The Messenger - Autumn 2015

MESSENGERThe

Published by Westminster Presbyterian ChurchVolume 165 Autumn Edition 2015

Foot Washing at BrooktonTurn to page 28

The Messenger • Autumn 2015 •

CONTENTS

AIMSTo uphold the teachings of Scripture as summed up in the Westminster Confession of Faith.To assist the WPC churches in their congregational life and witness.To foster a spirit of unity amongst WPC churches.

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THE MESSENGER COMMITTEE• Clem White (Editor)• Sandra Wilson (Treasurer)• Pam White (Secretary)• Ray Wilson (Proofing)• Vienna Randa (Designer)

1. 15 Reasons to take genesis as history 2. converted through his own preaching3. golden rules for edifying worship services4. the mass and the sacrifice of christ5. stress and missionaries6. brookton family festival bush mission7. richards family8. catechism question9. tip toeing through the forest of parenting 10. foot washing at brookton11. all nations renovations12. blessing of god13. grace fellowship

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editorialCAPITAL PUNISHMENT

By Clem White

At the time of writing Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are imprisoned on Nusakambangan Island, Indonesia. They are waiting for all the legal battles to be settled before the Indonesian Government has the right to execute them by firing squad.

As we all know this situation has divided the people of Australia into two main camps. There are those who support the smugglers’ execution because they knew what the outcome would be if they were caught smuggling drugs into Bali. They also argue that the two drug smugglers deserve to die because the lives of many people are badly affected and some die as a result of using illegal drugs.

On the other side of the fence are those who argue that both of these men are sorry for smuggling drugs and have now turned their lives around. Andrew Chan claims to have become a Christian and Myuran Sukumaran has become an artist of note. It is claimed that both of the men have helped others in the jail to rehabilitate themselves. It seems that whenever a heinous crime like this is committed a heated debate about capital punishment erupts amongst Australians.

When Jill Meagher was brutally raped and murdered by Adrian Ernest Bayley while walking home from a pub in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria in the early hours of 22 September 2012 about 30 000 demonstrated against this barbaric crime. Many called for the reintroduction of the death penalty.

So what should our view as Christians be about the use of capital punishment? It would be fair to say that Christians are divided on this issue.

Some argue that capital punishment is murder and that in Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus prohibited murder. They also believe that Jesus’ rule of love means that we shouldn’t kill another person.

Added to these objections they claim there is the possibility of an innocent person being executed. Then they cite examples of people who have been found to be innocent of a crime for which they have earlier been wrongly convicted.

On the other hand other Christians believe that God has given the state the right to execute criminals. They cite Genesis 9:5-6 where God made a covenant with Noah following the great flood. As part of this covenant God said, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man…”

Then they follow up with the instruction given in Romans 13:3-5 which tells us, “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong...For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.” In other words the state has the right to execute wrongdoers.

The supporters of capital punishment also believe that Jesus advocated that Christians should submit to governments because he told the Pharisees, Matthew 22:21, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” So what should we think about the proposed execution of these drug smugglers?

Some say that the Indonesian government is acting in a hypocritical way because they overlook their own drug dealers operating openly in their streets and also pressurise other countries to not kill Indonesian citizens caught smuggling drugs.

But they are not alone in the world in using capital punishment for different crimes. The death sentence is carried out by many other countries around the world including the majority of states in America.

So whatever our view is about capital punishment we must remember that Indonesia is a sovereign country and God has given it the right to make its own rules regarding criminal acts including that of smuggling drugs. For us it is important to study what the Bible says about capital punishment and to read up on the views of great Reformers like John Calvin and Martin Luther who supported capital punishment. Then we will be in a good position to make up our own minds on this controversial issue.


15 REASONS TO TAKE GENESIS AS HISTORY

This article is the fourth and the last of a series supporting the belief that God made everything out of nothing (ex nihilo)Used with permission of Creation Ministries International (Australia) PO Box 4545 Eight Mile PlainsQLD 4113 AustraliaPhone: (07) 3340 9888 Fax (07) 334 9889Visit us on the web at: CREATION.com

In the first and second and third articles we have noticed the following reasons for taking Genesis as history.REASON 1: A Christian, as a follower of Christ, should follow His example in His attitude to the Old Testament Scriptures.REASON 2: Jesus clearly regarded the account of Adam and Eve’s creation as factual, as well as the Flood.REASON 3: Genesis was written as history.REASON 4: Hermeneutical principle: Scripture interprets Scripture. The rest of the Old Testament takes Genesis as history.REASON 5: Hermeneutical principle: Scripture interprets Scripture. The New Testament takes Genesis 1-11 as history.REASON 6: Taking Genesis as history is consistent with other divine fiat acts in history.REASON 7: The history of Genesis is necessary to explain death and suffering.REASON 8: The history of Genesis is foundational to the gospel.REASON 9: The history of Genesis is necessary for a cohesive and coherent biblical Christian worldview. REASON 10: Denying the history of Genesis disconnects Christianity from the ‘real world’REASON 11: The early church leaders accepted the timeframe and global Flood of GenesisREASON 12: The Reformers understood Genesis as history.

Now we will look at three more reasons why we should take Genesis as history.

13. Atheism requires naturalism— Christians should not deny Genesis as history to accommodate it

The Humanist [atheist] Manifesto specifies belief in the naturalistic origin of the universe and mankind. The latest version (III) specifies “unguided evolution”, but this is a tautology, because evolution is by definition ‘unguided’ (nature creating nature). Likewise, ‘theistic evolution’ is an oxymoron (a God-directed undirected process!). And as Reason 7 above points out, the God revealed in the Bible could never have used the senseless bloody process of evolution over millions of years to create a ‘very good’ world.

The vociferous British antitheist Richard Dawkins said, “Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist,”1 and many others have said similar things. American atheist Will Provine, biology professor at Cornell University, made the following point:

“…belief in modern evolution makes atheists of people. One can have a religious view that is compatible with evolution only if the religious view is indistinguishable from atheism.”2


Indeed, evolutionary teaching makes atheists of people. Harvard sociobiologist E.O. Wilson said:

“As were many persons from Alabama, I was a born-again Christian. When I was fifteen, I entered the Southern Baptist Church with great fervor and interest in the fundamentalist religion; I left at seventeen when I got to the University of Alabama and heard about evolutionary theory.”3

To the atheist, evolution justifies atheism, removing perhaps the best reason that God exists (creation demands a Creator). So it’s not surprising that the most vocal and ardent defenders of evolution and ‘deep time’ are almost all passionate antitheists.

Evolution (cosmic, geological and biological) claims to explain the origin of everything without reference to any deity. So it contradicts the Bible’s teaching that God’s attributes are clearly seen from what He has made so that people will be without excuse at judgment (Rom. 1:18–32). Similarly, God holds scoffers accountable for their wilful ignorance of the Flood (2 Pet. 3). All long-age views, which almost by definition accept the uniformitarian interpretation of the geological layers, by the same reasoning reject a global Flood (which would have to have dramatically reworked the surface of the earth).

Evolution is fundamentally a religious idea. Canadian philosopher of science, and anticreationist campaigner, Michael Ruse, said: “Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit that in this one complaint—and Mr [sic, actually he has an earned Ph.D. in

biochemistry] Gish is but one of many to make it—the literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.”4

Surely, it is the height of foolishness to try to marry the Bible with a religion designed as an explicit substitute for Christianity. We might as well marry it with Baal worship. Ruse later wrote a book claiming that a Darwinian can be a Christian, but to him a Christian can deny the Resurrection, which shows how pernicious the Darwinian compromise is.5

14. Abandoning Genesis as history leads to heresy and apostasy

Abandoning the historicity of Genesis has repeatedly caused destruction, which we have witnessed first-hand—wrecked individuals, families, churches and nations.

Many prominent, vocal atheists testify to the effect of evolution on causing them to abandon the faith of their parents. The biologist E.O. Wilson, mentioned above, is only one of many. Look at the reasons for the apostasy of Charles Templeton, a former evangelist esteemed by Billy Graham. Templeton raised most of the pseudo-intellectual issues concerning Genesis and historicity6 —as well as emotional arguments against God’s sovereignty, which God has because He is Creator.7

A youth minister at an Anglican church in Victoria (Australia) shared with us:

“I used to beat my head against a wall wondering why we lost all our young people at about age 16. In the last few years I’ve realised that age 16 (year 10) is when they teach evolution in depth in science. Chatting with some of the students I have also discovered that some of the teachers actually identify the Christian students and make a special point of


explaining the differences and difficulties in reconciling Genesis and the ‘facts’ of evolution. It’s no wonder we lost them. I come near tears just thinking about it.”

Is it any coincidence that church attendance in the western world has declined dramatically since the teaching of evolution in the schools became widespread and systematic (increasingly so since the 1960s in Australia, Britain and America)? Josef Ton, a Romanian Baptist pastor imprisoned for his faith under the communist regime, said: “I came to the conclusion that there are two factors which destroyed Christianity in Western Europe. One was the theory of evolution, the other, liberal theology … Liberal theology is just evolution applied to the Bible and our faith.”8

A secular source, F. Sherwood Taylor (Curator of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford) made a similar point:

“… I myself have little doubt that in England it was geology and the theory of evolution that changed us from a Christian to a pagan nation.”9

The Uniting Church in Australia and the United Church of Canada are self-destructing following the erosion of scriptural authority beginning in Genesis.

