November 2012

From the Editor's desk

Greetings and welcome to November’s conXion.

Each month I wonder what will land on my desk for conXion and I am never disappointed. November’s conXion is full again with stories from women who love to share from their heart, so enjoy dear readers.

Last weekend was our Girls’ Getaway Camp held at Coolum. What a weekend! It was full on, Carol Smith our guest speaker shared  “If I’m not reading the Bible, why not?” Carol reminded us that it is the best gift given to us. Through God’s Word we connect with Jesus, how good is that.

There were 86 ladies present throughout Saturday, we had Destiny Rescue come and share their work, saving young girls (children) from prostitution.

 

Bel Thomson, our guest artist was a delight, she bravely brought her husband of only a few weeks to meet us, though I think really it was Phil who was the brave one. They shared their story of how they met. How they held onto God’s promise for their lives, what joy it was to hear and dear readers you will have to wait till next year to hear their story. 

Check out the group photo with everyone dressed up in their Country & Western outfits for Saturday nights concert below.

 Last weekend proved to the Committee that Camps are not something of the past. Camps offer to those, especially from our smaller churches an opportunity to gather with like minded women. We arrive on Friday evening and leave on the Sunday catching up with old friends and making new ones.

We held our de-brief on Friday and have some great plans for next year already. The Theme is ‘All You Need is Love’ and our guest speaker will be Katie Lush from Highfields Church of Christ.

The ladies Retreat at Camp Koojarewon, Highfields will be held on the weekend 16— 18 March. Don’t miss out this will also be an awesome weekend. This is our tree-scape, Koojarewon is set among the gum trees a stunning setting check the ad below.  

I also encourage you all to consider being part of Celebrate 2012 it is time for us to gather and celebrate what God has done and is doing within our movement. Come and hear Rich Robinson at Centrifuge on the Friday, hear what is happening in Conference at our AGM and finally share with others at the CEO Award Dinner.

It will be a great time of encouragement for us all, so please consider.

In His love

Andi

God Moments ...

The Miry Clay

It’s amazing how, sometimes, a moment from childhood rises so clear in your mind; and how relevant it still is.

That happened to me recently…and it packed the same punch it did so many years ago.

To help you understand what I’m talking about, I will try to describe the memory.

When I was younger I was a member of the Anglican Church. At the time (late 80’s-early 90’s) there was a ministry called GFS or Girls Friendly Society. I have no idea if it still exists today. It was a girl’s only youth group, and living in the outback there was always plenty to do. One of the more common activities was camping. There were places to camp in the bush and on people’s properties. In this instance we were camping at a property which had cows, pigs and a rather large dam.

I can’t remember the season but it was hot enough to go swimming. The owner of the property said it was permissible to do, but to take care because the cows had been down earlier and had trampled the water line.

The GFS leader (my mother) and several parents who were with us; drove us all down and my mother circled the dam to determine the safest place.

In quite, firm tones she told us we could only enter and exit the water between two points which she had marked with the cars.

For a few hours all the girls swam and mucked around in the water until my mother called a halt and said it was time to go.

My sister, further away from the group, decided it would be quicker to get out at the point closest to her and walk around, than to swim back to the point between the cars. None of us realised it until we heard her screaming for help.

She was up to her knees in grey glupy clay.

The more she struggled, the lower into the clay she sunk. She was screaming and crying for help, clawing at the mud…and sinking.

My mother had reacted faster than I thought possible. There were some rocks just above where my sister was struggling and she anchored herself against them and held out her hand.

My sister never looked up. She clawed and struggled, screamed and cried until she was up to her hips.

It was horrifyingly frightening. The other parents wouldn’t let anyone near and I could only watch.

From across the water I could hear Mum just saying my sisters’ name. Calm, low pitched, and over and over again.

Finally my sister must have heard and looked up. Stopped struggling. Reach up…and with one pull my mother had her free.

When Mum lead a service that night she made a comment about what happened that day.

Sometimes, we can be in an awful point in life. No matter what we do, we just keep struggling and sinking, screaming and crying for God to help. We use our own strength to gain freedom and things just get worse and worse.

God will never force us. He will simply be there, with his hand held towards us, waiting to help. All we have to do is stop struggling long enough to look up…and reach out.

He’ll do the rest…and we will be free.

