Change The World Magazine 2012
-
Upload
cathy-fransisca -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
1
description
Transcript of Change The World Magazine 2012
Change The World Magazine 1 Change The World Magazine 1
Change The World Magazine 2
message from the senior pastor
Change The World Magazine 2
o n e o f t h e g r e a t e s t t h i n g s a b o u t m i s s i o n i s w e g e t t o d o i t
t o g e t h e r
Change The World Magazine 2 Change The World Magazine 3Change The World Magazine 2 Change The World Magazine 3
Ps David Doery, Senior Pastor, Bridge Church
o n e o f t h e g r e a t e s t t h i n g s a b o u t m i s s i o n i s w e g e t t o d o i t
t o g e t h e rWhaT exCiTing oPPorTuniTieS lie ahead aS We
partner together, extending the Kingdom and assisting the
disadvantaged.
Jesus saw a church that would literally invade every
corner of the earth with a heart to bring “redemptive lift”
to every person and each community. This is exactly what
you and i are doing through the mission vision of the
church!
Through our local and international partnerships the
gospel is being preached, churches are being planted,
leaders are being trained and communities are being
transformed.
This year’s theme for our Mission Conference is “Pray,
Give, Go”. i know you will be encouraged and inspired as
you hear many stories of what god is doing “across the
road and around the globe”. Please take the time to read
all the reports, listen to the stories and come to both the
Saturday and Sunday sessions. our guest speaker, Ps.
Sean Stanton is a champion of mission within australian
Christian Churches and a brilliant communicator of god’s
heart and vision. he will inspire us to keep believing for
even more, so don’t miss any of the main sessions and be
sure to register for the electives as well.
Being active in mission, reaching the world beyond our
own four walls has always been part of the dna of Bridge
church. it’s part of who we are as a local church with an
international heart. So much of what we do is empowered
through the faithful giving of our regular “Faith Promise
Partners”. not the huge giving of just a few but the
incredible generosity of so many ordinary people deciding
they can make an extraordinary difference through
a regular financial contribution.
as we confirm our mission partnerships for another
year ahead let me say “thank you” to everyone who has
prayed, given and gone. Together we are making a huge
difference and there is a reward awaiting every act of
faith.
in our “Year of Purpose” my prayer is together we will
commit to even greater faith and see our partnerships and
projects go to whole new levels of success.
These are great days! Thanks for being with us and
making it happen.
Change The World Magazine 4
contents
3 David DoeryMessage from the Senior Pastor
5 Our Visionextend the Kingdom of god across the road and around the globe
6 Faith PromisesFaith Promise Partners are the heroesof Bridge Church
9 Rob MorrisMessage from the Mission director
10 Pray Give Goour Theme for the Change the World Conference 2012
14 AfricaPray, give, go for africa
15 Africa Overviewour Partners & Key Field overview
16 East Africa - Famine ReliefThank You Bridge Church
18 Mozambique - Housen40 Churches Planted, Countless lives and Communities imacted by the gospel
20 Kenya - Kag MajembeniSeven Churches in Two Years
21 North Africa - Taskersnext door evangelists
22 Going: North Ugandaan experience That Will Stay with Me Forever
28 IndiaPray, give, go for india
29 India Overviewour Partners & Key Field overview
30 Maharasthra - COM5000 Churches and 1200 Sponsored Children
32 Orissa - Jacob’s WellWater of life in Jacob’s Well
33 Going: New DelhiJenny hudson
38 ThailandPray, give, go for Thailand
39 Thailand Overviewour Partners & Key Field overview
40 Chiang Mai - Capacity JEMFrom Children to Project implementation
41 Chiang Mai - The River Teamgod’s river of love in the South of Thailand
42 Going: Chiang MaiMiracle in Thailand
44 Going Mid-Term: ThailandThailand has Changed Me Forever
48 Going Long-Term: Indiaordinary life, extraordinary Things
52 AustraliaPray, give, go for australia
53 Australiaour Partners & Key Field overview
54 Darwin: Bagot Indigenous Victory ChurchSeeing god Move in the Bagot Community
56 Victoria: Teen Challenge VictoriaFrom Trouble to Miracle
58 Alice Springs: Teen Challenge Centralia Shining with god’s love
59 Going: DarwinTransformation
62 GlobalPray, give, go
63 Global Overviewour Partners & global overview
64 China - Geok LimComing to Christ one by one
65 Global - Bruce Hills raise leaders influence others
66 China - Winchesters400 leaders Trained
67 Romania - Rhodeshuman Trafficking can be Beaten
70 LocalPray, give, go
71 Local Overviewour local Focus
72 Empire Estate TeenagersFrom darkness To light
73 Bridge Church at Richmond Housing Estategod’s Kingdom our First Priority
74 Richmond Soul Sisters Morning Connect Grouplittle idea Makes Big difference
75 Financial ReportThank You For Changing The World
CONTENTS
Change The World Magazine 4
Change The World Magazine 4 Change The World Magazine 5
aT Bridge MiSSion, our PurPoSe iS SiMPlY ThiS:
exTend The KingdoM oF god aCroSS The road and around The gloBe. We want to do exactly what the church was put here
to do. reach people with the gospel. We don’t want
to replicate what all the other ngo’s and community
services do, though sometimes the work might look the
same. But the heart behind it is different. our heart is
to be the church, reaching people with the life-saving
gospel message. Sometimes this will be food on a plate,
sometimes it will be providing shelter and education but
at other times it will be investing in Bible colleges and
planting churches. We know who we are and we know
who god has created us to be. So we are doing it on
purpose!
We divide our work up into four different key activities:
Church Planting
Leadership Development
Humanitarian Aid
Community Transformation
We achieve these activities by partnering with key
individuals and groups on the field. Partnership can
be done in a variety of ways. in its simplest form we
give financial support to a project. at other times it will
be a project in which we have a team that is just as
involved here as the team is on the field. When choosing
partners we hold high value on working with indigenous
partners on the field, because they know the culture
better than we do. We make sure that our partnerships
are sustainable. That is, we make sure that plans are
in place so that they won’t be reliant on Bridge Mission
forever.
We also work to make sure that our projects are
reproducible. We want to learn from everything we
do and when we do it well, we want to be able to do it
again and again. regular reviews are conducted of all
our partnerships to ensure that your Faith Promises are
being used in the most effective way possible. Because
we know we are better to focus our efforts on particular
communities rather than spread ourselves thin we focus
the majority of our funds on key fields. our key fields
are: africa, india, Thailand, indigenous australia and
the local area of richmond, Melbourne.
it’s so exciting to know that we can partner together
to Change the World!
vision
our vision
Change The World Magazine 4
Change The World Magazine 6
Who are our faith promise partners?Faith Promise Partners are the heroes of Bridge church. They live everyday for a purpose bigger than themselves. They recognise that financial commitment is very important to the out working of the great commission. They are the ones that sit the family around the table and arrange their budget so they can give more, regardless of the struggles they face. They live the heart of mission and make room for god to add faith to their walk. They live with less so that others can have more. They are changing the world. What is a faith promise?a Faith Promise is a stretch to believe we can do something significant. it is a monthly commitment to give. While there are times to give in the spontaneity of the moment now is the one time of the year that we can rise to a commitment beyond ourselves.
hoW do i become a faith promise partner? Firstly, pray and decide what god would have you give. You’ll get your Faith Promise giving card at the conference. Simply fill it out and hand it in.
FAITH PROMISES
Mother
Accountant
Child
Change The World Magazine 6
Change The World Magazine 6 Change The World Magazine 7
Mother Teacher
Skilled Trades PersonAccountant
Entrepreneur
Father
Child Student
Change The World Magazine 6 Change The World Magazine 7
Change The World Magazine 8
c h a n g e y o u r l i f e a s y o u c h a n g e o t h e r s ’
f o r e v e r
Change The World Magazine 8
Change The World Magazine 8 Change The World Magazine 9
c h a n g e y o u r l i f e a s y o u c h a n g e o t h e r s ’
f o r e v e rWhaT an inCrediBle oPPorTuniTY We have aS a
significant mission focused church to make a difference
both locally and globally. i feel so privileged to serve in
this season with our awesome Mission executive Team
and Key Field leaders, people who are so passionate
about mission. i am also honoured to be part of a church
where the people of god are so generous with their
giving. Thank you for what you have done this year which
has enabled us to partner with so many great ministries
around the world. our god is amazing.
This year, our intention is to go to a new level in all
our main areas. With that in mind we have themed the
conference, Pray, Give, Go.
PrAy – We can never pray too much! The intent this
year is not only to encourage personal prayer for Mission
but to engage as many people as possible in corporate
Mission prayer opportunities. Many of our partners
thank us when we visit the field for the prayer support
of the church. They honestly sense the difference
prayer makes. let’s dare to believe that as we raise our
commitment to pray that greater levels of breakthrough
will happen at the coalface where these champions are
reaching out with the love of Jesus.
GIVE – in 2011, the level of giving and the number of
givers was outstanding. as you will see in the report,
this enabled us to do so much. our aim in 2012 is to
be able to go to another level again. This is not about
raising money for money’s sake. it is about using the
blessing of god in our lives to bring significant change in
environments that have less resource. Whether this is in
some of the local mission responsibilities we have or in
meeting the growing number of global needs. i thank you
for the incredible commitment you are making in 2012 to
financially support Mission. Whether god has placed you
in a position to be able to make a large faith promise or a
small one, my prayer is that you will hear from god and
be faithful in your commitment. Together, we will rise to
a new level.
GO – in the last 12 months we have seen 74 people go
on a short term mission outreach and more than 9 people
who have committed to a longer season in a mission
context. This is incredibly exciting for us as a team; to
see ordinary people rising up to do extraordinary things
with their lives. We have been working hard during 2011
to keep the trips affordable, safe and challenging. our
aim is to create opportunities for all ages including
families to experience firsthand something outside the
context of australian church life. our mission team
is available to help you make the decision that could
change your life forever.
So, Pray, Give, Go. That is our theme and our focus for
the conference and for 2012. Bless you and thank you
again for being an active participator in Bridge Mission.
rob Morris, Mission director, Bridge Church
Change The World Magazine 8 Change The World Magazine 9
message from the mission director
t o g e t h e r w e c a n c h a n g e t h e w o r l d
in 2012 , make a commitment to:
Change The World Magazine 10
PRAy Pray for the nations and our partners across the globe.
GIVEBecome a faith promise partner and give to transform lives and communities.
