to sum up life at work during the last six months, even though our region and hospitals have largely been spared the burden of caring for numerous COVID-19 patients. On one hand, I don’t relish putting on a mask whenever I go to sit with a patient. It’s frankly a nuisance, I fog up, and it falls off whenever I smile, but most of all it masks so much body language, which matters so much in chaplaincy. But then again, the nursing staff I work with must also do it every day, so it has become a minor point of solidarity with these wonderful people.

In addition, we have had no volunteer visitors since March, so the chaplaincy’s coverage across 220-odd patients has been steeply reduced, that is, to yours truly. I don’t enjoy flying solo in this work, and I miss my volunteers, their fellowship, their mutual care and the sharing of painful stories and minor triumphs. Once again, I would be thrilled to hear from anyone who is keen to reach out to the sick and dying in their community. Of course our current restrictions make this more difficult than usual, but the time will come (God willing) when we will again have freer access to our local aged care facilities and hospitals. When that time comes, it will be good to see God’s people in the frontline of community concern.

So, things have changed. But on the other hand, the fundamentals have not changed.

The Link

25

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Chaplaincy work is very much a matter of just you and the patient: a potentially vulnerable, often private moment which simply requires two people, and the aid of the Holy Spirit. And so even as the pandemic has shaped (or distorted?) a myriad of policies and procedures, God has still been graciously turning up and doing his thing, time and time again: The male patient - an atheist - waking up from a dreadful intubation episode, which included nightmares. After a chance encounter with me he finishes by saying, ‘I was convinced that after death, it was oblivion, but now, I’m not so sure.’ The woman who has been told her cancer has returned; she has twelve months, and has begun praying again, and who speaks of a peace that she never knew before. The young mental health patients who reveal a genuine hunger for the gospel truths of grace for sin and lasting hope amid so much instability.

Thankfully the Lord is not restrained by masks. This is the notice I have had placed at my office door, in the hospital corridor, since March: “Be assured that God will continue to cross all social distancing boundaries by persisting in being everywhere, in every room, office, home and all places of public gathering. He will continue to reach out to all people, regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, politics, healthy or sick.

Prayer requires no screening, or distancing measures. The only distancing measures between us and God are those imposed by us: ‘come near to God and he will come near to you’ (James 4.8).”

Yes, sin must rightly be confessed and turned away from. But I want people to know that God is one vulnerable heartbeat away, and that no pandemic, or masks, real or pretended, will stop Him touching people as only He can.

Getting back to basics on Zoom University ministry is always full of surprises. So, the advent of the COVID-19 crisis sent the ministry staff at St Mark’s UNEchurch at the University of New England into a new season of ideas and planning to deal with the unexpected challenges.

Campus minister, Matthew Sheridan, outlined some of the innovative ways they have been staying connected and reaching out.

“WHEN THE LOCKDOWN HIT OUR ministry moved online for just about everything; live streamed services, bible study and prayer groups, and even our youth group started meeting on Zoom. It was a lot to process, and a big scramble to get things up and running, but we have been blessed with excellent tech support and people who are willing to deal with big changes.

The live streaming went so well, we have kept it going even though we have been meeting back in person for over three months. It has reached people we have not seen in years, and also The Link

26

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Small groups at Mid-Year Conference-socially distanced but still fun.

some who don’t have a local ministry to attend. It has been hard preaching to a camera - not being sure at all of how what was said was being received in that moment - but thankfully for us it was only for 17 weeks of online.

Mid-Year Conference was a real highlight of the year. It was our first back-in-person event, and it was SO GOOD to see each other after so many weeks online. We ran it online as well so that those still isolating or further afield could join in, and that was a first for MYC. It was more difficult in that we had to make it COVID-safe, so it was non-residential and held in Armidale rather than Scotts Head, where we usually go. We had to prepare for it in a very short time as we made the call to go ahead quite late. Gary Eastment, Senior Minster at UNEchurch, and I shared the preaching on the topic of “Relationships in the Image of God”.