TP Hogan

Prayer

Prayer Page…. Getting to know God

 ‘Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.’

Philippians 4:6-7 (the Message)

I have a plaque in my home that says, ‘To see the Creation, is to know the Creator’. How true it is, when we REALLY SEE what God has created for us. We look at the trees and marvel at how tall and straight they grow… look at the different shades of green, see the myriad colours in the flowers. If we read Psalm 104 we see just a few of the glories of God’s creation that we should worship and praise Him for.

I was fortunate to be brought up in a Christian home and occasionally I sit and think back over my life and thank God for the Christians who in any way helped me in my Christian walk. I thank God for my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters, for my Sunday school teachers, youth group leaders, choir members and ministers, all of whom had a part in steering me in the right direction. Many of them have passed on now to a better life, but I still praise God for letting them be an influence on my life. Then as I got older I became a Sunday school teacher, a wife and mother, an auxiliary worker in Girls Brigade, served as treasurer in many women’s ministries and touched lives in many Churches. I thank and praise God for each person whose life I have been able to touch, and fervently pray that I have been able to love each one as He has loved me. 

I thank God for the times shared with other Christians, times of joy and sadness. Times when we have shared through sickness and tragedies, times when we have had meals together, times when we have travelled together, when we have prayed together, and especially for the cards and letters of encouragement. Our God is so good. He knows our every need before we do and He always supplies (sometimes before we have even thought to ask Him).

  

The telephone can be a good means of reaching others when we are unable to visit them. About 7 years ago, soon after I had moved to the Gold Coast, I received a phone call from a man I had only met about 12 months previously. He told me his wife was in hospital with a recurrence of cancer and asked if I would pray for her, as he knew I was a praying lady. Before I hung up I prayed for them over the phone. He was very silent, and took a while to say goodbye. A few days later when I phoned to see how his wife was, he thanked me for praying, and said “You blew me right away with your prayer over the phone”. It just shows that what comes naturally to us as Christians can mean so much to others.

Evelyn Colbran

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 Prayer Points:

· Thank Him for the freedom we have in this land.

· Pray that we will continue to have religious freedom here and that religious instruction can continue in our schools and for those who teach RE.

· Pray for our Chaplains as they serve in our schools

· Pray for Centrifuge and our  Annual General Meeting

· Pray for the following churches within our movement

Hervey Bay  Highfields Hume Ridge Kingaroy Kingsthorpe Lakeshore Leichhardt

JAPANESE ‘NEW YORK STYLE’ CHEESECAKE by Renee Shibuya (our resident Master Chef!)

The Japanese are good at copying things and doing them better! This is a recipe my neighbour in Japan taught me. It is very easy to make and comes out light and airy with a subtle egg taste. This recipe makes a very small cheesecake, so I often double it to use the bigger pan. When I double it, my blender is too small to increase amounts, so I just make the original recipe twice and pour it together in the pan.

Base:
1 Pkt plain biscuits. (soft biscuits work better (Nice biscuits work well)
3 tbsps melted butter
ground nuts (optional)
Mixed together well and press into a flat pan or cake tin. I line mine with waxed paper to make it easier to get out of the tin once set. Place in the refrigerator to set while you make the filling.

Filling:
200g cream cheese
80g sugar
3 eggs
200ml cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tablespoons plain flour

Method:

For best results, leave the cream cheese out of the fridge overnight to soften evenly.

You can use a food processor, but if the cream cheese is soft enough, I use the blender.

Place cream cheese, sugar and 1 egg in blender/mixer. Whiz on and off until fairly mixed. Add the other eggs one at a time to help mix it all up. Then add the cream and whiz again. Finally put in the vanilla and flour and mix through. Pour over base and bake at 160°C for 10 mins, then reduce heat to 140°C for 90 minutes. (If you are in a hurry and not worried about appearances, keep it at 160°C for a shorter time. The lower temperature stops the cake from cracking). Cut once cooled.

 

This is the recipe doubled.                       Leave the cake in the pan until cooled. This allows the cake to set properly before disturbing it. Run a plastic knife around the edge to loosen it from the pan, then release it. 

The cake will sink after cooling, and if cooked slowly, will not crack.