GOGo local, go global andimpact the world.
t o g e t h e r w e c a n c h a n g e t h e w o r l d
in 2012 , make a commitment to:
Change The World Magazine 10 Change The World Magazine 11
Change The World Magazine 12
africa
s p r e a d t h e g o s p e l ,
c h a n g e t h e w o r l d
Change The World Magazine 12 Change The World Magazine 13
s p r e a d t h e g o s p e l ,
c h a n g e t h e w o r l d matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest; ask him to send more workers into
his fields.”
africa
Change The World Magazine 14Change The World Magazine 14
PRAy GIVE GO
become a faith promise partner and support our
partners in africa in 2012/2013
wiLL educaTe a cHiLd To be a Leader of Tomorrow (mama Safi orpHanage)
wiLL Train a bibLe coLLege STudenT To become a cHurcH pLanTer
(iTm bibLe coLLege – mozambique)
wiLL broadcaST THe goSpeL in THe SLumS of nairobi (Kag majengo)
mozambique 15-24
april 2012
itm bible collegeleader: Joe mwangi
mozambique september/october 2012
itm bible college
THere wiLL aLSo be fuTure ouTreacHeS To africa in 2013.
$120per month
$50per month
$25per month
Join the mission prayer teamContact 03 8420 0938 or
that the countries in north africa THaT are going THrougH major
poLiTicaL cHange wouLd be guided by godTo give cHriSTianS freedom To worSHip
east africa Would receive rain, countries experiencing TurmoiL wouLd Have peace
and THaT peopLe wouLd receive cHriST
god to provide godly, Wise people to assist robbie HouSen in THe iTm bibLe coLLege
courage and spiritual breakthrough for THe cHurcHeS in THe Kiambiu and
majengo SLumS in nairobi.
Wisdom and spiritual protection for pS paTricK and HiS LeaderS in uganda
god to raise up more church planters wiTH Kag majembeni in Lamu
Wisdom and strategic direction for mama Safi orpHanage and diSabiLiTy
parTnerSHip abroad
africa africa africa
Change The World Magazine 14 Change The World Magazine 15Change The World Magazine 14
GO in africa we support:kenya
uganda
north africa
mozambique
PS WilSon & JoYCe oMido Kag Kiambiu
PS JereMiah & SYlvia JuMaKag Majengo
diSaBiliTY ParTnerShiP aBroad
PS ChriSTian & JaneT MuChiriKag Majembeni
MaMa SaFi orPhanage
PS PaTriCK KaBongo
Craig & FeliCiTY TaSKer
roBBie houSeniTM Bible College
africa
Change The World Magazine 15
Kenyauganda
mozambique
a f r i c a
in africa in 2011/2012 We have supported:
+ The planting of churches across uganda, Kenya and Mozambique
+ leadership training in north africa
+ Sustainability projects and churches in the slums of nairobi
+ orphans program in poverty stricken northern uganda
+ Purchase of land to extend an orphanage in Kenya
+ Bible College that trains students to plant churches all over Mozambique
+ radio program that reaches many people in the slums of nairobi
+ disabled children in Kenya
+ Famine relief in Kenya through local churches
Change The World Magazine 16
africa east africa
faminerelief
in 2011, eaST aFriCa FaCed iTS WorST droughT in over 50 YearS aFFeCTing
over 10 million people. More than 1 million people fled from Somalia to refugee camps
in Kenya and ethiopia in hope of finding enough food and water to sustain them. The un
declared the disaster a Phase 5 Famine/humanitarian Catastrophe.
Bridge church gave generously for the east african Famine relief appeal, raising
$30,008. of that money, $14,008 was given to Convoy of hope through aCCir and
$16,000 was given for distribution through churches across Kenya via Kag Buruburu
Church. Bridge church also gave a further $5,000 to three of our partner churches
to provide famine relief to over 250 families.
KAG BuruBuru
Kag Buruburu distributed the famine relief through churches from local companies in
surrounding districts; Kibwezi, Kitui, Marsabit, Turkana & Maralal.
Pastors from Kag Buruburu purchased maize and beans in the districts where the
food was distributed, hired a truck and arranged a team of volunteers to distribute the
food through their connecting churches.
Jaxon Calder of Bridge Church, Ps george from the Korogocho slums, Ps elvis
irungu and Charles Wachira from Kag Buruburu went to three different churches
in Kitui to distribute some of the funds given by Bridge Church.
The devastation was evident along the way to Kitui with plantations covered with
dust from the lack of rain and everything being extremely dry. upon arrival, they went
to each of the three churches and spoke to the people about god and his provision of
funds through Bridge church and then each person there received enough food to last
their family a few months.
Working with local churches provides a central place for the distribution of the food.
it also shows the love and care of Christ to the community and helps the churches to
make more contacts with people. The people were so appreciative of the much needed
relief.
Change The World Magazine 16 Change The World Magazine 17
after they had visited the last church the drivers swept the back of the
semi-trailer, putting the spilt maize in their t-shirts and requested to take it
home to their families.
COnVOy Of HOPE
Through aCC international relief’s horn of africa appeal, funds raised by
Bridge church were distributed throughout affected regions. aCCi’s on-field
partner, Convoy of hope, provided an initial response to the disaster. having
been based in Kenya for the past eight years, warehouse space, vehicles, and
distribution chains were already in place.
The initial response to the crisis was an outlay of $50,000 to purchase
critical supplies in the country. Food and water have been distributed on an
ongoing basis, contributing towards the long-term response plan. The needs
of both Kenyan and Somali refugees in Kenya are staggering. Millions of
people are still in need of humanitarian assistance in Kenya alone, with over
500,000 additional refugees. Convoy of hope will continue to respond on all
available fronts, and will look at viable ways of serving other impacted areas
as the relief effort proceeds.
PArTnEr CHurCHES
Bridge church also gave $5,000 across three of our partner churches in
Kenya to help over 250 families in need. These churches were Kag Kiambiu,
Kag Majengo and Kag Majembeni. each of these churches distributed the
food to families who had been affected
by the famine in the slums of nairobi and
in lamu in Kenya. The people were so
grateful.
Many people have been affected by the
drought and in a bid to survive, have moved
to the big city of nairobi where they live
in slums already in desperate conditions.
unemployment, theft, prostitution, drugs,
crime, home brewed alcohol is rampant,
and youth are being recruited to fight for
terrorist organisations. The famine has made
people even more desperate.
Majengo is one of these slums and is
a very desperate and hard place.
Kag Majengo handed out 1 kg packs
of maize flour to people identified, by a
committee including government officials,
as the most needy. Ben hay and two other
members from Bridge church, Muslim
leaders, government officials and the local
police chief were present! This was the fifth
of five handouts arranged at the Kag
Majengo church. The officials all
addressed the people, and publically
expressed gratitude to Bridge church
for their support and love in action
to the people of the Majengo slum.
The district government official who
was present was so moved by the
day that he told Ps Jeremiah that he
would promise him an old building in
Majengo to house his books he has in
his office which would create a library
for the church.
There were tears of joy and
happiness, and it was a really
powerful event. The recipients did
not just receive food but were also
uplifted by god’s presence and love.
Many commented that to see three
foreigners in an area that most people
from nairobi wouldn’t go to means
a lot to them.
one single mum who had a newly
born baby and two other children
told Ben she was hiv positive,
recently accepted Jesus and was
now attending Kag Majengo. Jesus
is giving her hope she said, and she
was very grateful for the food she
received.
Thank you Bridge church for giving
so generously. Your giving makes a
difference.
Change The World Magazine 18
africa mozambique robbie housen
roBBie houSen and her laTe huSBand JeFF Moved To MozaMBique
in 1999 with the vision to train and release church planters into communities
across the country. They established iTM Bible College in 2000 and have
seen over 40 churches planted across Mozambique, and countless lives and
communities impacted by the gospel.
The students at the Bible College are trained to be church planters and go
out and plant a church in their third year. Two of these students went out from
the Bible College and planted a church in Shapunga, a rural community in
Mozambique. The people in the community have low incomes, limited access
to clean water and healthcare. alongside planting a church, these church
planters have also been able to improve the standard of living through fixing
wells and digging new wells, teaching village healthcare and adult literacy.
as the church started to meet, many people came along with serious health
issues so the church planters started to pray for them and god miraculously
healed many people. Several women who had been lame for over 15 years
were completely healed and got up and danced for joy, overwhelmed and
praising Jesus who had healed them and saved them.
The iTM Bible College not only teaches the students about how to be
church planters but also gives them skills and knowledge about becoming
self-sustainable. an exciting initiative that robbie has started is the hope
farm. robbie is developing this farm to be a commercial business to make the
Bible College and the many facets of the ministry self-sustainable. This farm
will consist of raising animals and growing crops. Pigs, sheep, chickens and
goats will be raised on the farm and sold. The crops they are growing are
medicinal herbs and plants. one of these plants is called maringa which is
used to treat malnutrition. They will provide it for hospitals, people in need
and people with aidS as well as selling it commercially. The medicinal herbs
treat skin diseases that are common in the area.
partner /ROBBIE hOusEn
Change The World Magazine 18 Change The World Magazine 19
This project trains students in becoming self-sustainable as well as providing
resource for the ministry itself. all of the students are trained in agriculture. The
first year students, in their agriculture subject, will be working on the farm and at the
same time learning how the farm runs from the ground up. Second year students will
manage the farm, learn how to manage money and learn how to run a business well
so that in their third year when they go out to plant churches they can run a micro-
enterprise business enabling them to sustain their own ministry out on the field.
Third year students are given a micro-enterprise kit to take with them and, along
with the skills they learnt in Bible College will be able to start a business that will
support their ministry. They will be able to go out and transform communities and
enable their churches to be founded on a sound basis.
god is doing many things in Mozambique to take the gospel to people who have not
heard about Jesus. it is exciting to see what happens when we allow god to use us to
pray, give and go.
Pictures showing the iTM Bible College students holding up their certificates after completing their studies.
Change The World Magazine 20
kenya, lamu kag maJembeni – ps christian & janet muchiri
When PS ChriSTian and JaneT MuChiri STarTed
Kag Majembeni in 2009, it was the only aog church
in the lamu region. They had a strong call from god to
reach people and communities that had never heard the
gospel. The lord god has given them such favour. in the
space of two years they have been able to open seven
more churches, reaching the indigenous people deeper
in the bush.
all of the churches planted have been established
as a result of god’s favour. Ps Christian and Janet
are excited to see what god is doing through them in
partnership with Bridge church.
They have started a small Bible training school to
train pastors and leaders to be more effective in their
ministry.
Most of the churches which they have planted are
in remote areas deep in the jungle. The pastors have
to walk long
distances
between them
to encourage
the believers.
They have been
blessed with
bicycles for each
pastor and a
motorbike for Ps
Christian so that
he can oversee
the churches.
Do you have a heart for Africa? Why not join our africa Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].
god has also been touching Muslims. Jeffery was
a Muslim that came to Christ. he grew up in a Muslim
family. Christians around him shared the gospel with him
and invited him to their home to study the Bible together.
