Nor'West Postcard September

JOCELYN ROSS OAM

 It is Conference time in the Diocese of North West Australia! There was the Pilbara Women’s Conference held in Karratha on 19 August at Karratha. Then the CMS Dinner at Bluff Point Anglican Church in August. Followed by Amplify (Geraldton Anglican Churches Youth Group) who had a great Saturday with Ed Surrey from CRU West as speaker. Then the Mayor’s Breakfast with West Coast Eagles Premiership player Mark Seaby as speaker. In September is the Geraldton Women’s Conference with Amy Stopher’s studies in Ephesians “Walk in the Way of Love”. This is being held at the Bluff Point Anglican Church whose refurbished hall is a great venue! Following is the Men’s Conference a week later.

Our bi-annual clergy family conference comes up in the first week of the school holidays, with funding from Mothers Union Australia and a generous anonymous donor. Always an invaluable time of re-union with the Kimberley, Pilbara and Midwest families, especially the wives and children who love the time together; the wives sharing their lives with like-minded women, and children relating together as clergy children.

Bishop Darrell and Elizabeth ‘popped’ up to Carnarvon recently to take a communion service and have time with the very faithful congregation. He is seen here with warden Jim Williams, and below the Parish Council, then Elizabeth is seen with some of the ladies.

Teenagers were encouraged to meet Jesus during a recent Pilbara Outback Adventure Camp hosted at Exmouth Anglican Church. The Scripture Union camp was the brain-child of former long-term Pilbara residents, Graeme and Sandy White from St Matthew’s, Port Hedland, who could see a real need for North West Young people to have an opportunity to hear the gospel. A busload of young people came from Hedland and Karratha. The camp focused on meeting

Jesus in St Mark’s Gospel with Bus-Church, scripture devotions, and small group studies. There was plenty of time for snorkelling, swimming, hiking, bonfires on the beach, and lots of good food and conversations.

Port Hedland Seafarers’ Chaplain, Garry Hamersley, said seafarers love to receive a hand-knitted beanie when they visit the Centre. “It’s a very practical way to show that we care for them, as well as sharing the hope of eternal life through Jesus”, he said. If you are a beanie knitter and would love to send us beanies for the Seafarers Centres we can work out a way to get them delivered up north!!

FAITH: Forsaking All I Trust Him
Courtesy of Messenger, September 2023, published by the Anglican Church Diocese of Perth

Family, being and home

The Parker Family - Joshua, Darrell, Andrew, Jonathan, Eleanor, Elizabeth

By Bishop Darrell

I grew up playing and watching Aussie Rules Footy. I played for the Mighty Holbrook Grass Hoppers up until I was 13 years of age. Understandably, having a Grass Hopper as our mascot rarely struck fear into the hearts of our opponents – I often wished we could have been the Holbrook ‘Tigers’ or ‘Taipans’, but both of those mascots were taken. Perhaps that’s part of the reason I adopted the Richmond Tigers as my AFL team (VFL in those days) at the tender age of 6. They were winning at the time and ‘Tigers’ of course are scary and dangerous. I’m now a committed for life ‘Yellow and Black’ junkie. 

I love the fact that wherever I go in Australia, if I meet another Richmond supporter, …. we have an instant connection. We might not have a single other thing in common, but we are instantly friends – we share a ‘Tiger’ fellowship. My new friend might be an atheist, have body piercings on every available body protrusion,  he or she might vote differently than I do, believe in radically different things, come from an entirely different part of the country, belong to a different culture and people, speak a different language, and they might even like Brussel Sprouts – a green veggie I consider not worthy of being called a ‘food’. We could be the world’s two most different people and yet, we are ‘one’ in the name of our chosen Footy Team. 

How radically different it is when it comes to our fellowship together as Christians. When I meet a fellow follower of Jesus whom I’ve never met before, I already know so much more about them than I do my fellow Tigers Fan. Yes, we might still be very different, but our fellowship goes immediately so much deeper than any other fellowship this world knows. We have surrendered our life to the same Lord – the same person rules both our lives. We trust the same Saviour to pick us up from sin and death and to pay the price for our rebellion against our common Father. We both look to serve Jesus, we pray to Jesus, we believe Jesus defeated death, and we are utterly convinced that Jesus will one day return and the whole world will be made subject to him. Our earthly circumstances might in fact be very very different, but we share deep life fundamentals that bind us together in ways that transcend time and place. 

Many people have expressed much care and concern for Elizabeth and myself knowing we have left many close family and friends on the other side of the country to come and live and serve in the North West. That is true, we have, and we value the concern shown to us enormously. And yes, we miss our loved ones ‘back east’. Not a day goes past when we do not feel that distance. However, in another sense, and I say this most sincerely – we haven’t really left ‘home’ at all. As we have met followers of Jesus here in the North West, though we might be quite different in some ways (way too many Eagles and Dockers supporters here), we immediately share a profound bond that puts our differences in the shade. There are Christians  here serving Jesus in deeply sacrificial and faithful ways, and we are profoundly thankful to God for bringing us here, even though the task ahead is difficult. 

We’ve left home to come and serve among you – but ‘home’ is anywhere the Lord and his people are. It’s good to be ‘home’. 

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.