Vol. 127 No.

7 August 2011

NEW
CHAPTERS
IOSIS REACHES
AT-RISK FAMILIES WITH
GOD-CENTRED SUPPORT » 3

CHURCHES WELCOME WATOTO CHOIR » 3

UPDATES FROM CHRISTCHURCH » 13

2 [ OPINION ]
» HE SAYS | SHE SAYS «
Co-editors Duncan & Fran Pardon
The Baptist Magazine is the Who do I vote for?
newspaper of the Baptist
I t’s getting to that time again when we need
to start thinking about who to vote for in
Churches of New Zealand.
Published by the Communications division
the coming General Election.
And, no, I’m not about to tell you! I’m not
of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. sure I know anyway. Each election that passes
makes me less and less certain about which
EDITORIAL & LETTERS
party and individuals I should support with
PO Box 5, Beachlands
my vote. I’m your classic swinging voter and
Auckland 2147
will probably make a reluctant decision while
Phone: (09) 536 5715
on the way to the polling booth.
Fax: (09) 536 5714
Part of the problem is we expect far too much
Email: editor@baptist.org.nz
from our politicians. Is it any surprise Barack
ADVERTISING Obama has been a crashing disappointment?
PO Box 12149, Penrose How could he possibly live up to the expecta-
Auckland 1642 tions placed on him at the time he was elected?
Phone: (09) 526 7951 The reality is that the world of politics in a
Email: advertising@baptist.org.nz democracy is a complex one and the ability
of a single person to have a major influence
SUBSCRIPTIONS & ACCOUNTS
is limited. He/she is a cog in a machine and
PO Box 12149, Penrose even the machine itself is subject to huge
Auckland 1642 constraints placed on it by an increasingly
Phone: (09) 526 0331 inter-linked world economy and an informa-
Fax: (09) 526 0334 tion highway that is instant and beyond the
ability of individuals, and even nations, to
Email: info@baptist.org.nz
control. We are in the age of the Facebook
Editors revolution and I’m not just talking about a
Duncan & Fran Pardon social media revolution but literal revolutions
with guns.
Business Manager
Kelvyn Fairhall In a small country such as New Zealand
we end up with political parties that are
Missions Editor content to tinker, rather than seek the radical
Greg Knowles change that is beyond their ability to insti-
Production & Advertising Manager gate. This election we will be arguing about
whether to tax the rich, or tax the poor, while
Maryanne Wardlaw
the elephant in the room continues to be the
Churches in Action Editor
fact that no party really knows how to actu-
Carolyn Armstrong
ally grow the economy to the point where
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park
everyone – rich and poor – can benefit.
New Plymouth 4312
Many Christians will focus on issues
armstrong@iee.org
of morality – which party is for or against
Copy & advertising deadline prostitution, legalising drug use, smacking,
12th of the month prior civil unions, and so on. These are all very
important but the reality is most major parties
Publication date: First Sunday of each
are made up of a mixture of views and these
month except January
issues are often down to a conscience vote.
Distributed through local Baptist Churches Will voting for one party over another really
in New Zealand, and dependent on their halt the decline in moral values, the decline in
contributions. church attendance, the lack of hope and ambi-
Subscriptions and postage for others: tion among our young people, the declining
belief in and respect for a loving God?
NZ: $30 (including GST)
I doubt it.
Airmail to Australia & South Pacific: $45
Rest of the World: $50
Printed by APN Print, 101 Birch Avenue,
Tauranga, New Zealand
Registered at POHQ as a newspaper.
ISSN 1176-8711. A member publication
of the Australasian Religious Press
Association. Articles and advertising in
the NZ Baptist are the opinions of the
authors, not necessarily the editors or
publishers. Every effort is made to ensure Please send letters to editor@baptist.org.nz or
the correctness of facts and information, PO Box 5, Beachlands, Auckland 2147. Letters
however we cannot accept responsibility exceeding 300 words may be edited for length.
for errors. The publishers reserve the
right to accept or decline any advertising.
Fundraising appeals are accepted for Focus on the main
Baptist causes only. message of creation
Thank you to Carolyn Robertson for the
excellent advice about teaching the creation
ARPA
story to our children. Sadly, the interpreta-
Awards for tion of the Genesis account of this story will
Excellence inevitably continue to be argued about in
churches for some years to come, but it is very
‘Best Feature
important that at the grassroots level – our
(multiple authors)’
kids’ classes – teachers don’t give conflicting
highly commended, 2010
and confusing messages.
'Best Review of Another The creation story and its message about
Medium' how God created the world and created
bronze award, 2009 it good remain as relevant as ever but we
should be able to relate it to a modern under-
'Best Front Page'
silver award, 2008
standing of the process by which the world
was formed. Keep up the good work!
'Feature that Shows Most – Greg Anderson, Senior Lecturer
Originality' Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department
highly commended, 2008 of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Otago
University School of Medical Sciences
Increasingly I am becoming less interested in
a system that votes in one party for a maximum
of nine years (which seems to be the natural
life span of New Zealand governments) before
replacing it with another party with similar
polices, on the basis that we “want a change.”
These days I keep it simple. I look at
each candidate in my electorate and decide
whether they as individuals have the stamina,
intelligence and, most importantly, the integ-
rity to make a successful politician.
Of course it’s not easy to evaluate an
individual’s integrity, especially if you don’t
know them personally. But there are simple
things you can look for.
Is the person a talker or a listener? Our
local MP is a good listener. I recall another
one, currently a government minister, who
talked at me constantly without pausing
for breath. He hadn’t the slightest interest
in anything I had to say. How can a person
represent us if he/she doesn’t shut up long
enough to listen to what we have to say?
Does the person try to impress you with
long lists of committees they have sat on, or
do they look to the future and articulate a
vision? Do they spend more time criticising
others than telling you what they stand for?
Do they treat you with respect, or do they
ridicule your opinions? Do they swear? Do
they arrive on time?
And do they believe in God? Now there’s
a question that doesn’t get asked often these
days. I recall Helen Clark and John Key being
asked that question at the last election. It was
the most uncomfortable they looked during
the whole campaign.
If we vote in individuals of integrity, it will
lead to parties of integrity, which will lead to
policies of integrity.
– Duncan Pardon
Naming names
In response to Ray Tallon (NZ Baptist, June),
it beggars belief that anyone should believe
our ministers should remain agnostic! People,
mostly youth, are leaving our churches in
droves over this issue. It is probably the
biggest barrier to faith that our generation
will contend with. We need to get informed!
Science can, and does, back creation by
God. There are many hundreds of Christian
Scientists out there working diligently on this.
Ray asked for names. Google these ones Ray:
Steve Austin, PhD geology; Ken Cumming,
PhD biology; Russ Humphreys, PhD physics;
Mike Oard, PhD atmospheric science; John
Baumgardner, PhD geophysics and space
physics. It’s not a comprehensive list, merely
the tip of the iceberg.
A lot of atheists, when confronted with the
true science of Evolution, and not the propa-
ganda fed to us by biased sources, turn away
from it and towards God. A good starting
point to really understand this concept is
www.creation.com.
– Melissa Scott
Napier
Defending the faith
While Harold Camping’s pronouncement
that the rapture would occur on May 21 did
not eventuate, I was a little surprised given
the level of media attention that it generated
at the time that more effort was not made
NZ Baptist | August 2011
Retain hope of new life
despite winter’s grip
I can tell it’s still winter. Everyone seems to
be fighting off some sort of winter lurgie.
The slightly depressed winter mood seems
to be exaggerated by a number of sad events
around us at both national and local level. (Do
more bad things actually happen in winter or
is it just a trick of the mind? )
Our community is reeling from a hideous
car crash that claimed the life of a local teen-
ager. As parents, our hearts are overflowing
with sympathy for the family whose 18-year-
old son died. He was a passenger in a car that
collided head on with a roadside tree in the
early hours of a recent wet Friday morning.
It’s the second road tragedy to hit this
family in as many years. In 2009 their older
son also died when the car he was driving
collided with a power pole. I can’t even begin
to imagine the hell these parents must be
going through.
Then there’s the lovely friend of mine
who went for a routine mammogram only
to be told the numbing news she has breast
cancer. Within days she underwent a mastec-
tomy and is starting chemo soon. Instead
of enjoying this season of her life, children
grown, she is living with a daily dread.
An older friend, a wonderful mentor to us,
was admitted to hospital this week with new
heart problems. He has an amazing faith –
it’s his patience that’s being tested as he lies
waiting for various procedures, uncertain of
the future.
Then there are the courageous people
of Christchurch who stoically continue to
reconstruct their city and their lives in the
aftermath of the quakes, now hindered by
often freezing temperatures and spasmodic
southerly storms.
There are the unstoppable climatic
seasonal cycles in our world and there are
the changing seasons we all face in our own
lives, as well as seasons in our faith.
But one thing is for certain – at some
fundamental level it has to be easier to
weather the storms that the seasons of life
throw at each of us if we hold tight to our
faith in God.
– Fran Pardon
by New Zealand church leaders and theolo-
gians, including Baptists, to point out why
Camping’s view on the rapture and the end of
the world is at odds with what most evangeli-
cals believe.
For a start, it would have been good to
inform people that Acts 1:7 and Matthew 24:6
make it clear that the only one who knows the
time of the end is the Father. Matthew 24:36
says, “but concerning that day and hour no
one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor
the Son, but the Father only.” For Camping to
claim that he knows the day and hour of the
rapture is incredibly presumptuous.
They also could have pointed out that in
2 Thessalonians 2 the Apostle Paul wrote
to the Christians at Thessalonica after they
erroneously believed the Day of the Lord had
already arrived, and warned them that they
shouldn’t become overly excited or alarmed
by someone who claims the end is near.  
They also could proffered the Apostle
Peter’s advice in 2 Peter 3 that instead of
becoming alarmed by such predictions we
should wait for Christ’s return, and indeed
hasten it, by living holy and godly lives.
If church leaders had been vocal it may
have helped allay the fears of many people
who, like my neighbour, genuinely feared
that Harold Camping’s prediction might have
come true. I won’t be losing any sleep on
October 21, the date of Camping’s amended
continued on page 7
August 2011 | NZ Baptist
God’s people change society
Iosis builds up families
in areas with some
of New Zealand’s
grimmest statistics.
By Ruby Duncan
CEO of Iosis Family Solutions,
the Baptist families ministry
T
imes are tough. They always have
been for many families in South
Auckland. Increases in the price
of food – 10% in the last year – and 30%
increases in petrol means it just gets tougher.
Recently a mother came to see if we
could care for her children for a few weeks
so she could go and work nights on the
streets to pay off the arrears in her rent.
That’s desperation.
Creditors have become more aggres-
sive in pursuing debtors and Work &
Income New Zealand has implemented
new policies that mean families must talk
to a budgeter before they will be given an
Emergency Food Grant or food parcel. (The
few budgeters in South Auckland all seem
to have wait lists.) This gives a sense that
families are failing to effectively manage
their finances rather than the truth, that
there just isn’t enough.
Sir Peter Gluckman tells us that 20% of
our teens are not surviving adolescence
successfully. They fall into crime, drug
addiction, mental health breakdown or
other “life-threatening” situations. Social
workers in our high schools (Manurewa
High, James Cook and Papakura High) are
seeing much higher percentages in areas
where families struggle with violence and
substance abuse. Children who experience
violence at home take it to school. There is
a disturbing increase in in-school violence,
particularly from girls.
Eli, our social worker at Papakura High,
has developed a successful programme
working with teens and their parents. It
is based on building young people into
groups where they must learn and demon-
strate various values. It then develops
students into leaders who mentor younger
pupils.
Working mostly with Maori young
Baptists welcome Watoto Children’s Choir
The children of the Watoto choir on tour in the North Island.
[ NEWS ]
people, he takes teens and parents away
on marae during the holidays to reinforce
the values and relationships essential to
their development. Local businessmen are
supporting the write-up of this programme
so it can be replicated into other schools.
Working with Police and CYFS
It has always grieved me that when we
see our family violence and child abuse
statistics increasing, we cry for the police
and CYFS to do their job better. Their role
(however hard they try) can only manage
the major problems.
It is God’s people who are commis-
sioned to be the change makers in society,
and bring the healing and transformational
care to see those patterns of life changed
in our own communities. At Iosis (which
means “a miraculous change process”), we
have partnered with the police and CYFS
so that we are the ones who create the
relationship with the family to bring about
new behaviours of care and nurture.
When the police are called to a situ-
ation of family violence, we visit next
and see if the family are open to making
those changes, or whether there is some
support that will ease the pressure leading
to conflict. This means that the next time
a conflict arises, it isn’t the police who are
called, it’s the Iosis worker. We did this
work in over 130 homes last year.
PHOTO: CATHERINE WATTS
Some of these families came into our
Family Resilience Programme and learnt
new things about relationships, parenting,
and household management (such as
budgeting). We have now included a
component on spirituality, and Mick
Duncan, now the local pastor at Manurewa
Baptist, wowed them with his story!
Merivale under threat
Merivale has a primary goal of giving
families every opportunity to be able to
care for their own children and not end
up in foster care. Children in care have
the most appalling outcomes, and are
five times more likely to end up in prison
with addictions, mental health issues, etc.
Merivale gives mothers the opportunity to
learn positive skills and change the behav-
iours that threaten them being able to care
for their children safely.
Given that only 16% of children who
go into care make it back to their parents,
this is a vital need. Over the last year, three
times as many babies were taken into care
in their first days of life as were in the same
period last year.
A mother might not even get the
opportunity to demonstrate her ability to
care for her child before it is taken from
her. Merivale creates that opportunity.
More than 85% of families graduate the
programme successfully, which is pretty
B
aptist churches all over the North
Island recently opened their hearts
and churches to the children of the
Watoto Choir while they were on tour with
TEAR Fund. Of the 19 concerts held, more
than half were hosted in a Baptist church.
“The hospitality of churches was
fantastic and greatly appreciated by the
choir,” says Glen Hill, TEAR Fund NZ’s
Church & Partnerships manager. “Kiwi
hospitality is a big part of why they love
coming to New Zealand.”
Churches provided billets for leaders
and children, motel accommodation for the
choir manager and bus driver and dinner
on the night of the concert.
The Watoto choir spent three weeks
performing. They visited most major cities
and towns from Wellington to Auckland.
The choir also performed at three schools, so
many children brought their parents along
for the evening concert. It was standing
room only almost everywhere. The crowd
turnout is often three or four times the size
of the regular church attendance, as so many
3
“Rosey” reads to her children at Merivale,
left. Above, volunteer Clare teaches mums
and kids how to make homemade playdough.
stunning – 88% have family violence issues
and 53% addiction issues on entering the
programme.
The reality, however, is that this resi-
dential programme is expensive to run.
Funding changes have decreases income
by more than $100,000 a year and staff
cuts have been made to keep it afloat.
These are hard times, and many residen-
tial programmes have been closed. We are
working hard and praying to avoid that
fate.
Teen parents
Sometimes God leads us into areas
we did not plan for. One of these areas is
teen parents, but we now have a thriving
programme for both young mothers and
fathers. The exciting bit is that we have also
connected with the Gateway programme,
supporting college students to explore
career options, and a couple of students
have become a vital part of the volunteer
force.
So where is God?
Our team gathers together every
morning to worship and pray and commit
our way to God. We are humbled by the
privilege of serving him and others in this
community.
Families walk in and say there is some-
thing different around here. We know it is
the presence of God and we are unapolo-
getic about the fact that our work is based
on our commitment to him and his ways.
As staff, we have various understand-
ings of what that means personally, but
corporately we acknowledge his presence,
and call for him to lead us, enable us and
breathe his life into our work.
All glory to him.
people from the community turn up.
The choir is one of four touring the
world this year. Watoto choirs have been
touring since 1994, and have been coming
to New Zealand through TEAR Fund since
2004. Each child gets the chance to tour
once with the choir to help raise awareness
of the plight of Uganda’s orphans.
The choir is made up of 22 orphan chil-
dren accompanied by 10 adult leaders who
tour for up to five months. While they tour,
the children continue their studies. The
children in this choir sat their school exams
the day before they left New Zealand to
continue their tour in Australia.
All the children have been adopted into
the Watoto village, where they live with
adopted brothers or sisters in a home and a
“mother.”
The Watoto ministry came out of a church
plant by Gary and Marylin Skinner. Their
vision is to rescue children and raise a
generation of Christian leaders to restore the
nation of Uganda. Watoto is extending this
very successful model into South Africa.
4 [ COLUMNS ]
» The Good Investor | Advice from Baptist Savings
‘So should I fix, or should I float?’
W
arning: this article might not
give you the answer to the above
question!
It is amazing how many times I get
asked, “Should I fix now or stay on the
variable rate?”
While it is an important question for
sound financial management, I wonder if
it is somewhat shallow. Does doing better
than our neighbour take precedence over
loving our neighbour? Even in beautiful
New Zealand, whether to fix or stay on
the variable rate couldn’t be further from
some people’s minds. “Where is my next
meal coming from?” or “Where will I sleep
tonight?” dominate the thoughts of many
right at our door-step but unseen to most
of us.
I am talking about the homeless in
Auckland.
About 120 homeless people are in
the CBD any given time. For the second
year in a row, I swapped my creature
comforts for a small piece of cardboard
and a cold concrete bed at the AUT Centre
for one night, to help LIFEWISE tackle
homelessness.
The Big Sleep Out involved 82 other
business and community leaders. It lifted
the profile of the needs of the homeless and
raised $98,000 for LIFEWISE.
The night was quite an eye-opener, even
after being involved with the homeless for
a few years. It was one of the worst nights
» National Leader
Quiet passion fuels gospel growth
By Rodney Macann
A
s I write this I have just
returned from Baptist
World Alliance meetings
in Kuala Lumpur. The most
heart-warming moment was
when I was sitting at breakfast
one morning with Steve Asante,
one of the great leaders of the
Ghanaian Baptists and church
planter extraordinaire and he Rodney Macann
said, “When I look at you, you
make me smile.”
I hadn’t thought I was very inspirational
at breakfast – but then he explained. It was
simply because I was a New Zealander and
it made him think of Ross Campbell. He
described Ross Campbell as the “father” of
the huge church planting movement that
started in Ghana and spread to other parts
of Africa, Europe and the United States.
Ross is a New Zealander, a Baptist, still
occasionally to be found at Papanui Baptist yours is that similar gift of encouragement
in Christchurch, but who after many years
away still spends much of his time in
Africa.
Ross will be unknown to most New
Zealand Baptists. They may recognise the
Campbell name because of Lyn, our current the hard places in Europe – some of the old
President, and Fraser, Lyn’s husband and
one of our very fine pastors. But I doubt
whether in recent years there has been a
more influential New Zealand Christian,
let alone Baptist, in terms of Kingdom
contribution, than Ross Campbell.
Ross is one of those people who has
worked under the radar encouraging
others. I don’t know Ross but am keen to
find out more about his story and would
like to track him down for a major inter-
view with this paper. He’s been described
Andrew L’Almont settles in for the Big Sleep Out.
one could imagine – bitterly cold, windy
and pouring with rain. The previous year
we slept in an undercover car park; this was
closer to “reality” for most homeless people.
An inch of cardboard on top of concrete
does not have a lot of give, as I found out.
But it is good at absorbing the cold from
the concrete and transferring it to unpro-
tected body parts, of which I had a few.
The discomfort and sleep deprivation was
compounded by organisers of the event who
(bless them) decided to create a more real-
to me as shy and self-effacing.
Ross is someone with a
big vision and commitment
to match the vision and has
seen the outworking of that
vision through his ability to see
potential and inspire people
who will become great leaders.
What a gift!
The story of the Ghana based
church planting was one of the
most exciting stories shared at
our conference. In sharing the
story, Steve Asante identified the key factor
as passion. The other factor that shone
through was a single-minded commitment.
Every so often we hear about those who
are relatively unknown but whose influ-
ence is huge. You read of one such person
in the biography of John Stott, who quietly
influenced John Stott and others who
became major movers and shakers for God
and the gospel. We have different gifts. If
and looking for potential, don’t under-
value it. Nourish it and use it.
There was also another exciting church
planting story based on initiatives taken by
the European Baptists to go into some of
Soviet Republics where the opposition will
come from Islam and the Orthodox Church
but where there has been a response from
people hungry to hear and experience the
gospel.
Some of us experienced a different story
shared by a Korean theologian giving us
an overview of the evangelical church
in Korea over recent decades. It was a
sobering and challenging picture.
Korea was the envy of much of the
Christian world because of the rapid
istic experience by employing actors from
the Auckland Theatre Company to act as
drunks walking through the plaza, creating
as much ruckus as possible and waking the
few who were blissfully snoring.
After hours of trying to find warmth
or comfort, I was still awake around 4am.
I consoled myself with the thought that
this would soon be over and I would be
home in my lovely warm bed (with electric
blanket), next to my beautiful wife, after
a long, hot shower. It dawned on me that
If yours is that similar
gift of encouragement
and looking for potential,
don’t undervalue it.
growth of the church in South Korea and
the extraordinary mega churches that
developed, some of the largest in the
world. Through that time Korea was also
developing into an affluent nation with a
very vibrant economy.
Korea is now one of the wealthier
countries of the world. With that wealth
has come many of the characteristics of
Western consumerism. This has impacted
the church, which now shares charac-
teristics of the Western church. It is in
decline and has been for the past decade.
In examining the reasons for the decline of
the Korean church there were no surprises.
Factors that were identified:
• Through the period of growth there
was a “bless me” culture that hasn’t
translated into robust discipleship but sits
more comfortably with consumerist and
individualistic values.
• People therefore ask, “what’s in it for
me?” rather than the questions around
serving and expressing God’s love.
• The true calling to look outside
ourselves and seeing the needs of the
world we live in has been set aside.
Responding with passion and commit-
ment, as in the case of the Ghanaian
church planters, has been replaced with a
desire for self-fulfilment and comfort. God
is seen as the ultimate Band Aid or comfort
toy.
NZ Baptist | August 2011
homeless people do not have this option!
How cruel.
The youngest person LIFEWISE found
living on the streets of Auckland is an
8-year-old girl. The oldest man is 72. Many
have been there for decades. A number are
intoxicated with a variety of substances,
often to kill pain and boredom, and most
have lost or never had any family support.
What sort of world do I live in if an
8-year-old feels safer on the street than in
her own home? I guess after the disap-
pointment of 11 foster homes and abuse
from her mother’s rotation of partners, it
was no wonder she didn’t trust anyone.
The good news is that LIFEWISE has
helped her and more than 100 others leave
life on the streets in the last two years. So
there is hope – and I hope to help bring
about change in whatever small way I can.
As someone who used to run a multi-
million dollar company, helping people
mortgage themselves to the max, it is
somewhat ironic. So, “should I fix now, or
should I float?” – it seems so unimportant!
• Andrew L’Almont, Baptist Savings’
business development manager,
can be reached on (09) 582 0037 and
andrew@baptistsavings.co.nz
During the period of the rapid growth
of the Korean church it was easy to look
at what was happening and think, “If
only….” We can also look at Ghana and
Eastern Europe and dismiss what is
happening as simply too different to our
own mission context, but the principles of
passion, commitment and a burning desire
to see communities come to know Jesus
can translate into any context.
I rejoice in the fact that in our post-
Christendom era we are operating much
more at the margins of society than in
the past. Like our brothers and sisters in
Ghana and Eastern Europe this gives us
new opportunities to re-present a gospel
that is always fresh and redemptive.
Sometimes God drags passion and
commitment out of us as we are met in
the toughest of circumstances. It was a
privilege at the BWA Conference to hear
the Japanese Christians say that, despite
the tragedy of the tsunami and the fear of
nuclear fallout, they have met God.
And it was a positive experience to be
able to say thank you to those from around
the world who had responded with such
generosity to the Christchurch earth-
quakes, and tell of the response of our own
churches. Even though at times it’s almost
impossibly hard, we too have met and
experienced God in the earthquake.
Now a number of us will be on the road
again for the pastors’ conferences. This
presents those of us working nationally
with a great opportunity to share and hear
from our people around the country. Come
and encourage your pastors to be there.
We are enriched by your presence and we
learn as the Spirit speaks to us through the
giftedness of each other. The Lord bless
you.
August 2011 | NZ Baptist [ COLUMNS ] 5

‘‘ ’’
» Drawn & Quoted | Tom Cadman looks at life and faith through the lens of literature

Forgiveness binds the suffering

L
overs of period and costume drama
have had a field day with Downton
Abbey, Prime TV’s evocation of
Edwardian upstairs-downstairs life and
shenanigans. Part of the charm of such
programmes is that so many of the social,
political and religious dimensions of
what happened in the Edwardian era and
its predecessor, Victorian England, are
reflected in British colonial settlements like
New Zealand.
It’s sad in some ways that the charm,
romance and settled order of periods
denoted by the names of the monarchs
who ruled them is lost in our modern
world. Not that life was all beer and
Skittles in those by-gone days. Many of the
attitudes and practices we inherited have
gone and good riddance too. Now those
often glamourised eras of the past have
been replaced by the post-modern world.
The Church, like society, lives with and
is influenced by the patterns and mores
of the period in which it is set. Victorian
and Edwardian churches reflected and
addressed their environments. Now
that we live in a post-modern world the
“Emerging Church” is one such attempt
to address our era. It seeks to answer the
question: how do we “do church” in a
post-modern culture? There’s a wealth
of literature available and the writings
of Scott McKnight, professor of religious
studies at North Park Seminary in Chicago,
delve into many of the issues the Church in
its mainline and emerging forms faces.
In an article in Christianity Today,
McKnight claims that one of the more
controversial elements of
post-modern Christian
thinking is the serious ques-
tioning of evangelicalism’s
“in versus out” mentality.
He writes, “Even if one is an
exclusivist (believing there
is a dividing line between
Christians and non-Chris-
tians) the issue of who is in
and who is out pains the
emerging generation.” His
evangelical antennae tell
him such questions have
prickles in them but they’re
there and whatever position
we adopt we all know the
issue of who is in and out meets us at each
turn of the road.
It confronted me recently while
reading I Shall Not Hate by university
and Harvard-trained Palestinian doctor
Izzeldin Abuelaish. Born and raised in a
refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, he has
devoted his life to reconciliation between
Israelis and Palestinians. As a physician, Dr
Abuelaish worked with patients on both
sides, treating them as equals, encouraging
them to live in peace and harmony. His
passion for his task rubbed off on both
his Palestinian and Israeli colleagues, and
patients who came to the clinics were
treated with compassion, according to their
medical condition and not their origin.
Then a tragedy most of us have never
faced, or can comprehend, happened
on September 16, 2008. His wife, Nadia,
died from acute leukaemia, leaving his
Because we all live in one boat, any
harm we do to others or hatred we
carry toward those who hurt us puts
us all in danger of drowning.
eight children motherless.
Thirty-four days later,
his three daughters, “my
beloved Bessan, my sweet,
shy Aya, and my clever
thoughtful Mayar,” along
with his niece, died when
an Israeli tank shelled their
house in Gaza, tearing apart his family, his
home, his life. How, in that situation, do
you not hate? How do you avoid rage? His
answer is contained in his book.
“I vowed not to hate and avoided rage
because of my strong faith as a Muslim.
The Quran taught me that we must endure
suffering patiently and forgive those who
create the man-made injustices that cause
human suffering.”
The book is a moving commentary on
that faith-inspired decision not to hate.
It’s a plea to recognise hate as a chronic
disease, the cause of which is inside us.
Because we all live in one boat, any harm
we do to others or hatred we carry toward
those who hurt us puts us all in danger of
drowning.
A similar insight is expressed in Russian
novelist Vasily Grossman’s Everything
Flows. Ivan Grigoryevich is asked by a
young woman about the German extermi-
nation of young Jewish children in the gas
camps.
“How, I asked, could they live with
themselves after that? Was there really
no judgment passed on them by man or
God? And you said: ‘Only one judgment
is passed on the executioner – he ceases to
be a human being. Through looking on his
victim as less than human, he becomes his
own executioner; he executes the human
being inside himself. But the victim – no
matter what the executioner does to kill
him – remains a human being forever.’”
Both Abuelaish and Grossman know
that hatred and revenge destroy the hater.
Talking about it is not good enough
either. Action is needed if peace and recon-
ciliation are to come to our world. Izzeldin
Abuelaish admits the size of the task is
overwhelming and it’s easy to put it all in
the too hard basket and focus on our own
personal concerns. To show the importance
of acting, no matter how insignificant our
actions may seem, he tells a simple story.
“A man is walking along the seashore
as the tide ebbs, revealing a multitude of
starfish. Soon he comes upon a young girl
who is picking up the starfish one by one
and returning them to the sea. So he asks
the girl, ‘What are you doing?’ And she
replies, ‘They will die if I don’t get them
back into the water.’ ‘But there are so many
of them,’ the man says. ‘How can anything
you do make a difference?’ The girl picks
up another starfish and carries it to the sea.
‘It makes a difference to this one.’”
I Shall Not Hate is a profound chronicle
of faith hope and love. It left me wondering
about the post-modern query, “who is
in and who is out.” I used to think I was
pretty sure. But when people of other
traditions and life journeys who do not
share my core Christian commitments but
demonstrate they have responded affirma-
tively to Amos’s haunting question, “What
does the Lord require of you but to do
justly, love mercy and walk humbly with
God,” I find myself much more uncertain
as to who is in and who is out.
If who is in and who is out is one of
the great dilemmas confronting we post-
modern Christians, then I’m glad the final
decision is in God’s court, not mine. In the
meantime I’m deeply grateful that the Dr
Abuelaishes of this world leap over any
barriers I may choose to erect.

» The Wright Stuff | Trevor Wright’s reflections

Now that we’ve let the

chooks out of the pen ...
A lovely non-church friend
told us the story of a break-
down of relationship with their
Because of that evidence
I think God’s love is always
conditional, but offered uncon-
daughter. The daughter was ditionally. It’s a bit like our
unmarried but discovered she wonderful daughter-in-law,
was pregnant, and told her who has chooks in her small
mum: “Well, now you have to city section. She may open the
offer me unconditional love, gate of their enclosure, but it
because you are my mother.” is only when the chooks pass
Did that sound right, I was through the opening that they
asked? (Funny how these can enjoy the green grass of the
challenges come out from your Trevor Wright lawn and the delightful bugs
peripheral vision, and unexpectedly!) and worms that reside there.
Well, I told her that from my Christian Unfortunately, like God’s love for us,
perspective, God’s love is offered to the chooks also eat the young vegetable
everyone. But there is a condition and it plants and scratch out the desirable
is the conditional requirement placed by amenity plants once they are given that
God. For example, in John 3:16, “For God freedom! Our heavenly Father’s grace is
so loved the world, that he gave his only unfathomable. If I were he, I would be
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth likely to put the chooks back in the pen
in him should not perish, but have ever- till they guaranteed never to shatter my
lasting life.” expectations.
6 [ CHILDREN & FAMILY ] NZ Baptist | August 2011

Whoever welcomes them ...

By Joanne Hewlett

M
y 12-year-old lolls in her wheel-
chair, puffy hands, unfocused
eyes, making loud babbling
sounds of excitement. Her brother, aged
10, is flapping his hands happily, dribbling
in earnest, and jumping up and down.
With difficulty I guide the cumbersome
wheelchair into the church, clutching
tightly to my son’s hand.
I wonder what sort of welcome I would
have received at your church?
Be brave
I love it when people talk to and welcome
my children personally, treating them with
respect and friendship. At one church,
someone kindly offered to give me a break
by taking my son for a walk; someone else
fed him lunch. Neither had met me before
and I was blown away by their kindness.
These people took a risk – they didn’t
know what my children could understand,
how they would respond, or how I would
react. Love is braver than that.
Be genuine
People who only see my children as
broken, as healing or prayer projects, will
soon taper off. Those who have a genuine
concern and love for my children will talk
with them most weeks. These are the ones
I am more likely to be honest with about
how things are going, who I am more
likely to accept help from, and who will
be blessed by getting to know and appre-
ciate my children – seeing way beyond the
wheelchair and the dribble.
Be open
We need to open up the small box we have
put “disability” into. “Disability” actually
covers a huge range of people from mildly
intellectually or physically to severely
multipli-disabled. No two disabled people
are exactly the same; no two families are
the same either. As we get to know these
children and their families better, instead
of having a one-size-fits-all approach, we
can provide a tailor-made welcome just for
them.
Be informed
The church community will probably
need some input and guidance from the
Joanne with son James and daughter Janelle, who has since passed away.
parent(s). What does the child enjoy?
How can we involve him/her more? The
parents or child may value the opportu-
nity to speak publicly at church, or put
together an information pack explaining
their condition.
Be a role model
“Do as I say, not as I do” just doesn’t
work: Parents who want their children
to accept and befriend children with
disabilities need to lead the way. They
need to overcome any fears, feelings of
uncertainty or apathy, and bowl up to
that child and family and make them feel
welcome. Children who struggle to accept
or even acknowledge my children often
have parents with similar attitudes. The
“trickle-down effect” can be a reality!
Be sacrificial
“How can we help you?” is easy to ask,
but difficult to follow through on. I have
tended to have low expectations of church
involvement. My rationale? I needed big,
sacrificial, ongoing help: Are the people
asking the question really prepared to help
at that level?
Are there people in your church
who would be committed long term to
providing one-on-one help with a disabled
child? When James was almost 2, a woman
at our church offered to help in a very
specific way: To take James out swimming
every week for a couple of hours to give
me a break. She did this for two years!
Be resourceful
Not every church will have the more
significant or specialised resources that
some of these families may desperately
need. Not just anyone can look after an
autistic child with high behavioural issues;
not just anyone can counsel a couple strug-
gling with grief and depression; not just
any church can donate a van or provide a
holiday. But by being resourceful we may
still be able to make it happen. When we
needed a van with a hoist we didn’t have
the finances or the energy. Someone else
stepped in, did the phoning around and
door knocking to raise the funds, then
found a van suitable for us.
Be a friend
Having disabled children can be a lonely
and tiring path, separating us out from
“normal” families. Don’t be freaked out
or worried about being PC – befriend,
accept and involve families with disabled
children.
Be humble
Jesus is the ultimate example of servant-
hood and humility. Seldom with the rich
or the privileged, he spent much of his
time with the oppressed and disadvan-
taged. He longs for us to align our values
with his: To love sacrificially, to give when
we may not get back.
“Whoever welcomes this little child
in my name welcomes me; and whoever
welcomes me welcomes the one who sent
me. For he who is least among you all – he
is the greatest” (Luke 9:48).
“When you give a banquet, invite the
poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and
you will be blessed” (Luke 14:13).
Joanne and Charles Hewlett have
three children. Janelle had a brain
tumour rendering her severely
intellectually and physically
disabled. She died six years
ago, aged 12. Their 17-year-old
son James is mobile but has the
cognitive ability of a 9-month-old.
Jessica, who has just turned 5, is
doing well.
Charles, Principal of Carey Baptist
College, shares an excerpt of their
recently released book, Hurting
Hope: What parents feel when
their children suffer, in the column
opposite.
A review of the book appears on
page 18. More of their story was
published in the July NZ Baptist,
available at www.baptist.org.nz.

HOLIDAY DON’T ACCOMMODATION

HOUSE in Wellington 2012
FORGET
FOR RENT
Ohope Beach, peaceful
August 12 is the
NZ Baptist deadline
Central House
and fully furnished, for September is for young people coming to Wellington
sleeps 10. See
advertising to study or work
& letters
www.holidayhouses.co.nz
and search for ‘Ohiwa
•Located in the inner city.
Haven.’ Quote this ad for
•Close to Victoria, Massey, and other
learning institutions.
10% discount.
•Connected to Central Baptist Church.
•Self-contained flats, supported by
wardens.
HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION We aim to build a community where young
OFFERED people can explore, maintain and strengthen
Thames – gateway to the their faith in a new city.
Coromandel Peninsula
Bushwalks, hot water beach etc.
For more information about Central House,
including application forms:
Fully equipped family home available
October 14 to November 30, 2011. www.central.org.nz/central-house
$100 per night, minimum 2 nights Email: centralhouse@central.org.nz
or $500 per week. Phone: (04) 499 8937
(Wardens: Marco and Maree Kleinlangevelsloo)
Phone Edith, (07) 868 3309.
August 2011 | NZ Baptist [ OPINION ] 7

continued from page 2 » Out of My Mind | Musings from Carey Baptist College staff
prediction for the end. While Christ might

Faith in dark times

come on this date it won’t be because Camping
predicted it, but because that was the date the
Father wills it.
 – Rob Hawes
Cambridge

The editor replies: If church leaders did speak

By Charles Hewlett these things upon ourselves? ness and death, and he hasn’t prevented
up, I wonder if the media would have taken
Carey Baptist College Principal I’ve always believed suffering. He acted by coming to our
any notice? I suspect not. 

The real men are hiding!
Randal Scott asks: “Where are the real
men?” in the July NZ Baptist.
Thanks to the feminists, they are keeping a
low profile. Does he not remember the hysteria
kicked up by the Christchurch creche case? Or
the magazine article claiming the majority of
men were rapists?
I believe that many of the societal ills we
suffer today are a direct result of the hypo-
critical politically correct being too frightened
of the bra-burning men-haters of the 1970s and
’80s. I can remember walking into the typing
pool and say, “Good morning, ladies,” and
getting a retort from one new typist: “Don’t
include me in that sociological sexist label.”  confront me are full of indescribable
Luckily my confidence was restored by one of
the other typists whispering that I could call
her a lady anytime.
I had a friend who was a primary school
teacher in Hamilton some years ago. They
only had one pleasant young man there as a
teacher. One day a little girl fell over in the
play-ground and he felt too scared to just pick
her up, give her a comforting hug, and send
her on her way again. He told my friend that
with all the male witch-hunting going on
he did not dare touch the child. The female
teachers were so scared of losing their one
male role-model teacher that they set up a
system whereby, if he was on playground duty
and anything occurred too dangerous for him
to handle, to immediately send a kid for one of
the females in the staff room.
When I went to Sunday school and Bible
class in Brethren and Methodist churches all
my teachers were men. Perhaps men came to
believe they were not safe with children even
in church settings? The Chinese have a saying
that women hold up half the sky. Well, the
feminists wanted more so now they will have
to shoulder the burden, and the churches had
their share of feminists too.
– David Speary
Northcote, Auckland
I
t’s dinnertime on the
Oncology ward and
I am sitting alone in
the parents’ room quietly
finishing my meal. A woman
suddenly bursts in, obviously
upset. Desperate to hide
but with nowhere to go she
simply slumps over the pile
Charles Hewlett
of dirty dishes on the kitchen
bench and begins to sob.
I pause awkwardly in my eating. Has
she seen me? Should I go? But almost in
answer to my unspoken thoughts she
slowly lifts her head and turns to look at
me, to acknowledge me. The eyes that
pain and anguish, and it is with tears
flowing down her cheeks that she cries
her challenge: “If anybody tells me there don’t reject a God who doesn’t act in this
is a God I will spit in their face!”
I know her challenge isn’t really
directed at me. She doesn’t even know
me. I just happen to be in the room
she chose to retreat to. Her challenge
is directed at the world. Her child is in
the middle of leukaemia treatment and
she can no longer cope with the pain. I
desperately want to say something, but
what?
It’s not the first time I have heard
people question God when things go
wrong. I suppose it’s hard to under-
stand how a “good God” could allow
suffering. Or why a God who is meant
to be all-powerful and all-loving doesn’t
intervene. In their minds the fact he
doesn’t interfere must mean he doesn’t
exist.
I guess these are comments I have
never really understood. Maybe I am
just too naïve, too trusting, but I don’t
see why the evil and suffering in our
world needs to be seen as God’s fault.
Surely it’s us humans who have brought would expect – he hasn’t stopped sick-
Janelle’s cancer occurred
because she lives in a world
that has been damaged
by sin – not that she has
committed a specific sin in
her life, but rather she is
a human being living in a
damaged world.
The world we live in is
quite different from the one
God intended; when God
created the world everything was good
– no sickness, no suffering, no evil, no
death. These things aren’t from God but
rather the consequence of humanity’s
rejection of him.
Some people assume that because I
believe in God he should take care of
me; he should prevent my suffering or
take it away. And they wonder why I
way. But my faith in God doesn’t excuse
me from difficulty. I never expected it to.
Pain and suffering are an intrinsic part
of our planet and no one is exempt. The
Bible tells us that the result of human
sin is death. So I guess we all have to die
from something. For Janelle it will be
cancer.
So if I’m going to cry out about
anything or hate anything it should be
sin, not God, because it’s sin that has
damaged my children and caused them
so much suffering.
But God is angry about sin too.
And he has done something about our
broken world. He hasn’t just turned his
back on humanity and said, “Well they
had their chance and they’ve blown
it – they can endure the consequences.”
Despite the doubts of this hurting
mother, God has a deep concern for her
situation.
He isn’t just passively concerned; God
has acted. Perhaps not in the way we
world 2000 years ago in the person of
Jesus. When Jesus died a painful death,
then came alive again, he defeated the
power of evil and death. When Jesus
returns the fullness of his victory over
evil will be seen. The Bible describes this
as a time when there will be no more
death, no more grief or crying or pain. I
have been sustained by faith in this great
hope.
And when it hurts I can remind
myself that God has intervened and
indeed endured a substantial amount of
suffering himself to put things right.
But how does this help me now? Sure,
I can have the future hope of heaven,
but that doesn’t help me deal with the
practical problem of suffering now. In
the now, I believe God’s answer is not
to remove the problems but to help us
within them. And while my grief doesn’t
seem to go away I can experience God’s
help and comfort.
Tears start to well up in my eyes as
I watch this heartbroken mother weep
over the kitchen bench. How I long to
say something to her.
 I want her to know that God does
exist. I want her to know that he loves
her, and her suffering child, very deeply.
I want her to know that he is close to the
broken-hearted and can bring comfort
and peace. I want her to know that he
has intervened into this evil world so we
can have a certain hope about a future
where there is healing and no more pain.
I want her to know that her resentment
of God is okay and that he is able to take
it.
But now is not the time to speak. This
mother needs me to put my arm around
her and join in her weeping and anger.
• An extract from Hurting Hope: What
parents feel when their children suffer by
Charles and Joanne Hewlett.

The miracle of the eggs » The BWUSWP Beat | News from the Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific
I dashed to my neighbour to borrow an egg
one evening while in the middle of making a
lasagne. They were very generous and said not
to bother paying them back. But, of course, I Baptist women meet in Kuala Lumpur
wanted to repay them. I didn’t get to the shops