Walking with Farmers

Dancing to the Beat of His Heart

I was invited to share about ‘Walking with Farmers’ in a country town last week, which was a joy. On arrival I walked into the venue which was where the senior citizens meet each week and I thought I must have been in the wrong place, as they were singing old time hymns, played on a piano by the president. Bearing in mind they were a secular group, I did not expect to hear this. I was quick to tell them that I was overjoyed to hear this and could listen to this singing for a long time. It really made my day and my heart was dancing to the beat of His heart. They reminded me why I was there – it was to share with them.

There were tears as folk recalled a past of struggles on the land in earlier years. Also in groups such as these there are those who do not realise the hardships on the farms are shocked to hear that everyday items are a luxury out there, e.g. wash-up brushes, tea-towels and tissues. Word of mouth generally helps to make folk aware of needs and then we receive donations either goods or finance. I always keep in mind that God knows the needs and He will provide. Sometimes I get anxious and pray to God in my impatience, just to remind Him that I am going on a trip soon. Then He reminds me that He knows in advance and has it all under control. Take a look at 1Peter 5:7 & Matthew 7:8.

Trust an unknown future to an all knowing God. Then rest in the assurance of His promises. What a comfort.

Come on then let’s Dance to the Beat of His Heart…

Priscilla Gaston

MT HUTTON CELEBRATES “THE YEAR OF THE FARMER”

The staff and residence of Mt Hutton Retirement Village, Injune are to be congratulated on the excellent effort put in to celebrate “The Year of the Farmer”.

Pastor Gary and I drove from Roma to spend most of Wednesday 25^th July at the Village. At the front entrance we were greeted by scarecrow Farmer Jones inviting us to take the stock route (down the hallway) and along the journey enjoy the pictorial real life stories of the residence and their family properties.  Photos, paintings, craft, old wares, memorabilia, paper clippings and articles showed the diversity of farming in the Injune area. Different facets of farm life such as cattle dogs, animal nursery, machinery, harvesting, sawmilling had other designated wall space.

In the main dinner/living  room, special areas highlighted specific farming type e.g. Pigs, Poultry, Cattle. Large displays of agricultural products and produce were eye catching as we walked round.       

A central attraction, set out on a table top was a large model of a farm complete with vegetable garden, chook coupe, tractor shed and even a working water feature dam and tank.  Robyn Maxwell and husband assisted residence with this amazing project and Robyn was the creative staff member who directed the residence, giving much of her own time to make this a fantastic display.

Gary and I enjoyed a special morning tea with residence then I entertained for an hour with solos and sing-a-longs which revolved around farming. ‘Old Mc Donald’ was a favourite and I sang several pieces from Oklahoma. We also remember old time playground games like ‘the farmer in the dell’.  The residence were in fine voice and enthusiastically played tiny tambourines, bells and shakers.

 Pastor Gary then did a communion service and a short devotion sharing the origins of the stump jump plough and the tradition of the ‘Blessing of the Plough’. A delicious roast lunch was served and we had plenty of time to chat and hear their many stories of life growing up in the country. Gary also shared some stories from our last year working on properties doing “Outback Ministry”. Plenty of laughs and comments were returned. After Gary assisted with the dishes (due to staff shortage), residents Clyde and Flossie presented us with a thankyou gift, hand painting by Clyde. What a thrill!

 

Next we were able to stay on for a while and observe Lynn Kadell doing her once a month painting class with the residence. Here Judy, Jackie, Lynn and Clyde stand in front of some of their creations

 

The previous day children from the primary school had been invited to visit the Farming display and quizzes and questions were also set up around the room and hallway for them. The following day more students were to visit and I know they would have been excited to see and learn from such a marvellous display. We do need to be reminded of what the farmers do for us and support them as much as we can. Put simply “without them, we don’t eat”. We have been privileged to be visiting and getting to know the staff and residence at Mt Hutton each month since taking up a short term ministry at the Roma Church of Christ.         

Pam Hine

18th Global Gathering of the World Convention of Churches of Christ

18th Global Gathering of the World Convention of Churches of Christ

Goiania, Brazil, July 25-29 2012

Sharing the Love that Unites

South America was never on my travel agenda but the opportunity to attend the 18^th Global Gathering of Churches of Christ in Brazil was too good to miss. Brazil is a country of great contrasts and beauty- the magnificence of Iguazu Falls, the beautiful beaches of Rio de Janeiro and the lovely city of Goiania and much more. 27 Australians traveled together, but there were approximately 40 Australians who shared in the experience. It was very different from all the gatherings of World Convention which have gone before because the planning committee in Brazil had been allowed to plan it their way!