We are now trying to work out new ways to reach new people, and one of these ways is through a study hall. In the lead up to exams, we are trying to provide students with some space to study, as many areas on campus are not available or restricted in their use. So we are setting up the chapel as a study space, which is just another opportunity to be together, and hopefully it will help put UNEchurch on the map for students who might not have ever visited for church on Sundays.

In many ways the ministry has changed, yet it stays the same too! The method of ministry has changed dramatically, but we have been forced back to basics: Bible, prayer, together in fellowship with others where possible and appropriate.

The ministry to UNE students was all about keeping connected over the lockdown period as students dispersed. Our Christians United student committee came up with a bunch of great ideas, including hosting a Minecraft server, playing JackBox games over Zoom and a daily morning coffee on Zoom as well. These sat alongside and complemented our ministries. And of course, it has become easier than ever to invite a friend to church - you just send a link!

Please pray that we can reach many more students with the good news of Jesus.

The Link

27

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

A very different Synod Distant but still together: Delegates at the Armidale hub.

THE 50TH SYNOD OF THE Anglican Diocese of Armidale was held on Saturday September 26 this year.

It looked very different to previous Synod meetings. Instead of the clergy and lay representatives of every parish coming together at Calrossy School in Tamworth for a full weekend of fellowship, debate and decisions, people met in small groups at local hubs, located in Armidale, Tamworth, Narrabri, Moree and Inverell, and were linked together via the internet.

There were technical issues, and it had not the usual atmosphere of past years, but decisions were made and the warm collegial fellowship of other years was still apparent.

Please pray that the plans and decisions made on that day may be worked out to God’s glory as the coming year continues to throw unknown challenges at every person in the Diocese.

The Link

28

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Write what you think each fisherman might be saying.

Unscramble the words of the Memory verse below and write them in the spaces below.

God Jesus the

has

come

G od

and We

that

us Son

has

know

shown

the

true

Christ of

__ ____ ____ _____ ______ ___ ___ __ ___ ___ ____ ___ ___ _____ __ ___ ____ ___ . 1 John 5:20a (CEV)

Tales from SRE

Today Jesus G A Q E S V U X C has many disciples O P V W Q D I N H all over the A QUICK boost, a cheering up, a shot in the arm…go and speak to a Scripture IF YOU WANT D F N B O Z T O R world. teacher!

If They you can possibly manage it, speak to Kietta Allen, whose joy and enthusiasm for can be called S T W E K R H A I teaching … Special Religious Education (SRE, commonly known as “Scripture”) is so infectious

WHO IS JESUS?

it willFOLLOWERS make you want F toOsign L up L toOhelp W out E next R Syear! She teaches at a Moree primary school, whileGOD’S her husband Michael a primary and a high school. We sat down with A B Mteaches I C atY both C H T them FAMILY to find out where their enthusiasm for this ministry comes from.

M D X E Z G H S I I H Q V L P U K A THE CHURCH The Link: Why did you decide to take on SRE as a ministry?

L R K E G J R Y N CHRISTIANS Kietta: There was a need in Moree for teachers and I had the time and could see the value of Y T L R F Y C G S this ministry M W B S N L H B Z BELIEVERS

Michael: As a part of my role at church my ministry focus was kids/families/evangelism. SRE hits all three… it was a no brainer. Also, I have a strong desire to see kids know who they are in Christ – and what the means for their lives on 4earth.

What was your feeling when COVID-19 stopped SRE in schools? What did you pray at the time?

Kietta: My initial thought was sadness as we had only taught a few weeks and hadn’t even been able to do the Easter presentation or let the students know we wouldn’t be able to come The Link

29

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Michael and Kietta Allen

in anymore. My prayer was that God would use this for His glory, that it would be short-lived and that the seeds planted in those few weeks of teaching would take root.

Michael: Initially I thought I had been denied access to a massive part of my life. After years of Scripture you grow connections with teachers and students. These fade over time when you are not persistently growing them. It was hard to be forced out of such an important ministry. I prayed for early access to the school, or special privilege to teach online. I prayed for opportunities to meet teachers and parents and students in everyday life, to say “Hey I’m your kid’s scripture teacher!”