that week, so 10 days later I took three eggs in
to my neighbour: “One to replace the one you
gave me, one because yours was a big one and
these are small, and one for interest.”
Imagine my surprise two days later when
my husband came inside with three eggs he
had found randomly placed on our back lawn!
I checked them out, broke them into a
saucer each, smelled them and then cooked
them up for lunch. As I was marvelling about
this seeming miracle, I looked out the back
window (looking for more eggs?) and I saw
through the fence an egg sitting on the lawn
at my neighbour’s house. When I went to
investigate, I found two eggs on her lawn. She
declined my offer to cook them, as she is preg-
nant and didn’t want to use “dodgy” eggs. I
checked them out and they were just as good
as the first three.
We are puzzled. Is there a stray hen around
here, but why wouldn’t she find a nice laying
“nest” under the hedge? There are ducks in
the area but these were hen’s eggs.
What do you think? Do miracles still
happen in New Zealand in 2011?
– Elizabeth James
Dunedin
S
elamat Pagi! the exotic, everyday foods
I’m writing this that stick in the memory.
from Malaysia, where Eating durian, for example,
the annual Gathering of the the smelliest fruit on earth.
Baptist World Alliance has just Despite its odour, which
been held. Kuala Lumpur is a means it is banished from
hot, steamy place where you lifts and other enclosed
get used to stepping out of a public places, it has a rich,
sauna into a refrigerator. Yes, creamy taste that many
the air conditioning is fierce, people here cannot get
but that’s the way the locals enough of. (A local Baptist
like it. told me “durian smells like
A highlight of my time here hell but tastes like heaven.”)
was meeting my counterparts To be honest it didn’t do
from around the world – much for me.
Baptist women leaders from Then there was the frog
Europe, North America, Latin porridge. Yes, you read
America, Africa, Asia and the Julie Belding enjoys a bowl of frog porridge. that right. It’s available
Caribbean. Much of our time everywhere as you walk
was spent in board meetings (we meet together only once a the streets of KL. I was determined to try some, knowing the
year) but we enjoyed dressing up for special occasions, such as opportunities to sample it in New Zealand would be rare.
the BWA Gathering’s opening banquet. Actually it was delicious. It looked like oatmeal, but tasted
The whole experience was an inspiration for me, as always. something like chicken stew.
To worship with brothers and sisters from all over the world Must say it will be good to be back in New Zealand’s beau-
gives one a glimpse of what heaven must be like. tiful clean air.
At events like this, however, it’s the little things that you • Julie Belding, julie@belding.co.nz, is president of the Baptist
tend to recall. Yes, we had our share of lavish banquets, but it’s Women’s Union of the South West Pacific
8 [ CAREY BAPTIST COLLEGE ]
Forum clears the cloud over
Church and environment
By Ken Keyte, Senior Pastor
Te Puke Baptist Church
C
harles Hewlett, Principal of Carey
Baptist College, began Carey’s
Church and Environment day with
an apology. Due to a volcanic ash cloud,
Dr Les Fussell, the keynote speaker from
Australia, was unable to fly to Auckland.
And Mike Crudge, who was to facilitate a
panel discussion, had been prevented from
flying up from Christchurch.
It seemed ironic that a volcanic erup-
tion in Chile should disrupt our discussion
about the Church and the environment!
Could this be analogous to the cloud of
biblical misunderstanding that prevents
many in the Church from realising how
and why Christians should be at the fore-
front of caring for the environment?
What is happening in our part
of the world
Dr Les Fussell, Chair, Asia Pacific Baptist Aid
We were still able to read Les’ paper and
interact via Skype. His paper described
several environmental crises in the Asia
Pacific region including places near many
tranzsend missionaries.
Bangladesh is one of the countries most
vulnerable to tropical cyclones and floods.
In 2007, Cyclone Sidr caused the death of
3400 people and economic damages total-
ling $US1.6 billion.
In the South Pacific, small islands just a
few metres above sea level such as Tuvalu
and Kiribati suffer frequent salt water
flooding, accelerated coastal erosion and
loss of food crops.
Les concluded that “climate change is
impacting human health, livelihoods, safety
and society in the Asia Pacific region in a
similar way it is impacting the rest of the
globe. Although most Christians would
agree that God made humankind stewards
of the Earth, with the power to be its protec-
tors, nonetheless it is easy to encounter
scepticism among Christians who doubt
that humans could have any substantive
impact on the Earth’s environment.”
This issue was picked up by the next
speaker, Dr Myk Habets.
Carey appoints Wieland to new mission role
C arey Baptist College has
created a new teaching
and training position focusing
on contemporary mission.
Dr George Wieland will be
the first Director of Mission
Research and Training,
commencing in 2012.
George has been on staff
since 2000 as the college’s
New Testament specialist.
He has a reputation as a George Wieland
researcher, teacher, and trainer with a
deep passion for mission both within
New Zealand and overseas.
George has ministry experience in
cross-cultural mission in Brazil, a pioneer
pastorate in the north of England, and
pastoring an inner-city church and
community project in Edinburgh. He has
an interest in creating authentic inter-
cultural community and partnership in
ministry and mission in NZ.
“While continuing to teach Biblical
Studies, my focus over the past few years
Why we should care
Dr Myk Habets, Lecturer in Systematic
Theology, and Director of the R.J. Thompson
Centre for Theological Studies at Carey Baptist
College
Myk answered this question by summa-
rising the four great movements of creation
as seen in the Bible: Created order (Genesis
1), disorder (Genesis 3), re-order or
redemption (the incarnation), and trans-
order or renewal (new heavens and new
Earth, Revelation 21-22).
He concluded with the role human
creatures play in this grand design of
God – because nature is mute, humans are
the only beings through whom creation’s
rational structure and beauty may be put to
words in praise of the creator.
Adam’s duty in the Garden of Eden, the
original earthly temple, was to represent
the world to God the creator in worship.
Thus Adam’s responsibilities in the garden
were primarily priestly rather than agri-
cultural. Since it is for this priestly role
humans were originally created, then it is
in the performance of this priestly func-
tion humans find the fulfilment of their
God-intended purpose.
Consequently, the way in which commu-
nities order their environments in relation
to Jesus Christ becomes a form of worship.
By fulfilling our priestly role we work
towards the “order that ought to be,”
nudging creation towards its ultimate goal,
the renewal of the Earth as God’s temple
(Revelation 21).
This final goal of creation was addressed
by Dr George Wieland.
God’s saving care extends to
the world
Dr George Wieland, Lecturer in New
Testament at Carey Baptist College
George began by likening the Earth to
a railway station. He asked if there was
any point in tidying up the railway station
when all that matters is getting people onto
the train? How we answer this question
depends on whether we believe we are
waiting for the train to leave (i.e. depar-
has been shifting towards areas
of mission and cross-cultural
engagement,” George says.
“As a member of tranzsend’s
Mission Council I have become
more aware of the realities and
issues of contemporary mission.
Spending time in India, Nepal,
Thailand and elsewhere has
broadened my cross-cultural
experience and built relation-
ships with many national
Christians and cross-cultural workers.
“Here in New Zealand, my intercultural
awareness has been extended through
involvement with both indigenous Maori
and immigrant churches and Christian
leaders. I am often asked to speak and
preach on mission topics and to meet with
church leaders to discuss intercultural
challenges.”
Dr Wieland says his academic research
in Biblical Studies has also had cross-
cultural dimensions.
“My current research, on the experience
ture from Earth to heaven) or to arrive (i.e.
waiting for Jesus to bring heaven to Earth).
To answer this question well, we need
to remove the filters of dualism (believing
the Bible is only concerned with the spir-
itual and not the physical), individualism
(believing the Bible speaks to the indi-
vidual rather than the community), and
anthropocentrism (believing the Bible is
only about the human race). Then we see
things in the Bible that we hadn’t before.
George drew our attention to the Greek
word eusebeia (godliness), which is used
in significant ways in 1 Timothy. Literally it
means “well-worshipping,” living well with
everything in God’s well-ordered world.
The problem Paul addressed in
1 Timothy 4, in particular, was the
mistaken belief that God is removed from
creation, which is inherently bad, and that
Christians should, where possible, avoid
participating with creation by abstaining
from activities such as marrying and eating
certain foods.
This kind of dualism is discernible
in a commonly held view that, because
God is going to eventually destroy the
Earth, it does not matter if we contribute
to the destruction of the environment by
consuming it in an unsustainable manner.
This kind of view finds support in the
statement in 2 Peter 3:10 that, “the Earth
and everything in it will be destroyed”
(KJV, reading Greek katakaēsetai). A more
likely translation is, “the Earth and every-
thing in it will be disclosed” (reading
Greek heurethēsetai; cf. NIV “laid bare”).
The idea expressed here is that the Earth
and everything in it will appear before
God’s judgement seat. Both the errant view
Paul counteracted in 1 Timothy 4 and this
present-day misunderstanding of 2 Peter
3:10 contradict Paul’s instructions in 1
Timothy to train yourself in well-worship-
ping (eusebia) because God’s saving care
extends to the whole of creation.
If that is the case, then responding in a
well-worshipping way to environmental
crises is an act of godliness and a form of
participation in God’s saving care for the
whole of creation, which Dr Phil Halstead
spoke of.
of immigrant Asian Christians in New
Zealand, is in the field of migration and
religion. Of course, the New Testament is
itself a mission book and I have always
seen my biblical study and teaching as in
the service of God’s mission.
“The last 11 years of in-depth engage-
ment with the New Testament have
deepened my convictions and stretched
my understanding of God’s saving
purpose for the world.”  environment welcomes students of all
The college’s aim is to bring mission
into the foreground, enable students
to understand the heart of God for all
people, and speak into the changing face
of New Zealand society – both in attitudes
to the gospel, and also our increased
multicultural makeup. It wants graduates
to have confidence in the gospel and crea-
tivity in how they engage a secular world,
a strong global awareness, and the ability
to minister effectively in the cultures and
worldviews to which they are called.
The college also wishes to develop
stronger partnerships with mission agen-
NZ Baptist | August 2011
Responding well to
environmental crises
Dr Phil Halstead, Lecturer in Applied Theology
at Carey Baptist College
Phil shifted our attention from the
theological and biblical to how we should
respond pastorally to environmental crises.
I appreciated the opportunity to reflect
upon an environmental crisis my commu-
nity in Te Puke is facing, the outbreak of
a bacteria called Psa that is devastating
kiwifruit orchards and threatening to elimi-
nate orchardists’ livelihoods.
Phil explained that in crises such as
this God might not answer people’s direct
questions, but God does offer relationship.
Job’s experience parallels this. A helpful
pastoral response is to encourage people to
look for God moments in their crises.
Leading our churches toward
an appropriate response
Charles Hewlett concluded the day with
a discussion about where to from here.
Some of the ideas include:
• Begin empowering those already inter-
ested in caring for the environment with
a biblical and theological understanding
of why this is important to God.
• Don’t avoid preaching on the environment
when it comes up in a biblical series.
• Carry out an environmental audit.
• Point out how the world’s biggest
consumers of natural resources (the
developed world) are making the
world’s smallest consumers of natural
resources (the underdeveloped world)
more vulnerable to climatic disasters.
• Invite Christians with expertise as guest
speakers, such as the Christian environ-
mental organisation A Rocha or TANSA.
• Start an environmental project such as a
community vegetable garden or cleaning
up the neighbourhood.
• Recycle at church and use recycled paper
for the church newsletter.
By the end of the day the “ash cloud” of
biblical and theological misunderstanding
had been cleared sufficiently for us to see
how we too could begin clearing the “ash
cloud” over our Church and environment.
cies and training institutions locally and
internationally.
The director will teach contempo-
rary mission, coordinate the training of
students preparing for mission roles,
conduct and encourage mission-related
research, cultivate partnerships in mission
and training, provide mission-related
resourcing to New Zealand churches and
agencies, and ensure the college’s learning
cultural backgrounds.
This semester George is co-teaching
a new paper, Theology and Practice of
Relief and Development, with Chris
Clarke and other World Vision staff.
The following papers are expected to
be included in the 2012 curriculum:
Exploring Mission in the Book of Acts;
Issues in Contemporary Mission;
and Reflective Field Education
(Cross-Cultural).
George will also teach a Masters paper,
Mission and Ministry in the Letters to
Timothy and Titus.
 WORLD REACH
New Zealand Baptists Reaching the World
Networking
for the
mission of God
O ne of the benefits
of my role as team
leader of MISSION
WORLD is being able
to interact and network
with so many people.
In one week recently
I visited a regional BMF
group (which included
a number of former
mission workers and
Rachel Murray
many long-term faithful
givers and pray-ers); had
lunch with a previous mission colleague; spoke
via phone to a friend just back on a short break
from Papua New Guinea; met with a youth
pastor exploring the option of taking a team of
young people somewhere overseas for the first
time; saw two groups of long term workers
return to the field for a further term; communi-
cated on options for service with the principal
of a local school in South-East Asia; spoke
with a senior pastor about how his church
was promoting mission; was involved in a
commissioning service; started communicating
Phase 2 of the newly re-launched DO team
programme; participated in a book launch for
one of our Baptist mission workers; connected
with the majority of the tranzsend workers on
their updates; helped resource the convenor
of a mission committee on how they talk with
potential candidates from their church; inter-
acted with a number of the MISSION WORLD
strategic mission partners; and connected with
a few enquirers on areas of best fit.
Whew! Tiring, but what a privilege. Each
circumstance was vastly different from the
others, yet, in every one, the motivation for
each conversation or activity was the same.
The common concern of individuals, churches,
small groups and mission organisations, near
or far, was how we, individually and collec-
tively, spread the message of the gospel and
see lives being transformed by Christ’s love
and grace.
What this multifaceted networking of people,
places and tasks indicates to me is that mission
cannot be individualistic. No one in Scripture
ever undertook any mission endeavour on their
own, and neither should we.
Irrespective of whether we are the pray-ers,
the go-ers, or the givers, whether we commis-
sion as a church, get involved in logistical
support, or reach into our local communities,
we are so much more effective together. To
make mission happen, we need each other.
Our challenge then is to discover our own
place of best fit in this task called mission –
remembering that it’s God’s mission and he
in his wisdom includes us in his work, not the
other way around!
So what is your place of calling?
• Rachel Murray is Team Leader of MISSION
WORLD, one of the four mission entities of The
New Zealand Baptist Mission Society.
World Reach is a publication of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society (NZBMS)
NZ Baptists in World Mission
– eight months on
By Peter Mihaere
General Director,
New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society
I
n November
2010, the
New Zealand
Baptist
Missionary
Society (NZBMS)
announced a
series of changes
relating to who
we are and what
we’re about. A
lot has happened Peter Mihaere
since then and,
being more than
halfway through the year, it’s timely to
reflect on how we’re doing.
The 2010 Baptist Assembly in
Tauranga saw the launch of MISSION
WORLD. A new entity within NZBMS,
MISSION WORLD links NZBMS with
other mission agencies in such a way
that any New Zealand Baptist who
serves God in his mission to the world
can feel a part of the
Baptist missions’
family.
Since then,
MISSION WORLD
team leader Rachel
Murray has spent
much of her time
engaging with
churches, strategic mission partners
and training institutions. Even more
importantly, she’s had conversations
with people sensing a call to serve God
overseas. Some of these will eventuate
in a person, couple, or family being
introduced to one of our strategic
mission partners so that they can serve
in cross-cultural mission.
We measure our success in a couple
of ways: First, through the engagement
of individuals who want us to track
with them as they seek to serve God.
We know we’re succeeding here when
we’re invited to the commissioning
services of new missionaries.
Some of those being sent out simply
recognise the place of MISSION
WORLD in standing with them as they
go, irrespective of their chosen agency.
Others testify that, having sensed God’s
call, they spoke to MISSION WORLD
and were given help and encourage-
ment finding a mission partner to join
with. The rest of the commissioning
service may focus on the agency they
have partnered with but we have been
a critical part of the process. Rachel has
been to a number of such services and
has even been invited to participate at
a few.
Second, we measure success through
the engagement of our churches. In
a recent conversation with a pastor of
a very mission-minded church with
a significant ministry involvement
overseas, though not through NZBMS
or tranzsend, the pastor said that the
church normally focuses its giving on
the specific work they do overseas. This
has meant they have not been able to
include NZBMS, their denominational
mission. This year they made a deci-
sion – if NZBMS is being more inclusive
of world mission, then they would give
half their fundraising for world mission
to them.
In a different form of church engage-
ment, Hawkes Bay’s Village Baptist
Church has asked MISSION WORLD
to facilitate a mission expo event for
the body of Christ in Hawkes Bay on
September 3. In saying “yes,” NZBMS
has not only involved our strategic
mission partners, we
have also
partnered with the Anglican
and Brethren mission movements. This
will give a broader spectrum of world
mission offerings so the wider church
can be involved in the day. Church
groups as far away as the Bay of Plenty
have expressed interest in attending.
This same programme has been
offered to a South Island region and
there have been positive discussions
about holding a similar event in
September 2012. It’s great to see the
Baptist churches of Aotearoa New
Zealand engaging MISSION WORLD.
Please join with us in praying that God
will bless this work.
In January this year we launched
a new overall brand for NZBMS. The
key brand statement is “New Zealand
Baptists Reaching the World.” This has
enabled us to clarify the overall struc-
ture of NZBMS and see how the various
MISSION QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“If you take missions out of the Bible, you won’t
have anything left but the covers.” – Nina Gunter
AUGUST 2011
aspects of our denominational mission
agency fit together.
In the June edition I described this
overarching brand using four virtual
boxes – tranzsend, BANZAid, MPIL,
and MISSION WORLD – to represent
the four entities of NZBMS. As I’ve
shared this around the country, people
have been able to see and understand
how the various entities of NZBMS fit
together. A measure of its success is the
number of people who have responded
with the simple statement, “I get it now.
It really makes sense!”
In February we launched World
Reach, the new look NZ Baptist mission
pages – you’re reading the August
edition now. This has brought a consist-
ency to our brand messaging and
enabled us to highlight our strategic
mission partners.
Even more importantly, it has given
an outlet for a monthly dose of rich
mission stories
from New Zealand
Baptists working
around the world
with a number of
different agencies.
In December
2010, as part of
the New Zealand
team’s planning
cycle, I envisioned
that 2011 would be a year to
gain clarity of purpose and message.
Eight months on I really feel that we
have made significant progress in that
direction.
If you have not heard about us or
want more information I invite you to
make contact through our websites,
email or phone. Ask for Neil, Rachel or
myself – we would love to chat.
• peter.mihaere@reachingtheworld.org.nz
MISSION WORLD
Rachel Murray
(09) 526 8448
rachel.murray@missionworld.org.nz
www.missionworld.org.nz
tranzsend
Neil Perry
(09) 526 8444
neil.perry@tranzsend.org.nz
www.tranzsend.org.nz
10
Fahim breathes easy
Joe and Sue* are members of Spreydon Baptist Church and
have been ministering in the Middle East with Pioneers since
the beginning of 2008, more recently with the deaf community.
Pioneers is a strategic partner of MISSION WORLD.
T
he love of God shown through simple practical
help has changed the life of Fahim – against all
odds, he is now a follower of Jesus.
Fahim* is deaf. He comes from a large family
with other siblings and relatives who are also deaf. The
deaf in this country don’t have access to good educa-
tion; in fact a deaf person finishing high school is very
rare. They generally go unacknowledged by the wider
society and culture. As a consequence, they live in a kind
of invisible subculture. It’s with this subculture that I
(Joe) have been engaged for the last three years, learning
how the Arabic deaf community works: Their struggles,
their dreams (which are the same as yours and mine), and
learning their language.
I first met 22-year-old Fahim in 2009. We became firm
friends. His health was satisfactory but not great. Over
last year’s northern winter Fahim’s health got steadily
worse. He had respiratory problems and was admitted to
the Government hospital to have an operation on his nose,
widening the nasal cavity to assist with his breathing.
Unfortunately, the operation wasn’t as successful as
hoped. Since Fahim comes from a relatively poor family
they found it difficult to pursue other options or obtain a
higher standard of health care and advice.
Back in the community, Fahim’s health continued
to decline and he suffered several fainting spells. His
breathing became laboured, loud and raspy. I decided to
intervene and take him to see a Dutch doctor I knew with
Living water, thirsty land
“Q
uickly, people are
watching … tell me,
how can I become a
Christian?” he asked her. Steph,
from Palmerston North Central
Baptist Church, has spent more
than 15 years in the Middle East
serving with MECO. But it’s in the
last year that she’s seen some of the
most encouraging responses to the
Good News.
In Steph’s day job, teaching
high schoolers, she’s had many
discussions and explorations of
the Christian faith in this predomi-
nantly Muslim country. Steph’s
new part-time endeavour takes her,
each weekend, to a popular tourist The MECO team greet tourists with the New Testament.
destination in the capital city. It’s
a Mecca (if you’ll excuse the term) for thousands of conservative
Muslim tourists on a semi-religious pilgrimage away from their
conservative Muslim homeland.
Back home the Bible is forbidden. And even if they were lucky
enough to find one on the black market, the average person
would never be able to afford it. When these thousands of tourists
descend from their tour buses, they are met by Steph and a team
of five others who offer them copies of the New Testament and the
Jesus movie on DVD.
In a typical response one excited woman exclaimed, “Ooooh, the special festivals, she’ll be out there with her mates, armed with her
New Testament! I’ve been looking for this book everywhere and
wanted to buy one but couldn’t find any.”
The acceptance rate is around 90%. Even some mullahs accept
them. One asked for extras to take back to his seminary students.
Very occasionally every single person on a coach will refuse the offer.
They have been warned about “fundamentalist Christian proselyt-
isers” lurking in the tourist spot, ready to pounce on the faithful.
NZ Baptist | August 2011
respiratory problem experience. She quickly assessed
his condition, modified his inhaler dosage and started to
reduce the steroids he’d been taking for the last 10 years.
While providing some relief, the steroids had developed
some nasty side effects.
Over the next two months I continued to follow up
with Fahim and visit his mother. Fahim began to improve
but he found it difficult to kick the steroids. We eventually
managed to get him admitted to an NGO hospital for a
month to be monitored more closely and have his steroids
reduced completely.
Expatriate volunteers, including other Pioneers
workers, operate this specialty hospital. Under their care
Fahim’s health improved dramatically and he broke free
of his dependence on steroids. His family was deeply
grateful.
During Fahim’s health trauma and recovery I had
numerous opportunities to talk about why I choose to be
here and not in New Zealand. Fahim became more open
than ever to hear about the God who loves all people, has
acted and continues to act in this world, and calls those
who love him to love like he loves, and live by his Spirit.
Fahim came to accept this way for himself.
It is now apparent to people who have known Fahim
for a long time that the sickly deaf boy who lived on the
margins of Middle Eastern society has changed. In his
sign language, Fahim tells them that he now breathes
easy because of the love of those who God has sent to his
country. He goes on to tell how he has met and experi-
enced this loving God for himself and is being forever
transformed in his whole person, not just his lungs!
Men who Pioneers works with in Fahim’s region. * Names have been changed for security purposes.
EDITOR’S NOTE
World Reach is published by the
New Zealand Baptist Missionary
Society to provide information
about what New Zealand Baptists
Although many back home are achieving in the world of
support the brand of Islam propa- mission. Contributions about New
gated by the authorities, tens of Zealand Baptist overseas mission
thousands are tired of what they endeavours are encouraged.
consider political manipulation This edition of World Reach
from the pulpit. Some are turning has focused on the Middle East
their backs on the clergy or on and North Africa. For security
religion altogether. Others are reasons the names of some
making religion a more personal
people, places and organisa-
experience. Still others are looking
tions have been omitted and
to alternative forms of faith.
generic photographs have been
Seventy-five thousand New
used. The same may be true for
Testaments and DVDs have been
distributed by this small team in next month’s issue, when we will
the last 12 months alone. move to focus on Central Africa.
Recently Digby Wilkinson, The countries we are including
Steph’s pastor in Palmerston in this region are: Benin, Burkina
North, and MECO’s NZ director, Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cap
Chris Grantham, joined Steph and Verde, Central African Republic,
the team in action. On his return home Digby noted, “Coming from Chad, Republic of the Congo,
a Kiwi culture where society and Christians cynically frown upon Democratic Republic of the
street evangelism, I was staggered to observe, and then participate Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti,
in, handing out Bibles and DVDs to people hungry for what we Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia,
take so much for granted. As a pastor from a spiritually disinter- Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana,
ested country it was both exhilarating and humbling.” Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya,
Steph is on home assignment at present. In September she will Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger,
return to her weekday classroom to resume sharing and living the Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and
gospel with her students and colleagues. Come the weekends and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles,
Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania,
New Testaments, DVDs and truckloads of enthusiasm for engaging
Togo and Uganda.
with the gospel-hungry tourists. The tourists return home to a
country where more people have become Christians in the last 20 You are invited to contribute stories
years than in the preceding 1300. of New Zealand Baptist involve-
ment in these areas. Copy is due
If you’d like to know more about joining the team or making a donation to to info@reachingtheworld.org.nz by
cover the cost of DVDs, contact info@meco.org.nz. Friday, August 12.
August 2011 | NZ Baptist
Springs in the wasteland
Andrew and Anne and their children, Luke
and Hannah, are from Royal Oak Baptist in
Auckland. They are serving in central Asia
with Interserve, a strategic mission partner of
MISSION WORLD.
I
n late 2007 our family moved from
Auckland, New Zealand, to a city
older than Rome on the other side
of the world. Located in one of the
former republics of the Soviet Union, it’s
a city that merges old with new. Horse
drawn carts clog up the motor traffic,
Internet cafés sit alongside traditional
bazaars, and both Turkic languages and
Russian are spoken.
I’m an engineer with a non-government
organisation working in the area of appro-
priate technology. The NGO evaluates
and uses simple sustainable technology to
improve the living standards of locals in
the areas of water supply, sanitation and
housing.
I’d been forewarned that working here
wouldn’t be like engineering in New
Zealand, and it’s not. My first trip was to
a work site to construct and install a new
pump. I discovered the welding machine
“plugged” into the power by bare cables
pushed into the supply box. There were
also bare cables laid along the ground just
waiting for someone’s unsuspecting foot.
A local official visited, keen on a bribe for
“allowing” the pump to be installed, as did
the drunk policeman carrying a gun. This
is definitely not New Zealand.
While work here has many challenges
not faced in New Zealand (for example,
two power cuts totalling about 12 hours
every day), it’s still possible to achieve
positive change in living standards for
people who desperately need it. Following
the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, the
economy collapsed and living standards
dropped. Although it’s recovered slightly,
the country is still one of the poorest in the
world.
Over the past seven years our organi-
sation has worked with communities to
develop appropriate technology solutions.
These have included non-electrical water
pumps for irrigation, passive solar houses,
Social media and the Middle East
Jamie Matenga Wood is the Director of
Pioneers in New Zealand and leads the mobili-
sation track of the World Evangelical Alliance
Missions Commission. Pioneers is a strategic
partner of MISSION WORLD.
T
hroughout the Middle East, Arabs
in their thousands are discovering
new faith through social media and
Christian websites.
“The Arab Spring” is the name given to
recent events in the Arab world. Tunisia,
Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain
have seen major upheaval, much of it
ongoing. Every Arab country has been
impacted in some way and it’s understood
that these liberation movements have
arisen because more and more Arabs are
online and “connected.”
Arab World Media, a ministry of
Pioneers, publishes material for the very
generation that has sparked off these monu-
mental events – the large 18-35 age group.
Installing a coil pump, which works without electricity.
solar water heaters, high efficiency ovens
and hygienic toilets. Biogas (producing gas
for cooking from cow dung), micro hydro
power, and wind energy for electricity
production are currently being developed.
Some of these have been readily adopted
by communities, while others have not
because of a clash with the traditional way
of life and culture. Two projects that have
been positively received are our coil pump
and our passive solar house.
The low annual rainfall and very hot
summers, with temperatures up to mid-40s
Celsius, mean that many farmers must rely
on irrigation. During Soviet times they
used a system of canals and electric pumps
but times have changed. Many of the irri-
gation channels are now broken, the price
of electricity has skyrocketed, and the cost
of an electric pump is beyond the financial
means of most farmers. Even those who
can scrape together enough money usually
have no money left to pay for repairs.
A combination of inferior quality and
damage caused by fluctuating voltage and
For many of them, educa-
tion and exposure to the
rest of the world leads them
to question the way their
countries are run. Thanks to
the Internet, they can now
question openly and anony-
mously, find others who
share their discontent, and
encourage change.
Arabs in their thousands
are also discovering a new
contentment through open
discussion on Christian Jamie Wood
websites. Between January
and March, Pioneers’ Arab World Media
websites attracted almost 250,000 unique
hits, with an astounding 557,000 pages
viewed. The websites report significant
evidence of a growing hunger for God
among young Muslims.
Here’s a translation of one of the
messages received during 2011’s first
intermittent power supply means nothing
electrical lasts long. Having to carry water
by hand from the river or canal severely
limits the amount of land that can be
watered. Then there’s the physical effort
required for those sent to get the water,
often children and women, whose lives are
already hard enough.
As an alternative to the electric pumps,
our organisation introduced a “ram” pump,
which doesn’t need electricity. A ram pump
is good if there’s a big height difference
between the water supply and the pump
location. However, there are many streams
and canals where there is a good flow of
water but no significant change in eleva-
tion. A pump that could work without
electricity and use only the power of the
water flow to operate was required.
Enter Jonathan, an engineer from New
Zealand. He and his family spent a year
here as part of Interserve’s On Track
programme. Jonathan developed the coil
pump, which is able to pump water uphill
away from the river.
quarter:
“Hello, I am 25 years old and
come from a normal Muslim
family. When I was 13, I rebelled
and stopped praying. My father
became very angry and beat
me. In the end he gave up. I still
didn’t pray but I realised I was
an unbeliever and wouldn’t
go to heaven. I really began to
worry about this and became
convinced I was one of the
‘family of hell’ with no hope.
I discovered that Islam has no
concept of living forever. In the
end I returned to Islamic praying. Then,
one day during my prayers, I cried out to
God in true desperation and in a way I had
never done before.
“Two years ago I bought a computer
and was able to search on the Internet for
‘punishment in the grave.’ And this is how
I found Christianity. It is logical to me and
11
From Jonathan’s initial work, the pump
has been further developed and installed
in many places, supplying water to houses,
small farms, and even to trees in a ceme-
tery. By using only stream energy, these coil
pumps can lift water up to 30 or 40 metres
vertically above the river and supply up
to 60,000 litres per day. They are built with
locally available materials, cost much less
to set up than electric options, and, best of
all, they cost nothing to run.
Our aim is to teach people how to make
the pumps themselves so they don’t have
to keep relying on us.
All our project work seeks to help rural
communities and the urban poor. By
providing free advice and assistance with
technologies like the coil pump we can
bring about change for good. This breaks
down any distrust and suspicion about our
motives and shows them what it means to
have a holistic faith that affects all areas of
life.
Our work is not done in isolation. We are
in partnership with locals and other expats,
including the community development
teams that research the problems commu-
nities face. We work together to provide
technological solutions that are within
most people’s financial means.
As the technologies become more widely
sought after, we train local technicians,
businessmen, and even pastors. They, in
turn, can make them available to a larger
number of people, while at the same time
earning an income for themselves.
The success of the coil pump in bringing
life-giving water to the wastelands demon-
strates the significant impact someone with
technical skills can have in the world of
mission.
We’re always in need of more workers
– engineers, teachers, health professionals
and so on – so if you want to make a differ-
ence through your work and witness, enjoy
novel work environments and interesting
countries stuffed full of mountains, check
us out on www.interserve.org.nz.
God has opened my eyes and answered
my desperate prayer. When I discovered
the truth, my fears were broken: I was sure
that Islam is not a religion from God and
without delay I believed in the Messiah.
Now I have peace and freedom inside!” (a
respondent in the Arab Peninsula).
Every day, in quite miraculous ways,
more Arabs decide to follow Jesus as he is
revealed to them via Christian websites,
mobile phone services, Christian satellite
TV/radio, or even dreams and visions.
What they lack are people to help
disciple them into mature men and women
of the Christian faith. Please join us in
prayer that The Arab Spring would bear
much fruit and the Lord of the harvest
would raise up labourers for the Middle
East connection.
12
Some things remain the same:
Dhaka 10 years on
Richard and Sally are tranzsend workers. They
recently returned to work in Bangladesh after
a decade’s absence. They are based in Savar,
28 km from Dhaka. World Reach asked them
to comment on the changes they’ve observed.
R
eturning to Dhaka after 10 years,
we’ve noticed that some things
haven’t changed. The beggars are
still on the street. The mosques still blare
out the call to prayer and the battle for
heart and minds is still here. The curries
and sweet mangoes are still wonderful; the
Bengalis’ friendliness still warms us; their
constant questions about New Zealand
and the state of Black Caps’ Brendan
McCallum’s back still amuse us.
Other things have changed. Dhaka has
grown upwards. Our two storey house has
been knocked down and will be replaced
by a 10-storey complex. Everywhere we
look, we see tall buildings reaching up like
Resource Corner – NZBMS, helping resource your church for mission
Set up a missions programme in your church
When a church sets up a missions
programme or revamps an existing one,
an often asked question is, “Where do we
begin?” First, your congregation needs to
develop a desire to do mission. There are
three keys to encouraging this:
• Centrality. Missions needs to become
a vital part of the purpose and ministry
of the church. Too often missions is seen
merely as another church department – one
of many things we do.
• Motivation. Once the missions vision
is seen as central, someone, ideally the
pastor, needs to take on the role of moti-
vating the leadership and congregation.
• Involvement. All people need oppor-
tunities to be involved. Often missions is
seen as the domain of a select few rather
than the responsibility of all believers.
Freepost Penrose 24, PO Box 12149, Penrose, Auckland 1642, New Zealand P: (09) 526 8444 • F: (09) 526 8445 • E: info@tranzsend.org.nz • www.tranzsend.org.nz
[ WORLD REACH ]
Richard and Sally
trees in the forest, competing for sunshine.
There are many more imported Japanese
cars too. That means the traffic jams are
worse than before. There are flyovers
but they simply take us from one jam to
another more quickly.
People seem more westernised now.
Shops are full of goods from Thailand and
Once the decision to be involved in
missions has been made, take some prac-
tical steps:
• Evaluate the current situation. Identify
key people within your church who are
interested in mission.
• Set up a team of committed people
and start praying together about involve-
ment in world mission.
• Begin to draw up a strategy outlining
where you want to go. This should include:
Priorities for the missions team (in what
areas will the church seek to be involved –
unreached, education, social needs, local,
foreign, etc.?)
How will this be funded (giving, budg-
eted, faith promise?)
What missionaries will be supported
(only church members, only denomina-
Ian & Mairi
»»»»»
supporting
a kingdom
business in
South Asia.
Will you go
with them?
New Zealand Baptists in Global Mission
Malaysia. Small air-conditioned supermar-
kets have sprouted up throughout the city
and it seems we can purchase everything
except pet food and Weetbix.
Another huge difference is the appear-
ance of mobile phones. Ten years ago there
were none; now every second person has
one. Of course we’re not complaining
about that, it makes life easier when stuck
in a traffic jam or phoning New Zealand
once a week to keep in touch with family.
We had an interesting bus trip yesterday
from Savar to Dhaka – about 28km. As usual
the bus was filthy and packed with people.
As more and more passengers crammed
aboard it became quite claustrophobic. Sally
and I were squashed in the back seat next to
a guy with a large pot plant.
Passengers began to berate the driver for
waiting too long at stops and trying to fit in
more people, “Oh driver, is the bus actually
going to leave today?” “Come on driver
tional missionaries, or anyone?)
How will levels of support be
determined?
How will the missions team motivate the
congregation?
• Include missions in the church
teaching programme.
• Choose one or two suitable
missionaries and introduce them to the
congregation. Start by regularly praying for
them and keep in regular contact. Promote
them regularly and in creative ways – not
all missionaries are good preachers.
• To get some immediate momentum,
look for one or two projects your church
can undertake.
• Launch your missions programme in
a focused way. The Prayer and Self Denial
material from NZBMS is perfect for this.
NZ Baptist | August 2011
let’s go, we’re melting in the heat!”
Sally was also getting cross and gave me
a couple of dirty looks saying, “I’m never
coming on this Number 7 bus again!”
I tried to look on the bright side with
helpful comments like, “Well at least there
are no goats and chickens on board.”
Sally and I both feel privileged and
happy to have returned here because we
can give Bengalis God’s hope. We feel like
we have come home.
I (Richard) am preparing a three week
lecture on cults and apologetics to help
students to have confidence as they’re
constantly challenged by Muslims who
deny the crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus. Sally is looking forward to setting
up our home in Savar, near the college, and
doing some refresher study of Bengali.
Please pray for Richard and Sally as they
represent tranzsend and serve in Bangladesh.
• Encourage members of your congre-
gation to be involved in some form of
short-term missions.
• Identify potential missionaries from
your own congregation. Begin discipling
them and providing opportunities for
training and ministry.
• Continue to communicate the mission
vision with your congregation, and
encourage them to be involved.
Whatever you do, don’t lose sight of the
simple fact that mission was God’s idea.
Jesus challenged us to take the gospel to all
corners of our world. Good stewardship
demands that we are organised to do it.
Questions your missions team may have
regarding resourcing can be sent to
info@reachingtheworld.co.nz.
Mark & Viv
»»»»»
representing
Jesus in a
Buddhist
context.
Will you stand
with them?
August 2011 | NZ Baptist
Christchurch leaders in winter mode
By William Drury-Turnbull
Baptist Union Earthquake Response
Coordinator
T
he June 13 quake really shook up
Christchurch people – for the first
time I became rattled as my car was
literally picked up and bounced from side
to side. I thought the car was about to be
flipped onto its roof.
Many NGOs on the front line have
reported that this quake really shook
its people up, and another quake like it
could tip people over the edge. Front line
workers are trying to balance their own
issues with their professional practice.
Church workers are not exempt from
these pressures. We need to plan for
another quake of severe magnitude but
pray it never happens.
To this end, I am asking churches
around the country to make teams avail-
able, should the need arise, to come at
short notice to remove liquefaction and
be emotional shoulders for people. Our
communities are tired; the thought of new
liquefaction is hard to face. Liquefaction is
horrible, soul-destroying stuff, and some
people have had to shift it four times
already.
Winter is upon us and it is not unusual
to see temperatures drop to minus 3.
To meet the winter needs, the Baptist
church family around the country has
been brilliant. Many of you have supplied
gas heaters from four muster points in
Auckland: Liberty Christian Church,
Opawa gives
thanks for a
century
By Allan Goulstone
Every so often the space over the
pulpit at Opawa Baptist Church is trans-
formed. Around Easter we had about 30
open white umbrellas hanging above the
projector screen.
Now we have about 30 pairs of white
shoes, boots, jandals and one red pair
– all facing in the same direction and
“walking” uphill, people following Jesus
as his disciples.
What we will see as we approach
our centennial is anyone’s guess. It
is what God has done in the lives of
hundreds or thousands of people that
we are celebrating. Many have left us
to serve God in other locations or go
overseas as missionaries or go into
Bible college to learn to be disciples or
disciple-makers or pastors or lay-people
equipped to serve Jesus in their own
neighbourhoods.
Because people like to rejoice, we are
setting aside Labour Weekend 2011 to
celebrate. We would like to hear stories
of past members (or those who have
wandered in and out of our doors) so
that we can compile a booklet that gives
God glory. We have sent out letters and
emails to encourage these stories to be
written. If you did not get asked, please
take this as your invitation to contribute
a few paragraphs to Opawa’s story.
Send your contribution to allan@opawa.
org.nz.
To register, email Deirdre Wilson at
deelwilson@xtra.co.nz or you can write
to 1-84 Bowenvale Avenue, Cashmere,
Christchurch 8022. Phone (03) 332 5809.
[ CHURCH NOTES ]
Eastgate Christian Centre, Manukau City
Baptist Church and Windsor Park Baptist
Church. My sincere thanks to all who were
involved in this project, especially to John
from Kerikeri Baptist, who transported 130
heaters from Kerikeri to Auckland.
People have been busy knitting jerseys,
hats, blankets and other helpful woollen
items, all of which have been distributed to
communities through churches.
We have been blessed by the Tindall
Foundation funding 5000 snuggle sacks
from The Warehouse, which gave us a
great deal on the price. The Warehouse also
donated 2200 warm mink blankets. We are
trying to get all these into the community
through our churches; this is an awesome
opportunity to connect the church and
their community.
We are negotiating with our partner,
Contact Energy, which has donated gas
heaters and free gas bottles, and has
offered free LPG refills throughout winter.
If we are successful, each church that
provided gas heaters to its community will
have at least four contacts with people over
the winter months. It’s a great way to see
how our community is doing.
Since June 22, the aftershocks have been
smaller and life is returning to the new
normal. Communities are beginning to
take stock and explore how to rebuild. Café
conversations are taking place around the
city where individual communities take
some control over rebuilding.
Many churches are pondering their
future, asking: What does church look like
Baptist chaplains honoured
for service in Christchurch
Baptist Police chaplains Jim Patrick
and Darcy Halliday have been awarded
certificates of appreciation for their work
with the police in Christchurch after the
earthquakes.
The pair were presented with the certifi-
cates, as were several other chaplains, at
the police chaplains’ biannual conference
at the national Police College in Porirua.
“It was unexpected – we were all doing
what we felt we should do, but it was
thoughtful of them,” says Jim, who also
received a long service certificate for his 14
years as a police chaplain.
After the September and February
quakes Jim, one of five Cantabrian police
chaplains, spent long hours working
alongside Christchurch police officers and
staff, listening to and encouraging them.
“It’s still really challenging for many of
them,” says Jim. “I think around 15% of
police staff either lost their homes or had
severe damage to their houses. There were
some staff quite wary of working back in
the multi-storey police headquarters, even
though it had been cleared as safe.”
Jim says it was moving to see the
contingent of Australian police, sent to
Christchurch after the February 22 quake,
spend their down time helping out their
comrades in the Christchurch police force.
Darcy, senior pastor of Henderson
Baptist and a former policeman with 15
years’ experience, spent two weeks in
Christchurch after the February quake. He
was appointed a police chaplain in 2006.
“I arrived down there after seeing all
the news on the TV, but nothing prepared
me for what I saw when I got there,”
recalls Darcy. “These people were having
post-quake? Some of the mainline denomi-
nations are asking, do we rebuild?
Many of our churches see this as an
awesome opportunity to reach their
communities and are doing church quite
differently. A number have partnered up.
The eastside Baptist churches have come
together to support each another, and
churches around the country have part-
nered with Christchurch churches.
Many churches are focusing on bringing
fun back into their communities and taking
time for congregations to relax – realising
we could end up back at square one at any
time. It’s an interesting place to be, limbo,
but we must bring the joy of the Lord back
into our lives.
Oxford Baptist has a respite opportu-
nity for pastors and leaders in baches and
holiday homes around the South Island.
To help our pastors and leaders, we are
seeking funding for airfare, rental cars,
and incidentals. Donations can be sent to
Kelvyn Fairhall at the national office.
By getting involved with his
programme, you help our leaders to go
the distance. After the earthquake in San
Francisco, leadership burnt out in the
first three years. This had a drastic effect
on reconstruction, so let’s get behind this
programme.
Another project of Oxford Terrace is
Operation Exodus, which helps people
move locally or nationally. We are seeking
host churches, should the need arise, to
pass those families into loving arms who
will help them settle in a new community.
to live through
it for a second
time and their
city, and life as
they knew it,was
never going to
be the same.”
Darcy spent
much of his time
speaking with
police officers
guarding the
city cordon and Jim Patrick, above, and
working within Darcy Halliday, right, on
the Red Zone. the job in Christchurch.
He says he has
immense admiration and respect for the
work the police were doing.
“They did an unbelievable job going to
work every day not knowing what they
were going to encounter,” he says. “These
men and women were turning up to do
their job when often their own homes
were trashed the same as their neighbours
and they had their own concerns about
family and friends.”
Like Jim, Darcy says he counted it a
privilege to be able to pray with officers,
encourage them and answer their
questions.
He believes his years on the force also
gave him creditability with the frontline
officers. Darcy’s main mode of transport in
Christchurch was a mini 50cc motorbike,
which he rode around the cordon, causing
amusement.
“The guys would laugh, ‘There goes the
padre,’” says Darcy.
While he has returned to his Henderson
church in Auckland, Jim still spends some
13
Churches can contact the Earthquake
Response Team, (03) 929 0539, to get
involved.
We anticipate a 15 to 20 year journey,
and the shape of Christchurch will radi-
cally change. As I ponder how best to
respond to our current need, the focus
must be on the glass half full. It is
hard to see the positives, but they are
there. Communities are beginning to
become more resilient, and now that
the Canterbury Earthquake Response
Authority (CERA) has visited and held
public meetings in the red zone, about
5,000 households are able to begin to move
forward.
There are about 10,000 households
in the orange zone yet to hear whether
they will become green or red zones once
the geotech mapping is completed. The
white zone, which covers large portions
of Christchurch city – Sumner, Redcliffs,
Heathcote and Lyttelton – has yet to have
the geotech teams complete their work.
There is a lot of uncertainty.
We are in exciting times, though, and my
prayer is that we will love our communi-
ties with the love of Jesus, in the words of
the song: “I want to feel what you feel, see
what you see and carry your passion to
this world.”
Great opportunities are still available to
the body of Christ and we have a lot more
work to do. In the words of Paul, “I can do
all things through Christ who strengthens
me.” Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to use
his Church to reach out to a hurting city.
PHOTO: WAIKATO TIMES
four hours a week in his police chaplaincy
role with the Christchurch police. He and
his wife, Lois, plan to retire at the end of
this year after almost 40 years in pastor-
ships, the last seven years at Darfield.
But Jim says he will continue in his role
as a police chaplain.
“It gives me the opportunity to meet
folk who are outside the immediate church
family, which is what we encourage our
church people to do – to build relation-
ships with people outside the church,”
says Jim.
14
Explore the truth about hell
By Warren Prestidge
I
n May I attended “Conversations
Around Love Wins” at Carey Baptist
College. A panel of three debated
matters raised by popular Christian
communicator Rob Bell in his recent book,
Love Wins, with contributions from the
floor. I applaud Carey for hosting this
timely discussion about very significant
issues of Christian faith and practice.
One issue in particular was highlighted,
both in the way the event was advertised
and during the course of the evening: the
issue of hell. Indeed, one contributor from
the floor described the doctrine of hell as
“the elephant in the living room”, which is
rarely faced but which we cannot afford to
leave unexamined! Apparently both Rob
Bell and Carey agree!
So do I. Why so? We cannot proclaim
Christ as Saviour, unless we talk about
what it is he saves us from. The Bible and
Christian tradition both talk about that
in terms of “hell” (among many other
things). Yet those interpretations of “hell”
which predominate in Christian tradition
are extremely difficult to square either
with the gospel itself, the gospel of a God
of love and justice, or with any human
sense of right and wrong. The result is
that, on the one hand most Christians
are reluctant to speak much at all of final
judgment, while on the other hand biblical
Christian faith is totally discredited in the
eyes of a great many unsaved.
The good news is, however, is that
“hell” is not, in reality, what Christian
tradition has made it. Surely, as Baptists,
we are used to the fact that Christian tradi-
[ THEOLOGY ]
tion does sometimes get it wrong. After all,
we have discovered that baptism is not for
infants, as traditionally taught and prac-
tised, but for believers!
Well, “hell” is not a place or state of
everlasting suffering, whether physical
or psychological or spiritual or all three.
“Hell” is but one of many ways in which
the Bible refers to the final fate of those
who reject, or are rejected by, God.
Most commonly the Bible refers to their
fate, quite literally, as either “death” or
“destruction.” “Hell” is another way of
referring to the same reality: destruction.
As Baptists, we are surely familiar with
the need to judge tradition in the light of
Scripture. Our whole movement is based
on this principle. So it is with “hell.” The
truth about hell is not to be found in this
or that ideology current in Jesus’ day.
There were almost as many views
then as there are today and Jesus himself
taught us to beware of those who “make
void the word of God” for the sake of
tradition (Matthew 15:6). Nor is the truth
about hell to be sought in the tradition of
this or that church, let alone in the experi-
ences of people who claim to have been
granted visions of the hereafter. The matter
is too important to settle by speculation
or surmise. The truth about hell is to be
sought in the Bible alone.
It is Jesus Himself who speaks most
often of “hell.” In Matthew 25:46, he
says that the rejected will “go away into
eternal punishment.” Both final destruc-
tion and everlasting suffering are “eternal
punishments” and so this statement does
not settle what kind of punishment is
involved. That question has already been
settled by Jesus earlier. In Matthew 10:28
we read: “Do not fear those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear
him who can destroy both soul and body
in hell.”
The punishment of hell is not ever-
lasting suffering, but destruction, a
comprehensive destruction of the whole
person, of the soul as well as the body.
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato
taught that the soul cannot be destroyed
and Christian tradition has largely
followed him in that view. That sounds
fine, until you realise that, logically, this
means lost souls must suffer forever.
Our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed the
contrary. God can destroy us, totally!
Therefore hell does not have to be a state
or place of everlasting torment – and
it isn’t. It is the means whereby, after
judgment, God will put out of existence
(annihilate) those who have rejected him.
The word “hell” is used in Scripture in
only a handful of other places, all in the
Gospels. In Mark 9:48, Jesus describes it as
a place “where their worm never dies and
the fire is never quenched.” Is this about
everlasting suffering? Not at all. Jesus is
merely quoting, and endorsing, Isaiah
66:24, and this text explicitly speaks of
the destruction of “dead bodies,” not the
torture of everlasting souls.
The references to undying worms and
unquenchable fire merely characterise
this destruction as total and irrevers-
ible: Worm and fire cannot be prevented
from completing their work. Jesus does
not add a single syllable beyond this Old
NZ Baptist | August 2011
Testament foundation. If only we would
follow his example!
God’s judgment is death and destruc-
tion, not eternal torment. Our favourite
Gospel texts tell us this! In John 3:16,
the alternative to “eternal life” is to
“perish.” In Romans 6:23, “the wages of
sin is death,” not everlasting suffering. All
through the Bible, from Genesis 2:15-16
to Revelation 21:6-8, the great alterna-
tives are life and death. After all, only
in and through God can we live. If we
have finally rejected God, or God has
rejected us, what is left but to perish? As
1 John 5:12 says: “Whoever has the Son has
life; whoever does not have the Son of God
does not have life.”
The judgment of God is dreadful, but
it is just and it makes sense. It is, in fact,
what we choose, when we choose against
God: “All who hate me love death”
(Proverbs 8:36).
The freedom to read and interpret
Scripture for oneself, within agreed
evangelical limits, is another fundamental
Baptist principle. I am perfectly willing
to fellowship and work with people who
continue to believe in eternal torment.
However it is high time to re-examine the
traditionalist view thoroughly in the light
of Scripture alone. At least Rob Bell, and
Carey, have raised the issue once again.
• Warren Prestidge is Pastor of Remuera
Baptist Church in Auckland. He has presented
a biblical case for annihilation in his book
Life, Death and Destiny, available from
Resurrection Publishing and Amazon. Email
respublishing@slingshot.co.nz.
August 2011 | NZ Baptist
BIRTHS
Crompton, to Shane and Hope (Manukau
City) twin boys, Toby and Josh
Fleming, Sarah and Greg (Mt Roskill) a
daughter, Lucienne Ella Rose
Goossen, to Chris and Cynthia (Hastings) a
boy, John
McLean, to Andrew and Anderina
(Mt Albert) a daughter, Bronwyn Ruth
Siulepa-Harris, to Solofa and April
(Mt Albert) a son, Gabriel
MARRIAGES
Johnson-Trayling, Pieter to Jillian
(Blenheim)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES
Hyland, Clark and Kay (Manukau City),
25 years
Ross, Lynne and Barry (Whangarei
Central), 35 years
Troup, Des and Ella (Manukau City),
55 years
Varghese, Joseph and Jesse (Manukau
City), 20 years
Walker, Elaine and Graeme (Whangarei
Central), 56 years
SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS
Achterstraat, Margaret (Whangarei
Central), 86
Ayers, Mairie (South Dunedin), 83
Blair, Joan (South Dunedin), 82
Brett, Merge (Pakuranga), 88
Eade, Phyl (Pakuranga), 89
Edgar, Bill (Mt Albert), 90  We rejoice in God’s leading in the appoint-
Hollingworth, Audrey (Feilding), 86
Hosken, Gwenda (Whangarei Central), 85
Pimm, Tineke (Feilding), 86
Sadler, Amy (Blenheim), 83
Sanders, Ron (Blenheim), 99
Strachan, Joan (Feilding), 91
Walker, Pat (Pakuranga), 90
DEATHS
Thompson, Elma (Levin) widow of the late
Rev Noel
Carter, Frederick (Wanganui) born
November 21, 1916  in London, passed
away peacefully in Wanganui, June 20
BAPTISMS
Hastings: Stephen Arcus, Grace Davison,
Ben Knight
Katikati: Julia Marshall-Mead, Joshua Smith
Manukau City: Aroha Beach, Michaela
Clark, Sheena Gumtang
Manurewa: Gisselle Bennett, Hong-Thai
Ear, Kim Hun Ear
NORTHLAND/AUCKLAND
Kaitaia
Pastor Louis du Plessis
More than 40 women stayed overnight at our
annual ladies camp at Cooper’s Beach in
May, and another 20 came for the day. Joey
du Plessis, our pastor’s wife, spoke on meta-
morphosis. There wasn’t time in the last ses-
sion to hear all the testimonies of the way
God spoke into the lives of those who came.
Thirty people completed a 17-week disciple-
ship training course run by Louis du Plessis.
Eleven folk were welcomed into member-
ship. The junior church made large banners
that brighten up the walls of the hall. Jules
Riding held a concert on June 25, teaching
the children some new songs before sing-
H. Morris Ltd.
Christian Funeral Services
‘Romaleigh’ Funeral Home, 31 Ocean View Road, Northcote, Auckland
Showing God’s love to
people in their time of grief
PHONE: (09) 489 5737 (24-HOUR SERVICE)
WWW.MORRISFUNERALS.CO.NZ
Ray & Pat Jagger, owner-operators and members of
Glenfield Baptist Church
[ CHURCHES IN ACTION ]
Send information for Churches in Action & Family to:
Carolyn Armstrong, CIA Editor
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park, New Plymouth 4312
Phone: 021 034 9639
Fax: (09) 536 5714
Email: armstrong@iee.org
ing. We have been blessed by an Auckland
family who repaired and painted our church
roof voluntarily – it is wonderful not having to
mop up all the wet areas we had every time
there was heavy rain.
Whangarei Central
Under the guidance of our new librarian,
Terrie Aldred, the library is undergoing a
huge renovation. It is becoming more user
friendly with new shelving, out-dated books
being replaced and the CD and DVD library
greatly extended. Terrie has also begun a
writing group to encourage church members
to write their testimonies and stories. David
Lyle Morris, over a weekend, held a worship
seminar, a music cafe, and led the music
team on Sunday morning. Susan Cooney
supervised the Sunday school in a serv-
ice which centred around lights; the small
children were delightful singing “This little
light of mine.” Becky Esveld, who works with
24/7, attained a Diploma in Youth Ministry.
Auckland Tabernacle
Pastoral Team Leader Lee Kok Soon
ment of a new Senior Pastor, Rev Lindsay
Jones, who commences his ministry in
November. New international evening serv-
ice to be launched in July to meet a need of
growth. Six-week cooking club pilot started
as outreach to local community. A recent
ministry leaders’ forum was useful in focus-
ing priorities and promoting unity across our
congregations. Morning congregation interim
pastor Rodney Cowell is extending his term
until November.
Franklin
Senior Pastor Maurice Milmine
In May we commenced the E100 Bible
Reading Challenge Series, recommended
by our Assistant Pastor Steve Clark. It has
brought a renewed interest to daily read-
ings of the Word. It involves 26 adult small
groups and five youth base groups, as
well as sermons based on the readings.
Greg and Rosie Blok, Wycliffe translators
in Thailand, have returned home on their
first home assignment with their children,
Thomas and Xanthe. We enjoyed hearing of
their journey so far at a shared lunch. Our
praise and worship time during Sunday serv-
ices has seen an added dimension, since
Luke Kaa-Morgan has become our Assistant
Pastor for Worship and Community
Ministries. Prison Ministry commenced this
year at Springhill Prison, led by Grant and
Shelley Buchanan, involving a team of about
20 church folk.
Manukau City
Senior Pastor Alastair Hall
Our short term missions team is on its two-
week missions trip in Thailand – a multi-
cultural, multi-generational team of eight
people. During June/July/August we are
holding the Network Course (discovering
your spiritual gifts) and the Kairos Course,
which looks at our world from God’s, the
Church’s and the world’s perspectives. Ruth
Page, working with OMF Singapore, spent a
month home with us in June. She spoke at
many of our ministry groups. EXCEL school
of performing arts performed on the last
weekend of June, with a number of commit-
ments. We had a bit of man time – 50 guys
turned out for a movie night and air hockey.
We’ve just started a series on Colossians for
morning church.
WAIKATO/CENTRAL DISTRICTS
Hamilton Central
Derek Allan
This has been quite a month for overseas
mission. We commissioned a young family
to work in South Asia, under the auspices
of an agency that partners with NZBMS
through Mission World; we enjoyed the
tranzsend Prayer and Self-Denial weeks
(raising a little extra cash via a competition
to guess how many little watering cans it
would take to fill the big one); and we also
raised more than $3,000 to send children
to a Christian camp in Turkey through KIT.
The Essential Jesus materials have been
well received for personal, family and group
use. It has been fascinating to see how the
growth of the Sunday morning prayer meet-
ing has spilled into renewed expectancy in
the services, with frequent prophetic words
and visions being given.
Katikati Community
As we arrived into church today we were
warmly greeted by a variety of loud voices
singing “One Way Jesus.” As 16-year-old
Sam opened in prayer more people arrived
and more chairs had to be found, a dream
problem for any pastor. During notices
Alisha, one of the youth leaders asked the
congregation for anyone under 25 years to
stand and about 25% of the church stood
up! A sure testimony to what the Lord
is doing in these times. Next followed a
well put together drama, a reading from 1
Corinthians 15:35-44, and a testimony by
18-year-old Marcus. Two baptisms followed.
The youth service was enjoyable and chal-
lenging; further seating problems are likely
at the next youth service.
Paeroa
Doug Martin has nearly completed a series
on Nehemiah. Lyn Ross is taking us on
a journey with Paul through Acts. Self
Denial has once again challenged us. Bob
Turlington has just completed a series on
Sunday nights entitled Defending Your Faith.
Bob also ran a school holiday programme
with the film Hop as the theme. At the end of
May we had combined services and George
Lawson from the Barnabas Fund shared on
the persecuted church. Along with the other
churches, we continue to take a monthly
service up at Ohinemuri Retirement Home.
PART-TIME
INSTALLERS
Bit of a handyman?
Always wanted your own
business?
We provide marketing,
advertising, training and
mentoring. You supply a
vehicle and tools.
Call Rohan Rudd on
0800 486 532.
www.gumleaf.co.nz
15
Most Saturday nights there is a youth group
activity. We hold a monthly film evening as
a community outreach, which is worthwhile
and is well attended. Many of our members
are involved in Bible in Schools. We recently
held a garage sale with some proceeds
going to missionaries. Our ladies are look-
ing forward to a combined churches Pajama
Party that includes a competition to find the
oldest teddy bear.
WELLINGTON/TOP OF THE
SOUTH
Blenheim
Fusion Youth (Year 9 plus) meets on Friday
evenings, attracting about 100 kids. It
includes worship, message, cafe time and
games. On Sundays more than 80 kids are
at the children’s programmes. Seniors meet
bimonthly on Wednesdays for a celebra-
tion service and fellowship. Local rest home
residents and folk from other churches are
welcome. A team attended the Holy Spirit
Retreat in Hanmer, and another team helped
St Albans with local visitation and encour-
agement. Our Mission World team organ-
ised a sumptuous Christmas-style dinner to
raise funds for Living Waters orphanage in
Borneo, and gifts to be sent to the 400+ chil-
dren for Christmas. Men are looking forward
to Promise Keepers convention in August,
and ladies plan an Empowering Her retreat
at Bridge Valley, Nelson, in late September.
In July, David Riddell (Nelson) presented
a one-day seminar, “Accelerated personal
growth – the Living Wisdom Way.”
CANTERBURY/OTAGO
Owaka
Our church has just celebrated its 125th
anniversary. The church began in 1886
and is still meeting in the same (updated)
building! God has blessed many people in
our small town, and we continue to reach
out to our community, especially through
Friday Club, a fortnightly programme for
primary-aged children. We are just a small
group at present, but we look forward to
what God has for our future. We are focus-
ing on Ian Malin’s book Prepare the Way
for Revival, and have open church services,
where everyone is welcome to share.
South Dunedin
Pastor Bruce Geddes
Christian Fellowship for the Disabled held
a church service. Mens’ ministry held a film
night. Alex and Liz Harkes were welcomed
into membership from Ranui. For 10 years
we have supported a St Paul’s school in
Tripura through child sponsorship. We are
supporting an 8-year-old student and the
kids’ church will be involved in her progress.
PASTORAL MOVES
• Lindsay Jones appointed Senior Pastor
(60%) of Auckland Baptist Tabernacle, com-
mencing November 20; he remains Church
Health and Development team leader at the
Baptist Union (40%)
• Melody Snook appointed Youth Pastor,
Eastgate
• Paul Cossey resigning as Pastor,
Riccarton, August 31
• Rebecca Connor resigned Youth Pastor,
Eastgate
16 [ NEWS ] NZ Baptist | August 2011

New Carey course explores biblical Baptist pastors

basis for helping the poor
A new course launched by World Vision New
Zealand and Carey Baptist College last month says that
Christianity and helping the poor are inextricably linked.
“It is impossible to call yourself a Christian and then
turn your back on the poor,” said World Vision CEO
Chris Clarke, who is active in facilitating the course.
“This is not a new message.”
The course, which is part of Carey’s NZQA Bachelor
of Applied Theology programme, started on July 19 and
runs for 12 weeks. It includes sessions entitled “God and
the Poor” and “Development and the Gospel.”
College lecturer George Wieland, who is also facili-
tating the course, said, “We are very excited by this
new partnership.... It will bring biblical and theological
perspectives on the Kingdom of God, the gospel and
salvation into engagement with the challenges that
come from practical involvement in issues of poverty
and injustice.
“We look forward to our understanding of Christian
faith being stretched and our participation in the trans-
formation of our world being shaped and invigorated as
we address these realities.”
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organisa-
tion dedicated to working with children, families and
communities to overcome extreme poverty and injus-
tice. More than 65,000 child sponsors currently support
World Vision New Zealand to help deliver more than
40 development programmes around the world. Each
lasts 15 to 20 years to ensure sustainable transformation
is achieved. More than 100,000 young people also take
part in the 40 Hour Famine, the country’s largest youth
event, to raise further funds to support World Vision’s
field work.
• For course information, email registrar@carey.ac.nz.
gather at Hanmer
to be encouraged
By Paul Edlin
Pastor, Wainuiomata Baptist
Set amidst the beautiful surrounds of the South Island’s
main divide, Hanmer Springs hosted the third annual
gathering of Baptist leaders hungry for a fresh touch of the
presence of God.
Last year 41 Baptist pastors and leaders gathered; this
year 110 came.
This year was particularly significant for those who
have or are experiencing difficulties in their church, or
were feeling drained from the pressures of ministry.
The five meetings ranged in length from four to five
hours. They began with worship that included singing,
prayer and corporately seeking after the presence of God.
Pastor Maurice and Miriam Atkinson, with their experi-
ence in the use of the prophetic and word of knowledge,

» Positions Vacant 北帕中央浸信教會中文部

lead each session. God demonstrated his presence in
tangible ways. Their sensitivity to both the people and the
Holy Spirit, and their ability to lead in this atmosphere
誠聘牧師
Graphic Designer gave rise to a powerful anointing. Hearts were healed,

FREESET – KOLKATA, INDIA

Freeset provides dignified employment in a healing
work community for women who want to break
free from the sex trade. Around 180 women work
at Freeset, manufacturing quality jute bags and
organic cotton t-shirts for the export conference and
business-to-business markets – but Freeset’s core
business is freedom. Freeset is located in one of
the largest red light districts in India, right within the
community it seeks transform.
Freeset will be in need of a production designer
from mid-September until late December 2011/mid-
January 2012. Skills required include:
• A good eye for design layout, to ensure a
customer’s design is presented in the best
possible light
• Clear communication, so the customer knows what
is possible and gets what they want
• Good time management, making sure that mockups
are delivered in a timely fashion and that the screen
printing department is kept supplied with finished
designs
• Adobe CS3+ (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign)
Email communications@freesetglobal.com.
Op Shop Store Manager
PAKURANGA SHOP
We are currently seeking a Store Manager for our
Pakuranga Shop in Ben Lomond Crescent. To be
successful in this position you will need retail and
management experience, excellent communication
skills, enthusiasm, flexibility to work Saturdays,
experience with point of sale and computer skills,
strong inter-personal skills with both staff and our
loyal customer base, full driver’s license and be
healthy enough to manage a lot of lifting and sorting.
Pastor lives were changed, and spirits were renewed.
Here are three of the many testimonies:
FOR MANDARIN-SPEAKING CONGREGATION “Through the sensitive and mature use of all the spir-
itual gifts, God had the freedom to speak and minister
Palmerston North Central Baptist Church is seeking
deeply into our lives. I came away greatly encouraged in
a full time Associate Pastor for its Mandarin speaking
my spirit and hopeful once again about ministry.”
congregation.
“A supportive and non-judgemental environment,
allowing the Holy Spirit to move as he pleased, to touch,
The person must be able to communicate well in both
encourage, and empower his believers.”
Mandarin and English (Cantonese would be helpful
“I was personally impacted by what God was doing not
but not essential). They will be working in a team
only in me but for one of my team. The person concerned
environment within the wider church and therefore be
had asked God to speak to him about two issues. No one
part of the pastoral staff. else knew what he had asked God about. During the three
days, several people who did not know him had both
The applicant will have:
words of knowledge and prophetic words addressing only
• At least 3 years of theological education
those two specific issues. It has been life-changing for him,
• Preaching, pastoral and leadership gifts
his family, and the church.”
• An enthusiastic approach to ministry The retreat is charismatic and based around worship,
prayer and fasting. We operate as a team and everyone is
For a detailed ministry description or expressions of
encouraged to contribute appropriately to the meetings.
interest contact John Chang at cccbpn@gmail.com
There are a number of senior Baptist ministers who attend
or write to Central Baptist, PO Box 7058, Palmerston
and are well able to judge any words and provide teaching
North, 4412. and guidelines.
www.pncbc.org.nz If you are interested in attending next year, contact
Gary Colville, Paul Edlin or Murray Cottle in the North
Island; Aaron Salisbury, Alan Hollis, John Alpe or Maurice
Atkinson in the South Island.
Senior Leader Send an email to pastor.maurice@xtra.co.nz to go on the
THE HILLSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH mailing list.
ST JOHNS, AUCKLAND
Hillside is now seeking expressions of interest from
suitably qualified and experienced Christian leaders.
As our Senior Leader you will be able to lead Hillside
to the next level of service to our community. You will
love all age groups and be able to lead and work with
a diverse, enthusiastic and committed team.
Hillside tries hard to be relevant with a number of
existing ministries already doing a great job. You will
be especially understanding of and able to inspire
youth ministries and youth workers having been there
yourself in recent years.

Key responsibilities include:
• Manage and motivate a team of paid and voluntary
staff
• Shop security
• Manage some on-line purchases
• Responsibility for all advertising and marketing
initiatives
• Over-sighting stock pricing and sorting
• Shop presentation and safety
• Responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of shop
vehicle(s)
If you are interested please send your CV to the
Ministry Director at Eastgate Christian Centre, Peter
McCartney at peter@eastgatecc.org or mail to
PO Box 82049 Highland Park, Auckland.
Your role will be to outwork your excellent leadership
skills within our fellowship. Your interpretation of
Christian life will be humble and a reflection of your
spiritual maturity. You will be serving and releasing
the people around you with outstanding principled
leadership, within a community that recognises the
ministry gifts. You will also understand and fulfil
the formal aspects of a pastoral role. Job share or
combined ministry and other employment options may
exist including dedicated youth work. Please don’t
allow your age or denominational background stop
you from applying if you are the right person for us.
In the first instance please send your CV (in
confidence) to Rob Albrecht C/- PO Box 18200 Glen
Innes, Auckland 1743, or email bonrob@xtra.co.nz.
August 2011 | NZ Baptist
» Obituary
“For to me, to live is Christ and
to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21
Elma Joyce Thompson
1928 – 2011
Elma was the wife of the late Rev Noel
Thompson, and those who knew her
remember her as an equal partner with him
in the many churches they touched.
Noel had flown with the RNZAF in the
Pacific, then worked for NAC followed
by BTI and extra-mural training from the
Baptist College. They met when Noel was
working with the United Maori Mission at
Kaikohe in the early 1950s.
They married in 1954, had three sons
and a daughter, ten grandchildren and one
great-grandson.
After their marriage they took up an
assistant pastor’s position in Auckland.
Over 14 years they ministered at Melville,
Wanganui, East Tamaki and Titahi Bay
Baptist churches.
In 1970 Noel left the ministry to move to
Palmerston North and care for his elderly
parents. Initially he had no job, but together
they bought their first home. It was a chal-
lenging time but they knew they were to
honour their parents and God through it all.
They moved to Levin in 1980 and
pastored the Baptist church there until
1985. Then they moved out to Waitarere
Beach in semi retirement and immediately
began travelling the country as interim
pastors. They touched many lives in this
period.
Noel, who served as Levin’s treasurer
and was made its minister-emeritus, passed
away in 1996 just after they moved back
there. Elma stayed in the family home,
became a church elder, ran a home group,
and befriended and mentored many
mothers in the church. Her final years were
spent at a local rest home.
Elma will be remembered for her caring
pastoral heart, her open home, hearty
meals and home baking. She was uncon-
ventional at times. On one occasion, at a
new manse and pastorate, she was found
up a ladder painting the kitchen white
(obliterating the manse kitchen’s pastel
pink, green and yellow) when two formally
dressed BWMU ladies came to the door.
They were wondering when she was
coming over to the church to chair their
meeting.
Many will remember her wonderful
singing voice when she teamed with Noel
on his piano or organ. They were often a
keenly anticipated part of church socials or
worship services.
Elma is a wonderful example of many of
our pastors’ wives. Though sorely missed,
we don’t begrudge her heavenly reward.
– Ross Kerr, Levin Baptist
[ IN MEMORY ] 17
Northpoint honours pastor
New Plymouth staff look accept it. Yes, it would be a challenge, but Robyn
was still the Robyn God had blessed with so many
back on the journey, a year gifts and called to serve as a pastor, so who were we
after losing their pastor
to take that from her.
Some of us felt slightly guilty taking responsibili-
and friend to cancer ties she would have relished. We felt that we were
sometimes squandering hours doing meaningless
things that could have been spent for kingdom
By Sarah Birchler, church administration manager, &
purposes or self care; we were more sensitive to
Rachel Roche, pastor of family ministries
the priorities and purpose in everything we did.
T
here is no easy way to start writing about We joked about being in denial, we cried about the
the loss of someone. Our journey has been Robyn Lewis stress we were under, we prayed like never before
unique, and we have grown in so many and we hoped for physical healing that did not
ways. Working with someone who is terminally come.
ill is a challenge and a blessing. Being pastored by “To Robyn left us on August 27, 2010 at the age of 51.
someone who is unwell is incredibly humbling. The undeniable power of the Body of Christ to love,
Many people were touched by Robyn Lewis surrender care and support one another was a gift from God.
through her words, her friendship, her spiritual
direction, her study at Carey, her quilting, her avid
our hopes He knows how much more can be achieved when
we come together.
interest in gardening, chickens, fishing and her and dreams When Robyn died, the leadership team began the
work as a pastor. For Northpoint Baptist in New process of healing and re-forming to lead a church.
Plymouth, the loss of a treasured pastor, friend to you ... is We discovered that, even when someone close dies,
and colleague has shaped the past year in dramatic
ways.
the way to life never goes on hold for long enough. Reality hits
so we need to reflect and take note so the things we
She began her work at Northpoint in March 2005 abundant learned are not forgotten.
with a passion and energy that remained to the end. Robyn will always be missed. Her faith was so
Being at a rapidly growing church, Robyn had the life.” deep and creative, her legacy so defining and her
task of overseeing a wide range of areas – prayer humble servanthood so inspiring.
ministry, life groups, fellowship and inclusion, Near the end of her journey, Robyn wrote: “Life
pastoral care, the Northpoint LifeCare Trust’s counseling serv- is not meaningless when it is lived in service to you, but the
ices and she was a Spiritual Director. demand is different to what it first appears. To lay down one’s
The gift of wisdom and grace she shared with so many came life is truly to take it up. To surrender our hopes and dreams to
out of her deep love for God and the desire to see people grow you, our Isaac, is the way to abundant life.”
and be transformed.
The two-year journey that God took each of us on as we • Those at Northpoint who worked closely with Robyn are putting
watched Robyn battle cancer was significant. together a resource that they hope will be useful to other church lead-
Robyn offered her resignation but the leadership did not ership teams who are working with someone who is terminally ill.
BWA calls for ‘just peacemaking’
The Baptist World Alliance is encour- and sustainable; a reduction in offen- Naga people,” the resolution states. “We
aging its member conventions and sive weapons and weapons trade; the commend those parties who signed the
unions, churches and Baptist individuals support of grassroots peacemaking 2009 Covenant of Reconciliation and
to learn the “ten practices of just peace- groups and voluntary associations; and urge them to fulfill its promise.”
making” and “to incorporate them ... in the strengthening of the United Nations The 2009 covenant was further
our congregations and institutions.” and other international organisations. endorsed at a high level meeting of
In a resolution passed during its The BWA recalled Jesus’ cry over Naga leaders on September 18, 2010.
Annual Gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Jerusalem in Luke 19:42, when he  For decades, several Naga groups
Malaysia, July 4-9, the BWA also urged bewailed ignorance of “those things that have been in conflict with each other
governments to pursue the ten practices make for peace.” and with the Indian government over
“in their leadership, policies and actions.” Said the BWA: “We envision Jesus issues of autonomy and sovereignty for
 The “just peacemaking” formula weeping over many cities and nations of Nagaland state and the Naga people.
was developed by scholars led by Glen our world because we do not know those Between 1992 and 2009, more than 2,330
Stassen, a Baptist and professor of things that make for peace.” insurgency related fatalities have been
Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological  In a separate resolution, the BWA recorded in Nagaland.
Seminary in Pasadena, California, in the endorsed the peace agreement signed  At the meetings in Kuala Lumpur,
United States. by three Naga factions in the Northeast Aier was presented with the BWA
The peace plan includes support for Indian state of Nagaland in 2009. Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights
nonviolent action; cooperative conflict  “We give thanks to God for the Award for his role in brokering peace
resolution; the promotion of human remarkable efforts of the Forum for among the Nagas, a group that is
rights, religious liberty and democracy; Naga Reconciliation under the leader- predominantly Christian with a large
economic development that is just ship of Wati Aier to bring peace to the Baptist population.
18 [ REVIEWS ] NZ Baptist | August 2011

» Book Reviews
How I Changed My Mind About Women
in Leadership: Compelling Stories from
Prominent Evangelicals
Alan Johnson (editor)
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2010
ISBN 978-0-310-29315
This book has 21 autobio-
graphical accounts of well-known
American evangelicals – ethni-
cally diverse men and women
from a broad range of denomina-
tional backgrounds. Contributors
include Stuart and Jill Briscoe,
Tony Campolo, Bill and Lynne
Hybels, I. Howard Marshall,
John and Nancy Ortberg and
Cornelius Platinga.
The accounts tend to be autobi-
ographical rather than doctrinal.
You won’t find a carefully
reasoned doctrinal outline for
the position in any one account,
but you can assemble one across the total. The book has
a bibliographic primer at the back for those wishing to
conduct more research and it also contains the statement of
faith of Christians for Biblical Equality.
John G. Stackhouse Jr, writing of his own experience,
notes that the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn is
often cited to help us understand how people undergo
significant changes in their thinking – what we call
paradigm shifts. Kuhn suggests that that we give
up our way of thinking, our paradigms, only under
duress. Typically we do so when we can no longer
accommodate within our paradigms those evidences
and arguments that don’t fit – what Khan called
anomalies.
Stackhouse recounts how the arguments he encoun-
tered in writing and the examples he encountered in
the flesh constituted a big and ever-growing pile of
anomalies. The collective force of these egalitarian
evidences helped collapse his inherited patriarchy. This
pattern is common to most of the contributors.
Jerusalem: The Biography
By Simon Sebag Montefiore
Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London, 2011
ISBN: 978 0 297 85265 0
Tracing the history of Jerusalem from the time of the
conquering of Canaan up until this present day, this is an
epic work of the enduring city that is central to three
faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Time and time again each of these faiths has
had control of the city for centuries only to
lose it to one of history’s great conquerors:
Neduchadnezzar, Alexander, Vespasian,
Richard, Saladin, Allenby. Being on the
land route between Europe or Asia and
Egypt, which was the real goal of most of
the invaders, was the source of many of its
problems.
This is a fascinating account of how
Jewish and later Christian communities
struggled to survive in the city and its ever
changing rulers; how the city would time
and time again be destroyed but then rebuilt;
how each faith sought to retain access to its holy
places and some of the strange compromises that
resulted; how kings, queens, sultans, emirs and caesars
could not resist the call to dwell within its holy walls; and
the strange affliction, Jerusalem madness, that every year
sees at least 100 visitors placed in
psychiatric care.
The author acknowledges
that the Bible has the basic facts
right but repeatedly says that
the writers, “probably exagger-
ated their accounts.” Some may
be surprised to learn that Jews
were never absent from the city,
although at times they were
represented by only a couple
of families. The author is left
wondering what it is about this
city that makes it so central to
world history.
Hurting Hope
By Charles and Joanne Hewlett
Piquant, Carlisle, 2011
ISBN 978-1-903689-77-6
The background to this book may be well known to
many New Zealand Baptists as Charles is the principal of
Carey College. For those who don’t know, they outline it in
the preface:
“In August 1992 our first child,
Janelle, was born. Five months later
she was diagnosed with an inoperable
brain tumour and given two to six
months to live. Despite this prognosis
she lived for another twelve years
with extreme physical and intellec-
tual disabilities, dying just short of
her thirteenth birthday. On 7 April
1994, our second child, James, was
born. Eighteen months later we were
told he was severely intellectually
disabled. Today at age sixteen he has
the cognitive ability of a nine-year-
old, depending on us to meet all his
needs.”
This book does not try to give a theological answer to
the problem of pain, but rather reflects the pain of parents
struggling to cope with the above. This is an honest and
open portrayal of the sorrow and struggle that it involves.
Charles writes of how being a father isn’t what it was
meant to be, that rather than watch his son play rugby he
has to walk with him through the mall while people stare.
Joanne writes of the grief and unbelief of receiving the
specialist diagnosis, of looking out the window and seeing
other people’s lives going on oblivious to the fact that hers
had stopped.
The book is composed of short vignettes from both
Charles and Joanne. It is not an easy book to read. My
daughter came for Sunday lunch with our new eight
month old grand-daughter. Seeing the book she picked it
up and started scanning it, but put it down saying, “I just
can’t read this, it is too painful.”
– David McLeod-Jones

First album for want to take their music more seriously.

songwriting couple
Drawing on their diverse backgrounds, personal values
and love for each other, high school sweethearts Alex
and Glenn Donaghy of FreeDay wear their scars on their
sleeves with their debut album, Welcome to the FreeDay.
The Auckland couple, who have links to Destiny
Church, have been singing and writing songs for 17 years
but during that time family has taken priority. Now they
“I don’t want to put us in a box,” Alex says. “All the
band members are Christians but the songs are geared
more towards a secular audience, with a strong Christian
message – a bit like what Brooke Fraser is doing.”
The couple have created a personal album that hints at
their past struggles while serving as a guiding light for
others going through hard times.
 Glen’s husky vocals exude a theatrical quality. Team that
with his deft songwriting and you have an album of unex-
pected but satisfying twists and turns, moving ballads and
soul-stirring pop songs. FreeDay

DON’T
New Hymn Book
edemption GREAT FOR EVANGELISM
ymns FORGET Who would take
700 great
hymns and
on a project like
new truth-filled
songs. Clear,
August 12 is
the NZ Baptist
that?
easy music,
low keys. deadline
Music $48
Words $7.50
for September
Emmaus
www.redhymns.com advertising
Home Bible Studies & letters
Baptism Next
(for teens) $4.
Free catalogue
of over 80
home Bible
studies and
Christian living.
www.emmausnz.com
Emmaus Correspondence School
PO Box 56-018, Tawa, Wellington
04-232-5004 learn@emmausnz.com

Families $7 each book – Great Deals for Churches !

walking with God Contact Myan 021 507 149 / Friends of Madagascar (NZ)
PO BOX 29164 • Fendalton • Christchurch 8540
info@hope2overcome.org
walkingwithGod.com madagascar.org.nz
August 2011 | NZ Baptist [ REVIEWS ] 19

by Rhett Snell

DEREK WEBB PETER FURLER AUGUST BURNS RED TEDASHII

» CD Reviews Feedback
• For more reviews, see
www.drone.co.nz Writing about music invites hyper-
bole, but it’s not an exaggeration to
suggest that Derek Webb is one of
the most creative artists around at
the moment, Christian or other-
wise. His last album, Stockholm
Syndrome, was a classic, both lyri-
cally and musically provocative.
Feedback is Webb’s latest project,
and this time he’s decided to make
a worship album with a difference.
This record is an instrumental
meditation on the Lord’s Prayer,
and it comes packaged with
photographs and artwork that
are intended to aid in worshipful
reflection. With Feedback, Webb has
for the most part left behind the
hiccupping Kid A style electronica
of his last album, though bleeps
and bloops do surface from time
to time to provide a bit of colour.
There is a much more organic
chamber-pop sound here, which
comes across like a happy blend of
Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens.
An instrumental worship album
with accompanying visual aids
might seem a little bit highbrow
to some people, so this isn’t for
everyone. But for people who
connect best with God through
contemplation or creativity,
Feedback is wonderfully original.
HHHHI
On Fire
After 17 years with Newsboys,
Peter Furler decided it was time
to slow down and focus on his
family. Yet, two years later, his
first solo album has arrived. And
from the first moment, On Fire
comes across as a slightly under-
whelming late-period Newsboys
album, which still makes it
substantially better than anything
Furler’s old band have released
since his departure.
But On Fire also maintains that
late-period Newsboys tendency
to let albums get hijacked by dull
worship lyrics. Back in the day,
when Newsboys sang about the
miracle of being transformed and
renewed by the Spirit, they sang
about “The kind of change that
would make an Eskimo renounce
fur / That would make a vege-
tarian barbeque a hamster.” It was
funny and it was smart.
Nowadays, Furler sings about
the same topic this way: “I’m
alive, I’m on fire / And my spirit
burns with desire / I wanted to
thank you.” It may be more direct
and “worshipful” but it’s more
boring too. Thankfully there’s still
a lot here to enjoy, but not quite
enough to truly fill that classic
Newsboys gap.
HHHII
Leveler
The thing about being a band that
plays metalcore is it’s a bit like
being a painter who only uses the
colour black. When your fans are
expecting Cookie Monster vocals,
down-tuned riffs and technical
lead breaks, there is only so much
you can do. August Burns Red
have always been good enough to
do metalcore well, but the limits
of their genre mean that I’ve
never been blown away by them.
That’s why it was a nice surprise
when the metal uproar of second
track “Internal Cannon” subsided
and an almost Latin sounding
interlude came to the fore.
Leveler is packed with these little
surprises and they lift the album
from competent to quite good, at
least musically.
The lyrics on Leveler are similar
territory for this genre, vaguely
biblical statements sung/
screamed with Lord of the Rings
grandiosity. “Self-righteousness
is your demise” and “Tyrant, ring
the bells of repentance” are two
examples of the epically cheesy
lines that are this band’s stock in
trade. August Burns Red might
not have completely shaken off
the chains of their genre with this
album, but they’ve taken a few
promising steps.
HHHII
Blacklight
Tedashii is a protégé of the
Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae,
and Blacklight is his third album.
I’ve never found Lecrae incred-
ibly impressive, so I have to admit
that “Riot,” the first track here,
had me worried. It’s a mix of
early 2000s Missy Elliot and gritty
gangsta rap, and, to be honest, I
find gangsta rap mind-numbingly
boring. I’ll take the fun and multi-
layered music of the Beastie Boys
or The Roots over that, any day.
So it’s strange to me that many
of the Christian rap artists I hear
seem to feel that a swaggering
and forceful persona is still
required, when artists like Lupe
Fiasco have proven that hip-hop
has grown past that. To some
degree, Blacklight is hobbled
by this, and as a result Tedashii
sounds like a bit of a relic. In
saying that, there are times when
guest vocalists draw this album
into more interesting territory. But
even then, Tedashii just doesn’t
possess a flow that is capable of
any great subtlety.
Still, if you think the ’90s were
the halcyon days of hip-hop, you
might just enjoy what Tedashii
brings to the table.
HHIII

» DVD Review
Amish Grace But the Amish mother, Ida, played no one is completely above question. Even the Amish,
Warning: You will need a good by Kimberly Williams-Paisley (from genuine in their willingness to forgive, seem to adopt a
supply of paper tissues for this one! TV’s According to Jim and the movie double standard. They have “shunned” Ida’s sister for
Charlie is a milkman who lives Father of the Bride) is not so forgiving. partnering with an “Englishman,” yet they are willing to
next door to an Amish community in Ida is angry and not about to forgive forgive someone for murder?
Pennsylvania. Angry with God at the anyone. She questions her faith and This is a movie that explores the power of forgiveness,
loss of his and his wife’s baby at just considers leaving the close-knit Amish yet doesn’t shy away from the difficult questions that go
one day old, he walks into the Amish community. with it.
school house and shoots 10 young This is a simple, uncluttered film that Excellent viewing that raises enough questions to keep
girls, five fatally. is beautifully acted and explores the your home group going for weeks!
Later that day, the father of one complex issue of grace and forgiveness – Duncan Pardon
of the dead girls – along with other from both a Christian perspective (via Starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Amish elders – visit Charlie’s wife and the Amish) and non-Christian perspec- Rated PG
tell her they forgive Charlie and have tive (via a TV reporter). 106 minutes
nothing against her. In fact, they would There are no good guys or bad guys • DVD supplied by Life Resources Ltd, Christchurch. Phone
like to help her with her pain and grief. here. Everyone is a victim and yet 0800 895 172 or email www.lr.org.nz.

WHANGAREI

150th Celebration
NOVEMBER 4 – 6, 2011
Come join us for our celebration.
For registrations or details contact Alexis or Jenny.
e: office@standrews.net.nz | p: (09) 438 1667
www.standrews.net.nz
20 [ THE GATHERING ] NZ Baptist | August 2011

Some of what we have to look forward to:

• GRANT WARNER is part of the National Children and Family Ministry team.
He is responsible for developing the future of the ministry to churches.
Engaging the Next Generation: Crafting connections between church, home, and community
• JOHN ALPE and his wife, Sandra, pastor the St Albans Baptist Church in Christchurch
1 is the loneliest number: Everything in a growing church requires team. Practical skills and
strategies on team building and team culture development.
• ANDREW L’ALMONT is the new Business Development Manager at Baptist Savings
Money – the new Evangelism tool (find out how your church can use it)
• ALAN UTTING / ASIAN PASTORS / GEORGE WIELAND
Alan is currently the Multi-cultural team leader with the Baptist Union; George
is a lecturer at Carey Baptist College
The Kingdom potential of intercultural partnership
• IAN & MARY GRANT
Faithbox, a resource to pass on faith to your children by engaging the whole
family with the Bible in vibrant worship

Lincoln, Christchurch • MERRILYN WITHERS

The Church Jigsaw. Teens and young adults – missing pieces or fitting right in?
November 10-13 • Contribute to a dialogue with PETER MIHAERE and JOHN DAWSON about

T his year’s Gathering has a great theme – “Being the Body,

Nobody Missing.” This is reflected in the breadth of our
main speakers, workshops and seminars. This year’s
programme has been designed with church ministry and leader-
ship teams in mind. There are many more options than in the past.
If a team is coming from your church, and we hope there will be,
the rub effect of world mission in the local NZ church context, as we grapple
with God’s mission agenda both in New Zealand and around the world.
• GARY GRUT
What we wish we had been told – Senior and Associates working together
• JO HOOD
mainly music. One main focus – Connection
we suggest you divide the seminars and workshops between you.
Mark Holmen (www.faithbeginsathome.com), John Dawson, • WESTGATE BAPTIST CHURCH
and Ian and Mary Grant are our main speakers. Their emphasis Breaking down the silos – children, youth and adult ministries working together
is on educating the family to take responsibility for family disci-
pleship, and how ministry teams can integrate their work to see
• PAUL ASKIN
life-long commitment to God. Lessons learned while leading in a time of disaster – a personal story from the
The Dream Centre music team will lead worship at the main Christchurch earthquakes
sessions. The venue is the Lincoln University Campus with on-site • DAVID MOKO
accommodation. The Gathering starts on Thursday evening with a Whanau Ora – Family taking responsibility for the family
celebration meal and the conference starts at 2pm Friday.
• CAREY BAPTIST COLLEGE STAFF
Registration packs with all the details will be available Teaching theology to children
early August.

Looking for the John the Baptist went to Jordan

*

Stephanie the Baptist went to Lebanon

**

best rate? * his real name ** her real name

4.3%

4.2%
Where will you go?
4.1%
MECO International is a bunch of Christians (Kiwis and other foreigners)
doing their ordinary sorts of jobs in extraordinary places: the Middle East.
Baptist Savings

4.0% They endeavour to live the Good News of Jesus

National Bank

and work alongside the local church wherever

Kiwi Bank
Rabobank
Westpac

3.9%
they are/whatever they do.
ANZ
BNZ

ASB

6 month term investment *

Competitive rates.
Unparalleled legacy.

Chris Grantham
Download an application form to invest now: Director, MECO NZ

www.baptistsavings.co.nz Like to know more? Call Chris on

0800 MECO 22 or chris@meco.org.nz
* Rates current at date of publication. Source: interest.co.nz. or visit www.meco.org.nz
$5,000 & OVER TERMS AND RATES:
90 days @ 3.50%pa 12 months @ 4.40%pa 3 years @ 5.30%pa
6 months @ 4.30%pa 18 months @ 4.50%pa 5 years @ 6.00%pa
9 months @ 4.35%pa 2 years @ 4.75%pa Call 1.50% - 2.50%
Interest paid 6 monthly/maturity – 9 month term paid quarterly. Rates are subject to
change. A disclosure statement is available on request & free of charge.
Note: Photo depicts neither John the Baptist nor Stephanie the Baptist.
PO Box 12738 Penrose 1642 Freephone 0508 SAVINGS (0508 728 464) E office@baptistsavings.co.nz
 Vol. 127 No. 8 September 2011

focus on
EDUCATION
CAREY COLLEGE’S FOUR PILLARS » 9
MAINLY MUSIC FAMILIES FLOURISH » 16
BIBLE BELONGS IN SCHOOLS » 17
FIVE TIPS TO TEACHING TRUTH » 17

REMEMBERING JOHN STOTT » 3

WORLD REACH: CENTRAL AFRICA » 11-13

2 [ OPINION ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

» HE SAYS | SHE SAYS «

Co-editors Duncan & Fran Pardon

garden, marvelling at all the recent growth

The Baptist Magazine is the Bridging the gap and admiring what had bloomed since I’d

O
newspaper of the Baptist ur eldest daughter came to us recently
Churches of New Zealand. to tell us about a plan she and her
Published by the Communications division fellow church youth group colleagues had
of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. for purchasing a vacant building in the main
street and turning it into a youth centre.
EDITORIAL & LETTERS Fran and I started turning pale. “You can’t
PO Box 5, Beachlands just buy a building and turn it into a youth
Auckland 2147 centre! You need capital, mortgages, planning
Phone: (09) 536 5715 permission, church support, probably a chari-
Fax: (09) 536 5714 table trust to manage it, demographic studies,
Email: editor@baptist.org.nz market research, a youth worker, staff …
“What happens if no-one uses it? What
ADVERTISING
happens if you can’t agree among yourselves
PO Box 12149, Penrose
on its future direction? What about security?
Auckland 1642
What happens if that new planned shopping
Phone: (09) 526 7951
centre at the top of the round goes ahead and
Email: advertising@baptist.org.nz the area where your building is turns into a
SUBSCRIPTIONS & ACCOUNTS ghost town?”
PO Box 12149, Penrose And so we went on … yadayadayada.
Auckland 1642 It’s because we are getting old. Getting old
Phone: (09) 526 0331 brings wisdom. It brings a caution based on
Fax: (09) 526 0334 experience of life being a lot more compli-
Email: info@baptist.org.nz cated than it first appears.
And that’s a bit sad because there is much
Editors to be said for the idealism, enthusiasm and
Duncan & Fran Pardon energy of committed young Christians. And
those three qualities may well be enough to
Business Manager
turn an empty building into a vibrant youth
Kelvyn Fairhall
centre.
Missions Editor So we remembered when we were young
Greg Knowles and started to once again see the challenge
Production & Advertising Manager from a youthful perspective. One of the
Maryanne Wardlaw advantages of being middle-aged (well, late
middle-aged in my case) is that for a brief
Churches in Action Editor
few years you somehow manage to bridge
Carolyn Armstrong
the generations.
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park
It is still possible to look at the young
New Plymouth 4312
people in church and see the world through
armstrong@iee.org
their eyes, feel the pleasure they get from the
Copy & advertising deadline
12th of the month prior
modern music, sometimes manage to still
“get” their quirky humour, not get offended
Publication date: First Sunday of each by their dress sense (or lack of) while appreci-
ating their vision and idealism.
over thousands of years of human civiliza-
tion but one constant remains: From the Old
Testament to the post modern, the idealism of
youth has clashed with the wisdom of age.
Hardly a month goes past without
us receiving a letter to the editor from a
frustrated older congregation member
complaining about how loud the music in
church is. Hardly a month goes past without
a young person questioning the “relevance”
of Sunday church.
Churches put a huge amount of effort into
retaining, and then developing the spiritual
maturity of, young people. Many churches
also value their elderly congregation
members, look after them, and encourage
them to hand down their wisdom to others.
But there is one group in church that
doesn’t get talked about much at all. My
group. The middle-aged, the bridge between
young and old with the ability to still see the
world from both perspectives.
Understandly, the major burden of running
the world and the church falls on this group,
but perhaps just occasionally we should
pause in what we are doing and intentionally
consider our role in that oldest of all battles –
the Generation Gap.
– Duncan Pardon
God’s still in the
garden
last had time to enjoy the surroundings,
rather than rushing down the driveway.
Daffodils, ebullient camellias, jasmine,
bougainvillea and rampant giant impatiens
all added splashes of colour, counterpoints to
the tapestry of greens.
To me, gardens have always been a source
of serenity and beauty; a soothing oasis that
washes away the worries of the week and the
world, albeit for a short time.
Some of my earliest memories are in a
garden – my grandmother’s large and well-
ordered half acre bordered by giant trees.
I think it is no accident that God planted,
so to speak, Adam and Eve in a garden
setting – the first garden.
Nor was it a coincidence that Jesus’ last
hours of freedom before his crucufixion were
spent in an olive orchard, the Garden of
Gethsemane.
I think gardens are God’s natural cathe-
drals and churches. No matter the style, they
are wonderful places for prayer and reflec-
tion, whether it’s the smallest of courtyard
gardens, the wide open spaces of a large
municipal botanic garden or a glade in the
heart of native bush overhung by the green
lace of tree ferns.
The effect I find is the same – one of peace
and a grounding that comes from being in
God’s presence among the beauty of natural

month except January
Distributed through local Baptist Churches
in New Zealand, and dependent on their
contributions.
Subscriptions and postage for others:
NZ: $30 (including GST)
Airmail to Australia & South Pacific: $45
Rest of the World: $50
Printed by APN Print, 101 Birch Avenue,
Tauranga, New Zealand
Registered at POHQ as a newspaper.
ISSN 1176-8711. A member publication
of the Australasian Religious Press
Association. Articles and advertising in
the NZ Baptist are the opinions of the
authors, not necessarily the editors or
publishers. Every effort is made to ensure
the correctness of facts and information,
however we cannot accept responsibility
for errors. The publishers reserve the
right to accept or decline any advertising.
Fundraising appeals are accepted for
Baptist causes only.
ARPA
Awards for
Excellence
‘Best Feature
(multiple authors)’
highly commended, 2010
'Best Review of Another
Medium'
bronze award, 2009
'Best Front Page'
silver award, 2008
'Feature that Shows Most
Originality'
highly commended, 2008
But at the same time is also possible to
value the wisdom that life experience brings,
to appreciate the blissful moments of quiet,
to value the older members of the congrega-
tion for what they have contributed and what
they still have to offer.
Society has changed in so many ways
Please send letters to editor@baptist.org.nz or
PO Box 5, Beachlands, Auckland 2147. Letters
exceeding 300 words may be edited for length.
Child discipline law casts
a dark shadow
I was interested in the editorial “Who Do
I Vote For” (NZ Baptist, August). Overall,
it was well thought-out and objective. I do
take issue, however, with the suggestion
that the anti-smacking law was passed on a
conscience vote.
Prior to the bill being introduced I wrote
to Phil Goff suggesting that he allow Labour
Party MPs to have a conscience vote, I
received no response. Unfortunately it was
National Party policy and consequently John
Boscawen’s bill, when drawn from the ballot,
was blocked by the Prime Minister from even
having a first reading in Parliament. There
was absolutely no chance that any MP from
either major party could possibly exercise a
conscience vote. The Boscawen Bill would
have allowed reasonable physical discipline.
I
n the wake of the recent polar blast, we
have been blessed with a series of perfectly
beautiful, cloudless days.
Two of these pristine days coincided with
a weekend when we weren’t in our usual
state of perpetual motion. With a smile on my
face I was able to spend time in our rambly
 The outcome is that we have a disgraceful
child discipline law that casts a dark shadow
over our country and persuades me to vote
for an alternative party. I find the State control
of family upbringing unacceptable. The law
is unreasonably intrusive, resulting in good
parents being criminalised. Family First has
produced a DVD that covers the shameful
details of what is happening to good people
and the only possible way for this disgusting
wrong to be put right is to vote for either New
Zealand First or the Conservative Party.
I urge good folk to do just as the editor
suggested, “to vote for individuals of integ-
rity.” To do this, readers will need to research
the credentials of the leaders of the parties.
– Ross Craig
Albany  the evangelical agenda. It is obvious why; all
The truth about hell
I am writing in response to the article
“Explore the truth about hell” (NZ Baptist,
August).
If hell is not eternal suffering, why did
Jesus have to die? To give us heaven? That
sounds nice but why should I suffer as a
Christian, or die for my faith? If there is no
eternal punishment then heaven is not really
that big of reward.
In Revelation 19-20 we are told over and
over again about the lake of burning sulfur.
We are told who goes there as well: “If anyone
was not found written in the book of life, he
growth.
In our garden we have a stone plaque
engraved with the words: “The kiss of the
sun for pardon, the song of the birds for
mirth, you are nearer to God’s heart in a
garden, than anywhere else on earth.”
– Fran Pardon
was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation
20:15). Revelation 20:10 tells us about what
exactly happens in the lake of fire: “they
will be tormented day and night forever and
ever.”
In Matthew 25 Jesus talks in his para-
bles about hell as a place. In the parable
of the talents the lazy servant is thrown
“outside, into the darkness, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In the
parable of the sheep and the goats Jesus says
to those at his left: “Depart from me, you who
are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels.” As we an see from
these examples hell is a place, outside heaven.
I understand that the doctrine of hell as an
eternal place of torment does not fit well with
we preach is that God is love. What we fail to
realise is because God is love he lets us choose
whether we want to be happy with him in
heaven or suffer in hell.
Jesus said that for some people it’s better
if they would not have been born. Now I
wonder why that is? Could it be perhaps
because there is a hell where they would be
tormented forever and ever?
“Remember, therefore, what you have
received and heard, obey it and repent”
(Revelation 3:3).
– Dina Camelia Tuduc
Wellington
continued on page 7
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
Remembering a man of God
John Stott
1921 – 2011
W any other person in the
orld renowned Bible teacher
and minister John Stott died
in London last month. He had
turned 90 in April. During his lifetime, he
became known worldwide for the clarity,
faithfulness and relevance of his writing
and preaching, combined with extraordi-
nary integrity and humility.
A man of remarkable global vision and
strategic insight, he was instrumental in the
establishment of many thriving Christian
agencies. Countless people around the
world can testify to the personal encour-
agement they have received from “Uncle
John.” His ministry took him to every
corner of the globe, and thus his influence
was truly global.  John Stott
 In 2005 John Stott was listed by TIME
magazine as one of the world’s 100 most
influential people. The tribute to him at
that time was written by Billy Graham
(not on the list), who concluded by saying,
“He represents a touchstone of authentic
biblical scholarship that, in my opinion, has
scarcely been paralleled since the days of
the 16th century European Reformers.”
As the Founder and Honorary President
of the Langham Partnership International,
he will be remembered as a tireless advo-
cate and friend of the churches in the
majority world, demonstrating his concern
for their well-being through the provi-
sion of literature, the support of younger
leaders, faculty development of evangelical
seminaries, and the training of pastors and
preachers.
[ IN MEMORY ]
“Perhaps more than
last century, John Stott
restored confidence
in the authority of
God’s Word and
in the centrality of
biblical preaching and
teaching.”
– GLYN CARPENTER
New Zealand Christian Network
National Director Glyn Carpenter says that
John Stott impacted the church around the
world in many ways, making an enormous
contribution to the evangelical movement.
“Perhaps more than any other person in
the last century, John Stott restored confi-
dence in the authority of God’s Word and
in the centrality of biblical preaching and
teaching,” says Glyn.
“He was able to hold together a
passionate commitment to evangelism
along with a profound commitment to
ministering to the needs of people in the
context of suffering and brokenness. He
was the chief author of the Lausanne
Covenant, which is seen as the defining
evangelical document of the 20th century.”
Says Paul Windsor, former Principal of
3
Carey Baptist College in Auckland:
“At 19 years of age I heard John Stott
expound the early chapters of Romans. I
was glued to what I heard, and as I listened I
experienced God’s call to Bible exposition. It
has been the focus of my life ever since and
all along the way he has been my inspiration
and my aspiration. I devoured his books and
his talks, consciously looking to follow his
example of clarity and faithfulness. I have
copied his commitment to word and world,
text and context, in the pursuit of authentic
relevance as a Stottian evangelical.
“Humility is the sweetest grace of all
and John Stott is the most humble person
I have known. As I grow up, I’d love to
become more like him – in these ways in
which he was like Jesus.”
In honour of his memory, a memorial
“I was glued to what
website has been set up in thankful
I heard, and as I recognition of all that John Stott did to
serve the Church and to further the cause
listened I experienced of God’s Kingdom. The site contains
many biographical details of John Stott’s
God’s call to Bible
life, ministry and writing, photographs,
exposition. It has a remembrance book, and ways in which
people can respond to the event. The
been the focus of my address is www.johnstottmemorial.org.
Langham Partnership New Zealand
life ever since and all
(LPNZ) has created a John Stott Memorial
along the way he has Fund to further one aspect of “Uncle
John’s” vision, namely the training of
been my inspiration leaders. All donations to the John Stott
Memorial Fund received by LPNZ will be
and my aspiration.”
held in New Zealand and used exclusively
to support Langham Scholars studying for
– PAUL WINDSOR
their PhD degrees in New Zealand.
4 [ OPINION ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

Are Kiwi families really poor?