There were almost 4,000 people in attendance over most days and many of them were vibrant young people, including many families with young children. They were so excited and thrilled that we had chosen to come to their country to hold the gathering. Many told us that they did not know there were church groups like theirs in other parts of the world. Of the total attendance there were less than 500 from outside Brazil!

The days began at 9am and finished at 9.30pm.There were 2 sessions each morning, workshops on various topics in the afternoon, and then an evening meeting. Each of the main sessions had lots of singing and a passionate speaker (in some cases 2 speakers!)- a mix of men and women from various countries. Andrew Menzies, the current college principal, was one of the key speakers. At one session Merril Kitchen (former principal of the Churches of Christ Theological College in Melbourne), was presented with an award to recognize her service to Churches of Christ, the wider church and beyond. That morning was a proud and special session for the Australians present.

The meetings were in Portuguese and English, so some of the messages were quite long, as sometimes it takes 3 or 4 words in Portuguese to translate one English word. All the songs were written in both languages and after a while some of us found we could fit the words better in Portuguese than in English so began to sing in that language

 The worship experiences were vibrant, passionate and loud! The people are so “in love” with Jesus and they cannot help but show it in passionate outbursts of joy. For me, it was a challenge as I considered our anglo/saxon conservatism and wonder whether we very often take our relationship with our awesome God somewhat for granted!

The last Sunday we shared in the evening service of a local congregation and that was really special, as we connected with the people and experienced their expressions of love. It is an incredibly humbling and moving experience to share the emblems of communion and be embraced and prayed for by a stranger,—when you cannot understand a word that is being said, but know very definitely the sincerity of the prayer! Just prior to the conclusion of the service we were presented with a cap (black for the men and white for the women) embroidered with the church motto-“You and me for Jesus”! As we held hands around and across that little chapel as the worship ended, there was hardly a dry eye and we understood more deeply what it meant to “Share the Love That Unites”

There was no “Women’s Lunch” or Retreat this time, rather a “Women’s Congress” which was from 5pm -7.00pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Monica Fife, the GWC President, opened the “Women’s Congress” on Thursday evening which concluded with “finger food”. Not enough for everyone to be fed adequately. The Brazilians eat very late so their mealtime was after the final session at 9.30pm!! Didn’t work for us!!!! So from then on we ate between the end of the GWC session and the beginning of the evening session—just missed some of the singing!

The GWC meetings consisted of a welcome by Monica each evening and 2 speakers with singing in between. I was one of the speakers on the Friday and I had the challenge of speaking with an interpreter. Fortunately, she was a beautiful young woman — about 25, and we connected well. I gave her my text the day before and she read it through, sought some clarification on some of the words she didn’t understand, we prayed together and allowed God to do the rest. It was a challenge to keep to time- but we did- and a number expressed their appreciation for the content of the message. One young woman told me I had spoken directly to her and she was helped to clarify some things in her life at present-so it was a good outcome. Another precious moment of “Sharing the Love that Unites”!

The Klong Toey project was wound up and the treasurer announced that $39,199.79 had been raised over the 4 years. A tally on the jewellery sales in the USA is still being finalized. There could still be small amounts that continue to come in until the new projects are officially launched. $30,863 of the total was contributed by Australia which is a wonderful effort. Many thanks to all who worked so hard to promote Klong Toey over the last 4 years.

 The whole experience of attending the 18^th gathering of the World Convention of Churches of Christ was truly wonderful. Travelling with great companions, the awesomeness (and challenges) of God’s creation, the warm friendliness of the people and the spiritual refreshment it afforded, all combined to create a journey we will not forget in a hurry.

Thank you for the privilege of representing you at this GWC gathering and for your support over many years. I trust that at the meeting in November of the State representatives  that they will be able to discern the direction for us as a Women’s Ministry team as we move into (as it seems to me) an increasingly uncertain future. All your prayers will be valued as they meet.

Marj Dredge

National Coordinator Women’s Ministries

Churches of Christ in Australia.

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