Through the grace of god, he accepted Jesus. after he
came to Christ, his six brothers also gave their lives to
Jesus. These were not easy decisions and they were
persecuted but Ps Christian and Janet encouraged them
and prayed for them regularly.
amina was another testimony to god’s goodness.
She married a Muslim man but was divorced. She was
infected with hiv and was desperate. no-one wanted
to associate with her but the pastors went to comfort
and encourage her. amina accepted Jesus and is a living
testimony to god’s grace and life changing power.
Kag Majembeni also run a school for children in the
area. The quality of the education is giving them great
favour with the parents and the community.
Ps Christian and Janet are thankful to Bridge church
for our support not only in church planting and education
but during the famine which affected many people. The
relief funds that were sent were a great help and touched
many people in the community.
partner /kag majEmBEnI
africa
Change The World Magazine 20 Change The World Magazine 21
africa north africa craig & felicity tasker
Craig and FeliCiTY TaSKer WorK in norTh aFriCa WiTh a viSion To raiSe
up a body of believers with godly leadership and make the gospel available to as many
as possible.
Craig and Felicity share the gospel with neighbours, friends, taxi drivers, colleagues
and offer them Jesus dvd’s and Bibles. They are seeing many lives changed by god.
They have a vision to see the millions of people in their country come to know Christ
and for Christians to be given the freedom to worship and meet together.
Two Muslim families that Craig and Felicity have been ministering to accepted their
gift of the Bible and a list of verses in the Koran that encourage reading of the Bible.
When they went back to visit them a couple of months later, they had a good discussion
about the gospel and they were happy for the Jesus film to be shown to the entire
family. They requested their own copy and the father commented that “it will improve
me”.
Craig and Felicity bought a cassette player for the mum and gave her a pile of
teaching tapes in arabic. They also gave her 15 video resources in arabic because her
son had bought her a second hand vhS player. her children and grandchildren often
visit her and she can now show them these videos and sow into their lives.
They continue initiating new friendships in the neighbourhood, at work and wherever
they are in order to share the message of life. Their neighbour, hani, had dinner with
them one night and watched the glimpse of eternity dvd by ian McCormack. hani, who
is into eastern religions, was touched.
There are only about 400 believers in the whole country but Craig and Felicity are
believing god for new opportunities to share their faith, train leaders and grow the body
of believers in a harsh political climate.
partner / cRaIg &fELIcIty taskER
Change The World Magazine 22
north uganda
an eXperiencegoing: north uganda
THaT wiLL STay wiTH me forever
BY liah PaPaS i have Been exTreMelY ForTunaTe To have Been involved in TWo MiSSion
outreaches with Bridge church to africa in the past two years. i have found that both
mission outreaches were a great challenge for me spiritually, mentally, and physically.
at the end of each trip i learned more about myself and my faith in god than anything
else. on both mission outreaches, i have learnt about new cultures and have been able
to see how people with nothing have the most amazingly strong faith in god.
an experience that i know will definitely stay with me forever was at the end of last
year when i traveled to uganda with a team from Bridge church. i was lucky enough
to spend some time with Pastor augustine’s (one of the pastors that is working with
Ps Patrick) son, Patrick, who shared with me what he had been through growing up in
uganda as a young boy as the lord renaissance army (lra) came and invaded uganda
in 1997. he told me about what the lra army used to do to young men and women his
age. he lost so many friends and relatives. he even saw many of his friends maimed
and dismembered in front of his eyes. i just couldn’t believe that someone so young,
only a couple of years older than myself had been through and seen so much. he was
still so thankful for everything that god had done in his life. he kept saying “but i
thank god they are gone now,” and “i thank god that he didn’t let the lra kill me”.
Children 10 years old are taught to kill, often beginning with their own families.
Some children are allowed to live and then the child is commanded to kill in order to
stay alive. if children do escape, they will never be the same again. in particular, the
lra abducted numerous children and terrorised them into virtual slavery as guards,
concubines, and soldiers. he told me that the children would be beaten, raped and
forced to march until exhausted. if they stopped in exhaustion and couldn’t walk any
longer, the lra would ask them “do you want to rest?” if they said yes, they would
shoot them and the rest of the group would be told “they get to rest for ever now, that’s
what they wanted”. abducted children were forced to participate in the killing and
africa
Change The World Magazine 22 Change The World Magazine 23
an eXperienceTHaT wiLL STay wiTH me forever
c h i l d r e n
1 0 y e a r s o l d
a r e ta u g h t
t o k i l l ,
o f t e n
b e g i n n i n g
w i t h t h e i r
o w n f a m i l i e s .torture of other children who had attempted to escape. he explained that more than
6,000 children were abducted during 1998, although many of those abducted later
escaped or were released.
Most human rights ngos place the number of abducted children still held captive
by the lra at around 3,000, although estimates vary substantially. it’s hard to believe
these things really happen and are not just stories you read about on the internet or
see on the Tv. after speaking to Patrick about all he saw and yet remaining thankful
for everything he has, it makes me realise we have an amazing god. People all over
the world go through so many different trials but at the end of the day we all have the
same god and the same faith. 1 John 5:4 says “...this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” What is it that brings us victory? our faith! Faith brings us
victory. But remember that with every victory, there has to be a battle.
Through your faith promise giving, Bridge Church supports Pastor Patrick who has started up an orphan program in northern uganda reaching people like Patrick.
Pray
m a t t h e w 9 : 3 7 - 3 8
h e s a i d t o h i s d i s c i p l e s , “ t h e h a r v e s t i s p l e n t i f u l , b u t t h e w o r k e r s a r e f e w. s o p r ay t o t h e l o r d w h o i s i n c h a r g e o f t h e h a r v e s t; a s k h i m t o s e n d m o r e w o r k e r s i n t o h i s f i e l d s . ”
m a t t h e w 9 : 3 7 - 3 8
h e s a i d t o h i s d i s c i p l e s , “ t h e h a r v e s t i s p l e n t i f u l , b u t t h e w o r k e r s a r e f e w. s o p r ay t o t h e l o r d w h o i s i n c h a r g e o f t h e h a r v e s t; a s k h i m t o s e n d m o r e w o r k e r s i n t o h i s f i e l d s . ”
Change The World Magazine 26
india
e m p o w e r t h o s e i n n e e d ,
c h a n g e t h e w o r l d
Change The World Magazine 26 Change The World Magazine 27
e m p o w e r t h o s e i n n e e d ,
c h a n g e t h e w o r l d
india
matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest; ask him to send more workers into
his fields.”
Change The World Magazine 28
Jacob’s Well establishing a medicaL cenTre in oriSSa
spiritual discernment and wiSdom To Train godLy cHurcH
pLanTerS THrougH com
grace and favour for jacob’S weLL wiTH governmenT and LocaL officiaLS
divine opportunities To miniSTer To parenTS of cHiLdren THaT aTTend THe
com day care cenTreS
the practical outWorking of god’S viSion for jacob’S weLL
To conTinue To grow in india and in oTHer naTionS
PRAy GIVE GO
become a faith promise partner and support our
partners in india in 2012/2013
will clothe, feed and educate a child to be
a leader of tomorrow (jacob’s well)
sponsors a missionary in india to plant churches in unreached
villages (com)
will enable a literacy worKer to educate people in the villages
in india (jacob’s well)
november/december 2012
Jacob’s Well & com
$175per month
$100per month
$40per month
Join the mission prayer teamContact 03 8420 0938 or
india india india
Change The World Magazine 28 Change The World Magazine 29
in india in 2011/2012 We have supported:
+ The sinking of three bore wells to provide clean water
+ literacy and hygiene workers in the villages
+ Training of national missionaries to plant churches in villages and slum areas
+ Feeding programs in the slums
GO
india
Change The World Magazine 29
in india we support:
JaCoB’S Well
ChriSTian ouTreaCh MiniSTrieS
daniel hunT
i n d i a
maharasthra
orissa
Change The World Magazine 30Change The World Magazine 30
india maharasthra christian outreach ministries
partner /cOmChriSTian ouTreaCh MiniSTrieS (CoM) iS a non-ProFiT organiSaTion CoMMiTTed To reaChing
every village for Jesus. With its humble beginnings in 1984, CoM has now planted over 5,000 churches, sponsors
1,200 children, and operates a number of other projects in india.
CoM runs several day-care centres which care for and educate children in impoverished areas in the state of
Maharashtra.
in one of the day-care centres in Pune, CoM workers met Mr ram Salve. he was a daily labourer in one of the local
factories in Maharashtra. The family came from a financially broken background and struggled to survive. ram put
his four year old son in the day care centres. after a year, he came to say thank you for the changes he had seen in
his son. “he is a new child!” he said. “he gets up on his own and the first thing he does is kneel and pray. We did not
understand to whom he was praying. one day as i came home from work with high fever and vomiting, my son said
‘Papa don’t worry, Jesus will heal you’. i was surprised to see my four year old son put his tender hand on my head,
praying with tears.
Change The World Magazine 30 Change The World Magazine 31Change The World Magazine 30
This moved my heart and to my surprise i was healed
in the next two hours. i realised that there is something
special in the name of Jesus. our little son has brought
us to the saving knowledge of Jesus. now my family and
i attend the CoM church.”
There are six day care centres in the state of
Maharashtra supported by CoM. The centres provide
a fantastic opportunity to minister to 243 children, aged
three to five, and also reach their families who are mostly
hindu. So far nine small groups have been established as
a result of the centres.
CoM also operates a Bible College in Pune which
trains students to be church planters in unreached
villages in india.
Ps nitin is a CoM church planter who has been
working in a village. he began there as a community
development worker but came against opposition from
the village leader when he began to share the gospel,
as the whole village are devotees of a local goddess.
Ps nitin continued to stand strong and made efforts to
build relationships with the villagers. one day the village
head asked Ps nitin why he continued coming to the
village. Ps. nitin courageously shared the love of Jesus.
The village head asked him “is Jesus more powerful
than other gods?” to which Ps nitin answered “Jesus is
a loving and forgiving god”. The village head asked him
to pray for his sick wife and over the next two weeks she
was healed! as a result, the village head and his family
have become eager to learn from the Bible and are soon
to be baptised. For nitin this is a very exciting time as the
village head has great influence over the people and now
there is an opportunity to reach the whole village. CoM is seeing god’s hand transform communities with
the gospel of Jesus Christ. in 2011, 134 young men and
women were trained and there are 85 church planters
working in 17 districts reaching 170 new villages in the
state of Maharashtra. during the period from June to
december 2011, 54 people have been baptised and four
new churches have been established. The CoM Central
Church in Pune has grown from 12 families to 65 families
in just six months and many hindu families have been
touched by the gospel or been healed and have come to
the lord. all glory to god for his incredible power and
love!