By Ruby Duncan solution to supporting your old age.
CEO Iosis Family Solutions In New Zealand to be poor is to have no Some sobering

W
hen I came back from the Phillipines,
many years ago now, the wonderful
clean green New Zealand I came
back to gave every appearance of prosperity
and wealth. There is a welfare state, govern-
ment housing, social service support and free
health and education. Surely this is where any
family has the opportunity to flourish?
Over the last 15 years I have been shocked
to see the shape poverty takes in New Zealand
and, in some ways, intrigued by the different
faces of Third and First World poverty. It’s
certainly not just about money, though we can’t
deny the lack of it is at the heart of poverty.
In the Phillipines we lived in a slum, which
is the good and bad of community life. The
good is that everyone knows what you have or
don’t have. What I call “pro-social” behaviours
abound as neighbours care for each other’s
children, food and resources are shared, and
group solutions are sought to issues of housing,
water, power and other necessities.
Poverty in New Zealand is a lonely reality.
The separation within community as we live
in our separate boxes (watching boxes) breeds
suspicion, fear and insecurity.
Third World poverty solutions would
generally be illegal here. Casual, non-taxable
work abounds, as do illegal power and water
connections and housing that wouldn’t pass
any kind of health standard. The obsession
with risk avoidance and safety in New Zealand
rules out many possibilities of cutting cost and
raises prices on the basics of food, housing and
transport.
It seems there are some challenging ques-
tions that get thrown up around all this. There
is an idea that welfare has not been such a good
thing for many people, breeding dependence
and laziness.
In any society, whether there is a welfare
system or not, there will be a persistent
percentage of people who you might describe
as dependent, lazy or manipulative. My view is
that this is not created by, or fostered within, a
welfare system. You will never erase this reality
either here or in the Third World.
Do you impoverish the children of such
parents on the basis of poor adult behaviour?
If we have a realistic picture of how few people
value to society in a country where we are statistics:
valued for what we do and what we have.
For the almost one quarter of children • About 25% of children
live in poverty or hard-
growing up in impoverished households,
there is the harsh reality of not knowing ship, with most of those
whether the food will turn up tonight, of in beneficiary households
poor health from overcrowding, inade- (vulnerability reports:
quate heating and clothing and the shame www.justiceand
of having little (you certainly don’t invite compassion.org.nz). My
friends over to play). There is also the experience is that those
impact of the stress within that household. households traditionally
Poverty breeds violence and despair. have had contact with
Relationships come under inordinate some family member
stress and fall apart. Why are poor people who helped out and
using drugs, gambling, smoking and
was working. With rising
buying things on tick that they can’t
unemployment this is no
afford? They are killing pain, guilt and
longer the case for many
shame.
families.
If they looked in your eyes, what would
they see? The compassion of Christ, the • The youth unemploy-
acceptance of the One who sat with pros- ment rate is around
titutes and sinners, or the suspicion and 20% and closer to 30%
judgement that our society seems to quick among Maori and Pacific
to heap on beneficiaries and struggling young people.
families? • The estimated annual
May we be God’s people in our
cost of youth unemploy-
neighbourhoods.
Here are a few random ideas, some of
ment, youth incarceration
which are being attempted by churches
and youth on the sole
Ruby Duncan parent benefit is around
and community groups:
this involves, I would hope not. • Free tables and garages – find space $900 million.
Do teenage girls get pregnant to get on to store excess goods, clothing, furniture, for • 50% of the prison
the benefit? Teenage girls get pregnant either ready distribution. population was in foster
because we have inadequate sex education in • Allocate people in your congregation who care at some stage.
this country, or because they genuinely like can assess needs and match them to resources.
• Teen births are associ-
the idea of becoming mothers. Again, in any • Have people who are knowledgable about
ated with deprivation,
society there will be a portion of young women local support agencies and resources.
for whom family life is a career option. You poorer child outcomes
• Create “Christ spaces” in your homes for
may think this limits that girl’s life options and urgent hospitality – rooms for urgent housing.
in educational achieve-
potential, but she may not. Given nearly 30% • Have skills banks, where people are regis- ment, and higher rates
youth unemployment, other career options tered to offer time to practical things for others of offending (children of
may not be a reality for many young girls and also to coach others in driving, household teens). New Zealand has
anyway. maintenance, care maintenance, gardening etc. the second highest rate
On a more controversial note, given our • Tool libraries where things can be of teen pregnancy in
need to increase our population numbers borrowed rather than bought. the OECD (MSD 2010).
(the National Institute of Demographic and • Time banking. People sign up with what • 27% of children in New
Economic Analysis says by 2023 those aged kind of time and abilities they have to offer Zealand aged 9 to 13
over 65 will be greater than numbers of chil- (babysitting, gardening etc.) and when you years have witnessed
dren 0-14) is this really such a terrible thing? give time, you have credit that you can give family violence (MSD
What these young mothers need is support to away.
2011).
be great mothers and they may be part of the All other ideas encouraged and welcomed!

» The BWUSWP Beat | News from the Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific

Praying for a passage to Papua

By Julie Belding
B ureaucracy!
All over the world it hinders
us from doing the needful. In devel-
oping countries it can be particularly
challenging.
Last March I received an email from my
friend Ingrid Subagyo in Jakarta. Ingrid is
the director of Indonesian Baptist Women,
and she invited me to speak at a women’s
conference in Papua in September, an
event organised by the Indonesian Baptist
Alliance. The BWA Women’s Department
director Patsy Davis was also to speak,
and hundreds of women were expected to
attend.
What a wonderful opportunity! I have
long wanted to visit Papua, especially as
communication with the Baptist women
of that nation has never been easy. We met
some of them at a BWUSWP conference in
Cairns in 2009 but they were denied visas
to Hawaii last year.
It seems international travel is a
frequent issue with Papua. To get into
that nation you need more than a normal
visa, you need special permission from
the Director General of Immigration in
Jakarta, because Papua is a restricted
territory and there are various political
sensitivities.
So what to do?
God’s angel appears in the person of
Ingrid Subagyo, the woman on the ground
who was willing to go directly to the top
on behalf of Patsy and me. I sent her a
copy of my passport, my credit card and
a CV, which she then delivered personally
to the man in charge.
As I write these lines in mid-August, we
are still praying for a positive outcome.
“Every day we check on your visa
status,” Ingrid wrote to me yesterday.
“Today we went to the Director General of
Immigration and had a good talk with the
chief there. He is helping us the best he
could do. It is not only his office recom-
mendation which is needed but also the
Intel/secret agent recommendation, due
to the latest issue. It takes some parties.
He is working on it. Once he gets it he
will telex it directly to the Embassy in
Wellington.”
Aahhh!
All this could be discouraging, were
it not for the awareness that we serve a
loving God for whom nothing is too hard.
Yesterday in my Bible I read:
“The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along
the best pathway for your life. I will advise
you and watch over you’” (Psalm 32:8).
Then today, “For the word of the Lord
holds true, and everything he does is
worthy of our trust” (Psalm 33:4).
With a God like that, we know all
things are possible. Please pray with me
about this; I’ll keep you posted.
• Julie Belding, julie@belding.co.nz, is
president of the Baptist Women’s Union of the
South West Pacific. Ingrid Subagyo
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
» The Good Investor | Advice from Baptist Savings
Avoid slipping into debt traps
H
ow come
we could
have an
international debt
crisis, again?
We can’t help
but feel nervous
about the threat of
a full bore recession
as world econo-
mies – the United
States, Italy, Greece, Andrew L’Almont
Ireland and Spain –
lurch from one debt crisis to another.
The reason is that life appears to be good
when we can have what we want today
and pay for it tomorrow. What most people
(and national governments chasing the
popular vote) have ignored is that when
you borrow more than you can repay,
there’s going to come a day of reckoning,
eventually!
Sadly, not just individuals but whole
countries have borrowed and continue to
borrow more than they earn.
On the personal front, inflation plays
a big part in making us feel wealthy by
increasing the value of our houses. We
An open letter to Intermission students
By David Neil
I
n the July NZ Baptist, on behalf of
Carey Baptist College’s Intermission
programme, Sam Kilpatrick raised
some difficult questions in his article,
“What do young adults see?”
From my own experience as a student,
my first thought regarding these young
adults is that after the Intermission course,
they will return to their fellowships quite
different people. Is it an opportunity to
change the mode of your relationships with
others back home? Perhaps from adult-
child to a more equal footing – one where
you help others as much as they help you?
Sam asked us “ordinary people” to
speak with young adults, go out for a
meal, fishing, or drinking. Unspoken
responses might be: “What, they speak?”
“Can I afford that much food?” “There’s
an app for that?”And, “You mean coffee or
smoothies?”
Rather more seriously, in today’s rush-
rush world you’ll probably find that the
spouse of said person is ahead of you in
line for a date like this (except maybe the
fishing) – however don’t be put off by this.
It takes two to tango, a “lead” and a
“follow.” If you want to find a place in the
community why ask another to lead you to
the dance? Why not take the lead?
You have completed Intermission and
it opened your eyes to more than a few
things and encouraged even more ques-
tions. Rather than expecting your tutor to
drive everything, isn’t it now up to you to
ask the important questions and to pursue
the answers?
Are you imagining “ordinary people”
to be in their 20s, 30s, your parents’ age,
or even older? All have a message, but
for this you might surprise yourself and
enjoy a closer meeting-of-minds with the
grandparent generation. Your pastor will
be happy to nominate folk you might not
at first consider.
Sam tells us that Carey’s Intermission
students would love to hear from “ordi-
nary” people in a weekly interview spot at
[ OPINION ]
develop a false feeling of wealth because
there is so much equity in the house.
However equity does not necessarily
equate to wealth.
Equity in your home can fool you into
thinking you can afford the new boat, the
car, the plasma TV, the overseas holiday, an
investment property or even the bach.
It doesn’t help when lenders can give
you money quickly and easily over the
phone. This just feeds the "I can have it
now and pay for it later" mindset. It fails
to take into account the cost of paying for
it later.
Often, feeling rich changes our priorities
too.
During my 35 years of experience in the
banking and finance industries, I have seen
this many times over. Sadly, while as many
as 40,000 children go to school every day
without breakfast in New Zealand, I would
venture to guess they probably have a large
plasma TV and XBox console in the lounge,
or copious amounts of money from the
family’s income will be spent on the car,
alcohol or cigarettes.
You would think that an advanced
society would be more ethically respon-
Carey.
If you accost someone in the pew: “I
want to examine your theology and how
you’ve applied it to your life with a view to
making you a rôle model,” the first reaction
will almost certainly be a gulp, followed
by a haunted expression, and then furtive
glances seeking a fast get-away car.
Similarly, an invitation to speak at Carey
would likely cause observable palpita-
tions. Most people do not see themselves
as either theologians or examples of
excellence and will resist any idea that
you might want to dissect and double-
guess their past. Plus, you’ve spent a year
studying in some detail. Such opportunity,
even over many years, may have eluded
the “ordinary person.” So, how to make it
less imposing?
Why not gather a handful of like-
minded peers (it seems easier to cope with
new situations in company) then invite
yourselves to an older couple’s place for
an ice-cream supper or afternoon tea? You
could pool your resources to buy the frozen
goods and maybe some fruit to accompany.
Continue to keep your visit non-threat-
ening by asking if you can talk about how
they met, how their family developed,
careers and so forth.
Chances are, the stuff you want to hear
will emerge from the conversation and you
can ask “how did you know?” questions as
the picture widens. This sort of conversa-
tion, perhaps over repeat visits, will also
help you to see how people (just like you)
attempted to balance their career choice
with working out their faith and responsi-
bilities to care for each other.
An older person may illustrate what I
think of as connections: How God prepares
us earlier in our lives, which we may not
(fully) understand then, but later we find
ourselves in a situation ready and able to
complete something a step beyond.
We all have questions and ponder
approaches to the challenges of life. As
you become more aware of others in your
community, as individuals, you may find
an older someone who makes sense (and
sible, but then you read that New
Zealand’s four largest lenders have made
more than $2 billion in profit. You can
understand why ethical lending is not one
of their priorities.
The reality is that you cannot trust
lenders that have a profit motive. In the
end, you will pay.
Beware also of “the next new thing.” We
are bombarded with messages that say you
have to own the new iPhone, because if
you don’t, you’re just not cool.
But then it becomes the iPhone 4. The
next “must have” follows on from that –
the iPad, then the iPad2, then the 55-inch
high definition TV. This constant bombard-
ment of the next new thing sucks people
into debt, often beyond affordability.
Is having the “next new thing” and
keeping up with the neighbours, or
competing with them, the right look for
Christians?
Debt is good if you can manage it or use
it to your advantage, but few people are
in that position unless they are educated
and trained in good financial management.
Many people may think they are, but they
are not.
hopefully, prepared to take time to talk with
you) who will establish a mentor relation-
ship. You won’t agree on every point but
having someone prepared to let you bounce
ideas and wrestle with turning hopes into
reality – wouldn’t that be pure gold?
As you spend time getting to know other
adults, will you better understand their
preferences? As you share ideas, will they
become aware of yours? This will likely
help with your concerns about sermons
and music, and topics of social concern.
We worship in communion so it has to be a
mix of “together.” The same applies to the
church’s mission. We can’t do everything,
so how do we decide what to do, when,
and where?
Studies of social media (I recommend
S. Craig Watkins’ The Young and the Digital,
Beacon Press, 2009) are showing that the
longer people spend online, the more
gated they tend to become, reducing their
number of friends and narrowing the
range of topics viewed and discussed. This
is almost unnoticeable if you are one of
the “us” but quite apparent if one of the
“them.” Taking to the waves of the Internet
5
The first step is to understand that your
financial situation is unique. Do not follow
the herd. Do not do what the neighbours or
friends are doing because you don’t want
to feel left out – even if it’s a question of
where to invest your money.
To make a good financial decision, you
must first understand your personal priori-
ties. List those priorities and work back
from there.
I am in the process of providing a
number of financial seminars, followed by
a personal health-check on your finances,
to local Baptist churches around New
Zealand. Check with your pastor as to
when there is going to be one in your
church, and make sure you attend. Better
still, bring you neighbour, friend or family
member and let’s genuinely help each
other in this vital area of finances and debt.
• Andrew L’Almont, Baptist Savings’ business
development manager, can be reached on
(09) 582 0037 and andrew@baptistsavings.co.nz
seems to offer bounteous opportunity, but
who will be your guide?
You could probably have completed
studies similar to Intermission’s Bible and
World View topics online. What value,
both academic and social, did you gain
from being there, in person, in the real
world, that you would have missed doing
it via computer?
Grouped social media is, however,
great for helping keep in touch with, for
example, your Intermission colleagues.
Have you formed a Facebook group, or
perhaps decided to be more professional
on LinkedIn? You might be able to combine
the work and communion with people
in your locality, with a continuation of
the sharing and mutual encouragement
enjoyed at Carey – a way of doing your
own thing with like-minded people that
may not even be possible among your local
contemporaries.
• David says his time in youth work was
so long ago he struggles to remember. After
another stint overseas, he is catching up with
what’s happening in North Auckland and New
Zealand today.
6 [ COLUMNS ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

» Out of My Mind | Musings from Carey Baptist College staff

A clue as to why the Spirit moves

Greg Liston is an adjunct lecturer at Carey people of God so Which highlights a problem – two prob- the Spirit’s refreshing, but keep it for
Baptist College. He is completing a PhD we can embrace the lems, in fact. ourselves. And the consequences are disas-
examining the church through the lens of the neglected. The first is that sometimes we try trous. Because when we don’t embrace the
Holy Spirit. It’s front and to embrace the neglected without the neglected, the Spirit’s anointing on us is no

I
’d never seen it before, but it’s defi-
nitely there.
In the Bible there is an incredibly
close connection between the outpouring
of the Spirit on a community and those
believers embracing the neglected. The
two go together remarkably often. Find a
spot in the Bible where a community or an
individual is being filled with the Spirit,
then flip on a few pages. Odds on, they’re
caring for the poor.
Similarly, find a place in the Bible
where people aren’t standing up for the
oppressed, then flip on a few pages. Sure
as anything, you’ll find talk of the Spirit
being quenched, or grieved, or even
departing.
Recently I was flicking through all the
“Spirit” passages in the Bible, asking the
simple question: “Why did God send the
Spirit?”
Now, obviously, the Spirit has more
than one purpose. So questions like this
have more than one answer. But read
collectively, the Scriptures reveal an aspect
of the Spirit’s role that I’d never noticed
before: The Spirit of God comes on the
centre in Jesus’
first hometown
sermon: “The Spirit
of the Lord is on
me because he
has anointed me
to proclaim good
Greg Liston news to the poor,
freedom for the
prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the
year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18-
19). And Jesus didn’t just say it, he did it.
Empowered by the Spirit, Jesus preached
good news to the poor. The oppressed
found freedom. The blind saw. The lame
walked. And the rich people who followed
Jesus, like Zacchaeus, they gave their
money away. Their wealth was evenly
spread around, just like in the year of the
Lord’s favour (the Jubilee).
Then Jesus founded a community so
these incredible, supernatural events
would keep happening. He gave us his
Spirit to continue his work. The two go
together: The anointing of the Spirit and
the embracing of the neglected.
anointing of the Spirit. There are so many
people who used to be passionate about
the poor but neglected the spiritual
disciplines: Prayer, gathering, worship,
solitude – their connection with the Spirit.
And because of this neglect, all too soon
their passion got displaced by dry cyni-
cism. It’s as sad as it is inevitable. If it was
through the Spirit that Jesus the Son of
God preached good news to the poor, then
how could we be so arrogant as to try to
go it alone? To continue to embrace the
neglected we must seek the anointing of
the Spirit.
The second problem is precisely the
reverse: To seek the anointing, but not
embrace the neglected. We start to believe
that the presence of the Spirit in our lives
is for us, that it’s about being deeply
moved in worship services or becoming
fully actualised in our potential. In theory,
we are really happy that other people are
using their money and time to serve the
poor, but in practice, our lives are just too
busy.
So we seek the Spirit’s power, but forget
what we are empowered for. We crave
longer so heavy.
People often wonder about the super-
natural work of God’s Spirit. “Why
do so many miracles happen in South
America and Asia and Africa,” they ask,
“and so few around here?” Could it be
that we don’t see the Spirit move as we
long for because we aren’t embracing the
neglected?
The Western world, including New
Zealand, is incredibly wealthy. Simply
owning a car makes you richer than 95%
of the world’s population, half of whom
survive on less than a dollar a day. By any
standard, that inequity is immoral. Barna
surveys reveal that Western Christians
give less than 1% of their household
income to the disenfranchised.
In South America, Africa and Asia
the Church is growing rapidly, but in
the Western world the church is barely
holding its own. Could it be that the Spirit
is not moving in our churches as we long
for him to, could it be that the Spirit is not
moving in our lives as we long for him to,
simply because we’re not embracing these
neglected billions?

‘‘ ’’
» Drawn & Quoted | Tom Cadman looks at life and faith through the lens of literature

Light is stronger than darkness

H
alf a century on, the rhetoric of the
Cold War has resurfaced. The issue
is not ballistic missiles or potential
nuclear warfare but economics.
With the United States credit rating
downgraded and the financial markets
reflecting strong elements of uncertainty
concerning Western capitalism’s economic
stability, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin has the US firmly in his sights. The
United States, according to Putin, is a para-
site and Russia should seek a new reserve
currency to hedge against the systemic
malfunction of the US economy.
His speech, set in the context of 21st
Century economic difficulties, revives
the rhetoric of the Cold War and is
the language Lenin, the founder of
Communism, used after the Russian
revolution of 1917 to describe the toppled
czarist regime.
Under Lenin’s successor, Stalin, para-
sitism became a crime punishable by
imprisonment, banishment or death.
Among the millions swept up in Stalin’s
purges were Jews, themselves described as
parasites by the Soviet dictator.
One such Russian Jew was Vasily
Grossman. I’d never heard of him until, on
a recent visit to Australia, a friend loaned
me Grossman’s novel Everything Flows,
a book I mentioned briefly in my last
column.
Grossman left off a career in engineering
in the mid-1930s to become a writer. When
Germany invaded Russia in 1941, he
volunteered for the front and spent 1000
days as a war correspondent. His eyewit-
ness accounts turned him into a war hero.
Post-war disillusionment with Stalin’s
savage treatment of dissidents and
Grossman’s growing criticism of the ruling
regime led to the KGB raiding his flat and the religious understand the soul, as the along a merry intoxicating path. Then she
seizing his material, and the head of the irreducible essence of life. Individuals began to stumble but the grip of Lenin’s
Politburo declared that his novel Life and can never entirely smother it while they iron hand grew tighter and tighter. And
Fate would not be published for two or live, so it is in the small, the tighter his grip, the sterner his stride
three hundred inconspicuous things they the more obedient the slave girl became to
years: “Why do that they reveal the pith his educated and revolutionary violence.”
should we add and beauty of their exist- The seeds of Stalin’s long oppression
your book to the ences. It was with this were sown in the slave-girl’s espousal of
atomic bombs conviction that Grossman, Lenin.
that our enemies determined that freedom Grossman’s book set my head spin-
are preparing to was his holy of holies, in ning with the concept of freedom and
launch against us?” the service of which he the choices it involves. How easily we
Grossman’s final became a great artist.” slide into bondage, believing anyone who
novel, Everything Vasily Grossman’s promises us an exciting future only to
Flows, was also vivid descriptions of discover that whenever we surrender our
considered a threat freedom and slavery God-given freedom of body, mind or spirit
to the regime and made me read and
to any form of dictatorship, no matter how
he became a virtual re-read Everything
benign or inviting that dictatorship – reli-
non-person. Flows. In one moving
gious, political, economic, marital, parental
For Grossman, chapter he describes
or whatever it may be, we lose something
freedom was the how, for 100 years prior
of our innate human dignity.
human “holy of to the Revolution of
We should never forget our Separatist
holies.” His wartime 1917, Russia drank in
and Baptist forbears in England who,
experiences of the the idea of freedom
like Vasily Grossman in Russia, were
greatness of the through the lips of
Russian soul, revealed her writers, martyrs, castigated as “pests” by the political
in Stalingrad and the artists, revolution- and ecclesiastical authorities of the time
defiance of Germany’s aries, thinkers, philosophers and students, because they disavowed any dictatorial
power by ordinary Russians, confirmed his many of whom had imbibed the Western control of their soul.
view “that good conquers evil, that light is ideals of democratic freedom. Fertilised by In all of life we do well to be careful of
stronger than darkness, that in a just cause these ideas, the Russian revolution ran its our choice of masters but, with elections
man must surely overcome the beast.” course. looming, we may be more Christian if we
That passion for freedom never He imagines Russia as a young slave realise that capitalistic individualism is as
changed, but the optimism engendered girl who has cast off the chains of czarism. great a variation in one direction from the
by winning the war did not last. Post-war Surrounded now by revolutionary voices Christian norm as totalitarian socialism is
Soviet authorities censored his reports and of freedom, how will she choose? in the other.
for a time, his life was in so much danger “The slave girl’s gaze, the great slave Dictatorial leadership in any shape
that he fled Moscow. Stalin’s death saved girl’s searching daunting evaluating gaze, or form has no place in Church or State.
him from imprisonment. He died in 1964. came to rest on Lenin. It was him she Freedom demands we serve one another in
In an essay on Life is Freedom: The chose. … She followed him because he community and anyone who tells us other-
art of Vasily Grossman, Sam Sacks says, promised her mountains of gold and rivers wise should be reminded of Grossman’s
“Grossman understood freedom the way flowing with wine. She followed him “slave girl” and her choices.
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
continued from page 2
More truth about hell
Every so often in NZ Baptist I see an opinion expressed
which makes me realise how much dodgy doctrine has
infiltrated our church. Warren Prestidge’s article “Explore
the truth about hell” reminded me of a conversation I had
with a Jehovah’s Witness friend. They believe the same
thing, soul death, but even my friend would not disagree
that Jesus’ words indicate clearly the opposite, that hell is a
place of eternal torment.
That Mr Prestidge, who is a pastor, would rush in where
even Jehovah’s fear to tread is, I regret, a sign of the times.
While he magnanimously continues willing to fellowship
and work with Christians who believe in a literal hell, they
may not reciprocate. 2 John 1:10-11 states that “If there
come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive
him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:
For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil
deeds.”
– Chris Ward
Doubtless Bay
Secret to help church growth
With reference to the fact many churches are not
growing, I believe one secret to help in church growth is
from the book of Acts. It is to be filled with the Holy Spirit
every day – a daily prayer to God, not in a Pentecostal
experience, but simply a prayer asking God every day to
be filled with the Holy Spirit.
That will produce an extra hunger for God, a compas-
sion for the lost and effectiveness in our daily Christian
walk. It says in Acts 4, “the disciples were filled with the
Holy Spirit and they spoke the Word with boldness.”
– Kristian Harang
Royal Oak Baptist, Auckland
Relax – your view of Jesus is not
‘atrocious’!
Those who read Dr Myk Habets’ intentionally provoca-
tive article in July’s NZ Baptist (“Who is in heaven?”) will
probably have associated themselves with his Option
1 (“Father, Son, and Spirit are in heaven”) or Option 2
(“Father, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit are in heaven”), but
then will have been amazed or alarmed to be told that
these views are “atrocious” and are “errors.”
What in fact Dr Habets is rejecting is any implied denial
of the real and permanent humanity of the eternal Son (in
Option 1) and any implied denial of the full deity of the
God-Man (in Option 2). But rest assured! If you do believe
that the eternal Son was permanently incarnated in the
historical Jesus of Nazareth without surrendering his full
deity, your view is both “biblical and orthodox.”
If I understand Dr Habets rightly, he is postulating
that ever since the Incarnation the one Son of God has
been existing in a dual state simultaneously, as the eternal
DON’T
FORGET
September 14 is the
NZ Baptist deadline
for October
advertising
& letters
H.
Christian Funeral Services
‘Romaleigh’ Funeral Home, 31 Ocean View Road, Northcote, Auckland
[ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ]
Son and as the glorified Jesus Christ. This is one possible
“solution” to the mystery of the person of Christ. Another
would be to say that through the Incarnation the one
eternal Son irreversibly assumed a human nature without
forfeiting his deity, a human nature that was glorified
through the Resurrection.
But when, in Option 4 (“Father, Son, Jesus Christ,
and Spirit are in heaven”), Dr Habets proceeds verbally
and explicitly to distinguish the Son and Jesus Christ as
personal entities, at worst he seems to be grazing the edge
of Nestorianism (rejected in the Chalcedonian Definition
of the Faith by the two famous Greek adverbs adiairetōs,
“without division,” and achōristōs, “without separa-
tion”), and at best he seems to be endorsing a qualified
trinitarianism.
– Murray J. Harris
Professor Emeritus of New Testament Exegesis and Theology,
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois, USA.
Former faculty member of the Divinity School, University of
Cambridge, and one of the NIV translators
Editor’s voting comments
‘somewhat cynical’
I read with some dismay the editor’s article on voting
(NZ Baptist, August). It seemed to me to be somewhat
cynical, possibly due to results he had not liked. Many
Christians are like Diogenes, seeking an honest man. This
man does not exist.
Polticians are by their nature control freaks. Knowing
this, how can you decide how to vote? The answer lies in
your vision of your nation. Do you want to live in a free
country in which you can succeed beyond your dreams
(and likewise may fail as well)?
Do you want your government to keep invading armies
away from your shores, but otherwise leave people alone?
Do you want a government that provides protection from
failure by creating a web of overlapping social safety nets?
These are the kinds of questions you must discover for
yourself before you vote. Finally, can you trust the politi-
cian who seems to see things your way? That is the tough
one!
– Robin Stevenson
Invercargill
Our mission:
To make disciples of Christ
 What a delightful surprise I received when I read
the article “Our mission: to make disciples of Christ” in
the World Reach – New Zealand Baptist Reaching the
World insert, in the July NZ Baptist, which was written by
one of our esteemed tranzsend workers.
His opening sentence was, “The purpose of mission
remains the same – to make disciples of Christ.” He was
referring to the call our workers have to serve Christ as
missionaries overseas in South Asia and other areas. What
a necessary, prophetic reminder to all of us who meet and
worship weekly in hundreds of Baptist churches around
HOLIDAY QUEENSTOWN
GETAWAY
HOUSE The Castle Bach
FOR RENT Iconic South Island crib.
Family accommodation.
Ohope Beach, peaceful
Fully equipped. Gorgeous
and fully furnished,
views. Roaring fire. Ski
sleeps 10. See fields. Reasonable rates.
www.holidayhouses.co.nz
www.bookabach.co.nz
and search for ‘Ohiwa (#3888) or phone
Haven.’ Quote this ad for 027 504 2703 for further
10% discount. information and booking.
Morris Ltd.
Showing God’s love to
people in their time of grief
PHONE: (09) 489 5737 (24-HOUR SERVICE)
WWW.MORRISFUNERALS.CO.NZ
Ray & Pat Jagger, owner-operators and members of
Glenfield Baptist Church
7
New Zealand that the purpose of our mission, regardless
of all else we do, is the same – to make disciples of Christ.
Sadly, it seems to me that despite thousands of us being
involved weekly in a wide range of church activities – all
very worthwhile in themselves – there is a serious lack
of dynamic discipleship happening in our midst. This
comment is observational. To test my assumption perhaps
we could ask what percentage of our church members are
actually involved in personally sharing their faith and/
or intentionally discipling and mentoring other Christians
with the aim of helping them to do the same.
This is the principle of disciple multiplication as
expressed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:2 – “Teach
(or disciple) faithful people so they in turn can then teach
(or disciple) other faithful people.” Jesus’ command to his
followers was to teach those who believed in him to obey
everything he had commanded them. If this process had
not been carried out, then the first century church would
have fizzled out very quickly. But it exploded numerically
because of this principle of disciple multiplication.
Unfortunately this principle died out as the authority to
proclaim and teach the faith was taken over by the church
hierarchy, and denied to the laity. The initiative and the
confident proactivity that characterised the lifestyle of
the early Christians was slowly snuffed out by the power
and politics of religion. Is the reason that we have all
but lost the purpose of making disciples of Christ in our
own neighbourhoods because we have unwittingly come
to expect and rely on the “priesthood” to do this on our
behalf?
Surely we need to be reminded of Paul’s inspired
instruction in Ephesians 4:11-13 that it is the responsibility
of those endowed with gifts of spiritual leadership to
equip God’s people for works of service so that the Church
might be built up until all reach unity in the faith and
in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature
Christians, thus attaining to the whole measure of the full-
ness of Christ.
The challenge for us as a denomination is: How can we
recapture the purpose of mission – to make disciples of
Christ for the days ahead?
– John Fuller
Waikanae Baptist
HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
OFFERED
Thames – gateway to the
Coromandel Peninsula
Bushwalks, hot water beach etc.
Fully equipped family home available
October 14 to November 30, 2011.
$100 per night, minimum 2 nights
or $500 per week.
Phone Edith, (07) 868 3309.
8 [ NEWS ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

An ‘upturn’ for community ministries

By Linda Grigg
T
he Baptist Community Ministries
conference held in Wellington
August 4-6 drew almost 100
delegates from across New Zealand. The
biennial conference is an opportunity for
staff and volunteers involved in commu-
nity ministries to network, be inspired by
guest speakers and attend workshops.
Workshops
One delegate who has now attended
several of these conferences describes
them as “The most down-to-earth and
relevant input I get for ministry.”
The eight workshops ranged from
specific ministry areas, such as early
intervention and children’s programmes,
to more general topics such as caring for
teams and work/life balance.
Several Christchurch people joined a
small group of others in a Coping with
Trauma workshop led by Bev Marsh
and Barbara Stuckey of Te Aroha Noa
Community Services. One delegate
relates how the sudden noise of a siren
outside caused the Christchurch visitors
to tense up automatically. The workshop
presenters noticed the reaction, which
became a live example of the effect of
trauma on people.
Are we really all one in Christ?
The highlight for many was the keynote
speakers, Dr Laurie Guy from Carey
Baptist College and Kathryn Berkett from
the Brainwave Trust.
Laurie spoke about how the concept
of “All one in Christ” is theoretically
correct, however practically it is not. Using
examples from the missionary work of the
Apostle Paul, Hudson Taylor and William
Carey, and from his and his daughter’s
own overseas mission experiences, Laurie
talked about the importance of humilia-
tion, being willing to put our reputation on
the line, understanding, and empathy in
relating to those we work amongst in the
community.
He quoted the 17th Century priest
Vincent de Paul who said, “You are the
servant of the poor, always smiling and
good-humored. They are your masters,
terribly sensitive and exacting master you
will see. And the uglier and the dirtier
they will be, the more unjust and insulting,
the more love you must give them. It is for
your love alone that the poor will forgive
you the bread you give to them.”
Laurie said that all of us have a sense
of dignity and need to be treated with
respect, and therefore stressed we should
not regard those we work with in the
community as “clients.”
“The truth that we are all one in Christ
needs to have legs,” he said. “We need to
step outside our comfort zone for others
and for the gospel.
Te Tiriti O Waitangi
Using stories from his boyhood in
Franklin during the 1950s and 1960s,
Laurie illustrated the uncomfortable
reality of racism in New Zealand. He
“It is for your love
alone that the poor
will forgive you the
bread you give to
them.”
– VINCENT DE PAUL
briefly outlined the history of Pakeha-
Maori relations prior and subsequent to
the Treaty of Waitangi, and said Pakeha
need to understand the devastation caused
to Maori through colonisation.
As Maori today appear unfavourably in
many social statistics, and as many of our
community ministries are attempting to
address or ameliorate social problems, this
talk gave the audience much to ponder.
Brainwave Trust
Kathryn Berkett, on behalf of the
Brainwave Trust, presented scientific
research about infant brain development.
She described how a child’s brain develops
from just days after conception, and how
over the next three years neuron (brain
cell) connections are formed in response to
the quality and quantity of the baby’s day-
to-day experiences.
As experiences are repeated, the connec-
tions, pathways and networks in a baby’s
brain strengthen and become perma-
nent. This will lay the foundation for the
child’s adult life, affecting the way he or
she thinks, learns and understands their
world.
The research has obvious implica-
tions for early childhood and parenting
programmes, but also for our own
families.
Other guest speakers
The dinner programme included talks
from Lyn Campbell, President of the
Baptist Union, and Paul Barber, a policy
analyst with the New Zealand Council of
Christian Social Services.
The next conference
Most delegates supported the confer-
ence’s current biennial pattern, although
some would prefer to meet together more
frequently if possible.
There also seemed to be some interest in
regional gatherings of community minis-
tries people. This is a possibility for the
future, as is opening up the conference to a
wider audience.
As one senior pastor who attended
Upturn commented: “The [conference]
title can imply that only those in, or inter-
ested in, community ministries or social
services should come, i.e. a rarefied group.
[However the] material is of broader
interest to senior pastors, volunteers, evan-
gelism ministry leaders. This is mission.”
• Linda is the Pastor and Church Health and
Development Administrator for the New
Zealand Baptist Union.

Social inequality on
the increase in NZ
Don’t drop the ball on
N
ew Zealand Council of Christian In 2009 the number of children supported
Social Services (NZCCSS) is calling in homes dependent on a social welfare

World Cup opportunities for greater levels of support –

including raising benefit payments – for
families with children and for more invest-
benefit was 211,736. Now it has increased
to 232,262 – an additional 20, 528 children
who are likely to be living in poverty.
By Grant Harris ment to be made in Maori and Pacific  “We know from New Zealand and

D
youth.
uring September and October about 95,000 overseas visitors are expected to
After two years of releasing
land in Aotearoa.
Vulnerability Reports, NZCCSS says it
They will follow 900 players and support staff from the leading 20 rugby is distressed to be reporting a real and
nations of the world who will play 48 rugby games in 12 match venues across New continuing deepening of vulnerability
Zealand using 1488 rugby balls. within New Zealand communities.
One million punnets of chips are expected to be purchased at the venues on top “The first Vulnerability Report was
of the 97,800 meals expected to be eaten in hotels where teams will be bringing 80 published in March 2009,” said Trevor
tonnes of luggage to (the equivalent of 20 African elephants). McGlinchey, NZCCSS Executive Officer.
This rugby tournament is the third largest sporting event in the world behind the “Now a full two years later almost every
Olympic Games and the Football World Cup, and it’s the largest sporting event to indicator shows that New Zealand’s
be held in New Zealand. inequalities are increasing with more
Engage is an organisation that has been established to coordinate New Zealand people becoming worse off as support for
those on benefits and lower level wages
churches into being purposeful in mission over the next two months as this tourna-
doesn’t keep up with costs.
ment presents a unique opportunity for the Church to be the Church in so many
“The unemployment rates for young
different ways. Māori and young Pacific people are unac-
One significant way that many people can be involved is the Engage Family ceptably high and have been since the
Hosting Programme, where Christians throughout the country can offer to host recession started.
family members and overseas visitors in their homes, free of charge. It’s a way of “We must invest more in our youth –
showing true Christian hospitality to those who might otherwise struggle to pay not to do so is will result in increasing
for accommodation, particularly those from small nations. cycles of income inequality along with  “All of these increases have been
And there are many different ways that local churches can become involved. At health and social disparities instead
Windsor Park we’re doing a range of activities from live screening of matches in a of a hopeful and prosperous future.
family-safe environment through to preaching a series that brings our values that Community Max, employers’ subsidies
are paralleled in sport and faith. and other youth training schemes need
I encourage you to check out www.engagenz.org where you can gather ideas and reinstating or beefing up to help get our
young people into employment.”
think about how your local church and contribute to the big NZ festival.
The report shows that the numbers of
people receiving unemployment benefits
• Grant Harris is the Senior Pastor of Windsor Park Baptist Church in Mairangi Bay,
have increased by 214.9% since 2008 and
Auckland; advisor to the All Blacks (if they could hear him through his TV); avid sportsman that over the last two years Māori youth
and chaplain to the NZ Breakers Basketball Team. unemployment has risen from 18% to
28.8% with Pasifika rates rising to 28.1%.
international research that if children start
life in poverty their chances of achieving
well in later life are greatly diminished,”
said Ruby Duncan, NZCCSS President,
and CEO of Iosis Family Solutions.
 “It’s not enough to put in place harsher
penalties and tests to force families who
are on benefits to try and find work – work
that doesn’t even exist. We have to put in
place strategies to better support chil-
dren – including increasing benefit levels
and take-home wages for low income
families with children. In the long term
this will result in more successful chil-
dren and greater prosperity for all New
Zealanders.”
The report also states that the increases
in basic living costs such as food, power,
petrol and rent have been much greater
than the increases in benefits and basic
wages.
reflected in the worse off getting much
worse off and many who were doing okay
now falling into the worse-off category,”
Ruby said.
“As a result, Christian and other social
service agencies have mobilised to meet a
huge increase in need – foodbanks, coun-
selling, budget advice, emergency housing
and advocacy, even as they themselves
face funding pressures as charitable dona-
tions and government funding has not
keep up with demand.”
September 2011 | NZ Baptist [ EDUCATION: CAREY BAPTIST COLLEGE ] 9

Carey tackles training from four angles

By Charles Hewlett we place knowing the Bible and theology at the core of pastor and a lawyer. Being a pastor was the harder role. A
Carey Baptist College principal all we do because we are convinced that if you lay a good lawyer needed a few high-level skills. A pastor needed to

C
arey Baptist College exists to provide theological
education and training for people who want to
advance God’s mission in this world. Whether for
ministry, mission, or the marketplace we want to produce
graduates who are competent, confident, credible and
compassionate.
The training model we use to help achieve this is based
around these four major areas: knowing, gained prima-
rily through academic study; doing, through ministry
and mission experience; being, through formational
foundation the rest will stand firm. We know that Jesus is
the ultimate foundation so all our knowing and learning
is based on an age- old saying in theology: “Faith seeking
understanding,” or put more simply, “I believe now help
my understanding.” At Carey we are convinced that this
is one way in which we can be faithful to Jesus, who asks
us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and
mind (Luke 10:27). Knowing is the first of four planks to
Carey’s training, the first step in our equipping students in
their worship of Christ (Romans 12:1).
be an all-rounder (not just a batter or a bowler or a fielder).
And all-roundedness necessitates being a whole person.
None of us is perfect. We all have hot buttons that can
ignite under pressure. And that can end a ministry. So a
key component of Carey’s training is being. This means
being “in Christ.” It also means being self-aware – easier
said than done because recognising our flaws is often
painful and humiliating. Being also means working and
being helped towards wholeness – by Christ and others.
It’s a key to success and longevity in ministry.

Doing Feeling
experiences and reflection; and feeling, through personal
awareness training. We believe that each area impacts on
the spiritual journey towards wholeness in Christ, and Andrew Picard (Coordinator of Field Education Thalia Kehoe Rowden (Board member and
preparation for ministry and mission. I asked some of our and lecturer) Carey graduate)

staff and a board member to explain how this works.
Knowing
Myk Habets (Lecturer in Theology)
A C
t Carey we are passionate about training and equip-
ping people to serve God and the mission of God in a
rich variety of settings. As noted, we passionately believe
that ideas have legs and that theological study should
form people who are gripped by the Gospel and can
translate it into redemptive living and ministry. We believe
the Gospel demands that while theological study is never
less than renewed thinking, it is much more. We are called
to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our
soul, with all our strength, with all our mind, and to love
our neighbour as ourselves. Carey’s focus upon applied
theology gives it its particular flavour and ensures that
we place a premium on forming graduates who not only
know the stunning good news of the Gospel, but who
also know how to translate it into creative and faithful
ministry and mission for the 21st Century.
Being
Laurie Guy (Vice-Principal –academic and
lecturer)
arey’s commitment to training the whole person
was one of the reasons I enrolled in the Pastoral
Leadership track in 2004. The rigorous, all-encompassing
training at Carey shaped me into a pastor able to survive
and thrive in the challenges of general-practice pastoring.
Our emotional lives can be as hidden from us as icebergs,
with so much below the surface. Carey’s training seeks
to make pastors self-aware, able to identify the emotional
resources and hazards below the water-line. The focus
on feeling equips pastors to access real empathy for the
people who share their stories with us. And if we are
aware of the emotional price tag that comes with loving
a diverse community of people, we can seek appropriate
support. It gives us vocabulary to get excited about what
God is doing around us: passion, commitment, empathy,
drive, imagination – demanding pastoral work needs to be
fuelled partly by these.
Carey offers many different study options: weekly (on-site)
classes, distance courses, block courses, and field educa-
tion. Students can study full-time, part-time, or even enrol

I deas have legs and those legs are either strong and
supportive or weak and give way at the first hurdle.
Thinking Christianly doesn’t come naturally; it takes disci-
pline, hard work, and most often, wise guidance. At Carey
G reat thinker. Great preacher. Great leader. Yet the
ministry blows up. What’s wrong? There is no one
in the occasional paper that might interest them. Alongside
the academic, Carey provides focused training in the areas of
pastoral leadership, mission leadership, youth pastoral leader-
answer. But a commonly overlooked answer is “whole-
ness” – or its lack. I once worked simultaneously as a ship, and child and family leadership.

the only
christian
music degree in new zealand
Pursue your passion for God and music at Vision College.
Major in Vocals, and Instrument or Song Writing and take
your skills to a highly advanced level.
YEAR ONE YEAR TWO YEAR THREE
CAREER
MUSIC

Diploma of Diploma in Bachelor

Contemporary Performance of Music
Music (Level 5) Music (Level 6) (CCM)

Campuses in Hamilton & Christchurch

Txt or phone for your information pack.

CALL FREE NOW

0800 834 834
txt your name to 027 55 STUDY
www.visioncollege.ac.nz A division of ATC New Zealand. (Est 1984). NZQA Accredited.
10 NZ Baptist | September 2011

By Myk Habets
Carey Baptist College lecturer
Prayer, Liam-like
K
ids are one of the most wonderful
things in life! I have two of them, a
4-year-old girl named Sydney and a
2-year-old boy named Liam (although he insists
on being called “big boy” and nothing else). One
of the fun things to do with kids is experiment
(within the parameters of what is psychologi-
cally safe, of course). In an earlier article entitled
“Prayer Sydney-style” (NZ Baptist, March 2010)
I reflected on my experiment in prayer with
Sydney and how I sought to eradicate the word
“God” from our prayers and instead pray in a
more Trinitarian – hence relational and personal
– way.
Well I am experimenting again. While contin-
uing with prayer “Sydney-style,” I decided with
Liam to be as equally Trinitarian, but in another
way, and conduct prayer “Liam-like.” So as with
Sydney so too with Liam, I don’t pray to “God”
with Liam but to the Trinity, and so we use the
name: Father, Son/Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit
for God. But I do so in a different way than I do
with Sydney. Let me explain.
There are two basic forms of trinitarian prayer
– the doxological and the mediatorial. In the
first, prayer is addressed directly to the Father,
to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. In formal liturgical
settings this is known as a co-ordinated doxology: “Glory
to the Father with the Son, together with the Holy Spirit.”
“Glory” in Greek is doxa, hence doxological prayer. This
is prayer Sydney-style. The strengths of this form of prayer
are that it is dynamic and personal, it directly addresses
the triune God, and it (hopefully) will mean that static and
remote notions or concepts of God will not be implicit in
Sydney’s psyche. This form of prayer is also a trenchant
affirmation of the deity of Christ as the eternal Son of God,
and the deity of the Spirit as the Holy one.
Mediatorial prayer is slightly different. In mediatorial
doxologies one prays: “Glory to the Father through and
with the Son and in the Spirit.” In this, doxology prayer
is directed to the Father but indirectly, through and with
the Son and in or by the Holy Spirit. It thus highlights the
mediation and humanity of Christ as our great High Priest.
This is prayer Liam-like. Under this construct we only
approach the Father in and with Jesus Christ, enabled by
the Spirit who unites us to him. And so with Liam I might
pray something like: “Dear Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
thank you loving us by the Holy Spirit.” Or we
may pray: “Dear Jesus, thank you for making
your Father our Father, and for sending us
your Holy Spirit to help us and love us.” Here
Jesus is thrust in-between God and man as
he assumes his rightful place as our Lord and
Saviour, our Priest and Mediator.
Doxological prayer, while not wrong,
can have the unintended effect of dimin-
ishing the humanity of Christ and thus give
a distorted view of Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. Mediatorial prayer has the advantage
of keeping Jesus before us as the one in whom
and with whom we relate to the Father by the
Spirit. As someone once expressed so beauti-
fully, “Christ is the choir master who tunes our
hearts for worship.” Mediatorial prayer seeks
to emphasise this fact.
Now here is what is interesting. Both Sydney
and Liam are now able to say grace at the
dinner table, and how do they typically address
the Godhead? Like this: “Dear God … .” Is this
a good thing or a theological failure on my
part? Well, I think it is a good thing. I hope and
trust that when my children think of God and
speak to God, they are explicitly and intuitively
addressing the triune God of grace: the Father who loves
us and has, through Christ and by the Spirit, given us
every good gift.
May a similar reformation occur in all our prayer,
private and corporate, at home and at church. May we
begin to experience the personal, relational, triune God of
grace, not the remote god of the philosophers.
And now: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God [the Father], and the communion of the
Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

• MARK HOLMEN – Faith@Home

author from Ventura, California
• IAN & MARY GRANT – Parents Inc.
founders, and youth and parenting
advocates
MAIN S • JOHN DAWSON – International
A K E R President of YWAM

SPE

T his year’s Gathering has a great theme – “Being the

Body, Nobody Missing.” This is reflected in the breadth
of our main speakers, workshops and seminars. This
year’s programme has been designed with church ministry
and leadership teams in mind. There are many more options
than in the past. If a team is coming from your church, and we
hope there will be, we suggest you divide the seminars and
workshops between you.
Mark Holmen (www.faithbeginsathome.com), John
Dawson, and Ian and Mary Grant are our main speakers.
Lincoln University, Christchurch Their emphasis is on educating the family to take responsi-
bility for family discipleship, and how ministry teams can
November 10-13, 2011 integrate their work to see life-long commitment to God.
The Dream Centre music team will lead worship at the
main sessions. The venue is the Lincoln University Campus
with on-site accommodation. The Gathering starts on
Thursday evening with a celebration meal and the conference
starts at 2pm Friday.

Registration and seminar details are available online,

www.baptist.org.nz, or from the National Resource Centre.

the Gathering, PO Box 12149, Penrose, Auckland 1642

(09) 526 0338 | info@baptist.org.nz | www.baptist.org.nz
 WORLD REACH
New Zealand Baptists Reaching the World
Our mission:
Planting seed
for the harvest
W hen I first met Daniel
Dinan, he was a shy
and somewhat skinny
18-year-old. That was back
in 1985. Having just gradu-
ated from high school, he’d
returned to his village near
Tekin in the mountains of
Papua New Guinea.
Daniel was the product
of an education system that
taught reading, writing and Neil Perry
maths and promised a job,
income and better life. In reality, Daniel was not
one of the 20% who were fortunate enough to find
a job or gain a place in a university. So here he was,
back in the village where, apart from the occasional
day’s work we were able to give him, he had no
choice but to take up the rather unattractive life of a
subsistence farmer.
On a recent trip to PNG I had the privilege of
meeting up with Daniel again. At first he didn’t
recognise me; he said I was looking older and had
put on weight – I told him his eyesight was failing!
Once he realised who I was, there were hugs,
laughter, and tears as we recalled the times we had
spent together at the youth group I had been trying
to establish at the time (somewhat unsuccessfully, I
might add), and the weekly Bible studies where he
came to discover that, despite not being one of the
fortunate few to get job, he was indeed a blessed
young man who was loved by a God who had a
purpose for him.
In the years that followed, Daniel grew in his
faith and understanding of God. Eventually he
was recognised as one of the leaders in his local
church. A few years later he was sent to train at
Christian Leaders’ Training College (CLTC) where
he successfully completed a diploma in theology.
When he returned to his home area he was put in
charge of various aspects of the local Bible school.
He spent 12 years training pastors before returning
to CLTC to complete a Bachelor of Theology. Since
then, he’s continued to train and supervise pastors
in rural churches.
Today Daniel lives in Mt. Hagen with his wife
and three of his four children. He’s the Senior
Pastor of the Mt Hagen Baptist Church. He loves
to preach and is recognised by the Baptist Union
of PNG as being a very capable teacher and leader
within the denomination.
Who would have thought?! Not me. After all,
Daniel was just a young man who looked like he’d
be planting, harvesting and eating sweet potato for
the rest of his life – only God had other plans.
I tell you this story to encourage you to believe
that the work we are involved in as New Zealand
Baptists overseas, whether we go, pray, or finan-
cially support, does bear fruit. That fruit may
not be seen for many years but the seeds that are
planted, even in seemingly unlikely soil, can and
often do produce a harvest.
Neil is Team Leader of tranzsend. With his wife,
Barbara, he has served with tranzsend overseas in both
PNG and Thailand.
World Reach is a publication of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society (NZBMS)
To Tripura and beyond
M
y four days in Tripura
started like any other visit
but turned into the most
productive I’ve had since first going
to this North East Indian state in 2004.
Travelling with Mission Council
member John McMullan, our purpose
was to meet with the Tripura Baptist
Christian Union (TBCU) leadership
to discuss the work they are doing.
In particular, I wanted to focus on
their efforts to disciple believers in
their 600 churches and their plans for
reaching the state’s majority Bengali
population.
It was a busy time. We had plans to
meet with the secretaries of the TBCU,
and the principal of the Tripura
Academy of Integrated Christian
Studies (TAICS). We had preaching
engagements in four churches, a
meeting with the leadership of the
Argartala Baptist Church, and a
dinner and meeting with the leaders
of the 16 regional associations.
While there is much to report
from all these meetings, I’d like to
encourage you with three highlights
where we sensed God’s Holy Spirit
working in our midst.
The first was on the Sunday
evening. It was our fourth service
of the day – I spoke at the Argartala
Baptist Church in the morning and
John spoke at the Kok Borok and
Mizo services in the afternoon. Next
was the Bengali fellowship service.
The evening was unique in culture,
but fairly normal in procedure. I
spoke from Philippians and John
prayed for the gathering. This night
was special because it was held in the
home of a new member who, having
recently been healed from a severe
illness, wanted to have a celebration
service in his home.
All was normal until the pastor
invited us to pray specifically for
this man to be re-commissioned and
re-ordained for the work he’d been
called to. I sensed God challenge me
to remind this pastor that he’d already
been ordained by man and, more
importantly, by God in his mother’s
womb.
It was immediately obvious he’d
been impacted by the prayer. Later,
he said his mother used to tell him
as a boy that he’d been ordained for
something special while she carried
him in her womb. The Spirit of God
affirmed this ordination in a special
way that night.
The following day, John and I
met with TBCU leaders to discuss a
long-held desire to develop a mobile
discipleship programme. The TBCU
have baptized more than 5,000 people
each year over the past five years.
However, there seems to be genuine
Children pray during a meeting in Tripura.
lack of discipleship, which would
see those baptized fully integrated
into the life of the local community
of faith. The plan was to equip lay
leaders with the skills and resources
to continually disciple members of
their churches.
John and I endeavored to discern a
path forward. We suggested a leader-
ship training vision that integrated
all the training needs of the TBCU,
including the study offered by TAICS,
which has just begun the first classes
of a Bachelor of Theology degree.
This leadership training vision
focuses on pastoral leadership, lay
leadership and future leadership
training programmes. While New
Zealand involvement has been
sought in terms of vision oversight,
all training and development will be
done at the local level.
Additionally, Milford Baptist
Church have agreed to sponsor the
development of the mobile Bible
school programmes for the next five
years. This has created a fantastic
partnership between the Milford
church, tranzsend and the people of
Tripura.
Being able to help provide vision
and guidance to what will become a
significant ministry in Tripura was
very affirming and we can already
sense the work of the Holy Spirit in
this.
The third meeting John and I
were part of was with the Baptist
Association leaders from across the
Tripura state. There are 16 associa-
tions, and all but one leader attended
the dinner and meeting. Some had
to travel nearly two days to get
there. Again, we felt the Holy Spirit’s
SEPTEMBER 2011
involvement in the discussions we
had.
Each association reported on how
they were doing in terms of numbers
– number of pastors, number of evan-
gelists, and the budget they’d set for
the year ahead.
When I got up to speak I sensed
God challenge me to encourage these
leaders – one leader to another. As I
did that, John and I then sensed the
need to pray for them in a specific
way. As we did so, the Spirit of God
come down upon our gathering and
we felt God’s encouragement surge
through all of us as we prayed en
masse.
Later on, John and I shared with
each other how we felt God was
moving in our midst. We’d each had
three men on our hearts as leaders for
the future. When we compared who
they were, we received affirmation as
they were the same three men.
The following day we shared this
with Rev Ngaituasunga (Sunga)
Darlong, the newly reelected General
Secretary of the TBCU. He affirmed
that they had identified these three
men as leaders of the future.
God is working in a new and
encouraging way in Tripura. I felt
strongly that he wants New Zealand
Baptists to continue their involvement
there, just as he encouraged John and
me in our active involvement on this
visit.
Be encouraged. As New Zealand
Baptists, we continue to be part of
something special God is doing in this
part of his world.
Peter Mihaere is General Director of New
Zealand Baptists Reaching the World.
12 NZ Baptist | September 2011

Keep an
open ear
Nigel Webb is the New Zealand Director of SIM, one of
NZBMS’s strategic mission partners.

A
couple of years ago I met an Ethiopian
mission partner working in Asia. The Kale
Heywet church that sent him was started by
SIM missionaries in 1927. That church is now 6.7
million strong and sending their own missionaries
around the world.
This is an example of the new face of the global
Church. Today, more than 70% of believers live in
the Majority World (a term for what was known
as the Third World). In the
last 100 years the church in
Africa has grown from 1.6
to 175 million believers. In
1910, 99% of the 25,000 cross-
cultural missionaries were
from the West. Today, 78%
MAF workers load a plane bound for remote areas. Workers in less developed countries, like the newly constituted South Sudan,
rely heavily on MAF planes for transport of people and essential supplies.
of the 220,000 cross-cultural
missionaries are from the

Birth of a nation
Majority World.
Nigel Webb So, it begs the ques-
tion: Do we still need New
Zealanders in Africa and, if so, why? The answer is
an emphatic “yes,” and here are some reasons:
• There are still 1,100 unreached people groups in
Africa.
• Theological training for pastors is in short supply. John and Kristina Tipper serve with fighting occur. Inevitably the innocent
• New Zealanders have a No. 8 wire mentality Mission Aviation Fellowship in Southern are caught up and suffer the most.
that enables them to get alongside people of all Suden. They are, in part, supported by Please pray with us for some kind
cultures to see the work of the Kingdom grow. Balmoral Baptist Church in Auckland. of peace to hold. Pray for displaced

• Many countries still strugge for stability after
years of civil war post-independence.
One nation where New Zealanders are required
is South Sudan, which declared independence on
July 9. As a new nation there are many complex
issues to resolve – borders, citizenship, division of
national debt, sharing of resources such as oil. New
Zealanders are needed to work with the church
there as its citizens seek to rebuild the nation. They
need teachers, doctors, mechanics, agriculturalists –
anyone who can teach any of the simple skills that
have been lost through 20 years of civil war. It’s a
hard place to live but New Zealanders can hack it.
Our missionary God is still calling New
Zealanders to take the good news to places in
Africa where it has yet to be heard, and to work
alongside the African church. But more than that,
there is a boomerang challenge for nations such
as ours to give a Macedonian call to our fellow
workers from Africa to come over and help us
recontextualize the gospel for this generation, who
are largely immunized to modern Christendom.
Keep an ear open for his call on your life.
I
write this a short while before the
world’s 196th nation, the Republic
of South Sudan, is to be born.
Everywhere we look there are prepara-
tions for this coming birth: Multi-storey
buildings spring up, visitors flood
into the country, signs and banners all
around proclaim the new nation. Work
crews go hard at it through the night to
get projects finished.
As South Sudan rounds the bend
into the home straight, the finish line
is clearly in sight. Yet, sadly, it is not
a clear run across the line. Recent
months of transition have been marred
by increasing reports of fighting. In
some places, the southern army has
met its northern counterpart, initially
in the contested border town of Abyei
and, more recently, in the Nuba
Mountains of Southern Kordofan.
In other places, splinter militia
groups, some dating to before the
Kristina Tipper with the couple’s two
children.
six-year peace accord, are fighting the
southern government for positions of
power. On top of this, there’s continual
cattle rustling with its endless cycle of
retaliatory killings. New land mines
are being laid, and banditry and car-
jacking incidents are on the increase,
which makes road travel risky for all.
As members of MAF here in Sudan,
all we can do is respond. Our aircraft
have been in high demand, flying
medical staff wherever outbreaks of
families, whose daily existence is a
scramble for survival. Pray for our
staff members who play a vital role in
providing the flight services.
The rainy season is well-established
now, meaning all but the best-engi-
neered roads are getting cut off. Add
to this the insecurity, and the distance
to some of these affected areas, and
suddenly an air service is vital. In
many cases there’s no other way in.
Pray for all those we fly, especially
those whose Christian faith motivates
their response. Pray that they would be
lights in the darkness that threatens to
engulf this country.
Along with so many people here,
we’re holding our breath as we watch
the finish line come closer. Please join
with us and with our colleagues in
praying for South Sudan.
The Republic of South Sudan was consti-
tuted as the world’s 196th nation on July 9.

The Kenga NT – project complete!

Diane Goodman is Bible translation facili- and dust of Chad’s dry season. The food God powerfully answered prayers as we together. I was touched by Adoum’s
tator with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Chad, is abundant and varied. We enjoy hot came through this last stage safe and well prayer. He was full of delight and thank-
Central Africa. She is a member of Spreydon showers and the use of washing machines. – computers in good order, relationships fulness for all that had been accomplished.
Baptist Church. The typesetting itself has also been a intact! The final read-through was another In his prayer he spoke of the wonder of

I
write to you from cool, lush, green
Yaounde in Cameroon. I’m here to
oversee the culmination of an eight-
year project – the production of a New
Testament in the language of Chad’s
Kenga people.
I’ve not stopped praising the Lord since
my arrival here in Cameroon. Despite
dense traffic and ants on every surface,
including my body, the temperatures
here are perfect. Especially after the heat
pleasure. First we ran through a gamut
of checks on such things as markers
(paragraphs, chapters, verses etc.), punc-
tuation, quotations, and poetry format.
We took a full day to insert the black and
white pictures that will be in the New
Testament. Then another full day was
spent checking through the details on the
maps and changing the place names to
Kenga spelling. Later we spent a morning
inserting the colour pictures.
joy. It took two fairly intense weeks to
proofread everything one final time and
to make note of anything that needed
modification.
The moment this task was finished,
Adoum, one of our translators, fell sick
with malaria. How grateful we were that
it was at the end of the reading. With treat-
ment, Adoum recovered after four days.
On the morning the team were due to
return to N’Djamena in Chad, we prayed
it all. When the team began this journey
of translation they had no idea what was
involved in completing a New Testament.
To see it happen before their eyes was like
a dream come true.
We believe the completion of this project
is a miracle that shows God’s grace and
goodness. It is his desire that all peoples
on earth come to know and worship him.
How we long to see his powerful word
fully at work amongst the Kenga people.
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
The Bible for Africa
By Glenys and Gary Sweetman, SIL – Africa
“I
am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you
not see it? I will make a pathway
through the wilderness. I will create rivers
in the dry wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19
Just this week, one African Bible transla-
tion consultant told us that, during the 12
years he invested in completing a transla-
tion of the New Testament in his language,
only two churches among his people group
showed any interest. However, following
the terrible civil war in his country this
year there is a now a church in every
village and they are using God’s Word in
their own language.
After 25 years serving under SIL
International in Africa, Gary and Glenys
Sweetman were given the privilege of
providing leadership to the Bible transla-
tion work across a vast area known as the
Francophone region. Gary and Glenys
have been sent out jointly by Hillsborough
and Masterton Baptist churches and are
also supported by the Baptist churches in
Taupo and Lower Hutt.
Opportunities are opening up for
partnerships between organisations with
the desire to see positive, long-lasting
and sustainable spiritual impact in
Francophone Africa, an area stretching
across the middle of the continent. In this
region there are currently 349 Bible transla-
tion projects underway, 64 whole Bibles,
166 New Testaments, and 73 languages
with portions of Scripture. There have also
been a significant number of ventures into
non-print media.
However, it’s not just about language
Transforming the Mursi
Meryl is a member of New Plymouth Central
Baptist. She’s been working with SIM in
Ethiopia since 1996. She worships at both
Mt Albert and Mt Roskill Baptist churches
when in Auckland.
G
reetings from Ethiopia, the “Land of
13 Months of Sunshine.” Yes, that’s
quite true. In Ethiopia there are
twelve 30-day months with a 13th month of
just five or six days, depending on whether
or not it’s leap year.
I came to Ethiopia 17 years ago. For the
last two years I have been working with the
Mursi, one of this nation’s many ancient
people groups. You may have seen pictures of
the Mursi – they are the tribe whose women
wear lip plates. They are a semi-nomadic
group who, depending on the availability of
grass for their cattle, move around in a very
remote area in SW Ethiopia.
When the Ethiopian government began
looking for someone to help the Mursi in
areas of health, agriculture, and educa-
tion, no one volunteered. The main reason
was that this particular tribe have a well-
deserved reputation for killing people. The
government then turned to SIM, and we
accepted the challenge.
There’s now a clinic with four nurses
– two missionaries and two nationals – a
primary school for grades 1-4, and an agri-
culturist working in food security.
As a teacher I’ve been involved in the
development and Bible
translation – it’s
about the
spiritual trans-
formation of 209
million people
living in West
and Central
Gary and Glenys Africa where
Sweetman the national
language is
French. Gary has been the catalyst
for a growing relationship between SIL
and collaborative partners, which is now
known as the Francophone Initiative (FI).
After just two years of working together
as FI, and in consultation with theologians
and church leaders across the region, a
curriculum for Bible translation and the
church was developed. This has been
adopted by 27 different seminaries as a
core subject, meaning the next generation
of pastors will understand the importance
of using Scripture in a language that best
communicates the Good News to their
people.
There are challenges, however. While
there’s an open door at present, the situ-
ation is precarious. Francophone Africa
includes some countries that are difficult
to access and several already have virtual
no-go areas for outsiders.
God is at work in Francophone Africa,
however. There are creative and strategic
ways to join him in the task of creating
rivers of life in the dry wastelands of this
region, which will lead to its transfor-
mation for eternity. Please remember to
support us in prayer.
Meryl with her Mursi namesake – Merrill, a
boy! – inside a little grass hut.
school, teaching English as stipulated in
the government syllabus. Whilst working
in these “non-spiritual” areas we have
been sharing the Gospel, and talking to this
animist tribe about Jesus and what he has
done for them. As a consequence, a Mursi
church has been planted.
Each weekend sees between 20 and 120
The Francophone
region, in red, and the FI
leadership team, below.
people attending Sunday service. Numbers
fluctuate depending on the time of the
year because, when their crops are close
to harvest, the people need to protect their
grain against baboons and birds or they will
lose the lot.
We’re greatly encouraged to see Mursi
coming to the Lord almost every week. The
Mursi Christians are “gossiping the Gospel”
to their neighbours, and the Holy Spirit is
working in many hearts.
That outworking of the Holy Spirit is seen
in a wonderful way when students from
the school I teach in leave their homes. At
the end of grade four they go to a boarding
school over 400 kms from their homes.
There they often struggle to understand
their classes, which are all in English and
very difficult for most of them.
However Barkede, one of the first
students to go there, now speaks fluent
English and helps other students understand
their homework and what they need to do.
The Mursi students have made a real
impact at the boarding school. By the
time the first class went there, all but one
had become Christians and they put their
Christianity into practice, sticking together
and helping each other. In fact the director,
a non-believer, was so impressed by the
Mursi students he invited us to send as
many students as we wanted. That isn’t
something he invites other tribes repre-
sented there to do.
13
EDITOR’S NOTE
World Reach is published
by The New Zealand Baptist
Missionary Society to provide
information about what New
Zealand Baptists are achiev-
ing in the world of mission.
Contributions about New
Zealand Baptist overseas
mission endeavours are
encouraged.
This edition focuses on
Central Africa. For security
reasons, the names of some
people, places and organisa-
tions have been omitted and
generic photographs have
been used.
The same may be true
next month, when we will
focus on Southern Africa.
The countries in this region
are: Angola, Botswana,
Comoros, Lesotho,
Madagascar, Malawi,
Mayotte, Mozambique,
Namibia, Reunion, South
Africa, Swaziland, Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
You’re invited to contrib-
ute stories of New Zealand
Baptist involvement in these
areas. Copy is due by
Friday, September 9, to
info@reachingtheworld.org.nz.
14 [ WORLD REACH ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

Just another mission Monday

Pip is a trained nurse who currently serves overseas with dispense a few rounds of the beta molum or pain gel
tranzsend. She shares what a typical Monday is like for her. and I’m quickly back on my way again.
Health checks are in store for today. I ask Production

I
t’s 6:30am and the alarm goes. It’s time for my exer-
cise workout. It may be early but just one minute
into my workout the sweat is pouring from me. It’s
around 30ºC this morning and the humidity is through
the roof.
One hour later, and the workout’s complete.
HOORAY!!!
Next on the schedule is a cold shower to cool down,
then breakfast and some God time. One of the good
things about life here is that work starts later so I have
loads of time in the morning.
It’s 9am and I’m out the door. It’s a five minute walk
to work but I have to allow for an extra five minutes
to talk with Aunty – a lovely widow in her 70s whose
smile makes my day.
We start the week with a prayer meeting. It’s a great
chance to catch up on what’s happening in the coming
days and commit it to God.
10am sees us heading downstairs to join the ladies for
morning devotions. It’s one of the highlights of my day
to be able to join in song with our ladies as we worship
God together.
10:30am and I head back upstairs to check email and
prepare for the rest of the day. On the way a couple of
ladies stop me. “Didi ami onek betha ache kichu molum
debe,” or, “Sister, I am sore have you got any cream.” I
which department is under the least pressure and start
checking ladies from there.
Today there are no big alarm bells going off.
Everyone seems well, just a few minor ailments.
Somewhere in there was cha time, a chance to sit and
relax, laugh and joke with the ladies. They have decided
my name sounds very similar to a car horn so we have a
few chuckles about this.
At 2pm I’m off home for lunch, then to my language
helper at 3. We talk, I read, we discuss what I read. All
this Bangla makes my head hurt a little.
5pm and Bangla with the helper is over. I’m off to the
community. We talk and meet with new ladies looking
for freedom. Several good chats and cups of cha later
we make it back to the office for closing devotions and
prayer.
Work is done and I’m off to hang with some local
friends and have another cup of cha before dinner. We
talk about life and work and all the usual things you
talk to your mates about.
8pm and I’m home. I wasn’t on cooking tonight so
there’s food ready and waiting – yum. Dishes done, and
I put my feet up, read my book, check my facebook. :)
10.30pm and it’s off to bed.
What an awesome day and an awesome privilege to
Pip with a local friend do life with this group of women.

A family transformed
Lynley Capon and her husband Peter work locals and stored at Weerachai’s before running, Dudu shared with me the trans-
with tranzsend in Kalisan, Thailand. being taken to the market made it almost formation in the life of this family since
unbearable. What made it worthwhile was they became believers. Sitting together

I n July 2010 we visited, for the first time,

a very poor community out of town. We
set up on the dirt in the front yard of the
home of the community’s only Christian
family. In the heat, and with ants biting our
feet, we held an English class.
The family comprises Weerachai, the
father; Dudu, the mother; and Amina,
their 13-year-old daughter. There was a
time when I thought I would be unable
to handle teaching in these conditions. By
the second week we’d relocated to under
the verandah. It was worse; now we were
next to the cows. There were flies, and
Weerachai the stench of rubber latex collected by
Weerachai and Dudu’s welcome, and the
eagerness of Amina to learn.
Just over a year later, this family has
become our team’s greatest supporters
for the growing work here. Weerachai
installed fans and lights at our centre and
he and Dudu are now sewing there under
Colleen’s training and guidance – eventu-
ally this will be their own business.
Weerachai advises Peter and helps Ian
on any matter we need a Thai to deal with.
Amina joins in every class I have. She helps
me with the kindergarten class and the kids’
programme we hold at another community.
Once, before the centre was up and
on a bamboo platform under the eaves
of their house in the village, she told me
how Weerachai had been a drunk and a
surly man. Now he is a radiant light with a
ready smile and helping hand. Dudu is an
eager learner of the Bible and has written
soul-stirring songs about faith in Jesus.
Amina is a role model to the other kids and
adults in all the classes.
We are so privileged to have been
blessed with the gift of their lives and their
involvement with us.
Please pray that our work, coupled with
this family’s testimony of transformation,
would lead others to spiritual freedom.