In the US, Princeton Seminary is a classic example: The (otherwise) great Presbyterian theologian Charles Hodge admitted that long ages of Earth history appeared to be at odds with the straightforward Mosaic narrative, but nevertheless, he bowed to the authority of ‘science’ and so accommodated his understanding of the Bible. Thus, even though he railed against Darwinism as rank atheism, the camel had its nose in the tent. His son and

successor, A.A. Hodge, accepted millions of years and toyed with the idea of theistic evolution. His successor, B.B. Warfield (who was conservative enough to sign the well-known ‘Fundamentals’ document), took this ‘re-adjustment’ of the Scripture to its next logical step, calling himself a Darwinian. The next generation accepted not only Darwinism/millions of years, but questioned biblical authority outright. So conservatives like J. Gresham Machen broke away and founded Westminster Theological Seminary in 1929. As a defender of biblical Christianity, Princeton is no more.

Many ‘evangelical’ theologians teach that we should reinterpret Genesis because ‘science’ has ‘proven’ long ages and evolution. At the same time, they rail against liberal theologians. But the liberals are actually more consistent. They reinterpret the accounts of Jesus’ Virginal Conception and Resurrection as unhistorical because ‘science’ has proven that such miracles are ‘impossible’. Although those evangelicals in our Bible colleges who compromise the plain meaning of Genesis have yet to apply their Genesis hermeneutic to the rest of the Bible, there is no good reason not to do so. Compromise with Genesis unlocks the door to doubting the authority of all Scripture, as history has shown repeatedly.

15. Why not take Genesis as history? Only the fallible speculations of historical ‘science’ stand in the way Dr Pattle Pun, biology professor at Wheaton College (and a believer in ‘deep time’), said what many others, including modern evangelical theologians, have also admitted:

COMPROMISE WITH GENESIS UNLOCKS THE DOOR TO DOUBTING THE AUTHORITY OF ALL SCRIPTURE AS HISTORY

HAS SHOWN REPEATEDLY.


“It is apparent that the most straightforward understanding of Genesis, without regard to all the hermeneutical considerations suggested by science, is that God created the heaven and earth in six solar days, that man was created on the sixth day, that death and chaos entered the world after the fall of Adam and Eve, and that all the fossils were the result of the catastrophic universal deluge which spared only Noah’s family, and the animals therewith.”10 [our emphasis]

So, like Augustine, this approach takes its authority from outside the Bible to reinterpret Genesis to mean something other than its clearly intended meaning. There are many other quotations like Dr Pun’s from well-known ‘evangelical’ biblical and scientific scholars.11

In contrast, Dr John MacArthur, noted American evangelical theologian and pastor, remarked:

“Scripture, not science, is the ultimate test of all truth. And the further evangelicalism gets from that conviction, the less evangelical and more humanistic it becomes.”12

“I argue not only that there is no inherent conflict between religion and science, but that Christian theology was essential for the rise of science. In demonstration of this thesis [I show that] not only did religion not cause the ‘Dark Ages’; nothing else did either—the story that after the ‘fall’ of Rome a long dark night of ignorance and superstition settled over Europe is as fictional as the Columbus [flat earth] story. In fact this was an era of profound and rapid technological progress … the Scientific Revolution of the sixteenth century was the … result of [Christian scholarship] starting in the eleventh century … . Why did real science develop in Europe … and not anywhere else? I find answers to those questions in unique features of Christian theology… .”13

This is not surprising, because science presupposes certain axioms, without which it cannot function:1. The universe is real (because it was created—Gen. 1), not the illusion of Eastern mysticism.

2. The universe is orderly, because God is a God of order not of confusion—1 Cor. 14:33. But if there is no Creator, or if Zeus and his gang were in charge, why should there be any order at all? If some Eastern religions were right that the universe is a great thought, then it could change its mind at any moment.

3. Man can, and should, investigate the world, because God gave us dominion over His creation (Gen. 1:28); creation is not divine.

4. Man can initiate thoughts and actions; they are not fully determined by the laws of chemistry. This is a deduction from the biblical teaching that man has both a material and immaterial aspect (e.g. Gen. 35:18, 1 Kings 17:21–22, Matt. 10:28). This immaterial aspect of man means that he is more than matter, so his thoughts are likewise not bound by the makeup of his brain. But if materialism is true, then ‘thought’ is just an epiphenomenon of the brain, and the results of the laws of chemistry. Thus, given their own presuppositions, materialists have not freely arrived at their conclusion, because it was predetermined by brain chemistry. But then, why should their brain chemistry be trusted over yours or ours, since both obey the same infallible laws of chemistry? So in reality, if materialists are right, then they can’t even help what they believe (including their belief in materialism). Yet they often call themselves ‘freethinkers’, overlooking the glaring irony! Genuine initiation of thought is an insuperable problem for materialism.

5. Man can think rationally and logically, and that logic itself is objective. This is a deduction from the fact that he was created in


God’s image (Gen. 1:26–27), and from the fact that Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, is the logos. This ability of mankind to think logically has been impaired but not eliminated by the Fall of man into sinful rebellion against his Creator. The Fall means that sometimes the reasoning is flawed, and sometimes the reasoning is valid but from the wrong premises. So it is folly to elevate man’s reasoning above that which God has revealed in Scripture.15 But if evolution were true, then there would be selection only for survival advantage, not necessarily rationality.

6. Results should be reported honestly, because God forbids false witness (Ex. 20:16). But if evolution were true, then why not lie? Unsurprisingly, fraud is an escalating problem in the modern (evolution-dominated) scientific enterprise, as it is in business and politics.

It is no accident that science has flowered since the Reformation, and that this was initially in countries with the strongest concentrations of Bible-centred faith, i.e. Western Europe. And it is no accident that the country today with the strongest remnants of Bible-based Christian faith, the USA, leads the world by a long measure in the output of useful science. And note that when evolution was largely banned in schools during the alleged scientific nadir between the Scopes Trial and Sputnik, American schools produced more Nobel prizes than the rest of the world combined. In fact, America produced twice as many as all other countries—this was especially pronounced in the biological arena of the Nobels (physiology

and medicine), supposedly a field that can’t do without evolution.

Why this matters

Those who hold to the historicity of Genesis

are often told, ‘But it’s divisive!’ However, according to the Apostle Paul, the divisive ones are those that bring doctrines contrary to Scripture, and Jude included scoffers who deny the global Flood.16

Influential atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett described Darwinism in his book Darwin’s Dangerous Idea17 as a “universal acid; it eats through just about every traditional concept and leaves in its wake a revolutionized worldview.” We only have to look at who and what Darwinian ideas have inspired to see the truth of this statement: Marx, Stalin, Mao, Ceausescu, Kim Il-sung, Pol Pot, Hitler, and the eugenics movement (founded by Francis Galton, Darwin’s cousin). These offspring of Darwinism murdered over 150 million people and brought untold misery to many more. And we could mention the likes of Australian Peter Singer (now at Princeton University in America where the Hodges and Warfield once taught), who sometimes passes for a ‘bioethicist’, with his ideas of murdering children and the elderly whose lives are deemed to be not worthwhile, while also condoning bestiality. Most atheists hate these connections being pointed out, but they are real.18

Of course, this does not prove evolutionary dogma wrong; but if the universe is as the evolutionists claim, then these views and their effects are logical outcomes. “By their fruit you shall know them.” Jesus was speaking of people, but ideas bear fruit too.19 Note that our argument is not that atheists cannot live ‘good’

lives, but that there is no objective basis for their goodness if we are just

rearranged pond scum.20 Christians should never compromise with this worldview that brings so much death and misery; a worldview that is an explicit substitute for Christianity, that is anti-Christ and that can destroy their children, friends, or

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY WAS ESSENTIAL FOR THE RISE OF SCIENCE.


anyone. Christians should obtain their worldview from what the Creator of all has revealed. That is, they should emulate Martin Luther’s famous, “Here I stand” on the authority of God’s Word from Gen. 1:1ff; any other authority results in a world running away from its Creator, and in eternally wrecked lives.

1. Dawkins, R., The Blind Watchmaker, p. 6, Penguin reprint, 1991.

2. Provine, W.,‘No free will’; in Catching up with the Vision, Ed. Rossiter, M.W., p. S123, Chicago University Press, 1999.

3. Wilson, E.O., The Humanist, September/October 1982, p.40.

4. Ruse, M., How evolution became a religion: creation-ists correct? National Post, pp. B1, B3, B7, 13 May 2000; www.omniology.com/HowEvolutionBecameReligion.html.

5. Weinberger, L., review of Can a Darwinian be a Christian? by Michael Ruse (2001), Journal of Creation 19(2):42–45, 2005; creation.com/ruse2.

6. Wieland, C., Death of an apostate, Creation 25(1):6, 2002; creation.com/apostate..

7. Holding, J.P., Review of Farewell to God, www.tekto-nics.org/books/templefarervw.html, 9 January 2003.

8. New Life [Australia’s weekly Christian newspaper], 15 April 1982.

9. Taylor, F.S., Geology changes the outlook, in Ideas and Beliefs of the Victorians, Sylvan Press Ltd, London, p. 195, 1949; one of a series of talks broadcast on BBC radio.

10. Pun, P.P.T., Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation 39:14, 1987; Creationists would say that most, rather than all, fossils were formed during Noah’s Flood, because creationists acknowledge post-Flood catastrophes.

11. Documented in Sarfati, J., Refuting Compromise, second edition, pp. 54–57, Creation Book Publishers, 2011.

12. MacArthur, J., The Battle for the Beginning, W. P ublishing Group, p. 26, 2001.

13. Stark, R., For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts and the End

of Slavery, p. 123, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2003. See review: creation.com/stark.

14. Thompson, B. and Harrub, B., The Origin of Consciousness (two parts article), Reason & Revelation 24(4):25–39, (5):41–55 April & May 2004, apologeticspress.org/articles/498 and —/496.

15. Sarfati, J., Loving God with all your mind: logic and creation, Journal of Creation 12(2):142–151, 1998; creation.com/logic. For more on this, see the articles at creation.com/whyscience and creation.com/roots.

