A New Fijian congregation plant in South Australia

Fijian President Jono and Ex-SA Moderator Sue cutting the celebration cake 

 In a first for South Australia, an Anglo Uniting Church with close links to the Fijian diaspora in South Australia through the missionary work of Rev Allan Hatcher and his wife Margaret, have handed their assets to a fledging Fijian Congregation as a new church Plant.   It was a joy to be part of this celebration and a surprise to b invited to cut the celebration cake with the National President Jono.  The handing over service was deeply meaningful. We sang old hymns in the Fijian language and without music- just a lead singer.   It is a wondrous time to be part of the Uniting Church as the First Nations people are supported in their quest for a voice and justice and as they welcome in the wider world as the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit, receives those with dire needs from all over the world, creating a multicultural nation. A nation hosted by the hospitality of the First Peoples who are deserving of our respect and homage. 

"Ask of me and I will give the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession. " Psalm 2: 8 - a great promise for our aboriginal brothers and sisters. 

Christmas across Congregations: Hope is Born

Hope is Born was the theme of my Christmas services this year.
Christmas services began on December 8th at Mudamuckla with Kid's Club followed by Mudamuckla Church Christmas Carol's Service after a shared tea.

Children presenting Nativity

Our church service

The children made pregnant Mary biscuits - thanks to Messy Church magazine and then presented the Nativity in our Church service.  It was a hectic but great night.


Then the next Saturday night the 14th it was off to Wirrulla Kid's Club Nativity. The children and parents presented a Nativity with carols outside the hotel at Wirrulla; the first presentation ever for the children of the town and the first ever homily delivered outside the pub!  Music was hopeless, but the children were endearing and presented the story so well.  "The children will know this story now," one parent commented.
Father Christmas Tree followed and then the Hotel smorgasbord - it was about value-adding to the regular secular Wirrulla Christmas.

At the same time, the Penong Christmas Carols were being held at Pt Sinclair - a combined congregation event - but as I was in Wirrulla, I couldn't be there too, so the Anglican Archdeacon did that one with my spouse.  

Finally Christmas Eve - an early service at the dominant congregation of Ceduna with 18 people at 7pm.  Lots of lay participation with the planning and execution of the service, then into the car with a voluntary musician, to Smoky Bay, which normally has 5 people max at church any Sunday and who were sure that at 9pm, the service would be far too late for anyone to come, especially children.  How wrong can you be?  37 people, including 10 children rocked up - there were not enough programs and barely enough seats, with people sitting in the very front row.  I left my service folder behind and had to wing the whole service!

Back home and into  bed at 11pm for an early start on Christmas day to Streaky Bay an hours drive away, where any Sunday has 10 faithful people - but this day we had 26 people attending - including 8 children! 

That makes 80 people at Christmas and 300Km of travel.  

Interestingly, the dominant Church who wants out of the model of resourcing ministry, hadn't the poorest attendance of any of the faith communities at Christmas .... and the smallest offering!

What might we learn about Hope from that?

Merry Christmas everyone

Dying to Self in Lent

As I look about the landscape of the far west coast of South Australia, everything is terribly dry and barren.  It has been months since we had rain.  Paddocks have no fresh feed and stock are being hand fed with grain or hay, as the stubble disappears.  Heatwaves bake the ground hard and the trees look stressed.  It is a dry and barren land; a bit like the landscape that Jesus walked when he was tempted in the desert for 40 days.

What is dry and barren in my life?
Where do I need God's refreshment?
What is God wanting to revive in me or even replant in me?

As Lent enters into autumn in the southern hemisphere, there is the promise of the opening rains for the growing season.  To me this is like the coming of Easter morning: life begins again 'like grass that springs up new', as the words of the hymn say.

My Lenten contemplation - what new grass will God spring up in me?
What will die this year?  

So they came to see the new born King...travelling from the city to west of Penong....stopping off at Ceduna to see if the local leader could point them in the right direction.  But the local leader was busy building her own kingdom, her way and was threatened by the thought of another way, another one being born and all her work counting for nothing in the scheme of things.

Who were these seekers?