MISSION QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

Resource Corner – NZBMS, helping resource your church for mission
“If God calls you to be a
Review the ‘mission heart’ of your church missionary, don’t stoop
to be a king.”
– Jordan Groom

W e all like to think that mission is

at the heart of our church and its
ministry, but is it? Last month we looked
at setting up a missions programme in
your church. This month we want to think
about how to determine if mission is foun-
dational in your church.
If a church is to truly live out the chal-
lenge of Christ in Acts 1:8, then mission,
at home and overseas, must be at its
heart. That can only occur if there is an
underlying philosophy of mission that
permeates all aspects of that church’s
structure and ministry.
For this to happen, mission must be
incorporated into seven central aspects.
Here’s the list; take time to work through it
and see how your church is going.
1. Vision: At the heart of all that the
church does there must be a desire to be a
community of faith that faces outward and
seeks to draw others in to share the faith –
mission becomes a priority.
2. Mission: The church must understand
its community, its nation, and its world,
and must know the tasks that need to be
fulfilled in each of these areas if the vision
of being a mission-church is to be realised.
3. Strategy: Mission will not happen
by accident. There needs to be a proactive
setting of strategy to achieve the mission
tasks of the church.
4. Structure: The structure of the church
in terms of leadership, discipleship, and
even Sunday morning services needs to be
arranged with mission and the strategies
to achieve mission in mind.
5. Leadership: The style and equip-
ping of leadership, the way decisions are
made, the management of roles, tasks and
accountability need to facilitate the basic
mission philosophy. Too often, leadership
structures and church structures work
against the mission strategy rather than
helping it.
6. Resources: Mission costs! Mission is
sacrificial! Resources need to be directed
towards mission and towards achieving
the mission philosophy of the church.
7. Momentum: The vision and mission
needs to be constantly re-evaluated and
re-sown into the life of the church.
Churches that sustain fruitful mission
on a long-term basis have usually thought
carefully about these seven aspects of
church life and whether they impinge
upon their mission values. That’s why it’s
worthwhile pulling out this checklist occa-
sionally and reviewing the effectiveness of
your church’s life, mission and ministry.
Questions your mission team may have
regarding resourcing can be sent to
info@reachingtheworld.co.nz.
BMF Day at
the Gathering
November 10, 10am - 3.30pm at Lincoln
Baptist Church, 530 Birchs Rd, Lincoln.
Join us to celebrate the faithfulness of our
God and of BMF members in the work of
New Zealand Baptists Reaching the World.
Greetings from our overseas workers and
presentations from our tranzsend home
staff will be included in the programme.
The registration fee of $10 covers tea
breaks and lunch. Register to the NZBMF
National Treasurer, Gaileen Payton, at
paytonsplace@slingshot.co.nz or phone
(03) 358 3257.
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
Baptist kindy builds on its past
Q
uality preschool education lays some of the best
foundation blocks for a lifetime of learning. And
that’s what Pakuranga Baptist Kindergarten offers
the 80 children who come into its bright, attractive envi-
ronment each week.
One of the longest serving church kindies in the area,
established nearly 40 years ago, its enviable reputation
means parents from surrounding suburbs are keen to enrol
their children at the centre.
While 55 percent of the young pupils come from
Christian homes, the 45 percent who don’t ensure the
kindergarten is a great community outreach.
“We try to be living Jesus rather than preaching Jesus,”
says centre manager Jacqui Lees. “We reach out and care
and share and love our families without necessarily being
evangelical about it, and when issues come up for our
families that’s the moment we can say, ‘Can we pray for
you?’”
Jacqui, who also teaches Sunday school at Pakuranga
Baptist, is delighted when non-church families come to
faith. At the centre, the staff pray every morning for the
children and their families before the first session.
The kindy has 14 ethnicities represented, including
children from Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia,
mainland China, Eastern Europ, South Africa, America
and the Pacific Islands.
“We have had Muslim families. We have Hindu fami-
lies, and quite a few Buddhist families,” says Jacqui.
The kindergarten has also embraced bi-culturalism.
“I think a lot of church kindergartens are afraid of
bi-culturalism but there are some really good things in
it from the Maori world view and what people of faith
believe,” explains Jacqui.
She believes it is also important to have the centre’s
broad ethnicity reflected among the staff.
“We have teachers who can speak Mandarin and
Cantonese and we have one teacher from Sri Lanka and
another from Southern India,” she says. “Hopefully chil-
dren and parents can find someone on our staff who might
look like them, might sound like them and who they can
[ EDUCATION: PRESCHOOL PROFILE ]
Pakuranga Baptist Kindergarten centre manager Jacqui Lees
sits down to morning tea with some of the youngsters.
relate to. It can be kind of scary handing over your small
child to someone who you don’t think understands your
culture.”
Jacqui, who has taught at the kindergarten for 13 years,
is passionate about her work.
“I think preschool is really important because it’s where
children learn about being a learner,” she says. “They are
excited to find things out. We are a very inquiry based
place with lots of science – it’s our job to wonder along
with the children and we discover things together. I don’t
think there are many jobs where you get to have such joy.”
Jacqui believes it is crucial for early childhood centres to
keep abreast of the latest teaching developments.
“I think it is really, really important to know what sort of
developments, trends and theories there are in early child-
hood and to operate within those and take it seriously,”
she says.
“As a church kindergarten I think we have a couple
15
more responsibilitie. We are out there representing God
and so we have a responsibility to offer the best quality
care and education for young children that we possibly
can, in a loving Christian environment, and to nurture chil-
dren’s spiritual, physical and emotional wellbeing.”
Jacqui and her staff regularly talk about their values
with the children and their families.
“Respect and collaboration are really important to us
because God wants us to treat each other with respect and
he wants us to work together, because we are all different
and we all bring something different,” she explains. “We
want the children to learn to work together and think
about each other’s ideas and listen and talk to each other.”
The centre’s philosophy is strongly influenced by the
Italian-based reggio emilia model of preschool education,
which Jacqui describes as almost postmodern.
In 2008 Jacqui went to Italy and visited five centres
during the reggio emelia international study week.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say,” she
qualifies, “but you can look at what things you know are
true and right. Our God is a God of truth and wherever
you see truth you can say, ‘Yes, that’s good.’
“Their whole idea is of democracy and that children
are citizens now, not citizens of the future and they have a
right to have a voice too. Jesus said, ‘Let the children come
to me.’”
Jacqui says God often speaks to her through the
children.
“I think he realises I listen to them a lot and it’s a way
for him to get through to me,” she says.
Through her work Jacqui has become very aware of the
way adults interact with children.
“Are we growing our children up or growing them
down?” she asks. “I think we need to see children through
the eyes of our God who made them – the person he sees
and wants them to be, and nurture that potential. To see
them not just as cute little children but as strong, impor-
tant members of our society – leaders, scientists, mothers
- who impact our lives now and in the future.”
– Fran Pardon
16 [ EDUCATION: MAINLY MUSIC ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

Kids flourish in ‘mainly music’

By Jo Hood
International mainly music director Resources extend

E
very week, around 15,000 fami-
lies who attend 450 mainly music
groups throughout New Zealand
are coming into contact with educational
concepts, like colours and numbers.
They can clap and sing at the same
time. They’re children who know how to
confidently march, use their left and right,
and who have developed participation
skills. These preschoolers are using their
imagination and learning direction, a key
concept for recognising alphabet letters.
And every week, they’re hearing
messages about God. About how He made
them and loves them, and how they’re
unique. In fact, some weeks, they’re even
singing about the message of the cross as
they sing one of their favourites, L-O-V-E,
Love That’s Why.
The Kiwi initiative founded 22 years
ago at Hillsborough Baptist in Auckland
provides a unique opportunity for
churches to interact with their community.
It is unique because teams of mothers
and grandmothers, along with grandfa-
thers and pastoral staff, don’t have to “do
outreach” alone.
Ideas and resources designed by the
mainly music organisation are available,
ensuring churches maximise their connec-
tion with families of young children in the
community. Resources extend far beyond
ideas and resources for songs and educa-
tional concepts for children.
Education occurs at another level in
mainly music. Each year, four conferences
throughout New Zealand equip the 3000-
plus volunteers who energetically make
mainly music happen in their community
each week.
The conferences don’t feature “56 ways
to move a maraca or a scarf” – they feature
material on evangelism, supporting people
through grief, and the essential messages
to present at the Easter and Christmas
sessions.
It was difficult for those who attended
this year’s conference to hear a piece of
“sad” news: mainly music in Australia had
far beyond ideas and
resources for songs and
educational concepts
for children.
beaten the Kiwi mainly music. More than
470 groups now exist through all states
and territories.
Of course, one day when the USA and
UK get moving, that “sad” news will be
extended to the Aussies, who will become
the smaller cousins to those countries!
At this time, mainly music exists in 10
countries.
The “mainly mums” initiative launched
recently. It is not designed to be another
ministry; mainly mums is a concept
already tried and tested by groups in New
Zealand and Australia.
The team invites mothers from the
mainly music community to join a group
looking at, for example, the five love
languages.
This course has captured the interest
of many families when they realise the
benefits of speaking someone else’s love
language to show how much they are
loved. While attending the “just for one
hour” small group, the mums’ children are
looked after.
During the course, the facilitator invites
mums to consider a follow-on series such
as Boundaries or the She Will Run studies
on topics for mothers.
Within each of the series offered
are Christian concepts so as the group
develops and questions are asked, the
facilitator discerns when to make available
a course like Journeys, Alpha, H2O, More to
Life or whatever faith discovery course is
used by the church.
So far one church who has used this
mainly mums concept has had five mums
join who, other than through mainly
music, were not connected with church. Children and adults enjoy mainly music at Hillsborough Baptist Church.

Families Build bridges that lead to life

walking with God By Karen Warner
walkingwithGod.com National team leader, Baptist Children and Family Ministries
Bridge building is not something, being trained as
a primary school teacher, I thought I’d ever need to
understand. That was until my son’s class decided to
enter the Aurecon Bridge Building Competition.
Those of you who have ever endured the annual
science fair competition will understand that these types
of homework projects are not only for the kids. The entire
family gets sucked into the vortex. The purpose was to
build the strongest bridge using only balsa wood, card-
board, glue and string. The winning bridge would take
the heaviest load before disintegrating.
It was a great project, and one that generated much
discussion and debate in the household. Matt’s bridge
did not prove to be the strongest, but it did start me
thinking about other bridges we need to build. Not the
ones made of balsa wood or steel, but the ones that lead
people into the Kingdom.
For many years mainly music has been in the business
of bridge building – seeking to bridge the gap between
the community and the church. For some churches this
has been a great journey, with many families coming
to faith. For others, mainly music has simply become
a community service. Becoming an effective bridge
has been the real challenge. I witnessed this firsthand
through my own involvement in mainly music.
I recently listened to Jo Hood explain the new initia-
tive, mainly mums. Here is an intentional way to bring
people closer to Jesus in non-threatening, small, relational
groups. If your church has a mainly music group, or any
other community outreach, mainly mums could be a
wonderful bridge building opportunity. Take the idea,
contextualise it and make it your own. Then share your
bridge-building stories, and we can all be inspired to
build bridges that will lead people to life.
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
Five simple
rules to
teach faith
to children
By Dr Tim and Dr Barbara Bulkeley
Don’t talk down
Intelligence is ability to learn, which
children have in plenty. As we grow older
we find it harder to learn (hopefully we
balance this by getting more knowledge
and becoming wiser). So never talk down
to children. They are smart and capable,
though we need to break ideas into smaller
because they have less prior knowledge.
Avoid the ghetto
Some activities are better done in segre-
gated, homogenous groups. However,
learning the Christian faith is often not
one of those. In Scripture, time and again,
children learn about God along with the
adults around them. Sometimes, like the
lad Andrew spotted who had some lunch
that Jesus used to feed the crowd (John 6),
they play an active role, on other occasions
they just watch.
If children only learn about faith with
other children they risk thinking that the
Christian faith is only appropriate for chil-
dren, like belief in Santa. Helping children
grow up into a grown-up faith (not just carry
a childish religion into adulthood) is easier if
some of their learning is shared with adults.
There are many resources to help with ideas,
such as those at heritagebuilders.com.
Short, sharp and shocking
Research shows that over recent genera-
tions our attention spans have been getting
shorter. First we blamed TV, now we blame
the Internet. But children have even shorter
attention spans than adults. They are also
even less tolerant of boredom! Adults
may politely yawn through a 40 minute
sermon, waking up enough to listen in
occasionally. Children won’t – if you bore
them, you have lost them. So, keep your
teaching broken into short sections, with a
change of activity between. Keep it sharp
– boredom grows slower when the action
is fast, or surprising, or amusing – laughter
reinvigorates.
Teach differently
Different people learn differently. Some
learn by listening, some by seeing, but
others need action. Kinesthetic learners
learn by doing. Partly so that there is some-
thing for everyone, and partly just to keep
things moving, try to mix seeing, hearing
and doing as you teach.
Be real
People all believe they are exceptional.
So we conclude rules don’t apply to us
because we are “exceptions.” By contrast, as
social animals, we are good at empathising
with others. Tell us a realistic story and we
quickly apply its lessons to ourselves. This
applies to children just as much as adults.
In teaching the faith to children we must
make sure that we not only tell the princi-
ples, but show them at work in real stories
of real (or at least realistic) people.
And be prepared to answer the tough
questions children ask. Some may make
you think more deeply about your faith in
order to avoid trite words. Children often
see through pretence, so if you don’t know,
tell them, and say you’ll try to find out.
Then be sure you keep your promise, don’t
just put it in the too-hard basket.
• Tim teaches at Carey Baptist College and
Barbara at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute.
[ EDUCATION ]
Centre grows families
Te Whānau Pūtahi (the Family Centre) provides urban mission through
its Christian Social Service Centre in the multicultural Hamilton suburb
of Fairfield. It began in 1997 as an off-site ministry of Hamilton Central
Baptist Church. In 2002 Whānau Pūtahi became an indpendent fellow-
ship of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, though still maintaining
relationship with HCBC. Its mission statement is: “To strengthen families
and individuals towards wholeness as God intended.” Among its many
community programmes, the centre operates a fully licensed childcare.
By Nettie Holm
P
re-school education, as in Early Childhood Education
(ECE), provides a unique opportunity to be a significant
participant in the development of a child’s brain – 80% of
which goes on in the early years of their life. This is not saying
that pre-schoolers who are at home with a committed parent or
caregiver are not being significantly shaped in that environment.
A healthy home environment will always provide a rich mosaic of
learning.
However ECE provides an intentional opportunity to partner
with parents and caregivers in the learning process. In addition to
this, Christian ECE has the opportunity to engage the children on
a journey of learning about God.
Our centre is nested within Te Whānau Pūtahi – the Family
Centre. It is a small, 20-place (soon to become 35-place) decile 1
licensed centre. The scale ranges from 1-10, with 1 representing
the lowest socio-economic areas.
We focus not only on the child’s learning but also the relation-
ship we can build with the parents and caregivers. This type of
work is now termed early intervention. It is critical, as research
has proven.
Sixteen years ago we were deeply disturbed by the stories of
abuse of children. In local discussions we saw the potential of
The Bible belongs in schools
N
ew Zealand school classrooms are an underutilised
mission field, according to Christian Education Services
national director David Mulholland.
“Churches by and large have not woken up to the fact that this
is a mission field on our doorstep,” says David. “The children
are right there and we don’t have to supply buildings, seating,
lighting or heating. It’s an opportunity we should grab hold of.”
Every week more than 3800 volunteers teach Bible in Schools,
as it has been known for decades, to more than 90,000 primary
and intermediate children in 771 schools around the country.
While that is an impressive figure, David is concerned the
actual number of schools opting out of religous education classes
has been increasing in recent years.
“Sometimes it’s a pressure on
time,” he says, “they say they can’t
afford the half hour. But as New
Zealand becomes more secular it’s
not always PC to have a Christian
education programme.”
For more than 100 years, CEC has
partnered with churches to provide
Christian education in New Zealand
state schools. It is one of the largest
volunteer organisations in the
country. Around 16 deonominations
support CEC and deliver weekly
Bible in Schools programmes.
Baptists are at the top of the
support graph, supplying more
David Mullholland with CRE advisor Diane Scarrow.
than 200 volunteers each week. (The
next closest single denomination is the Presbyterian Church with
around 80 volunteers.)
“One of the strengths is that we aren’t representing just one
church but we are representing all those churches,” David says.
CEC is now entering a new phase. The national office will shift
from Wellington to Auckland by the end of the year to streamline
the CEC structure.
“We often hear in church about the 10-40 window for evan-
gelising people in the world. For me it’s a 9 to 3 window,” says
David. “There’s a huge number of children in our country who
have no knowledge of things Christian. The only time they hear
God or Jesus mentioned is as a swear word.
“Before a person can make a valid decision on anything they
need to know about it. Bible in Schools is invaluable in terms of
helping children understand about Jesus and Christian faith.”
He says CEC aims to connect the next generation with essential
biblical values to help them make good life choices, which will in
turn positively impact their families, schools and communities.
17
Pre-schoolers enjoy making a sand meal at Te Whānau Pūtahi.
engaging with children from vulnerable families and offering
quality education here – an area of financial deprivation, with a
higher-than-average statistic of one parent families, and Maori
and Pacific Island people.
Many of the vulnerable families we have journeyed with over
these years have had lives ravaged when they were children, and
often as adults too, by the effects of drugs, alcohol and abuse.
Our ECE has not only provided support and education, but
time out for the children and even many parents and caregivers
who parent alone. It is a rich journey, which we are now even
more committed to for the future.
• Nettie Holm is the Team Leader and Pastor.
A recent pilot study into CEC’s relevance in today’s society
showed positive feedback from participating principals who
appreciated the community involvement in their schools from BIS
volunteers.
“Schools are encouraged to teach values and Bible in Schools is
a tool that can provide part of that value programme,” explains
David.
CEC is awaiting funding to carry out a larger study.
David would like to see a reverse in the trend of declining
school participation.
“New Zealand’s cultural heritage is founded on the Christian
faith, and we believe the teachings of Jesus continue to be relevant
to children and families around the
country,” he says. “I don’t think we
can ever quantify the value of Bible in
Schools and the seeds it sows.”
David says CEC priorities include
improving the services offered to
schools and increasing the support from
churches and Christians by improving
connections with the Christian commu-
nity. Finding volunteers to teach is
becoming more difficult.
“These days both mum and dad
work therefore they don’t have the time
to volunteer, and we need volunteers
who are committed to training and
being upskilled so we offer profession-
alism in the classroom,” David says.
While David would love more
people to volunteer to teach Bible in Schools, he would also like
people to pray consistently for those involved in delivering the
weekly programme.
He says another challenge is getting school boards to see the
value of having CRE classes in their school, as the trustees make
the decision as to whether or not to allow in Bible in School
teachers in.
“If there were more Christians on school boards they could
have more influence over having CRE in a school,” he says.
Securing adequate funding is another important issue for
resourcing both national and regional CEC work.
David has been involved with the Churches Education
Commission in a number of capacities. During the 1980s he was
the first fulltime Christian Education Services advisor.
Later, as a professor lecturing for the Bible College of New
Zealand, he was the college’s representative to CEC national
meetings and trained CRE volunteers. He returned to CEC full-
time in 2008 and was appointed national director last July.
18 [ IN MEMORY ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

» Obituaries | “For to me, to live is Christ and to die Is gain.” Phil. 1:21

Leader united faith and social participation

Dame Vivienne Myra Boyd Viv was the primary focus was described by the 1972, 1977-1979).
longest serving Dominion Post, on June 17, as “advocate Viv also served on bodies such as the
April 1926 – July 2011
member of the for women.” In addition to her National Royal Commission on Nuclear Power

D
ame Vivienne (Viv) was born in
Lower Hutt to Hugh and Winnie
Lowe. She attended Eastern Hutt
School, Hutt Valley High School and
Victoria University. She graduated from
Victoria University in 1948 with an MSc in
Chemistry. The same week as her gradua-
tion, she married Robert (Bob) Boyd in the
Lower Hutt Baptist Church.
Viv and Bob started married life in
Wellington but moved back to Lower Hutt
in the early 1950s. They had four children:
Vivienne, Alan (now deceased), Dorothy
and Rosemary.
Viv and Bob joined Epuni Baptist
Church in April 1952. Apart from a five
year break from 1961 to 1966, when Bob’s
work with NZ Railways took the family
to Dunedin (where they became active
members of Hanover Street Baptist), they
were members at Epuni until their deaths.
Epuni Baptist Council of Women activities, she was
Church at the a member of the Equal Opportunities
time of her Tribunal panel (1979-89) and a member
death. of the NZ Government delegation to the
In 1986 she World Conference on the UN Decade for
was knighted Women (Copenhagen 1980).
as DBE for Viv also used her talents within the
her service in wider Baptist community. She was the first
New Zealand woman appointed to the Baptist Union
Dame Vivienne Boyd community Council (1970-1985), and the first woman
and public appointed to the position of president of
affairs. This included being president of the Baptist Union (1984-1985). She also
the National Council of Women (1978- served as a deacon at Epuni Baptist.
1982), a member and later chair of the As National Leader Rodney Macann
Consumer Council (1975–1988) and chair stated in his funeral tribute, Viv felt
of the Abortion Supervisory Committee strongly that a Christian and church
(1979-1980). perspective was needed in any discussion
Viv’s CV lists so many roles and of wider community and social issues.
activities that it is impossible to include To provide this perspective, she became
all details, however her activities can a member and later the convener of the
be grouped into a few categories. Her Baptist Public Questions Committee (1967-
Generation (1976-78) and the Steering
Committee for the Review of Gambling
(1990).
Dame Vivienne largely retired from
public office when her husband’s health
declined. Bob died in August 2004,
bringing to a close 56 years of marriage.
According to her daughter, Viv described
married life as “one long conversation.”
She will also be remembered as one who
loved to talk and tell stories, including
her extensive travel stories. She had an
excellent analytical mind and was a very
capable speaker. She was passionate about
her local church.
Viv’s family were also very important
to her. Even as her health deteriorated she
kept in touch with the happenings of her
three daughters, seven grandchildren and
her new great-grandson.
– Jean Cavaney

Teacher and mother leaves faithful testimony

Lois Robertson used by Lois’ aunt as a Sunday school. The the Air Force, where he trained as a pilot English to Cambodian refugees.
1917 – 2011 family would often visit in the weekends, at Wigram Airbase near Christchurch. He Colvin sold the shop and set up his
and Crusaders and Bible class outings to spent the war moving from one place to accountancy practice, and was also

L
ois Purnell Robertson was born in
Thames in 1917, the third of four
children. Her mother, Janet, had
come from England with her family as an
8-year old and settled in the Hokianga.
Janet taught in the local Maori school
where she met and married Herbert
Purnell, another teacher.
The couple moved to Auckland where
Herbert studied law and then to Thames,
where he established a law practice with
Peter Jensen. Lois was born there in
Thames.
Back copies of the NZ Baptist are full
of mentions of the Purnell name, usually
in connection with Herbert’s role as the
Sunday school superintendant. Lois’ name
appears frequently also, receiving a prize
or a certificate almost every year. Once,
in 1930, she achieved 98% in the scripture
exams.
Lois was not only an avid student, she
was also a teacher. Members of the Thames
congregation still recall the impact she
made as a leader of the school crusaders
club.
Then came the Depression years, and
the family lost their Kaitiaki farm. They
kept one at Waitakaruru, however. It was
managed by Herbert’s brother Alf, and
the farm were frequent events.
Lois’ father was a firm believer in
education and, contrary to the spirit of the
age, sent both his daughters to university.
Lois stayed with sister Mima in a bedsit in
Herne Bay, Auckland, sharing a bed that
was also their desk, and budgeting with
pennies in jam jars.
She met a young Colvin Robertson there.
Lois worshipped at Ponsonby Baptist,
(where Colvin had also scored high marks
in Sunday school exams in previous years).
When they met he was working during the
day and studying at nights for an account-
ancy qualification.
Lois returned home with a BA and a
fiancé. In 1940 she taught at Thames High
School and was again very active in the life
of the church, leading services during the
missions appeal month and becoming the
first preacher at the new monthly youth
services.
In February 1941 Lois and Colvin were
married. They borrowed Lois’ father’s car
and went camping in the Coromandel for
their honeymoon before starting married
life living with his mother in Herne Bay.
It was war time and accommodation was
scarce.
Colvin opted to move from the Army to
another around the country.
Their first child, Helen, was born in 1942,
followed soon after by Chip, then Mark in
1947, Stephen in 1949 and Joanna in 1951.
After the war, Colvin worked for
Farmer’s Trading Company, owned by
his uncle, Robert Laidlaw. To his family’s
surprise, he left the company and moved to
Thames in 1945. There Lois’s father helped
them buy Renshaw’s Hardware.
In 1948, Chip died aged four. He had
been ill with what was thought to be flu,
and Lois found him dead one morning.
Lois used the pain of this time to comfort
others in her turn. When one of the church
lost a child in recent years, Lois was able
to say, “I know how you feel”and provide
invaluable support.
Colvin quickly diversified his business.
Along with some old Air Force friends
he set up an aerial topdressing business.
Lois continued to work in the shop, run
the house and garden, and care for the
children. Both were busy in the life of the
church. Lois was, again, a Sunday school
teacher.
Lois and Colvin were often described
as very hospitable. At one time Lois was
involved in the refugee resettlement
programme run by the church, teaching
involved in church leadership and civic
duties. Like his father-in-law and Keith, his
brother-in-law, he served for many years as
a member of the town council. At one time
he was Deputy to Mayor Gavin Smith,
while Gavin was Thames Baptist Pastor
and Colvin was treasurer.
Tragedy came again in 1979 when
Mark, who had inherited his grandfather’s
can-do, risk-taking nature, tried to take
off with a heavy load of fertiliser in tricky
winds. His wing clipped a fence and he
died in the crash. Lois said, “I know God
won’t give us more than we can bear, but
I wish he didn’t have such a high opinion
of me!”
A wonderfully warm woman, Lois kept
her humour even in the pain and discom-
fort of her last years. She did not have
an easy end, suffering the frustration of
memory loss and confusion and knowing
that she wasn’t able to think straight.
Having cared for others all her life, she
struggled to accept that others were caring
for her.
Lois died on June 17 at Rosedale Village,
aged 94. A service was held at Thames
Baptist Church on June 23 followed by
interment at Totara Memorial Park.
– Taken from Roger Driver-Burgess’ eulogy

Document outlines ethics of Christian mission

The world’s three main church networking organisa-
tions has produced a historic document on the ethics of
Christian mission. It is the result of a five-year collabo-
ration between the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA),
the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican’s
Pontifical Council on Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID).
NZ Christian Network is the local member of the
WEA. National Director Glyn Carpenter says the three
collaborating bodies represent more than 90% of the
world’s total Christian population.
The document, Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious
World: Recommendations for Conduct, is partly in response
to criticism of unethical methods levelled at Christians. In
some cases criticism has resulted in anti-conversion laws
and violence.
This response identifies the biblical call to share the
Gospel and provides ethical guidelines.
There are three main parts. The first identifies the
biblical foundations for mission, states that Jesus Christ
is the example for Christians in speaking to others, and
outlines the Church’s participation in God’s mission.
The second lists 12 principles Christians are called to
follow in speaking about Christ in a manner consistent
with the Gospel, such as acting in God’s love, imitating
Jesus Christ in all aspects of life and living with integrity,
compassion and humility.
The third part has six recommendations to all
Christians, church bodies, mission organisations and
agencies.
Geoff Tunnicliffe, Secretary General of the World
Evangelical Alliance, says: “In some places dynamic
public witness to Jesus Christ has been accompanied
by misunderstanding and tension. This document is a
valuable resource for church and ministry leaders for
reflection and practice on how to best witness in ways
faithful to the call of Christ and in line with the life and
Spirit of Jesus.”
The WEA endorses the document for all evangelicals
and Christians worldwide. Evangelicals are encour-
aged to study the document and examine how it can be
applied and adapted to particular needs and contexts.
• See www.vision.org.nz for more information.
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
BIRTHS
Embling, to Colin and Leonie (Manurewa) a
daughter, Shontelle Raine
Large, to Julie and Lyndon (Havelock North)
a son, Marcus
Leung Wai, to Lynne and Reuben (Feilding)
a son, Judah
McClymont, to Peter and Jo (Mt Albert) a
son, Liam Vincent
Tamaseu, to Paul and Larissa (Henderson)
a son, Benjamin
ENGAGEMENTS
Hitchcock-McCarthy, Gareth to Olivia
(Henderson)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES
Bot, Willy and Arie (Whangarei Central), 54
years
Dunston, Bert and Jean (Fairfield), 60 years
Pimm, David and Tineke (Feilding), 62
years
SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS
Behrent, Betty (Fairfield), 85
Budd, Phil (Whangarei Central), 87
Carey, Lorna (Fairfield), 88
Clark, Enid (Whangarei Central), 84
Edgar, Stan (Epsom), 93
Eichler, Ray (Feilding), 83
Hayward, David (Epsom), 80
Holmes, Graham (Whangarei Central), 81
Mantz, Margaret (Manurewa), 82
Marriner, Noeline (Manurewa), 88
Moller, Tom (Manurewa), 85
Singleton, Geoff (South City, Tauranga), 70
Ward, Ineawa (Fairfield), 87
Whalley, Norma (Whangarei Central), 80
Willmott, Roy (Fairfield), 88
DEATHS
Bernstone, Neville James (Flaxmere)
Tulett, Ronald (Levin), 83
Campbell, Rev Mervyn (Fielding) 87.
Survived by wife, Frances, and three
children.
BAPTISMS
Ashburton: Anita Badger, Shannon
Macrae, Caitlan Macrae, Kelsey Campbell,
James Chapman, Leticia Strijbis, Mitch
Aldridge, Daniel Johnson, Jack Cockburn
Fairfield: Moana Whakamarurangi
Henderson: Larissa Tamaseu
Thames: James Lee, Julia Lee
NORTHLAND/AUCKLAND
Epsom
On August 7 the new Epsom Centre –
a place for meetings, study, prayer and
retreats – was officially opened. We shared
memories and sang “Bless This House,” and
our Pastor opened this venture with a bless-
ing and the hope that the centre will bring
inspiration and encouragement to many.
Congratulations to Martin Sutherland on the
launch of his book Conflict and Connection.
Our Wednesday night group has com-
menced a series on the fruit of the Spirit. We
were sad to farewell the Picard family last
month.
WAIKATO/CENTRAL
DISTRICTS
Cambridge
We are enjoying hearing our new Pastor,
Jonathan Ruthven, preaching on the Gospel
of John – “A Portrait of Jesus.” A Church
Assessment weekend was held in May. We
are now prayerfully considering the rec-
ommendations and some changes have
already been trialed. A number benefitted
from the series “Sharing Jesus without Fear.”
Groups of men are meeting together in
“prayer triplets” to support each other reach-
ing out to friends with the Gospel. Sunday
school held a very successful Cardboard
City weekend in July, attracting many new
children. Junior Youth held a hotly con-
tested baking competition. The congregation
enjoyed eating the variety of cakes made.
[ CHURCHES IN ACTION ]
Send information for Churches in Action & Family to:
Carolyn Armstrong, CIA Editor
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park, New Plymouth 4312
Phone: 021 034 9639
Fax: (09) 536 5714
Email: armstrong@iee.org
Fairfield
Pastor Geoff Follas
Our church is holding extra prayer meetings
on Monday mornings as well as monthly
Sunday night prayer meetings, where we
wait on God and pray for his leading and
guidance for our church direction and for our
people. Our building committee is prayer-
fully making progress with the plans to reno-
vate the church building and is considering
tender quotes from building firms. On the
evening of August 4 Woman2Woman had a
good attendance for dessert and coffee and
then enjoyed a movie. We have an outreach
to the community of Monday lunches where
food and friendship’ is enjoyed. Gaylene
Burgess travelled to Turkey to assist at the
kids camp there. She also visited Eseme,
who used to attend our church, in Hungary.
Esme works with abused mothers and chil-
dren. Gaylene recently moved to Whangarei;
she is missed. On August 7 we farewelled
and prayed for Kelvin Pick. He left for 2
weeks in Central Asia with Pioneers. He
will be able to use his wide experience in
orcharding to advise and consult.
Hamilton South
Nigel Rowling, Youth Pastor, took 17 youth,
who attended a “R U Serious” discipleship
training weekend in August at Papamoa. An
auction raised more than $5,500 to assist
married couples to go to Thailand. Extremely
Friday continues with more than 50 children
attending from the Glenview area. It consists
of a fun time of games and activities that
introduce them to Christianity. This involves
adults from church and some young people
from church assisting. A newcomer’s lunch
was held August 7 in the church hall for 22
new attenders. Mike Ripley, who does evan-
gelism and discipleship amongst students at
Waikato University, organised a spiritual sur-
vey in the suburbs around Hamilton South
Baptist. Seventy-two pairs of people and
surveyed 229 people. Of those, 44 wanted
to hear how they could know God person-
ally, 2 people gave their lives to the Lord,
and 33 asked for some sort of follow up. Of
those 33, 9 wanted to be in a course explor-
ing Christianity and 15 wanted to talk further
with someone from Hamilton South about
spiritual issues.
Havelock North
Pastor Kerry Brewerton
Pastor Kerry has continued his series from
John Stott’s book The Radical Disciple.
While he was on leave visiting speakers
such as Stephanie Christensen (MECO),
Stephen Peacock (HCJB), and Mark and
Chris Grantham (CFFD). Thirty folk have
been using the 30 Days of Prayer for
Muslims booklets during Ramadan (August
1-31). Linda Parsons has established a
library with books and DVDs in the Ministry
Centre. Our morning ladies’ Bible study
group held a morning tea to raise funds for
the Teen Mum Support Home in Hastings.
Nite Church services are held on a monthly
basis; the most recent service included our
new VBC Dance Group, music by the Youth
Band, communion and interactive workshop
activities throughout the church buildings.
WELLINGTON/TOP OF THE
SOUTH
Rimutaka
Pastor Murray Gordon
Over the past two months we have had
several guest presenters including Karen
White, who talked about her experiences
in East Asia, and Josh Klinkenberg and his
19
appropriate. We have had a number of peo-
ple actively contributing to earthquake relief
and recovery with food, baking, woollens,
respite care and liquefaction clearing, all
occurring at various times. We look forward
to a more settled time, adjusting to the new
normal for Christchurch, but will continue to
participate in the incredible opportunities the
earthquakes have delivered to minister to
team from Te Aroha, who lead a prophetic our community.
worship weekend. On Sunday morning the
church family prayed for healing for several
Oxford Terrace
Rev Chris Chamberlain
members. Pastor Murray is leading a series
based on Brian Smith’s book Who Made We have had a number of gifts, both locally
God and Other Tricky Questions. Caregivers and all over the world, from people keen to
support us in the rebuilding work that we
are given follow-up materials to discuss
each topic with their children. The men’s undertake. Martin Sutherland, principal from
group is going from strength to strength and Laidlaw College, led a seminar that provided
inspiration for what it means to be Baptist
running different activities to encourage men
in their walk with God. They have started as well as what the history of OTBC might
a mid-week study and are preparing for teach us as we rebuild. A new mission-
Promise Keepers. The women meet regu- focused prayer meeting is being held on
larly for breakfast. At our last event, the older Sunday nights. This theme has been chosen
women enjoyed getting to know more about to provide a gathered prayer time for people
the younger women from the youth group. who can’t make it to the mid-week prayer
We were all surprised at how much we had times.
in common. On average, 25 children attend
the weekly playgroup. Mums and grandmas South Dunedin
Pastor Bruce Geddes
come along with their children and a team of
people from RBC run the program. This is Items from the church concert were enjoyed
a wonderful community outreach and there by 70 members at the Disabled Fellowship
are always new children to fill the gaps when meeting. A real blessing to have three of the
the older ones go to kindy. Our Christian church members give reports on their week-
position is presented through music and sto- end at Promise Keepers. Looking forward to
ries, and waiata are sung. a good response to Prayer and Self Denial.
Meal and devotions are planned prior to fun
CANTERBURY/OTAGO nights for youth group. People have been
generous in donations to cover the cost of
Bryndwr re-upholstering the church chairs,which are
Pastor Craig Fairhall looking smart. Riki Blair gave his testimony
After four months worshipping down the in one morning service. Quinten Cropper
road at Laidlaw College, we are back in and Caiden Hay have been dedicated.
our own church with the building restored
and slightly modified. Some highlights of PASTORAL MOVES
our time away were a visit on Palm Sunday • Steve Oldfield appointed Associate
weekend by Liberty Christian Church from Pastor, Waikanae
Auckland and an excellent one day Holy • Claudio Navea-Carreno appointed
Spirit seminar at Pentecost. Some 40+ youth Associate Pastor, Birkenhead
and young adults still made it to Easter • Alex Gale appointed Associate Pastor,
Camp despite the Christchurch dramas and Breezes Road
enjoyed a weekend relatively quake free. • Brigitte Crowe appointed Children and
How to respond to earthquake needs has Family Pastor, Pakuranga Baptist
dominated church activity this year with • Rodger Scoones retiring Hokowhitu,
our Sunday message theme on hope from August 21
February through May turning out to be very • Fred Brunell concluded Mt Roskill, July 24
Hamilton BMF turns 100
The Hamilton Central Baptist BMF group celebrated its 100th anniversary in July.
Streamers, photographs, reminiscences of years gone by and a cake – courtesy of
Naomi Hall – were all part of the special day.
Convenor Elwin Putt says the group meets once a month on a Tuesday and has
meeting minutes going back many years.
“Currently we have about 16 members and, as I’ve looked back over the records in
preparation for this anniversary, it seems that number has been fairly consistent over
the years – although obviously people come and go.”
Elwin says the BMF group meets mainly to provide prayer support for tranzsend
and its workers in the mission field, focusing on a different area of the world each
month.
20 [ NEWS ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

‘Closer Together’ aims to reduce inequality

Paul Barber, Policy Advisor for the
NZ Council of Christian Social Services
(NZCCSS), said that we have both a
moral and a theological imperative to
reduce income inequality when he spoke
at the Upturn ’11 Community Ministries
Conference in Wellington in August.
Paul’s presentation, Closer Together
Whakatata Mai, looks at the importance of
closing the gap between our country’s rich
and poor, and linked Christian and biblical
messages about inequality to key research,
including the recent NZCCSS Vulnerability
Report.
“This report shows that the cost of living
is rising much faster than lower incomes
are increasing, leaving people deeper in
poverty,” Paul said. “More than 232,000
children live in benefit-dependent house-
holds and unemployment is set to remain
entrenched for the next year at least.
Unemployment among young people,
particularly rangatahi Māori, is growing.”
Baptist National Leader Rodney McCann
is a Closer Together Whakatata Mai cham-
pion. “Research makes it very clear that a
society without the extremes of wealth and
poverty is a much healthier society in the
fullest sense than one that is characterised by
the extremes of wealth and poverty,” he said.
“My hope is that the politicians of all
political persuasions will be governed by
that which is right and decent rather than by
dogma or sectarian greed and the desire for
power for its own sake.”
Ruby Duncan, CEO of IOSIS Auckland
and NZCCSS President, is also a CTWM
champion. “Our largely individualistic
approach to economics and politics will lead
us down a dark alley, where the nation we
are becoming is increasingly divided,” she
said. “This separation is, on the face of it,
an increasing divide between rich and poor,
but underneath that is the reality of misery
and despair for those growing up as the
have-nots.”
Almost 1000 people have added their
signatures to the Closer Together Whakatata
Mai information programme.
“We want to thank everyone who has
signed up to support this project,” Paul
said, “but we still need more signatures to
reach our target of at least 5000. We want to
create a grassroots groundswell to ensure
all government policies address the issue of
reducing inequality.”
To recieve a freepost Closer Together choice
card, phone Jo Paku at NZCCSS on (04) 473
2627 or email jo.paku@nzccss.org.nz. For more
information, visit www.closertogether.org.nz. Paul Barber

» Positions Vacant
Pastor Full Time Pastor
ALL NATIONS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY AVONDALE BAPTIST CHURCH

Personnel Director A pastor who loves the nations is

NZ CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY
Do you have what it takes? If you can answer YES to
the following, I would love to chat with you.
Do you:
• easily relate and enjoy interacting with people?
• have cross-cultural mission passion and experience?
• have strong pastoral and communication skills?
• have organizational and a problem-solving skills?
• enjoy travelling overseas?
needed for a new congregation
starting in Auckland CBD, New
Zealand, the hub for the nations.
• Vibrant evening service
• Teaching/training focus
• Part time/full time (negotiable)
Deadline for application: 25/09/2011
Please send all expressions of interest and
enquiries for more information to:
Avondale Baptist is a small, friendly church
positioned on a high-profile intersection in Avondale,
Auckland. We have a heart for reaching out, as well
as looking after each other. We are in the search
process for a full-time Pastor who can lead us to
fulfill our mission of reaching the lost.
For a copy of our church profile and related
information, email search@avondalebaptist.org.nz.
Applications close 30 September 2011.

If this could be you please contact me. I have a

fulltime position available to oversee the personnel
aspects of the NZ Church Missionary Society.
Steve Maina, National Director: steve@nzcms.org.nz
To download a job profile: www.nzcms.org.nz
For 120 years NZCMS has been mobilising,
equipping and sending passionate Kiwis in mission
service overseas.
Op Shop Store Manager
PAKURANGA SHOP
We are currently seeking a Store Manager for our
Pakuranga Shop in Ben Lomond Crescent. To be
successful in this position you will need retail and
management experience, excellent communication
skills, enthusiasm, flexibility to work Saturdays,
experience with point of sale and computer skills,
strong inter-personal skills with both staff and our
loyal customer base, full driver’s license and be
healthy enough to manage a lot of lifting and sorting.
Key responsibilities include:
• Manage and motivate a team of paid and voluntary
staff
• Shop security
• Manage some on-line purchases
• Responsibility for all advertising and marketing
initiatives
• Over-sighting stock pricing and sorting
• Shop presentation and safety
• Responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of shop
vehicle(s)
If you are interested please send your CV to the
Ministry Director at Eastgate Christian Centre, Peter
McCartney at peter@eastgatecc.org or mail to
PO Box 82049 Highland Park, Auckland.
AllNations@tabernacle.org.nz
Music Ministry Pastor
BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH
Bethlehem Baptist Church in Bethlehem, Tauranga,
New Zealand is seeking to employ a full-time Music
Ministry Pastor. We are a large church. Presently our
physical walls are expanding, so we wish to expand
the music ministry in our church. Following are the
skills, experience and heart that we are looking for in
this role.
• Born again Christian.
• Excellent, proven music team leader.
• Passion and heart for worship.
• Excellent musical ability, either on instrument(s) or
vocal or both.
• A good understanding of the working of sound
systems, multimedia and computing software.
• An excellent ear for mixing.
• Responsible for the pastoral care for worship team
members.
• Confidence to be able to make wise and
considerate decisions.
• Organisational skills.
• Able to arrange music and produce charts for the
team.
• Communication skills.
• Big church experience preferred.
• Ability to work sensitively within the culture and DNA
of our church.
Applications close on 16 September 2011.
Please apply in writing to:
Postal – The Administrator, Bethlehem Baptist
Church, PO Box 16-213, Bethlehem, Tauranga 3147
Email – admin@bethlehem.org.nz, subject
“Application for Worship Pastor.”
Executive Director
HCJB GLOBAL (NZ)
HCJB Global (NZ), whose vision is to empower
dynamic media and healthcare ministries that declare
and demonstrate Jesus Christ, are seeking an
Executive Director.
Responsibilities for this role will include:
• Implementation of the Board’s strategic plan
• Managing finances, setting and maintaining
budgets
• Managing staff to ensure efficient running of day to
day operations
• Developing and maintaining relationships with
churches, key influencers, donors and other Asia
Pacific Regional Directors
• Sourcing and processing potential missionaries
and maintaining relationships with existing
missionaries
A heart for missions and a pastoral heart towards
missionaries, as well as agreement with the HCJB
Global (NZ) statement of faith is essential.
The ideal candidate will also have:
• Well developed interpersonal skills
• Financial and strategic skills
• Good organisational skills and understanding of
administrative procedures and systems
• Good computer skills
This is a ‘hands on’ position for a person with
experience in business, or a leadership role and
exposure to missions. At present this is a part time
position of 20 hours per week.
Do you have a heart for missions and missionaries
and want to extend God’s Kingdom?
Then call Patti at Definitely People, (09) 525 1237 or
021 444 228, or email your CV and cover letter to
patti@definitelypeople.co.nz.
September 2011 | NZ Baptist [ CHURCH NOTES ] 21

Art becomes worship at cafe

By Grant Harris, the Theosart Gallery, a space within the seven day
non-artist (but still Senior Pastor) per week caféwindsor where artists can exhibit

A
merican author Joseph Chilton Pearce said their work, allowing people to reflect upon their
that “we must accept that this creative pulse art (and purchase it should they so wish).
within us is God’s creative pulse itself.” Our facilities are extensively used, literally thou-
We can see from the very first passages in the sands of people per week pass through, and we’re
Bible that the roots of the Christian story are trying to make this space somewhat of a focus. We
inextricably bound with creativity. The Creation want to encourage Christian artists from wherever
narrative in the opening chapters of Genesis to exhibit and would love to hear from anyone
reveal a world called into being by God’s words. who might be interested. Exhibitions are diverse –
He repeatedly asserts the goodness of what he we don’t have one particular style in mind.
has made. If you’re interested in an exhibition, contact the
But this is not the story of an isolated deity Theosart Gallery curator, Jo Harris, on
who makes something good and then leaves the jo.harris@windsorpark.org.nz.
scene. Instead we discover that God’s intention
in creating people is that we would serve as his Exhibitions in the
image-bearers, his ambassadors, and share in the Theosart Gallery
stewardship of his world. at Windsor Park
Relational partnership was in his design plan Baptist.
and creativity is an inherent demand of this
partnership. If God’s original intent involved
relational partnership with his image-bearers to
foster even more creativity, then collaborating
with him becomes a key aspect of redeeming our
design.
The challenge for the local church is how to
foster a culture of continued creativity that often
pushes us out of our comfort zones. How do we
encourage those with an artistic bent to use their
God-given abilities as a valid form of worship
that doesn’t often fit within our structured order
of services?
At Windsor Park Baptist, we’re trying to create
a culture of creativity. We want to be encouraged
to worship at times in perhaps non-traditional
ways and allow those with artistic ability to speak
into our lives using the gifts that God has blessed
them with.
Twelve months ago we rejuvenated some wall
space and installed some mood lighting to create

New Hymn Book

edemption BWA continues to engage with Islam
ymns
700 great Baptists and all Christians have a duty to ated with the purpose of building relations that commission of the Division of Freedom and
hymns and
new truth-filled learn how to live together with Muslims, a vice impact the world is not a compromise,” he said. Justice. The commission, formed in 2009 and
songs. Clear, president of the Baptist World Alliance, Nabil “It is a process that seeks to bring about positive located within the office of the general secretary,
easy music,
low keys. Costa, told the BWA’s Annual Gathering in transformation in thinking and practice.” seeks to engage with contemporary Islam on
Music $48 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He said Baptists “need to open ourselves to the basis of a mutual acknowledgement of the
Words $7.50
Sharing his own experience as a “minority be challenged by God’s word if we are to effec- twin commands to love God and neighbor in
Emmaus
www.redhymns.com
of minorities” living in Lebanon, a predomi- tively be light and salt in the communities God order to develop mutual respect and to promote
Home Bible Studies nantly Muslim country, Nabil Costa said that called us to be.” security, peace and the common welfare.
Baptism Next
(for teens) $4. for a long time he refused to get to know his Other participants shared stories based on In addition, the commission will explore
Free catalogue
of over 80
Muslim neighbors. He insisted that we educate their experiences of engaging Muslim neigh- expression of authentic Christian witness
home Bible ourselves about Islam and engage Muslims to bors in countries such as Bangladesh, India, among Muslim neighbors, raise awareness, and
studies and
Christian living.
find ways to live in peace. A refusal to know Lebanon, Nigeria, England and the United provide tools and resources for Baptists around
www.emmausnz.com Muslims leads to ignorance, hate, and even States. the world.
Emmaus Correspondence School violence, he said. The Executive Committee of the BWA More than 300 Baptist leaders and delegates
PO Box 56-018, Tawa, Wellington “Living in the Middle East has taught us that accepted a proposal that the special commission gathered from July 4-9 for the BWA Annual
04-232-5004 learn@emmausnz.com
interfaith dialogue that is genuine, and initi- on Baptist-Muslim relations be made a standing Gathering.
22 [ BOOK REVIEWS ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

» Book Reviews
The Pastor: A Memoir Probably because they get so much ego benefit from dedicates plenty of space to all these and others as he
crowds.” presents the correct way to respond to the challenge of
By Eugene H. Peterson disillusionment.
This is a great book for pastors, those who want to
Harper Collins, New York, 2011 Thoroughly recommended to all who have moments
understand pastors, or those just interested in the man
ISBN 978-0-06-198820-2 when they feel like giving up.
who gave us The Message.
This is an autobiographical – David McLeod-Jones – Duncan Pardon
account of the life of Eugene
Peterson, best known as
the author of The Message. Faith Without Illusions Great Tales From English History
Peterson, however, defines
himself as a pastor, but
By Andrew Byers (Omnibus Edition)
IVP Books By Robert Lacey
recounts his struggles to ISBN 978-0-8308-3618-5
define exactly what this role Abacus, London, 2007
involves. God is perfect. Unfortunately, those who populate his ISBN 978-0-349-11731-1
The book covers from his Church are not. The result is disillusionment among many This year I went to the
birth and upbringing in a church followers which, in turn, leads to cynicism. Auckland Theatre Company’s
country Pentecostal church, Andrew Byers confronts Christian cynicism head-on production of Schiller’s Mary
his seminary studies where in a book that has a dual purpose: firstly to point out that Stuart, and was reminded of
he unintentionally becomes cynicism is the wrong way to respond to our disappoint- how much of English history
part of the Presbyterian ment and frustration, and is also church history. Robert
church, planting Christ Our King Presbyterian Church secondly to show us how Lacey is my favourite historian
in Maryland, pastoring this church for 26 years, and his we should respond to the (followed closely by Simon
move to his current position as Professor Emeritus of practices of less-than-perfect Schama). In this exceedingly
Spiritual Theology at Regent College. churches in a constructive readable history of England,
Unimpressed with most pastors he knew as a youth, he manner. religious figures and places
thought he would be a scholar instead, but while working The book is subtitled: appear regularly.
as a pastor to support himself through doctoral studies he “Following the cynic-saint,” Chapters in this narrative
had a change of heart. Still he struggled for many years and Byers explores the fine history include: Jesus and
to understand what his role was, but clarification came as line that exists between The Legends of Glastonbury, Pope Gregory’s Angels,
he met weekly with a group of local pastors, who called outright cynicism and a St. Augustine’s Magic, King Oswy and The Crown of
themselves the Company of Pastors. constructive biblical response. Thorns, The Venerable Bede, Elmer the Flying Monk,
This definition is contrary to the business model of He points out the failings The Legend of Lady Godiva, Murder in the Cathedral,
pastoring he sees develop in America during his life. I of the “Pop Christianity” A King Repents, King Henry VIII’s ‘Great Matter,’ ‘Let
found his warning against chasing numbers (following) to that turns many into cynics There Be Light’ – William Tyndale and the English Bible,
be very challenging. in the first place, before exploring the alternatives seen The Pilgrimage of Grace, Boy King – Edward VI – ‘The
“Classically, there are three ways in which humans try in the Bible – prophets who express anguish rather than Godly Imp,’ 5/11: England’s First Terrorist, King James
to find transcendence – religious meaning, God meaning anger, sages who expound biblical wisdom, the poets ‘Authentical Bible,’ and Born Again.
– apart from God as revealed in the cross of Jesus: through who express worshipful lament, and Christ himself who Today, as people try to minimise the role Christianity
the ecstasy of alcohol and drugs, through the ecstasy of showed sacrificial embrace rather than cynical rejection. has in Western society, it is good to be reminded how
recreational sex, through the ecstasy of crowds. Church The Bible contains a number of books that have natural significant a role it had in moulding our society, and to
leaders frequently warn against the drugs and the appeal to the cynic – Jonah, Job and, of course, the most not forget that history is still his story.
sex, but, at least in America, never against the crowds. depressing of all biblical books, Ecclesiastes. Byers – David McLeod-Jones

OPEN DAY SEPTEMBER 27 – 8.45 am-3.00 pm

Serious about
training for ministry?
PASTORAL LEADERSHIP
john.tucker@carey.ac.nz

YOUTH PASTORAL LEADERSHIP

brian.krum@carey.ac.nz

MISSION LEADERSHIP
george.wieland@carey.ac.nz

CHILD & FAMILY LEADERSHIP

andrew.picard@carey.ac.nz

MASTERS IN APPLIED THEOLOGY

myk.habets@carey.ac.nz

Training people of humility,

integrity and passion to love,
feed and lead the people God
gives them to serve. www.carey.ac.nz
September 2011 | NZ Baptist
by Rhett Snell
» CD Reviews
• For more reviews, see
www.drone.co.nz
GREEN ISLAND BAPTIST
celebrates 75 years
of service to our Lord
WEEKEND 8th - 9th OCTOBER 2011
» Celebration dinner Saturday evening
@ the Church starting 6.00pm
» Sunday service 10.30am
For catering purposes registration of attendance
required. Cost for Saturday evening: $25.
Registrations close September 30 and can be made
to Miss Fiona Keightley, 13 Dall St, Abbotsford,
Dunedin or by phone, (03) 488 0271.
MAT KEARNEY
Young Love
Making a bad album is one thing,
but making a boring album is
even worse. Mat Kearney’s last
album, City of Black and White, was
by no means bad, but it was more
than a little boring. On it, Kearney
ditched his hip-hop influences
and ended up sounding like every
other soft-rock musician aiming
to get a song featured on Grey’s
Anatomy.
Thank goodness, then, that Young
Love is one of the bigger returns to
form you’ll hear. From the second
you press play, you’ll notice that
Kearney plays to the strengths that
make his music unique and, more
than that, takes some clever steps
forward with his sound. “Hey
Mama” starts things off with a
far more quirky and upbeat feel.
It works brilliantly. “Ships in the
Night” revisits the tense acoustic
hip-hop of Kearney’s first album.
Reggae and pop elements sneak
in elsewhere, and it all makes for a
really enjoyable record.
It’s not like there aren’t missteps
(“Sooner Or Later” is carbon-copy
One Republic), but you’ll forgive
them because this is a genuinely
head-nodding and smile-inducing
album.
HHHHI
A warm
welcome
extended to
all those who
have had an
association with
Green Island
Baptist. Come
and join us.
[ MUSIC REVIEWS ]
BURLAP TO CASHMERE
Burlap To Cashmere
I’d never heard of Burlap To
Cashmere and, going in with
absolutely no idea of what to
expect, I was a little taken aback
by how much “Don’t Forget To
Write” sounded like Cat Stevens.
So much, in fact, that it could
have been a parody. But then
“Build A Wall” rolled around and
impressed. Yes, this is very much
1970s-era folk music with a dash of
classic rock, but it’s got some edge
and grit to it.
However, it makes for a somewhat
conflicting listen. My problem with
a lot of Christian music is how
shamelessly it apes other genres
rather than doing something
unique, and Burlap To Cashmere
do lean pretty hard on Simon and
Garfunkel and the aforementioned
Cat Stevens for their sound. At the
same time, not many Christian
artists are mining this particular
musical vein, so the album still
sounds quite fresh.
I can certainly see it appealing to
older folks who grew up in the
’70s or younger folks who (like
me) used to steal their Dad’s
copy of Tea for the Tillerman quite
regularly.
HHHII
MANAFEST
Live In Concert
If you’ve seen Manafest at a
recent Parachute Festival, then
you’ll know that he’s basi-
cally the Canadian version of
Rapture Ruckus (at least before
Rapture Ruckus morphed into
the Christian Dane Rumble). He
makes rap-rock that’s heavy on the
rap. From time to time Manafest’s
style drifts very close to Thousand
Foot Krutch territory, which makes
sense since it was Trevor McNevan
who discovered him.
This live CD/DVD collects songs
from throughout Manafest’s
10-year career, all played in a
smaller club venue. The energy is
high and the production decent.
But, as always with these live
packages, it’s a tough sell for
anyone who isn’t already a fan.
The concert clocks in at a scant 12
songs, and when it comes to bonus
features there are only three music
videos and an awkward 5-minute
interview at a Japanese radio
station.
Unfortunately, this continues a
recent trend with this kind of live
package that just doesn’t represent
very good value for money. If
you’re a fan, this might be worth
checking out. If not, there’s really
no reason to shell out.
HHIII
Friends of Madagascar (NZ)
PO BOX 29164 • Fendalton • Christchurch 8540
Some Kiwis
want to give us new
school buildings!
23
STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN
Re:Creation
Steven Curtis Chapman has been
doing his thing for longer than
I’ve been alive, so it feels a little
bit unfair to criticise him. Not
because of the length of his career,
but because his MO has been so
clear for all those years. Basically,
he makes music for people who
don’t really like music: so bland
and smooth that you hardly even
notice that you’re listening to it.
Re:Creation, a mix of new songs
and rerecorded older ones, is more
of the same. It’s that polished
acoustic pop sound so common in
CCM, whose closest analogue is
probably John Mayer at his most
syrupy.
Lyrically, Curtis Chapman is at
least very clear and articulate,
which makes most of his songs
sound a lot like excerpts from a
Chicken Soup for the Soul book.
Chances are, it’ll be your friend
(or Mum) who only buys two
albums each year who loves this
album. Show them you really love
them and buy them an album
by Bon Iver, Jon Foreman or Ray
LaMontagne instead. They’ll thank
you in the long run.
HHIII
madagascar.org.nz
24 [ NOTABLE BOOKS ] NZ Baptist | September 2011

Christians left a mark on ‘Godzone’

C
hristians need to have a deeper
awareness of the society they live
in says Laurie Guy, Academic
Vice Principal and Lecturer at Carey
Baptist College. To show how we influ-
ence our society, he has written Shaping
Godzone: Public issues and church voices in
New Zealand 1840-2000. In 23 chapters, he
explores issues as diverse as race relations,
alcohol, war and peace, sexuality, femi-
nism and the Springbok tour.
Laurie completed his doctoral thesis,
which was published in 2002, on the
homosexual law reform debate in New
Zealand. Since then he has written a
number of books, his most being Making
Sense of the Book of Revelation.
To some extent Shaping Godzone has
come out of Laurie’s teaching at post-
graduate level, but he also has a concern
that the gospel is not just simply for souls,
but for society.
A chunk of the book deals with race,
starting with the Treaty of Waitangi.
“I do point out quite strongly that
Christianity had a lot to do with both
the designing and signing of the Treaty,”
he says. “We still have a responsibility,
whether we realise it or not, to be moral
guardians of the Treaty and its respect for
Maori.”
There is also a chapter on anti-Asian
racism.
“In the later 19th Century the Western
nations adopted an attitude of Social
Darwinism that said there were supe-
rior and inferior races ... so Asians were
portrayed in very derogatory terms in the
New Zealand press. They were seen as a
threat and referred to as The Yellow Peril,
Laurie Guy and his latest book,
Shaping Godzone.
who were going to over run us. Asian
people were treated in very shabby ways.”
On some of the issues he discusses, the
Church spoke out vocally. On others, it
was strangely silent.
Different denominations have been
associated with particular issues.
Evangelical churches were outspoken
regarding prohibition in the early 20th
Century while the Roman Catholics,
Anglicans and Methodists were associated
more with social justice issues arising from
the Depression in the 1930s and later the
1990s.
“There was a time when people wanted
to know what the Church thought on
certain issues,” Laurie says. “I have seen
official documents that basically talk
about the strands which made up society
– education, trade unions, business and
Church. Church was one of the major
strands.”
And it could influence society.
“The most defining issue for Christians
was alcohol. In the early 20th Century we
came within a whisker of getting prohibi-
tion. The Church still influenced liquor
restraint for the next half century – a limit
on the number of liquor outlets, an older
age for drinking, limited opening hours
and so on. Churches were a handbrake on
alcohol excess.”
In more recent years, Laurie says, the
Church had a significant influence in
bringing about a nuclear-free South Pacific
with the dramatic activism that Dr George
Armstrong from St Johns College under-
took with the Peace Flotilla.
“That was very significant – theatre in a
way – and hugely symbolic with the small
boats standing against these huge nuclear
powered ships coming from America,”
Laurie says. “It was a very significant
strand in moving New Zealand towards
taking a nuclear-free stance. It has now
moved to the point where it is part of New
Zealand, something we are proud off, and
we have become relatively independent of
America as a result.”
But Laurie says the Church didn’t
always get it right.
“It was a shocker in hindsight that
churches tended to support World War I
– a terrible and futile war, one without
adequate justification that led to the
slaughter of millions of young people.
For churches to promote that war by
encouraging young people to sacrifice for
Christ, when they were sacrificing for their
country, was very sad.
Towards the 1960s the Church still had
a significant place in society. If church
assemblies or conferences passed resolu-
tions on public issues then they would be
reported on the radio, says Laurie.
“Since then, the Church has become
increasingly marginalised and it is now
more difficult for its voice to be heard.
There is a sense that there isn’t much point
in articulating a Christian viewpoint,
because people aren’t listening to it now.”
Laurie says the Church’s voice can still
be heard, but in different ways and often
through individuals. For example, Laurie
says he has had success in getting articles
with a Christian viewpoint published
in the New Zealand Herald, and there is a
Christian voice in columnists such as the
Herald’s Tapu Misa.
“We need to do more reflection among
ourselves, irrespective of whether our
voice is heard in the public,” Laurie says.
“Often we are too focused on narrow
matters. There is that need for us to do
our homework. If we are going to be in
the public arena, then we have to do it
well. Unfortunately, sometimes we haven’t
done it well and have just made kneejerk
reactions without thinking through how to
articulate a good case.”
• Shaping Godzone: Public Issues and
Church Voices in New Zealand 1840-2000
is published in paperback by Victoria
University Press, www.victoria.ac.nz/vup.

Looking for the

best rate?
4.3%

4.2%

4.1%
Baptist Savings

4.0%
National Bank

Kiwi Bank
Rabobank
Westpac

3.9%
ANZ
BNZ

ASB

6 month term investment *

Competitive rates.
Unparalleled legacy.

Download an application form to invest now:

www.baptistsavings.co.nz
* Rates current at date of publication. Source: interest.co.nz.

$5,000 & OVER TERMS AND RATES:

90 days @ 3.50%pa 12 months @ 4.40%pa 3 years @ 5.20%pa
6 months @ 4.30%pa 18 months @ 4.50%pa 5 years @ 6.00%pa
9 months @ 4.30%pa 2 years @ 4.75%pa Call 1.50% - 2.50%
Interest paid 6 monthly/maturity – 9 month term paid quarterly. Rates are subject to change.
A disclosure statement is available on request & free of charge.

PO Box 12738 Penrose 1642 Freephone 0508 SAVINGS (0508 728 464) E office@baptistsavings.co.nz
 Vol. 127 No. 9 October 2011

Art for
heart’s sake
NZ EXHIBIT TELLS THE STORIES OF BURMA’S YOUNG REFUGEES » 3

REMEMBERING DR RAY WINDSOR » 8

REVIEW OF HAWKE’S BAY MISSION EXPO 2011 » 12
CONNECTING WITH NEIGHBOURS MADE EASY » 20
2

Order your
Freeset bags
& Tees early for
Christmas:
Liminal
E: sales@liminal.org.nz
P: (03) 339 4581
297 Lincoln Road
Addington, Christchurch
www.liminal.org.nz

Marketplacers International Ltd

E: sales@marketplacers.co.nz
P: (09) 526 6363
477 Great South Road
Penrose, Auckland 1642
www.marketplacers.co.nz

YOU can make a difference!

Freeset is a fair trade business offering employment
to women trapped in Kolkata’s sex trade. We
make jute bags and organic cotton t-shirts, but
GENERAL MANAGER NEEDED
our business is freedom! We would like to see Freeset is seeking a new GM to oversee the
the 10,000 sex workers in our neighbourhood day-to-day running of the business.
empowered with the choice to leave a
WE NEED SOMEONE WITH:
profession they never chose in the
• Good business management skills.
first place.
• The ability to lead a culturally diverse group.
• A heart for doing business for the benefit of
the poor.

This is a volunteer position located in

Kolkata, India.

Take up the challenge and discover the

privilege of serving wonderful women on a
journey to freedom.

Enquiries to Heather Pound:

hr@freesetglobal.com

For other job vacancies visit:

www.freesetglobal.com/vacancies
October 2011 | NZ Baptist [ NEWS ] 3

Art for
heart’s
sake
NZ exhibition tells
the stories of Burma’s
young refugees

H
By Ruth Corlett
igh in the mountains of Shan State,
Burma, delighted with his gift of bright
paint and fresh paper, Sai Fa carefully drew
a picture of life back in his village seven
months earlier.
I circled the desks of 150 students who were part of
our art therapy workshop. Each time I came back to Sai
Fa, he had added another detail across the page.
First, trees and a deer hiding in the forest. Next, his
mother and father hoeing the ground in preparation
for rice-planting, beside a small bamboo shelter in
which they could rest in the heat of the day.
Then the idyllic scene took on a sinister look as
he drew a Burma Army soldier pointing a gun at his
parents. Another soldier had grabbed his sister, tore
her clothes off, and beat her into submission.
I had to know the rest of the story, so I crouched and
One of the students tells Ruth Corlett the story of her painting.
Above, Sai Fa works on a drawing.
gently asked what happened next.
He told me: “My father ran over and tried to save
her from being raped, but they tied him up and took
him away. After raping my sister they released her,
then the soldiers went to my village and burnt all the
houses down. We had to run to another village. My
mother was worried they would come back and take
me away as a porter for the Army, so she sent me here”
(to the Shan Displaced Peoples Camp).
The Catholic picture of Jesus with a bleeding heart
and hands reached out in compassion came to mind
as I prayed for this precious boy, for healing from the
deep wounds he carries.
Living in a culture where emotions are not worn
on one’s sleeve, I was happy the paintings provided a
safe place for Sai Fa and others like him to share their
stories with each other, united in their suffering.
The next day, Sai Fa was given another piece of paper
to paint “my dream for the future.” What a contrast.
Bright, happy colours covered the page. Trees were
laden with fruit. There was a big house for his whole
family. Smooth roads and cars symbolised freedom to
travel. And he wrote his name in big, confident letters
in the middle of the page with the unwritten message:
Please notice me, and take note of my dream!
“Yes,” I said to him, “we will tell your story in New
Zealand. We will show your beautiful paintings so that
the kind people in New Zealand will see for them-
selves what is really happening in Burma. We will pray
for you, and for the children
here in the camp.”
So with the permission of the child
artists, Partners NZ brought 30 of these paintings
and stories over to New Zealand as part of the Hope
for the Child of War art exhibition.
This exhibition will show in Auckland from
October 18 to November 9 at Botany Shopping Centre
next to the library. There will be a Grand Closing of the
Auckland exhibition on November 9 between 5.30 and
7pm, at which Rob Harley and Stu Corlett will speak.
The exhibition will then be on display in Wellington
from November 13 to December 3 at Wellington
Cathedral. There will be a Grand Opening on
November 17 between 5.30 and 7pm, and again Rob
Harley and Stu Corlett will speak.
School groups and homeschoolers are especially
welcome to come and learn about what it is like to be a
child growing up in Burma.
• Ruth and Stu Corlett’s home church is Upper Hutt
Baptist.  Many Baptist churches support Partners workers,
including Upper Hutt, North Porirua, Waikanae, Darfield,
Highway, and Motueka.