When did you get back into the classroom?

Kietta: Week 2 of term 3 we were allowed to come back into the school Tell us about the whole-school presentation.

Kietta: For education week each year the whole school comes to the Anglican church in year groups, along with the teachers. This is an incredible opportunity to preach the gospel, especially for those students that don’t normally attend SRE. With COVID the school would have been able to cancel this but, to our surprise (not God’s), the school was so keen to continue. Michael would head this up and organise a message, and I would do an interactive kids’ story. Michael settled on the idea of teaching the parable of the lost sheep and he spoke of God’s great love for people, that He is the shepherd and protector; He wants each of them to be in his family, He The Link

30

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

wants them to say yes to Jesus and that heaven throws a party when they do. I did a kids’ talk about the lost sheep and we taught them Isaiah 53:6.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

We were surprised and blown away (again God wasn’t) at how responsive teachers and students were this year, The principal can’t wait for next year and there was so much joy, so much desire to know more and in the weeks after we are still hearing feedback from teachers and student about how much they loved it and to our excitement when we go in for SRE kids are still able to chant Isaiah 53:6 WOW!!

In your opinion, how has the COVID crisis affected children?

Kietta: I think it has definitely affected our children more than we realise. There is a sense of fear and anxiety in children that I haven’t seen before, but on the flip side I’m seeing Christian kids I know really stepping up and speaking to their peers about the peace of God. Michael: The kids feel the difference in our approach to them; they know we are holding back components of our normal pattern of behaviour. Singing, for example, is a large part of my own Scripture ministry, because of this I think they are feeling a bit uneasy. They are not the usual relaxed kids I know. They are not sure what to expect next.

Tell us some great SRE stories!

Kietta: I have so many stories, stories of God’s faithfulness, seeing the Holy Spirit move in the lives of children and reveal truths that I haven’t even taught yet. Some of these stories are big and amazing and some are small and subtle and just as amazing. One that stands out to me and will stick with me is the story of a child who comes from a difficult background, who had been troublesome, who didn’t seem to take in much during my lessons, but who was there every week. One day the teacher had the students write me cards and as I collected them I thought to myself “I’ll read these when I get home.” But the card that was sitting on the top of the pile was a picture drawn by this child of two hands holding a heart. One arm says, “God loves me” and the other “Jesus loves me”. As I was leaving, I asked this child what the picture meant to them and their response left me undone “Mrs Kietta I now know that God and Jesus hold my heart even if no one else does.”

A highlight of last year was being able to do an end of year assembly in the school for all SRE students with puppets, songs and a gospel presentation, the feedback and excitement from this happening led to other schools asking us to come and do the puppets for them and this definitely was a SRE highlight for me.

Michael: I make small prayer cards for the kids at the beginning of the year, as I handed them out to the students the teachers and aides all asked for one too “for their kids/grandkids”. I happily obliged. Much to my satisfaction, the next few weeks were filled with reports from the The Link

31

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

teachers and aides that their kids had been praying every night with the cards, and the teachers and aides had gotten in on it too. It was a great thing to bring the classrooms together… everyone had been using them to learn how to pray!

I teach Kindergarten a memory verse song at the beginning of the year, and we sing the same one all the time. Much to my delight, the teacher had been getting the kids to sing the song as a way of gaining their attention in class!

One of my kindy kids was having a bad time of it at school and was asked by his teacher and parents if was there anything good about school. To this the lad proceeded to recite and act out an entire Scripture lesson for his teacher and parents. The only reason the boy wanted to come to school was for Scripture. He was uninterested in every other aspect of education… except for Thursday, which was ‘the best school day’ because SRE was on.

What do we need to be praying for SRE, both in this time of difficulty and as an ongoing prayer?

Kietta: Pray that we will see God’s word planted deeply in the lives of teachers and students, that we can truly be God’s hands and feet showing the love and peace that knowing God brings to our lives especially during these times. Please be praying that we will continue to be able to teach in the schools for as long as possible and for those schools that are yet to have SRE back that it will be made possible.

Kietta, you told me on the phone that you love teaching Scripture more than anything.

