In rocky times Amanda praises God

Newman gospel worker Amanda Kyngdon is thanking God despite their most difficult year yet of ministry in the remote mining town.

Many long-term residents have left, including about one third of the local school. Crime has spiked and life in Newman is seen as undesirable.

Amanda says it would be easy to focus on the challenges but she chooses to see the blessings and has found unexpected joy in teaching her own children the Bible.

“Ministry in small churches in the North West is not always easy but one of the great blessings is that it means we, as parents, are the ones who must disciple our children.

“As parents we are our children's first Bible teacher and we need to make the most of these opportunities. 

“People ask us if our children are missing out because of things like fewer educational opportunities in the Pilbara.

“As a family we have made sacrifices to serve in Newman but it hasn’t been a hinderance to our kids’ faith. It’s actually matured them in their love for Jesus.

“They won’t have access to kids and youth programs like in big churches but they have got to know people in our church from all stages and walks of life. Our nine-year-old daughter Ada still prays regularly for a couple who left our church 12 months ago who suffered a still birth while they were with us. 

“Last night she was doing a short devotion on the importance of going to church. In small churches it’s easy to focus on what we don’t have - live music, a kids program every week and lots of kids and youth.

“But when Ada reflects on church, she talks about the kindness of the people and the encouragement she receives in her faith.

“This is what the Bible says is central to church. All we need is to have someone in our life who is interested to open up the Bible and read it with us.

“We pray that our kids can keep teaching their friends at school about Jesus in ways we can’t as adults,” she said.

Amanda and her husband Roger, the Minister-in-Charge at Newman,  give thanks for the massive harvest field in their region.

Making reconciliation real

A big group from Broome Anglican Church and Broome Peoples Church gathered for a combined service during Reconciliation Week

At Broome Anglican Church, the ministry of reconciliation is bringing people together.

During Reconciliation Week, the church held a combined service and barbecue with members of the 8.30am, 10.00am and Peoples Church congregations and visitors.

Minister-in-Charge Michael Baines said the church plans to make this a regular event on months that have fifth Sundays and the inaugural service fell during Reconciliation Week, a significant event in the Broome community.

“In recent times we’ve been looking for points of connection between the community calendar and the message of the church, and Reconciliation Week is a perfect example.

“The Bible even talks about ‘the ministry of reconciliation’ because Christian ministry is about how people can be reconciled to God and each other in Jesus. He brings people of all cultures and backgrounds together.”

Broome Anglican Church’s main point of cross-cultural ministry is its Peoples Church congregation, run especially for Aboriginal people (though other people are also welcome).

Peoples Church services have a style of teaching and music - both kinds, country and western - that are familiar to people across the Kimberley. The ministry is led by Church Missionary Society worker and Broome Anglican Church staff member Chris Webb.

Michael added: ‘Reconciliation of any kind has never been easy. It’s amazing when you realise how much of the New Testament is about Christians from different backgrounds—especially Jews and Gentiles—learning to share life as one people.

“We’re still learning to do that today, and we certainly haven’t ‘arrived’ in our church. But I thank God for the small ways our church reflects the multicultural multitude we’ll see in his Kingdom.’

Thank God for mothers

Annalise Edwards (L) invited her family - including her mum and two sisters - to the Cathedral’s Mothers Day Service and loves this commemorative photo from the photo booth.

Geraldton Cathedral held a special Mothers Day Service so members could invite family who don’t attend church regularly.

 Acting Dean David Seccombe said Mothers Day was the perfect opportunity for mums to invite their unbelieving children to church before enjoying lunch together afterwards. “In the same way, we encouraged children to make a special day of it and invite their unbelieving mothers to come along to church.”

 As a result, six people invited family members who visited the service and heard a gospel message of God’s love shown through Jesus and his church. 

 “Mother’s Day can be painful for some. Perhaps you have lost a child, are estranged from your mother or even are unable to have children. But no matter the circumstance, we can all thank God for mothers,” David said.