Ps nitin, CoM Church Planter
Change The World Magazine 32
india orissa Jacob’s Well
partner /jacOB’s wELL
Do you have a heart for India? Why not join our india Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].
JaCoB’S Well WaS STarTed BY Joan rooSe in 2005 aFTer going To india on a ShorT TerM MiSSion
outreach and seeing the immense need for fresh clean water to be available for all people in the villages. Jacob’s
Well hopes to break the poverty cycle by sinking fresh water wells in villages, establishing health and resource
centres and providing life changing education for children from tribal villages and the slums.
one of the workers at rejoice Centre is Jogesh. rejoice Centre provides vocational training to the surrounding
community and education, accommodation, meals and healthcare to over 90 children. it has been three years since
Jogesh had an encounter with Jesus in his village, following which he left his home to become a live-in farm hand
at rejoice Centre. after three years however, Jogesh, his wife and young boys, packed up their humble belongings
and headed back to their village in search of more money, not realising that over those years he had changed. Back
in their village Jogesh and his family kept in touch with rejoice Centre and received regular visits from one of the
Jacob’s Well team. They began having weekly prayer and worship nights together. The villagers said to Jogesh that
if he was going to stay, he could not do ‘those Christian things’. he was told not to pray or worship his god there.
Jogesh then remembered all the things god had done for him and his family over the past three years, how his
youngest son was born in good health after prayer (a miracle in these parts), how god had healed his son who was
unable to speak, how god protected him when he was trapped in his burning house and made a way for him to escape
out a window without being hurt, how god protected another son when he fell off the roof of a tall building without
being hurt, and how god is always there for him. right then and there, Jogesh decided he must continue to follow
Jesus.
Jogesh returned with his family to rejoice Centre where he takes part in evening worship and is growing in his
spiritual walk, learning to share the gospel and teach the children. each Wednesday night he goes out with another
worker from the Jacob’s Well team to a local village to share the gospel. There are now five Christian families in this
village, who have been set free by Jesus and have chosen to follow him.
This is one of the many stories of lives that are being reached by the love of Christ in india.
one of Jogesh’s sons
Change The World Magazine 32 Change The World Magazine 33
neW delhiindia
going: neW delhi
i WenT on a MiSSion ouTreaCh To india in
February 2012 that changed my life. delhi was the
place that god impacted me the most. We were taken
to what is known as the garbage slum. The people in
this slum live in the midst of rubbish. garbage from the
city is dumped in this slum and the people including
the children sort through the rubbish and extract any
recyclable material. They receive just enough money for
a meal to feed their families for a day.
even before i got out of the car my heart broke.
When we drove into the slum we noticed the tents that
the people live in. The slum is dirty and there are flies
and garbage everywhere. We were hit by poverty at its
rawest. i was devastated by the living conditions of the
people. To be honest, i questioned how the people found
hope in this situation and how we would tell them that
there is a god that loves them.
i had to compose myself before i got out of the car
as i didn’t want the people to see my tears for them.
We walked around a corner and saw a little brick building
called the hope Centre (run by Tejas asia). True to its
name, it is implementing Jeremiah 29:11 and bringing
god’s hope and giving them a future in god.
The building is painted white and stands out amongst
the dirt of the slum. inside, it is painted with bright
pictures and scriptures. it exists in extreme contrast to
the rest of the slum. in the hope Centre, the children
are being educated and taught about god. When i was
praying for three children, i felt i had a word from god
that they would be warriors and would draw others to
god.
The devastation was so great but i really saw people
who had put their lives on the line for god and were in
the frontline of evangelism. i realised that god is having
his way in that slum. Through the children, generations
will change.
This challenged me in every way. What am i doing at
home to evangelise to my unsaved family and friends?
it made me question myself and my complacent attitude
at times. i see god’s work isn’t done yet. There are still
so many who need god, who need to hear the gospel
message and who need to be saved from this life that
can be so cruel. it made me realise that we are god’s
vessels. We need to have a sense of urgency to spread
the gospel message. The time is ours to do something
with.
i am so glad i went on this Mission outreach as god
used me and taught me so much.
BY JennY hudSon
This year Bridge church have made a contribution to the work of Tejas asia in the slums of delhi.
m a t t h e w 9 : 3 7 - 3 8
“ t h e r e w i l l a l w ay s b e p o o r p e o p l e i n t h e l a n d . t h e r e f o r e i c o m m a n d y o u t o b e o p e n h a n d e d t o w a r d y o u r b r o t h e r s a n d t o w a r d t h e p o o r a n d n e e d y i n y o u r l a n d . ”
give
“ t h e r e w i l l a l w ay s b e p o o r p e o p l e i n t h e l a n d . t h e r e f o r e i c o m m a n d y o u t o b e o p e n h a n d e d t o w a r d y o u r b r o t h e r s a n d t o w a r d t h e p o o r a n d n e e d y i n y o u r l a n d . ”
Change The World Magazine 36
thailand
t r a n s f o r m e n t i r e c o m m u n i t i e s ,
c h a n g e t h e w o r l d
Change The World Magazine 36 Change The World Magazine 37
matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest; ask him to send more workers into
his fields.”
thailand
t r a n s f o r m e n t i r e c o m m u n i t i e s ,
c h a n g e t h e w o r l d
Change The World Magazine 38
PRAy GIVE GO
become a faith promise partner and support our
partners in thailand in 2012/2013
wiLL aSSiST TraveL To SHare THe goSpeL wiTH peopLe in THe
muSLim dominaTed SouTH of THaiLand (THe river Team)
wiLL HeLp run concerTS in ScHooLS in THaiLand addreSSing imporTanT Life
iSSueS (THe river Team)
wiLL HeLp SupporT doug HigginS To enabLe Him To Train LeaderS,
care for cHiLdren, pLanT cHurcHeS, STarT SuSTainabLe micro enTerpriSe
iniTiaTiveS, and diSTribuTe goSpeL LiTeraTure THrougH capaciTy jem
september - october2012
december 2012 high school
$100per month
$50per month
$50per month
Join the mission prayer teamContact 03 8420 0938 or
ScHooLS miniSTry To conTinue To grow THrougH engLiSH TeacHing, SporTS programS
and concerTS in ScHooLS
growTH of reLaTionSHip buiLding amongST THe muSLimS in THe SouTH of THaiLand
Tim and bronwyn perry and THeir famiLy aS THey Spend a SeaSon baSed in auSTraLia
god wouLd STrengTHen and expand THe miniSTry of capaciTy jem
THe cHiLdren in emmanueL boyS Home, peace Home and THe HouSe of dreamS
wouLd Have a STrong year of Learning and geTTing cLoSer To god
STrong LeaderS fuLL of inTegriTy in THe maeSarieng cHurcH and emmanueL boyS Home
evangeLiSm god opporTuniTieS for THe cHurcH in maeSarieng
thailand thailand thailand
Change The World Magazine 38 Change The World Magazine 39
GO
thailand
doug & Fiona higginSCapacity JeM
TiM & BronWYn PerrY The river Team
FaY WalKling emmanuel Boys home
in thailand we support: in thailand in 2011/2012 We have
supported:
+ Church Planting
+ Children’s homes
+ hill Tribe ministry
+ Concerts in schools
+ Work in the Muslim dominated south of Thailand
+ The building of five houses through nail Poverty
Change The World Magazine 39
t h a i l a n d
chiang maiprovince
Change The World Magazine 40
thailand capacitychiang mai
Capacity JeM were able to assist
with the emergency medical costs
through the generous donations of a
visiting team. There are many children
like dao that Capacity JeM assist
through their partnerships.
Capacity JeM has also been working
with Pastors Supote and Pimmart
(Mam) Ketudom in Wiang Papao for
approximately six years. They have
a heart for their community, particularly
the youth, and have been praying for the
region for many years, actively training
leaders in the church to evangelise and
disciple. They have seen many come to
know Christ and baptised many people.
local business people, families, and
community members have come to know
god and 10 cell groups now operate in
several villages and homes. The church
has outgrown its current building with
new people coming every week. There is
a tangible presence of the holy Spirit
there. Without prayer this never before
seen growth wouldn’t occur.
CaPaCiTY JeM WorKS alongSide loCal PeoPle in Thailand
to help them fulfil their vision for the local community by assisting in
project implementation, facilitation and resourcing. They are involved
with leadership training, agriculture and microenterprise, children’s
homes, youth programs, and education.
Capacity JeM assist many children through children’s homes. one
child that has been helped is dao. little is known about dao’s early
childhood. Both of her parents have died and an elderly woman in a
village was looking after her. however, because of her age and inability
to work she couldn’t provide for the basics that dao needed. Someone in
the village mentioned Peace home and that dao would be well cared for
there. dao had no identity papers and no name when she arrived so the
house mum named her. recently dao was experiencing some medical
issues including slurred speech and small seizures. She was unhappy
and withdrawn, unlike her usual self. When taking her to the local
hospital, she was treated with contempt and told that she wasn’t worth
caring for because she is from a tribal group and didn’t have identity
papers (a common view held in Thailand). Thankfully the house parents
have friends in a hospital in a major city that assessed her condition. She
had some CaT scans and it showed that she had a worm in her brain.
She received medication and is now back to her normal self, full of life
and joy! She loves god and sings and dances in church each week.
Do you have a heart for Thailand? Why not join our Thailand Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].
partner / capacIty jEm
Change The World Magazine 40 Change The World Magazine 41
partner /
thailand the river team – tim & bronwyn perrychiang mai
TiM and BronWYn PerrY have Been WorKing in
Thailand since 2008 and head up the river Team. The
river Team are involved in training Thai people to reach
their communities, ministering to people in poverty,
and reaching out to kids through concerts and sports
programs in schools.
The river Team also felt god’s calling to work in a
strong Muslim area in the south of Thailand. This area
is troubled by regular violence, bombings and shootings
and is a place where the sex trade and sex trafficking are
prolific.
The river Team spent six months praying and
declaring god’s praises over this region. god spoke to
them about praise going before a victory. in January
2011, the first group from the team went to this troubled
area. good relationships with the local government
were immediately established. Within months, some of
the government and religious leaders from that region
visited the work in north Thailand. This visit resulted in
an invitation to come to their city.
The river Team have established a strong home base
and centre for running activities provided by the local
government leaders, have conducted five kids camps,
run microenterprise training with many locals, been
involved in youth leadership training, ministered into the
lives of many and become a part of the local community,
endorsed and supported by both government and religious
leaders. The river Team have trained Thai and indonesian
leaders who will live and work in the south.
The Perry’s thank Bridge church for enabling them
to regularly travel the 2,000 km to minister in this very
troubled and needy region amongst these very beautiful
people.