Why? Kietta: I have a great love for this ministry, I get so excited that each week we get to walk into schools and openly declare that God is the one true God. I get to teach over 60 people each week and build relationships in our community that I could do no other way. I think it’s pretty awesome when you’re in a local café and kids are dragging their parents over to talk to Mrs Kietta who teaches them about God. What would you say to people who are thinking of taking on SRE as a ministry?

Kietta and Michael: Do it! You won’t regret it. We are so fortunate in this country because we still have the opportunity to teach Scripture. We are not just going into a school and teaching for 30 minutes to fill time in the day. We go in and speak life and truth into these little lives, to share with them Jesus, not only in our words but in our actions and care, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities. To so many of these teachers and students you will be the only one to introduce Jesus to them and to break down those religious barriers that they often have. You can show them that Jesus truly loves them and wants to be their friend, and that to me is incredible! You will be a blessing to these people but even more, this ministry will be a blessing to you.

If you’ve never thought of it, or if you have always thought you couldn’t do it I encourage you to seek God, to ask Him if this is where He wants you to be. I believe everyone can do SRE! Yep… we all do it differently and every class is different, but we have the same Spirit living in us and a heart to share the gospel with those God has put in our world.

The Link

32

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

Rick and Janene say goodbye

As they prepare for a new ministry on the south coast of New South Wales, Bishop Rick Lewers and his wife Janene reflect on the time they have spent in the Diocese of Armidale.

From Janene We were warmly welcomed eight and a half years ago and allowed to ‘be ourselves’ in the varying forms that our ministry has taken.

One of the unexpected ministries that I discovered during my time in the Diocese was the ministry of ‘showing up’. It has been a joy to visit the churches and although I did not have any specific task or job, the mere fact that I came with Rick was appreciated. I suspect that each one of us might overlook the fact that simply by turning up to church or bible study or fellowship or whatever ministry, it is an encouragement to others.

It has been a privilege to be involved in the New Life Committee and to see women encouraged in God’s Word and spurred on in their relationship with Jesus. I thank God for the women who have The Link

33

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

served alongside me over the past five years on the committee and the many women who helped in many different ways each year. I will miss the fellowship of the ministry wives and their families and I thank God for the opportunity to serve alongside them.

My work with Safe Ministry training and Scripture coordination has been a blessing but also a challenge to support and equip the saints over such a large area. In recent times, there has been enormous pressure to have Scripture removed from NSW Public Schools. This means that as a Diocese we need to continue maintaining good relationships with our local schools. We must counter the efforts of those who seek the demise of Scripture with great teaching and prayerful support from the local church.

Like Paul in Philemon - through the partnership we have had with the saints in the north west our faith has deepened, as has our understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. We have had great joy and encouragement because people in the Armidale Diocese have loved us and we have loved them. Through this, our hearts have been refreshed.

From Rick One never finishes ministry but there are conclusions to seasons of ministry. Janene and I both grieve the season of conclusion but are looking forward with joy to what the Lord has in store for us. In fact, as I write, Janene is doing a COVID-19 women’s conference in our home in place of the annual New Life Conference. She has loved this ministry of encouraging women and will miss it enormously. Thankfully she is coming with me when I leave because ministry without her would be severely weakened! While I won’t make too many notes of appreciation, Janene, my wife, is a gift of God to us all.

The role of Bishop offers ministry opportunities that are geographically large, nationally important, administratively tiresome, pastorally satisfying and evangelistically hopeful. Our home has been an open door of hospitality which has seen us in company that has educated us, humoured us and blessed us. There has been no shortage of laughter around the dinner table as well as the tears that accompany life. We thank all those who have sat at table with us and who have had us at your table.

Since arriving in the Diocese in 2012, we have experienced the Royal Commission into Institutional Abuse, seven years of drought, and now COVID-19. These seasons have been relentless. The impact of the Royal Commission continues, we pray that the drought is now coming to a close and who knows where this COVID-19 season will take us medically, economically, commercially, relationally and spiritually. In the midst of these things I feel like we have never lived in a period where Christianity is so publicly despised but where privately Jesus Christ is so needed.