Bike tour raises money for Burma

H elping refugees and having loads of fun – two phrases
not commonly heard in the same sentence. That’s until
Rob Harley and the Corletts from Partners NZ started
scheming during one of Rob’s trips to Thailand.
BYO Big Bike (small
bikes tolerated!)
NOVEMBER DATES ARE:
The result is that in November, a gang of Partners NZ bikers
along with celebrity speaker Rob Harley will tour New Zealand 6: Eastview Baptist, Auckland, 6pm
as part of a Big Bikes for Burma roadtrip, raising awarenesses 8: Windsor Park Baptist Cafe,
and raising funds for the displaced people of Burma. Auckland, 6pm
Harley Davidson Australia has kindly donated the use of one 10: C3 Church, Rotorua 5.30pm
of its Harleys for the ride.
At each town the bikers stop at there will be a BBQ and Big 11: Eastside Apostolic, Hamilton 6pm
Bikes for Burma Night. Rob Harley will share some of his enter- 13: Taupo Baptist, 10am and 6pm
taining stories, and Stu Corlett will tell stories from Burma. 15: All Saints Community Centre,
Anyone with a big bike is invited to join the day rides, which Palmerston North, 5.30pm
will happen between centres as listed on the website, for a
suggested donation of $50. That is enough to sustain a family of 16: Lifepoint AOG, Wellington, 6pm
five displaced people on the Thai-Burma border for one month. 18: Picton: Dessert & Coffee Evening at Rob Harley and
As part of the month, Rob and the big bikers will also Lochmara Lodge, leave 6pm from his big bike.
be guest speakers at the prizegivings of the Auckland Run Beachcomber wharf ($35)
23: Mangapapa Union, Gisborne, 6pm
for Relief at One Tree Hill, Auckland, starting 9.30am on RSVP peter-yarrell@xtra.co.nz For more information on
November 5, and at the Wellington Run for Relief at Hikoikoi 19: 10am, Richmond Community Church, 25: Paraparaumu: The Lighthouse, 10 specific venues:
Reserve, Petone, starting at 2pm on November 26. Nelson McGrath Ave, Paraparaumu, 6pm
www.partnersworld.org.nz
Information: www.runforrelief.org.nz 6pm, Richmond Baptist, Nelson 27: Wanganui Equippers Church, 10.30am
4 [ OPINION ] NZ Baptist | October 2011

» HE SAYS | SHE SAYS «

Co-editors Duncan & Fran Pardon

The Baptist Magazine is the Is Jesus a rugby fan? In the word

newspaper of the Baptist
Churches of New Zealand.
Published by the Communications division
I t’s a strange activity when you think about
it. Thirty grown men chasing an oval
shaped ball that doesn’t even bounce properly.
W e recently enjoyed an evening listening
to one of my favourite Christian
authors, Philip Yancey, while he was in New
of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. Like most of you, I have been glued to the Zealand on a whirlwind tour promoting his
TV most days watching Namibia play Samoa latest book, What Good is God?
EDITORIAL & LETTERS and similar games I wouldn’t normally give Yancey was relaxed and laid back despite
PO Box 5, Beachlands even a moment of my attention to. But, hey, his plane being hit by lightening while
Auckland 2147 it’s the Rugby World Cup! landing.
Phone: (09) 536 5715 I even took the kids to the New Zealand While in New Zealand he spoke on two
Fax: (09) 536 5714 v France game. The last time I went to an us to be part of his family and to share it all nights – one at Manukau Baptist in Auckland
Email: editor@baptist.org.nz All Blacks game was 1990 – New Zealand v with him, too. where we, along with hundreds of others,
Australia (New Zealand won 6-3. Yawn). But In its purest form, sport is a reflection of heard him, and one at Spreydon Baptist in
ADVERTISING
hey, it’s the Rugby World Cup! how the world should be – countries coming
PO Box 12149, Penrose Christchurch.
What is it about sport generally and rugby together to settle their differences according to
Auckland 1642 I have long admired Yancey’s wonderfully
in particular that appeals to our emotions? a set or rules, fairly judged by someone impar-
Phone: (09) 526 7951 down-to-earth and often pithy portrayal
Why do we identify with players most of us tial, and then willing to accept the outcome
Email: advertising@baptist.org.nz of real Christianity in his numerous books.
will never even meet? Why do we treat them even if it is not a favourable one.
Perhaps the most well-known, and my
SUBSCRIPTIONS & ACCOUNTS as heroes simply because they have mastered But as usual we stuff it up. We turn sport
favourite, is What’s So Amazing About Grace? I
PO Box 12149, Penrose the art of passing and kicking the strangely into a God instead of seeing it as a reflection
look forward to reading his latest offering.
Auckland 1642 shaped ball? Is it even heroic? Why does the of God. We challenge the rules. We refuse to
It was a treat to hear him speak on seasons
Phone: (09) 526 0331 All Blacks winning matter so much to us? accept impartiality and behave with bad grace
of the soul against a backdrop of a tree in a
It’s tempting to suggest it is because we are if we don’t get what we want.
Fax: (09) 526 0334 meadow changing with the seasons.
a small country at the bottom of the world It’s great to see our churches getting
Email: info@baptist.org.nz The evening was pepperd with skits by
crying out for attention, for recognition, for involved in the Rugby World Cup, using it
Searchlight Theatre Group from Birmingham,
Editors some acknowledgement that we can do some- as an opportunity to open the doors to their
communities and perhaps share the real Good a three-person acting team. They endeared
Duncan & Fran Pardon thing better than anyone else. But the reality
News – that which is even better than an All the audience with their mostly amusing but
is all countries carry on in just the same way.
Business Manager Blacks victory. also moving vignettes, including a piece from
Americans, from the most powerful country in
Kelvyn Fairhall I like to think that Jesus is a sports fan. I like Shadowlands, the biographical production of
the history of the world, get just as passionate
to think he’s in heaven glued to the telly like CS Lewis’ life.
Missions Editor when they see their teams on the world
the rest of us. The only difference is he won’t On a different track – I have just started
Greg Knowles stage. Australians win so many Olympic
just be waving an All Blacks flag. He’ll also be reading the Bible in a completely different
Production & Advertising Manager gold medals that we on this side of The Ditch
waving a Springbok one, and an Australian way using a Rainbow Bible Guide.
Maryanne Wardlaw struggle to see how they can possibly stay
one, and a Samoan one, and an Argentinian This colourful rainbow ribbon bookmark
Churches in Action Editor interested. But they do.
one, and … allows you to read from a different section
Nope, sport is something far more deep-
Carolyn Armstrong – Duncan Pardon of the Bible each day, while keeping track of
seated in the human psyche. The fact is we
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park where you are.
need to belong, we need to be part of a family,
New Plymouth 4312
we need to be united in a common cause, to The aim is to read through the Bible from
armstrong@iee.org
face a common enemy, to celebrate victory, each of the seven main categories: The law,
Copy & advertising deadline and feel the pain of defeat. Old Testament, history, poetry, the prophets,
12th of the month prior God wired us this way and perhaps, some- the Gospels, the letters and other writings.
times, we need to reflect a while as to why You read from one section each day, as
Publication date: First Sunday of each many chapters as you want. But the accom-
month except January that is. I believe it is because God wants us to
be family. He wants us to work together, to panying guide suggest that if you average
Distributed through local Baptist Churches celebrate our accomplishments and share our four chapters a day, you can read the Old
in New Zealand, and dependent on their pain with each other. But most of all, he wants Testament once and the new Testament twice
contributions. through a year.
The concept has probably been around
Subscriptions and postage for others:
for yonks but it is the first time I’ve seen it,
NZ: $30 (including GST)
and it’s giving me a new perspective on the
Airmail to Australia & South Pacific: $45
Scriptures.
Rest of the World: $50
– Fran Pardon
Printed by APN Print, 101 Birch Avenue,
Tauranga, New Zealand

Registered at POHQ as a newspaper.
ISSN 1176-8711. A member publication
of the Australasian Religious Press
Association. Articles and advertising in
the NZ Baptist are the opinions of the
authors, not necessarily the editors or
publishers. Every effort is made to ensure
the correctness of facts and information,
however we cannot accept responsibility
for errors. The publishers reserve the
right to accept or decline any advertising.
Fundraising appeals are accepted for
Baptist causes only.
ARPA
Awards for
Excellence
‘Best Feature
(multiple authors)’
highly commended, 2010
'Best Review of Another
Medium'
bronze award, 2009 & 2011
'Best Front Page'
silver award, 2008
'Feature that Shows Most
Originality'
highly commended, 2008
Please send letters to editor@baptist.org.nz or
PO Box 5, Beachlands, Auckland 2147. Letters
exceeding 300 words may be edited for length.
Everyone in the RWC
should have a prayer
A mongst Rugby World Cup initiatives at
my church I have been running a small
group for three weeks called “Born to Play –
connecting sport and faith.” Based on a book,
Born to Play, one of the areas we looked at is
“talking to the coach” – in other words prayer
– and what the right things to pray for as a
sportsperson might be. For example, giving
thanks for your sporting abilities, praying to
handle both success and failure equally well
are things that make sense, along with prayer
for those we play with, in our clubs and even
the officials!
A couple of emails from the UK triggered
some further thoughts worth passing on:
1. This as part of Stuart Weir’s weekly London Olympic official mentioned above
sports email: and “feeling the pressure.”
“Increasingly lately I have had the courage – Andrew Kerr
to offer to pray for people. Even in our secular Convenor, Christian Sports Network NZ
society, I have received positive responses.
I recently spoke to a senior administrator in Thanks for BYM Extend
the London Olympics who shared with me
the pressure he felt in his workload and the
long hours – adding that he saw no let-up
W hat an impressive camp for 15- to
17-year-olds – growing them in their
faith in God. It was held in Hamilton, hosted
until 2012. I have no idea if he has any faith
at Central Baptist. I attended for the first
or not but I offered to pray that he was able to
time this year as a small group leader – my
balance family and work. He seemed grateful.
husband Daryl has been involved in helping
In a month or so I will email to say I have
Merrilyn and Dawn Withers with this camp
been praying ”
for many years. It was excellent seeing first-
2. And this as “A prayer for the Rugby
World Cup” was from a minister in the UK:
hand how God is using this camp to touch
teenagers lives.
“Eternal God, Giver of joy and source of
strength,
grant to the people of Christchurch
and all New Zealand a World Cup to match
Merrilyn and Dawn both gave fantastic
messages each evening; organised speakers
for the spiritual growth seminars on many
the spirit of faith and courage with which
subjects from preaching to sharing your
they have faced devastation and loss. We
testimony to baptism; and organised the many
pray for all those involved,
that players,
workshop leaders to encourage gifts the youth
officials and supporters may join together in
have, from dance to drama. Luke Kaa-Morgan
celebration,
through Jesus Christ who is the
did an excellent job of encouraging the youth
resurrection and the life. Amen.”
to lead the worship themselves, and lead
Your ongoing prayers for a successful
inspired worship himself.
RWC 2011 event and particularly for Martin
Each evening was a special experience as
Snedden, his organising team and staff – as
we heard young people share their journeys
well as for the players, coaches, support staff
to God and with God. It refreshed my soul to
referees and volunteers – would be valued.
Some of these people may well be just like the continued on page 6
October 2011 | NZ Baptist
» Leadership Reflections | By Murray Robertson, Leadership Development Network
The challenge of reinvention
T
he Christchurch earthquakes have
brought home a number of realities
that churches would prefer not to
face. The majority of churches in the central
city area were built in a previous age, many
of them in the 19th century. The earth-
quakes have not been kind to them. The
majority of these churches are now a pile of
rubble, like the beloved cathedral, or else in
very serious need of repair.
It is not just the central city either. The
Anglicans have 23 of their buildings
throughout the whole city and beyond
either destroyed or unusable at the
moment. There are two Baptist churches
totally destroyed, and several in the
eastern suburbs that have seen a flight of
people from their areas.
The earthquakes have forced many
churches to look at a phenomenon that in
normal circumstances we would prefer
not to think about. That is, churches are
normally started in a particular way
and with a style of ministry that is very
relevant to the time in which they begin.
However, society in the 20th century
underwent some very significant rapid
social changes, which meant that if related
changes did not occur in churches they
became increasing irrelevant.
The process of reinvention in the life of
a church is a very painful thing to do, so
churches don’t do it. The result is that the
members prefer the experience of enjoying
growing old together. So eventually the
church does grow old, and finally dies.
There are hundreds of examples of this
all over New Zealand in virtually every
denomination, our own included. It’s not
» National Leader | Rodney Macann
Faith begins at home: my personal story
M
y parents-
in-law
were also
two of my dearest
friends. Last
Sunday morning
we received the
news that Lorna’s
mother had died.
As I write this,
Lorna is with other
family members in Rodney Macann
North Yorkshire in
the United Kingdom to share in that rich
time of memory, goodbyes, thanks and
celebration which is uniquely Christian. I
too have my memories and have written
my appreciation for a service I would love
to be physically present for. Lorna’s father
died six years ago.
I went to the UK in 1966 as a young
singer having been offered a contract by the
British Broadcasting Corporation. It was
an exciting time full of new opportunity
and challenge. I didn’t know a soul in the
UK. Angus MacLeod was the minister of
the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church at the
time. Oxford Terrace was my church family.
Angus, a Scot, told me I should meet some
of his family and gave me the address of
the branch that lived closest to London.
One day I was driving through the
town of St Albans and decided, in good
Kiwi fashion of the times, to call on
the MacLeods. Lorna as a 16-year-old
answered the door. Her parents were not
in but she said she’d tell them I’d called.
[ OPINION ]
inevitable. Even
in the central city
of Christchurch
there are churches
that have devel-
oped a very vital
outgoing ministry
that attract many
hundreds. Some
of them have felt
rather conflicted
Murray Robertson about the earth-
quakes. While
regretting the loss of historic buildings
they nevertheless relish the opportunity
to start their ministry afresh in buildings
more suitable to the age in which we live.
Of course we really don’t need an
earthquake to face the reality of our situ-
ation. We simply need to look around.
The 1950s was a great period of growth
and vitality for the Christian community
in New Zealand. Forty percent of chil-
dren attended Protestant Sunday schools.
Many churches, especially those in central
city locations, were thriving. However,
two generations on most churches that
were thriving are now a shadow of what
they once were. Most have elderly and
declining congregations.
In the 1970s there was another upturn
in church life in this country. Interestingly
enough, many of those churches that were
thriving in the 1950s looked askance at
what was happening in the 1970s as it was
so different in many ways.
That, of course, is the challenge of
reinvention. It always means changing
and rethinking what is being done and it
It would have been
very easy for me to
have drifted as a young
Christian at that time.
I was meeting and
working with some
very attractive and
successful people.
She did, and the MacLeods became my
friends. Lorna went off to university so
for several years I knew her parents much
better than I knew her.
This was an important time for me,
formative in so many ways, new career
as a singer, aged 23, away from home and
a fairly sheltered Christchurch, Christian
background – in London in the swinging
sixties. It was the place to be and I was
working in the hub of the music industry. I
was forging a career in classical music, but
saw Tom Jones in the BBC canteen and was
surprised to see how small he was. I sang
with Pink Floyd and other pop singers of
the time.
I was given wonderful hospitality by the
MacLeods. Romans 12 is a Bible passage
that I go back to often. Verse 2 speaks about
God transforming us into a new people
by changing the way we think, with the
is far easier to enjoy growing
old together. Now many of
those churches that thrived
throughout the 1970s and 1980s
have gone into serious decline.
Others will follow unless we
have the courage to face the chal-
lenge of reinvention.
So what does reinvention
entail? Back in the 1960s there
were theologians who were telling
us that the church had to reinvent
its theology. The historic truths
of the faith were little more than
cleverly devised myths, we were
told. In fact this was reinvention
of precisely the wrong kind, and
churches that went down this path
only hastened their own decay.
The Presbyterian Church in
particular was greatly influenced by
this approach. The problem is that this
type of theology produces no spir-
itual children, so today nearly 50% of
Presbyterian parishes have no youth
groups at all. A church with no children
and youth has no future.
There were other Presbyterian churches
however, who reinvented themselves in
relation to their structure, their means
of operation and their styles of worship.
Many of these churches that would have
been tiny in the 1970s have now become
the largest congregations in the movement.
One other thing that needs to happen
for a church to reinvent itself from one
generation to the next is for the church to
stick together. Reinvention is a precarious
business and high levels of trust are
very important by-line – then you will
know God’s will for you. My thinking was
changing and I had a desire to know God’s
will. Those who gave me hospitality were
an important part of that transformation
process. (They most probably didn’t bargain
on the fact that at some stage it would mean
passing over a daughter to be my wife,
when she was really far too young, only half
way through medical studies!)
I appreciate the picture Paul gives
us in Romans 12 of the body and, like
1 Corinthians 12, the accompanying gift
list. Norman and Lottie, my parents-in-
law, encompassed a number of the gifts
Paul writes about between them and I was
one of the beneficiaries.
There were a number of others. In
verse 6 Paul speaks of leadership ability
and taking the responsibility seriously.
My father-in-law had that in spades and
he took it seriously, and part of it was the
way he mentored young people. He also
encouraged and was generous. Lottie
served and was kind (verse 8). She made
great meals which for me, as a 23-year-old,
went down well. They were a great team.
Why do I write about this? Because it’s
important. It would have been very easy
for me to have drifted as a young Christian
at that time. I was meeting and working
with some very attractive and successful
people. After several years I was aware
that music was great, many things were
great, but I started to think seriously – if I
married, what sort of wife did I want?
Lorna’s parents modelled something
5
required for this to occur successfully.
Sadly, this doesn’t happen often. The land-
scape is littered with churches that have
been torn apart because people haven’t
had the patience to listen to and forbear
with one another in love, as we are told to
do.
Finally, reinvention is a leadership chal-
lenge for which we need the grace of God.
What we need are a leader and a leader-
ship group who can see the need to reach
a new generation, and who are given the
skills to lead a congregation on this chal-
lenging and essential undertaking.
I admired in their family environment.
Lorna certainly caught my attention in a
different way when I saw her back from
university. I wanted to know God’s will
in this area of my life. Lorna was catching
my attention – was it God or hormones
or maybe both. I decided to do something
about it and the rest is history.
My debt of gratitude to God, to my
church that called Angus to be the minister
who subsequently put me in touch with
his family, to Lorna’s parents who became
my very dear friends, and of course to
Lorna herself is huge.
We have a Gathering coming up in
Christchurch. It’s significant because it is in
Christchurch. It’s going to be an expression
of who we are as family of the Lord Jesus
– that we mourn with those who mourn as
well as rejoice with those who rejoice, that
we stand with each other at times of severe
testing. But we also have a significant guest
and a significant theme about the quality
of faith that is shared in the home – Mark
Holmen, “Faith begins at Home.”
Our hope with this Gathering is that it
will be a milestone in terms of our coun-
tering the drift of young people out of faith
and church in their early 20s. I really hope
you will join us if you can, that churches
will send teams so that we can work
together to see our homes become genuine
places of discipleship where we are expe-
riencing that ongoing God transformation
and learning and living his will.
The MacLeods, my dear friends and
parents-in-law, were early adopters.
6 [ OPINION ]
» Out of My Mind | Musings from Carey Baptist College staff
The drawbacks of gurus from abroad
By Dr Joe Huang
Director of the Chinese Programme,
Carey Baptist College
I
n the past eight years, I have been
enjoying working with the Chinese
Christian community. As some of
you may be aware, it is an encouragingly
growing community in which people from
various backgrounds manage to work
hand-in-hand as a family, and exciting
things continue to happen because of that.
Nevertheless, there are one or two things
I am not always comfortable with and
believe aren’t really helpful for the Chinese
ministry either.
Some of our local leaders have been
remarkably enthusiastic in wooing promi-
nent speakers from overseas to boost their
ministry. I do not oppose the idea that we
may need some good people from over-
seas to support our local ministry, I tend
to agree that in principle such things can
be very timely. Not only can an effective
speaker complement and enhance areas
that need urgent upswing, but the Chinese
churches have also benefited from valu-
continued from page 4
hear how God was speaking to these young
people and showing his love to them.
The love, compassion and wisdom of
Merrilyn, Dawn and the youth pastors and
leaders present was fantastic. The young
people felt safe and able to make steps in
their spiritual journeys. Three hundred
young people impacted for God. The next
generation of our churches, keen to put
God number one in their lives.
Thank you Merrilyn for your vision
in starting this annual camp. You are the
Baptist equivalent to Mother Teresa –
endlessly and humbly giving of yourself to
grow God’s kingdom here in New Zealand,
among our youth. We are indebted to you
and blessed to have your wisdom, experi-
ence and passionate leadership of BYM.
I pray this camp continues to be a blessing
to our Baptist churches and God’s Kingdom!
– Lochie Judd
Tawa
Exploration of hell
continues
T he recent article “Explore the truth
about hell” (NZ Baptist, August) raises
some interesting questions. If hell does not
exist then why did God need to send Jesus
to save sinners?
The choice to refuse to believe in hell
removes about half of God’s character and
raises questions about the inspiration of
large parts of the Bible. In relation to God’s
character it denies that he might also be a
God of wrath – a just God who might in his
justice need to punish sin.
If the reason to remove hell from
Christian belief is that one cannot believe
that a loving god would send people to
such a place or so cruelly punish so many
people, then what does one do with all
the horror stories in the Old Testament?
Nations being wiped out, the cruel nations
of Babylon and Assyrians allowed to be
instruments of God’s anger on the people
of Israel. The very questions that the
prophet Habakkuk asked: “You, Lord,
have appointed them (the pagan nations)
to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have
ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too
pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate
wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the
able, fresh insights
from inspiring
speakers.
What really
perplexes me is
that the intensity of
such events seems
to be growing
uncontrollably
and creating
an unhealthy
Joe Huang atmosphere of
competitiveness
among Christian groups. And the chain-
effects of this are manifold.
Firstly, such nonstop “Saturday night
fever” (normally those special gather-
ings are slotted in weekends) results in
tensions in the community. To an extent,
the inter-church events inevitably disrupt
the normal pace of church life and pastoral
care. It should not surprise anyone that
against such a backdrop, pastors find it
somewhat of a struggle to attempt to faith-
fully carry out the necessary pastoral tasks.
Church flock and pastors alike are busy
keeping up with these events.
treacherous? Why are you silent while the
wicked swallow up those more righteous
than themselves?”
Obviously there are passages that
Warren Prestidge chooses to ignore. Like
Matthew 11: 22 to 24, where Jesus says it
will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sodom
on the day of judgement than for certain
Galilean towns. If the end for unbelievers
is death, how come there are degrees of
punishment for the wicked?
Why in Matthew 25:46 is the punish-
ment called “eternal”? Why is the picture
in Luke 16 of the rich man so graphic if it is
not a true picture?
Then we come to the whole issue of the
cross. Would God have really sent his son
to die on the cross if there was no eternal
punishment waiting us because of our sin?
Surely if hell is to be watered down by our
PC theology, we should also water down
the impact and importance of the cross.
Maybe we should just see Jesus as a good
example of being prepared to suffer for
what you believe. If there is no hell, there
was no punishment for sin great enough to
justify such a cruel and tortuous death that
the son of God had to suffer. Let’s keep hell
in our theology and preaching!
– Stephen Thompson
Mt Roskill, Auckland
I ’m very grateful to Warren Prestidge for
raising a nearly taboo subject through
your pages and to those of your readers
who have taken the time to pick up their
pens and respond. Modern discomfort
with the doctrine of hell has muted
preaching about it for decades. We see the
result in luke-warm Christianity and an
embarrassed attitude towards evangelism.
We need to recall that fear of God is the
beginning of wisdom.
Unless we ourselves grasp the horror of
dying apart from Christ, then what moti-
vation do we have for reaching out to our
loved ones with the gospel? Unless we
really understand what we are saved from,
then why should we be grateful for our
salvation? The doctrine of hell underlines
our understanding of the seriousness of sin
and the justice of a good God.
But I cannot agree with Dina Tuduc that
heaven is not much of a reward if the alter-
native is not eternal torture. The Bible says
Secondly, generally speaking, respect
for authorities is a robust element firmly
embedded in Chinese culture. When public
talks are held featuring some popular Big
Shot from overseas, you can always find a
crowd treating them as some kind of guru.
Not only are people attracted by the visi-
tor’s words of wisdom or encouragement,
they also bring their church issues to them,
aching for some powerful, instant cures
from their newfound master.
I imagine some people’s intentions may
be to gain leverage by having an influential
person’s verdict on their side. However,
surely any experienced leader would
know that that this would not help solve
any church issues. The prompt advice
from well-intentioned but unwittingly
embroiled guest speakers, wise as it might
be, only serves to complicate the true path
of reconciliation at best and deepen issues
at worst.
A more serious implication is that the
mutual trust between the local Christians
and their leaders is, by and large, at crisis.
Their flock might find a “big name from
outside” is more convincing than their
that those who suffer the second death,
perish painfully and for all eternity – there
is no second chance. It seems to me that
salvation from a painful death is plenty to
be grateful for.
Nor can I agree with Chris Ward that we
should excommunicate Warren for daring
to question our traditions in the light of
scripture. After all, John Stott – whose obit-
uary appeared in the last edition and who
was described as one who “more than any
other person in the last century – restored
confidence in the authority of God’s
word…” taught along the same lines.
Consider three well-known verses:
“Broad is the way that leads to …,” “The
wages of sin is …,” “God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son,
that whosoever believes in him should not
… .” There are a few verses (I think there
are three) that seem to say that the torment
of the damned continues forever, but there
are literally hundreds of verses like the
above that tell us that the fate of those who
are finally separated from God is to perish;
to suffer death and complete destruction.
“The wicked perish, and the enemies of the
Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they
vanish – like smoke they vanish away.”
Whether we ultimately agree with
Warren or disagree, we must admit he has
a case. Our history as Baptist churches is
that we judge tradition in the light of scrip-
ture – not vice versa – and we interpret
scripture, in the first place, by scripture,
not tradition. So let’s not leap to judge each
other until we’ve listened carefully to all
sides of the argument. And let’s have this
debate! Because we desperately need a
biblical doctrine of hell.
– Roger Driver-Burgess
Thames
One more time:
Who’s in heaven?
I n September’s NZ Baptist letters, Murray
Harris challenges the proposal around
“Who is in Heaven?” presented by Myk
Habets. Whilst there is some merit to
Murray’s challenge I would posit one
additional point. When Prof Harris stated,
“If you do believe that the eternal Son is
permanently incarnated,” he is correct in
NZ Baptist | October 2011
pastor of many years. Don’t get me wrong,
I do not have sour grapes about this –
personally I have not yet been in this kind
of awkward position – but I feel for the
leaders who are.
One must not unilaterally blame
the devoted church members for not
abstaining from the temptation of inappro-
priately seeking guidance from outsiders.
As old wisdom suggests, it takes two to
tango. There must be some strong incen-
tives that drive people to gather around
the Big Shots from abroad. It could be a
result of a “celebrity complex” or a mindset
of spiritual consumerism. We cannot be
exactly sure.
One thing is sure: in the Chinese
Christian community it becomes impera-
tive for all sides to contemplate how to
rebuild the confidence in their pastoral
guardians and the trust between them and
the church members. If we do not take up
the challenge, more competent visiting
speakers might only mean more “noisy
gongs or clanging cymbals,” or more
misunderstandings and tears.
his supposition.
However, I would suggest that most of
Myk’s audience does not believe that the
eternal Son is permanently incarnated in
Jesus. I suspect that most of Myk’s audi-
ence would have an understanding that
says Jesus is now a disembodied spirit, no
longer a human. Most of Myk’s audience
would not believe that Jesus is currently
the incarnated Son of God. The idea that
Jesus has a body right now seems strange
to this audience, maybe even shocking.
Yet this physical, exalted, human Jesus is
what we have throughout the NT and in
orthodox Christian theology. In not appre-
ciating how far from orthodoxy Myk’s
audience lay, Prof Harris may have misun-
derstood Myk’s intention.
Given the nature of the audience I
think the two-being image of “who is in
Heaven?” Myk put forward consisting
of a) the spirit Father, Son, Spirit and b)
the embodied human Jesus, is a helpful
counter-thrust to the completely unor-
thodox, “Jesus is now only spirit and kinda
indistinguishable from God” view.
A completely human image of the
ascended Jesus is at the heart of much NT
teaching – Jesus as priest, firstborn, apostle
and king. These are all human images.
And Jesus’ current humanity is certainly
the core of our hope – that one day all
followers of Jesus will also be humans in a
state of heavenly dwelling.
I have limited knowledge of Myk but I
would expect that he is all at once a) horri-
fied that he may have been understood to
be expressing a non-trinitarian view and b)
pleased that his view so clearly highlighted
the “other than God, human” aspect of the
ascended Jesus that it was contentious.
Myk may well respond: “There are two
beings in Heaven – the first being spirit,
the three persons of God: Father, Son and
Spirit. The second being is the physical
human Jesus – who is the incarnation of
the second person of the trinity, the Son.
How that hangs together, God only knows!
But it is the core of our hope.”
Given the images of the ascended,
exalted human embodied Jesus in the NT
and Christian theological tradition, I find it
impossible to disagree.
– Wayne Sheddan
Auckland
October 2011 | NZ Baptist [ COLUMNS ] 7

‘‘ ’’
» Drawn & Quoted | Tom Cadman looks at life and faith through the lens of literature

Rediscover the sense of belonging

A
documentary on the life
and work of the late Sir
Paul Reeves followed the
televised service of his funeral at
Auckland’s Holy Trinity cathe-
dral. In it, his wife, Lady Reeves,
described Sir Paul’s discovery of
his Maori genealogy, “a docu-
ment on lined paper describing a
heritage of which he knew very
little.” He couldn’t put it down.
It captured his imagination and
attention and awoke in him a new
awareness of who he was. It was,
she said, a profound discovery
that changed the way he viewed
himself and life.
Genealogies can have that
effect. I have a faith ancestry that
includes my own Baptist family,
local Baptist churches and the
wider Baptist community here
and overseas through which a
significant part of my Christian
faith and life has been expressed.
I am also part of a line of Baptists
reaching back into 17th century
England and Europe. Delve
even further back, and I find
that Baptists like me are part
of a loosely knit set of move-
ments comprising Anabaptists,
Mennonites and a host of others.
Mention Mennonites and you
immediately think Amish, horses
and buggies, quaint characters
at odds with the world living in
communities most of us would
run a mile rather than belong to.
Yet we are all part of the same
mixed bag. Ask me how I feel
about this and I would have to
say, ambivalent.
One who shares this same
mixed bag heritage and expresses
a similar ambivalence is Rhoda
Janzen. A teacher of English and
creative writing at Hope College
in Holland, Michigan, she is
herself a poet and writer and
was, in 1994 and 1997, the Poet
Laureate at the University of
California.
Born and raised in the
Mennonite community, it is her
ambivalent relationship with this
community in which she grew
up that is described in her book,
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.
“Mennonite,” as she bluntly
reminds us, “is not Amish.”
Neither is a Mennonite for that
matter a Baptist, but our genea-
logical roots are all firmly planted
in the same ancestral soil.
Janzen’s father, a theologian
of the movement from which the
Amish broke away because of the
Mennonite’s “big bad carousing
lifestyle,” heads a traditional
Mennonite family where most
things are banned: “Drinking,
dancing, smoking, sex outside of
marriage, sex inside of marriage,
gambling, playing cards, foul
language, slumber parties,
cafeteria lunches, Prada.”
Leaving this community to
pursue an academic career was
more than a geographical shift. It
was a faith shift, a life shift. By the
time she reached her early forties
she had experienced a broken
marriage (her husband left her
for a man), and broken bones
when she suffered a horrendous
car crash. Broken in body and
spirit and yearning for healing,
she heads back to the Mennonite
community where her parents
and extended Mennonite family
live.
Hilarious descriptions follow
of her family, their odd take on
life, encounters with a variety
of cousins and relatives, bizarre
dates, wonderful Mennonite
cooking (all Mennonite women
can cook), and above all the
embrace of her generous earthy
mother who welcomes her broken,
non-religious daughter back with
open arms. She realises this faith
community that she left behind has
provided her with everything she
needs to weather her crisis.
Rhoda Janzen acknowledges
her indebtedness to the commu-
nity that shaped her childhood
and teenage years even though
she has moved beyond many of
the aspects of that community
and the faith it enshrines. Having
escaped to the glittering life of the
wider academic world, now, in
her brokenness and desperation,
she looks back with clear-sighted
objectivity and appreciation on
the community that shaped her.
Couched in earthy humour and
sometimes explicit language, her
story will not suit everyone’s
taste. But she highlights the
ambivalence many of us experi-
ence as we reflect on our own
faith journey.
Like Rhoda Janzen, we may no
longer be able to dot the ‘I’s and
cross the ‘T’s of the communities
of faith to which we belong or
in which we were nurtured, or
even accept the belief system that
undergirds them. Such ambiva-
lence is one of the many tensions
inherent in the life of faith and
each one of us addresses them in
different ways.
But within those faith families,
Janzen delightfully recalls, there
are great strengths we all need:
Warmth, generosity, acceptance,
loving care, and a deep sense of
belonging.
In a moving tribute to those
strengths she concludes her story:
“My eyes misted over a little
as I considered these people,
(Mennonites) percussing, and
swaying and singing. Without my
husband I had somehow drifted
back to this point of origin, as if
my turbulent marriage had been
a long journey on dark waters
that had propelled me away from
everything known and safe. I
suddenly had the feeling you get
when, after a long sea swim, you
touch bottom and draw a breath
of relief: you made it, land ho.
“The oldsters were singing
and smiling and shivering in the
breeze that had picked up, heavy
now with the scent of lavender.
Harmony rose like prayer in the
cool of the late afternoon, and the
music was gentle as a hand on
the small of the back, nudging
me forward – the sound of my
heritage, my future.”
In all our ambivalences, if
we can retain or rediscover that
sense of belonging, then our faith
heritage has done its job.

the only
christian
music degree in new zealand
Pursue your passion for God and music at Vision College.
Major in Vocals, and Instrument or Song Writing and take
your skills to a highly advanced level.
YEAR ONE YEAR TWO YEAR THREE
CAREER
MUSIC

Diploma of Diploma in Bachelor

Contemporary Performance of Music
Music (Level 5) Music (Level 6) (CCM)

Campuses in Hamilton & Christchurch

Txt or phone for your information pack.

CALL FREE NOW

0800 834 834
txt your name to 027 55 STUDY
www.visioncollege.ac.nz A division of ATC New Zealand. (Est 1984). NZQA Accredited.
8 [ IN MEMORY ] NZ Baptist | October 2011

Doctor lived to spread the gospel

Dr Raymond Windsor OBE, returned to New Other hospitals were closing because of All Nations Christian College, a leading
FRACS, FRCS (Ed.) Zealand in 1958 to the unavailability of work visas for expa- missions training establishment in England.
an appointment as triate health care workers. Despite minor brushes with British conserv-
1928 – 2011 a research fellow In a strategic move, the BMMF leader- atism, he succeeded in modernising the

D
r Ray Windsor, a member of Mt
Albert Baptist Church, died on
August 10. He was a man with
many natural gifts.
As a pupil at secondary school he
excelled at cricket and rugby. As a medical
student he turned to soccer, withdrawing
from contact sports to avoid injuring his
fingers because his first love was the piano.
As a young man he played several
concerts with the National Orchestra and
solo concerts in Wellington and Dunedin.
His fine baritone voice saw him performing
as a soloist with the Auckland Choral
Society in the 1950s. He was also an able
student, ranked 16 on the list of University
National Scholars in 1946.
It was to surgery, however, that he
devoted his career. Underlying his pursuit
of this vocation was his deep desire to
become a medical missionary. In this
he was influenced by his deep personal
Christian faith and the example of men like
Dr Paul White, the “Jungle Doctor,” and Dr
Albert Schweitzer.
Following graduation from the Otago
Medical School in 1951 he completed two
years of residency in Auckland hospitals
where he met his wife-to-be, nurse Gwen
Thompson. They married in 1953 before
transferring to Wellington for advanced
surgical training.
In 1955 the couple moved to the UK
with Ray travelling as a ship’s surgeon
to gain more surgical experience and
obtain specialist surgical qualifications. He
at Greenlane
Hospital’s
world-famous
Cardiovascular
Surgical Unit.
The following
year he was
Dr Ray Windsor appointed to the
unit as a locum
consultant, training in cardiovascular
surgery under Brian (later Sir Brian)
Barratt-Boyes.
But all along, he and his wife remained
challenged by the medical needs of the
developing world and felt the call to
missionary service. Some considered this
tantamount to professional suicide.
The Windsors joined the Bible and
Medical Missionary Fellowship (BMMF,
now Interserve) an organisation that
already sponsored several hospitals in
India. Ray’s first appointment was to
Mussoorie in North India where, while
studying Hindi, he was both superin-
tendent and surgeon to the Landour
Community Hospital.
During three years working there and
at hospitals in Chandigarh city and rural
Herbertpur, interacting with local and
expatriate medical staff, he became increas-
ingly convinced that the major health need
of the indigenous population was not
cardiovascular surgery but basic primary
community healthcare. Coincidentally, the
Indian government was effecting a policy
of nationalisation by taking over hospitals
previously staffed by expatriates.
ship gave Ray the green light to attempt
to facilitate a mutually supportive asso-
ciation of mission hospitals to be led by
qualified nationals focusing on community
health and preventive medicine. It was
an arduous task and some agencies were
resistant. But by persuasive negotiation,
enough were recruited to make the project
viable.
In 1970 the Emmanuel Hospital
Association (EHA) was officially regis-
tered. It is widely regarded as the first
indigenous mission agency in the world.
Currently 20 hospitals and 30 community-
based health organisations operate under
the EHA banner.
In 1970 Ray was appointed Director of
BMMF. Ever an innovator, he oversaw
major changes in the mission’s direction,
including moving the international head-
quarters from London to Delhi.
He formed strategic alliances with like-
minded organisations. In the early 1970s
he was at the forefront in coordinating the
response of relief agencies to the desperate
needs of Bangladeshis after the war with
Pakistan, serving as the inaugural director
of the umbrella organisation HEED (Health,
Education Economic Development). This
sought to up-skill people to be self-suffi-
cient rather than become dependent on aid.
Today, HEED is one of the largest NGOs
in Bangladesh, employing more than 4000
workers engaged in an enormous variety of
projects. He was awarded the OBE in 1983
in recognition of his services to India.
In 1982 Ray was appointed Principal of
curriculum, improving teaching methods
and making long-needed additions to the
campus buildings.
Ray’s tenure was interrupted in 1985 by
news of his mother’s ill health. He felt it
incumbent upon himself to return and care
for her.
This move did not inhibit his involve-
ment in global mission. At various times
he represented the South Pacific on the
Missions Commission and executive of the
World Evangelical Fellowship, developed
a quarterly bulletin for missionary trainers
in the majority world, researched and
published The World Directory of Missionary
Training Programmes, participated in several
international consultations on mission, led
the NZ Evangelical Fellowship and the
Evangelical Missionary Alliance and served
on the boards of TEAR Fund and the Bible
College of New Zealand.
He was also active on the missions
committee of his home church. He was
widely and justifiably regarded in the
Christian community as a wise man who
could give good advice on most issues and
was always willing to be consulted.
In later years the onset of Parkinson’s
disease slowed him down but gave him
greater opportunity for involvement
with his five children, their spouses and
numerous grandchildren. After an amaz-
ingly full and influential life, he died
peacefully at home aged 83.
He is survived by his wife, Gwen, and
their children.

• MARK HOLMEN – Faith@Home

author from Ventura, California
• IAN & MARY GRANT – Parents Inc.
founders, and youth and parenting

MAIN S advocates
• JOHN DAWSON – International
E A K ER President of YWAM
SP

T his year’s Gathering has a great theme – “Being the

Body, Nobody Missing.” This is reflected in the breadth
of our main speakers, workshops and seminars. This
year’s programme has been designed with church ministry
and leadership teams in mind. There are many more options
than in the past. If a team is coming from your church, and we
hope there will be, we suggest you divide the seminars and
workshops between you.
Mark Holmen (www.faithbeginsathome.com), John
Dawson, and Ian and Mary Grant are our main speakers.
Lincoln University, Christchurch Their emphasis is on educating the family to take responsi-
bility for family discipleship, and how ministry teams can
November 10-13, 2011 integrate their work to see life-long commitment to God.
The Dream Centre music team will lead worship at the
main sessions. The venue is the Lincoln University Campus
with on-site accommodation. The Gathering starts on
Thursday evening with a celebration meal and the conference
starts at 2pm Friday.

Registration and seminar details are available online,

www.baptist.org.nz, or from the National Resource Centre.

the Gathering, PO Box 12149, Penrose, Auckland 1642

(09) 526 0338 | info@baptist.org.nz | www.baptist.org.nz
 WORLD REACH
New Zealand Baptists Reaching the World
Partnering with
our Pacific
neighbours
L ast month New Zealand
began hosting not just
the Rugby World Cup but
also the Pacific Island Forum
Leaders’ Meeting. This was
an affirmation that the Pacific
Islands are our neighbours.
I was born in Africa, where
my parents worked. I then
worked for many years in
Bangladesh. That meant I’ve
had very little to do with the Paul Thompson
Pacific nations. That situation
has been changing, however.
It began in 2009 with BANZAid’s project
to rebuild the Satitoa Village primary school
following the tsunami in Samoa. Working with
people like Pastor Fa’aso Auva’a, Pastor Chris Sola
and Ben Taufua I quickly learned to appreciate Fa’a
Samoa – the Samoan way. The school was built as a
community project and was a great success.
This year I’ve had the opportunity to travel to
more of the Polynesian islands. One thing that’s
clear is that the issues in the Pacific are very
different to the issues in Africa or Asia.
For instance, there are no refugee camps or
starving children. The islands are very Christian,
with no shortage of churches. Everyone has family
or relations in other parts of the world – in fact, for
some there are more of their people living overseas
than at home. And, there are few opportunities for
work. Like many rural areas of New Zealand, there
are no jobs for the young people and so they must
leave home.
We have big Polynesian populations in New
Zealand and we see them very literally as our
neighbours, not out in the Pacific but just down the
road. We want to see them have a similar standard
of living to our own.
Our Government’s approach has two parts to
it. One is to promote tourism as a way of bringing
money to the islands: Go and visit – it’s probably
the cheapest overseas holiday you can have. You’ll
be welcomed, and treated as part of the family.
The second way of helping has been the
Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. This
allows temporary work visas for people from the
Pacific to work in New Zealand at seasonal jobs
like fruit picking. It’s a win-win situation – we get
the seasonal workers, and they get to take money
back to their communities.
Some of our churches have been involved
providing pastoral and support services for the
workers. This has been appreciated by the workers
and has also brought a richness to the church.
There are opportunities to build on the rela-
tionships established through the RSE scheme.
BANZAid is looking to build our contacts in the
Pacific, so watch this space or contact me if you’d like
to know more – paul.thompson@banzaid.org.nz.
• Paul Thompson is Team Leader of BANZAid, one of
the four mission entities of the New Zealand Baptist
Mission Society. Visit www.banzaid.co.nz.
World Reach is a publication of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society (NZBMS)
OCTOBER 2011
About what are we
truly passionate?
By Peter Mihaere
I
’m passionate about Rugby. I’m
passionate about the All Blacks.
I’m passionate about the Rugby
World Cup. In fact, no one who knows
me can doubt my passion for these
things.
Mind you, I’m writing this article
the day before the All Blacks game
against Japan. Who knows, by the
time it’s read, my office, currently
festooned with black flags and wall
hangings, may have become a place of
mourning. Time will tell but, for now,
I believe.
For anyone left reading this article
I’m also passionate about mission. I
must confess that right now it feels
like it’s slightly outweighed by my
passion for rugby but that mission
passion burns deeply within me.
There’s something about my
mission passion that differentiates it
from my rugby passion. A rugby tour-
nament is for a limited period of time.
There will be just one winner and 19
Peter’s a little excited about the Rugby World Cup.
losers. My passion for mission is more
permanent and there is an opportu- heart and soul to that cause and see stage! Lord, just get me where you
nity for everyone to win. people mobilised to join God in his want me to be!
Mission is all of who I am, not just mission. Hold on a minute. On reflection I’m
part of who I am. Mission involves The utter most parts of the earth? already involved in all of these things.
enabling and mobilising myself and Oh boy… where to start? I have a love Maybe I’m already where God
others. Mission is an exciting contin- for Asia, so I’d start there. As a kid I wants me to be in His mission. I’m
uous journey of discovery into God’s lived in Thailand and it remains a part part of a local Baptist church plant
amazing plan for our lives and his of who I am. My work also takes me in a part of town with huge cultural
invitation to us, his church, to join him to China, India and Bangladesh so I’d diversity. We’re trying to be creative in
in his redemptive work in the world. want to support work in those parts presenting the gospel in tangible and
Those of you who know me will of the world, and see where that leads relevant ways.
realise, once I get wound up about this me. I’m part of the leadership of the
thing called mission it’s hard to stop Make myself a slave to everyone? family of Baptist Churches who make
me. Here’s a classic question asked I’m called to serve so I’d throw every- a difference in the lives of hundreds of
one more time: “If you knew you had thing I have at that call – just ask my thousands of people in their commu-
only three years to live, what would wife! nities across Aotearoa.
you do with the time you had left?” To win as many as possible? Some And I have the greatest job in the
Here’s what I would do: people choke when we talk about world where I’m part of a team who
“… be God’s witness in Jerusalem, church and numbers. It’s easy to get to help New Zealand Baptists
Judea, Samaria and to the utter most proclaim boldly, “it’s not about the realise God’s call on their lives to join
parts of the earth, and make myself a numbers.” Sorry to burst your bubble him in different corners of the globe.
slave to everyone to win as many as but it is about numbers. A few more weeks and 48 games
possible” (adapted from Acts 1:8 and If it’s good enough for the Apostle live on Sky, and the Rugby World Cup
1 Corinthians 9:19). Paul to say that he’ll do anything to will be over. Mission will still be there.
Jerusalem? That means on my own win as many people as possible then Mission doesn’t stop.
doorstep. I’d want to get together that’s good enough for me. There are Go the All Blacks? Yeah! But let’s
with some likeminded people. We’d many things I can’t do but what I shout “go mission!” even louder.
find a group of unreached people in can do is be obedient and alert to the Wanna talk more about mission?
town and develop an expression of things God calls me to be involved Careful, it might change your life!
God’s love that enables them to walk in. That way, with his help, more and
towards him unencumbered by our more will come to know God’s love • Peter is General Director of the New
unintended, out-of-date, sometimes and grace. Zealand Baptist Mission Society (NZBMS)
fundamentalist, Christian stumbling Even just writing about this stuff I – New Zealand Baptists Reaching the
blocks. can feel the passion rising within me. World. He would love to talk to you
Judea and Samaria? I’d join a cause Get me on a plane! Get me on a train! about your passion for mission. Email
of eternal proportions and give my Get me on a rickshaw! Get me on a peter.mihaere@reachingtheworld.org.nz.
10 [ WORLD REACH ] NZ Baptist | October 2011

Love South Asia’s poor

Paul and Ruth are ordinary New Zealand actions, smiles and prayers also make an
Baptists who took a risk and obeyed God by impact.
going overseas and helping a tranzsend In the workplace, Paul helped with
business. Their home church is Remuera the accounts and Ruth worked with the
Baptist in Auckland. women helping coordinate production. It

H
eading off to a South Asian city to
support a couple running a small
Christian business in the heart of a
red light district is not something we ever
expected to be doing. But that’s what we
did!
Last year we felt the challenge to step
out with a new level of faith in God by
being available for mission work overseas.
It was a new venture for us as a couple. We
were simply asking, “Are there other ways
we can serve you God?” and then went
about looking for ways to make this desire
a reality.
We spoke with Neil Perry at tranzsend.
He considered our skills and background
and presented us with some options,
(including other mission groups). Doors
seemed to fly open. There was a match for
our skills and within three weeks it was
arranged.
Not long after we were in the small
South Asian business where women are
employed, enabling them to avoid being
imprisoned by the sex trade and allow
them to support their families. The women
are trained in making notebooks, cards,
electronic equipment and water filters for
export.
It was a joy but not always easy. The city
presented us with many challenges: noise,
pollution, congestion, heat, street hawkers
and traffic every which way – on foot and
wheels, cars, trams, buses, trucks, rick-
shaws and auto rickshaws.
What constantly shone through though
was a rich and different culture, a very
Paul and Ruth with one of the women they worked with in South Asia
relational culture. Even shopping in the
market became a time of getting to know
the local sellers and appreciating their help.
“This fruit is the best one Aunty,” the
sellers would call out as they give cups of
hot tea to faithful customers. We attempted
to use what language we could learn and
were rewarded with encouragement to
keep going. We learnt also that language
and communicating is not just verbal;
was rewarding to share God’s word and
our faith with the workers each morning
(with the help of a translator). Seeking God
for what he wanted to say was a privi-
lege as we often found we had the same
“theme.” Each day began and ended with
prayers by staff, while weekly we would
worship together.
Many of the women at the business love
Jesus but they are under strong pressure
from their community. Often their families
worship many gods, gods and evil spirits
whom they fear. Some also struggle with
personal difficulties including violence,
poor living conditions and poverty. It was
humbling to work alongside them and
share the love we found God placing in our
hearts. We felt how much He cared for this
city with its poor, spiritually lost.
We feel that we gained more than we
gave. We now pray often for the women
and our heart goes out to them and the
staff there. We are thankful for the prayers
and encouragement we experienced from
people back home. We sensed the Holy
Spirit in our midst.
During our last week one of the women
told us they desired strongly for us to come
back again. We were deeply moved. We
know that during our time there God’s
love has become more real to them, and
also to us. Like the clay in the potter’s
hands, it was good to be moulded and
used for his purposes!
• If you think God may be calling you to take a
risk, send tranzsend Team Leader, Neil Perry,
an email, neil.perry@tranzsend.org.nz.

EDITOR’S NOTE
World Reach is published by The
New Zealand Baptist Missionary
Society to provide information about

Pray for Africa

what New Zealand Baptists are
achieving in the world of mission.
Contributions about New Zealand
Baptist overseas mission endeav-
ours are encouraged.
This edition of World Reach has
By Jock Brunskill area of crisis.
focused on Southern Africa. For se-

P
rayer Movements have had
a huge impact on the church
in Africa. The Global Day
of Prayer originated in Cape Town
through Transformation Africa
and now involves tens of millions
of Christians each year. The ‘Holy
Ghost’ all night prayer meetings
in Nigeria attract perhaps 500,000
people to pray. There are many other
prayer initiatives in Africa and the
Christian church has grown quickly.
Jock Brunskill
But still Africa, the fastest urbanising
continent on earth, has massive needs
and now faces the greatest famine on earth. How can we join
Africans in praying effectively for their home continent?
Pray for the least reached nations in Africa. By percentage
of population, Africa has 13 out of 20 of the least evangelised
countries in the world. According to Operation World there
are 101 million people in 160 groups living mainly in Sudan,
Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. How is it that, in this area where
there is a great concentration of least-reached peoples, there is
one of the great famines ever seen on the planet? Pray for the
aid, development and evangelisation efforts in this massive
At the same time, the African evangelical population
curity reasons the names of some
is nearly as large as in all the Americas combined and is
people, places and organisations
increasing at a faster rate than any other continent. There are
have been omitted and generic
increasingly aggressive Islamist movements but also people of
photographs have been used.
Muslim background are coming to faith in Christ. This is one
factor behind civil war, unrest and bloodshed across the region. The same may be true for next
Africa has an unenviable record in terms of political month’s issue when we will move to
stability, human rights and poverty. With names like the Lord’s focus on Scandinavia and West-
Liberation Army, confusion is rife. More children aged less than ern Europe. The countries we are
including in this region are: Andorra,
five die in Congo than in China every year. Many Congolese
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Fin-
pastors need bicycles not motorbikes because they cannot
afford petrol. Malaria is even more destructive to the health land, France, Germany, Iceland,
and welfare of Africans than the impact of HIV/AIDS and yet Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
less than 5% of Africa’s children sleep under nets. Monaco, Netherlands, Northern Ire-
Despite the many obstacles, Africa is emerging as one of the land, Norway, Portugal, San Marino,
greatest missionary sending regions of the world. Its mission- Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and
aries are working in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Pray United Kingdom.
for funds to train, send and support them. And pray for the You’re invited to contribute stories
Lord to send more Kiwis to work among the peoples of this of New Zealand Baptist involvement
wonderful, beautiful, vibrant continent. in these areas.
• Jock Brunskill is the National Director of WEC New Zealand, Copy is due by Friday, October 14
one of the Strategic Mission Partners of MISSION WORLD. to info@reachingtheworld.org.nz.
October 2011 | NZ Baptist
Changing
of the
guard
N
ew Zealand Baptists
Reaching the World has a
new Communication and
Media Specialist. Paul Dunn is
quickly coming to grips with his
new role and we welcome his fresh
input into an area that is constantly
evolving.
Paul has been in pastoral
ministry. He served as youth pastor
for two years and then five years
as senior pastor of Katikati Baptist
Church in the Bay of Plenty.
While studying theology at Carey
Baptist College he also studied at
Massey in the
area of media
studies. We
look forward
to the combi-
nation of these
skills and
experience as
he settles into
his role.
Paul is
married to
Paul Dunn
Kate and they
have three
children: Caleb (10), Bethany (6) and
Isaac (3). Please add Paul and family
to your prayer list.
You can contact Paul at
paul.dunn@reachingtheworld.org.nz.
At this time we want to mention
the wonderful work of Bev
Edmiston. For more than 10 years,
Bev was the New Zealand Baptists
Reaching the World communications
person. It was Bev who defined and
developed the role and many of the
tasks within it. This included being
editor of World Reach and the key
coordinator of the annual Prayer and
Self Denial focus.
We appreciate hugely the contri-
bution Bev made. We miss her and
wish her well for the future.
Resource Corner – NZBMS, helping resource your church for mission
Organising a Church Mission Festival
C all it what you like, it’s great to have
a time where the church can specifi-
cally focus in on mission for a while. Many
churches do this annually. They can be a
lot of work but they reap huge rewards
in terms of motivating people for mission
and planting a heart for mission in the lives
of church members. The following is an
outline of an actual weekend mission event.
They called it, “Where do I Fit?” Perhaps
your church could use it as a starting point
for your own mission occasion.
The basic outline:
Nine events were planned over three
days (Friday evening through until Sunday
evening). This included the morning and
evening Sunday services. The other seven
events appealed to different sectors of the
church. The hope was that each member
would attend one worship service and at
[ WORLD REACH ]
Life lessons in Lesotho
By Susan Bellett
MIS Centre – Maseru, Lesotho
“All through life things happen to us that
are not so good. It’s how we respond to those
things that changes the outcome – for us and
for those we work with. God is a good God,
and even though we go through tough times
He will always be there with us.”
That’s a lesson Susan Bellett learned within
two weeks of arriving in Maseru, Lesotho.
I
arrived here September 2008. I’d
been asked if I’d go and work at an
orphanage centre in Africa. At the
time I wasn’t 100% sure of God’s call but
decided to simply step out and trust him.
My diploma in Early Childhood
Education meant my initial role was to
work with and encourage the teachers
in the preschool, which caters for both
community children and those from the
centre.
I’ve learned so much in the time
I’ve been here. In particular I’ve come
to realise that, when working as a
missionary, you should never rush in with
least one other event according to their
interests.
The attendance at each meeting was,
therefore, less than what might have been
expected at a one-off mission gathering.
However, the narrower focus of each
meeting meant it was easier to concentrate
on specific aspects of mission within the
overall theme.
The full programme:
Event 1: “Fish ‘n’ mission” for families
– children looked after, Friday 6–7:30pm.
People brought their takeaway tea. There
was a crowd breaker and a visiting speaker
who spoke on challenges to global mission.
An email from a church missionary family
was read with a time of prayer for them
and other church missionaries.
Event 2: “Break-thru” (for pray-ers),
Friday 8–9:15pm. Some input on the value
all the answers. The longer I’m in Masera
the more I come to understand that my
Western answers don’t always apply here
and I have much to learn.
My most harrowing learning experi-
ence came within my first two weeks – I
was held up at gunpoint. As this was
happening I recalled once reading that, if
you’re in trouble, call upon the name of
Jesus. So, that’s what I did, out loud. The
men took my money before returning my
bag containing my bank cards and house
keys.
I was in shock but chose to look to God.
By later that afternoon I was able to pray
for those who’d robbed me.
Why do I tell you this? Simply, I never
thought of returning home. Sure, I put
some things in place to keep me safer, but
it’s left me with a greater understanding
of God’s watch over my life.
That was three years ago and my role
has grown in that time. I’m still involved
in the preschool. Each day I walk 10 grade
one children to and from school. I’ve been
given a room which I’m converting into a
classroom and each afternoon a different
of praying for mission workers and a time
of creatively thought-out prayer.
Event 3: “Not for me, man!” men’s break-
fast, Saturday 8–9:15am. A breakfast with
input from interesting mission speakers.
One talked about his mission experiences,
the other gave challenging input on “what
part could I play in global mission?”
Event 4: “New around here” for
newcomers to the church in the last year or
so, Saturday 5:45–7:30pm. Potluck dinner.
Pastor gave input on the church’s vision for
world mission. There were video messages
from church members doing mission
overseas.
Event 5: “Crossroads cafe,” 20s – 30s
age group, Saturday 8–9:30pm. A coffee
and cake evening and a challenge to be
involved in mission. Someone from this
age group shared a mission experience
they’d had overseas.
11
Susan and two of her
students in Lesotho.
age group of children come to learn
mathematics and English.
These things seem inconsequential but
I’ve learned that little things done with
love and consistency over a period of
time lead to bigger things and, for me, the
bottom line is being open and obedient to
God.
I love being here and feel blessed to be
able to do what I am doing. The 106 chil-
dren at the centre are amazing and I’ve
learned so much from them. They may
not have much in material possessions but
they have each other and a relationship
with God. I pray that this will grow into
a life-changing relationship and that they
also will be open to be used by him.
Yes, at times the things I see are horrible
and unfair. I also miss my two adult chil-
dren but, as I keep my eyes on Jesus and
trust him, it’s not so overwhelming.
And I do still sometimes wonder:
What’s God doing in the lives of those
three young men who robbed me?
• Susan is a member of Spreydon
Baptist Church.
Event 6: Morning worship service. Based
around the mission theme, with displays
and a mission speaker who spoke motiva-
tionally about the call to mission.
Event 7: Church Overseas Mission
Committee. Sunday 12–1:30pm. Light
lunch. Some input on the role of a mission
committee within the church with some
brainstorming on the committee’s vision
for mission within the church.
Event 8: Evening service with a youth
emphasis. A speaker gave a “youthful”
challenge to mission.
Of course all of this needs to be modified
according to your church’s need and where
you are on the pathway of developing a
vibrant mission programme within your
church fellowship. What it really shows is
that a mission weekend can be organised
with relatively little effort. The impact can
be immense.
12 [ WORLD REACH ] NZ Baptist | October 2011

MISSION WORLD is the resourcing and mobilising

1 2
arm of New Zealand Baptists Reaching the World.
It exists to enable New Zealand Baptists to fulfill
God’s call on their lives wherever in the world he
may direct. Through strategic partnerships with
nine mission agencies (WEC, Wycliffe, SIM, MAF,
Interserve, Pioneers, OMF, YWAM and tranzsend),
MISSION WORLD helps people to be fully
informed about what is happening in the world
and how NZ Baptists are involved and resource
churches seeking to send and individuals seeking
to go.
www.missionworld.org.nz

“It’s not the church of God who has a mission

in the world, but the God of Mission who has
a church in the world.” Rowan Williams,
Archbishop of Canterbury

M
ission Expo 2011 was the vision of Village
Baptist Church in Havelock North. Their
desire was to create an event that brought
together the churches of the region encouraging
a fresh awareness of, and engagement in, world
mission. MISSION WORLD’s role was to bless the
churches of the Hawke’s Bay by helping to make the
vision happen and by demonstrating the collaborative
partnerships between organisations.
Running from 9am to 9pm, visitors were able to
come and go throughout the day to the various facets
of Mission Expo:
• The Expo Central area displayed and highlighted
the various mission organisations present.
8 3 • 20 minute sound-byte seminars in four streams
ran concurrently all day – inspiration (storytelling),
input (learning about modes and aspects of mission),
intercession (for regions and people of the world) and
information (details on mission agencies).
• The Kids4Mission programme, run by the teams
at Village Baptist, kept the children entertained while
parents were occupied elsewhere.
• A Mission Fiesta in the evening with song,
mission myth-busters, art, music, reflection and panel
discussions and prayer.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

1. A giant globe soccer ball kept the kids amused over
lunchtime.
2. Sheryle White (Pirimai Baptist) offered her own artistic
7 4 worship. This piece of art was gifted to Village Baptist
Church as thanks for their willingness to host, and their
vision to have, such an event.
3. Mark Fox (right) explains MAF.
4. Gathering information on the various organisations.
5. Mark Smith (centre) shares about Interserve.
6. Paul Dunn (NZ Baptists), Greg Knowles (NZBMS)
and CJ, reflect  with Neil Perry (tranzsend) on “Has the
church lost confidence in the gospel?”
7. The youth group of Village Baptist raised funds for
their next short-term mission trip with a BBQ. From left
are Hamish Norfolk, Geoff Jones, Annedien Looyenga,
and Stu Hastings.
8. Enjoying a rickshaw ride with Paul Thompson (BANZAid).