The river Team are also very passionate about
seeing children in need placed into families of relatives or
close friends so that they can remain living in community
and to maintain and develop relationships within their own
community. Such relationships are very important for life
in Thailand. occasionally there are children who, for their
own safety or because of community reasons, just cannot
be placed in other homes within their community. This is
the case for three girls who are now living at The river.
Cassie love, from Bridge church, is currently in Thailand
and serving with them to help these girls experience the
warmth and safety of a real home for the first time. Cassie
is overseeing family life and helping to put in place all that
is required to help these kids (and others who may later
come) to adjust to their new family and to succeed and
prosper in all areas of life.
You can read more about what Tim and Bronwyn Perry and the river Team are doing in Thailand by visiting their blogspot [theriverteamthailand.blogspot.com].
thERIvER tEam
Change The World Magazine 42
chiang mai
For MY 29Th BirThdaY laST Year i goT To Be ParT
of a miracle! You don’t hear a lot of people in the Western
world say that but in a developing nation like Thailand,
this sort of thing happens much more frequently –
particularly if you hang around an amazing soldier of god
like Yingwit. Yingwit is one of the sweetest men you will
ever meet. his smiling eyes and humility are some of his
most distinguishing features but what stands out most
when you spend a day with Yingwit is his phenomenal
passion to do the work of Christ and his dedication to the
lost souls of Thailand.
Yingwit voluntarily left a comfortable life in the city
to go and live in a tiny bamboo hut in the hill tribes in the
north of the country for the sole reason of living amongst
and ministering to the villagers. When he moved to this
village there were no Christians living there and in fact
they were despised, so you can imagine how hard it was
for Yingwit when he first arrived. as uncomfortable,
isolated and scary as it was for him, he knew it was god’s
call on his life to help improve the lives of these people.
due to the extreme poverty and hopelessness of
their financial situations, many of the men in the village
miraclein thailand
BY Miree ToMMaSini
going: thailand
thailand
Change The World Magazine 42 Change The World Magazine 43
o u r t e a m
k n e lt d o w n
a n d l a i d
h a n d s o n h e r .
p r ay e d i n
t o n g u e s a n d
o n c e w e
f i n i s h e d
s h e s a i d :
“ i c a n h e a r !
i a m h e a l e d ! ”
resorted to alcoholism which, in turn, led to a high incidence of domestic violence
in the village. Yingwit determined to bring light to this dark part of the world and cried
out to god for a solution. The answer: coffee! Yingwit set up, in essence, a coffee shop
in his little hut and began providing the village men free coffee and conversation every
evening. This venture took off and soon the village men and sometimes women would
come to his hut by night and by day to drink coffee, as Yingwit would sow into their
lives. This resulted in a decrease in the violence, praise god!
on this particular day in august last year when my team visited Yingwit, god
chose to perform a wonderful miracle through us. as we walked around the village,
a gorgeous elderly lady and her husband wandered up to us. This Christian couple
were so tiny and thin and fragile looking. The husband asked Yingwit if our team could
pray for his wife as she was rapidly losing her hearing. She had been prayed for before
but her condition had not improved and she was going deaf. So, eagerly, we obliged.
our team knelt down in the middle of the dusty walking track and laid hands on her.
We prayed in tongues and in english and the presence of the holy Spirit was strong.
once we finished we all got up and as she stood she looked bewildered and said in
Thai “What are they saying? i can hear them but i can’t understand”. Then she said
“i can hear! i am healed”. a big smile covered her face. We were so excited and
amazed. god had chosen that moment to intervene and heal this woman and we all got
to be a part of it. The whole experience was quite surreal as it was instant healing.
it was as though she had come expecting her miracle and through her faith, had
received it. even Yingwit, who has witnessed many supernatural happenings, was very
pleased with this outcome and especially that we got to be a part of it too. We were
all changed that day and could not wait to get home to australia to share the story
with you all. have extreme, unshakeable faith and see the holy Spirit move in your life,
sometimes even instantly.
Bridge Church are supporting the river Team to build a bigger home for Yingwit which will enable him to minister to more people in his home.
Change The World Magazine 44
mid-term
BY ruTh ProSSer
thailand
thailandHaS cHanged me forever
t h e r e a r e t i m e s w h e n i t ’ s h a r d a n d i t f e e l s t o ta l ly o v e r w h e l m i n g a n d y o u c r av e w h at y o u i m a g i n e t h e ‘ n o r m a l’ l i f e t o b e , b u t t h e n , i n a m o m e n t a c h i l d g i v e s y o u a h u g a n d a w a r m s m i l e f i l l e d w i t h l o v e , y o u m e e t a p e r s o n f u l l o f j o y a n d h o p e w h o h a s g i v e n t h e i r l i f e t o c h r i s t, y o u w at c h a n a m a z i n g s u n s e t a n d y o u ’ r e b a c k o n t r a c k .
Check out my blog www.laughingwithasecretasian.wordpress.com for more information about my experiences in Thailand during 2011.
going: mid-term
Change The World Magazine 44 Change The World Magazine 45
ruTh ProSSer, a MeMBer oF Bridge ChurCh, FelT
god calling her to Thailand to work with doug and Fiona
higgins with Capacity. She worked in Thailand with
Capacity for a year and has seen her life change. ruth
shares her story with us.
This is my second trip to Thailand volunteering with
Capacity JeM, and it certainly won’t be my last. i have
spent almost a year based in Chiang Mai and how quickly
Thailand has become home. it has been an awesome
experience grasping a
new language, watching
kids grow and develop,
meeting people from
all over the world,
being a part of
something bigger than
i could have ever
imagined and expanding my world view. Many times your
intention is to change the world, but you find out that you
are actually changed more. You are no longer content
with the status quo or what is acceptable and living
a comfortable, mediocre life doesn’t cut it anymore.
Capacity JeM is committed to working with the local
people to facilitate, resource and implement their vision
for the Thai community which is diverse. it covers anything
from working alongside teachers and students, dealing with
human trafficking prevention, caring for kids from at-risk
situations through our kids homes, sourcing funding for
local projects (such as computers for schools), construction,
training and resourcing locals to share the gospel, teaching
and discipling leaders and many other things.
one of the most impacting things is hearing people’s
stories of transformation. recently we visited a small
church in a rural farming community where the pastor
is a reformed drug addict and alcoholic. She has totally
surrendered her life to god along with her husband and
has a passion for her community to see them come to the
realisation that Buddha is not the answer but Christ is.
My heart is to see every person both here in Thailand
and in australia realise that we all have a very important
part to play in mission. a missionary is not just someone
overseas but it is the call that each one of us has, to
put feet to the words of Christ’s gospel. We are all
missionaries, each to the world where god has called us
to be. Some of the things you can do to discover where
god has called you is to go on a short-term outreach to
another country, seek god in prayer, speak to a leader
in a community group, or volunteer somewhere that you
are passionate about. each one of us is called to live an
extraordinary life wherever god leads and places us.
it involves prayer, good counsel and a whole lot of faith.
There are times when it’s hard and it feels totally
overwhelming and you crave what you imagine the
‘normal’ life to be, but then, in a moment a child gives
you a hug and a warm smile filled with love, you meet
a person full of joy and hope who has given their life to
Christ, you watch an amazing sunset and you’re back on
track. it’s often in those trying times that someone lets
you know that they were praying for you.
living overseas is not easy but there is a greater
contentment and a peace knowing that this is where god
wants me to be. i don’t miss much australian food (i do
have a stash of vegemite in my cupboard) and am very
accustomed to eating rice and chilli at least once a day,
if not more. There is something about immersing yourself
into another culture. loving life and following Christ is
rewarding in ways i can’t begin to describe.
t h e r e a r e t i m e s w h e n i t ’ s h a r d a n d i t f e e l s t o ta l ly o v e r w h e l m i n g a n d y o u c r av e w h at y o u i m a g i n e t h e ‘ n o r m a l’ l i f e t o b e , b u t t h e n , i n a m o m e n t a c h i l d g i v e s y o u a h u g a n d a w a r m s m i l e f i l l e d w i t h l o v e , y o u m e e t a p e r s o n f u l l o f j o y a n d h o p e w h o h a s g i v e n t h e i r l i f e t o c h r i s t, y o u w at c h a n a m a z i n g s u n s e t a n d y o u ’ r e b a c k o n t r a c k .
Change The World Magazine 46
r o m a n s 1 : 1 1 - 1 2
“ i l o n g t o s e e y o u s o t h at… y o u a n d i m ay b e m u t u a l ly e n c o u r a g e d b y e a c h o t h e r ’ s f a i t h . ”
Change The World Magazine 46 Change The World Magazine 47go
“ i l o n g t o s e e y o u s o t h at… y o u a n d i m ay b e m u t u a l ly e n c o u r a g e d b y e a c h o t h e r ’ s f a i t h . ”
Change The World Magazine 48
long -term
BY J
oa
n r
oo
Se
india
indiajoan roose, a member of bridge church, is a perfect example of
god taKing an ordinary life and doing extraordinary things in and
through them. joan roose went on a short term mission outreach
in 2004 to india and was overwhelmed by what she saw. she went
bacK home with a burden on her heart and started jacob’s
well in obedience to god’s call. joan tells her story...
going: long-term
hen i FirST WenT To odiSha i WaS SeverelY Challenged BY WhaT i SaW - exTreMe
poverty with tribal people so neglected they were skeletons covered with skin. There was seemingly
no muscle at all on their bones. They were surviving by drinking stagnant pond water. it was then that
my life changed.
i knew i had to do something about their plight, and Jacob’s Well was born. god enabled me to
get this project off the ground and since that day he has provided everything i have needed. he has
introduced me to people who can help. he has guided my path and has done it all!
in the intervening years i have seen many lives transformed, and in turn, they will transform their
own communities. it takes an average of three months to sink a bore well and during that time our
Christian workers establish relationships in the village, pray for the people, identify their needs and
try to address those needs. By providing clean drinking water we have made a huge difference in the
life of the people in over 30 villages. The gratitude from the families is overwhelming. To them clean
water is life changing. They take great pride in their well and pump, and rush to show it to all the
people who come and visit.
god is doing amazing things in the villagers’ lives. as our workers teach literacy and numeracy,
they share the gospel. in a village where our literacy program has been underway since 2009, one
of the village leaders came to rejoice Centre (our base), asking if our people could come and take
a Bible class in his village on Sundays when the adults could attend. The children from this village
have shown great improvement in their literacy and as a result the whole village has embraced the
initiative.
W
Change The World Magazine 48 Change The World Magazine 49
i’ll be honest, there are days when i don’t want to
continue and just want to come home, and then there are
days that just inspire me. i’ll see something and think,
“how can i ever walk away from this?”