16. Batten, D., ‘But it’s divisive!’ Prayer News—Australia, October–December 2004; creation.com/divisive.

17. Dennett, D., Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, Simon & Schuster, 1995.

18. See documentation by European historian Richard Weikart in his book From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary ethics, eugenics, and racism in Germany, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, USA, 2004. See also the review, Sarfati, J., The Darwinian roots of the Nazi tree, Creation 27(4):39, 2005; creation.com/weikart, and the articles at Q&A on Communism, Nazism and Eugenics at creation.com/communism.

19. Note also, while atrocities may have been committed in the name of Christ, they were contrary to Christ’s teachings. But atrocities in evolutionary regimes were consistent with evolution.

20. Christian philosopher and apologist Dr William Lane Craig explained the Christian moral argument for God in The Indispensability of Theological Meta-Ethical Foundations for Morality, www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/meta-eth.html, 27 September 2003. Sadly, Craig does not accept the teaching of Scripture on the age of the earth, but instead accepts the ‘big bang’ theory as fact and tries to use it to prove the existence of God.


CONVERTED THROUGH HIS OWN PREACHING

By Barbara H Cross. Barbara and her husband David have served as World Presbyterian missionaries in Australia and the UK before retiring in America from MTW . However, they have now been asked to be involved in planting another PCA church. An excited crowd gathered in a small colonial Pennsylvania settlement near Philadelphia. They had anxiously awaited the arrival of a young man who finally appeared dressed in the black robe and white bands of common ministerial garb. The crowd waited eagerly for him to begin his gospel message. He began proclaiming the truth with great fervour but suddenly he collapsed to the ground. What could have happened? Had a fatal illness overcome him?

To know the story of this stricken man we must first go back to an account of his English father.

THE FATHER – BENJAMIN KEACH

Pastor Benjamin Keach made confession of his faith at age 15 and began preaching at the age of 18. By the time he was 28 he had become the pastor of a Baptist Church in London which many years later was pastored by another famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon.Benjamin Keach’s ministry was during the 1600s when being anything other than a member of the Church of England brought persecution. Because he had written a catechism for children which conflicted with the Church of England’s teaching he was fined and was imprisoned in a pillory where the public could hurl physical and verbal abuse at him. However, he was so respected that when he preached while fastened in the pillory, the public onlookers refused to abuse him – except for a Church of England minister. This abusive minister in turn received reproach by the crowd for the ungodly life that he led.

Mr. Keach went on to be involved in the adoption of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, the writing of a catechism for children and was responsible for introducing the practice of singing hymns in churches, which until that time had only sung the Psalms. While he wrote a number of works his large commentary on the Parables of Christ continues to be used to this day.

THE SON – ELIAS KEACH

One would imagine that young Elias Keach, growing up in such a godly home and being taught the truths of the gospel from an early age, would follow in the footsteps of his father in leading a godly life. Sadly, as experienced by many Christian parents, this was not the case.

At age 21 young Elias fled from the influence of his Christian home to the new colony of Pennsylvania in 1686. In this colony, where there was freedom to worship God as one chose, there was also freedom not to worship God at all! Perhaps this is what attracted him to this place of tolerance. Elias had the reputation of being a “brazen and bold young man” much like the one described in the story of the Prodigal Son. However, unlike the Prodigal in the Biblical account, he added to his wild living the blasphemous practice of mocking the preaching of the Word of God. To do this in mockery he would don a ministerial robe that indicated one was a gospel minister.

Somehow a group of Welsh, Irish and English settlers who lived in a village near Philadelphia heard that young Elias was coming to their area to preach. Knowing of his famous father and unaware of his unholy charade of preaching a large group gathered to hear him.

There is no record of what he began to preach; perhaps it was a copy of one of his father’s sermons that he had brought with him from


London. As he spoke he imitated the zealous preaching style of his father. Whatever the subject matter, a very strange event occurred. In the middle of his blasphemy he collapsed onto the ground under the conviction of the Holy Spiri and through the truth of God’s Word that he had spoken in jest. The listeners rushed over to him thinking that he had fallen through the onset of a severe illness. Through his tears he confessed to them that he was a hypocrite and had only been play acting but had become mightily convicted of his own sinfulness before God through what he had declared.

Those who had listened to him could have left in disgust at being fooled by his perfor-mance but instead they took him to the Rev. Thomas Dugan, an elderly Baptist pastor of Cold Spring Church, the first Baptist church established in Pennsylvania. Pastor Dugan led young Elias to lean on the mercy of God, confess his wickedness and accept the grace of God promised in the very scriptures he had mocked.

Pastor Dugan and the people whom he had fooled for a short time recognized that here

was truly a sinner who had been saved by God’s grace. The skill that he had in blasphemous preaching was now put to use in true gospel preaching. He was ordained and went to Pennepack, Pennsylvania where he was used to establish the Lower Dublin Baptist Church. Not only did he preach in this local church but he travelled widely proclaiming the Good News in other colonies. In 1692 he resigned from the church and returned to London. One can only imagine the joy of his parents when this once Prodigal returned home. He organized a church in London and preached to large crowds along with writing and publishing a number of Christian works. Sadly, in 1701 he died of a short illness at the young age of thirty-four. In this brief lifespan God used him in a mighty way to establish churches that remain to this day.

The story of this ungodly and rebellious son brought back in such an unusual way, brings encouragement to parents who have seen loved children depart from the truth. We never know how God might use strange means to bring them back into His fold.

SEVEN PRACTICAL STEPS TO BETTER PUBLIC BIBLE READING

1. Spend time with the passage. Read it a week or two in advance. Think about it over a period of time, rereading it every couple of days. If your church is not well-organized, you might need to call the service leader or preacher to find out the passage(s) so that you have enough time to prepare.2. Print off a copy of the Bible reading. (Most translations can be found on the internet, e.g. www.gnpcb.org/esv/ or www.ibs.org/niv, and you are allowed to use limited sections of the text for this sort of purpose.) Start writing on this copy. Mark important words, bracket groups of words that belong together, and highlight important connecting words (e.g. ‘but’, ‘therefore’, ‘so’, ‘then’).3. Having understood the passage, decide on appropriate phrasing (pause and pace) and emphasis (pitch and volume).4. Print off a second copy of the Bible reading in a font and size that you can read easily. If you can, format the reading using a word processor so that there is a new line where you want to pause and no line-breaks where you don’t.5. Practise your reading using the printed copy or the Bible you will use when you read in church. If you think that your expression is a little ‘over the top’, it’s probably about right.6. Make sure that you are well-hydrated before you read. Drink lots of water and avoid coffee or coke (caffeine dries you out). This will ensure that your vocal cords can do their job.7. Get your mouth moving and your tongue loose so that you can read clearly and accurately. Make sure you speak into the microphone so that everyone can hear.

Author: Simon Roberts (The Briefing, #331, April 2006)


GOLDEN RULES FOR EDIFYING WORSHIP SERVICES

(Or ‘Getting the most out of your church involvement’.)

By Pastor Julian Bull. Julian has been a pastor in some of our WPC churches and now lives in Albany, WA.

1. Do whatever is necessary to realize a continual sense of awareness of both the privilege & responsibility that comes with being converted. Try to keep in view at all times the 3 great ends or aims for which you were saved – To glorify God, to edify believers, to evangelise the lost. You also are now among those ‘chosen’ & ‘commanded’. Acts 1:2.

2. Find & keep a local church where God is truly feared & truly loved. For where God is truly feared the Bible will be upheld & where God is truly loved you will also be loved. 1st Cor 14: 25

3. Pray for the Preacher & the hearer (that’s you) & the other hearers. So much is spoken ‘about’ church, so many words are exchanged among us, comments, grumbles, gripes, suggestions, criticisms. Pray more for your church than you do talk about your church. Romans 15: 30

4. Prioritise Sunday as the Lord’s Day. Remember the things for which it was given to you – Rest, Worship, Service, Family, Fellowship, and Ministry. Sanctify Sunday as ‘the Christian’s Sabbath’. Resist the worldly trends toward obliterating the distinctions between it & every other day of the week. Take a leaf out of John’s book – Rev 1: 10.

5. Acknowledge to yourself regularly that satan doesn’t want you to attend church. Allow this way of thinking to explain the difficulties & hindrances that seem to so inevitably occur around Sunday mornings. Think this way before you dishonestly attribute

non-attendance to the providence of God. Was it God that prevented you from going? 1st Thess 2: 18

6. Participate in Worship in every way you can – arrive on time, stay around afterwards, think about where you sit in church, follow in your Bible, sing the hymns & songs, say ‘Amen’ to the prayers, give to the offering, don’t sleep or pretend to sleep during the preaching. Persevere with introducing your beautiful children to corporate Worship - for they themselves, God willing, will one day be converted & will want to get all there is to be gained from it. Worship as a family as much as possible or practical. Be careful what you say in front of your children about church! They will pick up on your criticisms & your comments, either positive or negative.

7. Lose yourself in the overflow of a forgiving spirit. Bear, bear, bear. Forbear, forbear, forbear. Love the brother or sister until he or she is loveable. Esteem others better than yourselves. You have your preferences, your particular likes & dislikes, your distinctives, your habits & your pet ‘hates’ – things that have little if anything to do with the great essentials of hearing & receiving the Gospel of God’s grace. Treat unnecessary disunity & division like the plague, like the malignancy that it is in a fellowship. Eph 4: 32 & Col 3: 13

8. By God’s grace move from being a fringe dweller to being a core member, not the other way. Take up some service, some responsibility, just one or two & do it regularly, reliably & responsibly. Persevere in it AND try to bring another person with you on your journey of Christian growth.1 Cor 15: 58


THE MASS AND THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST

By Matt Slick. Used with the permission of Matt Slick who is the President and Founder of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CALM).