BMF Day at
6 5 the Gathering
November 10, 10am - 3.30pm
Lincoln Baptist Church, 530 Birchs Rd, Lincoln
Join us to celebrate the faithfulness of our God
and of BMF members in the work of New Zealand
Baptists Reaching the World. Greetings from
our overseas workers and presentations from
our tranzsend home staff will be included in the
programme. The registration fee of $10 covers tea
breaks and lunch.
Register to the NZBMF National Treasurer,
Gaileen Payton, at paytonsplace@slingshot.co.nz
or phone (03) 358 3257.
October 2011 | NZ Baptist [ COLUMNS ]
» The BWUSWP Beat | News from the Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific
Women of prayer, unite!
T
he visa to Papua arrived! Thank you
so much for praying. By the time you
read this I’ll have gone to Papua and
returned, and there will be heaps to tell you.
We’ve learned first hand how prayer changes
things.
Which reminds me – the annual Baptist
Women’s Day of Prayer is coming up. Do
plan to be part of it! Traditionally in early
November, many of our Day of Prayer
events are being held this month instead.
The women of the greater Hawkes Bay area,
for example, are holding a prayer evening at
Havelock North Baptist on October 7.
“Women of the World, in Step with the
Spirit through Prayer” is the theme of two
Praying for Schrodinger’s cat
By Stuart Parker supervision!)
Imagine a cat sealed in a box with a vial
First, a theoretical physics of poisonous gas. The stopper of the gas
lesson vial is controlled by the decay of a small
One of the strange, hard-to-grasp sample of radioactive material. If the mate-
conclusions of quantum mechanics is that rial decays, the vial stopper will open, and
the state of a sub-atomic particle after an the cat dies. If not, the cat survives.
interaction remains indeterminate until Now, according to the quantum
physicist, until that box is opened and the
observed.
contents observed, the radioactive mate-
For example, an unstable atomic nucleus
rial remains in an indeterminate state, and
may randomly disintegrate through radio-
our cat exists smeared across the dead
active decay, but until it is observed, it’s
and alive states. The moment we open
state is both indeterminate and unknown. It
the box and observe, everything collapses
exists in a limbo state of both “decayed” and
into a determinate state – we have either a
“un-decayed.” But the moment we observe
meowing moggy or a defunct feline.
it, the nucleus “collapses” into a determinate
Schrodinger argued that this was an
state – it becomes either decayed or remains
absurdity. What do you think?
un-decayed, and we know it.
One of Einstein’s fellow physicists, Now for a cell biology lesson
Erwin Schrodinger, saw this as nonsense.
A cancer cell begins life as a normal cell.
At the macroscopic level in which we live,
If that cell gets its DNA damaged in some
the state of everyday objects is decidedly
way (hit by radiation, attacked by a free
known. They don’t exist in indeterminate
radical, or just a mix-up in copying the
states – either they are or they aren’t.
DNA during cell division), when it divides
Schrodinger devised a famous thought
its children cells will be different, mutated.
experiment to pull the quantum world
And some of these mutated cells may be
into the macroscopic world and show the cancerous.
paradox, or “entanglement,” as he called it. Most get destroyed by our immune
(Kids, don’t try this at home without adult system, but some may survive.
» The Good Investor | Advice from Baptist Savings
Don’t let lack of strategy checkmate you
T
he difference between playing chess could be a double
and playing draughts is the differ- dip recession,
ence between thinking four moves new government
ahead, or playing what’s in front of you. regulations (such
Unfortunately, most of us tend to play as changes to
draughts with our finances. Loss Attributing
By this I mean that, when it comes to Qualifying
effectively managing our personal finances, Company regula-
most of us tend to default towards playing tions), pregnancy
the next best move. or death. Without
The best advice I can give anyone is to a flexible financial
look ahead, and plan long term. This is Andrew L’Almont structure, you
important because planning ahead will will be caught out
give you more choices. sooner or later.
True poverty has been described The first step is to get good advice from
as being unable to make a choice. someone you can trust. For example,
Circumstances dictate the choices you are when taking out a mortgage, most people
forced to make. This is, unfortunately, true tend to think that the best rate is their first
of most people. priority. But this isn’t true. The best rate is
The reality is that nothing ever goes just one component of mortgage manage-
smoothly. You can be certain things will ment. Other factors, depending on your
change and, when they do, you need to own circumstances, may be frequency of
be in a position to make the best possible payments, to fix or float or do both.
choice for yourself. Another example is your credit card. It
Some of those unexpected developments can be a powerful debt reduction tool, but
Auckland programmes on Saturday, October
29. You are invited to attend either, or both,
if you’re really keen. The first will be a free
afternoon tea at Windsor Park Baptist, in
Mairangi Bay, from 2:30 to 4pm. The second
will be a dinner at Remuera Baptist Church at
7pm, and the cost will be $15. On both occa-
sions an offering will be taken. Call Lee Bell
on (09) 278 1716 or email leejohnb@xtra.co.nz
to register for either one.
This year the Day of Prayer programme
has been written by the Baptist women of the
Caribbean. As well as prayer, these events will
feature news and updates from BWUSWP, a
Bible study on one of the fruits of the Spirit
(this year the theme is kindness) and informa-
Many, many cell generations (and many
months or years) later, a surviving cell may
have grown into a cluster of mutant cells
large enough to disrupt the normal opera-
tion of the body. We get sick, the doctors
diagnose us, we have cancer.
Now for the real world
I recently developed symptoms that
showed something was clearly not right
in my body. I was referred to a specialist
who did the usual poking and prodding.
He said I needed an endoscopy so he could
have a closer look. His words were, “I’ll tell
you up front, we are probably looking at
cancer.”
My good wife promptly did the wifely
thing, ringing round close friends and
rellies. The well-intentioned response was
often, “We will pray for you that it isn’t
cancer.”
This got me thinking. Am I
Schrodinger’s cat? Am I in an indetermi-
nate state between cancer and not-cancer
that can be tipped one way or the other?
No, I either have or don’t have cancer
– that state is already determined, just
unknown to me. The outcome of the proce-
dure won’t affect that. It only confirms it. I
am not that cat.
for most of us it’s just a burden.
When you haven’t planned ahead, when
you are not working towards a goal, you
risk becoming a victim of impulse, and
nothing can be more damaging to your
finances. You may be tempted to buy some-
thing because they are offering 60% off,
but that’s not a saving – whether you are
spending 40% of the total purchase price or
100%, you’re still spending money.
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Simon
Power, told a summit I attended recently
that a woman, acting on impulse, borrowed
$250 over the telephone while standing
at the supermarket checkout because she
needed to pay for her groceries.
She ended up repaying $1,500 to the
company that loaned her the money. Avoid
playing what is in front of you.
When we plan four or five moves ahead,
we also become aware of the dangers of
putting all our eggs in one basket, i.e.
buying property instead of diversifying to
make sure we are well equipped to cope
with the ups and downs of a range of
13
tion about this year’s supported projects.
If you live outside of Auckland, it’s not too
late to organize a Day of Prayer programme
this month or next at your church. This can be
as simple as a morning or afternoon tea, and it
can be attached to a meeting you are already
running. Our website, www.bwuswp.com,
has some useful suggestions for a brief
programme that you can download. Then
join with us around New Zealand as we unite
in prayer with and for women around the
world.
• Julie Belding, julie@belding.co.nz, is president
of the Baptist Women’s Union of the South West
Pacific.
Can you pray and expect that something
that had its genesis and was determined
many, many cell divisions ago be back-
tracked and undone as if it had never
occurred?
Prayer for the future makes sense – how
we handle the good or bad news, for the
course of the disease, for God to control
or override events, yes. But prayer to back
up and change the past or the unknown
present, what is already done and set in
concrete? To make it never-was-cancer,
even if it was?
Every second of our lives we open
Schrodinger’s box as we move forward
into our new present. And as each box
is opened there is no going back. Time
ratchets along.
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
(The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam)
What do you think?
Oh, the outcome of the endoscopy?
Meow!
• Stuart is married to Ruth, attends Hamilton
Central Baptist, and is an electronics engineer
who flies microlights (and instructs).
investments.
Ultimately, your investments should be
determined not by what everybody else is
doing – what I call the “heard mentality”
(it’s a play on words) – but by what is best
suited to your lifestyle and your plans.
When it comes to flexibility, think of
your long-term goals. Think about what
can happen, what are the obstacles. Plan
for it, and look at what you have and what
will you make more efficient.
Here at Baptist Savings we offer free
advice and personal consultations on all
matters financial. Please feel free to call me
if you would like a one-on-one financial
health check. Let’s play chess together
rather than draughts!
• Andrew L’Almont, Baptist Savings’ business
development manager, can be reached on
(09) 582 0037 and andrew@baptistsavings.co.nz
14
The 21 century family st
“R
abbis, like parents,
always had their eyes
on the future” – Gordon
MacDonald, Going Deep.
There is no doubt that “family” is an
issue for the church in the 21st century.
Having said that, it has probably been
an issue for the church in any century. The question that
is evolving now is how do we as the church effectively
minister to the current iterations of family that surround us
now.
I’m not sure about the accuracy of this, but test it for
yourself – I have been told that there are some 32 possible
expressions or combinations of what could comprise a
“family.” The point is simply that things are not as they
were. The nuclear family comprised of mum, dad and 2.5
kids is no longer the predominant model.
The big question that arises from this is how do we, the
church, respond. One possibility is to lament the loss of the
past certainties and try to revert back to something we once
knew. This course of action, besides being virtually impossible,
bypasses a host of underlying debatable assumptions about the
“rightness” or “wrongness” of past and present models.
Another response could be to minister to the “families” as
we find them, in whatever combination.
Alan J. Roxburgh in his book Missional Map Making
proposes that to be effective we need to understand our
context well. I strongly agree with his point, as did 33 others
who attended the “Family in NZ Society” block course
provided by Carey Baptist College in September.
Led by Dr Carlton Johnstone and supported by high
quality guest lecturers, the course covered a range of
relevant topics including biblical and theological perspec-
tives on family; the changing nature of family; the impact of
divorce; family; and work and cultural influences.
I was encouraged by the number of people up-skilling
» Newsbites
Youth film festival open for
entries
T he New Zealand Christian Youth Film Festival is
designed for New Zealand secondary students who are
passionate about films and filmmaking and wish to work in
the film industry.
Students are welcome to enter the competition and
compete against other secondary students across New
Zealand. Entrants are invited to submit a film of 5 to 7
minutes to be in the running for the first prize of $2000.
The festival is April 1, 2012 at the Bruce Mason Centre
on Auckland’s North Shore. The entry fee is $30 per group
and applications close on October 14. Application forms
and payment details are available from the facebook page –
search for “New Zealand Christian Youth Film Festival.”
Help for preachers
T hree day-long Kiwi-made Preaching forums are planned
for this month. Each forum will comprise 25 ques-
tions designed to provoke preachers to think more deeply
about creating sermons. The forums will be in Auckland on
October 25, Waikanae on October 27 and Christchurch on
October 29.
“We are looking to nurture an indigenous biblical
preaching movement in Aotearoa-New Zealand,” says
Paul Windsor, who has been coordinating the Kiwi-made
Preaching website (www.kiwimadepreaching.com). Each
forum will open and close with a session from Dr Chris
Wright (International Director, Langham Partnership
International) who is coming out from the UK to journey
through the week with participants.
The forum is open to everyone. However, the hope is that
local churches will gather their preachers and send them
together, spreading out to ensure maximum coverage of
the questions on offer, before returning home to discuss the
implications for the preaching in their own church.
Langham Partnership (NZ) is working with Tertiary
Students Christian Fellowship (TSCF), Carey Baptist
College, and the New Zealand Christian Network to bring
the forums to preachers all around New Zealand.
For further information and to register, visit
kiwimadepreaching.com/2011-forum.
[ CHURCH NOTES ]
themselves in this important area
of ministry. I think it also points to
an increasing recognition that the
church community needs further
education.
I recently asked a group of
parents of young children this
question: “If you could wave a magic wand over our church
to get the support, encouragement, assistance for your
parenting role, what would be top of the list?”
An interesting debate followed including ideas around
transitioning faith to the next generation, practical task
support, provision of goods and services, and respite
provision. The final conclusion was a clear request: Teach
us how to parent. We want to be wise, informed, capable,
God-honouring parents. The agreement was that these other
things will mostly be managed or mitigated by parenting
wisdom.
Unfortunately, I have misplaced my magic wand and
so can’t wave it and produce the desired response in your
context. But the call is clear. Who is going to teach the art
of parenting to the young parents in your faith commu-
nity? Who is going to teach a faith-centred perspective on
parenting in your wider community? Young parents are
asking for it.
I wonder sometimes if, in our faith communities, we
are too focused on the present and immediate and not as
focused on the future generations as we need to be. The
writer of Psalm 78 has a four-generational view on this, as
does Gordon MacDonald.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this and
related issues with you. Contact me if you would like to
engage in further conversation.
• Grant Warner is one of the national advisors for
Children and Family Ministry. He can be contacted on
grant@legacyprojects.co.nz and 021 671 501.
Author of The Shack to visit NZ
W. Paul Young, best selling author of The Shack, has
been invited to New Zealand this summer by the
Orama Christian Trust, on Great Barrier Island. The trust
invited him not so much because he has written a best-seller,
but because of the story behind The Shack. Paul’s testimony
is a compelling story of God’s grace and redemption.  prayerful change.
“The phone call that started it all was something that
threw my ordered world into pain and chaos long before I
ever put pen to paper,” Paul says. “I was the picture-perfect
husband, wanting to give my kids the safe, secure child-
hood I’d never had. But the terror of my past was rarely far
beneath the surface, no matter how hard I tried to hide it.”
The phone call from Kim, Paul’s wife, changed every-
thing: “I’m here in your office,” she said, her voice like cold
steel, “and I’m waiting for you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I know.”
Then she hung up.
Says Paul: “The air was sucked out of the room. I wanted
to keep maintaining the fiction of our perfect marriage
because it was all I really had. I wanted to hide, because
hiding and lying were what I knew how to do best. I could
appear to be the model Christian dad. I was the son of
missionary parents, a Bible school graduate, and a former
seminary student.
“Perhaps it was a nudge of grace, but I finally decided I
had to face Kim, even if the anger in her voice terrified me.
All the secrets had to come out, all those things that had
happened to me so long ago yet still seemed so much a part
of the present, my behaviors and addictions I could never
talk about.
“She knew I was having an affair with one of her best
friends.”
The story of The Shack represents an 11-year journey of
healing and of facing the pain of childhood sexual abuse.
Statistics show that sexual addiction is one of the hidden
problems in so many lives of those in our churches. This is a
testimony from a couple who have been there, and discov-
ered a God who loves, and who covers the shame. It’s a
story of hope, forgiveness and restoration.
These conversations will be continuing here in New
Zealand from January 2 to 13. See the advert on page 18 for
more details.
NZ Baptist | October 2011
The place of
prophecy in
our churches
The first in a series by Pastor Maurice Atkinson
Pastor at Oxford Baptist Church
“F ollow the way of love and eagerly desire
spiritual gifts, especially the gift of
prophecy” (1 Corinthians.14:1).
If the Apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians to
“eagerly desire spiritual gifts,” and that church
was hardly conservative, then there must be some-
thing in this. He then actually emphasised the gift
of prophecy above all the others. Why did he do
this, and does this gift have a place in the church
today?
I believe God has been stirring leaders to revisit
this area as he wants to prepare them to pastor and
teach through a coming release of spiritual gifts
in the New Zealand church. How does a pastor or
leader bring a balanced response to the increase of
spiritual activity in the church? How do we intro-
duce spiritual gifts, mainly the gift of prophecy,
into the life of our church and worship services?
At Oxford Baptist Church we have been blessed
in this area because we have been intentional. For
many years we have enjoyed the benefits of the
gifts operating in our services and have learnt
some keys in partnering with the Holy Spirit and
negotiating the problems that arise.
We have intentionally taught, and on the
odd occasion corrected, as the Holy Spirit was
working. This has inspired confidence and faith
in our members and so we have maintained this
environment for over 25 years.
Where to start
If God has been stirring you in this area or you
are seeing spiritual gifts beginning to function,
then I would suggest the following.
First, the church leadership need to agree that
God is leading them on this course. However long
this may take to decide, agreement is a vital foun-
dation because there will be opposition to change.
Then church services need to become
permission-giving, providing opportunity for
spontaneous input from the congregation. In
that there is a journey of teaching, modelling and
Stop filling every gap in the worship service
with songs or mini sermons. Musicians need
to learn to minister quietly in music or provide
moments of contemplation. This requires devel-
oping new skills and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
Pastors will have to work closely with the
worship team so they understand what is to be
achieved and how it is to be done. If the pastor
lacks this skill, then invite in a worship leader or
pastor from another church to teach a workshop.
There are seasons in God and there are moods
of the Spirit. I expect my worship team to prayer-
fully know the mood or theme of the Holy Spirit
for the meeting. Then they brings songs and
music that is appropriate. The worship time in
itself can prophetically teach us about God and
bring us close to him. A sensitive music team part-
nering with the Holy Spirit can bring a powerful
presence of God.
“Whenever the spirit from God came upon
Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then
relief would come to Saul; he would feel better,
and the evil spirit would leave him” (1 Samuel
16:23). It was the presence of God in David’s
music that bought relief to Saul. It is not unusual
for people to be profoundly touched during
worship.
In the early years of our ministry at Oxford we
had a pianist who only really knew traditional
Baptist worship. She was willing to learn and
proved invaluable in those formative years. She
learnt a few chord progressions and used them as
fillers between songs. We were very grateful for
her willingness to change.
• Next month: Providing the opportunity for
spontaneity.
October 2011 | NZ Baptist
Births
Johnston, to Ryan and Kathryn (Manukau
City), a boy, Benjamin
Engagements
Brier-Allen, Jeremy to Haley (Papakura)
Chen-Chai, Tony [Intern Pastor] to Elise
[Shanghai, China] (Whangarei Central)
Coats-Hill, James to Cara (Whangarei
Central/Karori)
Eising-Wood, Pat to Jenny (Blenheim)
Duffin-Hitchcock, Andrew to Jessie
(Sunnynook)
Malcolm-Sutton, Nick to Chelsea-Renee
(Karori)
Jack-McKenzie, Phil to Kat (Karori)
Marriages
Deeming-Minogue, Ben to Febe (Tabernacle)
Wedding Anniversaries
Causley, John and Pauline (Whangarei
Central), 52 years
Collin, David and Barbara (Motueka), 50
years
Gibbons, Ken and Pam (Levin), 40 years
Greenslade, Dave and Dominique
(Blenheim), 40 years
Hunt, Ian and Margaret (Franklin), 55 years
Jamieson, Don and Jennie (Blenheim),
41 years
Johnston, Bryan and Cheryl (Tabernacle),
40 years
Mullon, David and Norma (Blenheim),
46 years
Musgrove, Ken and Noelene
(Manukau City), 45 years
Nevill, Graham and Cheryl (Blenheim),
45 years
Stone, Robert and Diane (Manukau City),
45 years
Way, Charles and Eunice (Manukau City),
61 years
White, Rodney to Dorothy
(Whangarei Central), 40 years
Witheford, Wally and Hazel (Henderson),
65 years
Special Birthdays
Bryan, Heather (Blenheim), 92
Haddon, Ralph (Henderson), 91
Haines, Ray (Henderson), 90
Keyte, Colin (Whangarei Central), 80
Keyte, Joan (Whangarei Central), 80
Lawrence, Ken (Blenheim), 83
Salter, Thelma (Whangarei Central), 83
Simpson, Kevin (Whangarei Central), 81
Steele, Eileen (Bethlehem, ex Kawerau), 95
Witheford, Wally (Henderson), 90
Deaths
Baker, Nita (Hastings)
Beetham, Joan (Manukau City), 92
Edwards, John Stephen
(Whangarei Central), 100
New, Jo (Karori)
Roberts, Allan (Hokowhitu), 79
Sanders, Ron (Papakura), 99
Stewart, Dorothy (Henderson), 91
Whelan, Rev. Geoffrey (Hastings)
Windsor, Ray (Mt Albert)
Baptisms
Henderson: Geoffrey Fendall
Franklin: Adriaan Botha, Misha Kravcenko,
Levi Matautia-Morgan
Karori: Freddie Holmes
H. Morris Ltd.
Christian Funeral Services
‘Romaleigh’ Funeral Home, 31 Ocean View Road, Northcote, Auckland
Showing God’s love to
people in their time of grief
PHONE: (09) 489 5737 (24-HOUR SERVICE)
WWW.MORRISFUNERALS.CO.NZ
Ray & Pat Jagger, owner-operators and members of
Glenfield Baptist Church
[ CHURCHES IN ACTION ]
Send information for Churches in Action & Family to:
Carolyn Armstrong, CIA Editor
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park, New Plymouth 4312
Phone: 021 034 9639
Fax: (09) 536 5714
Email: armstrong@iee.org
Manukau City: Stewart Collins, Irene Corbett,
Joel Frank, Josh Holdaway, Josh Snook
Mt Albert: Thomas Lovatt, Tiffany Sutton,
Camelia Yang
Tabernacle: Hesham Labib, Jeffrina Scott,
Sun Suk Sim
Whangarei Central: Shanelle Hansen
Northland/Auckland
Auckland Tabernacle
Senior Pastor Elect Rev Lindsay Jones
It’s spring! New ministries and fresh ini-
tiatives are starting to bloom as we pray
intentionally to engage with our commu-
nity – Bridge Builders course, Spring Break
weekend away for the morning congregation,
expanding prison ministry, Christians Against
Poverty group, various evangelistic out-
reaches, prayer walks, shared meals. Global
congregation completed its third leadership
camp this year and new preachers have
been trained. Two major inter-church multi-
cultural events were hosted by our Chinese
congregation. The search is on for a new
morning congregation pastor, and a pas-
tor for the new All Nations (Sunday evening)
service. God is at work in so many areas.
Kaitaia
Pastor Louis du Plessis
We have commenced an outreach to
the community through a venture called
Matthew’s Kitchen and provide a soup lunch
each Tuesday to those in need. More than 20
people came the first week and it has gener-
ated a lot of interest in the town. Several in
the church have planted vegetables in their
gardens under the title of God’s Garden.
These will be used by Matthew’s Kitchen and
given to families in financial need. Already a
lot of vegetables have been put to good use.
Home cell groups are going well and provid-
ing opportunity for ministry to one another.
Our pastor has been inducted as Police
Chaplain for the Far North and is enjoy-
ing getting to know our local police through
regular meetings. He has been instrumen-
tal in getting the pastors of Kaitaia to meet
early each Tuesday morning this year, to
pray for one another and our community. The
church put on a lunch for Louis’ 50th birthday
recently.Everyone enjoyed watching him try
to blow out 50 candles with one breath!
Manukau City
Senior Pastor Alastair Hall
It is not often you have a Corvette, a
Mustang, an Oldsmobile, a Morgan and a
few other cars parked in the foyer, but that is
what we did for “Blokes Church” on Fathers’
Day. It was an awesome morning of drama,
quizzes, music and meat. We were privi-
leged in September to host Philip Yancey at
an evening concert – not often you host an
author who has sold 15 million books. Our
Oscars evening in early September was a
great show with a lot of talent coming out of
the woodwork. Two hundred people turned
out for our mid-winter church ball with our
own LT Funk as the band for the night. With
the Rugby World Cup in progress we are
showing every All Blacks game live on the
big screen. Currently we are doing a series
in the book of Mark at morning church.
Waikato/Central
Districts
Hastings
Once again the Self Denial appeal has been
handsomely supported. Even in hard times
the total giving increases. We appreciate
the value of email in keeping us up-to-date
with the activities of Peter and Lynley to
whose work this church contributes. Greg
Knowles from tranzsend was a recent guest
speaker. Rather than running our own food
bank we now contribute non-perishable food
to the Salvation Army’s work in that field.
Pastor Paul is running a Sunday evening
Christianity Explored course for teenagers.
We recently celebrated the lives of two long-
time faithful servants of the Lord who have
gone to be with him – Nita Baker and Rev.
Geoff Whelan. We miss them.
Morrinsville
Approximately 20 leaders at Morrinsville
Baptist cater for youth groups from
Intermediate age to young adults. Last year
when someone mentioned youth group at
Morrinsville College they were laughed at;
this year it is the place to be. Average num-
bers most nights are 60-80, sometimes over
100 on special occasions. Approximately
30% are non-churched and numbers are
growing. Activities are run on a 5-week rotat-
ing programme with 3 weeks of small group
Bible studies including a speaker, sports
night and whatever night. Week 4 is a social,
and week 5 boys and girls are separated and
have their own programme. About 40 also
attend night church in Hamilton each week.
Wellington/Top of the
South
Karori
Pastor Mike Enright
We hosted the Tearfund Watoto Children’s
Choir from Uganda and enjoyed their sing-
ing and dancing performance one evening in
June. Chris Marshall, Head of the School of
Art History, Classics and Religious Studies,
and St John’s Associate Professor of
Christian Theology at Victoria University did
a 5 part series on Jesus Matters – Exploring
what Mattered to Jesus and why it should
Matter to Us. It was very thought provoking.
In July some of our men enjoyed an evening
ten pin bowling and also had a breakfast
where they learned something about men’s
health. Some of our young people attended
the Xtend Leadership Training Conference
in Rotorua. During August several people
attended a Bridge Builders course run by
Don’t
forget
October 17 is the
NZ Baptist deadline
for November
advertising
& letters
15
Caleb Ministries at KBC. We have also had
a great weekend with Luke and Marieta Kaa-
Morgan who came and ministered to us in
testimony, music and song.
Upper Hutt
Chris Finlay and Paul Thompson
Plans for additions are progressing after the
satisfactory sale of our fellowship centre. All
our mid-week activities are held in our wor-
ship centre and foyer. A mid-week drop-in
centre, 10am to 1pm, has been operating for
a few months. It is very popular, concluding
with lunch for those who wish to partake. A
group of ladies knit peggy squares, others
make cards and some play games and chat.
A young couple spent two weeks in Mexico
recently helping in a house building project.
A number of our young people held a week-
end camp at Foxton recently. It is good to
have Simon Webby back with us after six
months with the Hutt City Church. We will be
seeking a youth pastor for 2012.
Blenheim
The Midwinter Christmas Dinner in August
arranged by the Mission World team was a
wonderful success, with 62 people enjoy-
ing a bi-cultural meal featuring roast and
hangi and Christmas pudding. A silent auc-
tion raised more than $1000, largely for the
Living Waters Orphanage in Borneo. So far
more than 500 pairs of undies have been
contributed along with stationery, stickers,
stuffed toys, tennis balls, and elastoplast
for Christmas gifts for the children. Sharyn
Simpson returns early October to Nakon
Sawan, Thailand, to work with Averil Bennett
at Samphan Crafts for a month. She is tak-
ing a gift of some quilting equipment for one
of the Thai workers to help her support her
family. The first stage of redeveloping our
current property has been the purchase
of the house and property next door. The
offices will move over there while further
construction takes place.
Canterbury/Otago
Gore
During August the church looked at
tranzsend’s Enable the Harvest series,
with lots of spiritual (and bean!) growth. Our
church oversight had an overnight retreat to
look at where God wants the church to go.
Several ministry leaders joined the group for
the last few hours to discuss the ministries
in the church and how successful ministries
look. Hospitality Sunday saw three families
open their homes for shared lunches, with
great fellowship. Our six-weekly Nail Care
Clinic ministered to 74 people. ICONZ won
several shields at a local competition – Best
Presented Unit and Best Haka. Seniors had
a fantastic Mid-Winter Warmth for the Soul
morning tea. Kids Church planned a spe-
cial (surprise) “something” for Father’s Day.
Church camp is coming up in November.
Pastoral Moves
• Wendy Kattenbald resigned as Children’s
Pastor, Mt Albert
• Karen Fountain appointed Children and
Family Pastor, Mt Albert
• Judy Ashman resigned as Care and
Connections Pastors, Mt Albert
• Paul McMahon resigned as Pastor,
Opawa
16
Chaplains in demand at tertiary campuses
By Ricky Waters
W
atching and discussing TV news clips, driver
training, connecting students with Kiwi families,
explaining the Christian faith, prayer, Bible study,
farm visits, ten-pin bowling, and lots and lots of food – it’s
all part of working with tertiary students.
Tertiary chaplains support those who already have an
expressed faith as they integrate it with the challenges of
their particular study choices. And they help those of no
faith learn something of Christian teachings.
We come in a variety of shapes and sizes and ages, from a
vast array of ethnicities and language groups, and a range of
Christian denominations. Some of us a part of a chaplaincy
team that may comprise mostly of volunteers. Others are
there on their own to bring God onto the secular campus.
As coordinator of the chaplaincy teams at Massey
University, Unitec, and Manukau Institute of Technology
in Auckland for the past 10 years, I can report that volun-
teers are engaged in the lives of around 400 students each
month.
Two of the team at Massey University, Albany, work
with International Student Ministries (ISM) and have
brought the NewsWatch programme to the campus.
Every Friday afternoon, around 12 students meet with
» Positions Vacant
Associate Pastor
ROTORUA BAPTIST CHURCH
This is a full-time, resident position. Are you a people
person with a heart for serving the community? Can
you embrace a multicultural context? Do you enjoy
entertaining and mixing with the ages? Can you work
in a team and help us build the kingdom? If so let’s
talk turkey!
Key responsibilities:
• Pastoral care and visitation
• Regular preaching
• Oversight of Community ministries & Trust
• Development & oversight of small groups
• Mentoring and training of youth leadership team
For further information and a copy of the job
description, please check our website,
www.rotoruabaptist.org.nz. Alternatively ring
John, (07) 345 9144 or email him at
john.ritchie@xtra.co.nz.
Associate Pastor
SHORE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Shore Community Church is seeking an Associate
Pastor to join our staff team. This person will
oversee the management of church activities and
operations, and work with ministry leaders in the
implementation of ministry plans and equipping of
volunteers within the church.
A large focus of this role is on ensuring that Shore
is a well-managed and well-organised church by
developing systems, coordinating resources and
providing operational support and oversight across
ministry areas, in the furtherance of Shore’s purpose:
loving God, loving each other, loving the world.
For a job description, or to apply, contact Reuben
Munn – reuben@shore.org.nz. Applicants seeking
part-time employment should not be discouraged
from applying.
Applications close 31 October.
[ NEWS ]
five community volunteers from local churches to watch
and discuss TV news clips. This is designed to improve
conversational English, and from this group developed
fortnightly social events and trips.
An Alpha group has also grown from this, with all the
participants now regularly attending churches. There have
been a number of baptisms, with more to come after six
students made commitments for Christ at the recent Greg
Laurie event. A Chinese Bible study and a Korean worship
service are also hosted by the chaplains.
At Unitec we have begun another NewsWatch event
this is growing a social group of its own. We have also
provided opportunities to connect international students
with Kiwi families from local churches, which is some-
thing the students seek.
We visit student accommodation and pastorally support
students from a range of backgrounds. However, some
days of the week where there is no chaplain on campus
and we are keen to find chaplains for this role. Unitec has
campuses in Mt Albert, Henderson and Albany.
At Manukau Institute of Technology there are also
vacancies. Mostly the volunteer chaplains give four hours
one day of the week. They may offer a Bible study or
wander the campus talking with students. It is not difficult
Chef
ORAMA CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
CHEF WITH FLARE NEEDED AT ORAMA CHRISTIAN
COMMUNITY, GREAT BARRIER ISLAND!
Our busy summer season is approaching and we
need a capable and energetic full time chef/cook
with an interest in community and lovingly preparing
simple wholesome food for up to 150 people daily.
The position is voluntary, but the benefits of living and
working at our beautiful location are many. If hard
work and playing in the great outdoors interest you,
contact Angela for more info.
barrierclan@gmail.com or (09) 429 0063
Baptist pastor
Sandy Bay Baptist Church
(Hobart, Tasmania) is seeking
to call a full-time Pastor.
Full job details, contacts & application
information can be viewed at
http://sbbc.net/pastorsearch
PASTOR:
MORNING
CONGREGATION
The Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
The Auckland Baptist Tabernacle seeks
expressions of interest in a pastoral role for
one of the Tab’s congregations, the morning
congregation. This congregation is drawn from
across the CBD and the wider
Auckland ‘Supercity.’ We are
looking for a shepherd with a
heart to lead this congregation to
encounter God through the Spirit
and in truth, to gather, disciple
and help build community and
so equip for mission.
Our deadline for expressions
of interest is October 31, 2011. Please enquire to
morningcongregationpastor@tabernacle.org.nz.
NZ Baptist | October 2011
to engage students in conversation, especially if there is a
chocolate fish as a starting point!
There is no average day, every day is different. Every
day has the potential to change someone’s life forever.
Wherever there is a tertiary campus, there will be someone
chaplaining the students. It would be great if they felt
more connected with the churches in the area of the
campus and for members of those churches to be involved
through the chaplaincy teams.
Community volunteers can help with programmes,
Kiwi families may host a meal with an international
student, and people may help other-than-English speakers
at Bible studies, provide worship opportunities on
campus, bring home baking to accompany a coffee and a
chat, teach someone drive, invite students to activities at
church, or become a volunteer chaplain.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Tertiary Chaplains
Association (ANZTCA) can help people contact a chaplain
who you might wish to work with on campus or support
in some other way. See www.anztca.org.nz for the web
pages of the various chaplaincies and the possibilities for
Christian ministry.
• Ricky is a tertiary chaplain. For more information, email
R.K.Waters@massey.ac.nz.
National Administrator
BAPTIST UNION OF NZ
Requisite abilities/qualities
· Kingdom vision
· Strategic administration
· Accounting skills
· Able to balance a number of tasks
National Administrator responsibilities
· Leading a dedicated group of professionals at the
Baptist National Resource Centre in Auckland
· Managing the operations of the Baptist National
Resource Centre and its administrative resourcing
of Baptist Churches in NZ
· Overseeing all matters of denomination administration
· A key team member of Assembly Council and other
boards and committees
Expressions of interest to:
National Administrator Applications
76 Alexander Ave, Whakatane 3121
Attention: Peter Foster
Or email peter@whakatanebaptist.org.nz
October 2011 | NZ Baptist [ CHURCH NOTES ] 17

Good Life op shop celebrates 25 years

By Eddie Callow

W
hen she opened Good Life
opportunity shop’s doors for
the first time on August 12,
1986, Glenys Goring had one vision in
mind: to purchase a building for Katikati
Community Baptist Church. Her dream
was realised in 1990, after a great deal
of hard work, when the Katikati Indoor
Cricket Centre was purchased with the
help of the church.
“The primary aim then graduated
to providing a supportive and caring
outreach into the community,” says Glenys.
“Funding repayments for the building
purchase had become the secondary
objective.”
Needing a well-deserved break, Glenys
passed on the supervisory role to Helen
Roper. Returning in 1993, Glenys shared
supervision with Hazel Ryder until 2000
when, at an increasingly busy time, Ian and
Margaret Hunt supervised full time until
December 2001.
The efforts of Glenys and the many Past and present volunteers from the Good Life Opportunity Shop.
volunteers, including assistant supervisor
Ivy Redden, have been a blessing to the missions. With the help of some very special always there for good service, good advice
community ever since. Volunteers shared Takings increased dramatically after people, such as Ted Ryder, they have and encouragement.”
lunch on Saturday, August 20 and were the shop moved from its original site at survived. Ted, over the past 20 years, has To show her appreciation of her staff,
acknowledged by the church during the The Homewood Building to the current maintained the submersible pump that she organises the celebration of each anni-
service on Sunday August 21. premises on Katikati’s main street in 1991. saved the basement from several floods. versary with lunch and a dinner for the
The shop has put an average of $10,000 In the early years, donated clothes from Another is Lawrence, who has fixed end of the year.
per year for the last three years back into Auckland were sorted, mended, washed, hundreds of watches with great skill. Robin Cobus van Rooyen, Pastor of KCBC,
the community. Those who have benefitted priced, and displayed by volunteers from Williams and Walter Martin installed a writes: “We salute you all and send
include Katikati Fire Brigade, Katikati St KCBC. Times have changed as church and dumb waiter, revolutionising operations in the opportunity shop our best wishes. I
John’s Ambulance, Waipuna Hospice, The non-church members, both in-store and at the shop. know that your successes are also indica-
Red Cross, The Katikati Food Bank, ICONZ home, assist with the care of many more Glenys recalls precious times, like the 20 tive of your desire to give 100 percent effort
Boys Brigade, Baptist Youth Ministries items virtually all donated by the commu- years that Hazel Ryder worked alongside for the glory of God in all you do and say
Easter Camp, and various overseas nity. New cards and Bibles are also for sale. her: “Hazel loved being there. She was to serve other people.”

Want to explore the truth about hell?

Universal salvation for all?
Conscious eternal torment for the unsaved?
There is a biblical alternative.
At a time when Rob Bell’s recent book Love
Wins has caused such controversy within the
evangelical community, Warren Prestidge
(pastor of Remuera Baptist Church in
Auckland) has released the second edition
of his book Life, Death and Destiny (pp140).
Prestidge convincingly argues that the unsaved
are neither consciously tormented for eternity
nor eventually salvaged but that they are
extinguished forever at the final judgment.
Brian Smith (former Principal of Carey Baptist
College) wrote: “I must congratulate Warren
on a fine piece of work. He has marshalled
the evidence for the conditionalist view in a
masterful fashion and argued his case well. His
list of biblical references is surely exhaustive.
The content I find almost completely
acceptable.”

LIFE DEATH AND DESTINY

Normally $15 – available to NZ Baptist readers for the
special price of $5 with free shipping.
Email respublishing@slingshot.co.nz,
or “like” us on facebook to receive a free ebook version.
18
by Rhett Snell
Leeland
» Music Reviews The Great Awakening
• For more reviews, see
www.drone.co.nz I had high hopes for The Great
Awakening, particularly because
the first song (the title track)
sounded quite a lot like it could
have come straight off Coldplay’s
last album, Viva La Vida. Lots
of Christian bands sound like
old Coldplay, but on this track
Leeland sound like new Coldplay.
Baby steps, I suppose.
But then it started to go pear
shaped. “All over the Earth” starts
innocuously enough (though it
does quite brazenly steal a Sigur
Ros melody), but then it devolves
into an anthem featuring guitars
playing dotted-eighth note delays,
lyrics like, “We give you praises
/ For you alone are holy,” before
culminating in a teeth-grinding
“spontaneous worship” section.
The problem is that not only has
this been done so many times
before by other bands, often it’s
been done better. One or two
songs show some spark (“Not
Afraid Anymore” is likeable
enough) but Leeland never show
that they want to be anything
more than a Christian U2. And as
good as their intentions may be,
they never even get close to that.
HHIII
Families
walking with God
walkingwithGod.com
[ MUSIC REVIEWS ]
Downhere
On The Altar Of Love
Back when the century was
just getting started, my wife
was a pretty big Downhere fan.
On albums like So Much For
Substitutes the group sounded
anthemic and edgy, and if not
entirely original they still had a
good knack for songwriting.
It’s been years since I paid them
much attention however, so I was
both excited and curious when On
The Altar Of Love found its way
onto my desk. That excitement
didn’t last long. Of course, partly
this is because my tastes have
changed in the last ten years. But
at the same time Downhere seem
to have completely smoothed out
their sound.
What I found on this record was
typical, bland CCM. It’s all sappy
pianos, awkwardly preachy lyrics
and, of course, U2-style delayed
guitars. Thankfully, vocals are
still a strength for this band. Jason
Germain’s voice reminds me
a lot of Kevin Max. It’s unique
and interesting to listen to. So is
the title track, which employs a
folk-country style to great effect.
If only Downhere would take that
kind of risk more regularly.
HHIII
Matt Redman
10,000 Reasons
There’s something about Matt
Redman’s earthy English accent
that diffuses some of the emotional
hype that often accompanies
this form of modern worship
music. And then there’s the fact
that, while not exhibiting David
Crowder Band levels of creative
ambition, he often finds subtle
ways to introduce out-of-the-ordi-
nary musical snippets. Witness the
very ’80s “We are the Free,” which
features heavy use of synth and
some interesting climbing vocal
scales, or the Spanish guitar that
overlays the title track.
Lyrically, Redman is solid but
not spectacular. He leans mostly
towards the hopeful and moti-
vational (“You can move the
highest mountain / You can keep
my dreams alive”), which can
occasionally sound somewhat
triumphalistic (and very Western),
but it’s not enough of a problem to
hobble the album. 10,000 Reasons
is by no means perfect, but it
does stand out among the glut
of modern worship albums by
being, at least, decent. The faster
songs are particularly appealing,
and if you’re on the lookout for a
few new songs for congregational
worship, this is a good bet.
HHHHI
Friends of Madagascar (NZ)
PO BOX 29164 • Fendalton • Christchurch 8540
Hey – a window
of opportunity ...
NZ Baptist | October 2011
Royal Tailor
Black & White
Royal Tailor sounds like a collage
of just about everything that has
been on the radio in the last five
years. “Death Of Me” starts off
like something by Chris Brown or
Ne-yo, before heavy rock guitars
enter the picture towards the end
and make the outro sound like a
Thousand Foot Krutch song.
“Make A Move” is paint-by-
numbers Maroon 5, and in other
places this group channel Bruno
Mars and One Republic. It’s all a
bit schizophrenic, but it manages
to hold together because it’s also
catchy and energetic. Then there’s
the fact that while this kind of
music is par for the course on
secular radio, in the Christian
scene it actually comes across as
quite fresh.
Lyrically, Royal Tailor are lack-
lustre. It’s all “read between the
lines and you’ll see I’m singing
about Jesus, not my girlfriend,”
focused on how God makes
everything better as well as
making the group feel warm and
squishy and loved. Having said
that, this group are well worth
checking out if you want some-
thing different.
HHHII
madagascar.org.nz
October 2011 | NZ Baptist
Quantum Leap: How
John Polkinghorne
Found God in Science
and Religion
By Dean Nelson and Karl Giberson
Monarch Books
ISBN 978 85424 972 2
Rev Dr John Polkinghorne is a British
scientist at the cutting edge of the myste-
rious science of quantum physics. He
participated in research that led to the
discovery of the theory of quarks – the
smallest known particle. He is also a
theologian who, at least according to
his colleagues, committed “intellec-
tual suicide” by giving up his job as an
academic at Cambridge University to
become an Anglican priest.
Nelson and Giberson’s short book
is not so much a detailed biography of
Polkinghorne’s life, but an exploration
of his spiritual journey, set against key
moments in his life.
Polkinghorne believes the central ques-
tion facing religion is a simple one: Is it
true? He believes that Christian under-
standing provides the framework for a
perplexing world.
This book is a fascinating overview of
Polkinghorne’s philosophy as it relates to
science and faith, how he sees the two as
mutually compatible, not exclusive,­as he
explores the big issues – creation, resur-
rection, afterlife, the problem of pain and
so on.
Some of his views won’t be popular
with Baptist readers – such as his belief
that death leads not to eternal punishment
but to a “purifying process, unfolding
towards ultimate salvation.” And there
are many who would consider his view
that a human embryo is not fully a human
being early on as downright dangerous.
As to whether Polkinghorne really
does reconcile science and faith in God, I
remain unconvinced. But it is worth a look
at the life of one of the most important
figures in the ongoing dialogue between
science and religion.
– Duncan Pardon
God Wins: Heaven,
Hell and Why the Good
News is Better than
Love Wins
By Mark Galli
Tyndale House
ISBN 978 1 4143 6666 1
In his controversial book, Love Wins,
Rob Bell states that, “It’s been clearly
communicated to many that this belief
[in hell as conscious, eternal torment] is a
central truth of the Christian faith and to
reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This
is misguided and toxic and ultimately
subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’
message of love, peace, forgiveness and
joy that our world desperately needs to
hear.”
[ BOOK REVIEWS ]
Belief in hell, and just what we believe
about it, has been a hot topic in the NZ
Baptist. Both Love Wins and Mark Galli’s
response, God Wins, will further fuel that
debate. Galli, an editor with Christianity
Today, responds to what he sees as the
watered-down theology presented in Rob
Bell’s book.
Galli argues that Love Wins isn’t rich
or deep enough
and that there is
better news for
humanity in a
thorough under-
standing of what
the Bible really
has to say about
God’s love and
Jesus’ sacrifice on
the cross.
God Wins
weaves a well-
argued, well
written examina-
tion of the issues
raised by Rob
Bell. As well as
quoting extensively from Scripture, Galli
quotes leading Christian thinkers down
through the ages – C.S. Lewis, Luther,
Edwards, Spurgeon etc.
The book is also a great example of
how Christians can strongly disagree with
each other without being offensive. I can
imagine Rob Bell reading this without
getting unduly upset. Letter writers to the
NZ Baptist, please take note!
Finally, a note to Tyndale House and
other Christian book publishers: Please,
please, just for once can we have a book
that doesn’t have those patronising
discussion notes. We’re not stupid; we are
capable of having an intelligent discus-
sion about a book without prompting
in the form of questions that sound like
they belong in an NCEA Level One exam
paper.
– Duncan Pardon
God in a Brothel
By Daniel Walker
Published by IVP Books
ISBN: 978-0-8308-3806-6
While the content of this book is both
factual and confronting, it is not a slow
read.
God in a Brothel – An Undercover Journey
into Sex Trafficking and Rescue is well
written. When I first picked it up, it held
my attention until 2 in the morning.
It is the candid and often heartbreaking
story of undercover investigator Daniel
Walker’s experiences infiltrating the
multi-billion-dollar global sex industry
and the human slavery that supports it.
As the title suggests, this book tells of
combating human trafficking and pros-
titution and the rescue of women and
children from the sex slave trade.
The events take place on a global scale
in more than a dozen countries, predomi-
nantly in the developing world but also
in western nations. Just as an undercover
agent poses as a purchaser of drugs, so too
the author posed as a tourist, pretending
to purchase human flesh, within the
insidious underbelly of the sex slave trade
industry.
Born in New Zealand, Daniel Walker
completed a master’s degreee in third
world development in Philadelphia
under the guidance and leader-
ship of author and evangelist Tony
Campolo, Ronald Sider and other
Christian activists. He returned
to New Zealand and joined the
police, working for several years in
the criminal investigation branch
before joining an organisation based
in New York that specialised in
rescuing victims of injustice and
oppression.
Daniel Walker’s courage, honesty
and transparency take the reader
directly into many dark places. In
the course of his work he entered
numerous bars and brothels to
collect video evidence via a hidden
camera. He would then pass the
valuable incriminating evidence on
so perpetrators could be prosecuted and
girls and women rescued.
The book is well-balanced with chap-
ters of real life experiences, interspersed
with lists of facts.
The subject matter is handled with
sensitivity, documenting first-hand
accounts of a problem that society would
rather not know about, a problem in
which the most vulnerable are entrapped
as slaves with no voice and virtually no
escape.
In the author’s words, “Like the
slave trading of previous generations, it
requires the combined effort of everyone
in our global community to end such
pervasive evil.”
– Beth Subritzky
Common Prayer – A
Liturgy for Ordinary
Radicals
By S. Clairborne, J. Wilson-Hartgrove, E.
Okoro
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2010
ISBN 978-0-310-33094-3
I don’t know if you got to see the recent
movie Of Gods and Men, about a group
of Trappist monks stationed with an
impoverished Algerian community. Once
again I was struck by the place that a
liturgy can play in a spiritual life of a
community. With proscribed readings and
songs it brings an order to the devotional
life. Many younger Christians raised in
individualistic and non-liturgical churches
are now being attracted to community
and liturgy as a setting for spiritual
development.
As the book states in its introduction,
“It is a book filled with songs, prayers,
ideas, and memories that are meant to be
spoken aloud and shared together in some
form of community. That community may
be your biological family or a small group
of friends. It could be a gathering of folks
19
in a public housing unit or dorm room, in
your village or cul-de-sac.”
It continues, “Folks are bound to ask
if this prayer book is for Catholics or for
Protestants. Our answer is, ‘Yes it is.’ We
want the fire of the Pentecostals, the imag-
ination of the Mennonites, the Lutheran’s
love of Scripture, The Benedictine’s
discipline, the wonder of the Orthodox
and Catholics. We have mined the fields
of church history for treasures and
celebrated them wherever we’ve found
them. We’ve drawn on some of the oldest
and richest traditions of Christian prayers.
And we’ve tried to make them dance.”
One of the original purposes of a
common liturgy was so that Christians
everywhere in the world were united at
one time in worship. Sometimes in our
Sunday congregations it is easy to forget
that we are part of something far larger
and more diverse than we could ever
dream of. Using a book like this can serve
as a good reminder.
– David McLeod-Jones
Defiant Joy – the
remarkable life
and impact of G. K.
Chesterton
By Kevin Belmore
Thomas Nelson, Tennesee, 2011
ISBN 978-1-59555-201-3
Chesterton is the source of many a quote,
such as, “The Christian ideal has not
been tried and found wanting; it has been
found difficult and left untried.” Or, “The
Bible tells us to love our neighbours, and
also to love our enemies; probably because
generally they are the same people.”
He has also been very influential in
the lives of some Christian writers such
as Phillip Yancey, who said of his books
that, “they kindled hope that somewhere
Christians existed who loosed rather than
restrained their minds ... who experienced
life with God as a source of joy and not
repression.”
Writing at the start of the twentieth
century, Chesterton began his work in
an era when the beliefs and values that
mid-Victorian England had looked upon
as eternal were giving place to doubt,
skepticism, and a loss of inner balance.
Chesterton chose to challenge this view-
point, firstly in book reviews and then
in his own books. His book Orthodoxy,
published in 1908, would restore many to
faith, and show many of its later readers,
such as C.S. Lewis, the path to faith.
He was also known as a fearless debater
of issues, but one who would attack the
argument but not the opponent. Many an
opponent, such as G.B. Shaw, was also a
friend.
This book covers his whole life and
contains significant sections of his writing.
Reading it, however, reminded me that
you cannot become a fan of a writer by
reading what others write about him. You
need to read the originals.
– David McLeod-Jones
20 [ CHURCH NOTES ] NZ Baptist | October 2011

A new way to play Connect 4

G
etting to know your neighbours
through Connect 4 is a new
initiative by Long Bay Baptist’s
evangelism ministry coordinator, Carole
McMinn.
It is a simple, effective idea that has
been endorsed by community and church
leaders and now by Civil Defence, which
is taking it up at national level.
“It’s about people reaching out and
looking out for each other; it’s community
caring for community,” explains Carole,
whose passion is working outside the
church, in the community.
“It’s all about looking where there is a
social need and the church meeting that
need, which makes us a credible body.”
Connect 4 provides a strategy to help
people get to know the neighbour on
each side and directly across from them,
and to share contact details in case of an
emergency.
Carole believes the need for a concept
like Connect 4 has been highlighted by the
Christchurch earthquakes and the recent
discovery of a Wellington pensioner who
had been dead for a year before anyone
found his body.
But she says it doesn’t take an earth-
quake to need a neighbour.
“In all the recorded gospels, 98% of the
time Jesus was outside working in the
community,” she says. “He went to find
people where their needs were. If they
were hungry, he fed them. If they were
sick, he healed them. If they were demon
possessed, he drove out the demons ...
“He met them at their point of need and
that’s what “Everyone says the best evangelism Alpha courses.
I am keen comes through relationships. If you have Connect 4 is just the latest in a series of
to replicate a good relationship with your neighbours, community initiatives she has come up
through our then when you are doing something at with. Others include a weekly interna-
churches church you can ask them along and they tional coffee group where some 30 people
today.” see it as nonthreatening because they from 14 different countries get together for
Carole and already know you.” morning tea and a chat.
her husband, There is room on the back of each Then there’s the initiative she spear-
Keith, Connect 4 brochure to write down four headed with Plunket, which sees every
emigrated to people’s contact details. new mum in Torbay receive three home-
New Zealand “You go next door to your neighbour on cooked meals when they have a new baby.
from Poole, one side and explain that, in light of what’s Carole hopes Connect 4 will provide
in Dorset, happened in Christchurch, you thought it a bridge for people to connect with their
England seven might be a good idea if you looked out for neighbours and ultimately open doors into
years ago to each other,” explains Carole. “Fill out their the church.
be near their details on each of four brochures, take it to Already nearby Northcross Church
Carole McMinn four chil- each neighbour in turn and then give each has adopted Connect 4, launching it in
dren and 10 neighbour back a brochure with every- September. Says senior pastor Andrew
grandchildren. one’s details filled out. Neville: “I think it’s fantastic. For many of
Today the family live within a kilometre “It might be there is a power cut so you us it can be quite hard to make connections
of each other in Torbay on Auckland’s ring your 93-year-old neighbour over the with our neighbours – there certainly isn’t
North Shore, and Keith and Carole attend road to make sure she is all right. Or the the same sense of community that there
Long Bay Baptist. neighbour on your right might have a new used to be.
The Connect 4 concept came to Carole in baby.” “Connect 4 is about creating genuine
the middle of the night two weeks before Carole says that in the past people were relationships, helping and showing kind-
the February earthquake in Christchurch. more likely to know their neighbours, ness to our neighbours. From a Christian
“I just woke up one night and I could but with many working longer hours and viewpoint, the Lord may then give us the
see it clearly – the name, the words, the more new immigrants, people often don’t opportunities to share and witness.”
picture, everything, even the colours,” find the time to get to know those who live Now Carole is keen for more churches
recalls Carole. next door. to take up Connect 4 as an outreach into
“I went back to sleep but when I woke “Modern life has really robbed us of that their own communities.
up in the morning it was still all very clear community life,” she says. For that reason she has no copyright on
in my mind. I believe it really was from She believes while the church is good the material and anyone is free to use it.
God.” at looking after its own church families,
Carole talked it over with her church it is often not so good at looking after the • For a donation to cover the cost of printing,
ministry team, then printed 4000 Connect wider community. Carole will organise brochures for anyone
4 brochures. She describes Connect 4 as Carole is no stranger to community interested. Call her on (09) 473 3250 or email
nonthreatening and do-able. outreach. Over the years she has run 35 connect4@xtra.co.nz.

Looking for the John the Baptist went to Jordan

*

Stephanie the Baptist went to Lebanon

**

best rate? * his real name ** her real name

4.3%

4.2%
Where will you go?
4.1% MECO International is a bunch of Christians (Kiwis and other foreigners)
doing their ordinary sorts of jobs in extraordinary places: the Middle East.
Baptist Savings

4.0%
National Bank

They endeavour to live the Good News of Jesus

Kiwi Bank

and work alongside the local church wherever

Rabobank
Westpac

3.9%
they are/whatever they do.
ANZ
BNZ

ASB

6 month term investment *

Competitive rates.
Unparalleled legacy.

Chris Grantham
Download an application form to invest now: Director, MECO NZ
www.baptistsavings.co.nz Like to know more? Call Chris on
0800 MECO 22 or chris@meco.org.nz
* Rates current at date of publication. Source: interest.co.nz. or visit www.meco.org.nz
$5,000 & OVER TERMS AND RATES:
90 days @ 3.50%pa 12 months @ 4.40%pa 3 years @ 5.20%pa
6 months @ 4.30%pa 18 months @ 4.50%pa 5 years @ 6.00%pa
9 months @ 4.30%pa 2 years @ 4.75%pa Call 1.50% - 2.50%
Interest paid 6 monthly/maturity – 9 month term paid quarterly. Rates are subject to change.
A disclosure statement is available on request & free of charge.
Note: Photo depicts neither John the Baptist nor Stephanie the Baptist.
PO Box 12738 Penrose 1642 Freephone 0508 SAVINGS (0508 728 464) E office@baptistsavings.co.nz
 Vol. 127 No. 10 November 2011

Baptist ministries recap the highs

and lows of an eventful year » 11-16

ELECTION 2011 – FIRST CONSIDER THIS » 2-3

FREESET: INSIDE THE WEB OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING » 21
TONY McCLEAN’S LOVE FOR NEPAL LIVES ON » 28
2 [ OPINION ]
Ponder election issues
Q: What should we
consider before
voting in the
November 26
general election and
referendum?
Rodney Macann
National Leader, Baptist Union
P
aul says in Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy
the behaviour and customs of this
world, but let God transform you into
a new person by changing the way you
think.” This, for me, is the big issue when it
comes to voting at a general election.
Are we prepared to break the patterns of
voting that have been the norm for us and
maybe even our family? In other words,
are we prepared to let our voting be a part
of that “God transformation” that Paul
speaks of?
I was brought up in a typical Kiwi
family with typical political allegiances
and prejudices. Through my selective use
of scripture, I can justify without too much
difficulty the way I have voted over the
years and, to be honest, it hasn’t changed
much. But is it simply habit borne out of
prejudice and worldly values, or have I
been open to the transforming work of the
Spirit?
Over the past five years I have engaged
with most of our current political leaders
and I can honestly say that a number
of them, across a range of parties, have
impressed me with their wisdom, sense of
justice, and desire for a healthy society that
cares well for the poor and marginalized.
The problem is that they come to
the fulfilment of their vision following
different road maps and those road maps
can be important in shaping our society.
Bill Hybels in his book Courageous
Leadership talks of three important
characteristics for people in leadership –
character, competence and chemistry. These
are not bad guides to use when deciding
who to vote for.
• Character: we are looking for integrity
and the ability to cope well under pressure
– it’s as simple as that.
• Competence: a given, otherwise the
country is going to be badly led.
• Chemistry: this is an interesting one,
and where a bit of honest searching is
needed.
As a follower of Jesus and a citizen of
Aotearoa New Zealand, what is my vision
for this country and how does this square
up with my understanding of the mani-
festo of the political parties on offer and
those who are standing for them?
If we are going to take this seriously,
there’s a bit of work in understanding our
biblical world view of what a just, compas-
sionate society should look like and who
we really believe offers the best opportu-
nity to see that fulfilled.
Finally, in keeping with Romans 12:2,
allow God to do some work on us as we
come to vote. Our vote counts, and the
preparation of prayer and thinking through
the issues won’t go amiss either.
Roger Driver-Burgess
Pastor, Thames Baptist Church
I
’ve been preaching through Ephesians,
and when I came to the section on
salvation as reconciliation – that God has
broken down the dividing wall of hostility
between us – in chapter 2, my thoughts
went immediately to the upcoming
election.   issues against what we could call defining
Obviously we want candidates whose
stance on various matters looks something
like our own – or our understanding of
what a “Christian” stance would look like.
For some people the litmus issues are to do
with intimate relationships – abortion, sex
education, prostitution etc. For others, it
has to do with economics and the degree of
intervention we expect from the State in the
marketplace and the degree to which we
allow or encourage overseas investments.
Some are concerned with restricting or
legalising drugs of one form or another
– cannabis, alcohol, nicotine, or metham-
phetamine. Others have broader issues
around our justice system – the numbers
of front-line police, or the disproportionate
arrest and imprisonment rates of Maori
compared to other offenders.
All of these issues are important and we
find a wide range of Christian opinions
about them. So which ones should we be
looking for specifically?  might give you a clue!)
I’ll be probing various candidates and
party policies on these and other issues,
trying to find someone I can give a vote
to in good conscience. But I have already
decided one bottom line. I won’t vote for
anyone who makes political capital out
of divisiveness, those politicians who
define themselves against some “enemy,”
whether that be some segment of New
Zealand’s population or any overseas
nation, or even another political party.
Those who can work across party lines,
who value unity over political point-
scoring, who remain respectful of their
opponents, are far more likely to get my
vote.  because it is “too political.”
Grant Harris
Senior Pastor Windsor Park
Baptist Church, Auckland
E
very three years the question about
how we should vote as Christians is
raised. Navigating our way through the
myriad of issues gets more complex the
longer we look at it.
Some would say we should vote for
(perceived) “Christian” parties, but does
this undermine the valued and significant
contributions of the many Christians who
serve in mainstream parties?   the elections. From their number, those
Should we vote at all? Some Christians
think not and act accordingly.
And just because someone stands up
and says they are a Christian politician,
does that mean they are a good politician?
Or a theologically sound Christian? And
that’s according to what I think that means,
which could be different to what my wife
thinks!
Christian communities need to actively
wrestle with the issue of who to vote for,
looking at a party’s overall balance of
policies and not simply focusing on a few
selected issues.
Christians need to have a wider view
of the common good, perhaps reflecting
upon the words that God gave to the exiles
through the prophet Jeremiah (29:7): “Seek
the peace and prosperity of the city to
which I have carried you into exile.” It is
suggested that this passage influenced both
Paul and Peter in New Testament times
and is reflected in some of their arguments
for civic responsibility (such as Paul in
Romans 13:1-7).
It is dangerous to isolate one issue,
whether it be marriage, homosexuality or
NZ Baptist | November 2011
the environment, and to vote on that basis
alone.
We need to hold in balance these single
issues, exercising discernment in identi-
fying what these issues are as they often
have systemic impact on many other areas.
While the Church has lost the public
voice it once had into issues that affect the
social climate of our nation, that doesn’t
excuse us from the responsibility of caring
deeply for our neighbours and not being
scared to have a voice in the political
Christians
realm.
should be
I encourage churches to provide contexts
where discussions over our voice (or vote)
can be exercised. Invite the key contenders
to speak about what they consider to be the
pressing issues and allow healthy debate
involved in
within an environment that accepts the
diversity that exists within our churches
and the political voting decisions that will
government
eventuate.
By Chester Borrows, Gordon Copeland, and
As for me and my household, we will
Ross Robertson.
vote for … hmmm, I’m not quite sure yet.
(But I do live in the East Coast Bays – that This article is written by politicians,
current and past. However it is not about
party politics. We want to encourage
Christians to participate in the election of a
Alan Utting government this month. As people of faith,
Multicultural Ministries we have a duty to engage in civic affairs.
F
God has established four human institu-
rom a multicultural stance, there are
tions: the family, the nation (Acts: 17-26),
several things that will determine
government and the Church. Christians
my vote in the upcoming elections. The
receive a great deal of teaching about
first factor is to do with immigration and
the family and the Church, some about
refugee policies.
God’s plan for the nations, but much less
When Pauline Hanson rose to fame
about government. There are a number of
during the 1990s in Australia she attracted
reasons for this. Historically some streams
a middle class white Australian popula-
within the Church have actively discour-
tion who supported her largely “close the
aged involvement in politics. Some pastors
door to refugees and immigration” policy.
steer clear of talking about government
People feared a takeover bid.
However, we live in a deeply troubled
Is democracy part of God’s plan?
world where persecution is rife and people
We think the answer is yes. In
are forced to flee for their lives. John the
Deuteronomy 1:9-18, Moses instructs the
Baptist says that, as a sign of repentance
nation of Israel: “Choose wise, intelligent
and people coming into faith, “the man
and experienced men from each of your
with two tunics should share with him
tribes, that I may appoint them as your
who has none, and the one who has food
leader.” Later leadership in Israel also
should do the same” (Luke 3:11).
included women, since we know from
Not only should we share from our
Judges 4 that Deborah was a judge in that
abundance here in New Zealand, but
nation.
multiculturalism enriches the tapestry of
The system in New Zealand today has
life. To create societal integration is a most
some parallels. Through our electoral
rewarding experience. I want to support a
system we are also tasked with choosing
government that is generous in its policies
wise, intelligent and experienced men
in this area.
and women from the parties contesting
As International Aid’s website states,
“The New Zealand Aid Programme is the
appointed by the Governor General on
New Zealand Government’s international
behalf of the Queen of New Zealand, form
aid and development programme managed
our Government until the next elections.
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
So although many of us were taught
Trade. The New Zealand Aid Programme
at school that democracy originated in
supports sustainable development in
Greece (which gave us the word “democ-
developing countries in order to reduce
racy”), it seems clear that “government by
poverty and contribute to a more secure,
the people of the people for the people,” to
equitable and prosperous world”
quote Abraham Lincoln, is part of God’s
(www.aid.govt.nz). I hope that any
plan for all the nations of the world.
future government would be increasingly
The 10 commandments and the under-
generous in their support.
lying principles of many of the other laws
Finally, Micah 6:8 tells us what God
given by God, coupled with the values of
approves of: “To act justly and to love
the Judeo-Christian tradition, remain foun-
mercy and to walk humbly with your
dational to New Zealand’s legal system
God.” I hope that the election returns
and culture.
people to Parliament who share those
God instituted government and gave us
goals.
the law because he recognised we would
In my work with churches and congre-
be unable, without it, to live undisturbed,
gations of many cultures and ethnicities I
tranquil lives in peace and dignity. He
become aware of the needs of immigrant
has established government and law for
communities. I shall want to know whether
our good (Timothy 2:2). It is not simply
candidates and parties are committed to
something God put in place to restrict our
justice and mercy for those who are most
vulnerable in our society.
freedom to do whatever we like, but rather
the necessary foundation of civilisation.
From a multicultural perspective, I pray
Many of the Mt Sinai laws and
that the incoming government would
uphold these values. continued on page 3
November 2011 | NZ Baptist [ OPINION ] 3

continued from page 2

principles, since they are universal in
Christians are called
their application, remain as the God-given to look after the most
touchstone for our laws in New Zealand
today. vulnerable in society
Government does a great deal more
than pass and uphold the law. It provides
(Matthew 25:35-36).
education; pays billions of dollars in Government is in a
welfare to those in need, including super-
annuation to the elderly; stands ready position to affect this
to defend our nation through the armed
forces; builds roads, railways, electricity
on behalf of its citizens.
grids, dams and other infrastructure; Therefore we have a
provides health care through hospitals
and housing for the needy. It touches and duty to engage in the
sometimes intrudes into many facets of our
nation’s life.
process of government.
Christians are called to look after the
most vulnerable in society (Matthew 25:35-
While Christians uphold and protect
36). Government is in a position to affect
the rights of all faiths and religions that
this on behalf of its citizens. Therefore we
continue to grow in New Zealand, there
have a duty to engage in the process of
for evil to triumph is for good men and Kooti Rikirangi, and the Ratana movement is now a greater need to build an under-
government.
women to do nothing.” founded by Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana in standing and appreciation amongst people
Importantly, government appoints the
We also have a specific mandate from 1918. of diverse faiths and cultures. Parliament
people who run our police force, judge in
the Lord to pray for our government, espe- Christianity has played a role in the therefore has a duty to promote and
our courts, teach in our schools and serve
cially for “kings and all those in authority” major political parties, although it has preserve New Zealand’s Christian heritage.
on the many boards and commissions that
(1Timothy 2:2). In our case, that means never formed an explicit part of them. The It is recognised that government (the
it establishes. It employs tens of thousands
that prayers for the Queen, the Governor Christian conservative strands that arose State) and the Church are two different
of people and levies the taxes and duties to
General, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to the institutions and each operates in a different
pay for it all.
all MPs and all others who exercise founding of several Christian political domain. This relationship is made clear by
Given these realities, we believe that
authority in New Zealand should continu- parties. Paul in Romans 13:1-7, where the State, for
politics is a high calling in a democracy
ally be offered so that our nation knows Christianity is New Zealand’s primary example, is the ruler in the civil sphere.
and Christians have a duty to participate in
God’s blessing in every area of life. religion. At the 2006 census, more than 50% This is not the role of the Church!
every way possible.
We also encourage Christians to join – more than 2 million people – identified Christian politicians must, however, not
This certainly includes voting in the
political parties, stand as candidates for themselves as Christian. Christian organi- buy in to the non-Christian proposition
elections because it is we who choose the
election to Parliament and make submis- sations in New Zealand remain heavily that their faith should be relegated to the
people who govern us. Without Christians
sions to Select Committees on legislation involved in community activities including private realm and their politics limited to
in all aspects of government (including
that has been introduced to Parliament. education, health services, chaplaincy to the secular only. That is impossible for any
local government, school boards and the
New Zealand has a proud Christian prisons, rest homes and hospitals, social person of genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
like), we risk a continued drift away from
heritage that dates back to the start of the justice and human rights advocacy. Jesus instructed us to be salt and light in
the principles and values that God wills for
19th century and is still relevant today. This Christianity has played and continues the world (although not of the world). That
us, leaving the running of the government
Christian heritage was further enhanced to play a significant role in building New requires Christian MPs to exercise courage
to others who may have a different agenda.
within Māoridom by the establishment of Zealand’s national identity, culture, beliefs,
Paraphrasing Edmund Burke, “All it takes continued on page 8
the Ringatu Church, founded in 1868 by Te institutions, and values.

John Stott
Memorial Fund
Langham Scholars
Providing the best of the best young potential
leaders with financial assistance to complete
PhDs, and then return to their home countries
and/or regions to preach, teach, write and train
new generations of evangelical leaders for the
Majority World church.

Extending and expanding John Stott’s legacy

For more information regarding
the John Stott Memorial Fund,
please contact Tony Plews.
by supporting Majority World leaders,
chosen as Langham Scholars
to complete PhDs in NZ,
and then return to their own countries to
Equip New Generations of Bible Teachers
E: tony@ldl.org.nz
T: 09 376 5190
M: 021 683 393 www.johnstottmemorial.org
4 [ OPINION ] NZ Baptist | November 2011

» HE SAYS | SHE SAYS «

Co-editors Duncan & Fran Pardon

But imagine for a moment what this

The Baptist Magazine is the What a year! country would be like if New Zealanders
newspaper of the Baptist
Churches of New Zealand.
Published by the Communications division
A s we head towards the end of 2011 we
have to conclude that the past year or so
has been, as the Queen would say, our annus
were as passionate about their Christian faith
as they were about their rugby.
If Christian articles were routinely splashed
of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. horribilis. across the front pages of our national
As I write this, the maritime disaster off newspapers.
EDITORIAL & LETTERS the coast of Tauranga is unfolding. I have If the country sat glued to its big screen
PO Box 5, Beachlands watched my TV screen in horrified fascination TVs waiting in anticipation for Christian
Auckland 2147 as the doomed container ship, Rena, breaks programmes to start that were delivered with
Phone: (09) 536 5715 up almost before our very eyes. The pristine verve and passion.
Fax: (09) 536 5714 and beautiful shoreline of the Bay of Plenty he sits in heaven like some sort of Greek God If classrooms of children made giant paper
Email: editor@baptist.org.nz is being covered with a thick gluggy engine atop Mt Olympus casting thunderbolts at machier models of Jesus, rather than Richie
oil that seems to sit in big blobs. TV doesn’t places like Christchurch as the mood takes McCaw.
ADVERTISING
yet come with surround-smell so I can only him. Neither do I believe in karma, the idea If colourful Christian symbols of crosses
PO Box 12149, Penrose that somehow it is our “turn” to suffer these
imagine what the stuff must be like up close. and fish fluttered from shopfronts or car flags.
Auckland 1642 things, even though up to recently we have
The whole incident has the same surreal If we happily made welcome complete
Phone: (09) 526 7951 been remarkably immune from the tragedies strangers from around the globe in the name
quality that has accompanied events in this
Email: advertising@baptist.org.nz country over the past year. It all started with that seem to confront other parts of the world of Jesus.
SUBSCRIPTIONS & ACCOUNTS the disaster in the Pike River mine. Next on a regular basis. If complete strangers from around the
PO Box 12149, Penrose came the Christchurch earthquake, followed I can only conclude that sometimes stuff globe actually wanted to visit New Zealand
Auckland 1642 in February by a much bigger and far more happens because stuff happens. because of our undying devotion to Jesus.
Phone: (09) 526 0331 destructive quake. I take heart from what I see our churches
For those involved in all these events, it has doing in Christchurch. They recognise that
Fax: (09) 526 0334
been a lot more than just surreal. For them it their role is not to seek divine explanation, or
Email: info@baptist.org.nz
is a matter of coping with the everyday horror to lay blame, but to roll up their sleeves and
Editors of facing up to a new reality. set about loving their neighbour as Christ
Duncan & Fran Pardon So what to make of it all? would have us all do.
Inevitably, there have been the doom – Duncan Pardon
Business Manager
merchants and, sadly, some have come from
Kelvyn Fairhall
Missions Editor
Christian circles. I read with interest the
article in this issue by Roy Warren on the
Imagine new religion
Greg Knowles
Production & Advertising Manager
integrity of prophecy. His article refers to a
much-publicised prophesy concerning floods I t has been said that rugby is a religion in
New Zealand. That has certainly appeared
the case over the past couple of months as our
Maryanne Wardlaw and drownings predicted for Christchurch on
September 28. It didn’t happen, but I can only country has been swept by rugby fever.
Churches in Action Editor
imagine what distress it caused in the interim. Only rugby could knock our worst enviorn-
Carolyn Armstrong mental disaster off the front page of daily
I’m not a theologian, but it seems to me Roy
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park newspapers and only rugby could delay an
makes some very good points in his article.
New Plymouth 4312 election campaign, kicking it into seeming
As Christians, we simply can’t afford to
armstrong@iee.org insignificance. If we were proud to wear T-shirts and
make mistakes about this kind of stuff. Not
Copy & advertising deadline only do we all look stupid when these proph- It has taken 24 years, but now we are trium- jerseys proclaiming us to be Christ followers.
12th of the month prior ecies fail to materialise, but we are hardly phant in our victory and the country is on a If talk around the office water cooler
acting in a Christ-like manner when we cause high. revolved around Scriptures or the latest great
Publication date: First Sunday of each
upset and distress in so doing. Our national psyche is so melded with Christian message.
month except January
Just as bad are the benefit-of-hindsight rugby that I hate to think what national I dare to suggest that even in the most
Distributed through local Baptist Churches “judgments.” Fortunately, for the most part economic gloom and collective depression we ardent of our churches we rarely see the same
in New Zealand, and dependent on their Christians in this country were remarkably might have plunged into if the unthinkable passionate homage that is offered up to our
contributions. restrained in not attributing the earthquakes had happened and Les Bleus had squeaked kiwi icon, that “odd shaped ball.”
Subscriptions and postage for others: to an act of judgment by God. home. I’ve been cheering as loudly as anyone But just imagine if we did ...
One day God will judge, but I don’t believe for the ABs. – Fran Pardon
NZ: $30 (including GST)
Airmail to Australia & South Pacific: $45
Rest of the World: $50
theory moves on, so gap theorists are continu-
Printed by APN Print, 101 Birch Avenue,
ally on the back foot. This is not to say that
Truth about hell
Tauranga, New Zealand Though a Presbyterian myself, I have many
no biologists are creationists; in fact John
friends and colleagues in Baptist and other
Registered at POHQ as a newspaper. Sanford, the inventor of the gene gun, moved
circles, folk who read their Bibles thoughtfully
ISSN 1176-8711. A member publication from atheism to conservative Christianity.
and seek to bring others to Jesus who alone is
of the Australasian Religious Press I would like to make three points:
the way, the truth and the life. Recent corre-
Association. Articles and advertising in • I do not believe that Genesis is a rigorous
the NZ Baptist are the opinions of the spondence challenging Warren Prestidge’s
scientific account
authors, not necessarily the editors or Please send letters to editor@baptist.org.nz or article, Explore the truth about hell, stems from a
• All theories have anomalies. Sometimes
publishers. Every effort is made to ensure PO Box 5, Beachlands, Auckland 2147. Letters desire to be faithful to Scripture, and to a God
they are the result of faulty experiments or
the correctness of facts and information, exceeding 300 words may be edited for length. of justice who takes sin seriously and sent his
sometimes the theories need to be expanded
however we cannot accept responsibility son to die a cruel sacrificial death on our behalf.
for errors. The publishers reserve the and adapted. For example the theory of rela-
right to accept or decline any advertising. Science is neutral tivity did not invalidate Newton’s laws, they
As evangelical Christians we speak of Jesus
paying the price for us … but just a minute,
Fundraising appeals are accepted for In the August edition of the NZ Baptist are just a special case. If indeed objects can
perhaps that doesn’t add up. If the price for
Baptist causes only. there was a letter by a Melissa Scott in which travel faster than the speed of light, Einstein’s
my sin is eternal, conscious torment in hell
she stated that science backs creation by God, theory of relativity will need to be modified,
from which there is no escape, then either
and she also recommended the site Answers rather than being scrapped.
Jesus hasn’t paid that price, or else he is still
ARPA in Genesis. • There is evidence that two ape chro-
in hell and will be there for all eternity. But we
I attend Glen Eden Baptist and am a mosomes have joined together to form one
Awards for human chromosome.
know he’s not in hell. God raised him to life
Biology teacher. I am also co-author of
Excellence again and that is central to our faith.
Continuing Biology, a textbook for Year 13 Being a teacher I am interested in young
Sheer logic requires us to examine more
‘Best Feature Biology, and co-presented a paper at the people. Christian schools that do Year 13
carefully what Scripture really says, and
(multiple authors)’ recent Biology Educators conference in July Biology choose not to teach the Standards of
that is what Warren Prestidge’s book, Life,
highly commended, 2010 on Molecular Biology and Primate Evolution. Evolution and Human Evolution. My concern
Death and Destiny, invites us to do. He is not
It is easy to make an assertion that science is that Christian young people interested
'Best Review of Another watering down hell, or denying that God’s
backs creationism, but no evidence was in a scientific career will avoid biology if
Medium' justice requires punishment for sin. He is
offered. I am familiar with the Answers in they think it is “anti-God.” Actually science
bronze award, 2009 & 2011 not ignoring Bible verses that speak of God’s
Genesis website, but I think there is little is neutral, although there are some mili-
wrath, but he is showing that God is not a
'Best Front Page' of scientific value there. In my opinion tant atheists like the evolutionary biologist
torturer worse than any human tyrant.
silver award, 2008 “Answers” tends to look at gaps in evolu- Richard Dawkins.
If we really care about those who are lost,
tionary theory, and often presents a distorted – David Layzell
'Feature that Shows Most let us be sure of the message we convey of the
view of what evolutionists actually believe. Auckland
Originality' God who so loved the world that he gave his
The trouble with “gap theory” is that gaps Readers interested in more detail can
highly commended, 2008 are continually being plugged as evolutionary contact David on davetheroman@gmail.com. continued on page 5
November 2011 | NZ Baptist
» Out of My Mind | Musings from Carey Baptist College staff
Sport shows faith facts
By Phil Halstead
Lecturer
S
port is in the air. Valerie Adams
conquers the world (yet again).
Andrea Hewitt wins the world
triathlon championship race in Beijing.
The mighty Vodafone Warriors went
all the way to the NRL final, and the
All Blacks have won World Cup glory.
Exciting days indeed!
Stories like these readily tie into
my life-long passion for sport. In my
earliest years I used to idolise sports
stars such as Bryan Williams. In my
teens I played hockey, tennis, and
squash. In my twenties I dabbled with
triathlons. And even now, I continue
to swim and jog.
I’ve always found that there are
many helpful analogies that can be
gleaned from sport and applied to
Christian discipleship. Consider the
following:
First, none of the superstars
identified above started at the top.
Adams’ first shot put was not over 20
metres. Just as sporting prowess takes
time to develop, so does maturity in
faith. True success comes from taking
innumerable small and obtainable
steps. Short-cutting this process
will inevitably lead to injury or
discouragement.
I once heard a speaker say, “if you
want to see miracles happen pray in
tongues for an hour a day.” So I did,
for three days, until I ran out of puff.
The object lesson here is clear: What’s
continued from page 4
son for us. For those who believe in him
there is eternal life – not something which
humans have inherently. On resurrec-
tion day Christians will receive it, and
those who in this life did not believe will
soon perish in the second death – a truly
eternal punishment.
– Sylvia Coulter
Greenhithe, Auckland
Back to the beginning
To understand whether the future of
the unsaved is eternal torture (which
continual burning would be) we need
to go right back to the beginning and
check what God said about mankind in
Genesis 3:22. “And the Lord God said,
‘The man has now become like one of
us, knowing good and evil. He must not
be allowed to reach out his hand and
take also from the tree of life and eat,
and live forever.’”
To prevent mankind living forever
God expelled them from the Eden and
barred its gates. Man had the oppor-
tunity of immortality but lost it at the
fall. Sorting out our anthropology lets
us understand our soteriology and
eschatology. Christ had to die as a blood
sacrifice to pay the penalty of our sins
so that we could be reconciled to God,
given the gift of eternal life, and the
opportunity to participate in the mission
of reconciling the whole world to Christ
– it is a lot more exciting than mere fire
insurance.
All mortals will be raised and stand
before the judgment seat of God. Those
unsaved will be consigned to the fiery
lake of burning sulfur. This is the second
death (Revelation 20:8).
– David McLeod-Jones
right for one
person might
not be right
for another.
Consequently,
I asked God
to help me
implement
this spiritual
practice into
my life in a
Phil Halstead more sustain-
able rhythm. A
benefit of this strategy is that spiritual
disciplines become easier over time
just as their benefits become more
palpable. In sports-speak, one could
say the anaerobic becomes aerobic.
Second, a former swim coach of
mine used to say, “I’m teaching you
discipline first and swimming second;
discipline learned in the pool is trans-
ferable to any context.” I think he’s
right. Even though the Christian faith
is primarily about a loving relation-
ship with Jesus, discipline has always
played a significant role in spiritual
development.
Third, Andrea Hewitt races at a
lean 54kg in order to be able to out-
swim, cycle, and run the best in the
world. Some of us could increase the
efficiency of our Christian journeys
if we trimmed certain practices (e.g.
excessive use of the Internet) and
baggage (e.g. resentment) in our own
lives. Please note this is not a question
of comparison. If I were to compare
» The Good Investor | Advice from Baptist Savings
Financial lessons we can learn
from Daniel Carter’s groin strain
G
iven nearly everybody
in NZ has been talking
about Daniel Carter’s
groin strain and its ramifica-
tions, we should as well.
The All Blacks have won the
Rugby World Cup, but I want to
rewind a tad.
With respect to the number
10, you would have thought
that the wise men on the ABs
selection panel would have
Andrew L’Almont
been able to spot the risk to the
team from orbit. If you spend four years or
more grooming your key man, it probably
makes sense to be working on a back-up
over that time as well, just in case.
However, Colin Slade only really
became part of the mix this year. And
when he went the All Blacks were left
scrambling with Piri Weepu, Aaron
Cruden and Stephen Donald – all very
worthy men, but all very late on the scene.
In my previous life as CEO of Mortgage
Express (the brokerage arm of Harcourts
Real Estate Group) I had a saying: We need lifestyle illness? ACC does not cover these
planned outcomes for unplanned events.
Like the All Blacks selectors, very few of us
have one of those.
We can look back now and laugh about
the panic Dan’s groin caused us, but it
offers us some salient lessons.
The lessons are about what we insure and increase in price due to the Canterbury
[ OPINION ] 5
» The Wright Stuff
Trevor Wright’s reflections
A tale of
two camps
myself with the myriads of people
who can swim and run faster than me,
or who accomplish more than me in
God, I would inevitably despair and
possibly give up. Rather, we are called
to work with our heavenly coach,
respond to the Spirit’s leading, find
G arlic as part of the
almost daily intake is
one of those things in life
our self-worth in God, and love. that separates people into
Fourth, obstacles are seemingly either one camp or the other.
inevitable in sport and faith. We need There seems to be no third
look no further than Dan Carter’s camp.
recent injury, Joni Eareckson Tada’s I was talking with a
tragic accident, and the challenges colleague the other day and
many people in our own churches face knew immediately which
to verify this. camp he was in. I noticed,
Analogies from sport help here, too, at the rear of his work Trevor Wright
too. For instance, just as Dan Carter is property a neat line of
going to have to undertake a lengthy little green strap-leaves, which is a good hint that
rehab process, I often find myself someone is growing garlic there – planted on the
encouraging people to create their shortest day and harvested on the longest.
own solutions in the light of the obsta- He is a real fan and, with his background some-
cles they face. where in the Mediterranean region, it is probably
By this I mean, even though God also part of his culture. There are quite critical rules
clearly works one-off miracles, I to keep to if you are in that camp, it seems. It is all
think we more often than not need to about how to make the plants to grow the best, to be
implement incremental and achiev- strongly flavoured, to keep well. And then there are
able changes in our lives that help us all the suggestions on how garlic should be used.
create our own ‘miracles’ as we work It brought to mind another such two-camp situ-
through our respective challenges. ation. It is referred to like this, “They are not of the
Clearly, God is involved in these world, even as I am not of it,” John 17:6 NIV. And
‘miracles’ too. there are some rules, too. Notice John 17:6, “You
And finally, consider the joy of the gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.”
Warriors’ players, staff, and fans on Have you ever noticed that, without a word from
their march to the final. One day we you, strangers see you as being different, or reli-
too will achieve our goal of meeting gious, or some such name for your camp?
our heavenly coach face-to-face, but in Remember there is no third camp! Do not be
the meantime let’s enjoy the journey embarrassed or PC about it. Be thankful he has
called you to be in his camp, and wants you to
and continue to learn from sport.
invite others to consider his call to them.
what we don’t. Most of us will
insure our car or our home, but
few of us insure our personal
selves. Few of us will have
insured our income or opted quakes. You may think you can’t afford
for mortgage protection. You it, but it isn’t as expensive as you might
can be sure that Daniel Carter think. More importantly, can you afford
probably has key man insur- not to do it?
ance and a whole bunch of Evaluate your insurance spending.
other insurances, more particu- Perhaps the car or house is not as impor-
larly income protection of some tant for you as other insurance. For
sort. example, you may only really need third
It is an area we should party for your car. Your savings here can
all take a serious look at. If you were the then be diverted to insuring yourself.
principal income earner and you had a car If you are healthy right now, that’s
accident and couldn’t work for three, six excellent. But don’t wait until you get
or 12 months, how would you pay your sick to think about insurance because by
mortgage? then it will be too expensive and probably
You may think we live in a society that too late. Get the insurance when you’re
has backstops like ACC to pay us out. But healthy, so that you can benefit from the
it is important to be certain. What would best deals and piece of mind.
happen if you weren’t covered by ACC? If you are a pastor, come to my session at
And if you’re not – for whatever reason – the Gathering in Lincoln this month and I
do you have a backup plan? will expand on this and other options, or talk
And what if you suffer a debilitating to the team here at Baptist Savings about our
free insurance health check. Or, simply click
things. What then? on the (red) “free health check” button on our
Getting a health check on your insur- website, www.baptistsavings.co.nz
ance and finances from Baptist Savings Don’t let a groin injury destroy your
doesn’t cost money, but it makes sense to future prospects!
do it. It could save you from future pain. • Andrew L’Almont, Baptist Savings’ business
Insurance premiums are going to development manager, can be reached on (09)
582 0037 and andrew@baptistsavings.co.nz.
6 [ OPINION ] NZ Baptist | November 2011

» The BWUSWP Beat | News from the Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific

Papua hosts its first

Baptist congress
A
pa kabar! The toddler clung to his mother
and screamed. When I smiled at him
encouragingly it only seemed to increase
his terror. He was fine with all the other women,
just fearful of me.
I was in Sorong, a major city in the “Bird’s
Head” region of Papua. The event was the Fifth
Congress of the Indonesian Baptist Alliance, held
for the first time in Papua, and I’d been invited
to speak to some of the women. As I came down
from the stage there were smiles all round, until
I encountered this little fellow. Then I realised he
probably had never seen a white-skinned woman
before. So I moved on, not wanting to prolong his
discomfort.
It had been an adventure from the start. Most
New Zealanders have been to events where there
has been an official powhiri, or Maori welcome. A
Papuan welcome is just as memorable. Grass skirts
and warpaint adorned the dancers who escorted us
visitors into the sports arena for opening night. And
as part of the welcome they presented the guests
with woven grass hats which we wore throughout
the evening.
Although sung in Indonesian, their worship
songs were easily recognisable to those of us who
went to church in the 1950s and 1960s – “Great is
thy faithfulness,” “Onward Christian soldiers,”
“Stand up stand up for Jesus.” In Papua the
influence of the early missionaries (many of them
Southern Baptists from the United States) lives
on in hymns that the Western church has largely
abandoned.
Papua (formerly called Irian Jaya, and not to be
confused with Papua New Guinea, its independent
neighbour) is the largest and easternmost prov-
ince of Indonesia, and also the poorest. Formerly
the most Christian part of Indonesia, Papua has a
population of 4 million people. Now half of them
Muslim, and the Muslim proportion is growing.
Life is not easy for the Baptists. In the face of
increasing political and religious pressures, they
need our prayers.
The congress ran for four days, Wednesday
through Saturday, with each morning session
beginning at 7:30 (ish.) We were expected to rise at
5am daily for quiet time, but this was not difficult.
Each day at exactly 4:45am came a loud, wailing
call to prayer from the mosque across the road,
jolting us awake.
And pray we did. During the congress, the
women of Papua held their annual Day of Prayer,
as thousands of other women around the world
are now doing. This was led by Patsy Davis, the
director of the BWA Women’s Department, and
“kindness” was the theme.
Terimah kasih, women of Papua – thank you.
You welcomed me when your government was
reluctant to let me in, and I’ll always remember
your kindness.
• Julie Belding (julie@belding.co.nz) is president of the
Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific. A Papua welcome

‘‘ ’’
» Drawn & Quoted | Tom Cadman looks at life and faith through the lens of literature

In praise of humble parish newsletters

B
efore Twitter, Facebook, blogs,
web pages, tablets, computerised
cell phones and You Tube – all or
some of which churches use to inform their
members of the latest news and views,
promotions and courses – there was the
parish magazine and its poorer cousin, the
church newsletter.
I suspect the parish magazine has gone
the way of Hymns Ancient and Modern and
the church newsletter may well suffer the
same fate. After all, who wants a church
magazine or newsletter when you can text,
twitter or tweet?
It’s only digital immigrants like me who
eschew the latest forms of communication.
Yet, as historians, archivists, biographers
and genealogical ferrets tell us, such
humble magazines and newsletters are a
lively and vital source of information about
people, places and events.
It’s easy to be cynical about them. Such
cynicism is not new. The late Canon “Dick”
Sheppard of St Martin in the Fields Church
in central London used to say that when-
ever he came across a parish magazine
he tore it up to prevent it doing any more
harm!
Despite such cynicism, it was estimated
in the 1950s that the circulation of all the
parish magazines in England equalled that
of the largest popular daily newspaper.
In the beginning of my ministry I
subscribed to The Religious Book Club.
Started by the Student Christian Movement
press (SCM), the club regularly published
books on a wide variety of subjects
concerning the Church and the world. One
such volume was Hedley Hodkin’s, The
Saving Name. Hodkin, an Anglican vicar
in the diocese of Sheffield, England, wrote
in his parish magazine over a period of 10
years a series of articles on issues he consid-
ered important. The SCM press regarded
them as so worthwhile they gathered them
together and published them as one of their
RBC volumes. Imagine any publisher doing
that with today’s church newsletters?
Still Life is a newsletter that goes out to
our retired Baptist ministers and mission-
aries, quite a few of whom meet several
times a year in Auckland and Christchurch.
Indeed, the group began as a news-
letter, the brainchild of George Beilby
and Rex Goldsmith. Realising the need
to keep in touch following retirement
from service in ministry and mission they
began producing Still Life in October 1982.
The triple pun, as editor Rex Goldsmith
pointed out, suggests gratitude for being
still alive, recognition that retirement
doesn’t mean inactivity and loss of crea-
tivity, and the importance of stillness for
“wasting time with life.”
The names that appear in that first issue
sound like a roll call of well known 20th
century Baptist ministers and missionaries.
They are ministers and missionaries who
would, in the main, be, unknown to the
new 21st century generation of Baptists.
The first Still Life newsletter indicates
how, though retired, they continued to
serve the Church through congregational
life, community organisations, short-term
Likening such
newsletters to the
letter to the Hebrews is
drawing a long bow. Yet
both, in their way, fulfil
the same purpose.
pastorates, overseas missions and a host of
other activities.
There are also the inevitable reminders
of death, ill health and sadness in those
retirement years. A hint of the changes that
have happened since that first letter is indi-
cated by a note in the second issue saying
the publishing expenses included a box of
stencils for the Gestetner!
The newsletter continues some 29 years
later and this month the 100th issue will
be in the hands of the current crop of more
than 200 retired missionaries and ministers,
most of whom receive their copy by email.
What’s all this got to do with the byline
of this column, “Looking at life and faith
through the lens of literature”? Humble
publications such as newsletters and
parish magazines help us realise our debt
in the journey of faith to a large number
of Christ’s servants, many of whom are
unknown or forgotten.
Likening such newsletters to the letter
to the Hebrews is drawing a long bow. Yet
both, in their way, fulfil the same purpose.
A guest at one our Assemblies some
30 or so years ago was Dr Raymond
Brown, genial and scholarly principal of
Spurgeon’s College, London. He wrote a
commentary on the letter to the Hebrews
entitled Christ Above All. It was one in a
series of New Testament commentaries
edited by the late John Stott.
Hebrews, he said, outlines the danger
of Christian believers falling away, wilting
under the pressure of persecution, and
shrinking back from their earlier commit-
ments to Christ.
Yet the writer to the Hebrews, says
Raymond Brown, is at great pains to stress
the legacy of faith enshrined in those who
stood firm even though the names of many
of them may be lost to us. He stresses what
church newsletters tell us.
“God’s valiant host does not consist
solely of outstanding leaders, patriarchs,
judges, kings prophets and martyrs. We
are introduced to a vast company whose
names we may never know but whose
faith will be not only remembered but
treasured.”
Still Life newsletters, like their parish
counterparts, will not make it into the next
edition of the New Testament or be found
on any best-selling list. But they remind us
we are part of an innumerable and often
insignificant host whose lives, encourage-
ment and labours have helped hold us
in the faith and encouraged us to keep
“looking to Jesus upon whom our faith
depends from start to finish.”
November 2011 | NZ Baptist [ NEWS ] 7

Quake DVD looks at ‘new normal’

D
elegates at this month’s Gathering
(Baptist Assembly) in Lincoln will “We’ve looked at, for example,
receive a copy of The New Normal,
a DVD exploring how churches across what happens when the
denominations are changing the way they
interact with the their communities in the walls come down.”
wake of the Christchurch earthquakes.
The DVD is a collaboration between
Baptist Union president Lyn Campbell
and her daughter, Kim Boyce-Campbell,
a former TV producer who is now part of
Wellington-based Vertical Studios.
Vertical Studios is a purpose-built
recording, editing and graphic design
studio. It is owned by a trust run by Elim
International Church in Wellington to
provide a service for community organi-
sations, churches and NGOs that might
not otherwise be able to afford to make a
professional music or video recording.
Kim’s business partners are songwriter
Richard Knott, driving force behind the
band Magnify and former worship pastor
at Elim, and Brad Dring of Rapture Ruckus.
Kim was travelling the country making
a documentary series for the Bible Society,
The Essential Jesus, when the earthquakes
struck.
”We had to rearrange lots of what we
were doing around that because people’s
stories took a different direction,” she says.
“I became aware of some of the stories
coming out and felt they really needed to
be told.
“At the same time my mum, Lyn, was
visiting churches in the Canterbury area wanted to make it something everyone or faith community and the shift that has working together. Grace Vineyard lost its
and was also realising there were a lot of could relate to, so they included a wider taken place for them. Each has a key theme. building and has been meeting at Spreydon
stories that needed to be told. We were range of denominations. Baptist churches “We’ve looked at, for example, what Baptist. The two have formed a close
thinking along the same lines. So many include Kaiapoi, Breezes Road, Spreydon happens when the walls come down,” Kim relationship.
things were happening that a shift was and Oxford Terrace. says. “Oxford Terrace Baptist was a church The DVD will be made as freely avail-
taking place in the way churches were “I talked to Grace Vineyard, which had with a beautiful historic building which, able as possible so churches can put it to
relating to their communities. its inner city campus destroyed,” Kym says. they tell me, had become dominant in the good use. It has been structured for use as
“For me, based in Wellington, I could see “A lot of Baptist churches in Christchurch way they operated as a church. When it was a small group tool. Each story is followed
it happening by necessity in Christchurch. already had a strong connection with their gone they met in a local school hall. This by discussion questions for groups or
But it was also happening anyway across communities, so I was interested to see changed the way they worshipped and oper- churches to consider.
the country. It was a journey a lot of what would happen with an inner city ated. It opened up all sorts of opportunities.” The project has no budget. It received a
churches were already on but not to the church that was highly attractional and had Another clip features Te Ora Hau, which sizeable grant from the Baptist Union but is
same degree as the ones in Christchurch.” people coming to it from all over the city. works with Maori young people and their still very much a family’s labour of love.
Kim and Lyn decided to tell these stories “I also talked to an Anglican church families. “When you are in an organisation “I think I can speak for mum as well
so the wider church could benefit from in the Heathcote Valley where all public you can get busy with just running that when I say we are really passionate about
what had been learnt from the earthquakes meeting spaces had been lost. The church organisation. But after the earthquakes every seeing churches better connect with their
and how churches had responded and opened up its hall for a byo ‘pub’ every day life became challenging, so they have communities and being salt and light,”
changed. Friday night.” gone back to a simple way of operating and says Kim.
Most of their contacts were through the The DVD features 14 clips, each lasting connecting with people,” says Kim. • The DVD will be made available to Baptist
Christchurch Baptist churches but they 3 to 5 minutes. Each story is of one church There is also a case study of churches churches shortly.