There are children at rejoice Centre who would quite
simply be dead if they had been left in their village. god
has really stretched me in many ways. i’m not a patient
person, but he is teaching me patience, although he’s
still got a long way to go! he’s turned my life inside
out and upside down. he’s pulled me up and turned me
around to refocus on things other than my own needs,
desires and wants. he has opened my eyes and pointed
me in a direction that i would never have gone. Yes,
he has done it all!”
i n t h e i n t e r v e n i n g y e a r s i h av e s e e n m a n y
l i v e s t r a n s f o r m e d , a n d i n t u r n , t h e y w i l l
t r a n s f o r m t h e i r o w n c o m m u n i t i e s .
Change The World Magazine 50
australia
c h a n g e t h e w o r l dr a i s e t h e l e a d e r s o f t o m o r r o w ,
Change The World Magazine 50 Change The World Magazine 51
matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest; ask him to send more workers into
his fields.”
australia
c h a n g e t h e w o r l dr a i s e t h e l e a d e r s o f t o m o r r o w ,
Change The World Magazine 52
PRAy GIVE GO
become a faith promise partner and support our
partners in thailand in 2012/2013
wiLL HeLp run a youTH program for THe youTH in THe bagoT
communiTy in darwin (david & iSobeL gawLer)
HeLpS SupporT peopLe To be SeT free from Life conTroLLing
iSSueS (Teen cHaLLenge vicToria)
helps support david and isobel gawler in the running of the bagot
indigenous victory church
darWin 3 – 11
april 2012
alice springs
august 2012
darWin
december 2012
$100per month
$50per month
$40per month
Join the mission prayer teamContact 03 8420 0938 or
To raiSe up and To equip every aboriginaL cHurcH member in bagoT vicTory cHurcH To evangeLiSe and diScipLe oTHer peopLe.
To conTinue To deveLop STrong indigenouS LeaderSHip in bagoT vicTory cHurcH
THe deveLopmenT of deSerT Song in aLice SpringS To Train
indigenouS LeaderS
Teen cHaLLenge cenTraLia To deveLop THeir advenTure baSe camp and SHine
program To menTor and encourage indigenouS youTH To be aLL THaT god HaS caLLed THem To be
Teen cHaLLenge vicToria To conTinue To See young peopLe TranSformed and SeT
free from Life conTroLLing iSSueS.
australia australia australia
Change The World Magazine 52 Change The World Magazine 53
GO
in australia in 2011/2012 We have supported:
+ leadership development of indigenous pastors
+ Church ministry in indigenous communities
+ rehabilitation and development of people with life controlling issues
+ leadership training for mentoring indigenous youth
+ indigenous teenage girl school program
in australia we support:
david & iSoBel gaWlerBagot victory Church
Teen Challenge viCToria
Teen Challenge CenTralia
deSerT Songalice Spring
Change The World Magazine 53
victoria
alice spring
a u s t r a l i a
australia
darwin
in alice Springs, Bridge Church is supporting
a new training centre for indigenous pastors
Change The World Magazine 54
partner /BagOtIndIgEnOusvIctORy chuRch
australia bagot indigenous victory church (david & isobel gawler)darWin
Change The World Magazine 54 Change The World Magazine 55
here iS daWn’S STorY:
“hello, my name is dawn adams. i’m from the Bagot community.
i’ve been a Christian for six years now. early last year my husband
passed away. We had been together for 30 years and at that time,
i thought he would always be there for me, our children and
grandchildren. Four months after he passed away, thoughts were
racing through my mind. i was confused and just thinking of life
without him caused me to experience a high level of stress. i ended
up being sick and frail without realising that someone stronger and
mightier was there. Jesus spoke to me in my heart and mind. it was
a still gentle whisper to trust and always obey him, leaning not on my
own understanding. he encouraged me to lean on him and he promised
to always be near me, comfort me and love me. The burdens i had
been carrying were suddenly lifted off me and for the first time in my
life i felt free.”
david and isobel gawler have been ministering in the bagot indigenous
community in darwin for ten years. they established the bagot indigenous
victory church and are involved in training up leaders, church ministry,
pastoral care, children’s ministry and youth ministry.
one oF The indigenouS aSSiSTanT PaSTorS aT The BagoT
indigenous victory church is dawn adams. dawn
became a christian at the bagot church. as a result
of learning to rely on jesus, she has been delivered
from a gambling addiction and also delivered from
smoKing. dawn is now encouraging many people and
especially the young women to follow the lord.
another man that has
been set free by god is
Basil. For ten years, david
and isobel had reached
out to him with the gospel
and helped him when he
was in trouble. Most of the
time, he was homeless
and an alcoholic. he had
previously been a petrol
sniffer. one night, two
years ago, he was sitting
on the local beach drinking
alcohol when suddenly
there was a bright light
all around him. Basil’s
drinking companion was
terrified. his friend thought
it was a spirit and so he
ran away. Basil realised
that it was the lord, and
then and there asked the
lord to change his life.
Basil became a faithful
Christian, and never drank
alcohol again.
david and isobel are
passionate about seeing
god move in the Bagot
community.
b a s i l w a s s i t t i n g o n t h e l o c a l b e a c h d r i n k i n g a l c o h o l
w h e n s u d d e n ly t h e r e w a s a b r i g h t l i g h t a l l a r o u n d h i m .
b a s i l r e a l i s e d t h at i t w a s t h e l o r d , a n d t h e n a n d t h e r e
a s k e d t h e l o r d t o c h a n g e h i s l i f e .
bagot indigenous victory church (david & isobel gawler)
Change The World Magazine 56
Teen Challenge viCToria ProvideS helP For
people caught up in drug and alcohol abuse, and other
life-controlling problems. The heart of Teen Challenge
is to disciple men in managing their freedom. To manage
freedom men must do the “three knows”: know god, know themselves, and know others.
These are a couple of testimonies from men that have
been changed through the ministry of Teen Challenge.
JAMIE
Jamie was born three months premature, dying three
times at birth. it was a miracle he survived. growing
up being the youngest he felt over looked and never
heard. always competing for acceptance and belonging
through the opinions of others, he was a slave to other
people’s opinion of himself. he took his soul’s search
for validation in many different directions and put on
hundreds of face’s for everyone, never letting anyone see
the real him, because he hated who he was.
Jamie started using drugs at 12, and became addicted
to heroin at 16. it numbed the pain, and helped him
escape from the reality of his abuse from an early
age. The deep rooted shame that was connected was
unbearable and he tried taking his life many times.
Jamie was selling drugs and stealing to support his
habit. he was unpredictable and violent. he lost the
trust of everyone around him. relationships with friends,
family and his children, suffered.
partner / tEEn chaLLEngEvIctORIa
Then one night he was stabbed by a drug dealer and knew he
needed help. he fell to his knees and cried out to Jesus and felt a
peace come over him like nothing he had ever experienced before.
Jesus saved him at his lowest point.
Jamie then came to Teen Challenge and began working through
his painful past with mentors and the guidance of the holy Spirit. he
now has the ability to make great choices. his mind is being renewed
daily and the hope and joy he has found through Jesus flows down
into his children and their lives. it is only through Jesus that he has
freedom, in knowing who he truly is. he has committed to stay for
Servant leadership Training where he can come alongside other men
who are struggling and lead them to a place of restoration and peace
through Jesus. Teen Challenge is a challenging journey but a place
of transformation for the lost, hopeless and captive.
australia teen challenge victoriavictoria
Change The World Magazine 56 Change The World Magazine 57
at t h i s p o i n t d a n n y ’ s
b r o t h e r d i e d a n d h e
t o o k a t u r n f o r t h e
w o r s t, r e t u r n i n g t o
m a n y o f h i s o l d
h a b i t s . h e l o s t h i s
w i f e a n d s o n a n d
w o k e u p i n a m e n ta l
i n s t i t u t e a n d w a s
s u i c i d a l f r o m u s i n g
l a r g e a m o u n t s o f i c e .
DAnny
danny was raised in outer eastern Melbourne with his grandparents. he and his brother
felt unloved and abandoned by their parents, and they both began looking for love and
acceptance in all the wrong places such as drugs, alcohol and a very violent criminal
life style. This life style led to danny’s brother’s overdose, leaving him with severe brain
damage. danny was shot, stabbed and kidnapped on different occasions which resulted
in years in jail. he got clean for a while, got married and had a son.
at this point his brother died and danny took a turn for the worst, returning to many
of his old habits. he lost his wife and son and woke up in a mental institute and was
suicidal from using large amounts of iCe.
The door that opened for him was Teen Challenge and he took hold with all the
strength he had left. While there he was led by god and the staff to work through the
deep rooted issues of his childhood and self-image.
Through this difficult time god set him free and raised him to be the man god had
intended. danny has been restored to his wife and son, and committed to do the Servant
leadership Training, leading other men and families to be restored to what god has
for them. god has now opened the door for danny’s family to become the new property
managers of the Willow grove Teen Challenge Family Centre.
Change The World Magazine 58
partner / tEEn chaLLEngEcEntRaLIa
australia teen challenge centraliaalice springs
god iS doing SoMe aMazing
things through Teen Challenge
in alice Springs. vivien Wilson,
director of Teen Challenge
Centralia, has a passion to see
young people set free from life
controlling issues and live the life
god has called them to live.
one of the programs that Teen
Challenge Centralia runs is called
Shine. Shine is
designed to show
teenage girls their
worth in Christ.
This program has
been running since
2007 and is run
in three schools
and two youth camps. Shine is
impacting girls to know how much
they matter to god in a fun and
safe environment.
in 2011, the Shine program was run in an
independent aboriginal school called Yipirinya
School. at the school, there was one young girl
that had never taken her beanie off for at least
a couple of years. Since she has been coming
to the Shine program, she has been blossoming
into a lovely girl. her confidence has been
growing so much that now she goes without
the beanie. There are also two students in
this class who still wear their hoodies or long
sleeves even when the temperature is over 40.
our facilitators are particularly spending more
one on one time with these kids to get to know
them and to help them with the issues that are
causing them to want to cover up.
Shine was also run in the acacia hill Special
needs School in 2011. one young girl, lekara,
who possibly has cerebral palsy, is confined to
a wheel chair. during one of the sessions, we
did the girls’ hair and lekara was absolutely
delighted. She probably has never been so
pampered. The most moving time, however,
was when after showing the girls how to walk
like a princess she wanted to also have a go.
So with her tiara on and the teacher assisting
her by holding her underarms she walked down
the aisle.
Teen Challenge Centralia not only impacts
teenage girls through Shine, but also run
adventure
camps for
troubled
youth. These
young people
have a lot
of fun but
also learn
about god and the freedom he brings and are
mentored by Christian leaders. Bridge church
is excited to see what god will do through Teen
Challenge in 2012.
d u r i n g o n e o f t h e s e s s i o n s , w e d i d t h e g i r l s ’ h a i r a n d l e k a r a w a s a b s o l u t e ly d e l i g h t e d .s h e p r o b a b ly h a s n e v e r b e e n s o p a m p e r e d .