In Roman Catholicism the Mass is equivalent to The Lord’s Supper, the communion offering. The word “mass” is derived from the Latin missa. The mass is a series of rituals centered around the communion supper. It is also called the Eucharistic Supper. According to the New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism, vol 2, question 357, “The mass is the sacrifice of the new law in which Christ, through the Ministry of the priest, offers himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine. The mass is the sacrifice of Christ offered in a sacramental manner . . . the reality is the same but the appearances differ.” Question 358 asks “What is a sacrifice?” The answer given is “A sacrifice is the offering of a victim by a priest to God alone, and the destruction of it in some way to knowledge that he is the creator of all things.” From the Baltimore catechism we can conclude that the mass is the offering of Christ by a priest.

According to Roman Catholicism, Christ instituted the Mass when he said, “This is my body,” (Matt. 26:26) and “This is my blood,” (Matt. 26:28). Furthermore, Roman Catholicism teaches that when Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me,” he gave the apostles and hence his future priests the power to change bread and wine into his body and blood, (Baltimore Catechism, Vol. 2, Q. 354). Therefore, during the ceremony of the Mass during the part of the liturgy known as the consecration, the priest changes of bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1105). In checking out the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)., The Catholic Encyclopedia, and The Council of Trent, we find the following: The Eucharist is referred to in several ways.

1.As a sacrifice 1. “the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist,” (CCC, 1055) and “the Eucharist is also a sacrifice,” (CCC, 1365).

2. As a divine sacrifice 1. “For it is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that “the work of our redemption is accomplished,” (CCC, 1068).

3. As a representation of the sacrifice of Christ 1. “The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross,” (CCC, 1366).

4. Is ‘one single sacrifice’ with Christ’s sacrifice 1. “The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice,” (CCC, 1367).

5. It is the same sacrifice of Christ 1. “And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner,” (CCC, 1367).

6. It is propitiatory (removes the wrath of God) 1. “ . . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory,” (CCC, 1367).

7. To all who deny its propitiatory nature Trent pronounces anathema 1. “If any one saith, that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other


necessities; let him be anathema.” (Trent: On the Sacrifice of the Mass: Canon 3);

8. It is called the sacrifice of Christ which is offered via the priest’s hands 1. “The sacrifice of Christ the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is offered through the priests’ hands,” (CCC, 1369).

9. It is capable of making reparation of sins 1. “As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead,” (CCC, 1414).

10. It is to be considered a true and proper sacrifice 1. “The Church intends the Mass to be regarded as a ‘true and proper sacrifice,’” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, topic: “Sacrifice of the Mass”).

Is the Mass a re-sacrifice of Christ?

Roman Catholics are quick to say that the Eucharist is not a re-sacrifice of Christ. They want to make it clear that Christ was offered once for all and that the Mass is not a re-sacrifice but a “re-presentation” of the sacrifice. We certainly do not want to misrepresent Roman Catholic theology, but we must ask how it is possible for the Mass to not be a re-sacrifice of Christ when the Mass is called a divine sacrifice (CCC, 1068) that

is done over and over again. We are told that “the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice”; (CCC, 1367); that it is an unbloody offering that is proptiatory, (CCC, 1367); that it can make reparation of sins, (CCC, 1414); and is to be considered a true and proper sacrifice (The Catholic Encyclopedia, topic: “Sacrifice of the Mass”). We must conclude that it is a sacrifice that occurs over and over again; and since it is said to be a true and proper sacrifice that is propitiatory, then logically it must be a re-sacrifice of Christ. If it is not, then how can it be called a sacrifice of Christ? Also, how could it be propitiatory if it is not a sacrifice of Christ since it is Christ’s offering on the cross that is itself propitiatory? • “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Heb. 2:17). • “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2).

Biblical Response

We risk the Roman Catholic saying that the biblical response to their position is a response to a straw man. Typically, the Roman Catholic will say that the Mass is not a re-sacrifice. But it is difficult to conclude otherwise when we examine what the official Roman Catholic documents say. Therefore we surmise that if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it must be a duck. Likewise, if the Mass is said to be a sacrifice of Christ and is repeated, then we must conclude that it is a continuing sacrifice, a re-sacrifice of Christ since the Catholic Church says that this very sacrifice is propitiatory (removes the wrath of God); and it is only the actual sacrifice of Jesus that can accomplish propitiation.

The Bible tells us plenty about the sacrifice of Christ. Please consider the following verses:

Source Image: http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Ar-ticles/1000064656/Preparing_for_the.aspx


1. Sacrifice offered once 1. “For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” (Heb. 7:26-27). 2. “So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” (Heb. 9:28). 3. “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, 11 And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb. 10:10-12).

2. Sacrifice repetition of no value 1. “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.” (Heb. 10:1). 2. “And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;” (Heb. 10:11).

We can see that the Bible tells us Christ offered himself once, and that there is no need for repetition of his sacrifice. The failure of the Roman Catholic Church has been to distort the biblical doctrine of the Lord’s Supper into a constant and repetitious sacrifice of Christ. It should be plain to the reader that the Roman Catholic position is not only unbiblical but anti-biblical.

We at CARM humbly request that the Roman Catholic not put his or her faith in the Mass but instead turn to the one and true sacrifice of Christ, by faith, and look to Jesus alone and not a human institution that offers a repetitious sacrifice. We are made right by the blood of Christ--not by the offering of a Roman Catholic priest who changes the bread and wine into the literal body and blood of Christ.

• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). • “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” (Rom. 5:9). • “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom. 5:1).

Source Image:

http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/william-lane-craig-vs-matt-slick-who-is-the-bigger-idiot/question-3661709/

Source Image: http://www.splendorofthechurch.com.ph/2012/12/24/young-catholic-apologist-answered-man-ny-pacquio-on-the-holy-mass/


STRESS & MISSIONARIES

by Wendy MarshallArticle referred to is a paper called “Stressed from Core to Cosmos: Issues and Needs Arising from Cross-Cultural Ministry” by Lois A. Dodds & Lawrence E. Dodds. Presented at the Amercian Association of Christian Counselors, World Congress, Nov 6-8, 1997. Last accessed on 3 March, 2015 at http://www.heartstreamresources.org/media/CORE2COS.pdf

Adapted from a blog post by Wendy at www.mmuser.blogspot.com.au on Thursday, December 04, 2014.

I’ve been writing an article about stress and missionaries. In the midst of my research I found this noteworthy article. It was presented at the American Association of Christian Counsellors World Congress in 1997. And I quote here from it: We have used a modified version of the Holmes-Rahe stress scale1 to illustrate the amount of stress usually experienced in cross-cultural work. We have found that on the average, using this scale which is not comprehensive, cross-cultural workers experience about 600 points of stress per year. The level may peak as high as 1500 points in some circumstances, and drop to merely “normal” for people who are in long-term, stable situations.2 The graph included illustrates the trends [across the lifespan of a missionary].

1 On this scale the average stress for a person in the US is 100 points.

2 The original study revealed that 200 points of stressful life events caused 50 percent of people to become seriously ill (cancer, heart attack) within the subsequent two years. With

300 points, 90 percent became ill.

(Do go and see that graph [web address at introduction], it is amazing.)

Really? Missionaries encounter that much stress?

When I have people question what we’re doing for such a long period as 12 months in Australia (and it’s happened at each of the last two churches we’ve visited), I want to grab them and show them this graph. We’re under stress in our “profession”. Is it wrong to have time away from our country of service to recharge a little? Noting that the time here is not 100% holiday, not even close.

The introductory paragraph to the above article sums up the challenges of this life well:

Ministry is a hazardous occupation! It exposes one to the deepest needs of humanity, many of which seemingly can never be met. Along with sharing in many life joys, a person in ministry also gains the dubious privilege of dealing with all the “uglies” of human nature, the muck of erring and sinning disciples, the heartbreaking consequences and crises of God’s law broken. The values inherent in ministry are for self-giving, sacrifice, working for change in the self, others, and the social context. In a sense, these are dangerous values, “setting up” the opportunities for failure and burnout. One’s work in ministry is never done; there is no end to the possibilities to influence persons and the nature of life in one’s context. There is no handy cut-off time to show when you have done enough. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to measure one’s success in bringing about change.So, not only is it a challenging occupation, it is hard to take breaks from it. The phrase, “There


is no handy cut-off time”.

The article also mentions the “uglies” of our job. Though we don’t have so much of those ourselves, working in wealthy Japan and in roles that don’t come close to the ugliness (war, poverty, instability) that many missionaries find, we find just the crowdedness of the city of Tokyo to be wearying. This year in Australia we nickname our “space therapy”.

There are a number of other stressors mentioned, that you may not think about, like:Additional spiritual stresses sometimes include being isolated from spiritual peers, from a body of believers who share our perspectives and beliefs. One may be deprived of the nurture of the body of Christ or Christian observances because of working

in isolation or anti- Christian cultures. One may lack accountability and thus drift away from the anchors of faith, gradually slipping into habits or practices counterproductive to ministry.And superhuman expectations.

But possibly the most amazing thing, in light of all this is:. . . that most missionaries DO adapt and work effectively in spite of killing levels of stress. Other researchers have found this too. Secondly, most cross-cultural workers adapt and cope, becoming used to and remaining effective under loads of stress that would land more “regular” people in the hospital.Praise God, for He’s the only explanation I have for that outcome.