 “Mothering is a good thing. When we step back from all the busy-ness of life, perhaps there is no more important calling. Each of us has a mother; we all owe our life to a mother.

 “In the Bible we read that God made them male and female and blessed them.

But in this fallen world there is no question that women have a hard road. Quite apart from the agony of giving birth, the hard work of rearing a child falls mostly to the mother.”

 To help make the day special, a photo booth was set up for mums to have a photo with their children or for children to get a picture to send to their mum.

New Dean of Geraldton

Cathedral members are rejoicing at the news that the Revd Lachlan Edwards has been appointed the new Dean of Geraldton.

Lachlan and his wife Bec have spent the past decade ministering in Sydney at Christ Church Lavender Bay and Fig Tree Anglican Church.

They are thankful to be returning to the place where they served after graduating from Trinity Theological College in Perth.

Lachlan says: “You can leave the North West, but the North West never really leaves you.

“Since leaving the Diocese of NW Australia in 2012 after 7+ years of ministry in Dongara/Mingenew, Broome and Exmouth, God has kept this special place in our hearts and prayers and has now shoulder tapped us again.

“We’re looking forward to connecting with friends old and new, especially in the Cathedral and the Greater Geraldton region. But most of all, like all the faithful NW fellow workers, we are looking forward to serving the Lord in this vast remote diocese.

“Although the distances are far, the fellowship in the diocese is close. Although the desert places are barren the gospel brings new life. Although the harvest fields, fishing grounds and mine sites may be places of plenty, the kingdom of heaven is the single greatest treasure.

“We are looking forward to putting our hand to the plow with other fellow workers in the North West once again.”

Cathedral Warden, Martin Balinger, said the congregation was deeply thankful to the Revd David and Lorraine Seccombe who have graciously and sacrificially lead the Cathedral during an 18 month interregnum.

David is a wise, godly and humble servant of the Lord Jesus and we have benefitted greatly from his preaching, teaching, encouragement and fellowship. Lorraine is a wise, loving, generous and faithful woman of God. We thank God for bringing this couple to Geraldton and for sustaining them to ‘run the race’. They have been a great blessing to many.

Seafarers welcome Chaplain Steve

Steve Combe recently achieved a long-held dream when he was cleared to board his first ship as Chaplain to Seafarers.

 The seafarers on board also welcomed the contact, something that stopped more than two years ago when shore leave ended in the pandemic.

Steve said it was a privilege to be invited on board, to have the opportunity to talk and pray with seafarers and give them copies of the Bible.

There is so much opportunity for these guys to hear about Jesus but they are restricted in their mechanisms to hear the good news and so seafaring chaplaincy is such an important ministry.

Steve said that he has wanted to do ‘chaplaincy on water’ ever since he joined the Royal Australian Navy 15 years ago.

He completed theological study after leaving the military and until last year was serving at Broome Anglican Church before moving to Karratha/Dampier in 2022.

“The pidgin English I learned to speak with Aboriginal people in the Kimberley has been really helpful,” he said.

“English is the official maritime language worldwide, so seafarers have to have some English to function at sea.

“I find the simplified English I used in Broome is useful when talking with Chinese or Indian or other non-English speaking nationalities.

“Because of my Navy background, I can understand a little of their life and challenges in being away from home for months and months.

Please pray for limits on shore leave to be lifted so they can escape the confines of the ship and enjoy some rest and recreation.

Port Hedland prays for salvation

People at St Matthew’s Port Hedland are praying that God will use their outreach activities to grow his church in their town.

Revd Eion Simmons said most members of the church had been in town for less than 12 months but were keen to share the good news of the gospel with friends who don’t know salvation through Jesus.  

“Last year we held three evangelistic evenings.  The first was a dinner, movie and talk about ‘Christ, the Ransom for all’.