Do you have a heart for Australia? Why not join our australia Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].
Change The World Magazine 58 Change The World Magazine 59
in darwin, Bridge church partner with david and isobel gawler who work in the Bagot community.
australia darWin
during the trip we met an old lady who had been
diagnosed with cancer. She was lying on her bed,
seemingly in agony but not joyless – she had the biggest
grin across the room. death was inevitable for her, yet it
did not shake her as she continued to smile as we prayed
for her. her daughter told us that amid the pains and
pangs of life, they still love Jesus. They know that he is
faithful and he is good. Some of us went away in tears,
others in silence. Though that day we did not witness
a miraculous healing, what we saw and experienced
was beyond a miracle, it was faith. here was a woman
stricken by cancer, yet in the face of certain death, she
refused to deny her faith in her lord.
as for me, my soul was shaken but i was not in
despair. Through this ordeal, the power and the life of
the gospel became clear. Studying the word would be
intimidating but after witnessing Christ and the hunger
of his people in darwin, i cannot help but want to preach
the gospel. having gone on that mission outreach, god
opened my eyes; having returned, he transformed my
life.
The darWin MiSSion ouTreaCh didn’T JuST
change my life, it transformed it.
Before i went, i didn’t know where darwin was
(i literally had to google Map it), i didn’t know anyone
else going on the mission outreach and i was unsure of
exactly what my role would be. i was a new Christian
and i had only been at Bridge church for a little less
than a year. however, i decided to go because Jesus had
given me so much that i wanted to give to others and
the leader of the mission outreach really wanted me to
come.
Prior to darwin, i was at a crossroads in my life.
i was deciding whether to pursue studies in Medicine
or Theology.
i grew up a devout Buddhist. not once had becoming
a Christian crossed my mind, let alone studying Theology
in hope of preaching and spreading the gospel. This
decision was extremely difficult. i didn’t believe that
i have the credentials or the experience to study
Theology. it was how Christ believed in me when no one
would that compelled my heart to go after his word.
i was desperate for god’s direction. i prayed and
asked god to reveal to me through this mission outreach
if i were called to study and preach his word. Funnily
enough god revealed what was in my heart all along,
i loved his people and my heart breaks for those who
are oppressed.
going: darWin
BY Weng Kai ThaM
Change The World Magazine 60
p r e a c h t h e g o s p e lg o i n t o a l l t h e w o r l d a n d
global
Change The World Magazine 60 Change The World Magazine 61
matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest; ask him to send more workers into
his fields.”
globalp r e a c h t h e g o s p e lm a r k 1 6 : 1 5
Change The World Magazine 62
PRAy GIVE GO
become a faith promise partner and support our
partners globally in 2012/2013
wiLL aSSiST pS bruce HiLLS To TraveL THe gLobe To Train
paSTorS and LeaderS To reacH unreacHed peopLe groupS
wiLL HeLp geoK Lim To SHare THe goSpeL wiTH peopLe in cHina
will assist leanne rhodesto worK alongside churches
in eastern europe to help them reach their communities
china
1-10december 2012
$100per month
$70per month
$40per month
Join the mission prayer teamContact 03 8420 0938 or
STrengTH and favour for pS bruce and worLd ouTreacH inTernaTionaL
To conTinue To TeacH and Train paSTorS and LeaderS To reacH unreacHed
peopLe groupS
Leanne To deveLop STrong reLaTionSHipS wiTH cHurcH paSTorS and miniSTrieS and HeLp THem To reacH ouT To THeir
communiTieS in eaSTern europe
roSS and donna, geoK and ria To Have favour and more god opporTuniTieS
To SHare cHriST wiTH peopLe in cHina
pray for STrengTH for cHurcHeS in cHina To STand firm amid perSecuTion
STrengTH and opporTuniTy for pS pHiLip and barbara HiLLS To Train and
TeacH cHurcH LeaderS and paSTorS in cHina
global global global
Change The World Magazine 62 Change The World Magazine 63
GO
Change The World Magazine 63
globally we support:
leanne rhodeS - roMania
geoK liM - China
roSS & donna WinCheSTer - China
ria SMiT – China
PS hillS Travels to asia to train pastors
PS BruCe hillS Trains pastors and leaders across the world to minister to unreached people groups
globally in 2011/2012 We have supported:
+ Pastors seminar in Muslim dominated country to train pastors to reach unreached people groups
+ leadership training
+ english teaching
+ house groups and evangelism
+ Concerts in universities
c h i n ar o m a n i a
g l o b a lBridge Church is supporting leanne who will be working
alongside churches in eastern europe to help them reach
their communities
global
Change The World Magazine 64
china geok lim
partner /gEOk LImTWelve YearS ago, god STarTed SPeaKing To geoK liM, a MeMBer oF Bridge
church, about asia. after several short term outreaches, geok responded to the call of
god and moved to China in 2005. geok has since been living in China and sharing the
gospel with everyone she meets. She has been helping to establish groups of believers
and her goal is to train and equip individuals so that they evangelise their own people and
reach out in mission to others.
lily is one of the ladies that geok has met and seen god’s transformation in her life.
lily is a 68 year old lady who came to faith a year ago. She said that about four years ago
a fire came from heaven and burnt up a witch doctor’s house in a nearby village. This
witch doctor cheated and deceived many people. Since then she somehow knew that there
is a god in heaven. She said “finally i have found the one true god. he has given me the
peace and joy that no one is able to give me.” She not only shares the good news with her
friends but tells them how god has answered her prayers. What a woman of faith!
lily has taken up the responsibility in taking care of a group of Christians. lily not
only shares the word but also teaches them how to sing worship songs. “Those who are planted in the house of the lord shall flourish in the courts of our god. They shall still bear fruit in old age. They shall be fresh and flourishing.” These words are so true!
geok came to know a lady called Jo who ran the local yoghurt shop. They became
friends and geok shared the gospel with her. one day Jo asked geok to share with her
friends as they had never heard the gospel before, so geok started a small group. at the
same time geok is building a team of Christians to be able to share the gospel with those
around them.
one day a believer asked geok a challenging question. “The gospel has been known for
so long. how is it that no one has come to share this good news with me and why has it
taken you so long to come?”
geok, among other Christians, is working in China to see more and more people set free
by Jesus Christ.
o n e d ay a b e l i e v e r a s k e d
g e o k a c h a l l e n g i n g
q u e s t i o n . “ t h e g o s p e l
h a s b e e n k n o w n f o r s o
l o n g . h o w i s i t
t h at n o o n e
h a s c o m e t o
s h a r e t h i s
g o o d n e w s
w i t h m e a n d
w h y h a s i t
ta k e n y o u s o
l o n g t o c o m e ? ”
Change The World Magazine 64 Change The World Magazine 65
global ps bruce hills
partner /BRucE hILLsPS BruCe hillS iS The inTernaTional leaderShiP develoPMenT direCTor
for World outreach international – an agency whose mission is to impact the least
reached people groups with the good news of Jesus Christ. The unreached people
groups account for 41% of the world’s population which is over 6000 identifiable people
groups.
as international leadership development director, one of Pastor Bruce’s primary
roles is to direct the leadership development initiatives and events for pastors and
leaders across the developing world.
Throughout 2011, Ps Bruce has been making exploratory trips to strategic mission
centres in the developing world to ascertain the leadership training needs. These trips
have been to northeast india, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South africa, Bangladesh, egypt,
Pakistan and Thailand.
Future training will provide contextually relevant leadership training in those target
mission centres. The plan is to go back to the same place with the same leaders for up
to five years. The training will focus on two distinct groups of people. The first
is the equipping of pastors and leaders for ministry and mission. The second is
emerging leaders of leaders, young women and men in their late 20’s and 30’s who
have something about their lives and leadership that distinguishes them as potential
leaders of leaders.
The idea is to equip these emerging leaders
over a period of at least three years and
provide quality training on areas that will equip
them.
2 Tim. 2:2: “and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
The potential of intentional and focused
training of pastors, leaders and emerging
leaders of leaders is immense. The impact
so far has been incredible. one Bangladeshi
leader wrote, “We’ve never heard anything
like this before!” others have been deeply
affected by the quality and practicality of the
training. it is making (and will continue to
make) a difference in the world.
Change The World Magazine 66
china ross & donna Winchester
‘how i know god is real’ and
they were overwhelmed by the
response to the altar call.
after the prayer time a lady
came up to ross and said, “i am
a doctor and am also a Muslim.
i work so hard to try to help
people and i am tired and
frustrated. i don’t seem to be
making a difference. There are
too many things that are out
of my control. But i can see
what you are doing. You are
trying to set people free”.
ross and donna do what they
do so they can preach the gospel
to the poor, proclaim liberty to
the captives, restore sight to the
blind, and set free those who are
oppressed.
roSS and donna WinCheSTer WorK in China To Train leaderS To Be
more effective and to reach out cross-culturally in the nations of asia and the
Middle east.
over the last 12 months more than 400 leaders and workers have attended
their leadership training programs, receiving a strong biblical foundation for
their lives and ministry. Many of them are responsible for tens of thousands of
churches and millions of believers.
lily is one of the many people who has been impacted and trained through
the emerging leadership Training Program. When lily was born, her parents
thought she was so ugly that she didn’t even look like a person. They didn’t want
her so they left her on a railway track. a lady found her and took her home. lily
was a very sickly child so the lady sold her for $1.50 to a family who didn’t
have children.
as she grew up she became very ill with leukaemia. She gave her life to Christ
when she was 15 and god healed her. as a result her parents became Christians
as well. She is now a beautiful young woman who has finished Bible College and
is a campus worker at one of the universities. She is now attending the emerging
leadership Training Program. When asked how the program has impacted her
she replied, “i have been really lifted up in my spiritual life during this program.
i was very ignorant of the Biblical truths that were taught. i now feel better
equipped for my ministry and have fresh faith and vision for the future”.
ross and donna have also been running youth concerts which have been
having a great impact. at a recent Youth explosion concert, over 300 people
squeezed into a hotel meeting room. The worship was incredible with many
unbelievers experiencing the presence of god. ross shared a message on
partner / ROss &dOnnawInchEstER
Change The World Magazine 66 Change The World Magazine 67
romania leanne rhodes
humantrafficking
can be beatenover the next few months
i will be visiting Stella’s voice
and working with them to help
these young people grow into
the leaders they are destined
to be. i will be helping them
come up with models that can
be replicated all over eastern
europe, potentially impacting
the hundreds of thousands of
orphans that are still praying
for someone to notice they even
exist. To everyone at Bridge
church, thank you for supporting
me. Together we will see an end
to this nightmare and a totally
transformed europe.