Many people travel through this part of the country - some head east, others head west - looking for new beginnings, hope, life.  Trying to find the next part of the plan - the plan for the abundant life.  They stop over and find a free bed, some free food, maybe a tank of fuel if they are lucky, before negotiating with Centrelink for an advance or a loan, to see them through in their search for the dream, their dream.

But these seekers were not like that.
They weren't seeking a better life for themselves.
They weren't looking for a food voucher, or a night at A1 cabins or a tank of fuel.
They weren't just passing through.
They weren't taking a holiday.

Yet their trip was just as arduous, fraught with heat, need and discomfort.
They travelled to see and to worship 
the One born to be King...
the One from God...
the One the star guided them to.

2013: 
Can we just join this search?
Can we make God's plan, our plan too?

They went home another way...their lives were different from this encounter.
Maybe our ministry will be different from our encounter with this One this year.
Maybe we will travel a different way too. 

Sunday mornings are usually sleeping -in days for most people. 
Many people are longing for meaningful spirituality.

To have church at 8.30am is to really invite only those who are deeply committed and entrenched in church going.  


So-o-o when there might be a chance to change the service time to 
a more seeker-friendly time; 
a more user-friendly time;
a more invitational time....


why wouldn't an ecumenical rural congregation of 4 people jump at the chance?

Across the other side

We have travelled from one corner of South Australia to the other: from Ceduna to Naracoorte (& cold & drizzly Mount Gambier!). This traversing the state has reminded me of the gospel writers' technique of moving Jesus from one side of the lake to the other, whenever something new and dynamic was going to happen within the life of his ministry. Check out the gospels and see those references....and he went across to the other side.... Well, there are no lakes, except a few down the South East, but I'm on annual leave. Annual leave from ministry duties...if that's possible in this electronic era...when emails, SMS messages and phone calls only ever get interrupted by the few spots of 'no service available.'. Annual leave is meant to refresh us and help us draw near to God in a relaxed time. So we can return to work, with renewed vigor and zeal. Annual leave has meant for me, Christmas service reading, a memorial service for a special colleague, Christmas shopping and catching up with distant family relations. On one day Our wedding anniversary, we planned a day just for the Lord and us. A phone call came this morning, from the preacher I had booked to bring 2 services to the West Coast Ministry Area in my absence. This involves a 600K round trip for him. It involved my planning and preparing a hymn CD for both services and dropping that off on our way across the state. Yet, an unplanned visit by a drama group, had resulted in one congregation phoning and canceling the preacher's visit to their town. Fortunately, the preacher is a man considerate of God' call on his life, and is passionate about the church and advancing God's kingdom. What about the other little congregation? He asked. Oh, you could go there. There is a congregation of 3 people on the Far West Coast who will have a preacher come from 300km away to bring the Good News to them on the second Sunday of Advent. A man who will cross from one side of Eyre peninsula to another, to bring a word from Jesus Christ. I hope the 3 people will have a deep appreciation of this great gift from God to them. Meanwhile, I will make ready to return. Not feeling refreshed, but frazzled. Wondering if I can muster up the same faith and commitment within myself, as that one precious follower of Jesus Christ from Port Lincoln.

Love God and your Neighbours

When I first visited the Penong Church, I was quite disappointed. The church looked unloved, empty, abandoned, tired, depressed....al I could say was "Oh dear, Oh dear".  In two weeks time, we celebrate the Centenary of the foundation stone.   The few women who make up the congregation have decided as only women can do - that this church is being revamped. The building has had some emergency repairs. They have painted it inside and outside themselves.  The sanctuary today was empty ready for the wooden floors to be polished this week.  We held church in the back room amidst the debris of a building undergoing renovation.  I called the service - Endings and Beginnings because I believe we are on the verge of a new beginning.  The love for God that these women have is inspirational and humbling.
Not only are they transforming a building: they are transforming lives!
When people return for the Centenary - they will be blessed by the faithfulness of these women.
But there's more: they are catering a sit-down roast lunch with dessert and a cake!
Love of God and Love for neighbour.
Thanks God for the Penong church women.
I love them.