“In preparation for our second evening, we asked church members to write the names of local unbelievers to pray for. We had a wonderful response and prayed for 51 people – that they might come along! We held a curry evening, with a talk about ‘Forgiveness from God’ and watched the movie ‘I Can Only Imagine’.”

The year ended with an outreach Carol Service.

Eion said that the church was united by the gospel which “is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe” (Romans 1:16). Their prayer is that, like Paul, they would not be ashamed of the gospel.

“It was wonderful to see these evangelistic events unite our church family in prayer for the work of proclaiming the gospel. They helped us grow in boldness and being unashamed of the gospel.

“God graciously answered our prayers for unbelievers to come and hear the gospel, and now we pray God will bring spiritual life.”

This year the church will do some equipping with personal evangelism training and hold more outreach events.

New Mission to Seafarers Chaplain

With a variety of ministry experience under his belt, our new Chaplain at Mission to Seafarers Geraldton is well suited to the role.

Peter Schendzielorz, who has previously served in the multicultural western suburbs of Sydney, worked with the Anglican mission agency CMS in Perth and in AFES student ministry on university campuses, says he has a passion to share Jesus with everyone, including seafarers.

“Seafarers work hard, spending months at sea, away from family and their local community. Amidst the challenges, there is comfort to be offered to them in the gospel which transcends the difficulties and distance of life at sea.

“God’s comfort is accessible at times when their families or other supports are not. You can pray to God anywhere. You can read the Bible on land or at sea.”

As Peter begins in this new role, he says it's a privilege to care for seafarers but is aware that each meeting is precious.

“We may only have a brief encounter with a seafarer during their shore leave, at the gangway or through online communication, so we have to make the most of every opportunity.

“It’s more a ministry of planting and watering, rather than reaping the harvest.

“I want to encourage everyone that cross-cultural ministry is not as hard as you may think. Overseas visitors are often keen to meet locals, and from a ministry perspective, they are often more open to talking about spiritual matters.”

But it's an important work amongst people seeking hope, and reflects Jesus' ministry of calling fishermen to follow him – as they ask in John 6 – ‘Where else have we to go?  You [Jesus] have words of eternal life?’

Peter became aware of the need and opportunities for gospel workers in the North West when he visited in 2007 as part of an SMBC student mission. He and his wife Kate were also drawn by gospel mindedness and warm fellowship he had experienced among NW ministry workers throughout the diocese.

New Minister from UK

Gospel ministry in the North West has become international, with the recruitment of a minister from England helping to overcome the challenge of filling vacant parishes.

Allan Baird, with his wife Jo and family, were invited from the Cotswolds in England to join the North West team as Assistant Minister at Dongara Anglican Church.

Bishop Gary explained: “Ministry in the North West has a range of difficulties which deter people - including isolation, extreme weather and transient populations. Add to that the shortage of ministers Australia-wide and a drop in number of students undertaking theological study, and we realised we needed a different approach to find workers.”

Allan heard about the opportunity through Ridley College, where he had studied online, and was delighted to move from St Luke’s in Cheltenham to join the North West team.

Allan became a Christian while at Pembroke College in Oxford and is grateful to have been discipled by people like Vaughan Roberts. However, he is concerned that the Church of England is turning away from its gospel roots.

“Jo and I are looking forward to serving here in a diocese which is biblical and gospel- focussed. It’s a joy to be in a situation where the gospel workers all share the same theological understanding and commitment.”

 Allan is part of the North West Ministry Training Program and says he is grateful for supervision from wise-heads.

“I pray that I can exercise a faithful, gentle, biblical ministry week by week. Dongara is a small, rural fishing community – not unlike some places in England. It’s a town where things don’t happen overnight.

“A key struggle for the church has been reaching into the community. There have been many initiatives over the years but there is perhaps a feeling that there hasn’t been much gospel fruit.

“So, for us there is a ministry of encouraging and persevering and we’d value your prayers.”