Use sports to strengthen families

W e are in a new season
where God is using
sport to impact nations, says
has an average age of 19.5.
We have to use the language
of youth and one of those
fathers can be taken further.
“A massive problem with youth is that
of identity. From the past, you select from
vehicle.
A key focus of the International Sports
Coalition, for which Cassie is a facilitator,
South African Cassie Carstens. predominant languages is the good aspects of the historical heritage is to redeem sport – to remove the ugliness
As a world leader in sport sport.” you have. In the present, you have values and return the beauty. The coalition is a
ministry, Christian Sports Rugby in particular presents and friends which allow you to teach your movement, rather than an organisation,
Network (NZ) and Engage a great opportunity for fathers children the values you live by. And the and functions on the basis of key values,
invited him here during the to both build relationships and future is the dreams and goals you live for. the core of which is selflessness.
Rugby World Cup. pass on their values to sons. “Young people don’t have identity It has 10 strategic programmes that
Cassie was chaplain to the “In a way, a big opportu- because no one has walked them through include major sports events, discipling
1995 Springboks. He founded nity was missed at the Rugby their past, no one has helped them to select elite athletes and helping them proclaim
both the International Sports Cassie Carstens World Cup, but it can be their values and friends, and no one has the gospel, helping churches with various
Leadership School and the regained,” he says. “Rugby is taught them their calling in life. initiatives, training leaders in sports
African Leadership Institute a man’s game (mostly!) and, as “There is a void that is now filled by a ministry, partnerships and conferences.
for Community Transformation. He is also such, it is a language fathers can speak to projected identity. So a young person wears Cassie has been impressed by some
a facilitator for the International Sports sons. We should have trained fathers how a Manchester United jersey and the name of the Rugby World Cup. All teams had
Coalition. Being a strategist, motivator and to watch rugby with their sons and how on the jersey is ‘Wayne Rooney.’ The person an assigned chaplain and some churches
a facilitator, Cassie has been a founder in they can capitalise on enhancing their rela- wearing the shirt is not Wayne Rooney, but were staging rugby-related events or
wider initiatives, including Global Day tionship while also passing on their values. the person has adopted Rooney’s identity. showing games on big screens. However
of Prayer and both the ‘Joshua’ and ‘The “Fatherlessness is the biggest problem “You get this everywhere. The media he felt there were also opportunities not
World Needs a Father’ movements. of the world. One third of the young provides certain identity figures.” exploited, such as better fan zones with a
The issue of fathering is where sport has people in your nation are without fathers.” Cassie says one of the most important good atmosphere and fun.
a big role to play. However Cassie says he has been responsibilities of a father is the transfer of “It is important the Church portrays
“The world is extremely young, as never encouraged by the people he met in New identity to his children. He must walk his fun,” he says, “sometimes we portray too
before,” says Cassie. “Africa, for example, Zealand, while he believes the role of children through this, and sport is a great much sincerity!”
8 [ OPINION ] NZ Baptist | November 2011

In search of the middle road

By Ross Kerr middle, we are able to look at both sides of own is deficient. opposed to first being overwhelmed by

T
he deepest approach to Christianity
seems to lie in the middle ground
rather than the extremes. We are
often pushed by the tone of our local
congregation, peer pressure, our training,
personal Christian heritage and especially
our own emotional temperament to adopt
a black-or-white attitude on some moral
position, doctrinal stance, worship trend,
governance issue, or theological explana-
tion (Ephesians 4:14).
No doubt some absolutes require us to
avoid adultery, trust in faith and believe
in a God who judges and saves, cares and
loves.
Equally, there are some mid-lines for
us all, such as singing both hymns and
choruses, or finding a balance between
church leadership and democracy.
Yet, in many cases, understanding what
two viewpoints may be saying provides
the only way to perceive what a proper
standpoint might be. If we walk down the
the road.
Of course the risk is a bland belief, a
pallid intellectual or theological appear-
ance that is “neither hot nor cold, but
lukewarm” (Revelation 3:15). At times we
have to adopt strong positions. Yet the
more commonly travelled road of forceful
certainty may be easier but often not
helpful to the church community.
Examples that tempt us to dogmatic
views are abortion, killing, alcohol,
sexuality, the role of women, obedience to
the pastor, trinity, evolution, literality of
the Bible, salvation, pentecostal gifts and
church government.
Which ones are important to be
dogmatic about, and which are not?
For example, the liberal view that God’s
main interest is in reconstructing society
in a fair and equitable fashion is clearly
inadequate, as is the evangelical one that
God is only interested in a soul’s conver-
sion. We need both views, as each on its
A moment’s reflection shows that a
world full of converted people on their
way to Heaven, avoiding (they hope) all
sin, but ignoring what they can or should
do for their fellow person, is not God’s
plan.
Equally, a world full of moral crusaders,
doing (they think) good, but ignoring
personal duties of worship, honesty, integ-
rity and sacrifice is not his plan either.
We are not saved only for Heaven’s
sake, not for Earth’s either, but for both.
Our inclination may naturally be in one
area and that may make it right for us, but
not for all.
Many believe that a dramatic conver-
sion moment is how most are saved,
but others find God brings faith not via
sudden conversion, but through time and
developing experience.
We do a disservice if we insist on the
one route and do not allow the other, if
we insist on repentance of sin first, as
God’s love or embracing his greatness. We
don’t all have to feel we are “but miser-
able worms.” The roads by which we can
respond to God, via Christ, can be varied.
If we ask Christians who have travelled
the way for years, they will each empha-
sise different starting points, different
calls, and different roads.
I suspect that 1 Corinthians 12:31, “a
more excellent way,” and 13:12, “know
in part,” have something to say on this
subject.
This middle road provides us scope for
differing views on moral questions, how
we should live, theology, and especially
different approaches as to how we should
encourage people to become Christians.
Some NZ Baptist letter writers claim an
enviable certainty of position, but I am
rather tempted to reserve that place for me
and others like me.
• Ross Kerr is a member of Levin Baptist
Church.

Protect prophecy
continued from page 3

in a difficult calling because, if the salt should lose its

flavour, it is good for nothing. All Christians are asked
to let their light shine before men (Matthew 5:13-16).

from weak theology

It is right for Christians to serve their community
and country by becoming Members of Parliament.
Christians serve their communities in many ways
outside of politics and to bring this experience in
community service to the fore in local and central
By Roy Warren The bottom line is that God has not begun to judge this government is a logical extension of community service.
Many Christian politicians feel called to stand for

I
t is clear that the floods and drownings, as predicted in world yet. We see God’s judgement throughout Old and
New Testaments, but there is something significant about public office in the same way any other Christian may
a prophecy for Christchurch for September 28, did not
God’s nature. He is just. He will not judge the righteous feel called to an area of service.
take place. Again, we find ourselves explaining predic-
with the wicked (Genesis 18:23- 25, Exodus 23:7). Even We need to recognise the tensions in working
tions that do not come to pass. Why is this happening?
when we see judgment at the time of the New Testament within political parties between the adherence to the
Christchurch has not been plagued with false prophets,
church, these individuals in every case were not righteous collective responsibility of the Caucus and the values
apart from a couple of silly visiting individuals from
(Acts 5:1-11, 12:21-23, 13:6-11). of the individual MP, whether they be Christian or
Germany who insinuated that the February earthquake
Secondly, predictive prophecy of this nature should not otherwise. This pressure can be substantial and is not
was God’s judgement. They quickly received a flea in the
flow up from church laity, but down through clergy. When always appreciated by secular members of a political
ear and were put on the next plane home.
laity moves into directional or predictive revelation they party when the tension arises from a conflict of faith
The latest prediction was quite different. The individual
are vulnerable to going beyond the biblical mandate. and politics.
is not some crank who sees herself as an Old Testament
I am confident that the sister, though sincere and God The need to display Christian values in political
prophet or a loose cannon that has no regard for spiritual
fearing, is not operating under the “measure of grace” debates is as important as showing values in daily life.
accountability. The lady has shown maturity by surren-
extended to the office of an Ephesians 4 prophet. There should not be a suppression of values in any
dering the prophecy to be weighed and tested by her
I am a great advocate of the gifts of the Holy Spirit debate merely because it addresses political issues.
ministers. But we again find that the Church has egg on its
operating in our congregations and I encourage laity to be There is no less call upon Christians to show these
face. So what are we missing?
proactive in all the gifts, including prophecy. But clergy values in one occupation or vocation than any other.
I do not write as a theologian or a scholar, but simply
must be up to the task and give clear leadership. Christians are called upon to have a good moral influ-
as a practitioner. Yet even after all these years, I am still
One of the biggest mistakes surrounding prophecy is the ence, so MPs who hold to a faith should bring these
learning the art of moving in the prophetic. It might sound
view that if a predictive prophecy does not come to pass values to the fore in the formulation of policy. These
a bit clinical to suggest that it is an art, but Pneumatology
then that person should be disciplined and treated as a false values may not necessarily be essentially Christian,
is not a science and there are no formulae. While travel-
prophet. Here we get down to the nitty-gritty. The mandate but nevertheless Christians would recognise them as
ling around New Zealand, mainly ministering in Baptist
surrounding the New Testament prophets is very different reflecting such values.
churches, I was inundated with enquiries on whether this
from that placed around the Old Testament prophets. This Conscience votes on moral issues are the preroga-
latest prediction would come to pass.
is due to the establishment of the new covenant. tive of the individual MP. Members apply their
In general, ministers are handling this latest prophecy
The Old Testament prophets have served their purpose experience, wisdom, moral judgement and will often
well in terms of advice and guidance to their respective
and we wait for the fulfilment of numerous prophecies seek the advice or views of others, including their
congregations. But why such uncertainty?
that were spoken by them thousands of years ago. Every constituents, before coming to a position.
Do we focus on the negative due to our own fears? Or
one of these prophecies will come to pass, regardless of Christian politicians will not necessarily all vote the
does our understanding of scripture suggest that the gift
what we say or do or what theology we embrace. same way on conscience questions and this should
of prophecy is only authentic when used in this way? Or
Today, prophecies spoken by laity or clergy, especially not be expected, since Christians express their faith in
both?
if the prophecy is predictive or directional, can fail. This many different ways,
I am sure there are other reasons why there is such
is not because the gift of prophecy today is less potent or We can’t tell you how to vote, but we can encourage
uncertainty. Two fundamental issues seem to be ignored.
important, but simply because the working dynamic of you to vote. The New Zealand Parliament and the
This dear sister has fallen into the same old trap many
the gift has dramatically changed by the outpouring of the Government formed from those elected is intended,
of us do. In layman’s terms, she has drawn from her “soul
Holy Spirit when our Lord returned to the Father. through the democratic process, to represent the
realm.”
Let us not be quick to embrace these prophecies without people of New Zealand. Like all other residents,
We all have the potential to draw from three realms:
serious consideration of the new mandate. Hopefully all of Christians have the opportunity to vote for a candi-
flesh, soul and regenerative. Only one of these is authentic.
us can guard the integrity of the gifts, especially prophecy date and a party who they believe will best represent
Drawing from the flesh does not really need to be
– remembering the gift of prophecy is far more than the their values.
explained, but prophecy that is soulish is becoming more
ability to predict coming events. You may need to do some homework on the values
common. This is basically due to ignorance rather than
and character of candidates standing in your electorate
something sinister. • Roy Warren attends Riccarton Baptist Church and has
in order to choose people who are committed to the
Authentic prophecy is found when we draw from the served as a registered itinerant Baptist Minister for eight years,
values of God’s kingdom.
regenerative realm. So how do we know? In this case it is predominantly ministering on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
quite straight forward. The application of scripture around He is writing a series of manuals. Manual Four, “The Gift of • Reprinted with the kind permission of the authors and
the prophecy is flawed. Any hint of judgement nullifies the Prophecy,” is available by emailing New Zealand Christian Network. The unabridged article is
prophecy. roy_warren@hotmail.com. at www.vision.org.nz.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist
Four insights into family ministry
T
he focus on ministry to families is
increasing. So, what is it? We spoke
to four of our churches who are
seeing this as a discipleship imperative
and are putting staffing and resourcing
into this area of ministry.
Brigitte Crowe, Children and
Families Pastor at Pakuranga
Baptist writes:
At PBC we are becoming more inten-
tional about what
“family ministry”
means for us. We
are excited about
what God is doing.
It may seem that
we are jumping
into deep water,
but this journey
actually started two
or more years ago.
Andrew Brown,
our senior pastor,
together with
Karen Warner, the
former children’s
ministry leader,
had multiple
conversations on where we were heading
and what we wanted people to know
about us in terms of what we offer for
children and families.
A number of books have been
instrumental in helping us rethink
where we are going as a church,
most recently, Mark Holmen’s
Church+Home and Take it Home.
From these we have added our own
contextual flavour and voila!, or
almost, we have a foundation for
Family Ministry.
One of the things we realised
was that we were were operating
in different silos when we actu-
ally wanted to be cohesive and
strategically integrated. One of our
initiatives was to pilot one of Mark
Holmen’s Take it Home events. On
Fathers’ Day, we made our move.
We invited all the dads to come out
to Kidzone. With the senior pastor
leading the way, they could hardly refuse.
The children had prepared stories about
what they enjoyed doing with their dads.
They told their stories and then we taught
the dads how to bless or speak life into
their children’s lives. For the kids without
dads on the day, Pastor Andrew “adopted”
them and blessed them. A number of other
dads also “adopted for 30 minutes” and
blessed these children.
The team at PBC is excited about intro-
ducing the Take it Home series, starting
with one per term. We want people to
know that this church community will
partner with them. We’re in it for the long
haul!
Jan Ozanne, families pastor at
Otumoetai Baptist, has been
journeying with parents to help
raise kids with a faith that lasts:
“Design a strategy that combines the
family with the faith community to
demonstrate the message of God’s
story, in order to influence the next
[ CHILDREN & FAMILY ] 9
generation.”
– Reggie Joiner, “Think Orange”
As a family pastor, I have been inspired
by Reggie’s words and his strategy of part-
nership between home and church. The
challenge is how to become, in practice, a
church that encourages and equips parents
to be intentional in passing on their faith.
Focus on the Family’s Raising Kids with a
Faith that Lasts is a 6-week course we have
successfully used. This provided a
great forum to discuss the part-
nership between church and home
and to encourage families to use
the resources we give them.
The key with running any
course is to make it easy for
people to attend.
• We ran the course fortnightly
after church so people wouldn’t
have to come out twice.
Following the guidelines suggested, small child, put your own mask on first
• We organised lunch and asked
we organised a Family Forum. We had a because only then will you be able to care
people to bring $2 each (no food
get-together over lunch after the Sunday for your child.
for families to provide and eating
service. This seemed to be a good time as It is the same for Christians. We need to
together was valuable).
people were already on the premises. be taking care of our own spiritual needs
• We paid teenagers to supervise
The topic was family devotions. The before we are able to help others with
the children after lunch, making it
children helped to present the material theirs. In church circles there appears to be
possible for couples to attend the
and particularly enjoyed an object lesson, a growing awareness that the spiritual air
course together.
which involved a large tube of toothpaste! pressure is dropping rapidly in our society
• We watched the DVD teaching sessions,
Prior to the meeting we acquired new and that it is impacting our little ones.
which included Mark Holmen, Tim
resources, which volunteer families agreed There is growing evidence to suggest that
Kimmel and Larry Fowler, and then
to try out then report on at the forum. more than 80% will have left the church by
broke into
Others shared the time they reach their twenties.
smaller discus-
details of the In family ministry, it is easy
sion groups,
material that to focus on developing awesome
which we
they were using. ‘masks’ for the kids and utilising
limited to 30
We took notes, new techniques. We can partner
minutes. It was
which were with parents in helping them put the
important to
available to ‘mask’ on their kids, but neglect the
have an early
families unable fact that the parents need to have
finish so fami-
to attend. theirs on first.
lies knew they
Establishing If we are honest, the majority of
weren’t commit-
relationships the church are struggling to keep
ting their whole
between their masks on. In fact, most of us
Sunday.
families and probably have the thing dangling in
The response
listening to front of our faces but have somehow
was encour-
the needs of convinced ourselves that we don’t
aging. We had
parents is even need them. We are slowly
20 adults at
important if we suffocating, yet puzzled when our
each session,
are to be able to kids spot this and walk away from
representing 13
offer effective the faith.
families. The feedback was also positive.
support to each other. This is our second Mark Holmen, one of the guest speakers
Many expressed a desire to keep meeting
forum and we hope that it will continue at this year’s Gathering, has been behind
once or twice a term to discuss parenting
and become a regular event. a movement called Faith@Home. What I
issues and to pray.
One parent who attended said, “The Manurewa Baptist, under the have found really encouraging about his
DVD series has helped reinforce how leadership of Dave Diack, has approach is that the emphasis is not just
important it is to be proactive with the been resourcing families to on families but on every individual in the
resources sent home and not let them sit pursue faith at home. Along the church.
on the table collecting dust!” way Dave has become aware of I think a lot of parents struggle to pass
an issue: their faith on to their kids because they are
Whakatane Baptist have been not exactly sure what it is they are passing
What does family ministry look like?
using the Family Forum concept on. They are being encouraged to foster
We’ve been on this journey for a number
to begin their faith at home faith disciplines that have not been part of
of years and have developed some great
journey. Nicolette Flint, families their own faith journey, or, if so, with little
resources that we send home to our fami-
ministry coordinator, writes: consistency.
lies, helping to take the Sunday morning
We believe that families are looking for Somehow, in church culture, we appear
conversation into the home.
a church that will support and partner to be drifting away from the basics. Across
Although I believe passionately that
with them as they raise their children as the board people are finding it harder
equipping parents with excellent resources
Christians. Consequently we have looked to live out their faith at home because
can go a long way to encourage and
for ways to help our families with this they are no longer sure what that means.
inspire them, there is a much bigger issue.
task. Family ministry appears to be trying to
If you’ve ever been on an aeroplane
Mark Holmen’s Take it Home contains re-correct this slide, which is both exciting
you are familiar with safety procedures.
inspiration and advice for the planning and somewhat depressing at the same
The flight attendant states that if the cabin
of events to help parents achieve spiritual time.
should lose air pressure, a mask will drop
growth for their children. The problem is, they can’t do it alone.
down from the ceiling. If you are with a
10
They can’t erase the life of Jesus
By Jeff Tallon
T
he Australian Curriculum Authority
has ruled that the terms AD and BC
are out of date and out of bounds
for secondary schools. In a world besieged
by political correctness it was bound to
happen and remains bound to happen in
NZ – unless we see sense.
AD of course stands for ‘Anno Domini,’
the year of our Lord, and BC for ‘Before
Christ.’ They will be replaced in the
curriculum by CE (common era) and BCE
(before the common era). It is a PC move
to remove references to Christ in a secular
education system.
The irony is that it is just a question of
terminology. The Gregorian calendar on
which we reference our dates remains
unaltered so that the implicit referencing
of time to the advent of Christ is still
there. (It’s not exact, of course. Most early
Christian writers placed Jesus’ birth in 3-2
BC, the 42nd year of Augustus).
But if the Aussies were serious about this
it might also be necessary to remove the
reference to Pope Gregory. We could just
call it the ‘Western calendar.’ But oh dear,
the term ‘Western’ derives from the notion
of the Western church and the Eastern
Scripture begins and ends with Christ
By Ryan Bond
I
have undergone something of a conver-
sion in regards to preaching. In too
many sermons – especially sermons
from the Old Testament – Jesus is given just
a passing mention.
That is not good enough. We need to
preach Christ as the centre of the Christian
message, and the means by which we can
be right with God, whatever part of the
Bible we happen to be preaching from.
 Jesus himself explained that Moses
wrote about him (John 5:46) and that, in
fact, all the Scriptures point to him and are
fulfilled in him (Luke 24:27, 44). In the first
Christian sermon, Peter quotes from Joel
and the Psalms to testify about Christ; later
Paul reminds his young charge, Timothy,
“from childhood you have known the
sacred writings [the Old Testament] that are
able to instruct you for salvation through
faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).
The place of prophecy in Baptist churches
Part two in a series by Maurice Atkinson
Providing the opportunity for
spontaneity “If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or
“I
would like every one of you to
speak in tongues, but I would
rather have you prophesy. He
who prophesies is greater than one who
speaks in tongues, unless he interprets,
so that the church may be edified” (1
Corinthians 14:5).
“Therefore, my brothers, be eager to
prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in
tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:39).
My impression in reading chapter 14 of
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church is
that their worship services were more than
interesting. It sounds like there was a hulla-
baloo of tongues and people shouting each
other down with prophecies. Paul attempts
to bring balance to church services that
ranged from fleshly to almost profane.
I have not been in a single Baptist church
[ OPINION ]
church, so we can’t have that either!
What about the Greenwich calendar,
then? Greenwich Mean Time is nice and
neutral, though it does smack a little of the
colonial Empire and the French were never
happy about it.
There is a little problem in the fact that
the people who set up the Greenwich
Observatory in 1675 AD were Christians.
Oh, and they were closely linked to all
those Christians who founded the Royal
Society and established the modern scien-
tific revolution – Newton, Hooke, Halley
and their contemporaries. The Aussies
should also abandon modern science in
their curriculum because its very roots
are steeped in Christian institutions and
philosophy.
We could go on about democracy,
human rights and our modern under-
standing of individual freedom – all
products of a Christian world view. We
could black-list Bach’s music, all dedicated
“to the glory of God.”
This of course is all nonsense. Units of
time may be in seconds, a truly neutral
term, but most units in science are
named after notable individuals: Watt,
Ohm, Ampere, Henry, Farad, Tesla,
 If we see the Bible as primarily about
us – as suggested in the acronym B.I.B.L.E.,
Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth –
then we tend to study the text not for what
it reveals about God, but for the ethical
instructions it gives.
But the relationship between humanity
and God is defined not by our ability to
keep the rules but by Christ, who lived a
righteous life for us. We need to see the
Bible primarily as a revelation of God,
seen most clearly through Christ. The life,
death, resurrection and ascension of Christ
is the central and most important event in
salvation history, and we need to see other
salvation events in light of the Christ event.
As N.T. Wright says, we need to ask
“what time is it?” He means: where does
the text we are looking at fit into God’s
divine plan of salvation?
If we teach from an Old Testament text
and apply it to listeners’ lives without
taking into account how that text points
where this passage would even remotely
apply. But, strangely, we are fearful that if
we relax just for a moment chaos will reign.
at the most three – should speak, one at a
time, and someone must interpret. If there
is no interpreter, the speaker should keep
quiet in the church and speak to himself
and God” (1 Corinthians 14:27-28).
If you are addressing the church it must
be interpreted. If you are speaking to God,
he is not hard of hearing. As leaders, if
we want our church to have spiritual gifts
then we must give people permission to be
expressive, make space in the service, trust
our people and teach our way through.
“Two or three prophets should speak,
and the others should weigh carefully what
is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29).
It is all about Jesus and revealing him,
not about you and your right to be heard.
There will be excesses but, being Baptists,
they will mostly be mild. We need to
To banish AD and BC from our schools
would be modern day book burning – the sort
of thing that totalitarian communist states
attempted throughout the 20th century.
Gauss, Oersted, Joule, Newton, Pascal,
Boltzmann, Planck and so on. This has not
been without its critics because these are
all white, male, European! Nonetheless
we remain sensible and see the merits of
retaining these terms and, in so doing,
honouring those who contributed to the
advance of knowledge.
While these individuals did indeed push
back the frontiers of knowledge, not one
was indispensable. But without Jesus there
would be no Christianity and everything
that has followed from it. Whatever your
religious beliefs, of all people across the
past two millennia Jesus is surely the most
notable in terms of his impact on the course
of history, on ethics, culture and on religion.
To this we can add his indirect impact
on philosophy, science and democratic
freedoms. If we can reference our various
to Christ, the author and perfecter of
our faith, we effectively deny his role as
mediator between humanity and God.
 When we read how God rescued the
Israelites out of Egypt in the Passover story,
it is hard not to think forward to Christ. He
was the requisite sacrificial lamb without
defect; it was his blood smeared so that those
under it could live. He was the firstborn of
God, who thousands of years later came to
earth, lived the life we couldn’t live, and
died the death we should have died.
 Christ is the true King the Israelites
were hoping for, the better Jonah who
spent three days in a dark tomb so that
others could live, the one who has fulfilled
every commandment for us, the true
temple where we now find intimate access
to God, the true priest whose sacrifice is
eternal, and the greater son of David who
fought and won the ultimate battle over
sin and death. Christ is the fulfilment of
the whole Bible, and the means of our
encourage those gifted to step out.
Paul finishes the chapter by saying,
“But everything should be done in a fitting
and orderly way.” I believe this means we
should prayerfully plan our services but
be flexible enough for God to redirect us
at any time. If God never deviates from
your plan, you could be controlling the
service and your fears and insecurities are
defeating you.
Bringing Order
Most Baptist churches in New Zealand
would accept that the gifts of the Spirit
operate today and the correct operation
is desirable for the Church’s health and
benefit. The problem when you make space
in your services for the gifts to function is
that there is also the potential for fleshly
or, worse, demonic imitations of the Holy
Spirit’s work. The way to avoid error is to
teach truth from the scriptures, then the
church is equipped to correct itself.
NZ Baptist | November 2011
measures to notable individuals whose
contribution is not uniquely pivotal to
science, we can surely reference our time
to one who has been truly unique in his
contribution to the world as we know it.
To banish AD and BC from our schools
would be modern day book burning – the
sort of thing that totalitarian communist
states attempted throughout the 20th
century.
We seem hell-bent on denying our
spiritual and cultural heritage. Fortunately
the focal role of Christian faith in Maori and
Pacifika culture, and in some of our immi-
grant communities, serves as a buffer. It may
yet rescue us from the PC de-Christianising
of our national life and institutions.
• Dr Jeff Tallon is a physicist specialising in the
field of superconductivity.
salvation.
In Acts 28, Paul had recently arrived in
Rome, and was under house arrest. Verses
23 and following record how he spent his
time: he told people about the Kingdom of
God and “taught them about Jesus from
the Scriptures – from the five books of
Moses and the books of the Prophets.”
If you’re a preacher, are you teaching
people about our wonderful Saviour no
matter where you’re preaching from in the
Bible?
• Ryan Bond is a recent graduate of Carey
Baptist College and pastor of Albany Baptist
Church in Auckland.
For more information on Christ-centred
preaching, see “Preaching the Whole Bible as
Christian Scripture” by Graeme Goldsworthy,
and the lecture series by Tim Keller entitled
“Preaching Christ in a Post-Modern World.”
There is a host of other information online
at thegospelcoalition.org/preaching-christ.
Disorder in a church service is when
the flesh and fleshly motives dominate
under the guise of spirituality. The base
sin of humankind is to be like God, to be
elevated above others. The gifts of the
Spirit, or the imitation of them, present a
great temptation to take the opportunity to
be somebody.
This is the hard part. Leaders have to be
prepared to speak to people at some stage
to help them and to help the church – for
example, the dear brother who jumps at the
opportunity to pray long prayers for every
missionary since William Carey, leaving
the service feeling like a spiritual swamp.
Or the sister who has the same “prophecy”
every week or tries to direct the church,
preach a mini-sermon, or bring correction.
If you speak out in public you must
be open to be taught or corrected by the
leaders. That protects everyone.
Maurice Atkinson is pastor of Oxford
Baptist Church

NATIONAL LEADER
Rodney Macann
F
or this, my final report
to you as National
Leader of our move-
ment of churches, I
want you to fill in the
dots. I hope the reason will be clear as we
travel through.
First, let me say what a great privilege
it has been to endeavour to fulfill the role
you gave me five years ago. I have led a
life rich and varied in opportunity and I
doubt that five years ago, as I faced up to
the challenges of the future I would have
been thinking, “The best is yet to come.”
But that has been my experience. In no part
of my working life have I experienced a
greater sense of purpose and fulfillment.
It has also contained the greatest chal-
lenges and, at times, real heartache, but
that is the reality of this journey we are on
with Jesus. So thank you.
I want to pay tribute to outstanding
colleagues, a wonderful wife and an excep-
tional PA, all of whom have given me more
freedom and support than I’ve deserved.
From a great team, I want to single
out two. Kelvyn Fairhall, our National
Administrator, announced recently that he
will conclude his role in April 2012. There
will be appropriate tributes later but I
find it hard to imagine anyone who could
have carried out Kelvyn’s role with more
resourcefulness, skill and simple dedica-
tion to his Saviour.
Lindsay Jones has accepted the role of
Team Leader at the Auckland Tabernacle,
being commissioned on November 27.
He will continue serving us nationally for
two days a week. Lindsay has served our
movement for more than a decade in two
of the most responsible and demanding
national positions. I had the privilege
of serving with him when he was the
National Consultant and, at a time when
it was important for us as a movement to
find new vigour and direction, his contri-
bution was immense. It has continued to
be significant. Many of our churches have
been blessed by his skill and dedication.
On with the dots. So where do we find
ourselves, as followers of Jesus called
Baptist, at this moment in time? We are
part of a world-wide family of more than
100 million people, 16 million more if you
include the Southern Baptists. This makes
us the largest Protestant movement of
churches world-wide. We are also one of
the fastest growing church movements.
However, when it comes to growth there
are two very distinct worlds – the affluent
First World countries where growth is
either slow or nonexistent, and the poorer
Not unlike the early
church, through
tragedy and hardship
the church has had an
opportunity to serve
and demonstrate the
remarkable love of
Jesus Christ.
countries of the Two-Thirds World where
growth is rapid. Jesus had pointed words
concerning the difficulty of those with
material wealth engaging with disciple-
ship. This is amply borne out by 21st
century statistical evidence.
In New Zealand, in terms of church
attendance, we are one of the largest
churches. We went through a period of
strong growth through the 1980s and ‘90s
when other denominations were in serious
decline. We have outstanding youth work,
being the largest providers of child care
outside of government. This has an effect
on our age demographics, which are close
to that of our nation.
Almost more important than the stats:
How do we view ourselves, and how do
those who are not Baptist or Christian
view us? When I was a young person, to
be Baptist was to be on the fringes of the
church scene in New Zealand – albeit a
vigorous, evangelical fringe.
Today, because of our growth, age
demographic and the decline of the other
mainstream churches, plus the growth
of the Pentecostal churches and the
growth of a new orthodoxy of belief, we
find ourselves at the centre of the church
spectrum.
For me, over the past 5 years, this has
meant occupying a privileged position. I
have strong relationships with the leaders
of the older denominations on the one
hand and the Pentecostal churches on the
other. This gives the opportunity to speak
into that group of leaders and also speak
to the some of the powers in the land, most
notably those in government.
When I became National Leader, Ron
Syder had recently published his book The
Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience. This
was a scathing indictment of the lifestyle of
Evangelical Christians in the USA, essen-
tially stating that there was no statistical
difference between Christians and those
who had no faith when it came to adultery,
ANNUAL REPORT
greed etc. New Zealand may not be quite
the same, but in the wake of the Graeme
Capill sex abuse conviction we were asking
serious questions of ourselves and felt that
many had a low regard for Christians.
Over the past five years, I believe much
has changed. Not unlike the early church,
through tragedy and hardship the church
has had an opportunity to serve and
demonstrate the remarkable love of Jesus
Christ.
At least three events have spoken
strongly to New Zealanders.
On Saturday, April 19, 2008 the front
page of the Auckland Weekend Herald said
in huge print – “Braced on a ledge in the
swollen Mangatepopo River, teacher Tony
McClean tied himself to the last teenager, a
disabled boy, and they let go.”
Tony, a Baptist youth pastor, died with
Tom, the boy he was tied to, and became
a national hero. The Christian families,
who had lost so much, showed wonderful
grace, love and courage. It was a powerful
testimony.
A short time later, Austin Hemmings,
another Christian, went to the rescue of
a woman in central Auckland and was
stabbed to death.
Then, over the past year, we have
been rocked by tragedy with the Pike
River disaster and the Canterbury earth-
quakes. The churches have responded
magnificently.
Last year, our comprehensive annual
stats made clear there has been a consid-
erable increase in engagement with our
communities. This has grown steadily at a
time when the numbers of those attending
our churches has been, at best, static,
although we had seen an increase in the
number of those being baptized.
So what does this tell us?
• First, that it is a time of opportunity.
We have credible relationship with those
who are not followers of Jesus. A founda-
tion has been laid. We are in a different
place than we were five years ago.
• Second, the challenge is huge – to
see those who we engage with become
followers of Jesus. God’s activity through
the Holy Spirit plays the dominant part in
that, but he has called us to partner with
him. We must continue to lay the founda-
tions and be sensitive to opportunities to
witness to God’s saving activity through
Jesus. Murray Robertson is a gift to us as he
goes about reminding us of the synergy of
word, sign and deed. Let’s hold on to that.
• Third, we’ve been brought together
through some tragedies but we are simply
not prepared to love each other in the way
that we should. One of our internal trage-
dies is that there is too much dispute in our
churches. Sometimes this can be blamed on
poor leadership, but there are times when
it is simply arrogant, sinful behaviour. We
need a front door that welcomes but we
need to close the back door where we lose
too many people. This can also be due to
the rampant consumerism that convinces
us that church is all about giving ‘me’
everything I want and need. Jesus has a
different slant on discipleship.
Three texts, then it’s up to you to fill in
the dots by having a good hard look at
your own church and your own life. The
tough thing about the Bible is that it’s not
written for that other person, who it seems
to point to so well, but me!
• John 17:21,23 (Words of Jesus) “I pray
that they will all be one, just as you and
I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I
am in you. And may they be in us so that
the world will believe you sent me. May
they experience such perfect unity that the
world will know you sent me and that you
love them as much as you love me.”
• Acts 2:46-47 “They worshipped
together at the temple each day, met in
homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared
their meals with great joy and generosity –
all the while praising God and enjoying the
goodwill of all people. And each day the
Lord added to their fellowship those who
were being saved.”
• Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the
crowds, he had compassion on them
because they were confused and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd. He said to
his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the
workers are few. So pray to the Lord who
is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send
more workers into his fields.”
May the Lord bless you, encourage you
and partner with you.
NZBMS
Peter Mihaere, General Director
E
ach year, in summa-
rising the activities
and ministry of the
New Zealand Baptist
Missionary Society
(NZBMS), I choose a few key words to help
me. This year I’ve chosen clarity and
collaboration.
Clarity
Following last year’s Assembly and the
launch of MISSION WORLD, 2011 has
been a year of redefinition and seeking to
bring greater clarity to who we are and
what we’re all about.
12
At our annual team planning week last
December, we gave ourselves permission
to refer to 2011 as our “year of confu-
sion.” While still coming to grips with the
changes that the formation of MISSION
WORLD brought, we recognised the need
to develop a clear understanding of what
our message is and how we communicate
who we are and why we exist to the Baptist
movement.
This has included reintroducing the
name NZBMS. We recognised the need
to re-envision what NZBMS stands for
and have done that by giving NZBMS a
facelift and a new slogan, “New Zealand
Baptists Reaching the World,” to provide
an overarching cover for the four entities
that make up NZBMS. We launched this
new umbrella brand at January’s Parachute
Music Festival.
NZBMS, or New Zealand Baptists
Reaching the World, has four entities:
tranzsend, our collective mission ministry
and sending agency; BANZAid, our aid
and development agency; Marketplacers
International Ltd (MPIL) our commercial
enterprise; and MISSION WORLD, our
collaborative and resourcing entity.
Each of these entities is a significant
Baptist ministry contributing to the
NZBMS mandate of enabling New Zealand
Baptists to reach the world wherever in the
world God may direct.
I should correct something from last
year’s Annual Report. Referring to the
launch of MISSION WORLD, I said, “The
name of this new initiative will become the
new trading name of NZBMS.” As greater
clarity has formed it’s now clear that that
is not so. MISSION WORLD is one of the
four entities that make up NZBMS.
Another point of change has been
the strategic realigning of our commu-
nication publication within the Baptist
magazine. What was Mission Matters
(primarily focused on tranzsend work)
and Commission Matters (focused on other
Baptist work overseas) has become World
Reach.
This year of clarification has been chal-
lenging with much time spent discussing
where to use what term, which part of
us leads which event, how do we answer
the phones, etc. These might seem to be
trivial matters but they become incredibly
important as we try to create a message
and identity we can all understand and
support.
One of the most productive things we’ve
done this year in clarifying the work and
direction of NZBMS has been to answer
the question many of you asked, “So, how
does it all work?” It’s great to have the
opprotunity to explain it and have people
respond with, “Ah, now it makes sense!”
So, if you’re wondering how it all works,
please ask.
Collaboration
Those who attended Assembly last
year may remember the moving launch of
MISSION WORLD. The positive feedback
was instant and many later commented
that, long term, this has the potential to
significantly affect not just Baptists but
how all New Zealand Christians think
about our individual and collective call to
world mission.
The key is collaboration.
In 2010 Neil Perry and I held 52 consul-
tation meetings throughout the country.
One of the strongest messages we heard
was, “Mission agencies should work
together more.” It’s not simple to rectify
that situation but we can at least try.
One of the most profound aspects of
MISSION WORLD, an entity of NZBMS,
is the strategic partnerships we’ve formed
with other mission agencies and our collab-
orative discussions and activities. We’re
working closer together and it’s making a
[ ANNUAL REPORT ]
difference – not to each partner organisa-
tions per se, but to those New Zealand
Baptists who are seeking to understand
God’s overseas mission call on their lives.
Here’s how it worked for Mels. Mels’
home church is Palmerston North Central
Baptist, and on December 30 she leaves for
an initial three-year term in Cambodia. Her
sending agency is Interserve.
How has MISSION WORLD assisted in the
process of exploring your call and the steps to
service for you?
“MISSION WORLD has been fantastic.
It was MISSION WORLD that I initially
contacted when thinking about mission.
They answered many of my questions
about mission. They gave me a lot to
think about in terms of going short term
or long term; suggested ways to talk
with my church about what I wanted to
do; gave me a number of organisations
to contact; and suggested different ways
I could serve overseas. After this initial
contact, they then introduced me to three
different mission organisations. After
in-depth dialogue with them I was able to
make a decision to explore applying with
Interserve.”
What advice and encouragement would you
offer to anyone thinking of short or long term
service overseas?
“Talk with MISSION WORLD. It’s great
to have someone to talk with about all
your questions and to have an outside
perspective when you’re looking at
different mission organisations. The thing
is, different mission organisations can
look very much the same at first. Having
someone who understands the ethos of the
different groups and knows what you’re
looking for is helpful. When stepping into
the unknown it’s great to have someone
who can help you ask the right questions.”
CAREY BAPTIST COLLEGE
Charles Hewlett, Principal
C
arey Baptist College is
a wonderful place to
be. In 2011 we had a
total of 336 students
enrolled, 158 equiva-
lent full time students (EFTS). We currently
have 37 students on our Pastoral
Leadership track, with 11 focusing on
youth leadership. We have 12 students
undertaking our new training course
focusing on Child and Family Ministry.
There are 50 students (13 EFTS) enrolled in
the Chinese programme, and we currently
have 12 Maori and Pacifica students.
I am keen to note three significant
highlights of the last 12 months, firstly,
in the area of funding. For a number of
years Carey has had its student numbers
capped by the government at a low,
historical figure. Not only has this created
financial pressures but we have had
significant force placed upon us to reduce
our numbers as we were over-delivering.
For many years we have been lobbying
the government to bring our funding in
line with the number of students we were
actually training. I know many of you
have been praying for us in this regard.
In November last year we, along with a
handful of other institutions, were invited
by the Tertiary Education Commission
to apply for additional funding. We were
advised on Christmas Eve that we were
one of a few successful applicants – and as
a result of this our Government funding
was increased by 40%, from 91 to 131
EFTS. This is a wonderful testimony to the
management and research skills of our staff
team, for making Carey a tertiary institu-
tion in which the government is happy to
invest.
A second highlight of the year has been
working through the process of awarding
our own post-graduate degrees including
a Master of Applied Theology. Hopefully
we will be in a position to offer this in 2012.
These advanced courses will primarily be
for part-time students involved in ministry,
mission, and the marketplace who want to
extend their knowledge and further equip
themselves. We want to be a college that
helps practitioners to be on the cutting
edge of theological thinking and research.
Thirdly, it has been exciting to
strengthen our curriculum and training
in the area of Contemporary Mission. We
believe that whether our graduates serve
within NZ or overseas it is crucial that they
have a strong global awareness and compe-
tent intercultural skills. In this regard we
have appointed Dr George Wieland to the
Auckland Mayor Len Brown, left, is
interviewed by lecturer Laurie Guy at a Carey
Baptist College student lunch.
new role of Director of Mission Research
and Training. Along with teaching, he will
give the college direction in the area of
mission research and training, and admin-
ister our Diploma in Intercultural Practice.
Other highlights include the strong
enrolments in the Certificate of Child
and Family Leadership, the teaching of
a Theology of Relief and Development
course in partnership with World Vision,
the establishment of an alumni magazine,
increased numbers of Maori and Pacifica
students, a successful “Carey goes to
Wellington” weekend, working with TSCF
Catalyst on the development of a theolog-
ical reflection programme for professionals
in the workplace, hosting a Church and the
Environment day with the Baptist Research
NZ Baptist | November 2011
Society, a staff training day with Chris Sola
at the Dream Centre, and the publishing of
Dr Laurie Guy’s significant book Shaping
Godzone.
I would like to pay tribute to Rodney
Duncan and Tim Bulkeley. Rodney is the
current Chair of the Carey Board and
steps down after 18 years of service. We
will miss Rodney – his leadership and
pastoral wisdom have significantly shaped
the college. In June 2012, Tim retires after
19 years of teaching the Old Testament.
His contribution to the College has been
substantial and he leaves a legacy of
students who are passionate about biblical
studies.
As a theological college Carey
exists to serve the Baptist denomina-
tion and to produce graduates who are
God-dependent, with the ability to under-
stand the Word and apply it to the world
that they live within – self-aware people
who are outward looking, globally aware,
and prepared to take risks. We thank
you for your support and ask that you
would continue to partner with us as we
endeavour to produce leaders and practi-
tioners who deeply love Jesus, the Bible,
the Church, and the Gospel.
NATIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
Kelvyn Fairhall
T
his has been a year
like no other in New
Zealand history, and
in which the Christian
community has had to
respond accordingly. On September 4 we
had the first of the Christchurch earth-
quakes, which have had such a huge
impact on most aspects of life in our
country. Our NZ Baptist churches
responded quickly to the needs that arose
in September and more so in February. We
were humbled by the many messages and
donations that came from our brothers and
sisters in Christ from Baptist communities
around the world.
Soon after February 22 we put a person
on the ground full-time as our Earthquake
Response Coordinator. He has been greatly
utilised and appreciated by our churches,
trans-denominationally and throughout
the wider range of government and NGO
agencies.
The total sum given for relief work via
our Baptist National Appeal is $451,500
with a lot more value in kind given by
businesses such as The Warehouse and
Contact Energy, plus $137,000 granted by
trusts and one of our regional associations
towards the coordinator’s costs. We praise
God for the release of these resources and
thank people for their generosity.
We have 21 churches in and around
Christchurch that own property plus some
trusts. Of these, two church buildings
were totally destroyed, both with Heritage
status. Six suffered significant damage, as
did one trust property. The remainder had
minor or no damage of any consequence.
This has brought increased workload to
some National Centre staff with the conse-
quent insurance claims.
Whilst our total Baptist loss is small
compared to other denominations (total
expected costs for us are just under $10m),
it has been dramatic for those congrega-
tions directly affected. It has also offered
opportunities for examining many aspects
of church life within the city for the years
ahead.
The general work of the National
Resource Centre has continued as usual
with a couple of staff changes in the admin-
istration area. I took the opportunity to
provide some seminars for church admin-
istrators alongside the pastors’ conferences
held in August.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist
UNION INCOME
INSURANCE FUND SPECIFIC DONATIONS – 9%
CONTRIBUTION – 15% $109,819
$200,000
INTEREST & LEGACIES – 13%
$169,861
UNION EXPENSES
NATIONAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – 12%
MINISTRIES – 28% $169,450
$400,938
TRAINING MINISTRIES – 17%
$250,000
Baptist Union Finances
The year has been a challenge finan-
cially as the effects of the global financial
crisis continue to be felt in the churches as
much as the general community. Hence
giving from the churches to the Union
has decreased a little and interest earn-
ings on investments remain low. At the
same time, costs always increase. With
extra involvement with Christchurch
pastors and congregations there have
been costs beyond what was originally
budgeted. The draw from the Insurance
Fund has also been reduced by $40,000
because of the increased costs in that area.
Consequently we have an operating deficit
of $130,700, which wipes out all the avail-
able remaining surpluses generated in the
previous 10 years or so.
We continue to be blessed with external
funding for The Leadership Network, and
a portion of a sizeable legacy received
for various arms of our movement was
earmarked for Children’s Ministries.
NZBMS Finances
The year has been good one in dollar
terms for NZBMS with most income
streams coming in close to or better than
budget. The large legacy mentioned above
also contributed to this area being above
budget. The one exception is general dona-
tions, which was 28.9% or $43,347 behind.
Total expenses were less than anticipated
hence there was no need to draw signifi-
cantly on reserves to achieve a zero bottom
line, and most of the legacies received have
been put aside.
The pie charts portray the various
proportions of income and expenses for
both entities.
Insurance Fund
Not a year to be repeated would be our
hope as claims have been high, and not
only because of Christchurch. Fielding
[ ANNUAL REPORT ]
CHURCH GIVING – 63%
$818,435
NATIONAL
LEADERSHIP – 34%
$480,245
NATIONAL
OFFICE – 9%
$128,186
Baptist Church was set alight twice and a
number of claims were made because of
snow damage in the South Island, along
with the usual water damage, burgla-
ries and vehicle accidents. The fund
also subsidised the charges for updated
building valuations that were required by
the underwriter so the costs to churches
were reduced significantly. This all meant
that the amount available for transfer to the
Union budget was reduced by $40,000 and
the Claims Reserve by a similar amount.
Ministers Car Fund
This was another year of reasonable
results with a surplus of $15,554, up 16.3%
on last year. Currently there are 36 loans
averaging just under $5000 each and plenty
of cash available that would allow for a
further 75 loans at a similar level.
This is the 17th and last Annual
Financial Report with which I will be
involved as I am retiring at the end of April
2012.
 
CHURCH HEALTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
Lindsay Jones
H
ow quickly 10 years
have passed in this
role. I am immensely
grateful for the
opportunity to have
served with the National Centre staff and
under Rodney Macann’s leadership. Now
there is change for Rodney and Kelvyn and
myself. This November I shift into the
senior pastor role of the Auckland
Tabernacle (60%) and my involvement in
this current role reduces to 40%. It will be
up to Craig Vernall, the incoming National
Leader, to determine what is needed in
those areas of the role that I will no longer
carry.
NZBMS INCOME
BANZAID OTHER FUNDING INCOME – 11%
INCOME – 23% $302,486
$659,364
INTEREST
2%
$65,639 SELF DENIAL APPEAL – 18%
$506,852
BMF DONATIONS MISSION BOXES &
2% CHRISTMAS APPEAL – 3%
$55,813 $79,756
NZBMS EXPENSES
FUNDING (NET) – 39%
$1,027,351
RESOURCING – 10%
$277,606
Church Assessments
Church assessment weekends have
been undertaken at Franklin, Cambridge,
Wanganui and Palmerston North Central.
Oxford Terrace is coming up in November.
I continue to be surprised at the signifi-
cance of these involvements – both the
willingness of churches to enter this
process and the outcomes as churches
grapple with new seasons of vision,
mission and ministry.
Church Conflict
Sadly each year unfolds examples of
conflict within our churches. The demands
of leadership today are high; the makeup
of our churches is mixed in terms of
people’s backgrounds and expectations;
some individuals simply display bad
behaviour and lack Christian love and
maturity. Some of the recent examples I
have attended to involve larger churches
where communication and relationship
skills have not been adequate.
Training and Resourcing
I have continued to be on the interde-
nominational committee for the five-yearly
Church Life Survey, along with our
researcher Lynne Taylor. This will be
undertaken in as many of our churches
as possible during November. I am also
the Baptist Union rep on CViC (churches
volunteering in communities). This
support and training vehicle for ‘commu-
nity link’ persons is being launched.
Church Planting
I am part of the working group plan-
ning to deliver the support, resources and
training offered by Fresh Expressions.
The most significant aspect of that is
the one-year Mission Shaped Ministry
training course to be offered in Wellington,
Christchurch and Auckland beginning in
13
TEAM SUPPORT – 31%
$883,289
DONATIONS (INCL. LEGACIES
& OTHER INCOME) – 10%
$286,940
SENDING – 2%
$56,438
SERVING – 49%
$1,300,386
2012. It is exciting to see new faith ventures
emerging.
Transitional Ministry
New Plymouth Central is our only
current Transitional Ministry church
context with Martien Kelderman as
Transitional Pastor there since January.
Christchurch Earthquake
The February 22 earthquake came with
devastating effect. The lives of tens of
thousands of people will never be the same
again. All of our churches in the region
have been affected in some way, those on
the east side and Kaiapoi in particular. We
were able to respond quickly and the avail-
ability and the appointment of William
Drury-Turnbull was a real gift from God.
Paul Askin, Mike Dodge, John Alpe and I
act as oversight for William and his team.
The churches responded magnificently
with teams of people, finance and other
practical means. Even now, 12 teams are
ready to be mobilised from around the
country within a 24 hour period, should
another major quake strike. William has
become a key figure in the wider scene
there with the churches, the council and
CERA.
EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE
COORDINATOR
William Drury-Turnbull
T
he September 4, 2010
earthquake, magni-
tude 7.1, affected
Christchurch resi-
dents’ lives forever.
Thankful that no lives were lost, we began
to move forward until that fateful day –
February 22, 2011. The 6.3 magnitude
earthquake devastated many people’s
lives; 182 people died and many waited in
14
Pastor Tony Blackie stands on the ruins of the Beckenham Baptist Church building.
silent vigil, hoping by some miracle their
loved ones were alive.
Since I arrived in this role, life has been
one of soul searching and waiting on
God for guidance. It became very clear
that Christchurch residents were going
to struggle over the winter. We wanted
to resource our churches with cabinet gas
heaters, gas bottles, snuggle sacks, blan-
kets, knitting and other practical items so
that they in turn could minister to their
communities.
The refill gas bottle system allows
ongoing ministry opportunities by keeping
in touch with the recipients. God’s favour
exceeded $500,000.
There continues to be considerable
uncertainty and anxiety in people’s lives.
Every time an aftershock occurs (8676 to
date), we wait – is this another big one?
And then life returns to normal, until the
next time.
In the midst of all this, the church
has been active in serving and meeting
people’s needs. The army of God has
risen to the occasion time after time. There
are many individuals and congregations
around New Zealand who we owe a debt
of gratitude for hearing the voice of God
and responding in so many ways. You
opened your hearts to us and have loved
us, and we will never forget this.
My thanks goes to the EQ response
team: Liz and Jason Longworth, Wendy
Green, pastors, Strengthening Community
coordinators and many volunteers.
We will need long-term support as
our journey will take us to 2020, and we
pray that out of the ashes of our lives and
communities, Christchurch will be a place
that represent our namesake – Christ’s
Church.
[ ANNUAL REPORT ]
PASTOR HEALTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
Grahame Walker
S
adly, 2011 started with
another earthquake in
Christchurch.
Unfortunately this
time it was far more
devastating. I was part of the national team
response and the ongoing support in
Canterbury, particularly focusing on our
pastors. In a number of cases, churches and
pastors homes were both hit hard.
However, unlike other residents pastors
did not have the option to leave town.
They had a local church to care for.
In the first month, national team
members were in Canterbury every week.
In the middle of March I took a small team
to Christchurch to ensure that every pastor
had been personally visited. Out of these
visits came some longer term planning on
how best to serve our pastors and churches.
The response from Baptist churches around
New Zealand was awe-inspiring. Funds
poured in and many churches took teams
south to help in any way they could.
The establishment of an earthquake
coordinator meant we could support
more local initiatives on the ground in
Canterbury relatively quickly. It became
apparent that, for our pastors and
churches, the journey forward was going to
be a long one. I have huge admiration for
our pastors who found themselves leading
in unprecedented circumstances.
Pastors’ Clusters
Pastors’ clusters continue to be well
supported and many travel great distances
to attend their nearest cluster group. I
attended a few meetings this year and was
encouraged by the collegiality.
Registration
The new Baptist pastors, chaplains and
missional leaders registration system was
launched on April 4. Registration is now
required if you want to be on our marriage
celebrant’s list.
Pastors’ Orientation Course
Twenty-one pastors attended this
year’s orientation course. We heard from
a number of the national team explaining
their roles and how they could resource
them in their ministry. One pastor in
particular, who is new to our movement,
was surprised by the kind of support he
could get from the national team.
Pastors’ Conferences
Once again, pastors’ conferences were
held all around New Zealand. Going by
the participants’ feedback forms, they
were really appreciated. As a result of the
feedback we will make a few changes to
next year’s conferences but generally they
were well received. My thanks to all who
contributed to their success.
Carey Baptist College
Once again I was involved with the
Ministry Development course. This started
with Carey’s Church and the Environment
day and concluded with a retreat led by
Brian Smith. I am constantly encouraged
by the standard of pastoral leadership
students that come through Carey Baptist
College.
Bruce Gibbs
Bruce offers counsel and advice to many
of our pastors who find themselves in
transition. Bruce has spent regular time in
Christchurch and around New Zealand.
His ministry is well received wherever he
goes.
My thanks to all the pastoral search
consultants and cluster group leaders
around New Zealand. Finally, thanks to
Linda Grigg who is my GPS, I would be
lost without her.
BAPTIST YOUTH MINISTRIES
NATIONAL LEADER
Merrilyn Withers
Y
outh ministry in
Baptist churches in
NZ continues to be
exhilarating, fulfilling,
life-changing, and
challenging. The heartbeat of youth
ministry occurs on the ground in local
churches, but this is ably supported and
resourced by ongoing regional and
national programmes, new initiatives and
personnel. Currently National BYM has
two full time staff (Merrilyn Withers and
Gary Grut), and our regions are served by
six full or part-time consultants and
coaches in Auckland/Northland, Bay of
Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury, and
Otago/Southland.
Highlights of the year include the
ongoing growth and effectiveness of
regular programmes such as Easter camps,
Xtend youth conferences, intermediate
and young adult camps, and leadership
training weekends (Queen’s Birthday
North Island and Southern Youth Leaders
Training South Island).
BYM continues to partner effectively
with Carey, YouthTrain and 24:7 in devel-
oping leaders and impacting young people
in our schools and communities.
In addition, new initiatives have begun
NZ Baptist | November 2011
Our strategy for the
future is centred around
leadership development
and support, the
successful integration
of young people into
churches, effective
discipling, and a strong
commitment to mission
and evangelism.
this year such as the national launch
of Grassroots (a leadership training
programme for teens developed by
Gary Grut), a trip by youth pastors to
Queensland for a national youth confer-
ence, the development of leadership
training days for those in Years 9-12 at
college (Grow), the relaunching of Do
teams to the Pacific in 2012 with the part-
nership between tranzsend/Mission World
and BYM, and the piloting of an online
mentoring programme in association with
Frontline Solutions (developed by Doug
Cowie).
At a regional level, it is great to see
camps, leadership training events,
combined services, regular networking
meetings with youth pastors and interns,
mentoring services, and ongoing consul-
tancy, in addition to the weekly great
work being carried out by our local youth
pastors and volunteers.
As BYM, we are committed to devel-
oping long-term followers of Christ. Our
strategy for the future is centred around
leadership development and support, the
successful integration of young people into
churches, effective discipling, and a strong
commitment to mission and evangelism.
Our goals and approach all seek to effec-
tively serve these aims in some way, such
as the strategic development of a leader-
ship track that begins with training young
teens and continues through various levels
of experience up to the youth pastoral
leadership track at Carey.
We also are committed to wrestling with
the theology of youth ministry, and the
issues and implications that our learning
has for the way in which we serve, chal-
lenge and teach young people.
We give thanks to God for the great
things that have happened in youth
ministry this year – for the lives forever
changed, for the work and commitment of
thousands of volunteers who give freely
and willingly to serve the youth of this
nation, and for the support of our churches.
We live in an age where there are many
challenges, but we remain excited about
the future and appreciate your prayers and
support as we face it with confidence and
commitment.
CHILDREN AND FAMILY
MINISTRIES
Karen Warner
2
011 has been a year of
change – change in
the national leader-
ship team, with Karen
Warner coming in as
National Team Leader and Grant Warner
as National Advisor. It has also seen a
change in our strategic focus, with Grant’s
employment giving us a greater emphasis
on ministry to families and what this could
look like in the future. Both appointments
are part-time.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist [ ANNUAL REPORT ] 15

Our National Executive has continued

to give strong leadership and direction.
We also farewelled Paul Young from the
Two of our ethnic/multicultural pastors
passed away to be with their Lord during
school education consultant, also resigned.
Her experience, knowledge and passion BAPTIST SAVINGS
this past year. The first was Bethel Hui of were much appreciated. John Smeaton

Executive after 7 years of faithful service
and strategic guidance. Paul’s influence
has been far-reaching and will be greatly
missed.
It is with a sense of anticipation that we
approach this year’s Gathering with the
strong emphasis on children, youth and
family and the importance of the church
nurturing its people to pass on faith at
home. We have been encouraging churches
to look at ways that they can partner with
parents to see future generations following
Christ.
We have also had an emphasis on part-
nering with youth leadership to facilitate
‘same end in mind’ thinking. Partnership
has become a catch phrase – partner-
Epsom Chinese congregation in Auckland
and Mark Lau Young of Hosanna World
Outreach Centre in Taita. Both were greatly
loved pastors and are very much missed.
Once again I travelled around much
of NZ to meet all the pastors of ethnic
churches and some multicultural churches.
This is always a rewarding experience and
a joy to be involved in ministry in these
churches on a Sunday.
BAPTIST MAORI MINISTRIES
KAIHAUTU
David Moko
The Tindall Foundation renewed
our Funding Manager relationship in
November 2010 for another three years.
This year it gave the Baptist Union more
than $267,000 for community ministries
and Christchurch earthquake response
projects. We appreciate the foundation’s
generosity and trust to distribute funds on
its behalf.
We are also thankful to the ASB
Community Trust, which gave $50,000 in
August for 14 food banks in Auckland and
Northland.
Almost 100 delegates attended the
Upturn conference, which proved a
valuable time of sharing, learning and
networking. The plenary speakers were
A
s I mentioned last
year our new website
is up and running
and I hope you have
all visited us at www.
baptistsavings.co.nz. The reports we get
showing the number of hits and time spent
at the site has been very encouraging.
Nineteen Baptist churches and organisa-
tions (as listed) benefited from loans this
year totalling $6.5M. Deposits initially fell
following two significant projects seeing
large withdrawals but over the last 3
months we have seen a net increase and
with the momentum at present
Community of Refuge Trust expect to

ships within the church and between the
church and community. To this end we will
foster a closer relationship with Baptist
Community Ministries.
Our regional coaching team, grate-
fully financed by regional associations,
continues to provide support and
resourcing through cluster groups and
consultancy. Their focus is to facilitate
excellence in ministry to children and
families both in the church and in the
community. We hope to expand this team
to some regions not covered: Bay of Plenty,
Waikato and Otago/Southland.
Carey Baptist College has offered a new
combo of courses designed to provide both
theological and sociological foundations to
those working with children and families.
Twenty people from around the country
have taken up the opportunity to study
through practical field education and a
block course.
Next year Professor Scottie May from
Wheaton College, USA, is coming to teach
on ministry to children. We are praying for
30 to 40 people to undertake this course.
Please continue to pray for us as we
seek to equip, train, mentor and resource
our churches – every church, every family,
every child.
A
ugust 2011 was the
start of my fourth
year in the role as
Kaihautu for Baptist
Maori Ministries. As I
reflected from archives and heard from
various people the early stories of Baptists
reaching out to Maori, it seemed fitting to
host an event that honoured our pioneers
back in March. Their inspiration to witness
to Maori is why this department continues
to exist. Today the gospel communicated in
a Kaupapa Maori culturally based way is
not only appropriate but more insightful
for Maori.
I’m not just talking about a few worship
songs translated into te reo Maori that we
learn to sing, and we all start doing flash
mob haka (although that would be cool).
What I’m referring to comes from what I
hear frequently from pastors who say that
their church is either in a largely Maori-
populated community or close to one, yet
no Maori or very few are represented in the
church. How can that change?
At the risk of being totally misunder-
stood or never being contacted again, I say
– if you authentically want change, then
it’s going to cost you, your leadership team
and congregation a massive paradigm
exceed $60M again soon.
Dr Laurie Guy from Carey Baptist College Our biggest change this year was
and Kathryn Berkett from Brainwave employing previous Board Member
Trust. Laurie talked about the concept of Andrew L’Almont as a Business
‘one in Christ’ versus the practical reality Development Manager. He is already
of inequality and prejudice. Kathryn a regular on Radio Rhema on Tuesday
explained infant neurological development afternoons. He has been to the pastors’
and how experiences, both good and bad, conferences and cluster groups and has
shape the brain. so far had an excellent response to his
The importance of early interven- Financial Health Check seminar proposal.
tion in children’s and families’ lives was Next year marks our 50th anniversary
behind our production this year of a DVD, and we plan to celebrate this with a range
provided free to Baptist early childhood of special events and promotions, so keep a
centres. The Early Intervention/Building lookout for them.
Bridges DVD encouraged these ministries Of course the usual “thank you” to our
to build intentionally on their existing loyal band of investors, without whom
relationships with families. we would not be celebrating our 50th
We are aware of an increasing focus anniversary.
within many churches on serving their 2011 2010
communities through effective ministries
and partnerships. Our Baptist statistics Deposits $58.55M $59.86M
identify a 17% growth in people coming Loans $45.29M $40.50M
into church life through community activi- Loans approved $6.52M $14.63M
ties during 2006-2010.
Operating surplus $407,913 $696,755
Total Assets $64.31M $65.06M
NEW ZEALAND BAPTIST Total liabilities
Equity
$59.40M
$4.90M
$60.58M
$4.48M
WOMEN
Anne MacCarthy Loans approved:

N
shift. It’s not so daunting as it may seem. ew Zealand Baptist
Morrinsville Baptist Church
It can be done gradually, with consistency Women and
MULTICULTURAL MINISTRIES through sustainable measures.
There are a number of Baptist churches
BWUSWP invited a
team from the Fijian
Remuera Baptist Church
Oxford Baptist Church
Alan Utting

T
he title of David
Boyd’s book You Don’t
Have to Cross the Ocean
to Reach the World
speaks volumes on the
changing face of NZ landscape today. This is
not to minimize the need for overseas
ministries, but is pointing out the impor-
tance of ministering cross-culturally within
NZ. Whereas in times past we had clear
defining boundaries for ethnic work, now
integration is providing a new way of doing
ministry. Many of the following churches are
ethnic in style while others are becoming
highly multicultural in their makeup.
Experimenting with multicultural
models of churches is a journey many
churches are undertaking. A number of
Kiwi congregations around NZ are asking,
“What does it mean to be a multicultural
church?” If there is sufficient interest I
would like to hold a seminar to explore this
engaging this way. While our desire is to
strengthen people of faith communities, we
understand that faith and community are
interconnected. Cultural specific evange-
lism is therefore an important outcome of
our work.
At the Gathering this year we will affirm
a new Baptist Maori Ministries structure
that I believe will serve us well into the
future. This structure will enable us to
leverage from the innovative potential
of Maori communities, the language,
knowledge, culture, identity, experience,
resources, and assets that are an extraordi-
nary and distinctive dimension of our NZ
society (including the church), its culture
and economy.
Nga manaakitanga, blessings.
COMMUNITY MINISTRIES
Linda Grigg, Administrator
Baptist Women here Wanganui Central Baptist Church
for three meetings in May in Tauranga, Dream Centre Manukau
Rotorua and Auckland. Initially we hoped Long Bay Baptist Church
to have a meeting in Christchurch too, but
Windsor Park Baptist Church
our contact there, prior to the severe
Levin Baptist Church
February earthquake, felt at that stage it
would have been too difficult. Our brothers Doubtless Bay Christian Centre
and sisters in Canterbury have been in our Roslyn Baptist Church
prayers all of this year. Hokowhitu Baptist Church
Amelia Gavidi and her team presented Blenheim Baptist Church
musical items and drama that highlighted Cornerstone Baptist Church
their ministry in prisons and to prisoners’
Glenroy Camp
families in Suva. We sent a large gift of
Orewa Baptist Church
clothing for the young children who they
visit, from the women who attended. Archer Memorial Home
We were delighted to have, along with a Corstorphine Baptist Community Trust
number of speakers, our Baptist Union Liberty Christian Church
President, Lyn Campbell QSM, share in our
Auckland meeting.
We have continued to send suitcases
of knitting to Papua New Guinea for the LEADERSHIP NETWORK
babies who are born in the birthing huts
DIRECTOR