THE PERSECUTED CHURCH PRAYER DEVOTIONALby Beverly J. Pegues

Persecution Ranking: 1st

FACT SHEETPopulation: 23,113,019Christians: 1-2%Dominant Religion: Idolatry of Kim Il SungPolitical Leader: Kim Jong IlReligious Freedom in Constitution = YES

HOW TO PRAY FOR NORTH KOREAHide me from the plots of this evil mob, from this gang of wrongdoers. (Psalm 64:2)

• Pray that the enforced idolatry imposed throughout North Korea will cease (Exodus 20:1-7) and that there will be religious freedom for all people. (John 4:22-23)• Pray for God to uphold both secret believers and those who are undergoing horrendous torture. (Daniel 3:25)• Pray that change will take place in the leadership of the nation. Pray that a leader will arise who fears God and loves his fellow countrymen, women, and children. (Daniel 4:17)• Pray that those who leave the country to escape starvation will find the true Bread of Life. (John 6:35)• Pray for protection, success, and wisdom for all those seeking to bring the gospel to North Korea. (Joshua 1:5-7)• Pray that Christians globally will speak out on behalf of the oppressed people in North Korea by getting their nations actively involved in putting pressure on Kim Jong Il to improve the conditions of Christians as well as other North Koreans who are poorly treated. (Proverbs 31:8-9)


BROOKTON FAMILY FESTIVAL BUSH MISSION 2015

By James WilsonJames is a member of Kelmscott WPC, WA.

It was a joy and pleasure to go to Brookton in January, 2015 to love, serve and glorify God through the Scripture Union Brookton Bush Mission. A team of 30 people from WPC Canning Vale, Bull Creek and Kelmscott along with a few from C3 Langford went out to Brookton for the week. Everyone had been preparing and it was exciting to be off! We all arrived at the W.B. Eva Pavilion in Brookton around lunchtime on the Tuesday and began setting up for the week.

We thank God for the wonderful opportunity to proclaim God’s Word to the people of theBrookton and Pingelly areas! Both the team and the local people were mutually encouraged by the week in so many different ways. As we on the mission supported and encouraged the Churches there, so also were we encouraged

and spurred on to continue by their gratitude, guidance and prayer. Pastor Richard Bailey from Canning Vale Community Church asked us at the beginning of mission “What would bringing the gospel to the town of Brookton (and neighbouring towns) change for the people there?” We used Romans chapter 1 as an excellent basis for exploring the life-changing difference God’s Word can bring to a person’s life.

The Brookton mission is a bit different from a typical SU beach mission because we see the same people every year - the people who come along are not transient. Another key difference is the capacity for follow-up. The Churches in Brookton and Pingelly especially are there and involved in our mission also and so there is fantastic opportunity for continued contact with people who are reached by the mission. We also receive a lot of extra support from the Churches in the region. It is very difficult to measure the impact from promoting the mission in the community and the local support and knowledge helping to guide us, but it is so very helpful and good.

So we set about our work striving to make a difference with the theme being “Under the Sea” where we told children and adults about Jonah. We started the week with a movie night where we watched Finding Nemo on Tuesday

“Captain Seaweed” recapping the story of Jonah

Brookton Bush Mission Team


evening. Our typical day would look something like this:

Breakfast and prayer before setting up and running the morning “kids club”. Lunch, a debrief of how everything was going and a team devotion looking at Jonah would be followed by a few hours in the afternoon to prepare for the evening or next day, sleep or hang out in various ways (playing games or sport, go to the pool). Then dinner would usually be at 5pm so we had time to set up for the evening’s activities (movie night, youth group or quiz night).

Our morning program Wednesday-Friday had more than 20 children registered and most of them came all three days! This was both a blessing and an encouragement.

The kids club typically involved our MC “Captain Seaweed” welcoming the children and recapping what we had done so far. Then we would sing some songs about God’s sovereignty, grace, mercy and compassion, the danger of sin and that God alone can save us.

We had a skit which continued these themes and then a storyteller would tell the children more about the story of Jonah. Bible lessons and memory verses would follow and wide games outside would break things up so that the children could run around.

Morning tea continued our under the sea theme with ingenious snacks and then creative craft time gave the children something to take home. We would close the morning with a recap from Captain Seaweed about the day’s learning and a song.

The youth group was a new thing for the Brookton mission this year so we were not sure exactly what to expect. We combined relaxed hang outs and wide games with food and devotion - again looking at Jonah. We feel that we have set a good environment and precedent for future years and a very productive youth ministry with the mission! All throughout our activities with children in the kids club and youth group there were parents who also stayed and some of the team

Some of the Saturday Morning Games

Acting Out the Skit for the Day

Music Team Leading the Children in Song


enjoyed fellowshipping with them. So we had a good, combined ministry targeted towards the children and parents.

We finished the “programs” for the week with a quiz night on Friday and a family fun day on Saturday morning with many family activities and water games being thoroughly enjoyed by all on a hot day.

Not all of our work was done in our programs. A few of us younger guys sought respite from the heat in the town pool where there was an inflatable obstacle set up. Much to our mirth and I’m sure to the town’s amusement we proceeded to run, jump, crawl and fall all over this inflatable trying to get through it!

The last and very encouraging event was the combined service for the Churches from Brookton and Pingelly which was well attended on Sunday morning. Tim Letcher and Richard Bailey combined well together to

preach on Jonah. This was an excellent time where the Churches could all fellowship together. The mission was also a great opportunity for people from some of the WPC Churches here in Perth to enjoy each other’s fellowship and strengthen friendships with people from other Churches.

The fellowship amongst all the activities with team members and local people was enjoyed by all and made the week a blessed time. We thank God for His many blessings upon this mission and the team keenly look forward to continuing in Brookton next year. How you can pray for Brookton and the Brookton Bush Mission

• Thank God for the absolute joy and enthusiasm from many of the people to have us in Brookton sharing God’s Word with children

• For people to be challenged, interested and moved by the various activities in the week

• That God’s Word would stir the hearts and minds of the team and the people of Brookton

• Pray for the planning and preparation so that the mission can continue again next year

• For the follow up from the Churches in the Brookton and Pingelly area to be effective

THE MESSENGER ON

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“It is a high Christian privilege to pray for one another within each local church body and then for other believers throughout the world. As a Christian minister, I have no right to preach to people I have not prayed for. That is my strong conviction.” ~ A. W. Tozer —from Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts


CYCLONE PAM

by Tom RichardsTom and Margaret Richards would like to thank the people of WPC and other supporting churches for their concern, prayers and financial support in response to Cyclone Pam. Here is a little of their story as told by Tom.

The Pam Report

‘Well, we’ve done our best,’ I said to Robert, the student helping me, as we stood on the roof of the principal’s house with the storm’s first squalls driving rain onto our backs.

Robert looked doubtful. He’s a thinker and had the idea that we should add ten 40 kilo bags of cement to the logs and concrete blocks that were already there to hold the roof down. I wondered if adding 400 kilos to the top of a building would be really prove wise once the wooden structure started to bend in the wind. It was a gamble either way.

We didn’t know it at the time but the question was in fact irrelevant as within 24 hours the building would be destroyed by winds that were so strong that nothing we could have done would have made any difference. In fact judging from the direction-of-spread of the ruined materials, I would say that it fell down in the really really strong winds rather than in the later even stronger winds that defied all descriptions.

Our diligent work checking and strengthening the dorm roofs was equally immaterial. In hindsight, the sensible thing to

do might have been to simply disassemble the buildings and save Cyclone Pam the trouble. At least we would have done it neatly.

I stood on the roof, breathing deeply after my work, and looked out over the college: three dormitory buildings, a kitchen, a permanent double-classroom, the principal’s house and our own family home which we had had built two years ago and have been working on ever since. All of which, as well as the students themselves, I had taken responsibility for a couple of days before.

Being a small college it’s normally just me lecturing alongside the principal. However, since the college had just found itself without a principal, I had volunteered to take over the administration until the new principal, a Tannese man, arrived at the end of the year. That was just before the first cyclone warning intruded into our lives.

At 7:48am on the morning that Robert and I checked the roofs, I had discovered that we had been on a yellow alert since 6:00pm the night before. I gathered the students together and read from Job 38, prayed for our safety, sent some students home, and gave instructions to the remaining two as to how we would make our college ready.

Irene busied herself with moving things from the dorms to the stronger classrooms and Robert and I worked our way around the college grounds.

Out the Front after the Cyclone


At home I began to put up the cyclone shutters and we did what we could to make things secure, moving anything that could be caught by the wind, choosing the most strategic place to park the hilux, and getting ready to shelter inside the house without water, electricity or a bathroom.

By night time we were placed under a red alert, but we were already satisfied that we were ready. The two students were joined by other members of the community and would sleep in the strong double classroom built by Presbyterian Church of Australia work parties. Margaret and I brought the last things in and put up the remaining cyclone shutters before heading to bed. There was nothing more to do.By the next morning it would have been too late to do any more. At first light we were just able to open the doors and cross the verandah to go to the bathroom, but by the end of breakfast, the wind had shifted and heightened in such a way that we could only shelter inside. With the shutters closed, it was dark in the house and we just had to wait by torchlight and listen to the wind and the sound of tree branches and parts of other buildings hitting the house.

Margaret likened the experience to being in a house while it was being beaten up. And really, that was what was happening. The iron on one side of the house ripped up to let daylight and sheets of rain into our house. All we could do was to sit and watch and, when it seemed to be between the bigger gusts, move around the house to rescue the more important things from the worst of the flooding. By lunch time when the wind had subsided enough for us to look out, we discovered that we had lost our north-facing verandah and laundry. Part of it landed on one side of the house, another part landed on the other side next to the hilux so that it just touched the back tyre, and the rest of it sailed straight over the house, including a concrete post which we found on the lawn in front of the house.

The loss of the verandah meant that what used to be the laundry was open to the elements. A large bench landed on the grass and some food boxes there smashed open and traveled over 100m. The bathroom which adjoined the verandah was no longer protected and so flooded.

The classroom was in a similar condition. For the most part it was intact, but the verandah had flipped up and landed on the roof breaking some eves and rafters. Some of the colourbond had ripped up over the library and some had bent with the force of the verandah. All the other college buildings were nothing but piles of scrap materials.