In the midst of all these things I have been encouraged personally to write and I am thankful for a newspaper willing to publish. As I consider its readership, both Christian and non-Christian and the scope of its reach I often wonder if this has been the most effective thing I have done since being in The Link

34

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

the job. It is one of those ministries where you don’t see the impact, but can only trust that God will take your feeble efforts and do more with them than you could ever ask or imagine.

In the early days of my appointment I was greatly assisted by my friend and registrar, Ron Perry.

More recently, Geoff and Catherine Hearn have been a gift from God. These relationships remind me of the proverb, “Iron sharpens iron”. Of course, that proverb finds fulfilment for me among the exceptional men and women who have served alongside us in the ministry and who will continue to serve long after we have left.

The main ministry of any Bishop is to “preach the word”, as the apostle put it. It is an ordination and consecration vow that is at the heart of the role the Diocese of Armidale, under God, extended to me. From clergy conferences, to parish ministries, to the national church I have had the opportunity to build people up through the teaching of God’s word and to take my stand on the truth while offering correction to false and unhelpful alternatives. All this has been great, but I remain so very thankful that God has entrusted me with the gospel treasure that I might play a part in His The Link

35

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020

introduction of Jesus Christ to people and helping them home to heaven. One-to-one evangelism does not come easily to the office of the Bishop so Janene and I have intentionally invested time in our local golf club, cultivating relationships in which we have shared Christ. These relationships we will miss.

One aspect of being a Bishop that we have found difficult is the cultivation of deep friendships.

The tyranny of distance and the demands of travel across the Diocese does not make establishing friendships easy. Over the eight years of our ministry we have met so many beautiful Christian brothers and sisters. My guess is that “brothers and sisters in Christ” might better express our relationships than does the word “friend”. So many Christian brothers and sisters have contributed to our lives in meaningful ways that I could not name them all, but I am thankful for their every contribution. I won’t offer a list of names of those for whom I thank God, but I rest thankfully in the knowledge that all their lives are hid in Christ and our future together is eternal.

I am often asked about country ministry and its distinctives and what I have learnt about rural ministry while being the Bishop. The obvious things are the geographical distances people have to travel, nighttime interactions with ‘roos which keep people off the roads and at home, reliance on the environment and the need of neighbour. I rejoice in the significant place that Australian indigenous people have in our Diocese and I grieve the injustices from the past that no Australian can be proud of. I also find myself happily surprised by the Diocese’ growing multiculturalism.

At some levels I am not sure how different country NSW is from the rest of Australia but like all humanity, people love to pride themselves on their distinctives. We are all a little tribal. I would have to say that resilience is something I have noticed but then rural suicide reveals a darker less resilient perspective. Is this any different to the city? I have found rural people largely hospitable, but I have seen many a sign that warns against trespass. In my experience rural people love to be loved, treated with respect and listened to. But is that not universal? I think they find humility endearing.

But who doesn’t? Like most, they are proud and careful. I find the men and women of the country strong physically, mentally, relationally and when devoted to Christ, a force to be reckoned with.

Importantly, what I have learnt about the rural Australian is that they are no different to the rest of the nation when it comes to sin and the need of the Lord Jesus Christ. The truth of this similarity with all people is more significant than any of our distinctives. Taking the gospel to our Diocese, however, does have some cultural differences worthy of consideration which would require a longer conversation.

Janene and I are among the most blessed of people to have spent time in North West NSW. We have seen the seasonal changes in the colours of the crops. We have stood in the rain and just rejoiced in a gift that we so often take for granted. We have been invited into people’s tears and shared in their laughter while serving through the unforgettable experiences of all that God is doing.

We can only offer our appreciation to the Armidale Diocese for the privilege you have extended to us in accepting us as your Bishop and Mumma Bishop, as the Ugandans would put it.

Our prayer, like that of those who have gone before us, is not that we leave our fingerprint on a time of service in the Diocese but that God’s fingerprint has been and always will be imprinted upon all that His church does to His glory.

The Link

36

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020