So MuCh haS haPPened SinCe i landed on The ground here in
europe earlier this year just over six weeks ago. i have had the opportunity to
meet so many who are sold out for the gospel and have willingly altered their
lives in order for others to experience the transformational power of god in their
lives and nations. one such person i have met is Phil Cameron. he is a pastor
with a god-given passion in his heart that has said enough is enough and is doing
something about human trafficking. he now has over 70 orphans that were
once destined for human trafficking who now call him ‘dad’.
let me introduce you to the europe you don’t often hear about. it’s the europe
where people are so poor they’ve learnt to give away their kids and where
governments are unable to care for the thousands of children in their care. it’s
the place where orphans who are 16 are given the equivalent of $50 and told to
go make a life for themselves and where traffickers lurk looking for girls that
have no home and just want a warm bed.
Phil has seen the immense need and has done something about it. he has set
up three homes called Stella’s voice that now house young men and women that
are stuck in this terrible cycle. Phil gives these young people a home, a family
and most importantly introduces them to god. These young people know of god’s
saving grace. These amazing young people, who have been through so much,
have started a church. on the very first day they invited all their friends and over
50 got to know Jesus for the very first time.
leanne is on assignment in europe as romania Country leader and part of the Balkans team for next level international, an organisation working to see europe transformed. For more information please see: www.leannerhodes.com.au / www.nlieurope.com / www.stellasvoice.org.uk
BY leanne rhodeS
Change The World Magazine 68
local
“ y o u ’ l l b e k n o w n a s t h o s e w h o c a n f i x a n y t h i n g , r e s t o r e o l d r u i n s , r e b u i l d a n d r e n o v a t e , m a k e t h e c o m m u n i t y l i v a b l e a g a i n . ” i s a i a h 5 8 : 1 2
Change The World Magazine 68 Change The World Magazine 69
matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest; ask him to send more workers into
his fields.”
local
“ y o u ’ l l b e k n o w n a s t h o s e w h o c a n f i x a n y t h i n g , r e s t o r e o l d r u i n s , r e b u i l d a n d r e n o v a t e , m a k e t h e c o m m u n i t y l i v a b l e a g a i n . ” i s a i a h 5 8 : 1 2
Change The World Magazine 70
PRAy GIVE GO
become a faith promise partner and support our
partners locally in 2012/2013
aSSiSTS empire To run ouTreacH programS in HigH ScHooLS
HeLpS provide maTeriaLS and reSourceS To TeacH cre in a
LocaL primary ScHooL
helps support bridge church at the richmond housing estate
Join a local mission outreach team.
there are plenty of opportunities for you
to get involved in reaching people right
here in melbourne. give us a call on
03 8420 0938 and We’ll find a
spot for you.
$100per month
$50per month
$40per month
Join the mission prayer teamContact 03 8420 0938 or
favour, SpiriTuaL inSigHT and direcTion for bridge cHurcH
aT THe ricHmond eSTaTe, HigH ScHooL miniSTry and cre
god’S wiSdom and direcTion and god opporTuniTieS for KidS aLive ouTreacH, engLiSH cLaSSeS and THe 25:40 projecT
connecT groupS To riSe up and SeeK divine opporTuniTieS To reacH ouT To oTHerS eSpeciaLLy THrougH
LocaL communiTy bLiTz’S
aS a cHurcH we wiLL Have more divine opporTuniTieS To reacH ouT individuaLLy,
aS connecT groupS and aS a wHoLe To reacH LoST peopLe in our communiTieS
local local local
Change The World Magazine 70 Change The World Magazine 71
victoria
a u s t r a l i aGO
Change The World Magazine 71
we support the following local mission projects:
Bridge ChurCh aT The riChMond eSTaTe
high SChool MiniSTrY
KidS alive ouTreaCh
engliSh ClaSSeS
25:40 ProJeCT
CoMMuniTY BliTz
ChriSTMaS ouTreaCh
ChriSTian religiouS eduCaTion in SChoolS
locally in 2011/2012 We have supported:
+ outreach to the richmond housing estate
+ evangelism outreach on the streets of Melbourne
+ Community Blitz at hawthorn Secondary College
+ The distribution of hampers and gifts to people in need and community groups
+ Teaching english to the community
+ high school outreach and ministry
+ Christian religious education in schools
local
Change The World Magazine 72
empire estate teenagers
EmpIRE EstatE tEEnagERs
governMenT houSing eSTaTeS Can Be PlaCeS oF darKneSS CharaCTeriSed
by drugs, alcohol, suicide and depression. impressionable youth can be subjected to
unhealthy role models and destructive behaviour. Bridge Church is bringing hope and
light through youth outreach programs.
Bridge church have been reaching out to the youth at the richmond housing estate
since late 2009 and taking youth by bus to empire, the Friday night youth program at
church. Some of these youth had also been through the Kids alive outreach program
and were now attending high school. Many youth in the program have come to australia
as refugee’s escaping war torn conflicts in liberia and Sudan.
in 2011 we saw great growth in the outreach program. Youth were talking to their
friends about how fun and exciting empire was and youth from Fitzroy and Collingwood
housing estates started coming as well.
Many youth from the estates made decisions for Christ last year and we saw the
estate youth become more and more integrated into empire and church life. The
estate youth bring a lot of energy and this is often characterised with their love of dance.
Some of the many highlights of 2011 outreach program were having 30 youth from
the estates attend the men’s momentum night, girls attend the soul sisters event, 30
youth attend the revolution night with andrew Kubala, and many estate youth attended
both empire camps.
emmanuel Majok from the richmond housing estate last year became a rookie leader.
emmanuel has been attending Bridge Church right through Kids alive and was introduced
to Bridge Church through the Kids alive outreach program. emmanuel is a magnificent
role model to the youth and a great leader. god is working powerfully in emmanuel’s life
as well as in the lives of all the other estate youth. Praise god!
BY Ben haY
melbourne
Change The World Magazine 72 Change The World Magazine 73
bridge church at richmond estate
BRIdgE chuRch at RIchmOnd EstatE
our viSion For Bridge ChurCh in griFFiThS STreeT and The riChMond houSing eSTaTe For 2012 iS
“a Year of Purpose” and our core values as a church of “souls, supernatural, significance” are the emphasis we take
out into the richmond housing estate.
My prayer is that we will clearly hear and understand god’s vision for Bridge church at the richmond estate and
how our church community can be involved. it is time to put god’s plans at the centre of our lives. doing the work of
god’s kingdom needs to be our first priority. it’s about sacrificially making time to get involved in other people’s lives.
This comes at a cost.
Jesus emphasised the need for us to reach out to people who don’t know god. i believe god’s vision is to see us
going out in large numbers to connect with residents at the richmond estate, building relationships, sharing the good
news and making disciples who then can go on and make disciples.
We have seen many people come to know god at the richmond housing estate. one of these residents is a woman
from egypt who used to bring her grandson to a kids program called ‘Solid ground’ that Bridge church was involved
with a few years ago. over time, volunteers from Bridge church got to know her and invited her to attend Bridge
church at the richmond estate. She is a loving woman who has become a valuable part of the team helping regularly
with the catering at the estate outreach. She also attends a connect group at the estate. it has been amazing to see
her genuine love for people and her servant heart.
another person that we have seen god change is a man who has regularly attended the church for over two years.
he has developed and grown in his faith and has a heart for god. he loves getting involved by volunteering his time at
church and has opened his home to a weekly connect group at the richmond estate. it’s great to see god move in his
life.
on Sundays at 2:30pm we have a community lunch and outreach service. at the estate we also work from within
the community through the ‘Community information Centre’ building relationships with the residents and workers.
We have Bible study based connect groups and will be focusing this year on expanding our outreach volunteer teams
and developing a vietnamese volunteer team. everything we do is focused as an opportunity to be in the community
and to build one-on-one relationships. We use programs as an opportunity to make connections, build relationships
and make disciples who make disciples.
melbourne
BY SallY houlihan
Change The World Magazine 74
melbourne connect group outreach
iT’S aMazing hoW one liTTle idea or ThoughT
can help, influence and include so many people and make
a difference in our community.
in early 2011, a member of our Connect group
decided to reach out to a family she knew of that had
become the foster family for three Sudanese children
in an emergency situation and who already had two
children of their own.
The difficulty was that the family didn’t receive
most of the usual assistance that foster families would
normally. This ‘soul sister’ had the ‘little thought’ to
take them meals and we decided that our connect group
would make a meal for the family every week. She was
delighted!
The response and excitement that followed from
our connect group members was beyond what we had
imagined. Some responses were “wow i’ve been wanting
to cook for someone in need, my hubby loves cooking
and it’s only us two” (Janelle) another was “oh i’d love
to connect and cook for this Sudanese family and get to
play with the children” (lisa) and another “i can do that”
(rose) that was only three of the many volunteers! every
group member also supported in prayer! What blew my
mind was the ripple effect and the number of different
people that became involved.
one of the girls, Janelle (new to Bridge) also shared
the need with her workmates and got them involved
too. another hamper filled by our girls went to (we
affectionately call them) “our foster family” and again
the generous gifts given by the church family via the
Christmas tree in the foyer.
We have seen god do such great miracles with this
foster family and the children’s situation including
donated time from legal work experts, god’s hand in
legal matters, non-Christians who are involved coming
to Bridge church and being blown away by god and
the giving attitude of the Christians they had come
into contact with. This has shown the connect group
members that when we pray and ask god, he hears us
and moves on our behalf.
This story is still being written and we know that god
is directing the situation! Christina, another godly woman,
who has faithfully visited the children’s mum, led her to
know Jesus in a personal way just prior to Christmas!
god is definitely amazing!
richmond soul sisters morning connect groupBY liz TroTTer
Change The World Magazine 74 Change The World Magazine 75
FaiTh ProMiSeS
SPeCial giFTS
ProJeCT inCoMe
TOTAL InCOME
aPProved exPendiTure
earMarKed FundS (Jan 2012)
TOTAL APPrOVED & EArMArKED ExPEnDITurE
MISSIOn ExPEnDITurE By KEy fIELD
MISSIOn ExPEnDITurE By ACTIVITy
Africa
HumanitarianAid
Special Gifts
Missionary Support
Church Planting
Leadership Development
CommunityTransformation
Direct Mission
Expenses
Thailand Local non–Key Australia India
$ 441,489
$ 119,724
$ 85,712
$ 646,926
$ 597,336
$ 42,500
$ 639,836
mission financialsincome & eXpenditure (Jan-dec 2012)
financial report
Change The World Magazine 75
29% 17% 9%22% 15% 8%
28% 15% 11%22% 12% 10% 2%
Change The World Magazine 76
10 Griffiths St, Richmond VIC 3121T: (03) 8420 0900 F: (03) 8420 0999
ricHmond aSSembLy of god inc. abn: 27 036 472 702
PRAy
GIVE
GO