Our House after the Cyclone

The Laundry after the Cyclone

The Double Classroom


The trees, most of which were mangoes and previously gave the college a park-like feel, had lost almost all their leaves and their branches covered the ground.

The people who were sheltering in the classroom, lost their houses. Their gardens were partly destroyed, leaving some of their crops to rot in the ground. The college gardens were in a similar state. When I asked an old chief if he had ever seen a cyclone like that, he said never in all his life. Immediately after the cyclone, there was plenty of food around. Fish and crabs were washed ashore. Birds, weakened by the wind, were easy prey. Likewise plenty of flying foxes, who lost their habitat, were shot down by kids with slingshots. Some cattle were killed by falling branches and needed to be eaten. We even had meat that needed to be eaten because it had thawed due to loss of electricity.

But our garden was destroyed and we could see that with every tree knocked flat, it would be some time before there would be any fresh fruit and vegetables available on Tanna. Margaret’s first job was to dry out and clean up our mess of a house created by the rain, leaves and other debris which had come inside, but she soon turned to planting a garden. What used to be our hobby had become our livelihood. After I had visited our neighbours and friends, my job was to reconnect the water and electricity and to repair our roof before it rained again.

When we sighted the first plane heading to Tanna airport, I dropped my work in order to get a message out with the pilot. The ten kilometer walk to the airport was littered with so many fallen trees that at times I couldn’t even find the road. I could see that it would be a big job to clear the road and that we might be isolated for a while. So we rationed our food, planned our recovery and helped our friends where we could.

In time, help arrived for the locals. We saw more and more planes overhead, two of which flew over us and dipped their wings to wave. Then came the helicopters and naval ships. The road was cleared. The Australian Army, French Army, Red Cross, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse and others came and helped, providing tarpaulins and food for the people and helping to recover water supply.

What’s the big picture for our ministry?

The morning after the cyclone, I sent the last two students home. Given the extent of the damage, they needed to check on their families and their families needed to see that they were alright. I told them not to hurry back, but rather to help their families rebuild. The college wasn’t operational. The classroom could be made functional easily enough, but without dorms and a kitchen, we couldn’t house the students. Besides which, given that our community had lost their houses, we needed the classrooms to house the homeless.

Clearing the Road

A Dormitory


A month later, the college hasn’t reopened, but I hope that it will within a fortnight. Several students have come back keen to get started; one was here two days after the cyclone. So we are encouraged and want to get underway as soon as possible. As yet, we haven’t been able to build anything. Good help has been hard to find. It is good and right that people rebuilt their own houses first to give shelter to their families. But now that that has mostly happened, and my hope is that next week, people from a local church will come and build a temporary dorm with the materials from the fallen-down buildings.

My plan is to make the college manageable my holding back the first year students until next year. The lower student numbers would then mean that I could finish the second year’s studies with minimal infrastructure. With just the second years, we can use one classroom for a girl’s dorm and have lessons in the other. That just leaves as small boys’ dorm and a kitchen to be built.

That takes care of the immediate needs. However the classroom really needs to be repaired before the next cyclone reaches us, there is no house for the new principal next year, and we won’t be fully operational until we rebuild at least one more dormitory for female students. By God’s grace and your generosity we already have much of the funding for this work. Before Margaret and I had even been able to make contact with the outside world, a fund had been set up to help us and our work and we are deeply thankful for it. We have also been told that a similar fund had been set up by Grace Presbyterian in NZ. The Presbyterian Church of Australia have indicated that they would like to fund the rebuilding of the classroom.

What would be wonderful this year would be the help of builders and willing helpers. Grace Presbyterian Church had already planned to send a work party this year. Perhaps we could also host one or more teams from WPC.

Contact us at [email protected] if you are interested.

What’s the big picture for us?

We are very thankful to God for our lives and our continued ministry here. Beyond those things, it’s great that our house is standing and our vehicle’s intact. The money to replace the things we had lost was already raised before we even knew about it. So we are overwhelmingly grateful for what we have.

We are also encouraged in our ministry here: in rebuilding, we have an opportunity to actually improve the college grounds; we look forward to working with a small but divers group of second year students; and we have also found that the cyclone has allowed us to serve our community, strengthen bonds with people, and we were excited to see at Easter that we had a full house on Sunday morning.

We do however realized that it will be a big year. It was always going to be a big year. With no principal and having most of the teaching load I would have been busy enough. On top of that I need to do the paperwork necessary to register the college with the government, or we could face being shut down next year. Now there is rebuilding to add into the mix.

We could really use a little practical help from a builder to help us get back on out feet. It would mean that I could focus on teaching and managing the college and mission fields. If you have the skills, the time, and don’t mind staying in a tent, we would make you most welcome. Just let us know.

We would like to thank you all for your support. We have felt really loved by hearing of everyone’s concern and prayers for us. We are deeply thankful for the generous people who have given in order to meet our needs and the needs of our work, and are likewise thankful to those people who have worked administratively to collect that money. We know that we are not here alone, but have many partners with whom we work in


fellowship. We give thanks to God for the work that you do because of Christ. We are working together for his kingdom here on Tanna: what a privilege!

If anyone in your congregation would like to help in a practical way, Maida Vale WPC

has set up an account that they can donate to (see below). All monies will go directly to

Tom for him to administer to assist with emergency aid, repairs to infrastructure at

the Theological college and their home and to provide relief to others in need within

the community.

Account Name: Westminster Presbyterian ChurchBSB: 016 112Account Number: 9030 86423Description: Richards Ministry Relief Fund** It is essential to include this description so that it is clear that you want the funds to go to their relief fund.

Cyclone Pam

Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam of 2015 is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Vanuatu. A total of 15–16 people lost their lives either directly or indirectly as a result of Pam with many others injured. Source: WikipediaDate: March 6, 2015Category: Category 5 Hurricane (SSHS)Affected areas: Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu

Source Image: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/81702000/jpg/_81702036_cyclone_pam_624_

v2.jpg

Source Image: http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/national_news/2015/03/windmap_cyclone_pam_today_E1.jpg


Q. 67. Which is the sixth commandment?A. The sixth commandment is: You shall not murder. [a]. Ex 20:13Q. 68. What is required of the sixth commandment?A. The sixth commandment requires all lawful endeavours to preserve our own life, and the life of others. [a]. Eph 5:28-29, Matt 10:23a, 1 Kings 18:4

Q. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment? A. The fifth commandment forbids us to take our own life, or to take unjustly the life of our neighbour, or anything tending to these ends.[a]. Eph 5:28, Gen 9:6, Matt 5:22, 1 John 3:15, Ex 21:18-32

WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISMwith the scripture proof

Seven Ways for Busy Moms to Get in the Word by Courtney Joseph http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/seven-ways-for-busy-moms-to-get-in-the-word

1. Choose one passage of Scripture for the week. My favorite passages for meditating on come from Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, and the Epistles.2. Write the passage on a note card, and slip it in your pocket or beside your computer. Pull it out periodically, and read over it. Keep it in your purse all week long, and pull it out at convenient times and read through it.3. Read the passage first thing in the morning. Read the passage as soon as you get out of bed, so it’s the first thing on your mind that morning.4. Open your Bible to that passage, and place it on the kitchen counter. All day long, when you walk through the kitchen, pause, read the passage, and then move on.5. Read the passage out loud. Read it to yourself, and read it to your children during mealtime and at bedtime.6. Reread the passage before you go to bed at night. Bookend your days with the reading of this passage of Scripture.7. Write the passage at the top of your to-do list. This way, every time you look over your to-do list, you can review the Scripture passage.

Ponder this: Leave out the cross and you have killed the religion of Jesus. Atonement by the blood of Jesus is not an arm of the Christian truth;

it is the heart of it. Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Source Image: https://nbcstudents.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/easter-cross.jpg


TIP TOEING THROUGH THE FOREST OFPARENTING IN AN ELECTRONIC AGE

Today’s the first day of the Christmas/summer holidays for our boys. We’re trialling a new strategy. When our boys came to breakfast this morning they found a sign. It read:Today before you get virtually unlimited screen time you need to • Spend ½ an hour outside exercising. • Do either – breakfast washing up or hang one basket of washing.

Knowing that our boys can whip up a storm of nitpicking at the words and rules, we’ve deliberately kept it simple and generous to start with. It’s generated some interesting discussion, especially, “We think that unlimited is too much screen time.”

I countered with, “I did modify it with ‘virtually’! But our goal is to help you do some self-management here.”

We don’t want to be spending the holidays with stopwatches in our hands and be fighting constantly over how long they spend on electronic devices. We also want them to begin to self-limit.

Note that as I type at 9.46am, all the above jobs have been done and the boys have gone out for a jog/ride together. No protesting, no problems!

Note also that we’ll be taking them to 1 ½ hrs of wrestling training this evening, and insisting on electronic-free reading/rest time after lunch.

We’ve limited their access to electronic things much more in the past. Usually they get half an hour each on Saturday and Sunday (with only a little more on holidays). And TV is rarely on for more than 45 minutes in a day (except when the cricket is on).

But with our eldest (15) buying his own tablet three months ago, the balance has shifted a little. We haven’t restricted his time on his own tablet except when homework wasn’t getting done, or other important tasks. I’m not sure if we were wise or not. Like all parents of our age, this is new. We’re tiptoeing through territory that didn’t exist when we were young.

But with the younger two having school iPads next year and our oldest having a “Bring your own device”, things are about to get more complicated. So, we continue to tiptoe.

Adapted from a blog post by Wendy at www.mmuser.blogspot.com.au on Monday, December 08, 2014.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up

in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.


FOOT WASHING AT BROOKTON

By Clem White. Clem is the pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church, Brookton.