T
that we have financially supported.
issue along with other vexing questions his year brought We celebrated the Baptist Women’s Day Murray Robertson

next year.
Auckland region: 8 Korean, 9 Chinese,
1 Russian, 1 Filipino, 9 Samoan, 1 Indian,
1 international church
Whangarei: 1 Chinese
Hamilton: 1 Korean
Napier: 1 Chinese
Dannevirke: 1 multicultural
Palmerston North: 1 Chinese
Wellington: 2 Chinese, 3 Samoan
Christchurch: 1 Samoan, 3 Korean,
1 Cambodian, 1 Filipino
Masterton: 1 multicultural
National total: 47
significant change to
Baptist Community
Ministries. Nettie
Holm resigned as
national Team Leader. In her role, Nettie
raised the profile of community ministries
within the Baptist movement. She passion-
ately championed social justice issues and
for closer connections between churches
and their community ministries. She
remains our representative on the New
Zealand Council of Christian Social
Services.
Viki Johnson, our long-serving pre-
T
of Prayer in October. We wish to thank the
his year a number of
Union office for sending out our programs
initiatives that were
and invitations with Coffee Break, and
pioneered last year
supporting our work. Along with meetings
have grown and
in Auckland, we are looking forward to
developed. The
sharing with the women in Hawkes Bay.
Christchurch leadership forum for those in
In March 2014 we will host the
church ministry positions had a significant
BWUSWP quinquennial conference in
coordinating role in the time after the
Auckland. Remember, all Baptist women
earthquakes. The earthquakes also severely
are automatically members of BWUSWP,
limited the time that Martyn Norrie was
and we look forward to having many of
able to invest in this ministry because of his
our New Zealand women present to join
role in insurance assessment. Gary Colville
with our Pacific sisters. Our theme will be
and Craig Vernall have also continued their
“Soaring with the Spirit.”
16
involvement, which is somewhat limited
due to their leadership of two large
churches.
We also hosted a number of three-day
mentoring events at Spreydon for pastors,
although as the year progressed it was
increasingly pastors from other denomi-
nations rather than Baptists who were
choosing to come to these. The scope for
input into other denominations, including
Presbyterian, Brethren, Pentecostal and
Anglican churches and the Salvation Army,
increased during the year. This has been
encouraging, although we are aware that we
need to get more focused on initiative-taking
[ ANNUAL REPORT ]
among Baptist leaders or our energies could
be dissipated across a wide area.
Next year we will look at expanding
the key group involved in the Network
and research what is happening across our
Baptist churches to see where and how our
energies can best be invested. We have also
appreciated the opportunity to be give some
input to students at Carey and at Laidlaw.
There have been times when we have
been involved in the ongoing sagas of
conflict in churches. Unfortunately this is a
vast area of need where there is great scope
for a member of the Network with the gifts
and passion to make a difference.
NZ BAPTIST MISSION
FELLOWSHIP
Carol Shearer
T
his year marks 108 years of
active service of the NZBMF. As
we celebrate this milestone we
acknowledge the commitment and
faithfulness of BMFers throughout
NZ, along with God’s faithfulness in
answers to prayer and the outworking of
his Spirit in peoples’ lives and situations in
his world.
During this year the BMF has endeav-
oured to fulfil its aims of uniting Baptist
churches in prayer and service and
of fostering and increasing interest in
furthering the work of tranzsend.
We feel privileged to be in partnership
with tranzsend and thank them for their
support, along with the support of the
NZBMS and Baptist Union.
Despite membership continuing to
decrease we have been able to meet our
budgeted commitment to tranzsend by an
extra $5000, bringing it to $40,000 for the
year. Our special offering for the ministry
of Beulah Wood raised more than $15,300
and two workers with urgent medical
needs received financial assistance from
our Medical and Special Purposes Fund.
May our members be encouraged by
what has been achieved in a unique part-
nership with the Lord of the Harvest, our
overseas workers and home staff, as the
message of Christ’s love and grace goes
forth and transforms peoples’ lives.
BMF pray-ers, encouragers and givers
will continue to exist as a relevant ministry
within our denomination so long as our
denomination continues to send workers
into the fields of the world.
NZ Baptist | November 2011
BAPTIST RESEARCH
Andrew Picard
L
ike many, our year was
significantly
influenced by the
earthquakes in
Christchurch. The
February earthquake alerted us to the need
for encouraging churches to secure their
historical archives. We partnered with
Carey Baptist College to host a “Church
and Environment” day. Ironically, the day
was significantly affected by the
environment as an ash cloud prevented
our keynote speaker, Les Fussell, and other
participants from coming. Charles Hewlett
rescued the day by skyping Dr Fussell.
We also enjoyed the input from the
Carey staff. Our annual dinners in
Auckland and Christchurch were also
shaped by the Christchurch earthquakes.
Martin Sutherland delivered a fascinating
lecture on the Napier earthquake, Napier
Baptist Church and the colourful ministry
of Rev. Machattie before Mike Crudge
offered his reflections on the Christchurch
earthquake.
We look forward to Miriam Bier’s
insights from her PhD research on
Lamentations at our Assembly dinner.
This year also saw some new
creations. We have a new website: www.
baptistresearch.org.nz. We also established
the Archer Press and a new series called
Archer Studies in Pacific Christianity that
will help to publish important indigenous
research such as Marin Sutherland’s
excellent new book Conflict and Connection:
Baptist Identity in New Zealand (the first in
this series).
Finally, a huge thank you to all our
committee members.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist [ CHURCH NEWS ] 17

The Dream – one year on

The innovative centre toriums, huge
foyer and café.
use of it – groups who would never go
inside a more traditional church building.
a one-off thing. It is about making connec-
tions and developing relationships.”
brings community into In an average And that’s fine with Chris. In fact, it’s all And if there are doubts about The
week 3000-5000 part of the big mission vision. Dream Centre’s approach to mission, the
the realm of the church people use the “What undergirds everything we do statistics speak for themselves. “Since
facility. is our mission,” he says. “There is a lot

T
he Dream Centre in South Auckland
opened on September 4, 2010 – the
day of the first Christchurch earth-
quake. Perhaps the significance of that
coincidence lies in the fact that the centre is
creating its own tremors by taking a very
different approach to mission.
To recap: The Dream Centre, situated
next to Auckland’s southern motorway,
was previously a cinema complex. It was
purchased by pastor Chris Sola and his
Hosanna World Harvest Church, with the
support of the New Zealand Baptist Union
and Baptist Savings.
It is now a multi-purpose building,
home to seven churches, a major
convention centre, venue for a range of
community groups and events, has a
Polynesian cafe, and recently opened the
Haka Hula Cultural Centre which is aimed
at the 67% of tourists who visit Auckland.
A year since the opening, Chris Sola is
pleased with progress.
“Everything is growing in the right
direction. We are experiencing growth
in terms of our mission, our finances
(although still not enough), our profile as
an organisation and our engaging with the
wider community,” Chris says.
Much of the last year has been taken up
with placing the centre on a firm financial
footing. By Baptist church standards it is a
huge undertaking with eight separate audi-
A major part
of the income
stream is the
convention busi-
ness. The Dream
Centre can
run anything:
conference,
Chris Sola
seminar, forum,
wedding, birthday, funeral, formal banquet
or ball.
“Our goal is to make The Dream Centre
Auckland’s number one conference
venue,” says Chris.
Seven churches also hire the facility and
there is room for more, as the Centre is not
completely hired out on a Sunday.
The separate auditoriums are sound
proof so services can be held at the same
time. The services are segregated, but
congregations share the café and foyer
area. The mixing breaks down barriers.
During the week, the centre is used
by a wide range of organisations and for
community mission such as free public
forums on health, consumer law and youth
law.
About half the people who use the
facility are unchurched, and this is where
The Dream Centre’s dream starts to get a
bit controversial.
For example, the Muslim, Hindu, Sikh
and Buddhist communities are all making
of teaching on market Christianity, of
churches getting out into the marketplace.
We’re reversing that. We want to create
something so the whole city will come
here.
“We are training our church on how we
can connect to this wider non-Christian
community. ... We see this as our mission
field. And a lot of them are also paying to
come here so it is also financing what we
do.
“It’s been an interesting strategy because
the only ones who have queried it are
Christians. A lot of people have challenged
me on my embracing of different people
groups. I reply by saying, firstly, that it is
illegal for me not to allow them to come
on the basis of their own personal faith.
Secondly, for the first time in the 12 years
of my time in Auckland we are connecting
with people outside our own Christian
group.”
Chris also copped a bit of criticism when
he cancelled an evening service to screen
the NRL rugby league finals. “They [the
critics] never saw the games as a way of
connecting with visitors. They didn’t see
this as church, they saw church as being
inside doing the praise and worship.
“A lot of thinking is that we have to be
there presenting the gospel and people
have to hear the gospel, in order for it to
be church. I feel that it is a process, it’s not
we’ve been here we’ve had 900 salvations
and about 300 water baptisms,” Chris says.
“And while that’s not huge, it is a plus for
us as to why we are here.”
Chris’ own church has doubled in size
since moving from its previous base in
Manurewa. On an average Sunday, 120-140
children attend, with 100 youth and
250-300 adults.
“The church is coping well with the
enormity of it all,” he says. “We have
pulled together well and the church is
embracing the season we are in at the
moment. The biggest challenge was for our
people to take where we were to another
level. We could not operate the same way
in this place as we did when we were at
Maich Road.”
The way The Dream Centre operates
is also gaining the respect of the nation’s
leaders. Last month, in conjunction with
the NZ Families Commission, The Dream
Centre hosted a major conference called I3:
Innovation, Inspiration, Intention.
The conference included a variety of
speakers that included Chris and the
Dream Centre Trust’s Dr Ainsleigh Cribb-
Su’a. It looked at how social, economic and
faith services could be delivered in innova-
tive ways.
“We are doing that in our church –
thinking outside the box,” says Chris.
Information: www.thedreamcentre.co.nz

It’s all over
By Peter Mihaere
B
y the time you read this the result
of the 2011 Rugby Would Cup will
be known; the adulation of the
new world champions (surely it’s New
Zealand’s turn) will be dying down and the
losers’ post mortem will be well underway.
Players, coaches, organisers, management
– all will be examined and critiqued. No
doubt Martin Snedden and his team will
be debriefing after the event. The media
will be calling for changes and the experts
will be discussing the what-ifs and the
critical mistakes made.
Some heads will roll, some contracts will
be terminated and others will be extended.
Advertising hoardings will be removed and
we’ll all return to our pre-RWC lives while
basking in the highs and wallowing in the
lows of the past 10 weeks or so.
For me it’s been a wonderful time. I’ve
absolutely loved every moment of it. I’m
quite unashamedly a raving fan! I think I’ve
been a pretty good sport through it all but
would admit that once or twice my passion
did get the better of me. My friends on
Facebook will have read my comments and
know exactly how passionate I was.
But it’s over, it’s gone. Another 28 years
before it returns, if it ever does. It’s just
history.
So now what happens? What do we do
with that adrenaline-laden oomph which
By Greg Knowles
NZBMS – your mission
I ’ve sat on both sides of the
fence and I’m amazed at
how different the views are.
For a while I watched from the
pew then, for almost 20 years,
I looked out from behind the
pulpit before relocating to the
pew once more.
Now that I’m back in the
pews I’m aware of how ‘out of
the Baptist loop’ many church Greg Knowles
members must feel.
As a pastor I received regular updates
from both The Baptist Union and the
New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society
(NZBMS). If I didn’t know what was going
on it was my fault because I was kept well
informed. But most of you aren’t privy to
such information and may not even realise
what you’ve missed out on.
This thinking was further fuelled by a
comment I heard when visiting a Baptist
church recently. The pastor said, “We don’t
World Reach is a publication of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society (NZBMS)
WORLD REACH
New Zealand Baptists Reaching the World
has kept us fired up over the last two
months? Are we suddenly feeling a bit
lost as to how to use the surge of energy
that’s inspired us and generally consumed
almost every conversation we’ve had in
recent weeks?
Perhaps we could take some time to
think about the 19 nations that joined our
national team and imprinted their special
mark on the New Zealand landscape and
its people. For a few short weeks each of
these teams was a part of the Kiwi family
and it is somewhat sad to see them go.
They were good for us and brought out
the best in us. It’s possible that, in rugby
terms, we may not hear from them until
have any people serving as
missionaries overseas.”
I wanted to leap from my seat
and expose this misconception.
His church, as with all Baptist
churches, has a sizable number
of people serving in various
countries overseas simply by
virtue of their being part of the
Baptist Union of Churches.
I wondered how many other
Baptist folk don’t realise that
NZBMS is our mission – yours
and mine. And that it’s an organisation we
can be proud of because we’re making a
very real difference in the world, leading
the way in many areas of mission.
Here are a few NZBMS facts to rejoice over:
• NZBMS (sometimes referred to as
New Zealand Baptists Reaching the World)
has four entities: tranzsend, our sending
agency; BANZAid, our aid and develop-
ment arm; MPIL, the umbrella for the
businesses we run overseas; and MISSION
2015 when the rugby world meets in
England and gets all excited again.
As I reflect on the competitiveness, the
colour, the character and the courage of
each of these nations I begin to imagine
what heaven will be like and the vast spec-
trum of multi-culturalism it will contain.
If, on that glorious day, there’s as much
energy as the 2011 Rugby World Cup,
what a blast it’s going to be.
In the lunchroom today, three days
before we’re due to play Australia in the
semi-finals, someone asked, “How are we
all feeling about Sunday night?”
One tongue-in-check response was,
“Why, what’s on? Is there a church service
WORLD, linking mission agencies within
New Zealand who have Baptists within
them serving overseas.
• tranzsend has 35 adults plus their
families serving in six countries throughout
Asia. Many are working amongst people
who are poor and marginalised. All seek to
involve nationals (people from the home
country) in their work and bring a holistic
approach to presenting and being Christ.
You can read more about tranzsend’s work
at www.tranzsend.org.nz.
• BANZAid is highly regarded in the
secular and governmental spheres because
of work completed in times of crisis,such
as a new school in post-tsunami Samoa
– a project that was completed on time
and under budget using local commu-
nity support and New Zealand Baptist
work teams. You can read more about
BANZAid’s work at www.banzaid.org.nz.
• Throughout the world we are consid-
ered to have special expertise in the area of
utilising business as a portal to do mission.
NOVEMBER 2011
somewhere?”
As we chuckled over that comment we
reflected on the reality that it’s almost as
if the nation is preparing for a service of
worship.
I wonder how we pour some of this
RWC energy into the lives of those around
us who have been attending “rugby
church.” Imagine the difference we could
make if we used our RWC energy to take
the love and grace to our nation and all the
nations in an amazing Kiwi way?
• Peter is General Director of the New Zealand
Baptist Mission Society (NZBMS) – New
Zealand Baptists Reaching the World.
MPIL is the umbrella organisation for our
businesses overseas, which seek to use
ethical business principles to transform
every marketplace in which they are
involved. You can read more about MPIL’s
work at www.marketplacers.co.nz.
• Through MISSION WORLD we have
successfully brought together nine of the
country’s larger mission agencies to work
collaboratively and promote mission to
the wider church in New Zealand. You can
read more about MISSION WORLD’s work
at www.missionworld.org.nz.
So, there it is – if you go to a Baptist
Church, you’re involved in overseas mission.
In fact, you’re involved in one of New
Zealand’s leading mission agencies and,
little by little, with your help, we’re making
a very real difference in this world of ours.
Greg Knowles is the Chairperson of Mission
Council, the governing body of NZBMS. He
was a Baptist pastor for 23 years and now
works as a freelance writer.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist [ WORLD REACH ] 19

When God EDITOR’S NOTE

World Reach is published by The
New Zealand Baptist Missionary

calls Muslims
Society to provide information
about what New Zealand Baptists
are achieving in the world of
mission. Contributions about New
Zealand Baptist overseas mission
Originally from Auckland (Windsor Park Baptist Church), Colin and endeavours are encouraged.
Christine spent 17 years based at LAMB hospital in Bangladesh before This edition of World Reach has
relocating to the UK. Colin currently leads Interserve’s cross-cultural focused on Scandinavia and
team in England and Wales helping groups and churches reach out to
Western Europe.
their Muslim neighbours. He will be touring New Zealand next year to
speak on relating to Muslims with grace and truth. For security reasons the names

A
fter 12 years, she finally heard words that matched what of some people, places and
she felt inside. I was speaking on Christian/Muslim rela- organisations may have been
tions at Spring Harvest, a large evangelical conference in omitted and generic photographs
the UK. During a break, Famida came and asked permission to
used.
share something. It was so difficult for her to speak in public that
she wrote her words down and a friend read it for her. The same may be true for next
I paraphrase what she wrote: month’s issue when we will
“I come from a Muslim background but met Jesus 12 years ago move to focus on Central and
and ended up going to my local church. They were stunned and Colin and Christine Eastern Europe. The countries
surprised that a Muslim could come to faith in Jesus and were
overjoyed to have me attending their church. But very quickly UK Christians treat Muslims as enemies to be avoided or scorned we are including in this region
it became obvious that they rather than neighbours who Jesus challenges us to love. are: Albania, Armenia, Belarus,
didn’t know what to do with During the 17 years we spent working in Bangladesh we’d seen Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
me. I was a trophy, a testi- “I was a trophy, a God building a church using people with a Muslim background. Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
mony – not a sister. I have None of them could be regarded as a trophy because everyone
a heritage that is deep and
testimony – not had the same story of meeting Christ and receiving his grace and
Georgia, Greece, Hungary,
rich but it seemed to count a sister. I have a leaving Islam behind. Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania,
for nothing and so I became Now in the UK we recognise two major blockages to similar Macedonia, Malta, Moldova,
a trophy to be pointed at and heritage that is growth. First, there is the fear that sits inside of us when we regard Montenegro, Poland, Romania,
admired. another person or people group as an enemy. Second, flowing
“My friends, our Muslim
deep and rich but from the first, is the lack of confidence many Christians have in the
Russia, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, and Ukraine.
brothers and sisters are not it seemed to count ability of Jesus to call Muslims to himself.
trophies to be won; we are Do we have a sense of God’s sovereignty working within today’s You’re invited to contribute
people to be loved.” for nothing and so changing world? Do we have a sense that Muslim people are looking stories of New Zealand Baptist
I’d been speaking on for God’s Kingdom and that the answer to that search is Jesus?
relating to our Muslim
I became a trophy The challenge is to reach out in love and be confident in Christ’s
involvement in these areas.
neighbours with grace and to be pointed at ability to bring people from a Muslim background into his family. Copy is due to
truth. In my words Famida And the reason we reach out is so that our Muslim neighbours can info@reachingtheworld.org.nz by
had recognised something of and admired.” become our brothers and sisters, not trophies. Oh Lord, increase Monday, November 21.
her journey. Too often in the our faith.

One person at a time

Stephen and Leslie Fail are members of and heads out to several local brothels.
Henderson Baptist in Auckland. For the past It’s a rather bizarre scene; scantily
20 years they have been directing YWAM’s clad girls, transvestites and transsexuals
training and ministry centre in Hamburg, sitting on stools outside small rooms as
Germany. Stephen has just completed a clients peruse them like merchandise; and,
Graduate Diploma in Applied Theology with
moving amongst them, our team members.
Carey College which he describes as a fantastic
Team members literally meet with the
growth experience.
workers in their rooms in the time between

K
nown as “the gateway to the
world,” Hamburg is one of the
most beautiful and affluent cities in
Germany. With Europe’s third largest port,
trade is Hamburg’s lifeblood. Situated in
the Northern reaches of the country, it’s a
bustling cosmopolitan hub with a popula-
tion of 1.8 million – a diverse city, a city
of contrasts, a city with two very different
faces.
The face that concerns us and our
ministry team is the one that deals in
the trade of people. Hamburg’s red light
district is famous across Europe, promising
the “Größe Freiheit”, the “great freedom”.
Yet instead of freedom many are trapped in
a world of addiction, deep seated pain and
disillusionment.
Some time ago God began to touch our
hearts for the needs of those who work in
the sex industry. We prayed, asking God
for a door to open what would enable us
to share his love and hope. We had no idea
how that prayer could be answered and
there seemed little chance that we could
The Fail family
ever break into this foreign world – but
that all changed with a single phone call.
A pimp who was responsible for
the girls from several brothels made a
desperate call to the Salvation Army. He
asked if someone could come and “cheer
up his girls” because they weren’t doing
very well emotionally. His rationale was
simple: a depressed prostitute isn’t a profit-
able one and he was willing to do whatever
it took to make his business profitable. But
God had other ideas.
The Salvation Army contacted us. God
truly works in mysterious ways – who’d
have ever thought that a pimp would open
the door for us to take the love of God
directly into his own brothels.
So, each week, from evening through to
the early hours of the next morning, a team
of our staff dons Salvation Army jackets
clients. They listen, pray, offer hope and
share God’s love with these girls.
Despite their tragic circumstances
we’re amazed at the girls’ openness. One
Bulgarian girl asked for a Bible. Reading
it from cover to cover in just one week
she asked for volume two. She was disap-
pointed to discover there was only one but
was so deeply impacted by what she read
that she gave her life to Christ and has left
prostitution.
Our new sister-in-Christ is one of
several to make that life-changing decision.
Of course countless people still remain
trapped in this destructive and deceptive
lifestyle but the team is making a difference
one person at a time. Now other pimps are
asking when a team can come and visit
their girls.
It’s an incredible privilege to be part of
what God is doing in this challenging yet
wonderful city. Please take some time to
pray for this wonderful ministry.
20 [ WORLD REACH ] NZ Baptist | November 2011

Resource Corner – NZBMS, helping resource your church for mission

Keeping in touch with overseas

This month’s Resource Corner looks at how to
best keep in touch with workers overseas. We
figured the best way to answer this question
would be to ask one of our tranzsend workers.
Lynley Capon, with her husband, Peter, works
with tranzsend in Kalasin, Thailand.

W
hen a single person or a couple
from your church head to work
in Christian service overseas,
how can you best support them?
To begin with, you may need to lose
a few misconceptions that you may
have about missionaries. For example:
Missionaries are more special than regular
people – not true! Missionaries are super
spiritual – not true! Missionaries are right
out of my league – not true!
It’s important to understand the only
distinction between a missionary and a
regular church member is location. As
Christ-followers we’re all called to make
disciples wherever we’re living.
Overseas workers are not super
spiritual. They are regular people who
struggle with all the issues of life that you
do. However, life can often be tough for
overseas workers as they deal with matters
such as:
• loneliness, particularly if they’re single
• separation from their wider family
• learning a new language
• heat and humidity
• spiritual oppression living in countries
resistant to the good news of Jesus
So put yourself in their shoes: a strange
environment, surrounded by strange
languages and religions, separated from
Lynley and Peter Capon
family and everything familiar, working in
temperatures that are often extreme when
compared to New Zealand. If you were
in this position, what would you like to
receive in the way of encouragement and
contact?
Peter and I have been blessed by many
different kinds of communication. All
have encouraged us. Maybe this list of
suggestions will help you and your church
to keep better touch with your overseas
workers.
• Use Skype. We’ve enjoyed being part
of services from our home church, both
sharing and listening via Skype. Book in
times when you connect overseas workers
with home groups too.
• Send emails. Regular news from home
is fantastic.
• Share your matters for prayer as well
as praying for overseas folk. This helps us
feel part of your work at home too, just as
you are part of our work overseas.
• Send cards, letters and drawings done
by young people from 4 to 14 years old.
It’s great to hear from the young ones and
for them to hear from us in return. This is a
way of building a foundation of interest in
overseas work.
• Acknowledge birthdays either by
email or cards sent by snail mail.
• Funnies of all kinds are welcome too.
It’s something we sometimes miss because
it can be difficult to make or understand
jokes in a foreign language.
• Most of all – be proactive! Decide to do
something and stick at it so that you and
your missionaries become friends.
Take the challenge. We’re very fortunate
to live in an age of quick and easy commu-
nication. Embrace modern technology. Get
onto your computer and get in touch with
your missionaries overseas. Then keep in
touch using some of these ideas.
And, if you don’t have a computer, we
love getting mail the old-fashioned way
too.

MISSION QUOTE OF THE

MONTH:

“The Church
Perspectives on Europe
exists for
Jeff Fountain is the Director of the the first-ever expression of democracy. These
mission, and Schuman Centre for European Studies teachings remain as relevant for European
so, a church (www.schumancentre.eu) and the chairman politics as they were for Moses back in his
that is only of the Hope for Europe Roundtable (www.hfe. day.
org). He and his wife, Romkje, are based in The Part of the issue is that, while the vision for
inward looking Europe shared by EU founding fathers like
Netherlands. They have been in Europe for more
is not truly the than 35 years serving with YWAM and were Robert Schuman and Kondrad Adenauer was
church.” originally sent out by the Auckland Baptist for a ‘community of peoples deeply rooted in
Tabernacle. Christian values,’ too often such values are
flagrantly disregarded by prominent public

– Samuel Escobar,
The New Global
Mission
CORRECTION:
In last month’s story
about the Paul and Ruth
in South Asia, there
was a photo of them
with a woman who was
incorrectly described
as “a woman they work
with.” Paul and Ruth
wish to point out that the
woman is in fact a friend
from the church they
attended while working
overseas.
R
eturning to Europe after a recent trip
to New Zealand, I discovered a pile of
newspapers waiting for me. A quick
browse over the headlines left me wondering
if anything had changed in my absence. Greece
is still tottering on the verge of bankruptcy; the
Euro continues to stagger under the weight
of shaky economies including Greece, Italy
and Spain; the global financial climate still
challenges us; and the European Union (EU)
itself, some predict, will eventually crumble
along with its currency.
It all left me wondering, will there soon be
nothing left to study at a Centre for European
Studies such as the one I’m director of?
Of course the answer is ‘yes.’ All that is
happening in Europe and the world today is a
matter of perspective.
We need the perspective of time. This is not
the first, and neither will it be the last, crisis
for Europe to weather. When in Auckland,
I heard the President of the European
Commission, José Manuel Barroso, tell his
university audience that those who predict
the beginning of the end misunderstand the
Jeff and Romkje Fountain
nature of the EU and the multiple levels of
interwoven relationships of ‘network Europe.’
We also need biblical perspectives. Politics
and international relations are addressed in
the Bible – just read Moses and the prophets.
God gave Moses his framework for society at
Sinai. When Jethro gave Moses advice to have
the people elect 70 elders, that was perhaps
leaders in both the political and financial
sectors.
Yes, the future of Europe, and of Europeans,
is at stake – it always has been. And it has
always been the task of the people of God to
shape that future by being salt (preserving)
and light (enlightening).
Our task has always been to seek to see
more of God’s kingdom, his rule, his will
being done, here in Europe as it is in heaven.
And not just in the church but in politics,
business, education, the family, healthcare,
culture and society generally.
That’s why the Schuman Centre for
European Studies exists. We seek to promote
biblical perspectives on Europe’s past,
present and future. We want to help believers
understand our current situation in Europe in
the light of God’s past and of God’s purposes
for tomorrow.
Please pray for Europe and the work of
the Gospel there. It doesn’t quite fit the usual
picture of an overseas mission country but
the people of this continent need Jesus all the
same.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist [ WORLD REACH ] 21

Where have all the

young girls gone?
Freeset, one of our Kolkata businesses, has just
celebrated its tenth anniversary – ten years in the
business of setting people free, and the story of
freedom continues.
I first heard this from the local headmaster,
who did concede that many of the girls
dropped out of school when they were very
young. And where were these girls now? Some

Asha’s grandfather with his youngest granddaughter. Will she be sold too?
Y
ou wouldn’t think it would take long
to drive the 30-odd kilometers from
Berhampore to Khargram but it did.
Navigating huge potholes on a road lined with
broken-down trucks parked unashamedly in
the drive lane combined with speeding buses
that couldn’t care less what side of the road they
should be on encourages great care.
The change of pace is immediate on reaching
Khargram. The villages are much the same as
other villages in Murshidabad – small plots of
land with families living in mud homes strug-
gling to provide enough for themselves. And,
like many in Murshidabad, Khargram homes
are missing family members too. Poverty forces
fathers, mothers, sons and daughters to migrate
in search of work that will provide enough
money to send back home to the village.
Without this outside support many families
would never get by. It’s become part of village
culture.
The culture in Khargram, however, has no age
limit on when a family member is old enough
to go. Simply put, decisions are made based
on survival, with the knowledge that every
generation needs to make sacrifices so the rest
of the family can eat. It’s noticeable, though,
that daughters – young girls, 10, 11, 12 and up –
seem to be the ones sacrificed the most.
A conversation within the community
suggests there are no sacrifices at all.
“Trafficking of young girls doesn’t happen in
our village. Of course it happens elsewhere, but
not here, not in our village.”
are married, some work at home, some have
gone to the city to be housemaids, still others
had gone to Kolkata and Mumbai to get work.
Next stop, the village police station and an
interesting conversation. Same question about
girls, same answer – “doesn’t happen here.”
The conversation was cordial enough, the
hospitality excellent, the denial – in a word,
extreme. As we talked I counted in my mind
how many Freeset girls I know who had come
from this village alone. I got to six and yet I
was told quite emphatically, “No girls end up
in prostitution from this village.”
We took a short walk, just a few hundred
yards from the back of the police station to
Asha’s family home. Surprised by our visit,
Asha’s grandfather greeted us and was imme-
diately anxious for news of his granddaughter.
Being careful not to share too much, we listened
to the family story. Asha’s father left when she was
just a baby and her mother was with another man
soon afterwards. Unable to care and provide for
the whole family on his bus driver’s pension, the
grandfather allowed a friend to take his 11-year-
old granddaughter to Kolkata. She would be
placed in a good home as a housemaid.
As the conversation continued, Asha’s
grandfather began to cry. And then he asked
a question: “But Asha wasn’t sold, was she?”
And again, “My Asha wasn’t sold, was she?”
Please continue to pray for our work
amongst the women of Kolkata who have been
sold into this dark industry. One at a time,
we’re helping them to find freedom.

Team heads to West Bengal

T hames Baptist Church is about to
farewell a team of for three weeks to
Tripura and West Bengal.
The short term mission trip to West
Bengal has been a long time coming. It was
first talked about in late 2008 and, over
time, enthusiasm has grown with more and
more people expressing an interest.
Now seven church members aged from
18 to 75 years preparing to head off on
November 14.
Roger Driver-Burgess, senior pastor at
Thames Baptist, says, “We want to rein-
force existing relationships with
projects and churches that we’ve
been promoting for years but
have had little personal
contact with. I hope on our return we will
be able to better inspire our church with a
clearer vision of God’s mission.”
The team has had fantastic support in
our fundraising. It included garage sales
with home-made products, participation
in the annual town street market, busking
on market days and a “Roads to India”
concert in the Civic Centre. Approximately
$7000 has been raised, most of which will
be used for gifts to the communities and
enterprises in Kolkata and Tripura.
Kolkata in West Bengal is a city of over 10 million people, many living below
the poverty line. Several New Zealand Baptists manage businesses there
providing employment and a new way of life for the poor.
Tripura, a state of north east India is home to 3 million people. The church
there, helped by a long association with New Zealand Baptists, has flourished
and continues to grow. Last year more than 6000 new converts were baptised.
Our team is made up of ordinary people Elizabeth Jones: The oldest member
with skills that can be used to enhance the of the team. I first went to this region as a
life and faith of those we meet with. Here’s young bride with my husband, Gordon,
a little bit about each of us. We’ll let you in 1961. After Gordon died in 1992, I went
know how we get on in the January 2012 back to teach in St Paul’s School. I look
edition of World Reach. forward to returning to my ‘other home’
Terri Miller: Occupational therapist. I’ve and sharing with the women celebrating 50
worked in community health and rehabili- years of the Women’s Society, which began
tation for many years. in 1961.
Frances Chaplow: Registered nurse Roger Driver-Burgess: Senior pastor
working at the Thames District Nursing at Thames Baptist. I’m going with the
Service with fellow team member, hope that this will inspire our church at
Lynne Wood. I’ve recently been to home and overseas with a sense of God’s
Auckland to collect supplies from purpose for mission.
medical aid abroad, which we will Anne Hay: Probably the second oldest
dispense while away. in the group, I look at the upcoming trip to
Tina Haakma: The youngest team India as part of a continuing journey in my
member. I’ve been a leader at the local Christian walk.
Christian camp, completed a 6 year course Connor Driver-Burgess: I’m going to
on public speaking, taken on the youth India simply because when the church was
pastor role at the church, and started asked to go, I thought it was about time
worship leading in church. did something!
22 [ CHURCH NOTES ] NZ Baptist | November 2011

Tauranga Central
celebrates centenary
Close to 450 present and former
members celebrated Tauranga Baptist
Church’s centenary over the weekend of
September 10.
Mix and mingle time provided many
opportunities to reconnect amidst laughter
and much checking of name tags. Old
movies, a parade of wedding dresses and
a timeline autographed by all present
prompted many nostalgic anecdotes.
The Queen Elizabeth II Centre was the
venue for a large dinner party. Highlights
included reminiscences from former minis-
ters Marcus Bowden and Eric King.
A PowerPoint show outlined the history
of the church, compiled by Graeme
Johnstone, a present member .
Greetings from Tauranga MP, Simon
Bridges, Mayor Stuart Crosby and the Wellington South Baptist screened the All Black games during the World Cup.
President of the Baptist Union represented

Live at a church near you

Nell Brockway cuts the cake.
by Ken Edkins,were warmly received.
A celebratory Sunday worship service
was led by present pastor Tom Frew. He
was assisted by special choir, a trumpeter,
and preaching by Eric Sherburd, pastor of
the church from 1963-67.
Lunch, photographs and the cutting
of the cake by longtime member Nell
Brockway completed the festivities.
Baptist churches across the country were busy during the Rugby World Cup
screening games and related activities to reach out to the wider community.
Wellington South Pastor Stu Print says the church used its multimedia facilities
to show the games live. The auditorium opened an hour before the games and hot
drinks were provided with byo food. The church averaged about 50 people per
screening, of which about half were non-church goers.
“Our goal was to get a bit more PR friendly and show the community we are not
weird,” he said. “We can provide fun and a service to the community.”
During the screenings the church offered copies of the gospel of Luke, featuring

Rimutaka encourages testimonies from players, for anyone who wanted one. These proved popular and a
good number were taken home.
Wellington South Baptist is a small, contemporary, family focused church in

family ‘God moments’

Island Bay.

Brian and Shirley Smith visited
Rimutaka Baptist in Upper Hutt recently to
share their passion for discipling children.
Brian challenged the adults to watch
carefully the faith they are transmitting to
their children. He spoke about how chil-
dren take on board the faith their parents
live in their day to day lives, which may
or may not be the same as the faith they
profess on Sundays.
Sharing from his own experiences with
his children and grandchildren, Brian
presented some keys to helping children
grasp the complexities of the Christian
faith in a way they can understand. He
referred often to his new book, Who Made
God and Other Tricky Questions.   it is not a scary word.
Brian and Shirley’s visit came as the
conclusion to a 12-week sermon series by
Pastor Murray Gordon based on this book.
The series encouraged parents to have
weekly God moments with their children.
Each family received a copy of Who made
God at the start of the series.
Each week the sermon covered the
content of one chapter at an adult level to
provide parents with the understanding
and confidence to read and discuss the
chapter with their children the following
week.
It has proven to be three months of fun
and learning, with children and adults
enjoying discussing theology and realising

H. Morris Ltd.
Christian Funeral Services
‘Romaleigh’ Funeral Home, 31 Ocean View Road, Northcote, Auckland

Showing God’s love to

people in their time of grief
PHONE: (09) 489 5737 (24-HOUR SERVICE)

WWW.MORRISFUNERALS.CO.NZ

Ray & Pat Jagger, owner-operators and members of

Glenfield Baptist Church
Brian and Shirley Smith with children and adults at Rimutaka Baptist Church.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist
Births
Cookson, to Chris and Rosimeire
(Blenheim) a daughter, Anna Amelia
Dalgleish, to Warren and Catherine (New
Plymouth Central) a son, Martin
Delaney, to Sean and Tania (Motueka) a son
Graham, to Catherine and Scott (Alexandra)
a daughter, Ellie Kate
Herman, to Charmaine and Andrew
(Mt Roskill) a son, Isaac Joseph James
Jarvie, to Amanda and Stuart
(Invercargill Central) a son, Luke
Pirie, to Melanie and Keith
(Invercargill Central) twin girls
Taylor, to Autumn and Michael (Feilding) a
son, Rowan William
Walker, to Leanne and Jeff (Invercargill
Central) a son, Thomas
Webster, to Brent and Julie (Blenheim) a
son, Adam Israel
Winter, to Bridgette and Chris (Alexandra) a
son, Benjamin Cristopher
Engagements
Hutton-Crossley, Ben to Amy
(Invercargill Central)
Nelson-McCrea, Nathan to Stacey
(Invercargill Central)
Tressler-Goatley, Aaron to Alis
(Invercargill Central)
Clark-Riddle, Adam to Lauren
(Whangarei Central)
Marriages
Morch-Lienert, Blaine to Marion
(Invercargill Central)
Wedding Anniversaries
Brogden, Bill and Nola (Feilding), 60 years
Special Birthdays
Anderson, Ruth (Whangarei Central), 84
Bennett, Doreen (Hastings), 80
Carey, Dennis (Levin), 80
Dawson, Nita (Alexandra), 84
Fowler, Margaret (Hastings), 70
Jackson, Joan (Mt Roskill), 80
Norrish, Noelene (Blenheim), 92
Olding, Gilian (Mt Roskill), 70
Olding, Lindsay (Mt Roskill), 70
Thomas, Beryl (Alexandra), 80
Thompson, Elsie (Levin), 94
Deaths
Clark, Grant (Motueka)
Mardon, Mavis (Hastings)
Mayhew, Val (Hastings)
Ross, Elspeth (South City, Tauranga)
Sanders, Ron (Blenheim, ex Papakura), 99
Singleton, Geoffrey (South City, Tauranga)
Swan, David (Hokowhitu), 81
Withell, Walter (Levin)
Baptisms
Invercargill Central: Ian Bloomfield,
Elesha Hamill, Charlotte Hills,
Gabrielle Hills, Brittney Lawson,
Catherine McGregor, Steven Smith,
Natalie Wiegersma
Levin: Alida Louw
Motueka: Murray Beattie, Kristan Gray,
Dave Woods
Paeroa: Ninia Jones, Holly Lavery,
Chelsea Watton
Pakuranga: Chris Heaven, Liam Heaven,
Eseta Lealaiauloto, Ashwinner Mudliar,
Joshua Neale
Northland/Auckland
Whangarei Central
Senior Pastor Graeme Young
Overcomers in a recent community minis-
try started by Ann Ling and Theresa Botha
are to help with ‘Mountains and Molehills’
we encounter in life. The purpose is to
encourage, equip and empower peo-
ple to work through the issues they face,
and it is already being well used. The first
of a monthly magazine written by Helen
Brereton called Wavelength is out. It will
focus on one of our ministries each month.
This month is Arataki Ministries Ltd, which
provides mental health services to the peo-
[ CHURCHES IN ACTION ]
Send information for Churches in Action & Family to:
Carolyn Armstrong, CIA Editor
6A Frank Frethey Place, Highlands Park, New Plymouth 4312
Phone: 021 034 9639
Fax: (09) 536 5714
Email: armstrong@iee.org
ple of Northland. The community toy library
is now opening four mornings a week serv-
ing 213 families.
Waikato/Central
Districts
Cambridge
Recently we have enjoyed having a team
of Capernwray students with us for their
mission week. They had a busy and varied
programme. One highlight was a high tea
served with nicely decorated tables, pretty
china, and dainty morsels folk watched an
Andre Rieu video. Another fun event on the
Saturday night was when the church gath-
ered to watch the All Blacks play France.
Tea together and rugby-themed games were
all part of the warm-up. The students also
ministered to folk in rest homes, helped peo-
ple with gardening and window cleaning,
ran programmes for our youth and Sunday
school and took an evening service. As a
thank you for their hard work we took the
students to Rotorua to go luging.
Wellington/Top of the
South
Blenheim
50 Blenheim Baptist girls and eight from var-
ious churches joined Shoulder to Shoulder
in a recent women’s retreat at Bridge Valley
Adventure Centre in Nelson. This was a
perfect venue for the women to get away for
a weekend of treats – girly stuff, no clean-
ing or cooking, and plenty of Christian input
and ministry. Viv Liebezeit from Annesbrook
Church was the guest speaker along with
Pastor Wendy Salisbury from our own
church. In the Wearable Arts Fashion Show,
women were put into groups, each with a
bag of junk, and creative juices and team
work enabled them to produce a wearable
garment to model. This was hilarious and a
highlight for many! Lives were changed at
the retreat, relationships built and strength-
ened. More than 35 youth also had a camp
the following weekend at Pine Valley, where
they discussed authenticity, being real, build-
ing relationships and the “why” question.
Motueka
Pastor Lyell Schieb
Recently our pastor and leaders have taken
a series on the Community Ministries we
as a church are involved in. These have
included 24/7, a youth ministry in the high
school; MAD Making a Difference youth
ministry, meeting each Friday evening;
Ambrosia women’s ministry meeting alter-
nate Tuesday morning, with topical subjects
and craft for ladies; Saturday Servants,
helping with gardening etc and cleaning
off graffitti; childrens ministry, including
Sunday morning and Thursday afternoon;
classic movies held once a month for sen-
ior people; are we are also involved in the
ministry at the retirement home. Overseas
mission was also highlighted. Andrew and
Toni Collin and children Samantha and Leila
are on Lamen Island, Vanuatu, building a
house for single ladies with members from
Kerikeri Church. With these activities and
morning and evening services on Sunday,
seven connect groups meeting weekly, and
our over-60s group, we have a fairly full
programme.
Stoke
Pastor Paul Wade
We are enjoying the wonderful new Yamaha
U3 piano recently purchased, and a data
projection system is to be installed shortly. In
July, it was a privilege to have Ken and Anne
Gartner with us, Ken singing and telling of
his work with Prison Fellowship. At the AGM,
we decided that, to get to know each other
better, we have a cup of tea after the service
on the second Sunday of the month. House
lunches will be held on the third Sundays
and on the fourth we will have a bring and
share lunch. Ladies made a superb con-
tribution again this year knitting blankets,
jumpers and hats for children in Moldova
and Romania for Mission Without Borders.
Canterbury/Otago
Ashburton
Pastor David Jensen
We continue to be both blessed and chal-
lenged as a church through inspiring mes-
sages from our pastor. Through drama,
puppetry, song and testimony, our children
from Life to de Max took part in a recent
morning service. We have received per-
mission from our local Council to hold an
open air monthly service in the central town
square on a Saturday morning, which we are
calling Church with no Walls. Incorporating
both testimony and song, we hope and pray
in anticipation and faith that this will be an
effective church outreach in the proclaiming
of God’s word to our community.
Darfield
Senior Pastor Jim Patrick
We have had a busy six months of church
life, with the main activities being post-earth-
quake contributions in various communities
(there has been an overwhelming need),
and working through the search for a new
senior pastor. After months of prayer, discus-
sion, and explorations, we have called Paul
and Angela Cossey, and they accepted. Jim
and Lois Patrick retire in November after
40 years of ministry – to them we express
our greatest thanks for their spiritual lead-
ership and Christian teaching during these
last seven years. Other events in the life of
our church included a farewell to Alan and
Bev Brown (who accepted a call to pastor
in Hokitika), hearing about various missions
activities, a church family forum in June to
evaluate the needs of our church in light of
calling a new pastor, a retreat for women
and a father-and-son outdoor extravaganza.
We praise God for His grace and mercy, and
seek Him for his presence in the coming
months.
Oxford Terrace
Rev Chris Chamberlain
Operation Exodus now helps people who
have to leave the red zone in the earth-
quake-stricken areas of Christchurch shift.
Food parcels have been warmly welcomed.
Monthly morning tea for Christchurch East
School staff is well appreciated. Martin
Sutherland gave a lecture that exposed
scandal, argument, fun, courage and
God’s provision. On August 14 we had
the pleasure of Scott Cadman, our minis-
ter from 1997-2007, and his family visit. He
preached that morning, was followed by a
shared lunch. A spring outing for women
living alone was enjoyed by 17 members.
George Wieland preached in a Sunday
morning service, reimaging church in new
circumstances using the book of Acts as a
resource. Operation Christmas Child has
started with the distribution of shoeboxes
filled with small gifts for children who are vic-
tims of war and natural disasters.
Alexandra
Pastor Derek Pyle
Sunday morning services are near capacity.
Sunday school, young people and creche
23
have their own programme during the latter
part of the service. Cafe Service on Sunday
evening is an informal time with a lot of
discussion. Four home groups meet during
the week and a group, Movies Matter, that
views a DVD one week and discusses it the
next. Tuesday lunch is Prayer and Share
time. Mainly music is on Thursday and,
this year, we have been pleased to have an
expanded team leading so as to share the
workload. The worship team has introduced
some of the mainly music songs to our
morning services and the congregation is
enjoying them. A team make a monthly visit
to the two rest homes. Our leader, Jeannie
Barker, always has an interesting theme
that often involves in the team dressing up
– the rest home folk are pleased to see us,
particularly as we have three men on the
team. Youth section has a new leader, Greg
Dowling, a chef from Australia. He is using
his skills to great effect with the young ones.
Alpha and Alpha marriage courses have
been run by Blair Wells.
Invercargill Central
We celebrated 10 years since the opening
of our Community Centre with a thank offer-
ing. We are very grateful to God and the
generosity of his people, who have enabled
us to pay off the loans on the Centre. Guest
speakers have included Mike Dodge, Lyn
Campbell, Randal Scott, Merrilyn Withers
and Excel School of Performing Arts. We’ve
continued our morning series of mes-
sages from Ephesians and spent some
weeks looking at the theme of relationships.
Preparation and fundraising is underway for
two cross-cultural mission trips planned for
2012/2013.
South Dunedin
Pastor Bruce Geddes
We are receiving good teaching from Luke’s
gospel. Well attended a church meeting
and luncheon with an opportunity to com-
ment on various aspects of the church
programme. One of our younger members,
Cathy Anderson, brought the message
“Storing treasures on earth.” In a special
meeting with CFFD, 100 in attendance cel-
ebrated 30 years of the movement. Guests
included Di and Hugh Willis from Auckland.
Operation Christmas Child is well supported.
Girls’ Brigade trooping of the colours girls
took part in a morning service. Further out-
reach programmes are a matter of prayer.
Our food bank is in constant use and much
appreciated by the recipients. Kids’ church
grew plants as a fundraiser for Prayer and
Self Denial Appeal.
Pastoral Moves
• Paul Cossey accepted call as Pastor,
Darfield, commences November 20
• Arnold Karsten appointed Associate
Pastor, Eastgate, commenced January 9
• Robyn Whittle appointed Associate
Pastor, Te Aroha, commenced June 7
• Tony Chen appointed Chinese intern
Pastor, Whangarei, commenced
November 2010
• Kyle Keogh appointed Assistant Pastor,
Bethlehem, commenced May 2
• Caleb Fryett appointed Assistant Pastor,
Bethlehem, commenced July 2009
• Raewyn Garwood appointed rest home
chaplain, Henderson Baptist
• Amanda Pilbrow appointed Young Adult
Pastor, Windsor Park
• Paul McMahon resigned Associate
Pastor, Opawa, end of September
• Jan Martin resigned Associate Pastor,
Paeroa
• Graham Early concluded Associate
Pastor, Spreydon, June
• Guang Jung concluded Associate Pastor,
Spreydon, May
• Vaughan and Christine Saywell con-
clude as Associate Pastors, Bethlehem,
October
• Krys Keogh resigned as Executive Pastor,
Northgate
24 [ NEWS BITES ] NZ Baptist | November 2011

Bibles for another
28.9 million
The Bible Society says that 28,927,000
people worldwide received a Bible for the
first time in 2010. Of those, 3,808,000 were
distributed in mainland China from the
Amity Press in Nanjing.
According to the annual Scripture
Distribution Report published by the
United Bible Societies, 9,864,000 New
Testaments were also distributed. When
Bibles, New Testaments and individual
books and selections of the Bible are
totalled, more than 365 million separate
distributions were made last year.
In New Zealand, 60,257 Bibles and
26,387 New Testaments were distributed
in 2010. Although Bible Society’s prime
focus in New Zealand is its domestic
programme, New Zealand supporters also
help with the distribution of Scripture in
developing countries.
“We give thanks to God for the generous
support of so many of the New Zealand
Christian community so that the Bible and
its message gets to all people everywhere,”
said Francis Burdett, chief executive of
Bible Society New Zealand. “But there are
still literally millions of people yet to know
anything of the word of God so there’s still
much work to do.”
New role for head of
HCJB Global
HCJB Global NZ Executive Director
Colin Sampson has resigned after seven
and a half years as head of the world radio
ministry.
Colin and Jean Sampson were commis-
sioned by Northpoint Baptist Church
in New Plymouth in 2004 to take up
the position in Auckland. They have
been interested in the ministry of HCJB
Global since the 1950s, however Colin has
accepted a position with RBC Ministries
as  Director of Church Ministries. RBC is a
global ministry whose mission is to make
the life-changing wisdom of the Bible
understandable and accessible to all.
RBC Ministries has offices in 34 countries
and partners throughout the world who
distribute its resources. Its signature publi-
cation, the daily devotional Our Daily Bread,
is translated into more than 55 languages.
RBC is designed for ministry and church
leaders, providing ministry resources and
outreach offering useful materials, timely
information, and genuine encouragement.
As the publishing arm of RBC
Ministries, Discovery House Publishers
produces resources that focus on Scripture,
displaying reverence for God and His
Word, demonstrating the relevance of a
vibrant faith, and equiping and encour-
aging you in everyday living.
BWA set for Chile
The next Baptist World Alliance Annual
Gathering will be held in Chile in July 2012.
South America has hosted BWA annual
meetings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in
1983 and 1995, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in
2003. Baptist World Congresses, which are
held every five years, were held in Rio de
Janeiro in 1960 and Buenos Aires in 1995.
General Secretary Neville Callam said he
was impressed by the positive spirit and
enthusiasm displayed at the meetings in
Santiago.

» Positions Vacant
Baptist pastor
Sandy Bay Baptist Church
Youth Ministry Leader
RICHMOND BAPTIST CHURCH
Manager (Hobart, Tasmania) is seeking
Great opportunity in Nelson – this is a fixed term
to call a full-time Pastor.
UTOPIA CAFE position from February 2012 to February 2013, 30-
Full job details, contacts & application
Utopia Cafe (Ohakune, Central North Island) needs information can be viewed at 40 hours per week (negotiable). Oversight of youth
a new manager – someone who is experienced, http://sbbc.net/pastorsearch 12 years through to young adults.
committed and innovative.
If you feel you have what it takes and want to be
For further details, please contact Jim Corbett at part of a prayerful, vibrant, energetic and hard-
utopia10@xtra.co.nz. Co-Senior Pastor working team, email office@richmondbaptist.org.nz
LONG BAY BAPTIST CHURCH or write to Richmond
Baptist Church,
We are seeking a Co-Senior Pastor, with a view to
Full Time Senior Pastor transitioning into the position of sole Senior Pastor.
PO Box 3242, Richmond,
Nelson 7050.
WANGANUI CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH
We are looking for a pastor who has:
“Where life and hope meet” • A strong faith in God and the ability to share it in
Wanganui Central Baptist is a community-minded, contemporary ways
family-friendly church located in the CBD within the • Good communication skills and a love of preaching
heart of Wanganui. Our ongoing commitment to the • Leadership skills and the ability to bring the best
local community includes an on-site early childhood out of a team
and parent support centre.

We are in the search process for a full-time Senior

Pastor with strong leadership skills and a humble
heart, who is capable of leading us into a new
season of growth and development.
For a copy of our church profile and job description,
email office@wcb.org.nz.
Applications close November 30, 2011.
Children & family
ministries coach
AUCKLAND BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
Are you experienced in ministry to children and
families?
Use your skills and knowledge to equip and
encourage Auckland Baptist churches’ children &
family ministry teams.
A part-time position is available for a highly
committed and talented person.
Key responsibilities:
• Motivating and training church ministry teams
• Team building
• Organising and resourcing
• Networking
• Communicating with church leaders
This is a one day per week position in a team situation.
Applications close on 21 November.
For more information and copy of job description,
contact Maurice on 027 442 2434 or
(09) 582 0021, or email akassn@baptist.org.nz.
• An ability to relate to all ages and connect with National Administrator
people on a personal level BAPTIST UNION OF NZ
• Empathy and passion for youth and family ministry
Requisite abilities/qualities
If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from • Kingdom vision
you! • Strategic administration
• Accounting skills
Please send all expressions of interest • Able to balance a number of tasks
and enquiries for more information by
November 15 to office@longbay.addr.com. National Administrator responsibilities
• Leading a dedicated group of professionals at the
Baptist National Resource Centre in Auckland
• Managing the operations of the Baptist National
Resource Centre and its administrative resourcing
of Baptist Churches in NZ
• Overseeing all matters of denomination
administration
• A key team member of Assembly Council and
other boards and committees
• Applications close November 11, 2011
Please send application letter, CV and at least
two referees who can be contacted to:
National Administrator Applications
76 Alexander Ave, Whakatane 3121
Attention: Peter Foster
Or email peter@whakatanebaptist.org.nz
Don’t forget
November 21 is the
deadline for letters
and advertising in the
December 2011/
January 2012
issue of NZ Baptist.
November 2011 | NZ Baptist
» Obituary | “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21
Mentor and leader left his mark on NZ
Wynyard Ince Gibson Fountain
1918-2011
W
yn Fountain was born in Auckland and raised
in Herne Bay, Remuera and Mission Bay by his
parents, Gibson and Sarah Fountain. His father
was a city dentist and a Bible teacher at the Auckland
Baptist Tabernacle.
He attended Auckland Grammar School from 1932-1934,
where he became involved with Crusaders, a Christian
high school movement (now ISCF). The summer camps at
Ponui Island impacted his spiritual life as a teenager.
During World War II, he served four years as a YMCA
welfare officer with the rank of lieutenant in the 2nd New
Zealand Expeditionary Force under General Freyberg in
the Middle East and Italy. He was mentioned in dispatches
for distinguished service in the field. The weekend his
infantry battalion fought in the battle of El Alamein, he
became engaged to Shirley Wilson, daughter of Tabernacle
organist Arthur Wilson.
He and Shirley were married at Orakei Baptist Church
on May 10, 1946. He worked as an accountant for Wright
Stephenson Ltd in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington.
He and Shirley returned to Auckland after the birth of
their first two sons Warren (1947) and Jeff (1949). Michelle
(1954) and Marc (1960) completed the family.
Wyn entered the clothing industry in 1954 and in started
his own business in 1960, W.I.G. Fountain Ltd, known today
as Fountain Apparel Ltd, under Warren’s directorship.
Wyn served as an elder at the Baptist Tabernacle until
1978, led the Saturday night youth group and chaired the
Baptist Youth Hostel Board. In the early 1960s he rein-
vested into Crusaders by leading the weekly meetings of
the Auckland Grammar Crusader Union.
Wyn was also a founding member of the Auckland
chapter of the Christian Business Men’s Association,
CBMA, and served as its president. Later he helped
[ OBITUARY ]
Wyn and Shirley Fountain
found the first chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s
Fellowship in New Zealand.
Wyn played a key role in the beginning of what later
became known as the Charismatic movement through his
relationship with Neville Winger and the Orama Christian
Fellowship on Great Barrier Island in the mid 1960s. He
had varying roles with Orama for the rest of his life.
In 1966 he and Shirley began hosting a prayer meeting
in their Kohimarama home every Friday evening.
Hundreds from many denominations experienced
25
personal spiritual renewal through these meetings,
including leading clergy.
This led to national involvement with a broad range
of renewal initiatives, Protestant and Catholic, including
the Charismatic Renewal Group and Life in the Spirit
Seminars. An Anglican clergyman once introduced Wyn to
two bishops as “the bishop of the Charismatic movement.”
Wyn was the first New Zealand chairman of Youth
With A Mission, and remained on the board into the
1980s. Later, at the invitation of YWAM’s founder Loren
Cunningham, he served on the International Advisory
Committee for the University of the Nations.
By 1980 Wyn had handed over the clothing business to
Warren. He served for a short term on the pastoral staff of
what was then Valley Road Baptist Church and began to
develop his Other Hundred Hours message and mentor
younger business leaders in serving God in the marketplace.
Through his writing, seminars such as Salt Shaker semi-
nars, Kingdom Forums and his biographical book Walking
on Water, he developed a nationwide influence. He was
a director of Challenge Weekly Publishing and founded
the Positive Parenting Trust in 1988 to raise the quality
of parenting skills nationwide. He was also a founding
trustee of Maxim Institute.
Wyn met faithfully over two decades with a small,
committed group of younger businessmen who gathered
weekly to share their journeys.
Wyn and Shirley moved to Glendowie and settled into
Hillside Community Church, which remained their church
home. Wyn was a greatly loved and respected elder there.  
One of Wyn’s loves was boating. After racing a sailing
dinghy off Herne Bay as a boy and cruising with his
father’s launch off Waiheke, he later provided his family
with boating holidays on the Waitemata.
Wyn is survived by Shirley and 27 other family
members spanning four generations, who live in New
Zealand and the Netherlands.
26
by Rhett Snell
Switchfoot
» Music Reviews Vice Verses
• For more reviews, see No, Vice Verses isn’t as good as
www.drone.co.nz Nothing Is Sound or The Beautiful
Letdown. What it is, though, is a
neatly presented and expertly
written summary of where the
band has been so far. Thematically
this could be just about any
Switchfoot record. Jon Foreman
still mostly sings about living for
something more (“Why would
I wait ‘til I die to come alive?”
on “Afterlife”). But even when
he’s re-treading ground he only
just covered on Switchfoot’s last
album with “Mess Of Me,” he still
does it with such great skill (“I’m
the war inside/ I’m the battle
line”).
On the rare occasion the band
venture outside of our expecta-
tions, such as with the strange
quasi-rap of “Selling The News,”
their failure only sets to reinforce
that when they stick to their
strengths the result is almost
always bigger than the sum of its
parts. This is never more apparent
than on the final song, “Where
I Belong,” in which Switchfoot
shamelessly steal the drum part
from Led Zeppelin’s “When The
Levee Breaks,” combine it with
anthemic guitars and affirming
lyrics and end up producing
something I can’t stop listening to.
HHHHI
SENIOR PASTOR
To find out more about this role and receive a copy of
the application pack, please email search@mrbc.org.nz.
Applications close 31 January 2012
Visit us at www.mrbc.org.nz
[ MUSIC REVIEWS ]
Rapture Ruckus
Open Your Eyes
What makes Open Your Eyes
just a little bit strange is how
jarringly obvious the stylistic
shift is. Rapture Ruckus has gone
from brash rap-rock to the kind
of modern dance/hip-hop hybrid
that is all over the radio. What
this means is that instead of youth
group-inspiring statements deliv-
ered over something that sounds
like Kid Rock, this album contains
youth-group inspiring statements
delivered over something that
sounds like Dane Rumble and the
Black Eyed Peas.
It’s all towering synths, dance
beats and copious amounts of auto
tune. And some of it is quite good.
The single “All Things New”
has a chorus that features such a
giant hook that you can’t help but
give Rapture Ruckus frontman
Brad Dring credit. If this gig ever
falls through, a career writing
songs for famous pop stars
beckons.
Of course, with an album like
this, subtlety isn’t really a feature.
Because of that, the lyrics can be
painfully cheesy at times, and
musically there isn’t much to
savour after the initial sugary hit.
But that doesn’t take away from
Open Your Eyes being a perfectly
competent pop album.
HHHII
NZ Baptist | November 2011
Haste The Day
Haste the Day vs Haste
the Day
The real selling point of this live
DVD and CD collection is that it
is quite possibly the final release
by Haste The Day, after the band
called it quits in 2010. The concert
itself actually doubled as the
release party for the group’s last
(and final) studio album, Attack Of
The Wolf King. Across the span of
the hour and 20 minute show, past
band members make appearances,
giving the whole occasion a very
free-wheeling and celebratory
vibe.
Musically, Haste The Day are
very much on point here, playing
with a precision that mimics their
studio output. The sound mix is
good throughout.
The glaringly obvious down-
side to this whole thing is the
video quality. This isn’t a big show
to begin with (which isn’t neces-
sarily a bad thing), but the picture
is almost YouTube bootleg quality
(which most definitely is a bad
thing). The lighting also stays very
dark throughout, which only adds
to the budget feeling.
In the end, though, a package
like this was always going to be
very specifically for fans who
want something to remember
this fantastic metal band by, and
by those standards it’s more than
worthy.
HHHII
Friends of Madagascar (nz)
MADAGASCAR.ORG.NZ • PO BOX 29164, FENDALTON, CHRISTCHURCH 8540
A new school will
help us maintain our
amazing academic
results
Ashes Remain
What I’ve Become
I’ll cut to the chase: Ashes
Remain are a new band who are
basically a less annoying Kutless.
In fact, minus the vocals, if you
blindfolded me and played songs
by this group alongside the likes
of Red, Day Of Fire and the afore-
mentioned Kutless, I’m not sure
I’d be able to tell the difference.
Which is not to say that What I’ve
Become is awful, except of course
when Ashes Remain channel
their inner 3 Doors Down on
songs like the soppy “Everything
Good,” which is frankly unlisten-
able without cringing yourself to
death.
When the band take off the
handbrake, though, they manage
a fairly decent hard rock sound.
It actually becomes quite enjoy-
able when guitarist Rob Tahan lets
loose his inner Kirk Hammet and
shreds for a bit.
The album peaks when the
band couple their Drop-D riffage
with a glam-rock stomp on “End
of Me,” and there are a few other
moments that prove that Ashes
Remain know their way around a
decent rock chorus.
Whether that’s enough to
garner them any attention in a
music scene awash with similar
sounding bands, though, remains
to be seen.
HHIII
November 2011 | NZ Baptist [ BOOK REVIEWS ] 27

Unconditional? at Harvard University says of the 20th century resurgence in academic study
The call of Jesus to radical forgiveness book, “This book could well be the of the Scriptures. Many who would go on to
most highly readable, accurate, staff denominational colleges and university
By Brian Zahnd and up-to-date introduction on the theological faculties in the late 20th century
Charisma House world’s major religions.” I certainly studied under his direction when he was
ISBN 978-1-61638-273-5 found it all that, learning something Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and
If Christianity is to be a compelling and relevant voice in new about each religion and even Exegesis at Manchester. He was a great
the 21st century it needs to return to its roots – those of discovering a religion or two I didn’t mentor to his students.
radical forgiveness, argues Brian Zahnd in a book that know about. Not a spectacular preacher (he often read
takes a fresh look at what is one of the central themes of In this day when so many people from his drafts), he became more alive in
the Christian message. say that all religions lead to God question and answer sessions. He was pre-
The book begins with the story Nazi hunter Simon it is good to find such a clear and eminently a gifted writer who could take
Wiesenthal’s told in his book The Sunflower, of his enjoyable read that proves that this academic research and make it understand-
encounter with a dying is not so. As Miroslav Volf, professor able to those who wanted to strengthen their
SS soldier who asks for at Yale Divinity School, says of the Scriptural understanding. Many of his books
forgiveness. Wiesenthal book, “Enough lazy paddling of the continue in print 20 years after his death.
hears the soldier’s story false and dangerous idea that all A bit like N.T. Wright today, he was well
but leaves the room in religions are the same!” accepted in evangelical circles, although
silence. – David McLeod-Jones there were some (especially in America) who
Are there acts of evil felt that he was not quite evangelical enough. He sought
so great they can’t be A History of the World Since 9/11 to apply a moderating influence to those who chose to
forgiven? Should we attempt to define what evangelicals should believe in
By Dominic Streatfeild
always forgive? What is too greater detail. His views on women’s role in ministry
Atlantic Books, London, 2011
the relationship between were well ahead of their time.
ISBN 9-781-84354-766-2
forgiveness and justice? – David McLeod-Jones
With the Wiesenthal It was John Wesley, father of the Methodist movement
story setting the scene, and renowned intercessor, who made the profound state- From disgrace to Amazing Grace: John
Zahnd explores all these ment that when believers pray they should do so with the
Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. No doubt
Newton
difficult issues. In the
process he challenges he was pointing to the fact that while the Bible is the By Jonathan Aitken
Christians to rediscover the heart of the gospel – intercessor’s primary source Crossway Books
forgiving love as practised by Jesus Christ on the of reference for prayer, other ISBN13:978-1-58134-848-4(hc)
cross. Jesus forgave, so we must forgive also, just as secondary sources, such as Some details of John Newton’s exceptional life will be
it says in the Lord’s Prayer. news articles, provide a vital known to many, such
Zahnd presents us with a well-written, theo- link to a wealth of factual as his authorship of the
logically sound, persuasive argument as to why information about the world hymn “Amazing Grace”
Christian forgiveness is the compelling alternative that the intercessor should and his miraculous
– in fact the only alternative – to a world defined by find both helpful and useful conversion in a life-
revenge and retribution. for vibrant effective prayer. threatening storm aboard
– Duncan Pardon This book relates events a slave trader vessel.
that have occurred as an But this book by
God is not One outcome of the 9/11 attacks former British Cabinet
on America. For most of Minister and prison
By Stephen Prothero our generation it has been a convert Jonathan Aitken
Harper One, New York, 2010 historical reference point as tells so much more about
ISBN 978-0-06-157127-5 the Pearl Harbour attack was Newton’s life. Aitken’s
This book by a professor of religion at Boston for another generation. Rather book is gripping and
University is subtitled “The eight rival religions than being a pure history, this inspirational with short,
that run the world – and why their differences is a series of chapters about punchy chapters full of
matter.” The eight religions are Islam, Christianity, the event’s impacts on the fascinating detail about
Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Yoruba religion, lives of individuals. Newton’s early life, his
Judaism and Daoism. The book concludes with a brief It challenges once again the maxim that “the ends tumultuous and rebel-
coda on atheism. justify the means.” As we pray for those in authority, that lious years at sea in the British and merchant navies and
The author takes a simple four-part approach to they may have wisdom in their decision making, let us horrendous experiences as a mate and captain of slave
defining religions, in which each religion articulates a also remember to pray that “justice roll on like a river, traders.
problem, a solution to this problem (which also serves as righteousness like a never-failing stream,” Amos 5:24. The real inspiration comes from the account of his
the religious goal), a technique (or techniques) for moving – David McLeod-Jones attempts to gain admission to the Anglican clergy (after
from the problem to the solution, and an exemplar (or considering ministry with “the Dissenters,” Baptists and
exemplars) who charts the path from problem to solution. F.F. Bruce – A Life Presbyterians) and his development in preaching, pastoral
Harvey Cox, Hollis Research Professor of Divinity care and mentoring skills.
By Tim Grass
Paternoster, Crown Hill, 2011 At Newton’s first church the congregation
ISBN 978-1-84227-737-9 grew from 200 to 600 and clergy from other
parts of England flocked to hear him preach.
This book is subtitled “The Definitive

Serious about training Biography of a New Testament

Scholar,” and will appeal especially
Newton recognised the value of hymns to teach
biblical truths, using simple wording that could
be easily memorised by the ordinary folk.

for mission & ministry? to New Testament scholars and

those with their roots in the Brethren
assemblies. I remember many of
During his life he wrote numerous hymns,
some in conjunction with the well known
English poet William Cowper.
Bruce’s books being in my father’s
CAREY BAPTIST COLLEGE PREPARES collection (he was a Brethren evan-
The effect of Newton’s skills as an author
and letter-writer is highlighted as he sought
YOU TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. gelist) and he was always highly
spoken of in those circles.
to encourage other clergy and church leaders.
His ministry in London was widely influential
Study full time or part time, on site or by Grass shows, however, that and his collaboration with William Wiberforce
distance. Papers offered next year include: Bruce played a key role in many in working towards the abolition of slavery
denominations, where he led the is well known. During that time he mentored
• Introduction to the Bible
• Introduction to Preaching Wilberforce in Christian growth and encour-
• Christology aged him to stay as an influence in Parliament. Newton
• Humanity and Hope remained an inspiration to many well into his seventies.
• Genesis This is book which will inspire and encourage
• Understanding and Interrogating Culture everyone, particularly those who are pastors or preachers
• Romans and those considering Christian ministry.
• Leading Missional Change – Stuart Gaze
• Acts: A Missional Reading
08000 PRESS ON
registrar@carey.ac.nz Families
www.carey.ac.nz
walking with God
walkingwithGod.com
28 [ CHURCH NEWS ] NZ Baptist | November 2011

Tony’s love for Nepal lives on

A
team from Eastview Baptist Church
in Botany, East Auckland is heading
to Nepal this month armed with 70
bucket water filters. They will take them
to the isolated village of Garam Besi in the
western district of Lamjung.
The men follow in the footsteps of Tony
McClean, the courageous young teacher
from Eastview who died along with six
students in the Elim Christian College
canyoning disaster in April 2008.
Earlier this year, Tony was posthu-
mously awarded the New Zealand Bravery
Star for trying to save the students’ lives
in the Mangatepopo River flash flood. He
is remembered as a young man who loved
God, loved people, loved the outdoors and
loved bringing all three together.
His desire to help others led him to
spend nine months teaching at an interna-
tional school attached to a leprosy hospital
in Pokhara, western Nepal, in 2007.
While there, he made friends with
Nepalese national Chanman Harijan. He
is a teacher who runs a youth group called
Indreni (meaning rainbow) for 400 kids
and feeds street kids in Pokhara.
Chanman was born into the lowest,
untouchable Shudra caste and brought
up as a slave. But he and his brothers
managed to acquire an education and two
of his siblings became doctors – the first of
their caste to do so.
Chanman took Tony home to his village
of Garam Besi, four hours from Pokhara,
and there Tony’s dream of East partnering
with West began.
Like Tony, Chanman and his brothers
shared a holistic view of applied mission.
With other likeminded locals they had
set up an outreach called SAHODAR,
which means “family in Christ” with
the letters standing for Sustainable and
Holistic Development through Attitudinal
Renovation. The programme works
amongst the poorest Shudra communities
in the Lamjung district.
After Tony’s death the following year,
his parents, Eastview pastor John and his
wife, Jeanetter, discovered a five-year plan
on their son’s computer to set up a partner-
ship between Eastview and the villagers.
To honour his memory, his family and
friends founded the Tony McClean Nepal
Trust (TNT) to carry out his vision.
The first fundraiser sold gift cards
of Tony’s artwork featuring Mahatma
Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther
King, three people he considered role
models.
November’s trip to Nepal is the second
team of Tony’s mates to travel to Garam
Besi. A team of four, including John, led the
way last year. The year before, Tony’s New
Testament lecturer at Carey Baptist College,
George Wieland, also from Eastview,
taught at the Katmandu Theological
College and also travelled to Garam Besi.
“It’s exactly what Tony wanted to
do – we’re carrying out what was in his
plan,” says John. “He had it all there on his
computer.”
“I think he’d be really thrilled that his
vision is being actioned,” says Jono Ward,
who is leading this year’s team.
Far left, the
Eastview team
– (from left)
Sean Milnes,
Nick Steele,
Ben Whitcher
and Jono
Ward, demon-
strate a bucket
water filter;
Tony McClean
in Nepal.
Each of the 70 bucket water filters they
are taking can provide clean water for 15
people a day for a number of years.
“The villagers have an ample water
supply but the water is so dirty and there
are so many water-borne diseases that kill
people,” he explains. “It’s a problem all
through the third world but it’s worse in
the very poor lowest caste communities.”
The $50 medical-grade water filters, orig-
inally designed to clean blood for kidney
dialysis, provide an effective solution.
While in Garam Besi the team will also
build smoke hoods and chimneys to reduce
smoke pollution, which causes lung and
respiratory diseases from open cooking
fires inside village dwellings.
They will also deliver stationery to
district schools.
Jono describes the multi-faceted trip as a
fact-finding expedition to learn more about
the village and its needs for future trips.
Eastview plans to send another team next
year. John McClean says he may well go a
second time, proud to follow in his son’s
footsteps.

Say “ahhhh ...”

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD
A FINANCIAL HEALTH CHECK?

Baptist Savings offers obligation-free consultations

about all things financial, including mortgages,
credit card debt, insurance and saving for the future.

PERSONALISED. COMPREHENSIVE. free.

Ahhhhh.
www.baptistsavings.co.nz

TO BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION,

contact Andrew L’Almont on 021 244 6676
or andrew@baptistsavings.co.nz