No, it’s not because we have dirtier feet at Brookton than they do in other places that Arthur and I washed each other’s feet. It’s because we believe Jesus tells us to follow His example.

It was while preaching through the gospel of John that we focused on John 13:1-17 and we began a discussion about foot washing in the Bible. We could see that the washing of feet was necessary in the days of Jesus because the people wore sandals and the streets were dusty and their feet became dirty and hot.

But then we remembered that when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet we could assume their feet had already been washed by a servant before they entered the upper room. So we could safely assume that Jesus didn’t wash His disciple’s feet because they were dirty.

Why then did Jesus do this? It seems that Jesus wanted to teach His disciples and us three things.

1. That when we are born again our sins are washed away by the precious blood of Jesus.

Jesus told Peter when he refused to let Jesus wash his feet, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean…” So by washing His disciples feet Jesus teaches us that every day we sin in our thoughts, our words and in our actions and these sins need to be washed away each day in the blood of Jesus.

2. That we should humbly serve one another. Jesus, their Teacher and Lord gave them an example in humility when He washed the disciple’s feet, John 13:13-14. Jesus took on the role of a servant when He washed their feet.

3. That we should wash one another’s feet. Jesus told His disciples, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” So down through the centuries many branches of the Christian church have taken this command of Jesus literally.

After thinking and praying about washing each other’s feet, Arthur and I decided to do this at the start of our last Communion Service.We both found this to be an interesting and enjoyable experience. We then told the congregation that if anyone wants to do this during a future Communion Service they are free to do so.

John 13:3-5 E (ESV)

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had

come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer

garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe

them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Elder Arthur Slater washes Pastor Clem White’s feet.


THE DELIGHT AND THE DOWNSIDE OF A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH BUILDING

By Simon van Bruchem. Simon is the pastor of All Nations Presbyterian Church, Perth.

The recent renovationWhen All Nations purchased our hall in the city, we knew that there was an original ceiling above the suspended ceiling, and we prayed that one day we might be able to remove the suspended ceiling and restore the original. The original hall was built around 1912 and has had many different uses over the years, including as the Union Theatre in the 1930s and the Trades and Labour Hall owned by the ALP for many years. In the past 10 years or so it has been the only Reformed witness in the city of Perth.

This is a photo of the same hall that All Nations now owns, when it was known as the Unity Theatre in 1933. It is clear that the current floor is higher than the original floor, and the mezzanine level no longer exists, but the ceiling is the same).

The vendor who sold the building to the church installed the suspended ceiling as he thought office space was more attractive to potential buyers than a hall. And for office space, the suspended ceiling was a great idea: more lighting, easier to cool and heat, and sound-absorbing ceiling panels. For a church, it always presented some problems. The sound absorbing panels deadened the singing on

Sundays, and the low ceiling meant that we could not lift a projector screen high enough to be easily seen by everyone.

Now the renovation on our church building in the city of Perth has been completed. It was a major renovation; the false ceiling was removed to expose the grand old ceiling of the hall which is curved with beautiful plasterwork and moulding. The original ceiling has been patched up and repainted, new lighting has been installed to fit the feel of the building, and the air-conditioning redesign has been completed this week. You can see a photo attached to this article to get a feel for it, but it is hard to capture the feeling of the hall in a photo.

It is a project that has been anticipated ever since we purchased the building about 10 years ago. But at first we could not afford it, then our financial priority was employing a second pastor, and now finally the time was right to do it. And it has been a very popular decision with the congregation overall. On the first Sunday that we met in the hall (even though it was not 100% complete), it seemed like everyone was just looking upwards. The songs sound so much fuller and richer, and the sound quality in general is much better. It does feel more like you would imagine a church would feel like rather than a nondescript large space.

It’s not completely set up yet. We still need to fine-tune our sound system, install a higherscreen and projector, but the building work is

State Library of Western Australia


finished.Reflections on the renovationBut in considering all of this I wanted to express a few thoughts about church buildings, beauty and the gospel. Buildings have the capacity to capture our attention as they are tangible, but we mustn’t lose the sight of what our mission is in light of our building.

Making sure we don’t miss the pointI remember once during a question time with Philip Jensen that someone mentioned the beautiful building where his ministry is based, the cathedral in Sydney. Philip replied shortly to the comment by labelling stained glass windows “two dimensional idolatry”. Probably not the response the commenter was looking for!

But there is truth in that. Idolatry is when we worship a created thing rather than the creator (a la Romans 1). Yes, in beauty and art we do get reminded of the beauty of the world we live in. But really, it’s just a building. It has a function to be used for the kingdom of God. It is used to meet in for corporate worship, it is used for English classes and evangelism and Bible studies of different types. The beauty is in the fact that the gospel is presented in this place and that the Spirit is pleased to use this to change people, not in the fact that the building itself is so majestic.

I made the throw-away line in a congregational meeting some years ago when someone raised the idea of removing the false ceiling that our priority was gospel ministry and that improving the building would come a distant second. We wanted to increase our pastoral staffing level prior to spending money improving the hall, which now by God’s grace we have done. I remember pointing out the sad fact that two of the most beautiful church buildings in Perth, the two cathedrals in the city, no longer are places people go to hear the Bible preached and the gospel of the risen Jesus proclaimed. What use is a nice building if we miss the point? What does it benefit anyone to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul?

The place of beauty in church buildingsSo having said all of that, is there a place for beauty in church buildings? Historically the church has built some of the most beautiful buildings ever built; as I plan a visit to Europe next year every city has a cathedral (or 10) you can visit. The novel ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ by Ken Follett (which is a great read by the way) imagines the drama behind the building of a cathedral and the faith and commitment many good and godly people put into it. The aim was to try to make something worthy of the great God being worshipped there. The intent was often so good.

People often point to the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament at this point. They were indeed beautiful places, using expensive materials and great craftsmanship. You would have a sense of wonder and place entering such places. But when we try to apply this to the modern church building, our Biblical Theology should reveal some issues. The tabernacle and temple were where God dwelt among his people; this points to Jesus where God actually did dwell among his people (John 1:14). Jesus is the temple God would tear down and rebuild in 3 days (John 2). It is Jesus these beautiful structures pointed to, not to modern church buildings. In fact, the early church seemed to meet wherever it made sense to: in private homes was common, in lecture halls where reasonable, in temple courts among the people. Function mattered, and you won’t find Paul telling the early church to build a great cathedral. It was not really that important. Spreading the gospel and building up the church mattered far more.

So is the new church hall a good thing? Oh yes, it is nice. It improves the function of the church building especially in terms of acoustics and powerpoint presentations. And perhaps people will come to see the building and will end up hearing the gospel! But really, the same wonderful yet sinful group of people meet there as a testimony to the grace of God. What we have, however great it is, is a poor reflection of where true beauty is found: in Jesus alone.


Lee Hinkle, Shannon and family

BLESSINGS OF GOD

By John MacRae. John with his wife Signe are from the Presbyterian Church in America and are now serving the Lord at Maida Vale WPC and elsewhere in WA.

The Presbytery of Western Australia held its first meeting of 2015 on 18 February. This was one of the more encouraging and exciting meetings of Presbytery which we have had in a while. Two young men became candidates for the ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church and two men from America were approved to come and serve with us.

Matt Dodd grew up in the Bull Creek congregation and has just completed his Master of Divinity degree at Trinity Theological College. The Session of Bull Creek has hired him to serve on their pastoral staff and we expect him to move directly toward licensure and ordination.

Doug Inawashiro was born in Brazil and has studied for the ministry and done missionary service in Japan. He is now a student at Trinity Theological College and has just started attending All Nations. He will become a candidate upon joining that congregation.

Both of these men shared their testimonies of salvation and call to the ministry and were recommended by their Sessions.

The presbytery was also informed that Tim Ireland has been commended by the Session of All Nations to become a candidate. He works Fly-in, Fly-out and so was unable to be at the meeting. Tim was born in Mississippi and will be starting his theological training at Westminster Seminary this September. He intends to return to Perth upon completion of his studies.

The next blessing of the meeting was the presence and testimonies of two Americans who desire to come over and help in our ministry. Lee Hinkle is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America in Indiana. He was intending to plant a church in Indianapolis when the Lord redirected him and his family to Perth. Mission To the World (MTW) has trained Lee and his wife, Shannon. They and their five children (Braden, Maddie, Reagan, Georgia, and Rose) are expecting to arrive in mid-June of this year. Lee’s examinations to become a member of the

presbytery were approved.

Andy Shadburne was the second man. Andy’s wife is Missy (no children). Andy is not a minister but is gifted in evangelism and in music. He spent a year doing evangelistic ministry in Brisbane and he and his wife have a deep burden for God’s work in Australia. They are presently in St. Louis and have also completed their training with MTW. They hope to arrive

in late winter this year. Thepresbytery is applying to sponsor these men into our country and voted to nominate Lee and Andy as employees.

Both of these men are intending to work with Steve Rarig in beginning a new church in Fremantle. It will be called The Village Church. A “soft launch” was held recently and Lee preached the gospel. They are intending to have a formal beginning of the church plant this winter.

The attendance at the Presbytery meeting was higher than normal. Six churches and two missions were represented by fifteen ministers and four ruling elders. There were also five visitors. The meeting was held at Maida Vale and Roger Palmer began the meeting with a devotional on the wonder that we are saints because of God’s grace. The presbyters prayed for God’s blessing on various men and ministries.


GRACE FELLOWSHIP, MT LAWLEY, WA.

By Julian Bull. Julian is a WPC pastor who now lives at Albany, WA.

On Sunday Feb 22nd. Grace Fellowship held its final Worship service. GF began meeting in October 2009 as a result of a significant group of God’s people believing they had reached a point where they were left with no option but having to separate themselves from a spiritually abusive church situation. Not a WPC church, I hasten to add. They began meeting in a home and soon after invited Rev. Julian Bull to minister the Word of God to them on a regular basis.

Over the five and a half years of her meeting together the fellowship had the opportunity to minister to each other, reach out and proclaim the Gospel to non-believers and benefit from the faithful preaching of the Word of God.

We believe now we have accomplished our original goal as a fellowship, which was to help rehabilitate those who had been badly burned in the previous situation, and so believe it is God’s time for the fellowship to disband and give their support to one or other of the existing churches nearby.

We are very grateful for the support, counsel and encouragement of the WPC Perth Presbytery and her churches and elders, especially Maida Vale WPC and

Rev John MacRae.

Rev Julian Bull will transition into a new part-time role as the International Representative of the Mustard Seed Organisation and continue in his involvement with WPC Myanmar and Hosanna Bible College Yangon, teaching and training Pastors and students while seeking the Lord about further opportunities for Pastoral work here in WA. Please remember to pray for the former members and adherents of GF, the ministry of Mustard Seed both here and in Myanmar, and for Julian & his future.

Grace Fellowship - Mount Lawley

Julian has led the first ever WPC Mission Awareness Tour to Myanmar during April. The tour consisted of 17 people of varying ages and experience from Perth and Canberra. This group ministered in the Mustard Seed orphanages, to WPC pastors and in the Hosanna Bible College. Information can be found on Twitter: @#mustardseedWe hope to include a full report in the next issue of The Messenger.

If you are interested in supporting Julian and the work of Mustard Seed in a practical way then don’t hesitate to contact him for more details on how this may be done. You can e mail him at [email protected] you for your prayerful interest.


WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY BELCONNEN WPC Meets: 61 Templeton Street, (cnr Rowan St.) COOK, ACT 2614 Time: 9.30am and 6.30pm (every Sunday)Address: 61 Templeton Street, COOK, ACT 2614 Office Ph: (02) 6251 7727Fax: (02) 6251 7737 Email: [email protected] Contact: Revd Geoff Findlay Phone: 0435 557 117

QUEENSLAND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH PACIFIC PARADISEMeets: North Shore Community Centre, David Low Way, PACIFIC PARADISE Time: 9.30am Postal: 119 Glenview Rd, GLENVIEW QLD 4553 Contact: Revd Dan Bosshard Mob: 0439 708 092 Email: [email protected]

GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (BUDERIM WPC) Meets: Corner Stringybark Rd & Toral Dr, Sippy Downs, SUNSHINE COAST, QLDTimes: 7.45am, 9.30am, 6.00pm Chinese Church (Mandarin) meets 1.30pm English language class 4pmPostal: P.O. Box 7292, Sippy Downs Qld 4556Phone: (07) 5445 8933Contact: Pastor Clint Lombard 0478 578 152Email: [email protected] site: www.gracechurchbuderim.com.au

GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (REDBANK WPC) Meets: School Road, REDBANK PLAINS Time: 9.30am Postal: P.O. Box 347, GOODNA, QLD 4300 Contact: Revd David Smith Phone: (07) 3495 7051 Email: [email protected]

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MORAYFIELD QLDMeets: 10am Venue: Morayfield Community Centre

298 Morayfield Road, MORAYFIELD QLD (next to Bunnings)Contact: Pr Darren Burnett (07) 5442 2586Mob: 0452 273 117Email: [email protected] site: www.gpcm.net.au

PRESBYTERY OF QUEENSLANDModerator: Rev. Daniel Bosshard Clerk: Rev. David Smith Postal: PO BOX 347 GOODNA QLD 4300 AUSTRALIA Telephone: (07) 3371 2512Email: [email protected]

WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE QUEENSLAND Principal: Revd Terry Clarke 10 Hollings Close, KURABY,

QUEENSLAND 4112 Postal: PO Box 346, BUDERIM, QLD 4556 Telephone: (07) 5445 8501Email: information@@sctc.org.au Web: www.sctc.org.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA ALL NATIONS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Meets: The Beaufort Centre, 74-82 Beaufort

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

Email: [email protected]

BROOKTON (CALVARY PRESBYTERIAN)Meets: Richardson St., BROOKTON Time: 10.30am. Postal: PO Box 99, BROOKTON, WA 6306 Contact: Revd Clem White (08) 9535 3301 Email: [email protected] OR elder

Arthur Slater (08) 9642 1231


BULL CREEK WPCMeets: 32 Bull Creek Drive, BULL CREEK Times: 9.30am, 6.30pm. Postal: 32 Bull Creek Drive,

BULL CREEK WA 6149 Email: [email protected]: (08) 9332 6300 Fax: (08) 9332 1991 Contact: Revd Mark Vivian (08) 9455 3919Email: [email protected]: Revd Craig Newill (08) 6161 0525 Email: [email protected] Website: www.wpcbc.net

Bull Creek WPC Indonesian ServicesTime: 4.00pm Meets: 32 Bull Creek Drive, BULL CREEK, WA 6149 Contact: Revd Paulus Surya (08) 6465 8763 0412 441 341Contact: Revd Erick Kartawijaya (08) 9332 8514 0422 218 493

CANNING VALE COMMUNITY CHURCH (CANNING VALE WPC) Meets: Canning Vale Community Centre, Cnr

Waratah Blvd. and Eucalyptus Blvd., CANNING VALE

Time: 10.30am Postal: PO Box 5153, CANNING VALE SOUTH,

WA 6155 Telephone: (08) 9256 4776 Contact: Revd Alex Nathan Email: [email protected]

KELMSCOTT WPCMeets: Kelmscott Hall - River Road,

Rushton Park, KelmscottTimes: 10.00am Contact: Revd Anton Noppers 0400 894 458Email: [email protected]

MAIDA VALE WPCMeets: 4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALE Times: 10.00am and 6.00pm Postal: 4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALE, WA

6057 Telephone: (08) 9454 7401 Fax: (08) 9454 4307 Contact: Revd Roger PalmerEmail: [email protected]

MANDURAH WPCMeets: The Nellie Reagan Hall, Peel St,

MANDURAH Time: 10.00am Postal: PO Box 5875 Mandurah, WA 6210

Contact: Rev Tony WalkerTelephone: (08) 9534 4145Email: [email protected]

MURDOCH THREE CROSSES CHURCHMorning: 10am Mandala Hall, Mandala Crescent,

Bateman at 10amEvening: 6pm Murdoch University, MurdochPostal: 9 Johansen Promenade MURDOCH WA

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

PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAModerator: Elder Steve HeathcoteEmail: [email protected]: 08 9458 5449Clerk: Revd Ray WilsonPostal: 105 Regency Drv, Thornlie, 6108Email: [email protected]: 0421 903 446

OTHER CONTACTSTRINITY THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Postal add: PO Box 115, Leederville, Perth,

WA 6902Add: Level 2, 632-634 Newcastle Street,

Leederville, WA 6007Telephone: +61 8 9228 9067Email: [email protected]: www.ttc.wa.edu.au

PROVIDENCE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Pastor Christopher Seah Mob: +65 9139 4654 Meets: 350 Alexandra Road, Level 3 (Next to Princess House)

SINGAPORE 159946. Time: 9.30am Bible Study/Sunday School: 11.30am

Postal: c/o Apt Block 1D, Pine Grove, #08-15, Singapore 593001

Email: [email protected] Website: http:www.providencerpc.org

GRACE THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE c/- 30A Montilla Place, Manurewa,

Auckland, 2102 New Zealand Contact: Revd Andrew Young

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PO Box 31-210, Ilam, Christchurch 8444,

NEW ZEALAND Contact: Trevor Webb Email: [email protected]


EASTGATE BIBLE CHURCHMeets: Philharmonic Socy Building 7 Matthews Street, Toowoomba QldTime: 10amContact: Pr Owen NugentMob: 0412 124 928Email: [email protected] site: www.eastgatebiblechurch.net

HORIZON REFORMED CHRISTIANFELLOWSHIP

Address: 22 Padbury Way, SorrentoMeets: Sundays at 9:30amWebsite: www.horizonrcf.comContact: Neil Evans 0405421971

HARBOUR CITY CHURCHAddress: 220 Miller Street North Sydney, 2060 NSWTime: 10.30 amContact: Revd Jim JungWebsite www.HarbourCityChurch.comPhone: 0430423986Email: [email protected]

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF WPC

Moderator: Steve HeathcoteVice-Moderator: Simon van BruchemTreasurer: Anton Noppers (08) 9498 3306Clerk: Mark Vivian (Email: [email protected])

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

The TV GuideOn the table side by side

Are the Holy Bible and the TV guideOne’s used daily to help them decide,

No, not the Bible, it’s the TV guide.

As pages are turned, what shall we see?It doesn’t matter. Turn on the TV.

Confusion reigns, they can’t agreeOn what they should watch on the old TV.

So they open the book to help them decide;No, not the Bible: the TV guide.

The Word of God is seldom read.Maybe a verse as they fall into bed.

Exhausted, sleepy, and as tired as can be,Not from reading the Bible, but from watching TV.

No time for prayer, no time for the Word;The plan of salvation is seldom heard.

Yet, forgiveness of sins, so full and so free,Is found in the Bible, not on TV.

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

You can help make your denominational journal a success by subscribing and contributing to it. We cordially invite you to do both.

Please feel free to contact us and schedule a visitat http://www.sctc.org.au/

Location:

Sunshine Coast Theological College2-4 Toral DriveBuderim, QLD 4556Australia

Mailing address:

Sunshine Coast Theological CollegeP.O. Box 346Buderim, QLD 4556Australia

General Information:[email protected]

Library:[email protected]

Registrar:[email protected]

Telephone(07) 5445 8501

Principal Dr. Terry Clarke

The Messenger - Autumn 2015

Documents

Transcript of The Messenger - Autumn 2015